Barbie the Movie Disco Barbie

I bought the Barbie the Movie Disco Barbie on a high after seeing Barbie the Movie. I eagerly anticipated the movie, as did countless women across the country who played with and loved Barbie as children. Barbie the Movie did not disappoint. Barbie the Movie Disco Barbie Doll did.

Barbie the Movie Disco Barbie (henceforth referred to as Disco Barbie) retails for $50.99. I bought mine from Walmart.com.

Disco Barbie is pretty, I’ll give her that. Her hair cascades into long spiral curls. She wears a headdress of either petals or a butterfly, I’m not sure which.

Disco Barbie is part of the Barbie Signature line, which is another way for Mattel to justify the higher price tag. She even comes with a Certificate of Authenticity. The Certificates of Authenticity that came with both Disco Barbie and the Barbie the Movie Fashion Packs are printed on thin paper, almost like copier paper, rather than heavier card stock like Integrity Toys certificates. Even Barbie certificates are declining in quality.

A few things that could almost justify Disco Barbie’s price tag: 1. Metal snaps.

2. Better quality (but still plastic) earrings.

3. Better quality (but still plastic) bracelets.

4. Painted fingernails. Basic movie Barbie doesn’t have painted nails. But the paint on Disco Barbie’s nails is spotty and inconsistent.

Cons: 1. As with the basic movie Barbie, the shoes on Disco Barbie won’t stay on her feet. Is this a trend with Barbie dolls these days? I remember when I played with Barbie as a child, Barbie had two styles of shoes (not counting her lace-up knee boots): chunky square-toed pumps, and, later, those strappy Superstar Barbie heels that fastened in the front. These shoes stayed on Barbie’s feet better than the shoes that come with contemporary Barbies.

And these are how the shoes came out of the box. First of all, the heels are so spindly that it would be impossible for the doll to stand up in them. But one of the heels got bent out of shape, due to the weight of the doll, before I even took it out of the box.

2. The B50 Poseable Body. I don’t like it. While I appreciate the articulation as opposed to the Fashionista or Model Muse bodies, I hate the thick, dull matte plastic it’s made from. It feels like the quality is only a few grades up from 3-D-printed plastic. I thought Disco Barbie would come on a Made-to-Move body, given her $50 price tag, but she didn’t. She came on the same B50 Poseable Body, a.k.a. the Gigi body, as the $24.99 basic Barbie the Movie doll. Sure, Disco Barbie’s outfit and accessories are more detailed than those of basic movie Barbie. Oh, and it does come with a stand. But Made-to-Move Barbie dolls cost $16.99 with no accessories. Using a MTM body for Disco Barbie probably wouldn’t have greatly affected the price of Disco Barbie, just the profits.

It’s Girl’s Night (every night is Girl’s Night), and some of the other Barbies are coming over to the Dreamhouse.

Barbie Fashionista #59 stopped by to – wait for it – Dance the Night Away! I put her on a MTM body for extra poseability when dancing. She’s wearing a jumpsuit from the defunct Avastars doll line.

Silver and gold

Having bought two Barbie the Movie dolls so far, I have to say I’m just not “feeling it” when I play with and photograph them. I can see in them how the quality of Barbie dolls has declined while their prices go up. I didn’t find joy in these dolls like I once did with Barbie. Maybe that’s why I’ve been buying more dolls from other lines like Rainbow High and Monster High. Considering Monster High dolls are also made by Mattel, I’m surprised at how much more creative and fun they are compared to Barbie. In fact, I’ve been having a lot more fun with Monster High dolls since their comeback last October.

Bye!

Barbie the Movie Margot Robbie as Barbie and Barbie the Movie Fashion Pack with Three Iconic Film Outfits and Accessories

Last weekend Ghoulia13 and I saw The Barbie Movie. We actually did Barbenheimer, starting with Barbie. We loved it! Since then we’ve been on a Barbie the Movie kick. We bought some of the dolls, and Barbie the Album has not left my turntable since last weekend. I bought the Barbie the Movie Margot Robbie as Barbie doll from Walmart.com, and the Barbie the Movie Fashion Pack with Three Iconic Film Outfits and Accessories from Target.com.

Barbie as Margot Robbie is the “basic” Barbie doll, or as Barbie described herself in the movie, she’s Stereotypical Barbie. It retails for $24.99.

