Wednesday, January 6, 2016

2015's Last Doll Purchase is 2016's First Doll Arrival

Ava DuVernay Barbie, a Platinum Label doll, is limited to 999 dolls worldwide.

In the wee-wee hours (almost 4 a.m. CST to be exact) of December 29, 2015, I decided hesitantly to check personal email on my personal desktop computer before beginning my work day on the company's computer.  I was hesitant because the end of the month is always hectic and I only had one more working day in the year, having scheduled time off for the remaining days of 2015.  Well I threw caution to the wind and I am so-glad-I-did!

As I opened Outlook, an email filtered through from a fellow collector, whom I will refer to as TL. Her email informed that she had just ordered the Ava DuVernay Barbie from Amazon . com and just had to "let another black doll lover know." I am so grateful she chose me!  I could not navigate to Amazon . com fast enough to enter "Ava DuVernay Barbie" in the search box to see if quantities were still available.  There were and I hurriedly one-click shopped, which was followed by a huge sigh of relief.  I kept going back to the "status of your orders" page to double-check that the order had actually been placed.  An email confirmation from Amazon . com followed.  "Yes!"

I am sorry that I could not take the time to post the information about the doll in a blog post, but as indicated, I needed to begin my work day and I knew by the time I published the blog, the doll might be sold out resulting in unnecessary disappointment for those who desired it but again missed out.   I did share it with a few people in one of my Facebook groups who were as fortunate as I am, (thanks to TL), to successfully place an order.


Thank you, once again TL for the heads up.  By that afternoon, just as I assumed, all dolls had been sold.

I took several pictures of this difficult-to-own, super-limited Platinum Label doll which are shared below.

The first five photos were taken with the doll in the box.

The real Ava has dreadlocks.  The doll has double-strand twists, which extend almost to her waist.  She has beautiful brown eyes and lush, painted-on eyelashes.  Her hint of lip color is lined with a contrasting color.

Side view of the two-strand twists

Another in-the-box photo was taken at an angle to eliminate as much flash as possible.

Close-up in-box photo

Ava DuVernay Barbie comes with a personalized director's chair (lights, camera, sound!), an acrylic doll stand, and...


...a numbered certificate of authenticity, the front of which reads:  This certifies that your Ava DuVernay Barbie® was created through the collaborative efforts of designers and artists at Mattel.

In the next seven photos, the doll, still attached to the box liner, has been gingerly removed from the box to photograph.  The last of these were taken in natural light.



The graphics on the box liner create a perfect director's setting with cameras and lights that appear three-dimensional.

Ava wears a black long-sleeved turtleneck shirt...

...denim pants, and red and white sneakers for comfort.

Almost as stylish as the real Ava DuVernay, on one wrist, the doll wears a copper-tone chain bracelet with one disk-shaped charm.  On the other wrist...

...she wears a faux wood bangle.

Here's another look at the director's chair.

The back of the box has a beautiful portrait of Ava DuVernay and offers a brief bio, which I have copied below.
AVA
D            Nominated for two Academy Awards and four Golden
                Globes, writer/director Ava DuVernay’s most recent film
u             “Selma” chronicled the historic 1965 voting rights
                campaign led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  She won the
V            Best Director Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in
                2012 for her acclaimed feature “Middle of Nowhere.”
E             Her previous narrative and documentary work includes
                the feature film “I Will Follow” and the documentaries
R            “Venus vs.,” “My Mic Sounds Nice” and “This is the Life.”
                In 2010, she founded ARRAY, an independent film
N            distribution and resource organization for filmmakers of
                color and women filmmakers.  Prior to her directorial
A            career, DuVernay worked as a film marketer and
                publicist for more than 14 years through her company,
Y             the DuVernay Agency.  She was born, raised and loves

                life in Los Angeles, California.


~*~*~*~*~*~


Shortly after the first dolls sold out at TheBarbieCollector . com, this photo circulated on Facebook of the lovely actress Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder), posing with her daughter's Ava DuVernay doll.  I was happy Ms. Davis was able to get one for her daughter.

