Monday, November 11, 2013

More Thrift Store Finds

Barbies and friends found at local thrift store

These lavender-tagged dolls in their separate baggies were waiting for me to arrive at the thrift store this past Saturday, a random stop before heading on to my mother's house.

I purchased all (except Brandy in the red fashion) because of their articulated bodies.  All, except Brandy, were $2.99.  Brandy was a dollar more.  A couple are duplicates of dolls I have owned for years, but the originals remain in their never-removed-from-box state.  It's nice to see the dolls up close and personal, deboxed, and to discover previously unknown things about them.

Released from their baggies, the dolls are shown and individually described below.

Unknown-to-me Barbie
I spotted this unknown dance/workout Barbie with Asha head sculpt first.  After discovering her extra points of articulation, I removed her from the rack and held onto her.  In addition to the usual articulated areas (neck, upper arms/shoulder socket, and upper legs/hip socket), the elbows, waist, and knees are articulated.  Wrist articulation is absent.  She wears what appears to be her original outfit:  light pink leotard, dark pink tutu with lighter pink over skirt, lavender jacket, and multicolored leg warmers.  She has an up-swept ponytail of dark brown rooted hair that is still silky.  The original rubber band is in place but is broken.  The head has a copyright date of 1990; so the doll was on the market sometime afterward and during the period that the Asha head sculpt was used (repeatedly as Mattel often does with its friends of Barbie head sculpts until a new head sculpt is created).  If someone knows her manufactured name, please share this in a comment.  Much thanks in advance for your shared knowledge. 

Purple Panic Christie
Purple Panic Christie jumped into my hands next.  She is a duplicate of the one I have owned for years.  Her flat feet were an initial turn off, but her articulation and her cute fashion allowed her to come home with me.  At home, I discovered her purple corduroy fashion is actually a full-length overall dress and not pants.  This a pleasant surprise as I had mistaken her fashion as pants based on the view into my other doll's box.  Her articulation is the same as the workout/dance doll's. While her outfit is original, she is missing her shoes and has obviously received more playtime than the previously described doll.  Her joints are lose and her hair is "all over her head" from child's play.  


Amazingly, Purple Panic Christie she still has her original tiny silver hoop earrings and her purple back pack.  According to page 315 of Barbie Doll Photo Album 1959 to 2000 by J. Michael Augustyniak, Purple Panic Christie has a box date of 1989.











Singing Holiday Brandy


I wanted Brandy because of her beautiful red dress.  Before leaving the thrift store, I peeked into the bottom of the baggie and discovered Brandy still wears her original red shoes.  The red platform shoes, to me, justified the extra dollar I had to pay for this doll.  Brandy is one of Mattel's best portrait dolls.  There is no question who the doll represents.  For years, they continued this trend with portrait dolls of other celebrities:  M. C. Hammer, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Lucille Ball and several others.  Their most recent personality doll is an epic fail, in my opinion.  Neither Jennifer Lopez doll (World Tour or Red Carpet) sufficiently captures her likeness, but I have digressed.

Brandy wears red platform high-heel shoes.

Back to Brandy:  I purchased the original Brandy, designed by Kitty Black Perkins for Mattel, when it was released to the market in 2000 (box date 1999), but have never removed it from the box.  This thrift store-find is the Singing Holiday Brandy (box date 2000, probably on the market in time for Christmas 2001).  Brandy's waist and elbows are articulated.

Micro braids and painted-on "baby hair" frame Brandy's face.


Her black rooted hair has micro braids that are swept from the left to right side of her face.  The rest of the hair consists of strands of twisted fiber that give it a lush, full appearance.  There is a compartment in her back that houses her battery and a button in the lower center area of her back that activates the singing.  I will have to replace the battery to hear her sing hopefully in the voice of this Grammy award-winning singer.   The microphone is missing; otherwise, Brandy is in great condition.




Brandy's hair is thick with individual twisted fibers that cascade down her back.


WNBA Barbie
The fourth and final find is another collection duplicate, WNBA Christie, box date 1998.  Christie wears a replica Women's National Basketball Association uniform complete with jacket, knee pads, socks, and sneakers.  The elastic in the waist of her pants is relaxed.  She is missing her basketball and hoop.  Her original box (as I have described in The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls, page 53) contains a "Picture of Rebecca Lobo on front..."  Christie's dark brown hair is rooted and is still in the original style minus the rubber band that held her pony tail in place.  Christie is articulated at the elbows and knees and surprisingly not at the waist.   I am also surprised that she is not as agile as the other dolls.  There is a nonfunctional button in her back that is supposed to operate her right hand for throwing a basketball into a hoop.  Underneath her right hand is a magnet to hold her basketball.
 
