Clone Shoes

Shoe Styles | Shoe Brands

What are clone shoes?

Everyone has their own idea of what defines a clone. For the purposes of this website, clone shoes are a lower-quality version of Barbie or other doll shoes. They are cheaply made and mass produced, and are often a direct copy of Barbie shoe molds. They are found in budget stores and most recently, Temu and Amazon.

Although doll shoes aren’t marked with a production year, I like to refer to them as either “vintage” or “modern.” The variety of Barbie shoe styles expanded during the late 90s, as did the clones. I tend to use this style shift as the divide between vintage and modern shoes.

Clones vs. Genuine Barbie

Clone shoes can sometimes be difficult to identify. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Logo: Barbie shoes finally started identifying themselves via an embossed logo on the bottoms sometime around 2010. If there is a “B” or other Barbie logo on the bottom, it is genuine Barbie and not clone. HOWEVER, not all Barbie shoes have the marking!
• Holes in the Soles: If the bottom of the shoe has two little holes, it is definitely a clone. This is most prominent in vintage clones. HOWEVER, not all clone shoes have holes!
• Quality: Clones are often made of lightweight low-quality plastic. They are sometimes misshapen, may have excess bits of plastic around the edges (known as flashing), and appear less detailed than genuine Barbie shoes.
• Country: Barbie shoes are often marked with a country of manufacture, and that country can vary. Clones usually don’t have markings, but vintage clones will sometimes be marked with Hong Kong. HOWEVER, some Barbie shoes were also made in Hong Kong.
• Color: Like Barbie shoes, clones come in a wide range of colors. Unlike Barbie, clone dolls and fashions don’t seem to be assigned any particular color.