Barbie Style 248 and the Clothing

Barbie Style 248 uses a new, currently unnamed head sculpt.

I included Barbie Style #248 with my Angel Reese order in July. As usual, I photographed the doll both in and out of the package. 

The doll was photographed inside the package.

Next, I recorded the doll's full description on my Excel Doll Inventory 2026 spreadsheet. The description column reads as follows:

11-1/2 inch Barbie, new head sculpt, has a long black ponytail with crimped ends, painted-on baby hair, a smiling mouth with painted teeth, dark lip color; wears a two-piece blue-and-white floral-print shorts outfit with gray high-top sneakers, and a white choker. Now Redressed.

Before discarding the package, I took a photo of the back, where 248 appears on the 2nd row, the 2nd doll from the left.

The Unboxed Photos

This pretty doll posed for a close-up and three full-length photos.

The original two-piece blue-and-white print shorts set suits her petite figure and youthful look, but because of the stiffened fabric, I opted to redress her in more stylish clothing made of better material, as illustrated next. 

A white tie-front blouse with 3/4 length sleeves is paired with a pair of plaid slacks. She wears her original necklace and gray sneakers. I pierced her ears and added white stud earrings.

I took another close-up after redressing her. (She reminds me of the actress Lovie Simone).

She wears a pair of aviator shades with her new clothes.

I asked ChatGPT about the materials used for most play-line Barbie clothes and why these stiffened synthetic materials are used. 

Question/Prompt: Why do recently released play-line Barbie clothes feel like stiffened paper or plastic?

Answer: The clothes for new play-line Barbies feel that way because Mattel heavily uses printed polyester with heat-sealed edges and plastic laminates to maximize production speed and lower costs.

Why New Play-Line Clothes Feel Like Plastic

• No Real Hems: Modern play-line clothes rarely have sewn hems. Instead, the edges are melted with heat (heat-sealed) to prevent fraying, which turns the fabric edge into hard plastic.
• Printed Plastic Graphics: Instead of sewing different fabrics together, patterns like pockets, buttons, and glitter are printed directly onto a stiff, paper-thin polyester sheet using vinyl ink.
• No Woven Threads: Many budget items use non-woven synthetics. These materials are bonded by heat or chemicals rather than woven from thread, giving them a stiff, paper-like texture. [1]
• Velcro Compatibility: Stiff, densely packed synthetic fibers make it easier to attach aggressive Velcro fasteners without snagging the rest of the outfit.

How to Soften Them up

• Warm Water Wash: Soaking the clothes in warm water with a drop of liquid fabric softener can break down the factory stiffening agents.
• Conditioner Soak: Rubbing a tiny bit of cheap hair conditioner into the fabric and rinsing it can relax the stiff synthetic fibers.
• Air Dry Only: Always air dry Barbie clothes, as heat from a dryer or iron will permanently melt and warp the plastic materials. [2]

[1] https://www.reddit.com

[2] https://www.ubuy.mq

This is good information, but I'll probably continue to redress dolls that wear stiffened, super-synthetic fashions instead of softening the clothes. With the help of AI, I placed Barbie Style 248 (maybe I'll name her Lovie) outside an upscale shopping boutique. I added a bracelet to match her necklace, a shoulder bag, and a shopping bag as illustrated in the last image.

Lovie looks very chic in this photograph.

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and may not be used elsewhere without the author's permission.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in Web View mode, find, and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for over 1000 curated installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind Black dolls. 

Connie Carter

Poppy Parker clones

Two new Poppy Parker clones wearing only black high-heeled shoes arrived in late June. They use the same head sculpt as the doll I named Piper Parker, but because of their different hair colors, I've given them a new name: Connie Carter, inspired by the name another collector gave his dolls. 

I dressed them as shown above, swapping out the black shoes the doll on the left arrived wearing with a pair of black slingbacks that came with the fashion she now wears. She holds a shoulder bag from my Mini Brands fashion birthday gift case.

They posed for a close-up photo that highlights their arched eyebrows and dark lip color, which I like better than the original doll's lip color.

This side-by-side photo confirms that they use the same head sculpt as Piper.

