1998 Happy Holidays Barbie Doll

The 1998 Happy Holidays Barbie doll, stock number 20200, is a Special Edition release in the Holiday Barbie line and part of the annual Happy Holidays series cataloged in the collector segment. The 1998 edition stands apart from every other entry in the series on one recorded point: its black velvety holiday gown, accented with silver glitter, is the only black gown in the series. The doll wears her hair in an upswept arrangement, and the ensemble is completed by a pink cape and a jeweled tiara. Collectors identify this release as the 1998 Happy Holidays Barbie or Happy Holidays 1998, following the series practice of naming each annual edition by its year. The 1998 release appears in the catalog under this stock number, 20200, and collectors should verify the number printed on the packaging when matching a doll to a record, as other years in the Happy Holidays series appear in the catalog under more than one stock number. This entry carries a Special Edition designation rather than a numbered production run; no edition size, original retail price, hair color, or face sculpt is recorded, and no retailer exclusivity is noted. As an annual release, the 1998 doll continued the Happy Holidays series' role as the Holiday Barbie line's yearly holiday release for the collector segment.

Collector notes

The 1998 doll's recorded distinction is its gown: the black velvety holiday gown with silver glitter accents is documented as the only black gown in the Happy Holidays series, which makes the 1998 edition easy to identify at a glance among the annual releases. The recorded accessories to confirm are the pink cape and jeweled tiara, and the hair should present in the upswept style noted in the record. The release is a Special Edition with no recorded edition size or retailer exclusivity.