Treatment of Green-Ear Disease for Vintage Barbie.

Collector's the World over have embraced the Barbie doll. In the past 30 years or so collecting Barbie doll and her family have become a very fun and profitable hobby, the vintage 1959 first editions are fetching astronomically high prices, mint in box examples being the most valuable and sought after. Many of these dolls including #1's,#2's and #3's have come down with Green-ear disease. It can drastically reduce the value of such rare dolls, this malady can even be found in the later Twist'n'turn dolls,including Hair Fair heads(these have the metal triangle dangle earrings) up to 1972. I've spoken to many collectors over the years and a possible theory is that when the dolls were being boxed in the factory one of the "final touches" given was a pair of "gold" hoop earrings or "pearl" earrings. These were mounted on copper posts, unfortunately the oil from the factory worker's fingers may have got the whole thing started, a reaction to the vinyl and copper caused a fungus to grow inside of the ear and eventually outward. Of course, there are varying degrees of green on dolls. no 2 dolls will have the same amount, I believe this may be due to different factors such as, the earrings being removed very early on, climate conditions, were the doll was stored, for example a doll stored in a dry attic may have fared better than a doll stored in a damp basement. It is possible to treat it however, but many factors may be at play, so a complete "cure" may not be possible, but the treatment always removes some of the green, even to a very small extent.
Many different Barbie doll collectors have varying theories about green-ear, some don't want to treat it, others have problems with harsh chemicals reacting with the vinyl or ruining the hair, etc. I have found using a treatment of Tarnex (silver polish)is the most consistent and fool-proof.**Please be aware...NEVER try your first attempt at treatment on a very rare or valuable doll such as a #1 or #2!!Find a "fixer-upper and practice, practice, practice!!**

The doll I've chosen to receive treatment is a 1961-62 Blonde bubblecut Barbie (these are very easy to find and quite inexpensive if found out of original box), as you can see, this doll has a mild case of the disease so her chances are fairly good for complete removal of green, a doll with lots of green and big, gloppy amounts of it will not be free of green but will have less of it in the end...The following is a list of items you'll need to get started, the rest of it is a bit of time, and some good luck!! Many different Barbie doll collectors have varying theories about green-ear, some don't want to treat it, others have problems with harsh chemicals reacting with the vinyl or ruining the hair, etc. I have found using a treatment of Tarnex (silver polish)is the most consistent and fool-proof.**Please be aware...NEVER try your first attempt at treatment on a very rare or valuable doll such as a #1 or #2!!Find a "fixer-upper and practice, practice, practice!!

1)A bottle of Tarnex, found at many supermarkets, hardware stores.

2)A glass bowl with a locking or airtight lid(Tupperware is fine, but glass is best).

3)Q-tips,2or3.

4)Real cotton balls(2).

5) 2 Large needles with large eyes(like embroidery or crewel needles, also a round needle,a pair of scissors and a tweezer.

6)towels for cleaning up, good lighting, and a clean, uncluttered work space.

7)this step is optional**a small jar of petroleum jelly to coat the face paint while receiving treatment, applying to the make-up is believed to prevent the paint from fading, I have never had it happen, but if you have a perfect face, you should protect it! 

8) on supplies list rubbing alcohol for cleaning head prior to treatment many different Barbie doll collectors have varying theories about green-ear, some don't want to treat it, others have problems with harsh chemicals reacting with the vinyl or ruining the hair, etc. I have found using a treatment of Tarnex (silver polish)is the most consistent and fool-proof.**Please be aware...NEVER try your first attempt at treatment on a very rare or valuable doll such as a #1 or #2!!Find a "fixer-upper and practice, practice, practice!!**The doll I've chosen to receive treatment is a 1961-62 Blonde bubblecut Barbie (these are very easy to find and quite inexpensive if found out of original box), as you can see, this doll has a mild case of the disease so her chances are fairly good for complete removal of green, a doll with lots of green and big, gloppy amounts of it will not be free of green but will have less of it in the end..

