Mini Barbieland toys are popping up everywhere, and I can’t remember the last time a Barbie range has made me so happy. I love all things miniature, so mini doll houses and dolls satisfy two of my collecting passions. I do wonder why Mattel hasn’t done a range like this earlier. They have produced miniature Barbie dolls in the past, but the Barbieland range includes dolls, houses, vehicles and accessories, a little bit like the Polly Pocket range, but without the wee compacts that house Polly and her world.
Mini Barbieland currently includes three houses, all based on real Barbie houses albeit with some modifications. They have working lifts (elevators) doors that open, a couple of pieces of furniture and all come with a mini doll and pet. I chose the largest – and pinkest – house as it reminds me most of the Barbieland houses in Barbie the Movie. It came with a mini Totally Hair Barbie, a little dog house and dog, secreted away in a little pink box. There’s a movable swinging chair, a bed and a slide down to a tiny swimming pool. There are little heart shaped depressions where the dolls can be attached securely, but of course they will stand and sit (or lie) anywhere, but will be prone to falling over. The door opens, the dolls slide into the pool smoothly and the bed is just the right length. It’s just so much fun.
There are five vehicle and accessory sets including cars, a plane and a boat. I couldn’t resist the camper van, which comes with a mini doll that seems to be Brooklyn and the jeep and tent which comes with a possible mini Malibu doll. The roof of the camper is removable (and becomes a pool) and the doors open. The dolls sit comfortably in the camper and the jeep and seem to be a much better scale and fit than full sized dolls.
There are four ranges of mini dolls, all are blind box, but there is a code stamped on the inside bottom of the packaging, to avoid doubling up, just keep a record of the codes. Some dolls do have two codes each, but a quick search of the net should reveal cheat sheets, or again to avoid doubles, buy only the codes starting with the same number (usually a 0 or a 1).
The Cutie Reveal dolls come in little plastic tubes just like their full sized counter parts. There is a little heart shaped hole in the top of the tube, but as the dolls are in a plastic bag inside the tube, it’s sometimes hard to tell what you’re getting, so it’s better to use the codes. The dolls come with the tiniest little matching toy, only a few millimetres high and easily lost. They have squishy plastic removable animal heads, and these present a bit of a concern. This sort of plastic often becomes sticky and sometimes melts hard plastic, so I’ll be keeping a close eye on the heads.
Colour Reveal dolls come in clear plastic tubes with a printed removable wrapper, again just like the full sized dolls. Instead of peeling the wrapper off my doll, I carefully cut around the lid with a blade, so I could remove the lid while leaving the container intact for use in a shopping or Christmas diorama. The dolls are painted and need to be submerged in hot water in their tubes, or in my case under the tap to reveal their features. Very much fun.
The Pop Reveal dolls come in a clear plastic lidded cup in a cardboard wrapper. Inside the lid is a squishy plastic coloured dome – that I haven’t yet worked out the point of – and they also come with a straw. It’s easy to put it all back together again once the doll is removed for use in future dioramas.
Finally, there’s a range of itty bitty Fashionistas that come in plastic lipstick tubes, and here is my only real criticism. The lipsticks are quite useless once the dolls are removed. Kids may find some play value, but I would have much preferred a little plastic box or tube that could be used in doll sized play. Nevertheless, the dolls are identical to their full sized counterparts meaning my dolls can have mini versions of themselves and I love it.
And of course, this whole range is the perfect size for dioramas of dolls playing with dolls.
Next week a look at other miniature dolls.
Don’t forget, I’m now on Instagram – @jenjoysworld(and a non-doll photo art account @jenniferbs_world). There’ll be some unique content and behind the scenes stuff, so head over and follow.
(C) Jennifer B – All content is subject to copyright and may not be re-published or reproduced without written permission.
Last weekend I went to one of my favourite doll shows and bought two things that were on my wish list. One of them was a Novi Stars, little cosmic alien dolls by MGA from 2012. I remember seeing these dolls on shop shelves when they first came out, but I didn’t buy any. I found them really interesting, but at that point I didn’t know how they’d fit into my collection and I was spending money on other things. Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen photos of them pop up on my social media feeds and decided I really would like one. The one that appealed to me most was Alie Lectric, with her green skin and hot pink hair and my luck was in, she’s the one I found at the doll show.
Buying her, I realised another reason I didn’t get any of these dolls when they first came out; the only articulation this doll has is in her shoulders and head joints. Not ideal, but she’s so cute, I’ll begrudgingly overlook it. The doll is about 18 centimetres tall and her oval head tilts and twists, and she has one straight arm and one bent arm that rotate at the shoulder. My doll is in great condition, wearing her original black glittery denim dress with pink trim and her gold shoes. She has her little silver antennae and a pink hair bow too. Her inset eyes have pink glitter irises and a row of little hearts form the highlight in her pupils, while some of her lovely long eyelashes are covered with gold glitter. She has the cutest little pointy ears and her eye brows are a curved row of pink dots. Each of the Novi Star dolls has a gimmick, and Alie originally came with a light up backpack that directed colour changing light down into her transparent hard plastic body. Others had coloured liquid in their legs, wigs or talking mechanisms. Unfortunately, my Alie is missing her backpack and her little pet called Hi Def.
