Now Playing: "Futurama" - 'A Clone of My Own'
Current Mood : Happily Stunned !
Sorry, but I have to suspend the Barbie catalog for a bit. Look what I found today ! Eight lovely dolls and a pile of clothes - $6. ! There were some other cool finds, but this was the biggie. Whee ! Figured I'd identify the ones I could, and tell ya why she's here - the seller had a whole table of mostly blonde Barbies, and I picked the ones I liked best. Seriously considering a raid on the change jar and heading back ! They're all still wearing what they came with, and only Belle's had her hair brushed. As you can see, I'm gonna be busy this weekend !
It was like a dream, rounding the corner of the kids' clothes and stuffed animals, and seeing an entire table of dolls. I could hardly believe it. Oh, and if you're wondering how I can ID these, I used to work for TRU in the early 90s. They let us have the manufacturer's toy catalogs after orders were placed. They just tossed ‘em into the break room, help yourself if you want. So I scored a great Barbie one, darn near memorized it, then passed it along to Carol (of Perestroika.ca fame). I can still remember the She-Ra sized Wonder Woman line that was never released. . .
Standing in the back is Belle. I had the first Belle doll that coincided with the 1991 film - the one with bangs and ink lipstick. I ended up donating her a few years ago, during a massive Barbie purge, and I've regretted it ever since. If Mattel's used this mold since, I don't know about it, and I really missed her. So when I saw that signature dress and brown hair, she was the first I grabbed. Happy !
Also standing is another Disney favorite, an older model Cinderella. I always liked this head mold- she looks so wistful and dreamy. I think that's kind of what I miss when I look at dolls on today's shelves - they're smiling and happy, but otherwise, completely blank-faced. You can't see them, but she has matching blue sparkly shoes that I dug out of a 5c bin. This costume would easily fit in at a Main Street Electrical Parade, it has that much glitter and shine. But it's her dreamy face I've always loved, but I never bought. Let's face it, if I had $10. - $15. in my pocket back in the day (and no one was around), I'd invariably buy a brunette doll. So I'm glad I finally have the Cinderella I've always loved.
Between Belle and Cinderella is a pile of clothes I bought, which, like the dolls, is mostly late 80s to mid 90s stuff. One is a Best Buy I haven't had time to ID yet. I have pretty much the whole 1992 ‘Sharin' Sisters Gift Set' wardrobe - looks like I got two of the pink shirt, but not the lace vest or blue skirt - I've always thought it was pretty, but the clothes look bunched up on the smaller Skipper and Stacie dolls. There's a ‘Bloomies' licensed sweatshirt, a Joe Boxer bra and panty set, a pretty blue dress from an '05 AA ballerina, the lavender and gingham blouse to a Picnic Pretty fashion, the dress to Glitter Hair Barbie, and the Hollywood Hair Skipper's turquoise and gold outfit.
Seated, we begin with the never-confused-with-any-other-Barbie, Locket Surprise Barbie. Her chest swings open to reveal a heart-shaped photo of Ken. Or kid makeup. I thought this had to be one of the weirdest dolls Mattel ever made. Her earrings are big enough for me to wear, and her then-fashionably crimped hair is a total nest. But, if you ever wanted to make a breast cancer survivor doll, pop the hinge, and you're halfway there. She also had a friend, Kayla, with a similar chest, but in turquoise clothes with pretty red hair. They even made fashions for these dolls, that accommodated the tiny lock (missing on this one) and unique style. Sometimes, you can't help but wonder what's goin' on over at Mattel...
Next to her is the also unforgettable Bandai Sailor Moon. Often referred to as the ‘no-nose' version, she was the first to appear on North American shores when the show premiered in syndication. She actually does have a tiny little wedge nose, it just doesn't show in photos. I have a long history with Sailor Moon dolls, but all the ones I have are the later releases from Canadian-based Irwin Toys. Those were clearanced fast, to my joy.
In the middle is Sparkle Eyes Barbie, in a Hugh Jass (say it out loud) wedding gown. The gown belongs to Rose Bride Barbie, and like SE and Locket Surprise, she had a Happy Meal toy made to represent her. It's difficult to get a good photo of SE - her pupils are blue rhinestone chips imbedded into the plastic. It's an odd effect. It's quite lovely in the right light, but it also gives her a bit of an empty over-wide-eyed stare. This was also done with some Disney dolls - the Belle one had green crystals, but nearly all others, even the AA version, had blue.
On her left is a short-haired Teresa wearing what I thought was the blouse from Yo-Yo Skipper. On a full-bodied Barbie, it's short, tight, has a place in the back for the lever, and an anime-ish design on the front. But I can't verify. So I don't know who originally wore it. The pants are easier, they're from 'Barbie and Ginger Dog'. I probably have the blouse somewhere. I think Teresa has had a home haircut, so I'll even it out a bit later. It's actually quite cute.
Then we have another Teresa, still in her Sparkle Beach swimwear. Her hair has a reddish cast to the brown, and her green eyes are gorgeous. She even has her necklace, which I always thought was odd on beach-themed dolls. Most of us, when we pilgrimage to the surf, leave as much behind as possible - especially jewelry.
And certainly not least is a lovely Tyco Ariel ! This one really is gorgeous, and I'm not much for the Tycos. They always looked too ‘kid' for me, rather short next to the other dolls, and the Mattel ones looked older - and sexier ! So I only had one Tyco, found nude at a thrift store several years back. The one I found today has such a pretty smile, and starry eyes...she's wearing a slightly tattered ‘Ariel, the Beautiful Bride' fin and bikini top, and at first, I thought she is the wedding version, her face is that happy and beautiful. But a bit of eBay and Google Image research shows that invariably, the Tyco Ariels have bangs pulled out a bit, then curled under and cut at an angle, to give her that signature ‘floating shelf of hair' look. But this one has a more film-accurate style - no bangs, with a lovely curl over her eye that really looked good. If I paid attention to the way the hair wanted to go and brushed it so, it curled and assumed a beautiful shape and color. Her left arm angles away from her body, so it's PTF (Palms To Front, very rare), while her right is a straight PTS arm. I'd assume she was Beautiful Hair Ariel, but her hair's not that long. She can't be Tropical, she has the same pale skin tone as my other Tyco. So I truly have no idea who she is.
But I'm gonna have fun finding out !
Also scored a few smaller things. An Elphie size laundry basket, a pair of blue glitter-dot keychain shoes (they fit the DPrincesses, Crissy, and Mia) - I paid $4. for a set of pink ones at Mal-Wart, but these were a dime each ! Some Barbie-size accessories - two pair of shoes, three lotion bottles, and a set of funky drinking glasses - finished up the haul. All that for $6.
Oh, and I scored the Ariel wand Happy Meal toy for 5c - it lights up ! So, out of those eight toys, we only missed Cinderella's shoe decorations and Aurora's crown. Not bad ! And I'll have to scan the Ariel card, the signature is adorable. We'll resume the catalog images (we are less than ¼ through - it's a good size booklet !) on Monday - glad you're enjoying ‘em, Mandy ! Tomorrow, I hope to get a good photo of at least half of the Great Wall of Cases.
And ya'll think I don't listen...(grin)
