My dolls. No 17

 Number SEVENTEEN! 

Seventeen is quite a lot of dolls I have to admit and this one was was exactely the turning point...

I have bought this doll deliberately on-line searching for Afroamerican or Ethnic Barbie /terribly Eurocentric description of course...:-( /

 here are her auction pics. Hair never seen a comb and she just lays down looking like doll becouse thats how author of the photograph sees her...

 

and here the adventure begins... the identification process... being child of the 80s I kept thinking they are just 'Black Barbies' /I was aware of brunette Teresa and young Skipper ofc./ but its not that easy  - thats why it is so exciting...all these dates of production, lines, variations, names...and OOAKs of course...

Such a wonderful diversity and quite a confussion for the beginners...

Here is a close-up of my "AA Barbie, long hair, pink earrings, brown eyes, pink lips"

 and pensive with Kiyoni...

 

 She had date 1990 on her neck (technically she is vintage but such a novelty for me:-) - she seems to wear original stylish pink laced underwear but I couldn't identify her...

hmmm

While searching for  answers I remembered my childchood Barbies. I remembered I had not one but two blondes wearing only underwear... they were cheap and we could afford at all...and her make up and hairstyle wasn't that terribly 80's /not that i dont have sentiment now.../

They were made every year few years in a row, also in 'Black' versions...

My first Barbie doll - Fun to Dress 1987!

I can't recall what happend with her which is shocking as I played with her haaard...

my number two, which I loved a bit more it seems and her hand was chewed by my puppy dachsundbut I was above that at the time (like 13 I mean;-)...

 To make the long story short - years 1987 and 1989 had AA versions but it wasn't mu outfit and not my face (1990) obviously...

                                                           and Hispanic one as well...

Debbie Garrett from blackdollcollecting.com came with help saying "It's a Barbie or Christie that uses the Asha head sculpt post 1990." but cold not dentify the clothing...

...so 'Black Barbie' or 'Barbies friend - Christie' using Asha sculpt...

anyone??

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My dolls Nr 16

Todays post will be about my discovery which wasn't a mistery at all in the end

 but again - opened my /doll/ eyes.

The story goes - one Sunday morning i went with family to massive, seasonal  boot sale - still pretending I am not collecting:-)

Beside expensive porcelain dolls and piles of slutty Bratz i saw a real beauty!

As you know by now - my standard of doll beauty is dark hauir and /at least/ tanned skin...

when mixed with natural make-up, brown eyes and violet tones - i'm in:-)

The misterious young lady was wearing oversized, blue and gold Disney Prince top - how disgraceful!

(there was one more dark haired doll, and i guess others from the same line but oh dear - I've been so consequent once...) 

Just look at this sweet face!

whats not to love

She has a body of a young girl - very simillar to Skipper but much rounder and /even/ more friendly face.

It didn't took me ages to find that my fantastic discovery is yet another paralell doll series/lines by Mattel...

She is one of Three Wee Friends 

Blonde, Ginger and Dark-haired. Her name is Janet (sometimes Alexia).

  (source) 

 (source)

Their outfits are perfection. Unfortunatelly they are not very common in UK and shipping fro, US is crazy do I am on a safe side (or mad;-))

As I tried to be focused I gave her away in deposit to my 2 years daughter. Sounds scarry for collectors, I know, but she isn't a barbarian and hiding dolls from young girls would be rediculous; She can touch my collection so that she doesn't find it that atractive or tempting. I've made one semi-princessy dress for her. Voila!

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My Dolls, No 15

Got her by accidentin a bunch - which is good as she is a part of Barbie history and Family 

but I personaly don't like her and wold never desire to own her, new or vintage...

Her joints are really worn out and hair a bit dry and fluffy...

Thanks to relatively unusuall auburn hair, freckles and wedding ring I was able to identify her 

/when i still pretended I am not collecting/

as Minge, part of Happy Family line /1991/

(she comes pregnant as well and all family has Afro-american edition too - me wanna)

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My Dolls No 14

...and at last time to share my ideal yet mysterious doll;

Again a great gift from my hubby - tottal surprise and accident too of course. I would never find her as I didn't know what to look for... one of those amazing times when you reach to the end of Internet /sort of/ and then something clicks in your head and doors open:-)

My fav for long time had lovely dark, mat skin, natural African hair, green eyes and red lips plus fully articulated body /the first I ever seen/... 

she was nothing like other Barbies, much smaller yet made by Mattel...

just look at her, here and there!

