Black Doll Collecting: July 2024

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Presidential Candidate Barbie

Presidential Candidate Barbie - Future Leader

Did Mattel know something we didn't know before President Biden's nomination of Vice-President Kamala Harris for the 2024 Democratic presidential candidacy? Probably not, because there have been Barbie for President dolls as far back as I can remember, but after the announcement of Vice-President Kamala Harris's presidential candidacy, I wanted a doll to represent her.

Presidential Candidate Barbies with tan and brown complexions are seen in an Internet-captured photo.

Presidential Candidate Barbie Future Leader with a tan/light brown complexion is the doll I chose. This doll better represents VP Kamala Harris's African American/South Asian ethnicity. This doll's reddish-brown auburn hair color is a closer match for Harris's brown hair.

Full-length view of my Kamala Harris Presidential Candidate Doll

My Candidate Kamala Barbie has light brown eyes, auburn-rooted straight hair with a middle part, and a smiling mouth with painted teeth area. The doll is dressed conservatively in a one-piece dress with a pink and white tweed-patterned top with an attached black pencil skirt. She wears black high-heel shoes and a yellow/gold bangle bracelet. I removed the yellow/gold letter B that was on the top left of the bodice. I added a pearl necklace and pearl stud earrings.

After unboxing the doll, I made and added pearl stud earrings and a pearl necklace.

A straight pin threaded through a single pearl with the tip of the straight pin inserted into the doll's earlobe in an upward-slanted direction created each earring. Several individual pearls the same size as the stud pearls were threaded onto a double strand of white thread and tied onto the doll's neck. The knotted thread in the necklace was secured with glue.

A lovely image of the Kamala Barbie Presidential Candidate doll is on the back of the box. The descriptive text reads:

Leadership is an important trait kids can learn at an early age. True leaders understand how to inspire and motivate others to reach their goals.

Presidential Candidates encourage all to be resilient, work as a team, and use problem-solving skills to help break boundaries and reach their limitless potential.

Do you like advocating for change and leading by example? You Can Be a Presidential Candidate!

Other Career Barbies include Make-up Artist, Rhythmic Gymnast, Scientist, Figure Skater, Violinist, Doctor, Pastry Chef, and Photographer.

Go Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, American democracy needs you; Americans need your leadership and forward-thinking stance on "freedom, opportunity, and security!" (The last three words are from a statement by Harris for President Spokesperson James Singer.)

My Candidate Kamala Harris for President Barbie for the win!

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

__________

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Thursday, July 25, 2024

1st Black Down Syndrome Barbie

The box illustration of Barbie Fashionista #229 looks like the doll.

Mattel recently released the second Down Syndrome Barbie endorsed by the National Down Syndrome Society. A new doll for 2024, Barbie Fashionista #229, is the first Down Syndrome Black Barbie. Her predecessor, seen here, was released in May 2023.

Barbie Fashionista #229 close-up

Except for the upward-turned, almond-shaped eyes, photographed from the above close-up angle, the doll looks very similar to this doll.

Barbie Fashionista #229 in full view

Barbie Fashionista #229 has a petite but curvy body. The doll wears dark pink square-framed eyeglasses, has brown eyes, and black-rooted hair styled in microbraids. She wears a ruffled short-sleeved, heart-print blue dress with pink high-top sneakers.

Blind Barbie #228 and Down Syndrome Barbie #229 in a Mattel stock photo

In collaboration with the American Foundation for the Blind, Mattel recently released a visually-impaired Barbie, #228.

Fashionistas #194 through 229, not in numerical order, are illustrated on the side of Black Down Syndrome Barbie's box as shown in the next three photos. Note that #194, 228, 229, 195, and 196 represent people with special needs.

Fashionistas 194, 227, 214, 228, 223, 221, and 219

Fashionistas 229, 218, 217, 195, 226 and 225

Fashionistas 222, 216, 215, 220, 224, 213, and 196

I purchased my doll from Target online on 7/23/2024. The doll arrived the next day. Go Target! The doll is also available on Amazon.com.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

__________

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Barbie Clones x2, then 2 more

Poseable Patti fashion dolls

So, I was browsing eBay when I found several $5 auctions for decent-appearing Barbie clones and competitors. One doll looked like a Barbie sculpt.