I’m not sure which ranges of Novi Stars were sold here or for how long, but I’d be quite happy for MGA to resurrect the line, as long as they were fully articulated. The rebooted Monster High dolls seem to be popular so with a bit of tweaking, these could be too. I’m not sure I’ll buy anymore Novi Stars, unless I find one cheap at the op shop, but for now, I love having Alie join my hoard.
Don’t forget, I’m now on Instagram – @jenjoysworld(and a non-doll photo art account @jenniferbs_world). There’ll be some unique content and behind the scenes stuff, so head over and follow.
(C) Jennifer B – All content is subject to copyright and may not be re-published or reproduced without written permission.
Remember I said I was over anniversary dolls? It still holds true and I’m a wee bit disappointed in myself as I tell you I caved in and bought the 65th Anniversary Barbie doll. I saw her in a shop a few weeks ago and she’s so much better in real life than in photos. At the time I told myself no I didn’t need her, but I kept thinking about her so went back to get her last week. And I love her. Up to a point. And that point is the end of her drop waist, ruched bodice. But let’s start at the start.
I bought the brunette version of the doll, and seriously, why did they even bother with blonde, this doll is everything. Well, almost everything. The doll itself has a new face mould (another reason for me to buy her), one which Mattel is calling the closed-mouth Brooklyn. As much as I love the original Brooklyn sculpt, this one has a touch more sass, while still having freckles and baby hairs. Her hair is spectacular, brunette twisted braids swept up into a high ponytail. They fall beautifully around her face and shoulders. The doll uses the Model Muse body type and while I like the proportions of this body, I hate the stupid popped out hip and unbending limbs. Why didn’t they use the Pivotal body that has similar proportions but is poseable? I probably won’t re-body this girl, she’ll go into the anniversary display cupboard as is, unless I can find a cheap pivotal body the right colour.
The dress is yet another re-hashing of the original black and white striped swimsuit theme – and I must say I’m over black and white stripes, something sapphire blue would have been nice – this time with a ruched fine striped drop waist bodice with sweetheart neckline and full skirt in three layers – sheer wide stripes over a white under skirt and scalloped striped overskirt. I’m not a fan of big boofy dresses, and again it feels like they’ve been done to death lately. Every time I look at this doll I can’t help thinking it’s a shame they didn’t just continue with the ruching into a slim gown with perhaps a mermaid or fishtail hemline. The doll is so sassy, I think it would suit her better too. The look is finished with sheer gloves with bow detail (love!), black shoes that are a twist on the original Barbie mules, silver and blue earrings and small blue and white cat-eye glasses. She also has a wrist tag which is a nice touch.
The doll is described as having pops of sapphire blue, but you really have to look hard for them – the tiny spot on the earrings, her eyeliner, lenses in the glasses and wrist tag. I really am disappointed they didn’t go with the blue theme, perhaps a blue and white ruched dress. Overall, I do love her though and I’m glad I went back and bought her.
Here in Australia, Mattel Australia was offering these brunette dolls on ‘pre-order’, even after both the blonde and brunette had been in Myer for a couple of weeks. They seem to be in stock now though and Big W is also carrying the blonde doll.
Don’t forget, I’m now on Instagram – @jenjoysworld(and a non-doll photo art account @jenniferbs_world). There’ll be some unique content and behind the scenes stuff, so head over and follow.
(C) Jennifer B – All content is subject to copyright and may not be re-published or reproduced without written permission.
This week brought a new arrival, the Star Wars Princess Leia Doll by Kenner from 1979. I’ve been wanting this doll for a while, and noticed her for sale on a friend’s sale site, so snapped her up. She was missing her fashion and accessories, but I bought her with the intention of having a Carrie doll rather than Leia, so it was perfect.
I didnt see Star Wars until a few years after it was released, but my sister (who was quite a bit older than me and working) bought me several of the small Star Wars action figures (which I still have and love, I think I’ve posted a Christmas photo using some of them) when I was a kid.
Some of my Star Wars figures in a Christmas diorama.
I would have loved all the twelve inch versions as well, but I remember them being quite expensive, and it wouldn’t make sense to have only one or two. I was always curious about Leia, and how her hair buns were achieved, I spent hours trying to get Barbie’s hair into them. I remember then seeing a friend’s doll, and discovering there were ‘donuts’ under the hair. There was a hair styling guide on the back of Leia’s box, on how to replicate other styles, but once the donuts were removed, it seems they were really hard to get back in. Most loose dolls that I’ve seen for sale, either have their hair loose or in pigtails, and that’s how mine came to me.
I thought it might be difficult to restyle Leia’s hair into Carrie’s 70s style, the part for the buns is rooted down the back of the head, but the hair is a lovely fibre and held the new look after just a wash and a quick dip in some hot water. The head sculpt really is an excellent likeness, even more so with her hair around her face. I’ve dressed her in a Bionic Woman fashion, also by Kenner. I’m yet to find shoes for her, these dolls have huge hooves, and I’ll also look out for a little bulldog to play Carrie’s real life dog, Gary Fisher.
