Black Doll Collecting: June 2021

Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Super Star Christie Repro

Stock photo of Super Star Christie Repro (designed by Bill Greening)

Preorder Super Star Christie, a reproduction of the 1977-released doll (box date 1976), at the Barbie website here. According to the official Barbie website, this doll is the first in Mattel's new Super Star repro series.

Read about the original doll in DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum here.

Tuesday, June 29, 2021

Black Barbie First Collectors Club Pin

The Black Barbie First Collector Club Pin designed by the club's Facebook group administrator, Pabboo Redfeather, is beautiful! It arrived with Pabboo's signature red feather in the shipping box with the pin enclosed inside a red wooden box, as illustrated above.

The pin has an enamel finish.

The heart-shaped metal pin has the group's name scattered across the top with "Pabboo" written on the lower right side.

A beautiful head-to-upper-torso illustration of an African American #1 ponytail Barbie is on the front of the pin along with a long-stemmed red rose. The illustration of the doll includes gold hoop earrings and Barbie's signature black and white striped strapless bathing suit.

Back of pin

Measuring 2 x 2 inches, the pin has two butterfly clutch pin-back attachments on the metal back.

Members of the group are able to purchase this pin for $15.

Thursday, June 24, 2021

Barbie Extra #7

Promo photo used on March 8, 2021, on Amazon for preorders of Barbie Extra #7

I preordered this doll based on the above fuzzy promotional photo, which is the only photo Amazon and other sites were using in March of this year. I was so focused on her fat, banded ponytails (or pigtails if you must call them that) that I ordered her because of those (and the articulation, too).

I was disappointed when I opened the shipping box to discover Mattel used the Nighttime Glamour head sculpt on this doll. I don't dislike the doll. I am upset at myself for allowing the hairstyle to influence the purchase before I knew which head sculpt was used. I actually like this head sculpt, but when a sculpt is used repeatedly, it becomes bothersome for me. All the doll begin to look alike.

I haven't removed the doll from the box, and I am not sure that I will (I haven't removed Extra #1 either and I like her). So the following photos were taken with the doll in the box in an attempt to capture as much detail as possible. (The Pepto-Bismol pink lipstick makes the overused head sculpt even worse.) Do better Mattel.

Barbie Extra - full view taken from a downward angle to prevent flash glare. The box boasts that the doll comes with 15 styling pieces. Barbie Extra #7 uses the Curvy, articulated body.

In this close-up, the pink lipstick is glaring. She wears a sheer lavender star-print peplum blouse that has ruffles along the edge of the sleeves that extend across the shoulders. The peplum blouse is worn with black twill shorts, a lime green faux fur shawl, and metallic silver mock laced boots. Silver hoop earrings, three silver chokers, a silver wristwatch, and a pink oversized ring complete her look. The pigtails of her dark brown rooted hair are banded with multiple colorful bands.

This is a close-up of the silver metallic boots.

Her shades-wearing Pomeranian, its cup, and an extra pair of blue shades* are captured in this photograph.

The back of the box illustrates Barbie Extra #7, the accessories, and three of the other 2021 Extra dolls.

*Initially, I thought the extra pair of shades (sunglasses) would fit Barbie, but according to Frantz Brent-Harris, who has deboxed his doll, "the blue and green glasses only fit the dog, not to worry as i know you are crafty...as the glasses for the dog are way nicer than the the ones for the doll, I used flat jewelry pliers to squeeze the posts of the glasses flat and glued on strips i cut from a black food container for the ear 'handles' it worked surprisingly so well." The glasses, modeled by one of Brent-Harris' Silkstone Barbie's are shown next.

A Silkstone Barbie from the collection of Frantz Brent-Harris wears a modified pair of Barbie Extra #7 sunglasses.

Note to self: Don't be enticed by the glitter and glam before investigating all features offered for future potential doll purchases. Answer to note to self: You probably will.

Tuesday, June 22, 2021

Meet the Real Jamal

Jamal wears a yellow (sometimes referred to as gold) suit. He has black sculpted hair and a painted mustache. The back of the box illustrates Jamal with his girlfriend, Shani, seated in a yellow convertible.