Initially, I thought their head sculpts differed from Piper Parker's, but after placing them side by side, I see they are the same. The arched eyebrows of the new girls give them a different look. Piper's bangs hide her curved eyebrows. The Connies' darker lip color enhances their appearance, as well. 

These bang-less dolls (that arrived before Piper) use the same head sculpt as the others. Without bangs, their curved eyebrows are better visible.

The newest dolls (Connie Carter) were sold with a vast choice of hair colors and skin tones. I ordered from this link, which might not work after the dolls are sold out or by the time this post is published. 
__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in Web View mode, find, and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Studio XOXO! Basix Dolls

Studio XOXO! Basix Midnight Fire Fanah and Jacques

In May, I ordered my first two Studio XOXO! Basix dolls, Midnight Fire Fanah and Jacques. Designed by CJ Starz, the dolls were sold nude. I dressed them as shown next.

Fanah wears a "wet look" orange dress and a pair of silver Mini Brands Fashion boots. Jaques, who has a broader body than most male fashion dolls, wears an ensemble designed to fit his body type.

The lovely Fanah is shown in a close-up.

Fanah is a 12-inch slim-bodied fashion doll with multiple points of articulation. She has fiery red straight-rooted hair that extends to her upper thighs. Her painted eyes are hazel. She arrived with slightly parted lips and painted teeth. I painted over the teeth to give a closed-mouth appearance. Two extra pairs of hands and extra feet were included.

The oh-so handsome Jacques poses for a close-up.

Jacques is a very handsome 13-1/2-inch-tall articulated male with a muscular build, brown-painted hair, painted-hazel eyes, a closed mouth, full lips, and pale lip color.

Midnight Araxá (Raven)

In June, Araxá arrived. Also sold nude, like Fanah, she is multiarticulated and has two extra sets of hands and extra feet. 

Araxá and Fanah have the same body type.

Midnight Araxá with raven hair is a 12-inch multiarticulated fashion doll. Her long, straight, rooted hair extends to her thighs. She has painted blue eyes with painted upper and lower eyelashes and silver eyeshadow. She has slightly parted lips with red lip color.

The lovely Araxá is seen in a close-up

Araxá was initially dressed in a black "wet look" dress with black knee-high boots. 

Shortly after dressing Araxá in a black dress, she and bestie Fanah decided to swap clothes, as illustrated next.

The ladies swapped clothes and took the following "selfie". 

After the lovely ladies took this selfie, they posed with Jaques.

Studio XOXO! Midnight Fire Fanah, Jacques, and Midnight Araxá (Raven) in a close-up

A full-length view illustrates how well they display together.

Fanah, Jacques, and Araxá visited Paris, France, and took this human-led AI photo.

As a side note, these dolls are in the last routine installation at the Virtual Black Doll Museum.

Related Link

Studio XOXO! on Instagram

_________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in Web View mode, find, and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Corduroy Cool Fashion-Updated

Corduroy Cool Barbie from 1999 with brunette hair

Ever since I participated in a travel doll event hosted by the So in Style Yahoo Group in 2012, I've admired the fashion that our Gallivanting Grace travel doll was redressed in. I only recently discovered the Barbie that originally wore this fashion, Corduroy Cool (shown above), and I purchased that doll to dress one of my dolls in it.

Other dolls released in 1999 are featured on the back of Corduroy Cool Barbie's box, but none of the other Corduroy Cool dolls are illustrated.

There were several versions of Corduroy Cool Barbie. Some wore a two-piece green fashion. Some wore a one-piece blue fashion, while others wore a two-piece blue fashion. The Black doll was dressed in a two-piece green outfit, but that's not the fashion I wanted, so I purchased the brunette doll.

Minus a green hair brush, these are the Corduroy Cool clothes and accessories.

A green striped cap, a matching long-sleeved shirt, a light-green corduroy jumper, a contrasting green "silk" neck scarf, emerald green opaque tights, a light-green plastic purse, and light-green ankle boots are the pieces I kept.

I selected a pink box Barbie to wear the Corduroy Cool fashion. This doll uses the Shani head sculpt and is one of three dolls that I redressed during the Christmas 2025 season. She continued to wear the Christmas fashion until the Corduroy Cool fashion arrived, which she models below in a headshot and a full-length image.