Barbie comes in the pink gingham dress that we see Barbie wearing in the beginning of the film to start her Best Day Ever. The doll uses an articulated body, but it’s not the Made-to-Move body. Mattel is using the less-articulated B50 Poseable Body, (a.k.a.the Gigi body because it was used for the Tommy Hilfiger x Gigi Hadid Doll in 2017). The Gigi body doesn’t have the extra joints at the knees and elbows and it’s not articulated at the ankles, waist, or bust.

Barbie wears white floral earrings with a matching necklace and bracelet.

Hi Barbie!

She wears pink pumps with a heart motif on the toes. Unfortunately, the shoes don’t stay on the doll’s feet very well.

The Barbie the Movie Fashion Pack with Three Iconic Film Outfits and Accessories retails for $50.99. The box looks like a wardrobe.

The three outfits are a pink gingham beach romper suit, Barbie’s shorty pajamas, and a blue-and-white sundress. The outfits come in large, flat boxes reminiscent of the original Barbie fashions from the late Fifties through the Sixties.

I didn’t realize when I purchased the Fashion Pack that it’s a part of the Barbie Signature line until I discovered the Certificate of Authenticity on the underside of one of the boxes.

Barbie’s pink gingham beach romper comes with matching shorts and large-brimmed sun hat. Accessories include a pink seashell necklace, a pink bracelet, and cream espadrilles.

The back features a large heart-shaped cutout.

The heart-shaped cutout is in the perfect spot to align with the Barbie trademark on the doll’s back!

The second outfit from the movie is Barbie’s shorty pajamas set. It’s adorable. It comes with a velvet hair ribbon and a hairbrush. The shoes are pink high-heeled slides that look like the shoes that came with Barbie dolls from the Fifties and Sixties.

The third outfit is the blue-and-White ensemble that Barbie wears on her less-than-perfect day. The bodice features a heart motif. It comes with blue striped shorts and a polka-dotted headband, two bracelets, one blue and one white; and white shoes. The shoes are made from the same mold as the pink shoes that came with the Barbie as Margot Robbie doll.

So, I have thoughts about the Barbie the Movie Margot Robbie as Barbie doll and the Barbie the Movie Fashion Pack with Three Iconic Film Outfits and Accessories. Let’s start with the doll. As I mentioned, the body isn’t on a Made-to-Move body. I was expecting better articulation from this doll considering its $25 price point, which is more expensive than Made-to-Move Barbies that retail for about $17. The outfit on the Barbie the Movie is simple and it has few accessories to justify the $25 price tag. The articulation is okay but it’s not the smoothest when posing the doll. Also, the doll’s hair is very frizzy. The doll is cute, it kind of looks like Margot Robbie, and I like it as a tie-in to the movie, but the quality of the doll is more playline than collectible.

As for the Barbie the Movie Fashion Pack with Three Iconic Film Outfits and Accessories pack, while the presentation is reminiscent of the vintage Barbie fashions, the quality of the movie fashions isn’t the same. They do use snaps (albeit plastic) instead of Velcro (unlike the Barbie the Movie doll), but the material is thin, and the Fashion Pack uses the same cheap plastic accessories as playline fashion packs. There is repetition of accessories like the beaded bracelets, and the white shoes made from the same old as the pink Barbie the Movie doll shoes. I expected better from the Barbie Signature Collection lines. In the Nineties, Mattel made collector-quality fashion packs such as the Barbie Millicent Roberts line of dolls and fashion packs. These fashion packs used quality fabrics and accessories that had great attention to detail. The collector dolls and fashions produced today show a decline in quality at the expense of the profit margin.

Did you see Barbie the Movie? Did you buy any of the merchandise?

Barbie Hello Kitty Fashion Packs

Do you love Barbie and Hello Kitty but refuse to pay $100 for the shockingly-overpriced-for-a-non-articulated-Barbie-doll Hello Kitty Barbie? Now you don’t have to. Mattel and Walmart have released an exclusive line of licensed Sanrio-character fashion packs for everyone’s favorite plastic princess. The Barbie Hello Kitty Fashion Packs include dresses, separates, and accessories featuring Hello Kitty and other beloved Sanrio characters such as Chococat, My Melody, and Little Twin Stars. They hit the stores last month and already Walmart.com is completely sold out. I had to turn to evilBay to get a couple of pieces, but Ghoulia13 and I are going to check out our local Walmart this weekend. In the meantime, here are some of the items from the collection.

