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.
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