11 1/2″ Vinyl Black Label Sports-Illustrated Barbie. The doll comes with the following information on the back of the box: “The doll that started it all. ” Barbie made quite the splash at her 03-09-59 premiere, sporting her trademark blond ponytail and eye-popping black and white bathing suit. She is the doll that started it all. Always a snap shot of style-in-the-moment, Barbie gives girls of all ages a guide to glamore, a license to dream. and a way to make a personal fashion statement.
Now Barbie celebrates 50 years of the iconic Sports-Illustrated (2013) Swimsuit Issue as Barbie and her Zebra-striped bathing suit appear alongside Five Decades of Swimsuit legends. Barbie poses in her 1959 original fashion model suit and other iconic suits, culminating in the 2014 reinterpretation of one of her all-time most famous looks. From her very first Malibu Maillot to this updated Hollywood halter, Barbie remains always in the swim.”
I purchased the doll in 2014 from the Barbie Collector Catalog.