Tops retail for $2.44 and the dress/separates packs sell for $4.94. Prices on eBay currently average about 2-3 times the retail prices.

Did you find any of the Hello Kitty Fashion Packs?

Update:  Okay, so Ghoulia13 and I made a Walmart run after work. Our Walmart had plenty of Hello Kitty Fashion Packs. I managed to get all of the tops and all but two of the ensembles. Here is my Hello Kitty haul:

 

Imaginarium City Studio Dollhouse

Today’s post is about something near and dear to my heart: a dollhouse. I love dollhouses. Ever since I began collecting dolls I’ve been buying plastic house play sets, which are great. I can set them up, do some photo shoots, and put them away. I never thought of buying a large dollhouse for my fashion dolls–until I saw the house of my dreams. The Imaginarium City Studio dollhouse, from Toys R Us, was beckoning to me. It was on display in the dollhouse section, furnished, and placed behind glass to protect it from grabby hands. When Ghouliette and I first saw it, Ghouliette said to me, “Monster High dolls would fit in that!”  I stood there and admired it for a while, but decided buying it would  be impractical. But from time to time I would walk past the display so I could stare at it.

 

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Finally, I broke down. Because it was so cool. And because my sister was right, Monster high dolls could fit in it. Unlike the often flimsy plastic play sets, this was a large, sturdy house. Barbie could also fit in it.  With fancy photo shoots in mind, I gave in to temptation and bought the house. And I love it!

The City Studio dollhouse is a heavy wooden dollhouse that has four rooms and an outdoor patio. It comes with 11 pieces of 1/6 scale furniture. (the fridge in the kitchen did not come with the house.) An elevator runs along the left side of the house. The high ceilings make it perfect for 11.5″ – 12″ fashion dolls such as Barbie and Momoko. Even Blythe and her big head can fit in here comfortably!

The design is clean and bright, with lots of color, clever details, and some neat “views” of the cityscape out of the windows.  My favorite detail is the hardwood flooring and area rugs in the living room and bedroom.

The house comes unassembled, with clear step-by-step diagrams. I had no trouble understanding the diagrams, but it did take me three hours to put this house together, mostly because the pieces are very heavy. One side of the house has heavy wooden walls, while the other side of the house is supported by thin wood and plastic poles for the elevator. Because of the uneven weight distribution, shifting the house from side to side during assembly a little difficult. The one complaint I have about this house is that two of the three drill holes on the elevator side do not line up with the corresponding drill holes on the wall side. I had to leave them undrilled because lifting the floor up to the holes put the floor at quite an angle. I left them undrilled, and I have to say the house is still very strong and sturdy.

Are you ready for the house tour? Let’s start on the first floor. The furniture you see in each room comes with the house.

The Kitchen    The City Studio kitchen takes up most of the first floor. It contains this asymmetrical dining room table and two diner stools.  The table has a built-in (i.e., painted on) cooktop that’s flush with the table surface. Like Penny has in the Bg Bang Theory! As you can see, glaring pink is the main theme here. I love doll kitchens, and the counter. refrigerator, oven and sink that are painted on are adorable. Nicely done, with highlighting “shine” on the chrome sink and fridge. But I like doll kitchen furniture more than anything. The nice thing about this house is there is plenty of room to add other pieces of 1/6 scale furniture, such as the Barbie refrigerator seen in the first picture of the house. Personally I don’t like the table in here; it’s weird. I’m going to put my Re-Ment dining table and china hutch in here. Because what’s more fun than decorating a house? Redecorating a house until it suits your tastes! Next up:

The Bathroom   There’s more bright pink in the bathroom, which is just off the kitchen. What can I say about the bathroom? The tub is cool… I don’t see myself using the toilet in photo shoots. Personally I’d rather have a separate dining room or a den in the house than a bathroom.  The lime green floor mat is a nice touch. Now let’s move on to the second floor.

The Living Room   This is my favorite room in the house. The living room takes up the entire second floor. It comes with the retro-inspired furniture here. The couch comes with one long cushion and two throw pillows.I have to admit the furniture in this room is what caught my eye when I saw the house displayed in Toys R Us. I’m a fool for retro stuff!

