Selena's Astrodome Concert Doll

When I first started this blog, I intended to feature one doll from my collection every week. I had the idea to create a post about a set of Selena dolls that I own. Selena is my personal heroine and main role model. I wanted to write about what she meant to me, how I came to find out about her, and about her life story. This post proved to be my downfall from my original intention of posting a doll a week. I was unable to satisfactorily come up with a blog that had all I wanted to post in it. I put off posting and writing, I was unhappy with what I was coming up with, and my Barbie blog fell into only occasional postings.

So today, I am still unprepared to feature all of my Selena dolls. I am going to post one of them, however. I am featuring today the Selena doll wearing the outfit made famous by what turned out to be Selena's final full-length concert. Selena performed a concert at the Houston Astrodome on February 26, 1995, to an audience of more than 67,000 people. She was on the verge of breaking into the English mainstream pop culture when she was murdered on March 31, 1995.

I post this particular doll in remembrance of the anniversary of the Astrodome Concert.

Here is my Selena Astrodome Concert doll:

I originally came across this doll in 1997, I think. I was at K-Mart on a 'date' (as much of a date as a 13 year old can have). I was unable to buy the doll because I didn't have the money on me. When I did have money, the doll was gone. Years went by - a decade and a half, in fact - before I came to own this doll. I found her on Ebay, of course. I also found an extra outfit from the same doll. I was also lucky enough to find another Astrodome Selena doll on craigslist.

Here's a picture of my Selena doll hanging out with my Debbie Harry Barbie :)

I also bought the latest releases of Selena dolls (available here, at Selena's official website shop), one of which I put the purple outfit on. The latest Selena doll release features a more realistic face, as opposed to the more cartoonish renditions of the original releases.

And here are both of them together:

I do hate to post this entry so hastily, but I do want to start posting regularly again. I will feature the other Selena dolls in the future, along with my many other dolls that I have yet to feature. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you look up Selena and enjoy her music as much as I do.

Movie Award Barbie - A Target Exclusive

Tonight's entry is my Movie Award Barbie. She is a Target exclusive (In America, anyway... I believe she is a regular edition in Germany). I found her at Target (of course) a couple of years ago. I paid ten dollars for her.

She comes with this lovely little Barbie award, fashioned after the original Barbie doll design. Her accessories are a bracelet and clutch purse.

I think she's a lovely addition to my collection. I'll have to make a "Movie Premiere Party" diorama sometime!

HOMEWORK: What is your favorite awards show?

Tea & Backstory

Hello Dolls! Tonight, I will talk about my twenty some-odd year long love affair I have had with Barbie. And not just Barbie, but her friends, as well as others like Barbie but not 'genetically' related (I mean other 12" dolls that are not part of the Barbie brand). So go brew a cuppa and settle in for my story.

I don't remember my first Barbie. I don't remember getting her. I don't know for sure when I got her nor do I know where she came from, what edition she was, or how much she cost. I do know that it must have been after I was 6, because I was no longer living with my two older sisters.

I did end up with one, though. That one was shortly followed by another, and another. I loved Barbie. I must have developed a taste for her from my older sisters, though I'm sure I would have discovered her on my own. I do know that by the time I was 8, I had maybe thirty Barbie dolls, Barbie Friends, and Ken dolls. I would design clothes for her, and I would try to make some as well. Most of my own creations ended up looking like a long poncho with a belt. Nonetheless, I would try.

Unfortunately, at about that time in my life, I became friends with the boys across the street. I was embarrassed at owning the dolls, although I loved them all. This embarrassment was a flaw that proved fatal to my beloved Barbies... The neighbor boys got violent with them, and I, too afraid to tell them to stop, joined in. All of my Barbies eventually found themselves in various pieces, in various places throughout the yard. My grandparents would not buy me any more (understandably so!) and I was left Barbieless.

I did have a few Ken dolls left, along with a few G.I. Joe dolls. Neither sort looked good in dresses, and I eventually had to move on to other toys and pastimes.

I bought a few Barbie dolls when I was 18, though they wouldn't stay around long for various reasons, be it moving, my older sister stealing them, etc. Then, a few years ago, I came across a 'special' Barbie doll while shopping with my best friend. This doll was the Tarina Tarantino doll that I have previously written about.

When Tarina came into my life, I found that I was no longer at risk of losing my collection. Barbie Tarina opened a door (or dare I admit 'floodgate') to my Barbie collecting. In the 5-ish years since Tarina came in, I have amassed about one hundred dolls. The majority of them came to me used via thrift stores, ebay, and craigslist, but others have been store-bought. Currently, there is not an accurate count as I have moved and have had to pack some away temporarily. But I do believe I have at least one hundred.

Although I have been a fan of Barbie for most of my twenty seven years, I do not claim to be a Barbie know-it-all. I am merely a Barbie enthusiast, an amateur collector. Some may ask why I have a blog devoted to Barbie, since I am not an expert. To this I reply (jovially)... this is the internet; none of us are 'experts'. I like to share my collection. I like sharing pictures of my dolls for multiple reasons. Initially, I believe I was inspired to start this blog because I could not find many photos of certain dolls I was interested in. I thought someone, somewhere, would appreciate seeing pictures of a doll they may be interested in before they took the plunge and bought the doll. Since I like taking the dolls out of their boxes - a faux-pas to most collectors - I thought perhaps I could shed light on what the doll may look like without her/his box and ssave another collector the trouble/curiosity.