To make a long story short - I have emeiled a specialist, and it was in times when i still pretended I am not collecting anything;-)...

Lovely author behind The Black Doll Collecting website!

I have received a very precise answer in no time...

Her name is KIYONI

from multi-etnic, hip-hop, street-style doll line FLAVAS

well obviously... now I know.

In general - not my style fashion-wise, but body-type definitelly yes

 and give me more pretty please:-)

Here are my first fotos of her:

TBC

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More experiments

Told you it is addictive...

Attendion all dolls - crazy woman with varnish remover!

Victim number two is an unidentified platinum blond doll /anybody??/, with slightly mean and not-so-bright look on her face and yes - blue eyes, pastel lips with glitter, aggghhh

(Her body is all floppy - her joints are completely loose at this point:-( )

Before:

oh wait, I have this banal, contemporary Barbie as well...

After (varnish remover + brown point pen) 

tadaaaam:

again - almost likable ladies /Barbie didn't get more than ( seconds of attention obviously;-)

and nicely dressed:

(this time real silk dress - theatre costume scraps and beyond vintage, pre-war lace application from some pillow I can't believe we deconstructed...)

high five!

Stay tuned:-)

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First experiments

Things are happening now like a lot...

I experiment, I order, I shop and first of all browse the internet way too much.

I swear, I almost had Fashion Fever vision/s/ when picking up my son fro school this afternoon

 - so many beautiful mammas! ;-)

Anyway, as I had few spare platinum blondes from nude, pre-loved on-line doll shopping

 I decided to experiment a bit at last.

I only had tiny bit of time before school and nursery, nail varnish remover and a permanent point pen...

1. Victim number one - unidentified My Scene doll

Before - blue eyes, pastel lips with shimmer + platinum blonde

After: tadaaaam!!!! almost lovable doll with neutral make-up! 

All I did was removing the vulgar lipstick and add some brown color on her pupils...

 Then I dig out a classy dress from vintage fabric /like 70's, it used to be my sister's skirt/ I've made in late elementary school and, even more vintage, necklace from mix of crystals and beads which origin i remember so well /made by me in late 80s/...

 

It is very satisfying proceder!

Fast to do with an immidiate effect.

From slut to girl next door so to speak;-)

New life for abandoined dolls, new /after-life for ancient hand-made clothes 

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My dolls No 13

Today i'll share quite unusuall doll for me...

It was new and in a box - i got her from my non-husband because she had this amazing hair

and i am an everchanging in this aspect in red-pink-purple-blue range...

The longest and softest AMETHYST hair I have ever seen! and the bluest eyes ever...

/and cheap solid, hard plastic legs - didn't know such a dolls exist even/

Here she is in an original shot

Hairtastic Barbie

and with all her friends / clones

and here are some of my photos

and a collage where she is wearing, by all means, VINTAGE dress

made by my late mother with pure sky blue silkand vintage, at the time, lace <3

TBC

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Breaking News indeed:-)

This is hysterical and i haven't see  it coming browsing 'ending soonest', 'used', 'good played condition' and mostely 'ethnic' or 'afro-american' barbies on-line:-)

The Barbie Evolution is a true revolution. Thanks Dog I dob't shop for new ones - i'd need to find a job at last and could never decide...

The only downside is the fact that it's not that special to boycott The Blond Barbie - not Caucasian and ones with colorful hair seem to be the mainstream now;-)

...what I love most about them is the absolute lack of make-up - lip-gloss, eyeliner, that's all <3

 <<<<<<<<((((((( 2016 eye candies )))))) >>>>>>>>

all from the official site 

Head-hunter

...so I got so inspired last night that going tothe charity shop was the first thing to do in the morning...

I was lucky - this waisted couple was waiting for me...

Miserable but perfectely slutty,half-nakedand tanned Bratz 2001 

and Peter Rabbit who had few adventures troo many...

I'll keep you updated...

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Oh dear! / the current mood...

<3

bright future in front of me..

so excited!