In the left hand corner of the photo is a ballet bar. It’s perfect for all the Made To Move Barbies out there! Flex and stretch! Reach!

The wall details include two floor-to-ceiling picture windows, a cozy fireplace, and built-in bookshelves. There’s a cut-out window behind the sofa.

This room will be excellent for staging photos of parties and special events. There’s plenty of room to add more furniture in here.  Now let’s move to the top floor.

The Bedroom   I like how the house carries the pink/blue/lime green color scheme from room to room. The modern platform bed comes with fabric and pillows that match the ones on the living room couch. It came unassembled but the pieces slot together easily. In this photo the “wicker” chair in the back almost looks three-dimensional, but it’s painted on the wall. Beyond the doorway on the right is the outdoor patio.

The Patio   The patio is pretty simple, a little small, with a chunky wooden fence. The outside wall detail continues up the entire side of the house from bottom to top. I added the Barbie Grill. Because it’s summer time, and Barbie and her friends can grill some hot dogs and burgers out here.

Like I said earlier, redecorating a dollhouse is more fun than setting it up. I’ve added some Barbie furniture in here, so Barbie and her friends can relax.

One sister is doing homework, and one sister is playing games. Guess which is which?

 

Mandy loves to gossip. Francesca is stunned!

Ronnie and Francesca catch up over a cup of coffee.

I love when a dollhouse comes alive. I give the Imaginarium City Studio Dollhouse two thumbs up for being a chic yet cozy place where friends can get together.

Do you have any dollhouses you’re fond of? What is your favorite? Tell us in the comments!

Happy Birthday, America!

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!. It’s time to celebrate Independence Day with a cookout and some chill time out on the deck. Barbie and Ken, everyone’s favorite all-American couple, are celebrating.

Barbie’s got a sweet new grill and hammock, so she invited Ken over for a cookout. Barbie’s taking it easy, while Ken’s got grill duty.

Seriously, though, I love these little mini Barbie playsets. They cost $8.99 each.

Yep, all Barbie has to do is relax while Ken does all the work.

Yep. Relax…

Happy Fourth of July from Ghouliette and me! Enjoy your cookouts and parades, fireworks and beach time! And have fun with your family and friends.

Classic Camel Coat Barbie

Classic Camel Coat Barbie is the second release of Mattel’s new Pivotal Silkstone Barbie dolls. Mattel’s announcement last December of a pivotal silkstone Barbie doll heralded an unexpected innovation: to create a doll featuring the heftier silkstone bodies but with greater articulation. It was exciting to think of the endless possibilities for play and photography. I purchased both the first pivotal silkstone, Classic Black Dress Barbie, as well as the Classic Camel Coat. Classic Black Dress retailed for $40, whereas Classic Camel Coat cost $75. But more on that later.

Classic Camel Coat comes in the typical beautiful silkstone collector’s box. It also comes with a certificate of authenticity.  When I separated the tissue that protected the doll, I could see how beautiful she is in person.

Classic Camel Coat comes with the coat, a fabulous black cross-body bag, gold hoop earrings, and sunglasses.  She also comes with a stand, which I left in the box. I like my dolls to look like they’re standing on their own. It makes them come to life more.

I loved her outfit when I saw it in the promo pictures, but those photos didn’t show much of the complete outfit. When I removed her coat I was pleasantly surprised to see what she was wearing underneath.

She wears a black short-sleeved turtleneck shirt and  a leopard-print skirt. Black tights and black ankle boots complete the look. For a $75 doll, it looks like Mattel recycled the black boots from the City Shopper 2013 doll. But the turtleneck and the skirt use snaps instead of velcro to fasten them, so I can overlook the recycled shoes.

Classic Camel Coat Barbie is only the second pivotal silkstone Barbie, and as I haven’t yet unboxed my Classic Black Dress Barbie, I was eager to examine the quality of the pivotal silkstone doll’s articulation. Her body resembles the articulated bodies of Integrity dolls. Her arms bend at the elbows and her legs bend at the knees. She also has articulated wrists and an articulated waist at the hips as well as under the bust.

