Articulation is coming... articulation is coming!



Image from BarbieCollector.com

While browsing BarbieCollector.com in an attempt to find a purchase on which this quarter's reward could be applied, Barbie Basics Collection 002.5, specifically Model 008, caught my eye.  Not available yet, but I look forward to this doll because the body is articulated!  Finally, a Barbie Basics doll with pose-ability. 

The addition of textured hair would have made her perfect, for me, but long straight will do.  Maybe, just maybe I will buy Model 02 from Collection Red and do a head swap.

I have until August 2011, when collection 002.5 is scheduled to arrive on BarbieCollector.com -- it may take that long or even longer for Model 02 from Collection Red to arrive locally.

We shall see.

dbg

Twin Dolls

Nora by Paola Reina of Spain* purchased from Nubidollz of England

Throughout my 20 years as a black-doll enthusiast I've consciously and sometimes unconsciously duplicated dolls in my collection. 

The conscious, duplicate doll purchases were made to upgrade the original dolls that may have been played with or preloved before I claimed ownership.  Usually, the preloved firsts were sold or otherwise eliminated from the collection after the upgrade was acquired.  Some conscious duplicates arrived because the price of the duplicate was too good to pass up, and I never followed up on the plan to find a new home for the first.

As the collection has grown, doubled, tripled, quadrupled, and multiplied several dolls over, the unconscious duplicates have entered the collection because I simply forgot about the first doll.  This has not happened too often, but it has happened. 

A third category of duplicate dolls has resulted from those received as gifts from people who did not know I  had the doll.  In most cases, I have kept the duplicate doll gift because that's what I do with gifts... keep them for sentimental reasons.  The thought that someone took the time to pick a gift for me outweighs any idea to re-gift or otherwise discard it.  When gifts like these are dolls, they are simply considered twins in the collection. 

For my birthday I received not one, but two dolls I already own.  These were given to me by one of my most dear doll friends that I've known for probably 15 years.  We reside in different states and are not able to physically see what the other has acquired doll wise.  If she doesn't tell me or if I do not tell her, we usually never know about each other's new dolls.  She has duplicated dolls that I have in the past, but only one duplication at a time, until now.  I just had to laugh this year when I received three new dolls from her for my birthday.  I had already purchased two of the three.

I am going to do something different this year with these newly acquired duplicates.  After asking Dear Friend if she had either doll and listening to her story about how she acquired one of them  (it was the last one at the store... she thought it was so cute but decided to buy it for me), I told her that I am sending that doll and the other one back to her.  They will remain twins, but will "live" in different collections.

Before sending Journey Girls Taryn and Party Pink Dru to their new homes, I took photos and also took photos of a few other conscious and unconscious doll duplicates that are considered twins in my collection. 

Dear Friend also sent me a really nice boxed fashion for the duplicate Taryn.  During our phone conversation, as I told her my plan to send the dolls back, I held Taryn's fashion box in my hand and said, "I really like Taryn's extra outfit.  I don't know if I'm going to be able to send this back to you.  You might have to buy your own outfit."  She laughed and agreed that I should keep it.

Journey Girls Taryn #1 and #2

Taryn's boxed fashion... that I'm keeping :-)

Tonner's Party Pink Dru #1 and #2

Rewind to the 1990s, as a novice collector, I enjoyed collecting manufactured, life-size baby dolls.  My all-time favorite was MiBeBe made in Spain circa 1980s, girls and boys.  Above are two boys.  I have at least three pairs of girls and boys that were deliberate purchases.

The duplicate, still boxed Princess of South Africa Barbie was a birthday gift from my son the year the doll was released.  After receiving the duplicate doll, I redressed the one I purchased.

The duplicate, Kiri on the right, by Ping Lau was a gift several years ago from Dear Friend.  I rewigged the one on the left with saved clippings of my "natural" hair. 

 

Both Wilma dolls by Mary Moline were intentional purchases.  The original doll was purchased loose (without the original box) several years ago.  I always wanted the doll's box, which contains the illustration of the Norman Rockwell painting, "The Problem We All Live With."  The duplicate doll on the right was purchased for the box. 

Vogue's Jill, left, was another Dear Friend gift.  Dear Friend also made Jill's dress and trimmed her straw hat with matching fabric.

The duplicate of So In Style Pastry Trichelle was an intentional purchase.  It may eventually be used as a gift, but for now, the dolls are twins in the collection.  Trichelle is one of my favorites in the SIS doll line because she has the most textured hair. 