The seller offered several with a choice of outfits for some listings.

Poseable Patti dolls close-up

I studied each listing and selected two with different head sculpts, hairstyles, and fashions.

The first two Poseable Patti dolls arrived swiftly and were well-packed and boxed.

Green Gown Patti (I don't know her given name.)

I will refer to this doll as Elegant Poseable Patti because she was unpackaged. She wears a full-length green satin gown, sheer white opera gloves, a white faux fur shawl, white nylon panties, and replaced green high-heel shoes.

Elegant Poseable Patti close-up

Like the bride (and the two dolls that followed) this vinyl doll is 11-1/2 inches tall. Like the two that followed, but unlike the bride, the elegant doll has black-rooted hair styled up in a loose bun and brown-painted eyes with painted upper and lower eyelashes. The elegant doll has a closed mouth with red lip color and brown lip liner. All others have parted, unlined lips, and painted teeth.

Poseable Patti's Wedding Day Bride

The front and back of the package label for Poseable Patti's Wedding Bride are shown.

Inside the bride's cellophane baggie, a cardboard label identifies the doll as Poseable Patti's Wedding Bride. The doll was originally sold at Dollar Tree as indicated on the back of the label. A headshot of the bride is on the front of the label.

The bride's lovely face reminds me of a 1980s Barbie.

The bride has parted lips and painted teeth. Her red lips are not lined. The rooted waist-length black hair is straight with bangs. She wears a white lace and satin full-length gown, a lace veil, white sheer full-length gloves with a pink fabric rose attached to the left glove, white sheer panties, and white high-heel shoes.

I correctly assumed that these better-quality dolls were made during the early 1990s. I contacted the seller for more information about the dolls and told him I was impressed with the quality. He confirmed their 1990s origin and added that they were originally sold at Dollar Tree during the 1990s, distributed by Greenbrier (the parent company of Dollar Tree). The dolls were discovered in an abandoned storage unit purchased many years ago in Dover, DE, and recently listed on eBay.

I reviewed the seller's clone listings and purchased two additional Poseable Patti dolls dressed as ballerinas.

Poseable Patti Ballet Dancer (pink costume)

The pink ballerina's accessories include a wand, a crown, and a pink cup trophy.

Pink Ballerina close-up: The ballerinas share the same head sculpt as the bride with an open smile.

The ballerinas wear ballet costumes with detachable iridescent wings, white sheer tights, and pink slippers. The doll in pink has white tulle elbow cuffs.

Poseable Patti Ballet Dancer (lavender/purple costume)

The purple ballerina has a pink ballerina-shaped trophy.

Lavender/purple ballerina close-up

Except for the costume color, a ballerina-shaped trophy, and the absence of tulle elbow cuffs, the purple ballerina's costume and accessories are the same as the pink ballerina's.

If rebodying is desired, Poseable Patti doll heads are easily removable.

Poseable Pattis have slender bodies, soft vinyl heads, and rigid plastic firm bodies, unlike many current dollar store dolls. Their only articulation is at the neck, arm and leg sockets, and waist. The knees do not bend. They have high-heeled feet. The easily removable heads attach to a round vinyl neck knob as illustrated immediately above.

Poseable Patti dolls L-R; Wedding Bride, Purple and Pink Ballet Dancers, and "Elegant" Poseable Patti

Check out the seller's eBay listings for the remaining Poseable Patti doll offerings. For the price, you cannot go wrong.

Poseable Pattis are now included in the Non-Barbie Clones and Competitors installation in the DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

__________

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Faux Leather Shoe Repairs

Deteriorating doll shoes and the supplies for the repair.

Repair #1

I am the only owner of a doll that arrived in 2008 with bare feet. I added socks and black faux leather shoes. In preparation for photographing that doll, I noticed portions of the black faux leather shoes were deteriorating. I gathered items that I planned to use to forestall further deterioration and took the above photo and the two additional photos below.

In this closer view, flaked-off areas on the shoes and black specks are visible on my brown-paper-covered work area.

I took the following steps to delay further deterioration:

First, I began painting over the flaking areas with black paint which caused more flaking. So, instead of painting the shoes first and sealing the paint, I used several coats of Mod Podge to cover the entire surface. Each coat of Mod Podge dried before applying the next.