Leia/Carrie in a Bionic Woman fashion, also by Kenner.
It’s also appropriate that Leia/Carrie arrived just before International Women’s Day, both Carrie and Leia are perfect role models. Both are intelligent, witty, strong, feisty and courageous. I love Carrie’s books and the fact that she never shied away from her problems including openly discussing her bipolar disorder and addictions. So, this IWD and always, fight like a princess.
Stars wars plate from Typo.
(C) Jennifer B, not to be reproduced or republished without permission.
Hello 2024! It feels like forever since I’ve written a post, I’ve been unwell – including finally getting Covid despite hardly going out and wearing a mask when I do. It’s so annoying to get it this late in the game, but thankfully it was mild. I’ve also had a lot on (and still do), so I really haven’t had much time for dolls. I really must get back into a routine though and give myself time to play. And I’ll apologise up front in case this turns into a bit of whinge (and it will, I’m still not feeling great and I’m grumpy).
I was really surprised a few weeks ago when I found a couple of the new Fashionista 65th Anniversary Barbie dolls at my local Kmart. I seem to be in an area that is one of the last to get new stock, so I wasn’t expecting to see them, and luckily, one of them was #214 with a new face mould.
I have to say I’m a bit tired of anniversary dolls (and reproductions too), celebrating ‘oh’ anniversaries is one thing, but celebrating mid-decade too is a bit much. There are six anniversary Fashionistas so far, each inspired by a doll from the past (see here). Although the inspiration is somewhat tenuous, with most of them it’s easy to see – one has a top based on the original black and white swimsuit; next, a pink dress with a ruffle is a tribute the 1977 Superstar doll; there’s one with rainbow detailing on her top and skirt similar to Great Shape Barbie; a dress with sheer peach ruffles pays homage to Peaches and Cream Barbie; and there’s another’s fashion with a star print and iridescent fabric a la Rockers Barbie. The one I bought is apparently inspired by the 1967 Twist and Turn Barbie, but the inspiration is almost non-existent, she wears a shimmery white tee shirt dress with the motif, ‘Twist and Turn Up the Volume’. Perhaps if the dress were orange or included net fabric, similar to the outfit shown on the box the link would be clearer. Still, she has a lovely face even if her decals are pixelated and I love her dark hair with pink streaks. She uses the petite body in pale vinyl.
And here comes the whinging. You know I hate the unbending Fashionista bodies, I like my dolls to move, so I swap the heads to articulated bodies, but finding dolls with pale vinyl is a challenge. I thought it might be a bit easier once I saw the release of the Made to Move Career Tennis Player doll, but these dolls are yet to show up in Australia. A new range of Made to Move dolls is available, but there’s only three in the range and none are pale. So for now my new doll will have to make do with a LIV body and I’ll keep searching op shops in the hope of finding some older ‘purple top’ Made to Move dolls.
The Career Sport dolls are not the only recent dolls that haven’t shown up here, there’s always the odd Fashionista we miss out on, but there are a couple of new Dreamtopia mermaids missing from our shelves too. Now, I don’t really buy a lot of dolls. I don’t buy many Collector editions and mostly only buy play line dolls with face moulds absent from my collection. And these two missing mermaids use a face I don’t have. Both have the little used Odile mould, and although I usually like to have only one of each face sculpt, these dolls are so gorgeous and so different to each other I’m breaking my self-imposed rule and want both. Every day I see these two dolls popping up in my Instagram feed, rebodied and restyled by other collectors and looking gorgeous, but I can’t get my hands on them. The really annoying thing is that this range is available here, but only two of the four dolls, and not the two that collectors desperately want. Will we eventually get them? Will they show up later in the year? Or even next year? Of course we could buy from overseas, but with postage and exchange rates they will cost 3 or 4 times their $13 (ish) shelf price. There is already a reseller offering them on pre-order for $80. In the past I have resorted to buying Fashionistas unseen here from overseas, only for them turn up months and months later. Why does Mattel do this? Why not just send us complete waves?
The new mermaid dolls, there’s four in the range and we have only the two on the left on our shop shelves whereas collectors really want the two on the right.
It seems to me that Mattel has always had a problem with just what to supply – and how many – to our market. Often we’re swamped by one particular wave (currently we still have Barbie movie dolls to spare) or even one particular doll, before Mattel ‘swaps them out’. Surely they should just mark them down and clear them out. Even in the 1970s not everything released in the US made it to our shores, but we often got the European and Canadian exclusives which were very different and often much better than US releases. We also got dolls in bubble packs made up of weird combinations of dolls and fashions, which seemed to be Mattel using up old stock (collectors refer to these dolls as X Files). In fact, until recently we seemed to be the place for excess stock and over runs – I remember toy sales at the show grounds when I was kid where I picked up dolls I couldn’t find in store and at discounted prices, and more recently sales were held at Mattel’s factory shop and warehouse where things not sold in shops could be found (and oh, how I miss those sales).