"Shani" has a beautiful face, smile, and complexion.

She wears the Corduroy Cool Fashion well.

When I purchased the Santa T-shirt that Shani wore previously from Nise's Designs, she surprised me another one of her T-shirt designs. While redressing Shani, I decided to pair the extra T-shirt from Nise with the leggings Shani had worn to redress my BarbieStyle Fashion Signature Doll #2. Nise's T-shirt features a lovely African American woman winking, who wears a natural-textured hairstyle.

A close-up of the T-shirt from Nise is illustrated.

Shani and the redressed BarbieStyle doll pose in the next photo.

Redressed and looking great!

Press the "play" arrow to view a video of Gallivanting Grace (the doll that inspired me to purchase the Corduroy Cool fashion. 

Related Links

Gallivanting Grace's Texas Experience

Nise's Design Shop
 

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Latinistas Dolls and Fashion Packs

Latinistas fashion dolls by Purpose Toys LATIN are from L-R Lola, Liv, Juliana, and Dani.

Marketed as the first full line of Latina fashion dolls by Purpose Toys LATIN, at the time of publishing this post, the dolls are shown as currently unavailable or temporarily out of stock on Amazon. Preordering commenced earlier this week. The scheduled release for these dolls is in August 2023. The purchase links provided below should be active by then. I will update this post or create a new one that links to this one as soon as I know purchasing or preordering has resumed. The dolls will also be available at Walmart and Target.

Juliana

 

Lola

 

Dani

 

Liv

 

Dance Night Fashion Pack

 

Festival Day

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Latinistas by Purpose Toys

 

Latinistas by Purpose Toys LATIN

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Royal Chubness (@royalchubness)

These 11-1/2-inch fashion dolls received their social media introduction a couple of weeks ago. Representing Latinas, the dolls by Purpose Toys LATIN are appropriately named Latinistas. Their arrival online and in stores is scheduled for August 2023 on Amazon, Walmart, and Target.

The dolls appear to use the same or a very similar head sculpt as the Naturalistas by Purpose Toys, some of which can be seen here.

Read a BeLatina article about the dolls here.

The dolls and fashion packs are available on Amazon. 

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New*Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Repost: Every Fashion Doll is NOT Barbie and...

...every doll is not made for children.

This was originally published February 17, 2013, but since I have been on a semi-blog-writing hiatus, I wanted to offer something until writing resumes on a more regular basis.

Do these all look like Barbies to you?  From left-to-right they are, I can be President Barbie; repainted one-of-kind Barbie by Chynadoll Creations (meant for the adult collector); High Brow Adèle by Integrity Toys (an adult collectible doll); and Esmé, a 16-inch fashion doll by Robert Tonner (adult collectible).

I was prompted to sit down and compose this post after reading an article dated February 16, 2013, that refers to an Integrity Toys Adèle from 2004 as a Barbie, designed for child's play.  In the article, entitled,"Image of New Black Barbie Doll Sparks Outrage," the author writes:

An image of a brown Barbie doll has surfaced on the Internet, causing people to question whether or not it is supposed to be the next African-American Barbie. The doll is sporting blonde hair, gold chains, cleavage, and two bags that are strikingly similar to the Louis Vuitton monogram multicolor collection.

The doll and the author's opening statement as well as many of the comments (excluding a few), which were apparently posted by non-collectors, caused me to wonder why the non-collecting community is so misinformed about dolls in general and why every fashion doll is incorrectly identified as Barbie.

First of all, there are many doll categories.  Some of these are listed and defined below:

• Antique - According to the United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC), a doll of at least 75 years; other authorities define antique dolls as dolls of at least 100 years.
• Art -  Dolls created by artists and intended as expressive and unique art objects rather than children's toys. 
• Artist - Dolls made by doll artists, usually in limited editions or as one of a kinds (OOAKs), for adult collectors
• Collectible - Dolls designed for adults who collect dolls as a hobby.
• Fashion - Dolls dressed in trendy or haute couture-like fashions, made for children as well as adult collectors.
• Modern - Dolls made from 1960s through present (this definition can vary).
• One-of-a-Kind (OOAK):  Dolls made in an edition of 1 by doll artists; can also be an artist or manufactured doll repainted by a repaint artist; in essence only one of the doll in its present state exists.
• Playline - Dolls fashioned as a child's toy.
• Reborn - Dolls that originated as baby dolls sculpted by a doll artist which are later fashioned to look like real babies using painting, hair re-rooting, and other techniques developed by reborn artists.
• Repaints - Artist or manufactured dolls used as a canvas by repaint doll artists who add realism through repainting the facial features and skin tones, and/or changing the hair by re-rooting or re-wigging, resulting in one-of-a-kind dolls because no two will ever look alike.
• Vintage - Dolls made prior to the 1960s (this definition may vary based on doll type).

For the purpose of this post, I will focus on fashion, collectible, and playline dolls.

While Barbie maintains the highest profile worldwide among fashion dolls, not every fashion doll is a Barbie.  I might also stress that while Mattel (the manufacturer of Barbie and her host of friends) creates dolls for children sold by toy retailers and through their own online website, every Barbie is not designed for child's play.  There are playline Barbies as well as several collectors editions.

For misinformed non-doll collectors and parents who often display a knee-jerk reaction to dolls designed for adults, please relax-relate-release.  Just because you see a fashion doll that you think is a Barbie made for children that portrays an image that you deem inappropriate for a child, in most situations the doll was fashioned for adult collectors by a manufacturer or doll artist other than Mattel.   There is no need to start a campaign against the doll or manufacturer or to create an otherwise pseudo-controversy, as in the case of the Django Unchained movie-memorabilia-action-figures-made-for-adults fiasco.

No, we are not all Barbies and only one of us is a child's toy!

The bottom line is this:  Just because a three-dimensional, inanimate object is defined as a doll does not mean that object was intended for child's play.  If you are not a doll collector and you see a doll that raises your eyebrows or causes you to wonder what the doll maker was thinking, ask an authority on the subject before jumping to an inflammatory (and often incorrect) conclusion.

Click here to view the doll (Perfect Skin Adèle Makéda) designed by Jason Wu for Integrity Toys in 2004 and the article that sparked this post. 


Doll Terminology Resources (other than my own): 
Art Dolls
Doll Glossary: Words About Dolls and Doll Collecting by Shirley E. Childers (Kindle book)
What is an Antique Doll

dbg

Check out my eBay listings here.

Playscale Fashion Dolls and American Girl Minis

Left-to-right, back-to-front are 11-1/2-inch fashion dolls and 6-inch Mini American Girls:  Janay and Kaya; Desiree and 25th Anniversary Special Edition Cecilé Ray; Grace and Christmas Addy, Kayla and Original Addy.  Note:   Original Mini Addy has inset eyes.  All others have painted eyes. 

After reading a post over at Fashion Dolls at Van's Doll Treasures where she uses mini American Girl (AG) Cecilé as the daughter in her Morgan family, I paired the mini AGs in my collection with 11-1/2-inch fashion dolls. While I do not create doll families, I wanted to further illustrate for those of you who do that the mini dolls can work quite well as playscale children.

Because most mini AG dolls wear period costumes and have period hairstyles that date back to the 1700s (Kaya), redressing and restyling the hair will be in order for many.  Original Addy's hair is wigged.  All others have rooted hair.  Kaya's two side braids remain a current hairstyle for young girls.  A photo of the other dolls' hair from the back is shown next.

Cecilé's hairstyle is relatively current.  Christmas Addy has a pulled back and tucked under braid that is timeless.  Original Addy's French braid looks a little old fashioned. 

The heads, arms, and legs are vinyl. As Cecilé illustrates above, they have cloth bodies.  The dolls retail for $24, which includes a mini abridged version of one of their books. 

At the time of this writing, the following minis are on sale at the American Girl website:

Caroline Mini Doll $10
Marie-Grace Mini Doll $10
Cecilé Mini Doll $10

The sale price is subject to change at AG's discretion.

If there is an American Girl store in your area, check the price there to possibly save on shipping and have fun creating your doll families or fun just enjoying the dolls.



dbg

Every Fashion Doll is NOT Barbie and...

...every doll is not made for children.