Though I take my Barbie dolls out of their boxes, and almost all of them from their cardstock backings, I do tend to save most of the boxes (generally I toss the boxes to the cheaper dolls I buy new). I don't intend to ever part with my collection, but I know that the boxes do add to the value of the doll, and whoever is next in line to have my dolls may appreciate my efforts.

And that is my story. Stay tuned; there are plenty more entries for me to write about!

Barbie Basics, Model #08, Collection 002

Today's entry is my brand new Barbie Basics doll, Model number 8, from Collection 002. I just bought her about half an hour ago.
I found her in the Walmart toy clearance section, slightly hidden. I got her at a great price, $8.50. With tax, $9.10! I was planning on buying the Beach Barbie from A Mermaid's Tail 2 (since it's $5.24 and I don't have her yet), but I got this one instead, since the beach one will be there next time I go. This doll has the model muse body that is more slender than the typical Barbie body. She came with a stand and a certificate of authenticity.

I like the Model Muse bodies over the regular bodies because they have extra details that are nice to have, such as painted finger- and toenails, individual feet (right/left), etc.

A cute detail on the jeans is the Barbie "B" logo embroidered on the back pocket. Also, the jeans have a snap button, which I haven't seen on a Barbie product in a while. (Not that I'm any kind of expert on Barbie!)

She wears black slingbacks.

I love slingbacks on Barbie, but the drawback is that they tend to fall off easily. This is easily solved by using the clear tiny rubber bands.

Another tip I have is to use a seam ripper when removing Barbie from her box. As any Barbie collector knows, Barbie is almost inseperable from her cardboard backing insert. Using a seam ripper makes the chore fast and simple. Just be careful as the tip is pointy, and can easily damage the doll's clothing or your fingers.

If you've never encountered one of these wonder tools before, they can be found in the sewing/crafting section. They usually don't cost very much. It's great for many things besides its intended use. It has a sharp section between the prongs.

Anyway, Back to Barbie. Here are some more pictures.

One last thing I think is cute is her hair. I like it, and it also matches a barbie I featured in my previous entry (the last doll of that blog).

HOMEWORK: Do you have a preference of Barbie's different body types?

All Things New Again

One of my hobbies is rescuing Barbie from the thrift stores. A second hobby emerges from that hobby, and that is returning a trashed-up, dirty Barbie with whacked out hair muddled into knots Houdini himself couldn't get out of, into her former glory. I scrub them down, and wash, condition, and comb their hair. I trim the ends so that they are even. I wash whatever clothing they may have come with, and do whatever else needs to be done (gluing broken parts, etc.).

I love seeing the transformation, and the more dramatic, the better. I didn't think to take pictures when I started doing this. I wish I had, because I don't have any photos of the worst cases. Still, the photos I'm including should give a good idea. Most of them are from a couple of years ago, when I bought several 'last chance Barbies' on ebay.

This last Barbie is a bit off topic. She was purchased new, from Big Lots (for 5$). When I removed her from the box, I discovered that the lower half of her hair had been ruined from some kind of pre-packaging heat exposure. I didn't get a before picture, because I didn't think I'd end up with a good result. Most Barbie lovers know that when you cut Barbie's hair, it tends to stick up at odd angles and just look overall horrid. Fortunately, this was not the case for this girl. I had to cut off most of her hair, but there was enough left for a cute bob that I decided to make asymmetrical. I love how she came out, and am astonished that I was able to cut her hair so short and still have an appealing result.

See you next time!

2010 Couture Angel Barbie

Today I am featuring my 2010 Couture Angel Barbie. She is a Pink Label collector's Barbie designed by Ann Driskill. She was released on June 17, 2010.

I first came across her while I was at Tuesday Morning one day this summer. I of course fell in love immediately, with her gorgeous feathered wings, celestial blue gown, golden halo. She vaguely resembles Sarah Brightman in a Harem concert costume, except with blonde hair, not brown. This is unrelated but fabulous and therefore worthy of entry.

Back to the featured Barbie... The Barbie Collector website describes her best : Couture Angel™ Barbie® doll shows off goddess style in a strapless, celestial blue gown, worn with a ruffled white underskirt. The bodice features intricately stitched detailing. Faux pearl stud earrings, golden belt buckle, and whimsical peep toe shoes are the perfect accessories. Fluffy feathered wings are the final angelic touch. Divine design delivers a devilishly delightful doll!

As I said, I came across her this summer. Money has been tight this year, so I kept saying "I'll have to get her next month" for several months, never forgetting her, but, like a true angel, she was just out of my grasp.

Then one of my closest friends, for no reason other than she loves me (and I love her too!) fulfilled my dream of having this fantastic angel in my collection. I am so very lucky to have this lady as a friend!

I immediately went to Tuesday Morning (coincidentally where I bought my Tarina Tarantino Barbie I featured in my first post) and saved this angel from the clutches of some less-appreciative shopper. My heart fulfilled, I rushed home and, of course, freed the angel from her prison of a box. I discovered that her shoes were some of the cutest shoes I've ever seen on a Barbie.

I glued them to her feet so that they would not fall off (fear not, it was merely white glue that would not compromise the shoes or the feet.).

I love that this Barbie has two 'uses'... the first is obvious; as the fabulous doll she is. The second is that, since she is an angel, one could display her during Christmas, perhaps as the Angel at the top of the tree. I would love to have a tree topped with this lovely lady. Alas, this year I have a 4 foot tall pink-themed tree, so she would not only be too large for the tree but also in the wrong color scheme. But I digress.

Enjoy!