2019 Dia De Los Muertos Barbie Keeps Going Up

This doll kickstarted a new tradition

News

By RC Staff

27 June 2023

Key Points

These limited edition dolls are updated every year and sell for $75
2019 edition has done well on aftermarket, reselling for $300 immediately after release. Recent sales are around $600
Stay tuned for an update on the 2023 Dia de los Muertos Barbie in September

Item

Art & Collectibles

2022 Día De Muertos Barbie Doll

Created to celebrate Día De Muertos, this Barbie was inspired by elements of this cultural celebration.

In 2019, Barbie added a new entry to their signature collection. The Dia de los Muertos doll became a huge hit among collectors, and sold out through online and physical retailers. Following the success of the doll, Barbie launched a new tradition, and releases a new doll for Dia de los Muertos each year. Despite this, the 2019 dolls are still the most popular, and continue to sell over retail.

2019 Barbie Dia de los Muertos

You might think skulls and dolls don’t mix, but these sold-out Barbies would seem to prove otherwise. Beginning in 2019, Mattel has produced limited edition Barbie dolls to coincide with the Mexican holiday of Dia de los Muertos, which falls on the 1st and 2nd of November each year.

Designer Javier Meabe has said the dolls were based on a desire to bring Dia de los Muertos into the mainstream, and also as a tribute to loved ones who have passed away. The dolls feature an extravagant design inspired by traditional Mexican dresses, and features a unique painted face with a skull design, or calavera.

Like other Barbies from Mattel’s Signature collection, the Dia de los Muertos dolls also feature unique packaging. Purchases also contain a stand for buyers to display their Barbie in a variety of poses, although serious collectors will likely keep theirs in the plastic.

While the design for these dolls was undoubtedly cool, Mattel likely didn’t anticipate how popular they’d be. It took less than 10 minutes for Mattel’s site to sell out of the 2019 Dia de los Muertos Barbies, and it seems as though there simply weren’t enough to go around.

Following the sale, buyers began listing dolls on eBay for a significant markup. Immediately afterwards, the $75 Dia de los Muertos Barbies were reselling for upwards of $300.

Barbie's Dia de los Muertos collection

After the success of the 2019 dolls, Mattel has since released 2020, 2021, and 2022 editions (featuring a Ken doll as well), each with their own special design. Despite these new releases, the 2019 dolls have maintained their value, and they are actually reselling for around $600, significantly more than at their initial release.

After Mattel revealed that each year would feature a new design, collectors began valuing the 2019 dolls even higher than they had before, and raced to get as many as they could before others caught on. Additionally, the new dolls are produced in significantly larger numbers than the original 2019 Dia de los Muertos Barbie, which was seen as more of a risk by Mattel.

There have been no designs released yet for a 2023 Dia de los Muertos Barbie, but we can be pretty sure they’re coming. Previous dolls have been revealed sometime in September, giving buyers around two months to prepare before Dia de los Muertos in November.

Collectors should keep their eyes peeled for future releases featuring eclectic and nontraditional designs, so that maybe they can score the first edition of a future classic. We’ll post an update when designs for the 2023 Dia de los Muertos Barbies are revealed.

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