Sadly, that is where the similarities end.Compared to an Integrity doll, the articulation of Classic Camel Coat Barbie is just so-so. Her elbows and knees bend, but not very far. I didn’t want to bend her legs in a complete sitting position because I was afraid they would snap off and break. I can put her hands on her hips, and her wrists do bend, but I find that Integrity dolls have a wider range of articulation than the pivotal silkstone dolls. Even Monster High dolls have better articulation, despite the cheaper plastic bodies. My definitive doll articulation test is to make the doll put her hands over her mouth in mock surprise. I’m sorry to say that, for the price of this doll, Classic Camel Coat didn’t do as well as other articulated dolls, such as Tulabelle or  Monster High, both of which can put their hands much closer over their mouth than Classic Camel Coat.

 

Gasp?

A disgruntled reviewer on The Barbie Collection shared my sentiments regarding the articulation when she wrote:

Unfortunately, … the new Silkie is NOT worth much more than $50.00. C’mon Mattel, for loyal collectors who’ve been with you for so long, please put some quality back into the manufacturing of the articulation of the doll and create a praise-worthy ensemble that can at least compete in the Integrity arena.

But take heart! At least pivotal silkstones have a greater range of articulation than the original silkstone dolls.

Anything you can do, I can do better.

No wonder Classic Silkstone looks so annoyed!

Yet despite the mediocre articulation, I nonetheless fell in love with Classic Camel Barbie because of her beautiful face and hair, as well as her fabulous ensemble.

I even envisioned her with my vintage Ken in his classic camel coat outfit, Play It Cool, from 1970. Don’t they look good together?

I also thought she would look really super in some of my Barbie Best Buy halter dresses from the 70s. And this is when I had the most fun with her.

Young Socialite of the Year 1975

Pool party in the Hamptons!

I’d like to accept this award on behalf of Warren Beatty, who couldn’t be here tonight.

Do the Hustle!

I use Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo

So my final thoughts on Classic Camel Coat Barbie? The first pivotal Barbie, Classic Black Dress, retailed for $40. I think a price of $40-50 would be more appropriate for Classic Camel Coat as well, instead of her retail price of $75. Which brings me to the controversy surrounding Classic Camel Coat Barbie!

I bought Classic Camel Coat online after I received an email from The Barbie Collection letting me know that it was in stock. I ordered it on the second day she was available for $75, but apparently, those who ordered her on the first day were able to buy her for $50, as that was the list price on the Barbie Collection website on that day. Mattel claimed this was an error, and quickly increased the price to $75. Of course, this did not sit well with collectors who saw the price on the first day but didn’t decide to order until afterwards, only to find that the price went up. Accusations of price gouging were made. One collector left this scathing review in the Comments section:

Liar, liar pants on fire. Sneaks and original price listed at $50.00. Sold them at that price all morning long, then jumped the price and will not honor what they say is a mistake on their part..not the customer.

I did read something online about Mattel refunding the difference to some customers who complained, but I can’t find it right now to link to it! Suffice to say, Mattel pissed off a lot of customers with this doll (which is currently selling for $50 on the Toys R Us website).

I bought Classic Camel Coat despite the higher price tag because I fell in love with her outfit. After receiving her, however I have to agree with other collectors that she is not worth the $75. There isn’t any difference between Classic Camel Coat and Classic Black Dress, so why the higher price tag? With the somewhat limited articulation, I’d rather pay a little more for an Integrity doll.  Even Monster High dolls have better articulation. But she looks great in other Barbie outfits, and I envision more photo sessions with my Barbie clothes from the Sixties and Seventies. The fun that I’m having dressing her up is almost worth the price of admission. Almost.

Do you have Classic Camel Coat Barbie, or Classic Black Dress Barbie? What do you think of the pivotal silkstones?

 

 

 

Barbie Fashionistas 2016

There has been a lot of publicity surrounding Mattel’s new line of Barbie Fashionistas. For a doll that has often been criticized for portraying unrealistic body types, the new line of Fashionista Barbie for 2016 introduces three new body types: Curvy, Petite, and Tall, in addition to the Original body type. The new Barbie even made the cover of Time Magazine. The Mattel website added the new Barbie Fashionistas before they actually were in stock and staggered their releases. For each doll that I wanted, I had to pre-order it and then wait several weeks. The three that I most wanted were Fab Fringe, a Tall Barbie; Sweetheart Stripes, a Curvy Barbie; and Va Va Violet, an Original Barbie. They retail for $9.99 each – quite a bargain for a Barbie doll, especially ones so highly anticipated. However, there’s a reason why they’re on the cheaper side of the Barbie range, and it’s a pet peeve of mine concerning Mattel and Barbie.