When he was in his 20s, Terry Whitehurst, senior roto cast technician for Mattel, was the model for the Jamal sculpt. Mr. Whitehurst is seen below in an Instagram post holding the original Jamal in the gold suit from the 1991 Shani line. The Jamal head sculpt has changed throughout the years. One of the earliest changes was with the Dr. Ken head sculpt that Mr. Whitehurst also holds.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mattel Sculpting Department (@mattelsculpting)

It's always wonderful to see the faces and to learn the names behind the magic.

Friday, June 18, 2021

Juneteenth A Federal Holiday

"Let Freedom Ring" (Temperance) by Gloria Rone represents an 8-year-old child of slavery.

Celebrated 156 years by African Americans (mostly in Texas and later in other states), Juneteenth celebrates the day or time frame in which African Americans learned of their emancipation from enslavement. For Texans, freedom did not fall on the same date that Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation (January 1, 1863) or on the date the proclamation became effective; it was two and a half years later when they learned of their freedom!

When I think of freedom, I think of my African roots, longing to know the true origin of my ancestors. As a result of my longing to know, a few dolls from my collection dressed in Afrocentric clothing worn traditionally and festively by people of the African diaspora are illustrated here in honor of Juneteenth and my African and American roots.

American Girl Addy, who represents a formerly enslaved girl, wears a limited edition Kente-cloth-print dress, crown, and sandals made by Tamisha McPherson. She holds a fan made from the same fabric.

Patty-Jo, a faceless cloth doll by Betty Ativie, wears a yellow African-print dress that Betty made for the doll.

1980s Keisha Doll Company dolls are dressed as Cleopatra and Ashanti I and Ashanti II.

Made by M'simbi Dolls of Zambia, Mapalo wears an African-print dress.

Reema Afia by Makedaa Dolls wears a dress made from authentic African fabric and an African-print mask. (The mask was added by me after receiving it as a gift from Marilyn Bloodworth.)

Khari by Brains and Beauty Dolls also wears an African-print dress.

Queens of Africa Nneka's head wrap, lace top, and dress are made of authentic African fabrics. The doll was a custom-made gift from the creator of the doll line, Taofick Okoya. The meaning of Nneka is "Mother is superior," which is "IBO" [Igbo] a language from the eastern area of Nigeria, where most of the names are symbolic.

The One and Only Zamika Martin by Zambardon Corporation was released during the late 1980s wearing an eyelet-trimmed Kente-cloth-print dress.

Aisha by Sarah Niemela (2021) wears a sculpted-on paper clay dress that has Afrocentric trim.

(New Face) Imani by Olmec (1990s) wears a two-piece Kente-cloth-print dress.

Maya Angelou Barbie (2020) wears a dashiki dress and matching head wrap.

African Mother and baby, stock #2025741; and Father, stock #2025740 by Petitcollin of France post-1995; mother and father wear boubous made from authentic African textiles.

Nubia Kemita x2 by Muna Mboa of France (2015) wear dresses made from similar African fabric.

Repainted, rerooted Tamica (Barbie) (temporarily named Nana Yaayaa) wears a no-sew dress made from fabric that contains the colors of the national flag of Ghana.

Rosemary Rock Flowers also wears a no-sew dress made from the same red, yellow, green, and black scarf (the colors of the Global African Quad flag and the Ghana flag).

Fashion Corner Zahara from 1999 (the doll on the right) wears a Kente-print blouse.

Fresh Dolls Tamra wears a dress made from African wax print by Laylee M. Doll Clothes who has a shop on Etsy.

Brooklyn Barbie wears a no-sew dress made from Black History Month Coiffed Crowns fabric found on Etsy.

Read Henry Louis Gates' article, What is Juneteenth? to learn more about the new federal holiday that commemorates the end of enslavement in America. Thanks to the bill that President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris signed on June 17, 2021, the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act is official. Because the holiday falls on a Saturday this year, many federal offices will be closed Friday, June 18, 2021.

Learn more about the Global African Quad flag here.

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

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Thursday, June 17, 2021

She Needed Earrings

Looks Model #2 now wears silver faux diamond-encrusted disk-shaped earrings

Although these were not what I had in mind, these doorknocker-size earrings were the only relatively decent silver ones available when I stopped in a dollar store specifically for a new sink drain stopper and decided to browse their earrings selections.

She strikes a pose...

...and another one.

