Collectable dolls have long been, and continue to be, a passion for many people around the world. Real life baby dolls, and other collectable dolls, are much more than toys or playthings, as they are essentially works of art in their own right. They are rare and beautifully crafted, and can represent an excellent investment. We’ve found five collectable dolls with big price tags to prove this point.

 Original Barbie

Since she was first produced in 1959, Barbie has gone on to achieve massive global success. Mint condition original Barbie’s in their original boxes have been known to go for $10,000. At first, Barbie was made with blond or brunette ponytails; less of the brunette types were made so these are more valuable.

 Diamond Barbie

Whilst Barbie represents one of the most lifelike dolls, there was a Barbie that did not fit in to this category. The jewellers De Beers created an $85,000 Diamond Barbie for her 40^th birthday anniversary; her outfit featured 160 tiny diamonds and came complete with matching miniature white gold jewellery.

 Original GI Joe

The original GI Joe prototype, hand carved in wood by Don Levine, was bought for an astounding $200,000 by super collector Stephen Geppi, and is currently on display in the Geppi Museum in Baltimore, Maryland.

 Madame Alexander Eloise

Madame Alexander created five individually designed dolls created to benefit numerous charities. The dolls are clothed in Christian Dior, and are dressed in furs by Oscar de la Renta. Each doll was sold at auction for $5,000,000, with proceeds going to charity.

 L’Oiseleur

For $6,250,000, you can purchase a unique piece of art called L’Oiseleur. French for Bird Trainer, L’Oiseleur is actually a 4ft tall collectable doll made from 2,340 polished steel parts. He is dressed in satin, silk and velvet, and has painted porcelain skin. Aside from this, he is fully mechanised and can lift his flute to his mouth to play a tune, whilst the bird on his should sings and flaps his wings in time.