Happy Easter!

A very happy Easter to you from Cookie's Barbie Blog! Hope yours is egg-cellent!

This is TJ, she is from the Integrity Toys "Dynamite Girls - London Calling" series. Dress: Barbie: The Look. Shoes: 35th Anniversary Barbie mules. Jewelry and hat: Fashion Royalty JEM - from one of The Stingers girls, black sequin flower from my costume jewelry collection.

GREEN EAR WARNING TO TARINA TARANTINO BARBIE OWNERS!!!

WARNING TO TARINA TARANTINO OWNERS!!!

I just took out the original earrings on mine and found that GREEN EAR has started! Not just in the earhole, but if the stud touches the cheek, like in the picture below. One side was worse than the other. Not a lot of it yet, but it's well on it's way! You might want to take them out now.

(The ring on her finger has not caused any color change, just FYI) I tried washing with Dawn and a microfiber cloth and that did nothing (not that I thought it would).

S. I. S. So In Style Chandra in RocaWear Clothes

Hello to all who have come across my blog! I began this blog with the intention of featuring one doll from my collection every Tuesday. Unfortunately, this aim long ago went off-course, and now I am lucky to post one doll every few months. At the rate I'm going based on my past posts, I'll be blogging for the next few hundred years! hahaha :) So I am going to try to start posting a little more frequently.

Today I am featuring my 'new' Chandra doll from the S. I. S. (So In Style) line. I found this S.I.S. Chandra RocaWear at the thrift store this weekend in new condition, just out of the box (no box included). I have 2 other girls from the SIS line.

I haven't seen much from the SIS line in stores around here, and I've heard that this is common in other places. I don't see why this line isn't more widely avaiable, especially with the designer label clothing. I have yet to see a SIS male doll in person. I'd love to have one of each of the SIS dolls.

Monster High Madness

I am now in love with Monster High dolls.

I have managed to avoid the whole of the Monster High craze since they came out. I really not want to start another collection. I have invested so much time, energy, love, and money into my Barbie (and other like-sized dolls). I would have to start all over again with the Monster High line because the dolls are so different.

My female best friend has a daughter, and she is in love with Monster High. I went to her daughter's birthday party in December, and saw the Monster High dolls she recieved as gifts. One of these gifts was the Frankie Stein - Rock The Casbah doll from the new 13 Wishes theme. I got to look at her, and that was it for me - I really, really liked her. I really liked her lamp accessory as well. I went to Walmart to check on her price, hoping she wasn't too expensive, since the last couple of months have been pretty tight. Frankie turned out to be 23.97, pre-tax. That seemed very high for me, both because money was tight, and because it just was a too-high price. Some other Monsters were going for 10 dollars, and the only difference between Frankie and the 10 dollar Monsters was the lamp accessory. I understand this from the business perspective, but it's still a high price, particularly when compared to the 10 dollar options.

Anyway, hopefully when the daughter outgrows/loses interest in Frankie (and the other Monsters she has), and if my friend doesn't want to hold on to them for sentimental value, I'll be able to buy the lot.

So, here are a few pictures of the Frankie Stein - 13 Wishes doll that got me started (even though I don't own her yet).

My guy best friend and I adore shopping at thrift stores. We go about once a week, and have a few different favorite spots. Recently, we began going to a thrift shop that we haven't gone to in a while. This happened at the same time I went to my friend's daughter's birthday parrty, and caved in to the Monster High Madness I'd avoided so far. While we were there, I found a complete Monster High Create-A-Monster add-on pack (Mystical).

I bought it for 1.99, with the intention of including it in a birthday gift bag for my friend's daughter. A few days later, I found a Monster High doll at the same store. I had come across a Abby Bominable doll. I found out via my friends in the doll group I am in on Facebook that the Abby I had found was from a 3-doll set that was exclusive to Walmart.

I found her just like this, used, without clothes. But I was excited to find her anyway. In all my years of thrift shopping, and all the years Monster High has been out, I have never come across any Monster High items. Now, I had found two MH items within days of each other. I really liked the doll, and decided to keep it.

A sort of floodgate had opened at that point. I began finding Monster High dolls at my thrift stores. I bought them, of course, and I have been so excited to find them. One after another, and I loved it. I was blown away.

Here are my Monsters (I may have left one or two out accidentally):

Today, my best friend and I decided we needed to stop thrifting for a while, as we both have a few impending bills. Since I have found the Monster High dolls, we've been going back to the stores to check for more every few days. But not before one last trip. And on this trip, I found my second Clawdeen doll, AND the Create-A-Monster thing! It was 5.99, and I was so thrilled to find it (and Clawdeen too, of course!).