Do these all look like Barbies to you?  From left-to-right they are, I can be President Barbie; repainted one-of-kind Barbie by Chynadoll Creations (meant for the adult collector); High Brow Adèle by Integrity Toys (an adult collectible doll); and Esmé, a 16-inch fashion doll by Robert Tonner (adult collectible).

I was prompted to sit down and compose this post after reading an article dated February 16, 2013, that refers to an Integrity Toys Adèle from 2004 as a Barbie, designed for child's play.  In the article, entitled,"Image of New Black Barbie Doll Sparks Outrage," the author writes:

An image of a brown Barbie doll has surfaced on the Internet, causing people to question whether or not it is supposed to be the next African-American Barbie. The doll is sporting blonde hair, gold chains, cleavage, and two bags that are strikingly similar to the Louis Vuitton monogram multicolor collection.

The doll and the author's opening statement as well as many of the comments (excluding a few), which were apparently posted by non-collectors, caused me to wonder why the non-collecting community is so misinformed about dolls in general and why every fashion doll is incorrectly identified as Barbie.

First of all, there are many doll categories.  Some of these are listed and defined below:

• Antique - According to the United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC), a doll of at least 75 years; other authorities define antique dolls as dolls of at least 100 years.
• Art -  Dolls created by artists and intended as expressive and unique art objects rather than children's toys. 
• Artist - Dolls made by doll artists, usually in limited editions or as one of a kinds (OOAKs), for adult collectors
• Collectible - Dolls designed for adults who collect dolls as a hobby.
• Fashion - Dolls dressed in trendy or haute couture-like fashions, made for children as well as adult collectors.
• Modern - Dolls made from 1960s through present (this definition can vary).
• One-of-a-Kind (OOAK):  Dolls made in an edition of 1 by doll artists; can also be an artist or manufactured doll repainted by a repaint artist; in essence only one of the doll in its present state exists.
• Playline - Dolls fashioned as a child's toy.
• Reborn - Dolls that originated as baby dolls sculpted by a doll artist which are later fashioned to look like real babies using painting, hair re-rooting, and other techniques developed by reborn artists.
• Repaints - Artist or manufactured dolls used as a canvas by repaint doll artists who add realism through repainting the facial features and skin tones, and/or changing the hair by re-rooting or re-wigging, resulting in one-of-a-kind dolls because no two will ever look alike.
• Vintage - Dolls made prior to the 1960s (this definition may vary based on doll type).

For the purpose of this post, I will focus on fashion, collectible, and playline dolls.

While Barbie maintains the highest profile worldwide among fashion dolls, not every fashion doll is a Barbie.  I might also stress that while Mattel (the manufacturer of Barbie and her host of friends) creates dolls for children sold by toy retailers and through their own online website, every Barbie is not designed for child's play.  There are playline Barbies as well as several collectors editions.

For misinformed non-doll collectors and parents who often display a knee-jerk reaction to dolls designed for adults, please relax-relate-release.  Just because you see a fashion doll that you think is a Barbie made for children that portrays an image that you deem inappropriate for a child, in most situations the doll was fashioned for adult collectors by a manufacturer or doll artist other than Mattel.   There is no need to start a campaign against the doll or manufacturer or to create an otherwise pseudo-controversy, as in the case of the Django Unchained movie-memorabilia-action-figures-made-for-adults fiasco.

No, we are not all Barbies and only one of us is a child's toy!

The bottom line is this:  Just because a three-dimensional, inanimate object is defined as a doll does not mean that object was intended for child's play.  If you are not a doll collector and you see a doll that raises your eyebrows or causes you to wonder what the doll maker was thinking, ask an authority on the subject before jumping to an inflammatory (and often incorrect) conclusion.

Click here to view the doll (Perfect Skin Adèle Makéda) designed by Jason Wu for Integrity Toys in 2004 and the article that sparked this post. 


Doll Terminology Resources (other than my own): 
Art Dolls
Doll Glossary: Words About Dolls and Doll Collecting by Shirley E. Childers (Kindle book)
What is an Antique Doll

dbg

Follow my Dolls for Sale blog

Please visit and "Like" The Doll Blogs: When Dolls Speak I Listen