Department shop shelves yesterday: movie dolls galore and one shelf made up entirely of just these two Fashionista dolls. Surely they should just be put on clearance?
It really does annoy me (and perhaps others) when we miss out on dolls here in Australia. I know it occurs in some European countries too, and I really don’t understand why. I know we’re a smaller market – and it seems Mattel has always had a problem understanding that (just send us smaller quantities of everything) – but dolls that don’t show up on shelves here can often be found in Singapore, just a five hour flight from our west coast. Granted, perhaps Singaporeans have more money to spend on dolls than Aussie families, but we have 5 times their population so surely it all breaks even? Whatever the rhyme, reason or logic behind us missing out on dolls, I’m not going to go out of my way anymore to source the dolls I want. I’m not going to pay exorbitant prices to get them from overseas or from resellers or online auction sites. If I can’t find it easily and at a fair price I’ll just spend my money on something else (and probably swear at Mattel under my breath as I do).
Now, I know that all of this rant is a first world problem, there is so much horror and misery in the world right now. But I also appreciate that our dolls are our momentary escape from that darkness. So please, if you’re able to, donate to one of the humanitarian aid agencies operating in war-torn and disadvantaged countries.
Don’t forget, I’m now on Instagram – @jenjoysworld(and a non-doll photo art account @jenniferbs_world). There’ll be some unique content and behind the scenes stuff, so head over and follow.
(C) Jennifer B – All content is subject to copyright and may not be re-published or reproduced without written permission.
If you been into a toy department in the last few years, you’ve probably noticed that mini things are big business. Super Impulse have their World’s Smallest Toys and Micro Toy Box lines, and Zuru have their Foodies Mini Brands, Toy Mini Brands, Disney Store Mini Brands, Mini Fashion and Mini Brands Books series. Needless to say, I have lots of these. However, as most of the Micro Minis and Zuru toys are blind box, I usually only buy one, then try and swap or buy the toys I want from friends or at doll club meetings. The Zuru toys also present a packaging dilemma, packed in shrink wrapped plastic balls that can’t be recycled – another reason I’m hesitant to buy them.
More recently, MGA have released their own range of minis, but with a twist. Instead of fully formed miniature items, these require some assembly using the supplied resin. These seem to be aimed at kids, but the resin is hardly child friendly. Even older kids would need adult supervision or intervention, and I know a few adults who are reluctant to use resin. There are food series, as well as ‘life style’ series which include plants and decorator items like candles and fish bowls. I’d love one of the fish bowls, but I’ve thought they were blind box, so haven’t bought any – until recently.
A few weeks ago I noticed there was a Christmas themed series. There are only three different minis in this series – a gingerbread house, roast turkey and chocolate Christmas drinks – and deciding I’d be happy with any of them, I grabbed one for me and one as a present for a friend. I randomly selected one for myself, and opened it to discover it was the chocolate drinks. I now know that these Christmas minis are not blind at all, the second, red shrink wrap layer, visible under the outer layer shows which mini is which. And now I’m wondering if the other lifestyle and food series are the same. I’m going to have to check next time I’m out and about.
These minis come in the ubiquitous plastic ball, but these balls are half clear and come with a little table that fits inside the bottom of the ball and a snowflake handle for the clear half meaning they can be used to display the finished mini. Nice try MGA, but I don’t think many are going to do that, and the table is a bit small to use with 1/6 scale dolls. There are also reams of safety instructions in several languages, but the instructions for making the minis use a series of pictures, some of which are not terribly clear.
The minis themselves are in several paper bags (more waste) and a tiny set of tweezers is included too. The best part of these minis is that each food component comes in packaging that can be reused as a mini in its own right. The resin comes in a chocolate milk container, and this is where things got difficult for me. I don’t know if it’s because it was a really hot day when I made my mini, but I found it incredibly difficult to get the resin out of the container. The instructions showed to half fill the cups and to add a little around the rims to stick sprinkles to. I had so much trouble getting the resin to flow, and when I did manage to get any out by shaking and squeezing the life out of the container, it was in blobs that still didn’t want to flow or spread. Consequently, I was just happy to get any resin into the cups, so just added the marshmallows and sprinkles over the top. I also had trouble getting the resin to set. Admittedly, I probably filled the cups more than I should have, but even putting them in strong sunlight and under a UV torch, they wouldn’t completely set. It took three or four days before all the resin set, longer for the little bit remaining in the carton. I didn’t use all of the marshmallows or sprinkles, I was able to reseal the leftover marshmallows in the bag, so they will both go into my mini stash. I have some handmade candy canes, so they’ll go into the empty candy cane box and into the stash too.
All up, I’m pretty happy with this set. Although it cost $13, with the craft element and the ingredients minis as well as the glasses of Christmas milk, it was well worth the money. Now I’m just hoping the lifestyle minis are not actually blind box and I can get my fish bowl.
The end of the year has come around again so quickly. I’ve been MIA for a while, the stupid weather here has been playing havoc with my allergies and asthma, and the fact I’ve been putting in new garden beds and possum proofing (furry little locusts), hasn’t helped. Hopefully next year I’ll be able to get back to posting regularly.