Barbie Basics Model 017 was duplicated intentionally.  I love the new sculpt used for AA Ken/Steven (whatever his name is), and I wanted a doll to debox and one to keep in the box. 

Have you ever duplicated dolls, intentionally or unintentionally?  Has anyone given you a doll you already own?

dbg

*The Nora dolls were intentional doll purchases.  I purchased one for myself.  The other was a past Christmas gift for Dear Friend.

Barbie Basics From Ebony to White

Barbie Basics Model No. 04 from Collections 001 and 002

Mattel's decision to change the complexion of Barbie Basics Model No. 04 from ebony to white has many collectors perplexed.  One such collector recently brought this to my attention.  Jorge (from Brazil) wrote:

I don't know if you wrote something about the dramatic change of the Model Number 4 in the Barbie Basics Black/Jeans.  But if you didn't I think you must... The dark skin girl was a success, all over the world.   And suddenly there's no more Afro girl in the Basic Jeans, and the stunning dark skin girl becomes a red [haired] lady.  Ok we love red hair, but it's important to preserve the success of the Afro beauty of a doll [like] Model Number 4.  Black Doll Collecting must talk about it.

I am doing just that... talking/writing about it. 

After comparing all Barbie Basics collections to date, like Jorge and his fellow Brazilians, I am also troubled by the elimination of the ebony complexion/Afro hairstyle combination used for the first Model No. 04.  Initially, Mattel replaced the doll in Collection 002 with the white, denim jeans-clad redhead shown above.

Model No. 04 will make a third appearance this June in the Barbie Basics Collection 002.5. The hair color is darker, the Goddess head sculpt the same, but the white complexion remains.   As Jorge observed, the Barbie Basics Collection has not offered another ebony-complexioned doll since the first Model No. 04.

I also noticed the disappearance of  Model No. 10.  She has been missing in action since Collection 001.  Remember her LBD with the controversial plunging neckline?  She is also the doll I used as my playscale version of First Lady Obama. 

Back to the current topic.

"Basically," the only dark-skinned doll (and she's not very dark) that has remained relatively constant in this collection is Model No. 08 -- the Beyoncé-complexioned doll with honey blonde hair.  Model No. 08 was present in Collection 001, the Target-exclusive Collection Red, Collection 002, and will appear again in Collection 002.5.  Does her light-bright-darn-near white... or tan complexion play a role in her inclusion?

Will the ebony-complexioned Model No. 04 ever return or has she been permanently annihilated/axed, bumped off, canceled, discarded/dissed, excluded, gotten rid of, killed, left out, ousted, phased out, rejected/retired, stamped out, terminated?  And,  finally, will Model No. 08 remain the lone, light caramel brown doll in the Barbie Basics Collection?

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Jorge!  Your observation is proof that it's not just me or other frustrated American collectors who desire dolls with melanin-rich-appearing complexions.

As Jorge further explained,

As you know, we have a grand Afro-descendant population here, and the Barbie Basics Number 4 was a success exactly for [representing] the beauty of the dark skin girls.  And many of [these] girls believe in the power of a good image.

A dark skin model in the Barbie Basics Collection for sure was a good step for the self-esteem of these young ladies. So the surprise [about] the change of Model No. 04  was not exactly well taken [by] many people here...

Globally, people usually enjoy seeing themselves in the dolls they collect.  When one is given and later snatched away for no apparent reason, they feel highly disregarded.

dbg

TrueType "Obama" Meets #10

I restyled the above doll's hair, the actual length of which is below her waist.  Next, I redressed her in several casual fashions, and paired her with my TrueType African American (Obama) action figure.  In the above photo, the mystery doll is wearing Alexis's (LIV) top and jeans (minus the sweater) and Artsy's (Fashionistas) shoulder bag and boots. 

Barbie Basics Collection 001, Model 10 is the mystery doll.

 

Artsy's trendy boots and shoulder bag were exchanged for Alexis's more conservative boots and handbag.

Next,  she tried on Barbie's denim jacket with pink faux fur trim and pink corduroy pants.  She's wearing boots from another Barbie fashion.  

For now she has settled on wearing yet another Barbie fashion: multicolored top, denim capris, and brown heels.  This outfit came with a flower watering can, not shown.

Which casual outfit do you think the First Lady would wear? 

dbg