I didn't have to paint or seal.

After replacing the ribbon ties in the shoe laces, I took the next photograph.

The shoes have been sealed with Mod Podge and are ready to wear for several more years, at least.

The shoes appear "aged," but the flaking is controlled.

Repair #2

A second pair of shoes were also in disrepair with the sole detached from one shoe.

Stored in the same container as the other shoes, I discovered the insoles of a second pair of faux leather black shoes were deteriorating. The sole of one shoe was detached, and the strap of the other shoe was loose. At first, I was going to toss these shoes. I placed them on my desk while I repaired the first pair, gave them a second look after completing the other repair, and decided to attempt a salvage.

I repaired the sole of the shoe on the right first.

Using a hot glue gun, I spread glue around the top edge of the detached sole, lined the sole up with the bottom of the shoe, and held both parts in place for a few minutes to allow the hot glue to set.

Sealed insoles

I coated the deteriorating insoles of the shoes with several layers of Mod Podge and allowed this to dry.

The gap where the strap inserts between the shoe upper and the sole of one shoe is visible in this picture.

Next, before inserting the strap, I applied a few drops of Aleene's Tacky glue in the gap between the shoe upper and the sole.

The strap is inserted into the gap.

After applying the glue and inserting the strap in between, I used a rubber band to hold the shoe upper and the sole together while the glue dried.

Painting the shoes was the final step.

After the glue and Mod Podge dried, I applied a couple of layers of black acrylic paint to the surface of the shoes and straps.

The final result.

The result is a pair of shoes that look almost brand new. To prevent possible flaking, I may apply ModPodge to the surface.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

__________

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

2024 Holiday Barbies

Stock photo

Available to the general public at Mattel Creations are five versions of the Barbie Signature 2024 Holiday Barbie. The use of tartan plaid for the dress skirt is appealing and pleasantly different. At the time of this post, the redhead is sold out.

Three versions are currently on Amazon.

African American 2024 Holiday Barbie

Latina 2024 Holiday Barbie

Asian 2024 Holiday Barbie

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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

__________

Zuri and Kadi by Marula

Zuri and Kadi by Marula Dolls

Meet 18-inch all-vinyl, lightly vanilla-scented Zuri and Kadi by Marula Dolls. These all-vinyl dolls made in Spain arrived in a high-quality green box with the company's name, MARULA, on the front. The vinyl is very sturdy, similar to vinyl artist dolls.

The dolls arrived in individual green heavyweight cardboard boxes inside another slide-out box.

Zuri has a light caramel complexion while Kadi's complexion is slightly deeper.

Zuri and Kadi have brown inset eyes with applied upper eyelashes. Zuri has black curly hair with a side-swept bang. Kadi has brown natural-textured, 4C hair with a side part.

Zuri and Kadi are seen in an out-of-the-box full-length photo.

These moderately priced dolls ($59.99 each at the time of my purchase) are reduced to $47.99 for Amazon Prime Day--the buy links are below. They wear a nicely sewn blue peasant-style crop top with an elasticized waist and a two-tiered matching skirt, white panties, and white lace-up canvas sneakers.

The dolls' hang tag text describes the company's product strategy:

At Marula, we believe that every child is a precious gift, just like the superfruit of the Marula tree. Full of unlimited potential and natural beauty, every child deserves to be celebrated and empowered to become their best selves.

That's why we've crafted our dolls thoughtfully, ensuring that they honor and reflect the wide range of skin tones, hair textures, and cultural backgrounds that make each child unique. Our dolls are more than just toys, they are companions that help children build positive self-image, empathy, and confidence. Playing with our dolls, your child can learn to appreciate and love themselves for who they are, dream big, and reach for the stars.

Zuri and Kadi arrived in April 2024 and remained in their huge shipping box until the second week of July. Why did I leave them in the unopened shipping box so long? I had planned to part with one of the dolls, and I had to find a place in the doll room to display the other. Later, I decided to keep both, which is when their boxes were finally opened.

Because of their high quality, an installation in DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum is planned, but I wanted to share them here first. A third doll, Eden, with a lighter complexion is also available.