The new line of Fashionista dolls are basic models, meaning they aren’t articulated. They have some articulation – their arms move at the shoulders and their legs move at the hips, but the arms don’t bend at the elbow and the legs don’t bend at the knees. When the Fashionista line was first launched, it was the articulated alternative to the established lines of Barbie dolls, which bent at the knee but not at the elbow. The Model Muse body, which has one straight arm and one bent arm, but no articulation in the elbows or the knees, had been increasingly used for the adult collector lines of Barbie doll. Now Mattel seems to be making all of their playline dolls with the basic body. If you want articulation, you’ll have to pay $30 for the Barbie Look dolls, which do feature articulated elbows and knees. This is my  one major gripe with Mattel. Mattel has made Barbie with bendable knees since 1965, so why can’t they at least offer playline dolls with bendable knees today?  Okay, I’ve gotten that out of my system. Now on to the dolls!

Fab Fringe, Sweetheart Stripes, and Va Va Violet. Note the non-articulated bodies.

When I heard that Mattel was launching a curvy Barbie, I knew I wanted one. I particularly wanted Sweetheart Stripes because I love her blue and black  hair. Seeing her in person, I have to say she’s beautiful. Her hips are wider than the Original Barbie, and her arms and legs are thicker. I love her curvy body.Despite my rant above about the limited articulation of the new Fashionista dolls, there is some improvement. The arms move at the shoulders, not just up and down, but outwards. The head also moves, as it can pivot back and forth, and side to side.  Still, bendable knees and elbows would be nice…

The next Fashionista that I purchased was Va Va Violet. Again, I had to wait a couple of months for her to be in stock. Va Va Violet is an Original body Barbie. Va Va Violet uses the Model Muse body, with one straight arm and one bent arm.

I really loved her violet bobbed hairstyle. That was the main reason why I bought her. But I don’t like the non-articulated body, so I purchased her with the intention of putting her head on a Made To Move Barbie body. And while the promo pictures showed off her violet bob to full advantage…

Image courtesy of Mattel

…this is what mine looked like:Her hair was glued down with so much gel that it was flat and stiff – and it wasn’t much better from the sides.

Werk…turn to the left

Werk…turn to the right

I shampooed Va Va Violet’s hair with dishwashing liquid and hot water to get out all of the gunk. When her hair was dry, I put her head on a Made to Move Barbie body (the one in the pink top) and redressed her. She looks much better now.

The third Fashionista Barbie that I purchased was Fab Fringe. Again, I had to wait a few months for her to come in. But as with the other Fashionistas, she was worth the wait.

Fab Fringe uses the new Tall body. And she lives up to her name. Her legs and torso are longer than Original Barbie.

As with Va Va Violet, I bought Fab Fringe so I could put her head on a Made To Move body. I loved her short curly bright red hair. She’s so pretty.

Once I opened all three of my fashionistas, I had fun redressing them. I didn’t put Sweetheart Stripes on a Made to Move body because I really love her curvy body. I applaud Mattel for offering more body types, but I lament their lack of articulation. It’s like Mattel took one step forward and two steps back.

Some Original Barbie tops will fit Curvy Barbie, but mostly they’re ones that fasten in the back with velcro. Some oversized jackets will fit her too. The only pants I’ve found that fit her are the yoga pants from the Made to Move Barbies.

Sweater from Tiny Frock Shop

I decided Fab Fringe could be a little fiercer with her wardrobe, so I dressed her in a dress I got off of eBay from Vogue Fashions, a doll clothing company in Hong Kong. Doesn’t it look like Bill Cunningham stopped her on the street to take a picture for his New York Times street fashion page?

Fab Fringe on her way to work at the Modeling Agency

But the doll that I enjoyed redressing the most was Va Va Violet. With her violet bob, she seems so punk to me. 

Goodnight Boston!

What do you think of Mattel’s new line of Fashionistas? Do you own any? Do you want to own any?

