Barbie: What's she made of?

Most Barbies are made of vinyl. The vinyl used for the earliest dolls showed a tendency to fade with age, so after a few years of manufacture, a different vinyl was used. These Barbies, the majority of Barbies in existence, are somewhat soft in feel. A harder vinyl was used for a series of collector Barbies, the Silkstone dolls. This harder vinyl has a porcelain-like feel to it. Mattel also manufactured a series of porcelain Barbies, also aimed at the collectors’ market.

Some Barbies are aging more gracefully than others. Vinyl, which is actually polyvinyl chloride, as been around for approximately 50 years, and is widely used in the manufacture of not just toys but common household items, like food wrap and shower curtains. Over the years, concerns have arisen as to the safety of PVC. These concerns focus on the idea that PVC breaks down with age and releases a chemical that can disrupt reproductive development in children. Some plastic dolls become sticky or greasy with age, while others can give off a white powder or a bad smell, increasing worries that the dolls are releasing toxic chemicals. 

Those who refute these concerns say that these “signs of deterioration” are harmless. The vinyl used to manufacture dolls is made by combining three substances: PVC resin, plasticizers and heat stabilizers. The function of the plasticizers is to make the material more malleable. Some plasticizers have a tendency to migrate to the surface of the doll, creating a sticky or greasy feel. However, proponents of the product point to studies that show no significant health hazards resulting from this process.

Advocates also claim that it is rare for a vinyl doll to deteriorate. The plasticizers usually only migrate if a soft-vinyl doll is exposed to extreme temperatures, they say, or if an unsuitable pasticizer was used in making the vinyl.

Whether the stickiness or greasiness is, in fact, harmful, remains unclear. But one thing is certain: a sticky, greasy doll is not pleasant to play with or collect. There are various ways of cleaning off the offending film. The main one is simply to give the doll a bath in mild dish detergent and water. If this doesn’t work, there are products made specifically for cleaning vinyl, such as Formula 9-1-1. 

These remedies may be adequate for treating toys, but collectors of Barbies might best consider taking their dolls to a professional doll restorer to preserve their value.