Until then, I hope your Yuletide is merry and the New Year a happy one.
Don’t forget, I’m now on Instagram – @jenjoysworld(and a non-doll photo art account @jenniferbs_world). There’ll be some unique content and behind the scenes stuff, so head over and follow.
(C) Jennifer B – All content is subject to copyright and may not be re-published or reproduced without written permission.
This post is the result of cuteness and curiosity. I’ve seen these Magic Mixies Pixlings dolls by Moose Toys popping up all over the internet and social media, and have thought that they’re cute. I’ve been telling myself I’ll wait until I find one at the op shop, but I kept seeing them and then this week they were on sale at Kmart so I caved and bought one. I’ve had a thing for unusual dolls lately – Enchantimals, Monster High – and I’m really regretting not buying dolls such as Pinkie Cooper, Catwalk Kitties and Novi Stars when they were on the shelves. These little Pixlings remind me of these dolls, and I decided I’d like Marena the mermaid. I love water and the ocean, so she’s the one that appealed most.
Now, I’ve seen the ‘magic’ process that reveals the doll in her container on social media and I was in two minds about it. Part of me was thinking what a palaver for a wee doll, but another part of me was really curious as to how the process worked. Yes, I’m the person that sees a magic show and just spends the whole time working out how it was done. I also know that had these been around when I was a kid, I’d be buying one for the same reason. I’ve always wanted to know how things work. So, once I had the doll in the house part of me just wanted to rip it open and grab the doll, but I decided I might as well explore the ‘magic’ process, and document it as I go.
These dolls come in elaborate plastic bottles, shrink wrapped in plastic. And once the shrink wrap is removed, there’s a plastic tray holding several plastic pouches to the back of the bottle. And already there’s a theme developing here, can you spot it? The pouches are numbered as to which step of the ‘magic’ process they relate to. Revealing a pouring slot in the top of the bottle is the first step, then one of the large pouches of blue goop is poured in, followed by just over two cups of water. Next are the shimmering scales – in reality just paper cut outs – followed by another pouch of blue goop. Next is a coral charm, again, a paper cut out.
Now the ‘magic’ really begins. A ring is removed from the lid of the bottle, allowing the large gem on top to be turned and depressed. This allows a pouch of clarifying chemical in the lid to pour into the bottle, desolving whatever it is obscuring the doll and counteracting the dye from the blue goop, making the doll magically appear.
Next it’s just a matter of opening the bottle to remove the inner jar holding the doll. Something went a little awry with mine, as there was a tiny amount of water in this inner jar. The doll was dry, but the collectors guide pamphlet she was standing on was very damp indeed.
Now I had a cute little mermaid doll, but I also had a veritable mountain of plastic waste. Two jars (and I’ve just realised the large outer jar is still shrink wrapped in plastic), a couple of plastic trays that do have a recycling mark, and lots of other plastic that doesn’t. I thought that the Barbie Colour Reveal dolls produced a lot of waste, but it’s nothing compared to this tiny doll.
So, was it all worth it? Not really. Even the kid in me wasn’t overly impressed. And I can’t help thinking that the same kind of reveal is probably possible without quite so much packaging. I keep thinking back to those baby doll bottles I had as a kid, where the milk disappeared when you tipped the bottle up. I had hours of fun with those, unlike this one-time ‘magic’ trick and its concoction of chemicals. The collectors guide has a QR code to link to a potion that can be made in the bottle, but it’s a bit of a fizzer. It just suggests filling the inner tube with cellophane, pipe cleaners and shells, and the outer with water. I did have the thought that the doll could be stored in the inner jar and the outer filled with water and shells, but neither idea really appeal. And I can’t help thinking that at least half the cost of the doll must be in the packaging.
At least with these dolls there is no surprise element, you can choose which doll you get by the coloured gem on the bottle. There are three to choose from Unia the unicorn, Deerlee the deer or mermaid Marena and there is a store exclusive, a butterfly Pixling called Flitta. The description of this doll as a mermaid has made me think. The name Pixling surely places these dolls as closer to fairies or pixies, so perhaps a naiad or water nymph would have been a better identity than mermaid, especially as she doesn’t have a tail.
So, after all that, what’s the doll like? There are pluses and minuses. Standing roughly 15cms tall, she’s quite cute. She has lovely soft blue and pink hair and I love her little fin shaped ears and the fins on her legs. Her elbows bend, but it’s really disappointing that her knees don’t. Like a lot of dolls these days, she has that wide-hipped style body, and I can’t say I’m a fan of that shape. Her face decals are really interesting and appealing, but the printing is very pixelated. Her little tank top us moulded on and she wears a quite nice fabric skirt. She has well detailed shoes, and there’s a hole in one allowing the ring part removed from the bottle to be used as a stand. Just not very successfully, she keeps toppling backwards. Overall, I love her, and I think she’ll fit right in with Monster High Lorna and Lagoona, I just wish she had better articulation.