The Barbie Look Sweet Tea Barbie

Sweet Tea Barbie is one of three dolls that comprise the new The Barbie Look collection for Spring 2016. Each of the three dolls were inspired by looks that were featured on the Barbie Style account on Instagram , which, if you’re not following, you’re missing out on some amazing Barbie clothes and scenes.

The Barbie Look dolls are part of the Barbie Collection Black Label series. The Barbie Look dolls retail for $29.95 each. I was immediately drawn to the collection because the dolls are fully articulated, yet are reasonably priced. Sweet Tea Barbie appealed to me the most because I loved her outfit, and I thought her face was very pretty. It’s more sophisticated than the sometimes-vapid, open-mouthed playline Barbie face. According to Sweet Tea Barbie‘s designer, Bill Greening, the face has “only been used on a few higher-priced collector dolls.” Her long brunette hair ends in a curly flip, and I love her bangs. She’s like a modern Audrey Hepburn.

Sweet Tea Barbie wears a pink satiny sleeveless blouse with ruffles down the front, paired with a black floral skirt. She comes with a white purse, pink strappy peeptoe sandals, and rhinestone earrings and a bracelet. She also comes with a stand and, like all Barbie Collector dolls, a certificate of authenticity. The attention to detail is very good.

Rhinestone earrings

Rhinestone bracelet

Designer-style handbag

I especially love how her fingernails are painted pink (see above photo), but her toenails are painted black. Maybe Sweet Tea Barbie has a little bit of edginess in her!

Sweet Tea Barbie comes with tea-themed accessories, as you would imagine, including a plate with a non-removable scone, a cup and saucer, and a menu. The menu is written in gibberish. It would have been more fun if it had real words and read like a tea room menu. Oh well.

The Barbie Look dolls are articulated at the neck, elbows, wrists, and knees. They can’t quite put their hands over their mouths like the Integrity dolls do, and they’re not articulated under the bust, but I’m happy to have an articulated Barbie again after the Barbie Fashionista line, which started out as the articulated alternative to the usual Barbie line, suddenly started using un-articulated bodies (bad move, Mattel).  Are there any playline Barbies that have an articulated body anymore?

I can sweep my hair back, but I can’t cover my mouth

I have to admit, Sweet Tea Barbie isn’t the only Barbie Look doll I fell in love with. I also purchased the Urban Jungle Barbie. She’s equally sophisticated but edgier than Sweet Tea Barbie.  I want both their outfits in real sizes, please!

For a reasonable price, Sweet Tea Barbie offers a more articulated version of the Barbie doll. Although intended for the adult collector, I think it would also be suitable for older children and teens. But with none of the playline dolls featuring full articulation anymore, would you justify spending $30 for articulation when we used to be able to spend around $20? Is this a harbinger of things to come with Mattel? It seems that with their playline sales dropping, perhaps getting rid of articulation wasn’t a good idea. What do you think?

Do you have any of the Barbie Look dolls? What do you think of them?

Holly Jolly Christmas: What We Found Under Our Tree

Happy New Year, everyone! We hope you had a wonderful holiday.  We wish we could say our Christmas was uneventful, but it had its ups and downs this year. Practically everyone in our family was under the weather, including Ghouliette, who has a nasty cold and cough. Ghoulia13 was perfectly fine until she fell flat on her face on the sidewalk on Christmas Eve while walking the dog. She spent a couple of hours in the ER. She ended up with four stitches and, thanks to two black eyes the next day, looked like she’d been hit by a bus. Luckily, nothing was broken. Thankfully, both of us are on the mend. Needless to say, we were both happy and relieved to return to our house after dinner on Christmas evening to open the pile of presents underneath our tree. Unfortunately, neither one of us was smart enough to take a picture of all the presents before we opened them, but it was a pretty sight to behold. We had a great time opening everything; both of us were impatient to receive certain favorites we knew were waiting for us this Christmas. There were old favorites like Monster High and Barbie, as well as new favorites such as Makies. Frozen and My Little Pony were also well represented. Shopkins also made an appearance, but that was mainly out of curiosity. We’ll see how we feel about them in the long run… Introducing our Makies! We were looking forward to these most of all. And they were worth the wait–we love them! Here’s the roundup of Ghouliette’s gifts to Ghoulia13: JC Penny’s Frozen Coronation Anna and Elsa 2 pack, JC Penny Kristoff doll, Monster High Gloom ‘n Bloom Venus McFlytrap, Monster High Monster Exchange Lorna McNessie… Barbie and Midge 50th Anniversary reproduction set with a teaset, Monster High Pack of Trouble, My Little Pony Pop Pinkie Pie Sweete Shoppe, MLP Pop Bakery Decorator Kit, MLP Pop Zecora, Ever After High lip balms, and a Makie named Priscilla.

