The Barbie boom: could your old Barbie doll make you money?

The new Barbie film is boosting interest in collectable dolls - how much are Barbie dolls selling for?

Barbie on the right and Ken on the left from the Barbie film 2023
(Image credit: ©2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc)

The live-action film Barbie, starring Margot Robbie as the eponymous fashion doll, is set for release on 21 July. And, as you might expect, it is a riot of pink. 

So much so, in fact, that when coupled with pandemic-related supply disruption, paint maker Rosco couldn’t supply enough of its fluorescent pink to the film’s set designers.

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Chris Carter
Wealth Editor, MoneyWeek

Chris Carter spent three glorious years reading English literature on the beautiful Welsh coast at Aberystwyth University. Graduating in 2005, he left for the University of York to specialise in Renaissance literature for his MA, before returning to his native Twickenham, in southwest London. He joined a Richmond-based recruitment company, where he worked with several clients, including the Queen’s bank, Coutts, as well as the super luxury, Dorchester-owned Coworth Park country house hotel, near Ascot in Berkshire.

Then, in 2011, Chris joined MoneyWeek. Initially working as part of the website production team, Chris soon rose to the lofty heights of wealth editor, overseeing MoneyWeek’s Spending It lifestyle section. Chris travels the globe in pursuit of his work, soaking up the local culture and sampling the very finest in cuisine, hotels and resorts for the magazine’s discerning readership. He also enjoys writing his fortnightly page on collectables, delving into the fascinating world of auctions and art, classic cars, coins, watches, wine and whisky investing.

You can follow Chris on Instagram.