***
These four dolls will be given a proper cleaning including hand washing of clothing and washing and restyling the hair where applicable.  For a total cost of $14.03, this was a good day at the thrift store, minus the unfortunate irritation I experienced at the counter when a customer walked in front of me in line to pay for his items after his wife had paid for hers.  I was too astounded by his rudeness and by the cashier who allowed him to do this.  I am even more surprised that I didn't correct his action by staying, "Sir, I was next."  I did engage in the following conversation with the cashier as the man stood at the end of the register waiting for his wife, who had gone back to do more shopping after paying for her items.


Cashier:  How are you?

Me:  I was fine until that man skipped ahead of me in line and YOU allowed him to do it.

Cashier:  (no apology, just an excuse)  I thought his wife was paying for his items.

Me:  (Thinking to myself, how in the world did you think his wife was paying for his items when her transaction was over; you had handed her change; and he had his wallet out to pay).   I think it was extremely rude (loud enough for him to hear me).

Cashier:  Silent, as she scanned my dolls, obviously at a loss for words.  (A simple apology from her would have diffused my anger because I saw her glance at me for my reaction after the man stepped ahead of me; so she knew what he did).

Me:  (Angrily) If I didn't want what I am buying, I would leave it here.

Cashier:  (Not responding to my comment and probably trying to rush me out the door.)  That will be $14.03.  Do you have one of our Super Shopper Cards... (explaining what they are)?

Me:  No. Yes, I would like one (in answer to her next question).

Cashier, after punching one of the circles on the Super Shopper Card, she handed it to me, along with a sale flyer and said:  We're having 30% of all clothing on Monday for Veterans Day.  (Me, thinking... this heifer just refuses to acknowledge what just happened.)

Me:  Thank you (before I left).  

I was still fuming when I sat in my car and told myself as I drove toward my mother's house, not to sweat the small stuff, but sometimes it is very difficult when people behave so callously.  This is not the first time this has happened and I have had to correct the offenders' behavior.  I would never in my life place my body ahead of someone else in line unless I was given permission to do it.  But everyone does not behave with the same decorum and I have to realize that some people are either just very ill-mannered or ignorantly rude (which often are one in the same). 


dbg

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10 comments:

  1. I don't think that will happen again! Next time you will shake off you shock quicker! Yeah, she knew she was wrong. She was afraid of the guy and if you has said something she might have too. Women are more afraid of men than of women. Even short men understand that being a man has a curtain "something".

    You got some great doll with most of their clothing which is a plus! Not to bad..Not to bad! I like them all. I still have one Brandy in the box. She was one of the best if not the best portrait doll. I purchase mine new when it came out at full price and didn't think anything of it.

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    1. Thanks, Ms. Leo for understanding. I kept asking myself if I overreacted. Now I know I didn't. I didn't include this in the post, but what I think really ticked me off was the wife of this man actually tried to skip ahead of the man that was in front of her, BUT the cashier told the woman that that man was next. So if she (the cashier) was able to do that for the woman, why didn't see acknowledge that the woman's husband was doing the same thing to me and correct him? It may be that he was a man or that she just didn't think it would faze me. Well, she was wrong and perhaps she will think twice before she allows (when she clearly sees it happening) anyone to skip ahead of another person regardlessof who they are.

      Thanks for the congrats. I agree that Mattel's Brandy is one of the best portraits they have done. I like M. C. Hammer too and regret selling mine.

      dbg

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  2. Great finds! It always helps to have original fashions and articulation.

    No, I don't think you overreacted. I, too, wish you had reacted quicker to the man. Rude people need to be checked frequently. Chances are they will continue to be rude, but with the right chastisement, they may think twice next time. Yep, the cashier was even more wrong. The minimum she should have done was apologize. I probably would have checked her, too, for the simple fact that she didn't acknowledge the infraction.

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    1. I wonder if these dolls were donated by the same person. Most were barely played with.

      Thanks for confirming that I didn't overreact, Vanesa. I really should have called him out on his rudeness. I hope there won't be a next time, but I'll be better prepared if there is.

