{"product_id":"1996-barbie-hallmark-be-my-valentine-sweet-valentine-doll-nrfb","title":"1996 – Barbie – Hallmark Be My Valentine – Sweet Valentine – NRFB","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Gown Was Drawn From the 1830s — the Golden Age of Valentines, When People Made Them by Hand and February 14th Was Genuine Serious Business\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSweet Valentine Barbie is the first in Hallmark's Be My Valentine Collector Series, released in 1996. The concept starts in the 1830s — the decade the Hallmark Archive describes as the Golden Age of Valentines, when elaborately handmade paper lace cards were individually crafted, trimmed with real ribbon and dried flowers, and considered meaningful tokens of affection rather than a transaction at a rack by the checkout. The doll wears a soft pink satin ballgown with rose corsage, a wide red sash, and a pearl necklace, all drawn from a specific Hallmark archive illustration. The book-style box opens to reveal the history of the holiday and a reproduction antique Valentine card you can actually send.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHallmark had been making Valentine's cards since 1913, which by 1996 was eighty-three years of archival material to draw from. The decision to anchor the Be My Valentine series in a specific historical moment — the 1830s rather than a general \"pink ballgown for Valentine's\" concept — gave it a collector credibility the more generic seasonal Barbies of the same era couldn't touch. This is the first in the series, which matters: the first entry always establishes the standard everything else gets measured against.\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 14880\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":47696708206782,"sku":"BARBIE-1996-HALLMARK-SWEETVAL-DOLL0001","price":128.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/4504\/6718\/files\/1996-barbie-hallmark-be-my-valentine-sweet-valentine-doll-nrfb-front.jpg?v=1782133857","url":"https:\/\/melodylikes.com\/products\/1996-barbie-hallmark-be-my-valentine-sweet-valentine-doll-nrfb","provider":"Melody Likes","version":"1.0","type":"link"}