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The Types of Barbie Head Molds

For decades, Barbie dolls have captured the imaginations of young children, many of whom have grown up to introduce Barbie dolls to their own children. Barbie dolls have also attracted some criticism over the years for the way they portray women. For various reasons, Barbie's appearance has been changed many times over the years. This is true of both her body and of her face and head.

Early Molds
- The first Barbie head mold was released in 1959. Early molds, such as the 1964 Swirl design, featured blue eyes, straight blonde hair and, perhaps rather strangely, brown eyebrows. This mold did not have an adjustable head. The first adjustable Twist'n Turn head mold came in 1966 with Hair Fair Barbie. This model came with brown hair, blue eyes and red puckered lips. In 1976, the SuperStar head mold was released, featuring blonde hair, blue eyes and a wider smile than its predecessors'.
Multiple Races
- The 1970s and 1980s sparked an attitude of political correctness from Mattel, the designer and manufacturer of the Barbie doll. This era produced a wide range of African-American Barbies with an array of different face molds. A short list includes the Mbili face mold, the Mackie mold, the generation girl face mold and the closed mouth mold. The era also produced a range of Hispanic Barbie dolls featuring face molds such as the Teresa face mold, the goddess face mold, the Spanish head mold and the Tango head mold. Asian molds were also popular during this time. Asian face molds include the Oriental face mold and the Diva face mold.
1990s
- The 1990s was a time of experimentation for Barbie head molds. Some of the designs produced during this era were bizarre attempts to make Barbie multiracial. Some of these molds feature a mix of Caucasian and Asian features. For example, Angelface mold features full red lips with slanted eyes and long dark-brown hair.
Gimmicks
- Over the years, a number of gimmick face molds have been produced. The Sleeping Beauty model, for example, includes a lever in the back of her head that is used to close and open her eyes. In 1997, Mattel released a version of the SuperStar mold with an additional mechanism used to make Barbie's lips move. This was called Talk with Me Barbie.

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