The Barbie Special Edition Little Debbie Snacks doll was copyrighted in 2001.
As noted in my previous post, I purchased two different Little Debbie Barbies to redress as black dolls. This post features the second doll.
I purchased a $5.97 Barbie from Walmart to redress the 1st Little Debbie Barbie. Because that doll uses the 1990s Asha face, I decided to use another Asha-faced doll to redress the 2nd doll. For this redress, I used a doll I already owned.
Found at Big Lots in 2009, Glam Barbie was selected for this doll. Glam Barbie (renamed Paulette) had worn a handmade double-twist wig that a fellow blogger made. Thankfully, I did not cut the doll's original hair. Instead, I braided and pinned it in place underneath the twisted wig.
Glam Barbie (Paulette), found at Big Lots in 2009, posed for a photo before redressing commenced. (She shared her original red boots with S.i.S. Chandra several years ago.)
Paulette models the Little Debbie Barbie fashion.
Barbie Special Edition Little Debbie's fashion includes a straw hat piped in chambray blue, a white knit sleeveless top, a chambray blue cardigan sweater, blue and white gingham Capris, and light blue loafers.
Accessories include a light blue hair brush, a doll stand, and a Little Debbie gift bag of mock Little Debbie Snacks—Honey Buns, Brownie Lights, and Oatmeal Creme Pies.
Glam Barbie/Paulette is redressed and boxed as Barbie Special Edition Little Debbie.
Securing the redressed doll inside the Barbie Special Edition Little Debbie's box completed the recreation of my second black Little Debbie Barbie.
Mission accomplished.
The real "Little Debbie" is now the executive vice president of McKee Foods, the company that makes Little Debbie Snack Cakes.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
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40th Anniversary Little Debbie 1960-2000 Barbie Special Edition Series IV has a copyright year of 1999.
Dolls named Debbie (for obvious reasons) have always interested me. In 1992, Mattel introduced Little Debbie Barbie followed by four additional Little Debbie Barbies in subsequent years. Mini versions of the dolls were also available. None of the dolls are Black because the brand was named after the founder's then 3-1/2 year-old granddaughter, Debra McKee. Because of the name, I wanted a Little Debbie Barbie.
The Little Debbie Snack Story from the back of Series IV Little Debbie Barbie's box
While the snack cakes date back to the early 1930s, the Little Debbie brand name was not used until 1957. My mother never purchased Little Debbie Snack Cakes for us. Years later, I purchased a few varieties for my children and grandchildren. My youngest grandson loved their classic Oatmeal Creme Pies. Introduced in 1983, their Donut Sticks were my favorite. I no longer buy or eat any of these sugary snacks today, but owning a black version of Little Debbie Barbie remained a desire.
Recently, I purchased two of the five Little Debbie Barbies that wear more contemporary clothing than the original 1992 doll. I used the dolls' clothes to redress two Barbies that use the 1990 Asha head sculpt. The first redressed doll is featured in this post.
An Asha-faced Barbie wore a cute butterfly-print purple dress.
A basic Barbie fashion doll from Walmart that originally wore a purple butterfly print dress was used to redress the 40th Anniversary Little Debbie Barbie Special Edition Doll Series IV as illustrated below:
The Asha-faced doll wears the 40th Anniversary Little Debbie Barbie's blue gown, silver drawstring purse, and silver hair ribbon as a headband.
The 40th Anniversary Little Debbie Barbie wears replacement silver high-heel shoes but is otherwise complete including the accessories shown with the doll and in a separate photo next.
The doll is shown with the accompanying accessories.
Accessories include empty boxes of Little Debbie Snack Cakes—Honey Buns, Brownie Lights, and Oatmeal Creme Pies—a blue hairbrush, a serving tray that illustrates Little Debbie snacks, and a doll stand.
The front of the box and the doll in the box are illustrated here.
After redressing the Asha-faced doll, I placed it and the packaged Little Debbie Barbie accessories in the 40th Anniversary doll's box.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.
Two shipping boxes contain Barbie 65th Blue Sapphire Anniversary Dolls - Brunette
I ordered three 65th Blue Sapphire Anniversary Barbies but canceled one order before it shipped.
The two I ordered arrived during the week of March 10, 2024. I've removed one doll from the shipping carton to photograph for this post. The other is reserved for something else.
The full-length black and white swirl and black and white striped gown pays homage to #1 Barbie's iconic black and white swimsuit.
The doll's beautiful brown hair is styled in double-strand twists with painted "baby hair" that frames the face.
I did not want to miss an opportunity to own this stunning doll. So, I ordered from Mattel Creations in the early a.m. on March 6, 2024.
A day or two after ordering this doll from Mattel Creations, I ordered another one from Amazon after their buy page became active. On the same day, I ordered yet another doll from Walmart. I planned to cancel the Mattel Creations order because I had to pay $9.99 to become a Barbie Signature member to order it from their site. Mattel shipped the doll before I could cancel that order. So, I canceled the Walmart order instead.