Ghouliette’s gifts from Ghoulia13 were the following: Seasonal Sweets Princess Merida, Barbie Glam Washer and Dryer, Shopkins, Hello Kitty baked goods, Strawberry Shortcake Sweet Beats Plum Pudding and Raspberry Torte, a Makie named Jolene… Strawberry Shortcake Sweet Beats stage set, Frozen Friends, Ever After High Glass Slipper shoe store, and the Monster High Catacombs playset.

So yeah, that’s everything!  Lots of Christmas wishes came true: Ghoulia13 has been fruitlessly searching for the Pack Of Trouble since it came out. Ghouliette has been yearning for the Glass Slipper shoe store since she first heard it was coming out. Both of us were itching to get our hands on Makies.

Dolls under the tree are great, but being able to spend Christmas day warm and safe with those we love, eating our favorite foods together, was truly priceless. We love our toys and all, but we recognize the blessings we have in our lives.  We hope you all have lots of blessings in your lives, too. We hope 2015 is a happy and healthy year for you all. Stay tuned for our in-depth review of Makies, coming very soon. We can’t wait to start working on it!

Did you all get the dolls you wanted this year? What made you happy this holiday season? Share with us in the comments!

More Fun With Fake Food!

Yup, it’s time once again for our recurring theme: Fun With Fake Food.  Because Ghouliette and I cannot stop buying dolls and playsets that come with little plastic food.  Or stoves. Or kitchens. Today’s edition of Fun With Fake Food comes to you courtesy of Mattel and Barbie.

A couple of weeks ago I was in Wal-Mart’s toy aisle and I spotted this in the sea of pink and red that is the Barbie aisle:

Barbie: Cake Baker? Oh, Mattel, you had me at Cake. The irony here is that, when I bought this, I had just put a Moxie Girlz Baker doll back on the shelf because I didn’t want to “waste money” on dolls that week. I was feeling like a responsible adult (which doesn’t happen often), and then I spied Barbie. What did I do? I grabbed the Barbie Cake Baker, of course…aaaaand…went back and picked up the Moxie Girlz Baker, too. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?

So let’s take a look. It’s not a full playset, but a doll with extras, which I love. Let’s call it a mini-playset. Barbie Cake Baker comes with a Barbie doll, an antique-inspired gas-top oven and attached counter, and a large four-tiered cake that separates into four single cakes. The cake sign attached to the oven suggests Barbie is working in a shop rather than a home kitchen. I love the little gas burners on the stovetop.

Barbie is dressed in a cute polka-dot top and pink capris, and high heels. The apron is stitched onto the capris and does not have a tie-back in the back. Barbie wears a hard plastic chef’s hat (removable) and holds a piping bag for icing cakes. You gotta hand it to Mattel on how well  they handle the details.

But there’s more–this oven set is full of surprises…

The drawer opens and closes. But that’s not all: The oven door opens and closes, too, and each time you open the oven door…

The batter in the pan goes from raw…

…to done! The oven rack and pan flip over each time the oven door is opened. Adorable, yes?!

The cake is a really neat feature. It’s four smaller cakes and two rings of outer piping that stack on top of each other. Barbie can serve one enormous cake, or four smaller ones.

I like Barbie’s outfit in this playset. It’s adorable, and a huge step up from the outfit she wears in another kitchen playset I bought from Mattel. Remember the harsh words I had for the flimsy and unimaginative dress Barbie wears in the From Stovetop to Tabletop playset? Big improvement this time, Mattel!

I’m very pleased with this doll and accessories. Mainly because I can never have enough toy ovens and cakes. But everything here is bright, appealing and nicely detailed. I loved playing with this and taking pictures. I have a lot more fun planned with this set for the holidays.

Barbie Cake Baker retails at a reasonable price for a doll and accessories. I paid $19.97 at Wal-Mart.

Until next time!