The Barbie Look® Barbie® Doll – Sweet Tea (Part Two)

My Sweet Tea review, part two.

Sweet Tea arrived well-packed and wrapped in tissue, which is always a nice touch.

But when I opened it up, I found that my Sweet Tea had a wonky right eye, set in too far. It doesn't come out as badly in the photos, but her left eye looks straight ahead while her right eye looks to the left.

This, in conjunction with what looks to me like a warped head, looks terrible to me. Sweet Tea is my first doll with the Karl facemold, so I am not sure if the face structure is supposed to be the way it is, but it looks funny. The face/eye problem doesn't come off as badly in the photos as it does in person, and even to me it sounds like I am finding fault where there is none, but in person she doesn't look good. I did show her to a friend before deciding to post about this, and my friend saw it as well.

I was glad to find that she didn't have glue in her head, which is a big Barbie pet peeve of mine. However, I did continue to be disappointed with her. The eye decal was misplaced, as noted above, as well as several fingernails, and the right hand (perhaps the left, I did not check) had some flashing (excess plastic from the molding process).

Now, I'm really not one to be picky, and I really wouldn't have cared about the hand problems, because I don't mind a bit of fine-tuning - flashing can be sanded off, and nails can be repainted. But in this case, it was just one of several problems, the next on my list being the shoes.

I really liked the style, and liked that one end of the ankle strap was not connected to the shoe, so you didn't have to worry about it breaking when you take it off and put it on, which has happened with most of my Barbie shoes with ankle straps. However, these shoes are made of a very soft plastic, so the straps don't stay. The strap on the left shoe of this one was placed incorrectly during packaging, and remains as it is in the picture, up and away from the ankle.

The exceedingly soft material of the shoe make them extremely difficult to stay on. They slide off easier than butter on a hot knife. This style of shoe has been used before without a strap, and they stayed on well enough for me with the previous harder material. Being the ModelMuse foot with left and right molding, the shoes stuck on well, and are perhaps my favorite style for use on Barbie. So it was disappointing when I discovered the shoes just flew off.

My other complaint is the body. I am a huge fan of the articulated bodies, both MM and Fashionista, and buy them up whenever I can to rebody dolls that are not on articulated bodies. My Tarina Tarantino Barbie is now on an articulated MM body (donated by the Elvis Barbie) and I love it. However, Sweet Tea's body is not the same. It doesn't have the chest pivot, and it feels incredibly cheap. It is terribly light, all parts are hollow, and just doesn't look as good in person as previous articulated MM bodies. I don't mind the hollow leg feature, because it does use less plastic, which is good, and you can't tell by looking. But this body just felt very light and just... cheap.

The same goes for the fabric used. The fabric is the same quality that is used on playline, which isn't in itself a bad thing, but it feels quite cheap. The skirt is lined with a mesh inside, which is a nice touch. There isn't velcro on the shirt or the skirt, but buttons, which is another great thing - I returned a second-wave Look Barbie for having velcro (I'm more than happy to pay the extra dollar for buttons, Mattel). The purse was sewn to the skirt in a way that you would have to cut the string if you both don't want it to put a run in the skirt or have the purse separate. It would be very easy to mistake this and ruin the skirt while unpackaging the doll, which luckily I didn't end up doing. This isn't the same kind of sewing as some previous securings, where it is sewn but not tied off and you can just pull the string out, you actually have to cut the string, which endangers the skirt being cut as well as getting the run that I mentioned by pulling the purse away from the skirt to get to the string in between.

I don't think I've ever published a post that has been so critical, and I tend to forgive where others condemn, but I was just very disappointed with Sweet Tea. I returned her for an exchange, and I hope I don't receive another one that I am not happy with.

Here are the other photos I took of her. Everything else seems in order. I like the accessories and will look for an additional set on ebay so that I can have two matching cups and plates. The scone on the plate is attached, not separate, so perhaps with some DIYing you can remove it from the plate, unless it is hollow and there is no bottom to the plate. I do not know because I didn't get that far in deboxing before deciding to return her. The menu is like other paper with print in the other Look releases, with nonsensical words of random letters instead of actual words. I don't care about it not having actual words.