The 65th Blue Sapphire Anniversary Barbie is from the Black Label Barbie Signature Collection. The doll is described on the back of the box as better illustrated in the next picture. The description is also typed below the picture.
Closer view of the back of the box
Since 1959,
Barbie has inspired imaginations and generations to believe that anything is
possible. Celebrating her 65th Blue Sapphire Anniversary, Barbie is
dazzling in a scallop-edged ballgown with a sheer underskirt and black gloves.
Inspired by the rich fashion heritage of the brand, the classic couture gown is
a modern take on the iconic Barbie swimsuit with a bold, graphic print. The
look is beguiling with a dramatic waterfall ponytail swept up to reveal blue
sapphire-inspired earrings and a playful side glance accentuated with blue eye
makeup behind chic cat eye sunglasses. Here’s to 65 years of fun, fashion, and
unlimited possibilities.
65th Blue Sapphire Anniversary Barbie - Brunette is indeed a gorgeous doll. I love everything about her!
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.
A kind woman tasked with rehoming a doll collection shared the first two doll photos below after asking me by email if I had an interest in the photographed dolls. I did and the dolls were sent from a Massapequa, NY return address within a few weeks.
Rosa's Character Dolls, Uncle Bill Cornelius and Southern Mammy: Magnolia, c. late 1940s-early 1950s
Jamaica souvenir dolls include two women and a man.
I knew Massapequa must have Native American roots, so I googled Massapequa and found the following Wikipedia entry:
Massapequa (/ˌmæsəˈpiːkwə/, mass-ə-PEEK-wə) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. It is considered the anchor community of the Greater Massapequa area. The population of the CDP was 21,685 at the time of the 2010 census.
The Greater Massapequa area, which includes the nearby CDPs of North Massapequa and East Massapequa, as well as the incorporated village of Massapequa Park, has a combined population of over 75,000.
A 19th-century writer identified Massapequa as one of the "13 tribes of Long Island," but additional research has shown that they were a band of Lenape, the Algonquian-speaking people who occupied the western part of the island at the time of European encounter. The bands were identified by names of the geographic areas they occupied.
In addition to the dolls shared in the sender's photographs, souvenir dolls from Ecuador, Ethiopia, and a doll that appears to represent a Fulani tribeswoman were included in the package.
The original owner possibly traveled to these places throughout her life during the '40s through '70s and/or purchased some dolls at auctions and from gift shops.
I wanted the two Rosa's Character Dolls more than the others to add to my Virtual Black Doll Museum installation of May 2021*, but I was pleased to receive the extras. My photos of the dolls and captions follow.
My Photos
Rosa's Character Dolls Uncle Bill Cornelius and Southern Mammy: Magnolia are part of the artist's 2nd or 3rd generation of dolls made when the facial features were crudely sculpted. The 1st generation dolls have better defined facial features.
The above two dolls' backstories are typewritten and attached to the bottom of their wooden bases as illustrated next:
Uncle Bill Cornelius' back story
Magnolia's backstory
Jamaica souvenir dolls—the two women have baskets of paper fruit attached to their heads.
Ecuador Souvenir Doll: 6-1/2 inch nuthead doll with arms, body, legs, and feet made of round shells; has an attached hat made of gourds and carries a decorated carved gourd on its back attached with twine. Holds a walking stick and stands on an attached wooden base.
The handwritten hangtag reads: Ecuador, shells, nuts, and gourd / Purchased July 30, 1973 / Grand Lake, Colorado $3.15
The Ecuador souvenir doll's gourd has painted crosses or X's around the top.
Ethiopia Souvenir Doll: 10-1/2-inch doll with sculpted plaster face, painted facial features, black felt hair glued to the head, wears a head scarf or netela, and a full-length traditional Ethiopian white cotton dress with embroidered accents and white plaster shoes.
Facial close-up of the Ethiopian woman souvenir doll
Based on the inverted cone-shaped straw hat, this 10-inch doll appears to represent a Fulani tribeswoman.
The handmade cloth Fulani souvenir doll has leather eyes and mouth, no hair, wears an inverted cone-shaped basket hat, a blue cotton floral-print dress, and a full-length blue and black wool cape attached with a fringe of beads on a safety pin.
Close-up of the Fulani doll
A view from the back of the Fulani doll.
Thank you again, MB of Massapequa, NY, for this interesting gift of dolls.
*The addition of Rosa's Character Dolls to the May 12, 2021, Virtual Black Doll Museum installation can be read here.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.
A two-day online Black Doll Symposium hosted by The Department of African and African American Studies at Duke University will be held on March 15, 2024, and March 16, 2024.
Via Zoom, a variety of black-doll-related topics will be discussed during this free online event. I am one of the panelists on March 15, 2024.