So I now have a nice little Monster High collection. I was given a Create-A-Monster doll with wig and dress from a friend, and another friend is sending hands for Operetta. I was told about the Mattel parts store, where you can buy replacement hands and forearms (and other parts) for Monster High dolls (as well as other Mattel-produced toys, such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, Polly Pocket, etc.) Hopefully the trend of finding Monsters at my thrift stores will continue when we return in a few weeks.

Too Much Fun With Ken

I was digging around in some Barbie accessories and noticed a few things would look fun on Ken... I'll have to make an official Drag Queen Ken doll entry!

2010 Harley-Davidson Barbie And Ken Giftset

Get your motors runnin'.... Head out on the highway! This entry will feature the 2010 Harley Davidson Barbie and Ken Gift set!

This set, released February 18, 2010, is Pink Label. It contains the Ken and Barbie dolls, two stands, two helmets, and the certificate of authenticity.

Mattel's description of the set is this:

"Get your motor running! Barbie® and Ken® strap on their stylish Harley helmets for the ride of a lifetime. This giftset features beautiful blond Ken dressed in black, and gorgeous brunette Barbie® sporting a stylish white biker ensemble. Together, they make a striking pair as they hit the open road!"

THE DOLLS:

I'll start with the Barbie of this set.

The 2010 Harley-Davidson Barbie is pretty rockin'. She wears a faux-leather pant and jacket combo with a black Harley-Davidson top. Her brunette hair is worn in the bumpit/bump-it hairstyle.

Her smoky eye makeup matches well, and is all the more accentuated by the pale lip. She has pewter-colored hoop earrings.

She has dark grey nailpolish.

She even has a jeweled pierced belly button!

She has a ModelMuse bodytype with knees that bend. this is the first time I have seen this on a ModelMuse body, and I love it.

What I love even more is that the legs are held at the hips by elastic. This elastic and the posable knee makes the legs moveable in ways that the typical MM body isn't capable of.
She can ride her boyfriend's Harley, and she can put her feet behind her head.

This great range of leg motion exacerbates the fact that her arms can do almost nothing.

Barbie comes with her faux-leather jacket that features a working zipper.

Her black top has the Harley-Davidson logo shape.

KEN:

All of the reviews that I have read about this set have raved over the new Ken, and with good reason. He is my favorite Ken, both of all the Kens I own and of all Kens made altogether. He comes wearing an authentic Harley-Davidson outfit of a long-sleeve shirt and faux-leather pants, complete with wallet chain.

Besides the amazing articulation, body, and face, Ken comes with a great tattoo on his left forearm.

I wish Ken had come with a matching leather jacket. Barbie got hers, I don't see why Ken didn't.

They both have His and Hers sunglasses and helmets. (pictured his first, hers second)

I love Barbie's sunglasses, with the little metallic skull. Ken's sunglasses have just a round metallic dot.


I have read several reviews and commentaries on this Harley Barbie and Ken set. Ken has not recieved a negative word, only raves. Not so raved-about is the Barbie of the set. Although she looks great in her own right, she loses awe, simply because the brightest spotlight is on the Ken. The 2010 Harley Barbie seems more like she started dating Harley-boy Ken, and bought the outfit just to try to please him and go along with his love of Harley...

I believe the reason is this: In 2009, Mattel released a Harley-Davidson Barbie that was simply amazing, complete with back tattoo work. Here is her photo:

Need I say more? Pairing the 2010 Harley-Davidson Ken with the 2009 Harley-Davidson Barbie pictured above, the set would have been a ten-plus. It would be hard to out-do 2009 Harley Barbie, with her pink chaps and back tattoo. The 2010 Harley Ken and the 2009 Harley Barbie would make THE Harley couple. 2009 Harley Barbie looks to be more his equal. With all of the luke-warm reviews of the 2010 Barbie, perhaps Mattel should have released the Ken seperately. Of course, this Ken is a hard act to follow. But I will say this about the 2010 Harley Barbie: while she may not work as a Biker Barbie, she definitely holds ground as a Rocker Chick. She'll look perfect with a rock 'n roll outfit. She also looks pretty good in this Rocker Chic outfit I put together:

So she has hope after all, and hope is always a good thing.

Ken's wallet chain is hooked to his belt loop, and the end is sewn to the back pocket. I had a doll's faux-leather bracelet that I had taken apart recently (I used the chain for an anklet), and I saw that the remaining fake leather part would be perfect for a wallet for Ken! I took the chain off of the pants and attached it properly to Ken's new 'wallet'. It is perfect.

Additional photos:

HOMEWORK: Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?