And most of all, I wish she had less packaging. It’s the waste and the magic process that will deter me from buying another, unless it’s from an op shop. I’m really, really sick and tired at the amount of plastic garbage that toy companies are churning out. I’m not against them making new toys, but I am against useless excess packaging – especially the plastic balls that so many things come in now – and the blind box concept, meaning consumers buy more than they need just to get the toy they want. It’s about time toy companies stepped up and took some responsibility for their part in the planet’s environmental crisis, and more importantly, did something about it. Unfortunately, I think they’re all too busy looking at their profit statements.
(C) Jennifer B – no part of this article including photos may be copied or reproduced without written consent.
For those of you who haven’t seen Barbie the Movie (and if you haven’t, you really should, it’s brilliant on so many levels), one of the characters is called Weird Barbie, played brilliantly by Kate McKinnon. She’s the doll who’s been played with a little bit too much. Her hair has been cut, she’s been scribbled on and she spontaneously does the splits, her limbs are just a bit swingy. She wears a dress that looks like it’s been swiped from a baby doll, and she lives in a weird house on a hill, away from the other Barbies. They’re all a little apprehensive of her, but here’s the thing; living a hard life has made her tough, wise and worldly. She’s the one the other Barbies go to when they need advice. And, they discover, she’s cool.
A lot of people have really identified with having a Weird Barbie as a child. I’m not one of them. I was that child that kept their dolls in excellent condition. The worst thing I did was pierce Sweet 16 Barbie’s ears, and level up the uneven haircut my Mod Hair Ken had. The thought of chopping a doll’s hair off or drawing on one never occurred to me. But Weird Barbie has become a bit of a phenomenon, she’s definitely one of my favourite movie characters. I love that her house is a refuge to all the controversial Barbie dolls – Growing Up Skipper, Video Girl Barbie, Tanner the pooping dog – all the outsiders, the dolls that are a bit too different to the others, that don’t fit in. And even though she’s been through the wars, and in many ways could be considered broken, it has made her caring and empathetic, and the one with the experience to help with problems.
A Weird Barbie doll wasn’t in the original Barbie the Movie doll range, but Mattel Creations launched a Made to Order release in August (see here), with the doll to be delivered in 2024. Now, at first I was really tempted to buy her. But the more I thought about it, the more my mind was changed. For a start she was expensive, ninety Aussie dollars, plus postage. I was also a bit put off by the face mould they chose for the doll – Carnaval – to me it’s a not a good likeness to Kate Mckinnon. But most of all, it was the idea of buying a brand new Weird Barbie. It sort of felt wrong, that it went against the whole idea of Weird Barbie and everything she represents. I decided I’d much rather make my own. And it seems I’m not the only one.
It’s been heartening to see online, the number of people who have worked with their child/children to make their own Weird doll. The look on some of the children’s faces at being allowed to cut a doll’s hair and draw on her (or his) face. And it’s also meant that a lot of discarded dolls have been rescued from op shops and landfill, in order to be up-cycled into a special doll. In fact, it seems the perception of discarded and damaged dolls has started to shift. They’re being called Weird Barbies. They’re being seen as perhaps having some potential, rather than fodder for the rubbish bin. Damaged items are not only being seen as still having value and a purpose, they’re being given one. Hopefully, the trend will continue, and dolls will get makeovers rather than be thrown out.
For my doll, I started with my body stash, the box of dolls with poseable bodies that I’ve found second hand for use in swapping non-articulated dolls. And there just happened to be a Made to Move Barbie doll that had already had a bit of a haircut, ready to become Weird. I gave her quick wipe over, cut her hair a bit more and painted her face and hair. I had a pair of pink tights from childhood and some green clone doll boots, and at a doll club meeting found a baby doll styled dress for a whole fifty cents. She’s not an exact copy of Weird Barbie, she’s my interpretation of her, and that makes her a bit more special. If I need her body, she may get a body swap at some stage, but for now, I’m really happy with my Weird Barbie.
Don’t forget, I’m now on Instagram – @jenjoysworld(and a non-doll photo art account @jenniferbs_world). There’ll be some unique content and behind the scenes stuff, so head over and follow.
(C) Jennifer B – All content is subject to copyright and may not be re-published or reproduced without written permission.
Although most would agree, with the release of Barbie the Movie and all the associated merchandising, this has been Barbie’s year, we can’t forget a major milestone of one of her competitors – Sindy. Even though she hasn’t been in continuous production since 1963, Sindy is still a collector’s favourite.
So happy 60th Anniversary Sindy!
I’ve made a few more updates to the Sindy Identification Guide here and to Barbie Colour Reveal Moulded Hair Sculpts here.
Don’t forget, I’m now on Instagram – @jenjoysworld(and a non-doll photo art account @jenniferbs_world). There’ll be some unique content and behind the scenes stuff, so head over and follow.
(C) Jennifer B – All content is subject to copyright and may not be re-published or reproduced without written permission.