I dislike having to post a critical review, instead I would have not mentioned her. However I've posted the Part One entry already, so I had to follow up with it. My bottom line is that this doll was not worth the 30 dollars they are asking, considering past quality and the problems highlighted here (I'm sure I'm forgetting something else). So if you're a stickler for quality or perfection, this is likely not your best pick. But if you're a stickler for quality and perfection, you probably know not to look to Barbie much anymore, since they continue to produce lower quality dolls.

The Barbie Look® Barbie® Doll – Sweet Tea (Part One)

Last night, I caught up on my Barbie-ing and renewed my Barbie Fan Club membership. My first year of Barbie Fan Club membership was last year, and I decided to go ahead and renew for 2016. BFC is open to renew in January of each year, but I put it off until now because I haven't been in a Barbie-ordering mood, though I have continued on with my thrift store Barbie searches :)

Yesterday was Barbie's birthday, and to celebrate, the Barbie Collector website had a 20% off promotion. Immediately after my purchase of this year's fan club membership, my $20 first quarterly credit was available, and I decided to use it in conjunction with the birthday discount. With the discount and the quarterly credit, I paid $9.91, including shipping. The total for Sweet Tea herself was $3.96 (originally $29.99), so it really does pay to get the membership.

I chose the Sweet Tea Barbie Look doll with the intention of using her articulated ModelMuse body with another head I've wanted to rebody. The body color of the doll's head I have is quite light, and not typically released as playline, with the lightest color being that which is used with the Raquelle doll. Articulated bodies (which I prefer) with the matching skin tone are harder to find outside of modelmuse bodies, and Sweet Tea comes with the articulated ModelMuse body in the color I am looking for, I THINK. This entry has been split into two parts because I haven't received the doll yet, and the second part will be posted after she arrives.

While I originally purchased Sweet Tea with the intention to just use her body, her face is quite sweet (aptly named) and I may have trouble not leaving her as is. Of course, if she is not the exact color I am hoping she is, I won't have to use her for the other doll head and will be able to leave her as is. And, of course, I can always get a second one!

Here is Sweet Tea -

With the first release of The Barbie Look line, Mattel created the Tea Party outfit, and I think that the Tea Party outfit is perfect for Sweet Tea as a secondary look. It has the same color scheme and will look great on Sweet Tea.

I was able to buy 2 sets of the Tea Party outfit because I found them at a great price. The accessories for Tea Party and Sweet Tea look like they will work well together.

Allan 2.0

I saw just now that my vintage Allan matches Basics Ken skintone, and came up with Allan 2.0, or 'Allan all growed up' lol (Hey, Ken got to!). I am thinking about actually doing this, since Allan's body has broken feet. Hmmm...
(His head's a bit too big because I was holding it over Ken's head, so it was closer to the camera and is not quite in ratio.)

"What gemstone would you say those eyes are, sort of sapphire?"

"What gemstone would you say those eyes are, sort of sapphire?"
Sparkle Eyes Barbie plays Little Edie/Grey Gardens dress-up...

Apparently, there's a Grey Gardens fan group on facebook, check it out: facebook.com/groups/GreyGardens

My Vintage #4 Brunette Barbie Ponytail

In February of 2014, I found a vintage #4 Barbie doll at one of my favorite thrift stores. She was in with all the other Barbie dolls, and she was filthy. I already had several dolls in my arms that I had found, but when I saw her face, I gasped and dropped what I was holding, just like in the movies! I was glad nobody was around, because I would have died of embarrassment. "But is she a repro?" I thought to myself. "No way," upon further inspection. I had found my very first vintage Barbie! I was ecstatic! Somehow, the sorters had not known who she was. I scoured the rest of the Barbies, just in case this one had a sister that had made it through, found nothing, gathered the rest of my finds, and waited very impatiently for my best friend to be done shopping.

When I got home, I had nothing else on my mind. I went right away to inspect her. She was filthy. She was almost black from decades of play and love, and I knew I had to wash her. But common sense (and a litany of horror stories about dolls being ruined by people that didn't know about vintage dolls) came to mind, and I somehow made myself wait and research the best way to go about giving this Barbie the best care.