Follow the links to the Amazon buy pages:

Kadi

Zuri

Eden

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

__________

Thursday, July 11, 2024

VBDM Milestone

DeeBeeGee’s Virtual Black Doll Museum™ endeavors to preserve Black-doll history by documenting historically significant and noteworthy contemporary Black dolls. The goal is to curate and install 1000 antique-to-modern black dolls. The museum was founded on January 17, 2021.

Based on the above screen capture of the museum's post statistics, the installation published on Friday, July 5, 2024, is the 700th. Note that some installations contain more than one doll; more than 700 dolls are already installed. I remain steadfast in installing 1000 antique-to-modern historically significant and aesthetically accurate black dolls.

Visit the museum, and use the subscribe field to enter your email address to subscribe. Share the posts and comment. Thank you!

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

__________

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Barbie Dream Besties dolls: Brooklyn, Malibu, Teresa, and Renee

Dream Besties Brooklyn

They are all cute, articulated, have backstories, and round flat-looking heads (for the latter reason, I won't add Brooklyn to my collection). If you don't mind the oversized heads, I've added Amazon buy links below (which are #ads). They are also available on the Mattel Creations website.

View a Barbie-sponsored video.

Let me know what you think of these.

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

__________

Amos and Annie Ken and Barbie Knockoffs

A cardboard label with an image of dolls, Amos and Annie, and their names was attached to a cellophane package.

If I have not regretted purchasing a doll this year, that changed with these two Ken and Barbie knockoffs. The man is 12 inches tall and the woman is 11 inches tall. They scream cheap, made-in-China dolls with rubber heads and super-thin, hollow plastic bodies. The bodies dent easily if the slightest pressure is applied. The man's legs can dangle if his feet are not on a flat surface, and the woman's nose is blemished from rubbing against the cellophane package, but I'm a sucker for fashion doll clones. I have to confess that this purchase was my mistake.

Amos and Annie arrived in a cellophane baggie with a cardboard label closure that identifies the dolls, as illustrated in this photo.

I had seen these dolls on eBay months to a year before I purchased them and felt they were cheaply made. Still, after recently seeing someone else's redressed dolls that looked decent enough for me to add to my clone doll collection if I redressed them; and seeing another collector's rebodied and redressed dolls, I took the buying plunge. I knew I would redress them, but I will not rebody.

This close-up photo of their faces was taken just before I opened the package. The blemish on the tip of Annie's nose is better visible in this close-up.

Out-of-the-Box Photos

A straight-out-of-the-box photo illustrates their (cheaply made) clothing.

Amos wears a dark and light gray striped shirt with a dark pink collar, dark pink pants, and thin plastic white boots. Annie wears a tan dress with raw edges at the sleeves and scalloped hem. Red high-heel shoes were inside the baggie. The shoes easily fall off Annie's feet.

An out-of-the-package close-up photo was taken before undressing to redress.

Amos has black sculpted straight hair, painted blue eyes, a smiling open mouth with painted teeth (area), and a pink bottom lip (cringe-worthy). I should repaint his lips, but I don't care enough to do that. Annie has a rooted bubble-cut hairstyle, blue side-glancing eyes, and a closed mouth with painted-red lips. Annie's hair, surprisingly, is closely rooted.

Undressed

Redressed

For Amos, I used a shirt, pants, and shoes from a recently purchased 32-piece male fashion doll clothing pack purchased to redress Ken Looks #25 (see the link below). Annie wears a Dollar Tree fashion-doll ensemble, including the purple pumps, designed for Dollar Tree's thin-bodied fashion dolls. I've had the ensemble for years. Until now, none of my dolls could wear it because I do not own any Dollar Tree fashion dolls.

This is a final close-up photo of the dolls redressed.

I was initially disturbed by the dolls' Amos and Annie names when I first saw them on eBay. The names are too close for comfort to the Amos 'N Andy Show, a 1930s radio broadcast with blackface actors that was later a briefly televised 1950s show with African American actors. The televised show was cancelled after NAACP complaints about the characters being negative stereotypes. The scripts of both shows used minstrel depictions of black dialect and mannerisms. I should have never purchased the dolls for this reason. Lesson learned.

Related Link

Looks Ken #25 Gets Redressed
Ken Clones

Ken Clone, Who Am I?

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

__________

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Tuesday, July 30, 2024

Thursday, July 25, 2024

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Tuesday, July 9, 2024