{"product_id":"1995-barbie-international-pen-friend-doll-nrfb","title":"1995 – Barbie – International Pen Friend – NRFB","description":"\u003ch3\u003eBefore Email, Barbie Was Your International Pen Pal and She Had Her Own Stamp\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eInternational Pen Friend Barbie arrived in 1995 at the exact moment when the concept of a pen pal — a physically mailed international friendship conducted entirely by letter — was at peak cultural relevance, right before email made the whole enterprise seem quaint. The doll wears a world-flag print mini dress with a blue jacket, a red cap, and comes with a Barbie-logo rubber stamp, an ink pad, a postcard and a red mail bag, so the child receiving her could immediately start their own international pen pal correspondence. Mattel included details on the back of the box about joining the International Pen Friends programme.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe concept is a very specific kind of mid-nineties optimism — the idea that a Barbie doll could open up a global network of childhood friendships conducted by post, stamped with a personalised rubber stamp. The world-flag dress is a particularly good design choice, giving the doll a visual language that read globally without relying on any single country's imagery. As a collector piece, International Pen Friend Barbie is a neat time capsule of the last moment before the internet changed how children thought about international communication.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManufacturer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mattel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountry of manufacture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Malaysia\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel #:\u003c\/strong\u003e 13558\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMelody Likes box condition grade:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pristine — \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/4504\/6718\/files\/MelodyLikes-Doll-Box-Condition-Guide_05303af8-20b2-4137-8091-87f3c51d9668.png?v=1773150063\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eView our box condition guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mattel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47643708588222,"sku":"BARBIE-1995-INTERNAT-DOLL0001","price":111.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/4504\/6718\/files\/1995-barbie-international-pen-friend-doll-nrfb-front.jpg?v=1781573476","url":"https:\/\/melodylikes.com\/products\/1995-barbie-international-pen-friend-doll-nrfb","provider":"Melody Likes","version":"1.0","type":"link"}