For a few years now, it’s been a pet peeve of mine that no internet site has correct information for Sindy dolls sold in Australia and New Zealand. So, I’ve decided to post an Identification guide to try and get the correct information out there – also a perfect project for Sindy’s 60th Anniversary. I understand that some may be very protective of their information, and some sites have not been updated for several years. I have no intentions of stepping on any toes or even reinventing the wheel, just to mend a couple of spokes. For this reason, the information on Made in England dolls will most likely be an overview, there is plenty of information on these dolls available elsewhere. It’s the Aussie and Kiwi doll’s information I’m mostly focused on. However, I’m happy to add information on all dolls if it becomes available. So, at the moment there are lots of gaps – the guide is still under construction – but if you have information or corrections which can be verified, ideally by document or photo, I’d love to hear from you. Please leave a comment and I will contact you, or use the contact page at the end of the blog. You will be credited for information.
1963 and 1964 Made in England (the UK)
Size: 29.5 cm
Stock Number: 12GSS
Head Markings: Made In England under the hairline on back of head
Body Markings: None
Description: Hollow legs with raised side seams; flexible but unbending vinyl arms; soft to squishy vinyl head, some variation in face paint; blonde, brunette and auburn hair in varying shades and thickness.
Fashion: Weekenders jeans and striped matelot top tagged Made in England, white sneakers (variations of this fashion can be seen at here, at Our Sindy Museum)
Box Markings: Made in England – Pedigree Dolls Limited
Booklet Markings: Sindy Bazaar booklet,
Stand: Sindy logo in oval cartouche on top, Pedigree Made in England on base
Notes: Launched in September 1963, these dolls were sold within the UK throughout 1964. Dolls may also have been sold in France.
1964 Made in Hong Kong (Australia and possibly Europe)
Size: 28 – 29.5cm
Stock Number: 12GSS
Head Markings: None
Body Markings: Made In Hong Kong on lower back
Description: Hollow legs with raised side seams; flexible to solid unbending vinyl arms; soft to very hard vinyl heads, variation in face paint, some are very high colour; blonde, brunette and auburn hair in varying shades and thickness.
Fashion: Weekenders jeans and striped matelot top tagged Made in Hong Kong, white sneakers.
Box Markings: Made in Hong Kong for Pedigree Dolls Limited
Booklet Markings: Sindy Bazaar booklet marked Printed in Hong Kong
Stand: Sindy logo in oval cartouche, Pedigree Made in Hong Kong on underside
Notes: There can be a lot of variation in size and hardness of doll’s heads (causing wobbling) and arms. These dolls were sold in Australia towards the end of 1964, as you can see from one of the articles below, at least by November, but probably from September. Toys were mostly a seasonal retail item back then and most companies launched products in September to ensure a full three months of pre-Christmas promotion and sales. This also suggests that planning and production in Hong Kong must have begun early in 1964. The next two articles show that demand for Sindy was high, even before television promotion began. It’s possible these dolls were also sold in some European countries. Another post on these dolls here.
Articles fromThe Retailer, the Australian toy industry magazine, November 1964 and January 1965.
In photos above the blonde doll has a soft vinyl head, the auburn doll’s head is very hard, small and wobbles, and has high colour blush. The brunette doll’s head is harder and smaller than the blonde’s but bigger and softer than the auburn doll’s.
1965 Made in England (the UK)
Size: 29.5 -30cm
Stock Number: 12GSS
Head Markings: Made In England under the hairline on back of head
Body Markings: None
Description: Slimmer bending legs and arms; soft to squishy vinyl heads, some variation in face paint; blonde, brunette and auburn hair in varying shades and thickness.
Fashion: Weekenders jeans and striped matelot top tagged Made in England, white sneakers.
Box Markings: Made in England – Pedigree Dolls Limited
Booklet Markings: The Sindy Set booklet marked ?
Stand: Sindy Set logo in oval cartouche on top, Pedigree Made in England on base
Notes: Legs and arms have a wire armature covered in vinyl and these may harden and become unbending over time. These dolls were sold within the UK, possibly from September 1965. There is now a starburst on the box stating ‘With bending arms and legs’. Early dolls would have come with The Sindy Set booklet featuring only Sindy and Paul, later dolls of 1966 with The Sindy Set booklet featuring Sindy, Paul and Patch.
1965 Made in Hong Kong (Australia and possibly Europe and the UK)
Size: 28.5-29cm in general, Mini Sindy 27.5 see below
Stock Number: 12GSS
Head Markings: None
Body Markings: Made In Hong Kong on lower back
Description: Slimmer bending legs and arms; soft to very hard vinyl heads, variation in face paint, some are very high colour; blonde, brunette and auburn hair in varying shades and thickness.
Fashion: Weekenders jeans and striped matelot top tagged Made in Hong Kong, white sneakers.