Marsai Martin and her Ava DuVernay doll
I was also excited to learn that my favorite child star, Marsai Martin, who plays Diane Johnson on Black-ish, snagged one of the first available Ava DuVernay dolls.  Go Diane... I mean Marsai! (I love her character on Black-ish).


Deb and her Ava DuVernay doll
Here I am, happy for myself, to now be the proud owner of an Ava DuVernay doll!


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Check out my eBay listings here.

27 comments:

  1. Debbie, I am so happy for you. This doll sure is a precious one since she is not just beautiful but she represents a very talented woman. Thanks for sharing the joy of other collectors with us through their photos with their doll.
    Keep having fun!
    Arlette

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    1. Thank you, Arlette! The hunt and chase for dolls continues (but I'm good for a while).

      :-)

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  2. Congrats on getting this doll! She is beautiful!

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  3. How brilliant that you managed to together one of these!

    I love her hair, and that director's chair is a great accessory.

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    1. A blessing, a favor, being in the right place at the right time brought Ava to me.

      I love her hair too and the fact that it is not stiff. That chair is a perfect accessory.

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  4. What a stunning doll and I agree about the director's chair...it looks so well-made! Great to see your face...your skin is flawless and beautiful! :)

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    1. Mattel did an excellent job capturing Ms. DuVernay in this portrait doll. I am really impressed.

      Thank you for the compliment on my skin. I don't look a day over 70, am I right?
      :-) That's a line from a Geico commercial.

      (I am not 70, yet... a decade more to go.)

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  5. Congrats! I have faith that if she was meant to be in my collection, a miracle will happen for me, just like it happened for you.

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    1. Thanks! That's a great way to look at it, Vanessa. I would keep checking Amazon.com Additional dolls might be offered there.

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    2. I forgot to mention how much I adore Diane on black-ish. Did you see it yesterday? She was so good.

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    3. Dang... I missed it. I have it set to record all new episodes and it is also one of the ABC On Demand shows, so I'll be able to watch it later. Thanks for the reminder. I love that little girl.

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    4. Make sure you watch it all the way to the end. She is featured at the very end with Tyra. That's all I will say.

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    5. Okay, I will. I think I must have had it on that channel before I fell asleep because I vaguely remember waking up, seeing her with Tyra, and falling back to sleep.

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  6. Hi Debbie,

    It's me (TL :-)). Thank you for the shout out! I am thrilled with my Ava and so happy for you and any others who were also able to snag one. She is beautiful!!

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    1. Hi TL :-)
      You're welcome, and thank you again for letting me know about the doll. I hope additional quantities return to Amazon.com that are NOT priced from $350 to $500 like the ones on there now. These sellers probably purchased the dolls from Amazon at retail and now have them relisted at these outrageous prices!


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  7. So glad you were able to order one, and that you like her so much IRL. I ordered mine from Amazon on December 7, and the shipment is still "in preparation." Hope this gorgeous doll arrives soon. :-)

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    1. Troy please follow up with Amazon to find out about your order. It should not still be in the preparation process.

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    2. Good news! My order status has been changed to "Arriving Today"! That normally means it will be here by tomorrow. :-)

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    3. That's great news, Troy! She might just show up today.

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  8. Congratulations! Have you seen the prices on Ebay!!

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    1. Thank you! Yes, I have seen the prices on eBay as well as the prices on Amazon from their registered sellers. Ridiculous!

      Retail was $65, which is what I paid. Some people are asking as much as $500!

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  9. Wow, this is simply terrific news! Im so happy for you. I know how much you wanted her in your collection. I've been checking Amazon sporadically for weeks and had all but given up. You've inspired me to keep checking. She's a lovely doll.

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    1. Thank you so much, Jewell! Yes, keep checking. Warning: There are some on their now offered by Amazon sellers at extremely inflated prices.

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    2. I agree with Debbie. Just keep checking Amazon to see if they offer more at retail. I had her on my wish list and I don't know what made me decide to look at it that day, but I am so glad I did!!

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  10. Congrats and thanks for sharing so many photos!

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    1. Thanks, Muff and you're welcome! (Wish my photos were as good as yours!)

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