Registration is required. Click/tap the link at this link to register.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.
I purchased two Afro puff wigs (in black and auburn) for Life's a Beach Neema because she is a wigged doll and is long overdue for a new wig.
Neema wears her original wig.
After removing the Velcro-attached long black wavy wig, Neema tried on the black Afro puff wig.
The drawstring was adjusted to fit Neema's head.
Neema strikes a pose in her new wig.
It's big hair but I won't cut it because Neema loves attracting attention.
Straight and Narrow Neema wears the auburn wig.
Since auburn is a great color for Straight and Narrow Neema, she modeled the auburn wig.
This one looks top-heavy.
The auburn wig fits Straight and Narrow (S&N) Neema well, but I prefer her original rooted braids.
The ladies posed together before S&N Neema removed her wig.
Interestingly, the same wig except for color looks much better on one doll than another.
S&N Neema admires Life's a Beach Neema's wig. She shared her admiration with, "Girl, you are wearing that wig."
All Natural Lizette also wears an Afro puff wig.
The two Neemas followed the hair fashion sense of their cousin, All Natural Lizette, who's been wearing a huge black Afro for 10 years. Read about Lizette's wig transformation here.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.
Stock photo headshot of the Barbie Signature Collection 65th Anniversary Barbie
Preordering for the lovely 65th Anniversary African American Barbie commenced at the Mattel Creations website on 03/05/24 at 9 p.m. PST. I preordered at around 5 a.m. on 3/6/24 without any problems. The website reportedly jammed due to high traffic when ordering commenced.
The doll retails for $60 plus tax and shipping. My order is scheduled to ship by June 19, 2024. The downside of ordering from Mattel Creations is that I had to become a Mattel Creations (MC) member for an additional $9 to order from their site.
My preference was to order from Amazon to eliminate the extra $9 MC club membership and shipping, but I went ahead and secured the doll from Mattel. The Amazon buy page is "live," but preordering is not available at this time (3/6/24 10 a.m. CST). Keep visiting the Amazon link below if you'd like to eliminate MC's club fee and shipping.
Preordering was available at Walmart's website earlier today, but the doll is sold out there at this time (3/6/24 10:00 a.m.) Here is the Walmart buy pageto check back for replenished stock.
Back-of-the-box stock photo of the 65th Anniversary African American Barbie
Good luck if you plan to purchase this lovely doll.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.
Debbie Garrett, Quinnie Nichols, and Dr. Opal Lee a.k.a. "The Grandmother of Juneteenth."
I attended the third annual Queenish Black Dolls Showcase on February 24, 2024, in Lancaster, Texas.
It had been a while since I was in a room of black dolls that were not my own and I loved it! Most of the showcased dolls are from the collection of Quinnie Nichols, show host and founder of Queenish Professional Women's Club.
View a combined recording of my walk-through of the showcase below:
I stand with doll artist, Tiffani Dean as I hold dolls that "used to be" hers.
As indicated in the video, I met doll artist, Tiffani Dean. I purchased one doll from her and my daughter purchased two of Tiffani's art dolls for me. She signed and dated each doll.
This green-haired doll was recently named Ivy by Tiffani Dean's fans. Ivy is a very suitable name for her. Because emerald is my birthstone, Ivy came home with me.
Simone (the larger doll) and Rachel, the doll being held, caught my attention first because I love dolls with dolls. Unfortunately, the two were separately priced. Tiffani said she displayed them that way for the show. Sensing my disappointment that they were priced separately, my daughter said, "I'll buy them for you," and she did!
I am with Dr. Opal Lee at the Queenish Black Dolls Showcase on 2-24-24.
The height of my doll showcase experience was meeting "The Grandmother of Juneteenth," Dr. Opal Lee. I walked the doll room with her as she admired the beautiful black dolls, the likes of which she had never seen.
Dr. Lee admires the dolls in the showcase as I and others look on.
I purchased an autographed copy of Dr. Lee's book, Juneteenth a Children's Story, which should be read to or by every child and adult; it provides a greater understanding of why Juneteenth is celebrated and why Dr. Lee's passionate work led to it becoming a national holiday, signed into legislation by President Joe Biden in 2021.
The front and back covers of Dr. Lee's book, Juneteenth a Children's Story
Dr. Lee's autograph appears on the Acknowledgements page of her book.
Another vendor at the show was reborn artist Julie Ollison. Some of her reborn dolls are illustrated next.
Reborn dolls by Julie Ollison
I was photographed holding a full-silicone doll that was so lifelike!
Several podcasts/interviews were made throughout the event. Some of these can be viewed below.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published, so don't waste your time. To contact me directly regarding dolls or any of my posts, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.
If you're not already a subscriber, visit, "like" and follow the Black Doll Collecting Facebook page or bookmark the Black Doll Collecting home page and visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays when typically new posts are published.
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