Box Markings: Made in Hong Kong for Pedigree Dolls Limited or Empire Made for Pedigree Dolls Limited
Booklet Markings: Sindy Set booklet marked Printed in Hong Kong
Stand: Sindy Set logo in oval cartouche, Pedigree Made in Hong Kong on underside
Notes: There can be a lot of variation in size and hardness of doll’s heads (causing wobbling). Legs and arms have a wire armature covered in vinyl and these may harden and become unbending over time, and there is some variation in size. These dolls were sold in Australia and possibly in some European countries. It’s probable that again they were available in Australia around September, ready for Christmas promotion, and as one of the articles above states, Paul would also be available in ‘later’ 1965. It’s also probable that they would continue to be produced and sold through at least 1966 and possibly later. Dolls in boxes marked Empire Made were possibly sold in the UK. There is now a starburst on the box stating ‘With bending arms and legs’. Early dolls would have come with The Sindy Set booklet featuring only Sindy and Paul, later dolls with The Sindy Set booklet featuring Sindy, Paul and Patch.
The doll in this Empire Made box looks to be a Mini Sindy and has the first Sindy Set booklet enclosed indicating it is a 1965 or early 1966 doll. You can also see the fashion looks to be standard sized. It’s possible these dolls were sold in the UK to supplement locally made stock.
Advertisement in The Retailer, December 1965
Mini Sindy – Some of these Made in Hong Kong dolls with bendable limbs are much smaller than other dolls, sometimes one to two centimetres smaller, and collectors refer to these as Mini Sindy. It remains a bit of mystery how these dolls came to be or when they were made, I haven’t found any documentation on them. There are theories though. These dolls mostly have torsos the same size as full sized dolls, only the heads and limbs seem smaller and generally are very hard. In an Interview in Magpie Media’s 12S magazine Number Six 2003, former Pedigree Product Manager David Fear said: ‘The amount of plasticiser used, that is the formula that makes the vinyl either hard or soft, also affects the finished look. This would also be different with the dolls that were made in Hong Kong. These were not made in Pedigree factories, but the work was sub-contracted to a number of different OEM companies, including Hong Kong Industrial Perfecta, who made dolls for a number of different companies.’ and ‘The arms would be vinyl; people tend to think of vinyl as a soft, pliable material, but it can vary from soft to hard, depending on the material specification.’ So, one theory is that the vinyl formula for these dolls was off somehow and that resulted in smaller heads and limbs. It’s also possible the limbs and heads have continued to shrink over time. Perhaps we’ll never know. I have heard rumours of Mini Sindy clothing, that is fashions that have been made slightly smaller, but boxed Mini dolls that I’ve seen look to be wearing standard sized fashions. Any further information will be gratefully received.
The first photo above shows a standard sized 1965 Made in Hong Kong doll’s torso on the left, the one on the right is from a Mini Sindy and they are the same size. The second photo shows the difference in leg shape and length between a 1964 Made in Hong Kong hollow leg, 1965 Made in Hong Kong Mini Sindy with bendable legs, and a standard sized 1965 Made in Hong Kong doll with bendable legs. The wire has been removed from the Mini Sindy leg.
In this image you can see the difference in height between a 1965 Made in England doll, a 1965 Made in Hong Kong doll and a 1965 Made in Hong Kong Mini Sindy.
1965 Made in New Zealand (New Zealand only)
Size: 29cm
Stock Number: 12GSS
Head Markings: None
Body Markings: None
Description: Slimmer bending legs and arms; soft to very hard vinyl heads, variation in face paint, some are very high colour; blonde, honey blonde and brunette hair in varying shades and thickness.
Fashion: Weekenders jeans and striped matelot top, may be untagged or tagged Empire Made, white sneakers
Box Markings: Made in New Zealand by Lines Bros. (N.Z.) Ltd.
Booklet Markings: Printed in Hong Kong
Stand: Sindy logo in circular cartouche rather than the oval cartouche of other countries, Pedigree NZ on underside
Notes: These dolls were manufactured in New Zealand exclusively for the New Zealand market to comply with import laws. Bodies and possibly other body parts were manufactured by Lines Bros. in New Zealand, and bodies tend to have a yellowish tint. Some parts were imported from Hong Kong. There can be a lot of variation in size and hardness of doll’s heads. Legs and arms have a wire armature covered in vinyl and these may harden and become unbending over time, and there is some variation in size. There may be no stock number on the box.
Anomalies
Just when you think you’ve got everything worked out, the dolly Gods will throw you a curve ball. And so it is with the following doll. The head has all the characteristics of a Made In Hong Kong head – hard pink vinyl, high colour face paint – but it is marked Made In England. To further confuse things, it’s on a 1964 Made In Hong Kong body. Again, I can find no information to explain this doll, only guesses and theories. Perhaps some of the moulds used in at least one Hong Kong factory were marked Made in England. I suppose it’s another mystery that may remain unsolved.
Looking identical to her blonde Made in Hong Kong sister, this auburn haired doll’s head is marked Made in England, her 1964 hollow-legged body is marked Made in Hong Kong.
Special thanks to Sal Penney, Heather S, Patricia R, Eileen West, Sandy Jennings, Belinda B and Christine I.
Don’t forget, I’m now on Instagram – @jenjoysworld(and a non-doll photo art account @jenniferbs_world). There’ll be some unique content and behind the scenes stuff, so head over and follow.
(C) Jennifer B – All content is subject to copyright and may not be re-published or reproduced without written permission.
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