{"product_id":"1997-barbie-official-barbie-collectors-club-cafe-society-doll-nrfb","title":"1997 – Barbie – Official Barbie Collector's Club – Café Society – NRFB","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Only Way to Buy This Barbie in 1997 Was to Already Be the Kind of Person Who Joins a Club Specifically for Buying Barbies\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCafé Society was the Members' Choice second edition from the Official Barbie Collector's Club — a subscription programme Mattel launched in 1994 for collectors who had, quite reasonably, decided that publicly available Barbies were not exclusive enough. She wears a blush charmeuse slipdress under a golden lace stole, the skirt cut into a fishtail train, auburn hair piled into a jewelled updo. The deep burgundy striped box with its cameo portrait looks nothing like any other Barbie box of 1997 because it wasn't designed to sit on a shelf next to other Barbies — it was going directly to someone who already owned most of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Barbie Collector's Club had around 60,000 members at its peak in the late nineties, which sounds like a lot until you consider that Mattel was selling tens of millions of Barbies a year — meaning the Members' Choice editions were reaching less than a fraction of a percent of the total buyer pool. Grand Premiere (1996) went first; Café Society followed in 1997. The secondary market for these has always been brisk, for the obvious reason that if you weren't a member, the only way to get one was to find someone who was and convince them to part with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePlease note:\u003c\/strong\u003e Please note: The outer box on one side, toward the bottom is slightly faded.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eManufacturer:\u003c\/strong\u003e Mattel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCountry of manufacture:\u003c\/strong\u003e Indonesia\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel #:\u003c\/strong\u003e 18892\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMelody Likes box condition grade:\u003c\/strong\u003e Very Good — \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":47696704929982,"sku":"BARBIE-1997-OFFICIAL-CAFÉSOCI-DOLL0001","price":167.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0709\/4504\/6718\/files\/1997-barbie-official-barbie-collectors-club-caf_C3_A9-society-doll-nrfb-front.jpg?v=1782133816","url":"https:\/\/melodylikes.com\/products\/1997-barbie-official-barbie-collectors-club-cafe-society-doll-nrfb","provider":"Melody Likes","version":"1.0","type":"link"}