UPDATE: Reproduction of the 1977 Barbie Superstar doll available to everyone!

One of the key moments in Barbie history is the beginning of the Superstar Era in 1977, heralded by the arrival of the Superstar Barbie doll on store shelves. “Superstar Barbie is one of the most iconic Barbie dolls of all time,” says Barbie Signature lead designer Bill Greening. “She was a revolutionary doll.”

In honor of this doll's 45th anniversary, we are thrilled to bring back the Superstar Barbie Doll as a vintage reproduction creation. This Black Label doll (age-rated for adult collectors) is available now for $45 at Mattel Creations, with no order limit.

“Superstar Barbie reflected all the glitz and glamor of the disco era,” Bill recalls. “I remember clearly when this doll came out. My cousin received her as a gift and I literally cried because I thought she was so beautiful. "This doll really cemented everything we think of when we think of 'iconic Barbie': pink dress, sun-streaked hair, blue eyes, and sparkly jewelry."

Ready to dance the night away, our vintage reproduction Barbie doll is dressed in a fabulous pink evening dress with a sparkly ruffled boa. Sparkling “diamond” jewelry and matching pink heels complete her glamorous look. This doll also wears the Superstar face sculpt that also debuted on the original doll, and is one that has appeared in the Barbie line for over 20 years. The doll's body also features posing arms, a Twist 'n Turn waist, and flexible "clicky" legs for posing.

It turns out that this is not the first time that Barbie Signature has created a vintage reproduction of this doll. “We made a reproduction of this doll in 2009 for the 50th anniversary of the Barbie doll, in the My Favorite Barbie collection,” Bill notes. So how did that affect the focus of her last play? “It was more about how we could improve on what we did before to make this doll feel more authentic. The packaging even uses artwork from the 1970s Superstar Barbie era.”

You'll have packaging designer Sarah Pata to thank for that, and in case you've ever wondered, that's very intentional. “When we design packaging for a reproduction doll, we always want it to pay homage to the original packaging design,” explains Sarah. “We research as much as we can about the original package design, so when we design the reproduction package, we want it to complement the original design.”

The packaging team not only refers to the original designs. They are also considering reproductions as a series, including last year's Superstar Christie Doll. "We wanted all of the vintage reproduction Superstar dolls to feel cohesive," says Sarah. “They are pieces from the same collection, so we designed the packages to complement each other. “We draw inspiration from similar color palettes and artistic styles.”

To round out our conversations with Bill and Sarah, we asked them for their favorite little details about the new doll. For Bill, it was the jewelry. "I remember when the original doll came out, I thought her jewelry was 'real diamonds'. It's little details like that that remind me of it." For Sarah, it was “the illustration of the character on the front of the package. It's from one of the packages from the original Superstar Barbie line. “I love how we were able to repurpose this original piece of art.”

As if you needed any more reasons to add this doll to your collection, Bill also notes that "the Superstar Barbie era is becoming very collectible, and I think this doll is a great follow-up to Superstar Christie." To prove his point, we will remember that Superstar Christie Doll sold out last year. So if you have the opportunity to add the new reproduction of the 1977 Barbie Superstar doll to your collection, don't hesitate.

Translation and adaptation of the article published by Mattel Creations Staff 5 August 17, 2022

Written by Allen Voivod