Before getting started, make sure you have everything you need on a clean, washable surface. Leave yourself plenty of time to perform the treatment. The first thing will be removal of the head from the body. When removing the head from a #1,2 or3..you must pour a bit of hot water over the neck join, This will soften the vinyl making it possible to remove the head safely and greatly reduce the risk of causing a split in the vinyl! Start by boiling the water in a kettle, never use "microwave" hot water, it’s way too hot and may cause damage! After the kettle comes to a boil, let it sit for about 3 minutes to cool a bit, when pouring the water  make sure you have the doll over the sink or a basin, have a clean, dry towel ready to blot excess water, do this about 3 times, very slowly pouring. dry the head and neck, and very carefully twist the head off(make sure the ponytail is pinned up if there is one, you don't want to saturate the hair with hot water!)for a larger neck-knob, you might have to pour water 4 or 5 times, Be very gentle when removing the head!!! Now, after the head is off of the body, check inside for green, you will probably find more on the inside rim. A good idea would be to take a q-tip dipped in alcohol and swab the inside of the head, you’ll be surprised at how much green you will see on the swab! Do this on the outside of the ears also, it’s good to start with a dirt and grime-free head prior to  treatment! Now you will take the cotton ball and separate a strand, not too much, about the thickness of 3-ply yarn, wet one end and thread through a needle. Carefully pull the needle through the ear hole(don't make any new ones!)making sure you have cotton on the inside as well as the outside.

Cut the cotton off at the eye of the needle, and trim the cotton on the outside to about a 1/4".Now the head is ready for treatment!

Begin by taking a q-tip and dip it in the Tarnex bottle, wet the cotton on the inside of the head. Now dip again and wet the cotton on the outside of the head, stay away from the hair and the face paint!!!!

If you have a drip, wipe it quickly with a wet towel! Carefully press the wet cotton down with your fingers, and place the doll face up in your glass dish, cover with lid and put it in a dark place like a closet shelf, check back in about 12 hours, lifting the cotton to see if there is progress.

Now re-wet the cotton as in the previous step. Close the lid tightly and wait another 12 hours. Check again, if the green is gone, remove the cotton from inside and out,cut the cotton close to the head,and using a pair of tweezers,go in through the neck opening and carefully pull out the cotton and with a q-tip dipped in alcohol, wipe out the inside of the head as well as the outside, do this twice, it will stop the Tarnex from causing damage to the vinyl. It is now time to boil water and pour over the head(neck opening) to return the head to the body, as in removing, carefully twist the softened head onto the neck knob...and that's it! For aftercare and to prevent the green from returning, use only "safe" pearl earrings, these have plastic posts, never put the old earrings back into the ears, the green will return after a short time, guaranteed! I have heard of collectors who have coated the original earrings with clear nail lacquer, this will not prevent green ear! If you've ever seen a mint in box doll, you’ll notice that the original copper posts were painted with silver spray-paint, the green ate through the paint, so the lacquer wouldn't stand a chance against the chemical reaction from the copper and vinyl! Always remember, Green ear is not always curable with one treatment, it may require 2 or 3,but beware, damage  to the flesh color of the "skin" may occur with too many treatments as well as damage to the vinyl! I have heard collectors say that a brown spot will appear where the treatment was given, but I have never seen it happen, but it definitely could!, I believe the discoloration may  have been caused by too many green-ear treatments/and or mixing 2 different kinds of chemicals, such as Tarnex followed by an Oxy-10 treatment, so my advice would be never mix chemicals and don't repeat treatments too often, if you feel you must do a 2nd or 3rd,wait at least 3 months in between. I have also seen actual deterioration of the vinyl resulting in cracks, so if the vinyl has faded, you may want to stop and remember that further damage may occur with another treatment! Keep an eye on the doll's ears for at least 6 months after, look for green, there’s always the possibility that it may come back, there is no complete cure. 

As you can see in the photos of the bubblecut after her treatment,the green has been greatly reduced,but isn't completely gone,very light shades of green remain. It's quite likely another round of treatment may remove it completely,but there are no guarantees,however it has improved the appearance of the ears . So there you have it, Green ear removal can increase the value of a doll by removing the ugly green goop from an otherwise beautiful doll, but remember, when selling a doll that's been treated, you should disclose this information to the prospective new owner! As with any hobby...have fun, always buy the best you can afford...remember, quality is better than quantity, buy from reputable dealers, there are many that have fine examples and offer layaway plans, and go to yard sales and flea markets, you may find a "hidden gem” at a bargain price! If you want to gain knowledge about collecting ,there are many resources available online as well as some terrific terrific books that have been written about "America's Teen-age Model" Barbie!!!!