      Does anyone know who the dance/workout doll is? I could not find her documented in any doll books. I did a Google search for dance Barbie and workout Barbie but another doll dressed differently resulted.

      dbg

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  3. You found some great dolls, Debbie! I wish that I could have this kind of success at the thrift stores here. Maybe I will try again soon.

    Maybe the rude man will think twice next time after hearing your comments about him. Certainly the cashier will.

    I don't know the identity of the mystery Barbie.

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  4. I found that same Brandy at my thrift store! Mine came nekkid but I don't mind at all. I did put a battery in to hear what she was singing and it's actually several lines of the song and not just one sentence as most singing dolls have. I forget the name of the song though.

    People who cut in line will continue to do it no matter what is said because they don't think it's a big deal and when you get upset about it they consider YOU to be the jerk, when it's actually them. Heck no you didn't overreact.

    You know how many times someone has asked to cut in front of me because they have less items than me or because they were "In a hurry?" Too many times! Now, I have also had people offer to let me cut in front of them because I had less items. I always refuse. I'm not a fan of societies at large, but if we must co exist, then let's all show some freaking decorum. Butt holes.

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    1. Thanks for reminding me that I need to check out Brandy's singing mechanism, Muff. Hopefully she uses the same size battery as my Talking Nelson Mandela. His batteries are fresh and I'm sure he won't mind sharing them with her for just a minute.

      Sometimes dealing with people in the public can make you want to become a recluse. I haven't had too many instances where impatient people have asked to go ahead, but I'd rather be asked than just rudely jumped ahead of. I have, on the other hand, offered my place in line to people who have fewer items than I have who either gladly accept or tell me they are not in a hurry, but thank you. It's all about being courteous and treating people like you'd like to be treated. If the shoe were on the other foot, I am sure the man and his wife would not want anyone to skip ahead of them in line either.

      Some people can be so insensive and just downright "ignant."

      dbg

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  5. The doll with the leg warmers is Ballet Lessons Barbie from 1999.

    I'm sorry your experience with the line-cutter ruined the excitement of finding thoe dolls. As a person who's worked as a cashier and has experienced situations exactly like the one you describe but from the other side of the counter, though, I think it's very important to look at a situation from the other person's perspective before getting angry.

    Cashiers have to be very careful. If you comment about how rude the previous customer was while the previous customer is still standing there, you've put the cashier in a very difficult position. If they apoligize to you, they're essentially saying that they agree that the previous customer did something wrong. Anything the cashier says might be overhead by the previous customer--especially if you've intentionally drawn their attention by speaking loudly. A person who's self-centered enough to cut in line may also be self-centered enough to get very angry at the cashier for agreeing with you (it's very unlikely that they'd suddenly have an epiphany and realize they were rude after a lifetime of being the center of their own universe); if they cause a fuss about it, the cashier could get fired.

    If you were angry enough to be "fuming" when you left the store (and it sounds like you made it clear that you were), and especially if your first response to the cashier's greeting was an expression of anger, the cashier may have decided that it was better not to say anything to anybody rather than risk escalating what, from their perspective, was a no-win situation. (Especially if you were in a such a mood that you would actually refer to the cashier as a "heifer".)

    For example, if the cashier attempted to say something neutral like "I'm sorry you feel that way", it could come across as them brushing you off, which could make you even more angry.

    Sometimes the only thing a cashier can do is to try to be extra-friendly while doing things like explaining membership cards and future sales to tip you off that they understand that you're upset. But if you've very upset, you may not notice. (Luckily, in my job we had coupon booklets for people with memership cards, so I could use the coupons as a way of clearly apologizing for a rude customer without directly referring to the situation.)

    My feeling is that, when things like this happen, it's better to mention it quietly to the cashier first to give them a chance to respond without risking the other customer hearing. That's really the only way they can respond without risking getting in trouble with the other customer (although they could still get in trouble if their boss hears them). Then, if you want to speak loudly so the other customer hears, go for it--but I wouldn't expect the cashier to respond for the reasons I mentioned above.

    I also would never assume that a cashier doesn't agree with you that something another customer did was rude. I would just try to understand that it's tricky for a cashier to verbalize it.

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    1. Thank you for ID'ing Ballet Lessons Barbie.

      I appreciate your input from a cashier's perspective.

      dbg

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