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). 


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