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Karl Lagerfeld Barbie dolls sell out in under one hour, but you can still buy them on eBay for four times the price

The legendary German design is made into a doll with his signature grey pony tail, black finger gloves, a white collar shirt, black tie, tailored jacket and, of course, big sunglasses

Linda Sharkey
Wednesday 01 October 2014 11:47 BST
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Karl Lagerfeld poses with his lookalike Barbie doll, which sold out in under one hour on net-a-porter
Karl Lagerfeld poses with his lookalike Barbie doll, which sold out in under one hour on net-a-porter

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Karl Lagerfeld has been immortalised in plastic as Mattel launches a Barbie doll with the German designer’s trademark look and it sells out globally under one hour.

The limited-edition Barbie hit luxury online retailer net-a-porter on Monday morning and by 5.00 a.m it had sold all 999 dolls at £135, €200 and $200 each. However, for those who were not lucky enough to get their hands on it, they are already being re-sold on eBay with bids reaching more than $3000 (approx. £1850) –if you’d spend that much on a doll.

This comes as no surprise though, as the combination of “Karl Lagerfeld” and “limited-edition” seemed to be a must-have amongst fashionistas.

Barbie Lagerfeld is part of Mattel’s Barbie Collector series and the doll sports Kaiser Karl’s signature grey pony tail, black finger gloves, a white collar shirt, black tie, tailored jacket, big sunglasses and carries an iconic Chanel handbag.

"It's not everyday that Barbie dresses like the world's most famous fashion designer," said Kim Culmone, global vice president of Barbie product design, back in July when the launch was announced.

Fendi's ‘Bag Boy Karlito’ had 600 customers on its waiting list despite its hefty cost of ,685 (approx. £985)
Fendi's ‘Bag Boy Karlito’ had 600 customers on its waiting list despite its hefty cost of ,685 (approx. £985) (Rex)

This, however, is not the first time that the legendary designer has been made into a toy. Earlier this year Fendi presented a pricey portable furry Lagerfeld in the form of a crafted pom-pom handbag charm. The ‘Bag Boy Karlito’ had 600 customers on its waiting list despite its hefty cost of $1,685 (approx. £985).

Also last year a Japanese cartoon version of the designer was created as part of a capsule collection for Tokidoki, which was available for a slightly more reasonable £130.

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