The earrings do enhance her look. I'll keep looking for a different silver pair (and a drain stopper since the dollar store I visited didn't have the right type for my drain). In the meantime, she'll "rock" these, and I'll keep using my worn-out drain stopper until I find the right replacements for both.

Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Buy Link for The Looks Barbies

Barbie Signature Looks Collection

Go here.

Tuesday, June 15, 2021

1976 Patti Hale Doll

14-inch all-wood doll by NIADA doll artist Patti Hale

I was introduced to Patti Hale dolls by another collector who has a boy and girl pair. I enjoy collecting dolls made from unusual media and began searching for a Patti Hale doll for my collection after seeing the other collector's dolls.

The doll shown above was offered on eBay "as is" with the head detached from its body. The auction was in a buy-it-now or make-an-offer format. I made a reasonable offer that the seller accepted.

In this photo, the unattached head is resting on the doll's body.

Before taking "Lorna" to my husband for repair, I removed her red romper and gathered several sizes of elasticized stringing for him to choose for the repair.

I named this girl Lorna after a childhood friend. I hand-washed her red romper while I waited for my husband to take the time to make her whole.

Below, her head has been reattached to her body. Afterward, she swapped clothes with another doll whose dress suits her pot-bellied body better.

After researching Hale's dolls, I found an image of a male doll that was made as a companion for my doll. I made a note of the watermelon-print pinafore that my doll is missing.

This infant-size blouse and dress fit Lorna much better. Her original romper is suitable for the Nathaniel doll that allowed Lorna to wear the red dress.

I might make a simple pinafore for Lorna to wear over her original red romper. If I do, I will not use watermelon-print fabric.

Lorna (not under that name) has been installed in my virtual black doll museum. Read more about her and link to the artist's biography here.

Saturday, June 12, 2021

World Doll Day June 12, 2021

Today, the second Saturday in June, is World Doll Day. Designed to share love by giving a doll to a child (or a friend), several doll clubs and organizations have special events planned today. United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC) has several scheduled Zoom events throughout the day. A link to their events, which also includes links to other events is provided below.

What are your plans for World Doll Day?

UFDC's schedule of events

Learn more about World Doll Day here.

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Barbie Looks Model #2

After a shipment delay that I had to approve through Amazon to indicate I still wanted Barbie Looks Model #2 shipped at a later-than-planned date, this doll finally arrived. She was well worth the wait, but changes between the Mattel-Amazon relationship to make ordering future dolls less frustrating are in order.

The frustration in ordering this doll resulted from an uncertain release date (not knowing when Amazon would have the doll stocked) followed by an almost immediate sell-out after the doll became available (I checked their site multiple times daily before the doll was finally available to order). This was followed by the shipping delay mentioned above and the need to approve the order after it was delayed. (I ordered it, obviously, I still wanted the doll.) Mattel/Amazon, please do better.

The back of the box illustrates the six dolls in the Barbie Looks collection. All have new face sculpts and different Made-to-Move bodies. I await #4's arrival, which has also been delayed.

Part of a six-doll collection, the photos of Model #2 taken in and out of the box and the associated captions follow.

This is the right side panel of the box.

The back of the box is illustrated above.

The text on the lower bottom of the box describes the collection as follows:

Introducing Barbie Looks™, a curated collection of dolls each with a fresh look and style personality. The on-trend fashions feature photo worthy details, and with posable articulated bodies, they inspire the stylist within. Barbie Looks™ dolls are ready to style, pose, photograph and post.

This is the left panel of the box.

Removed from the box, still attached to the box liner, this close-up was taken.

Full-length, she's still attached to the box liner.

Finally released, she flaunts her curves and ability to pose her multi-articulated body.

A view from the rear

She wears a black spandex halter jumpsuit with silver metallic booties. I added a silver cuff bracelet and will add a pair of silver drop or hoop earrings later.

Profile view

Although I am not a fan of the action-figure-looking elbow and knee joints, I like everything else about this doll—her dark brown (unparted) Afro, her full facial features, eye makeup, and lip color are all aesthetically pleasing.

If you have not had an opportunity to order this doll. Here is a link to the Amazon.com buy page. At this time, quantities are not available. Keep checking, I am sure the doll will be restocked soon.

By the way, a doll stand and certificate of authenticity are included with Barbie Looks #2.

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