By the next day, I had found out that gentle washing with mild soap was the way to go, and I set forth with Barbie's first bath in decades. I used a microfiber cloth and Dawn dishwashing soap, and I would say it took a good hour to wash the entire doll (keep in mind, I was treating her with kid gloves, as if she were an ancient artifact). I did not comb her hair initially, because I did not want to ruin it, I thought it might disintegrate or something. (A week or so later, I did feel comfortable enough to try working with her hair, and found it to be quite easy, and the hair did not disintegrate).

After she had been washed, she positively glowed. I was in total awe, and she quickly became the queen of my Barbie collection, sort of an ancestral figurehead from which all future Barbies (and Kens and friends and family) flowed. Barbie had some wear on her makeup, mostly the lips and eyelashes (one of her eyebrows was a little less bold as her other), and some fingernail/toenail polish wear. She had the tiniest hints of green ear, and 2 of the hairline plugs were gone. But otherwise, she was basically in perfect condition, and I loved her. She also introduced me to the world of Vintage Barbie, which I knew next to nothing about - my childhood era of Barbie collecting was 1989-1992, and was reignited in 2009 with my Tarina Tarantino Barbie. I had a large collection of Barbie and friends, but they were mostly from the 80's to current times, with a Malibu Barbie or two.

I wanted her original swimsuit, and in searching for one (they're not hard to find) I came across the SilkStone Debut Barbie, a SilkStone tribute to the original Barbie. She looked amazing in her white satin swimsuit with black glittery stripes and lace-fringed top. I was able to buy that swimsuit for her, and she looked fantastic in it.

I wanted to have her lips touched up, but I don't have a large Barbie budget, so I was going to have to save up. I also wanted to find out who to send her to, of the many restorers online. I dug through person after person, looking at their before and after photos, making a list. I myself have no talent as an artist, though I am quite creative, so I couldn't do it myself (one attempt made that abundantly clear).

Then, last Fall, a friend of mine did something entirely unexpected. She gifted me a restoration. I was completely blown away, and will forever be grateful. The restorer my friend chose repainted the lips and eyes, and set Barbie's hair in the ponytail with curls. I began a green-ear treatment, but have not followed through with it, so a little bit of green-ear remains. I am currently undergoing a massive reorganization of my Barbie collection, and when I am done with that, I will resume the green-ear treatment.

Now my #4 is complete, and beautiful. I have since been able to add to my vintage collection a Ken, 2 Allans, and a #5 or #6. The friend that gifted me the restoration also gave me a beautiful titian Swirl, and I have a Fashion Queen head that is currently looking for a body. But the #4 remains the jewel in the crown of my collection.

Before & After:

As she was when I found her (the lighting wasn't off, she really was this dark from dirt!):

Post wash, in the repro bathing suit and heels, with the repro box:

Fun dressing her up, pre-restoration:

My one ghastly attempt at painting her lips:

Post-restoration:

With eternal thanks to my friend, she will be beautiful for decades to come!

My Melody Barbie Doll

Last month, I ran into an incredible deal via my local craigslist. A few times a week, I'll do a search for Barbie, and now and then I come across some fun stuff. That was my lucky day, because not an hour before I searched, somebody had posted a My Melody doll, new in box. My Melody is a doll that I have wanted for a while now, but haven't found at an affordable price. I think she's terrific, and to me looks like she would be best friends with my Tarina Tarantino Barbie.

I was able to buy this My Melody, and I was totally thrilled. I'm happy to share her here. I have not yet removed her from the backing she is attached to, as I am in the middle of trying to get all of my Barbie stuffs organized and I don't want My Melody just floating around and possibly getting damaged. Of course, the packaging is so cute, I don't know that I will want to take her out of it!

Mattel's My Melody Barbie was released in 2008, and is the result of a continuous collaboration with Sanrio, the company that produces Hello Kitty. There have been other Hello Kitty Barbie dolls, and hopefully there will be more. My Melody is a popular character in the Hello Kitty world, and is featured on the doll's packaging as well as in her outfit and accessories. My Melody, the character, has her birthday on January 18, which interestingly enough was just 3 days before I bought this My Melody Barbie doll :)

My Melody:

Previous collaborations with Sanrio resulted with these Hello Kitty Barbie dolls:

My "My Melody":