Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Eenie, Meenie, Mackie Mold ... Choosing a Brunette Mackie

This post is partly inspired by another blogger's post about deboxing her Anne Klein Barbie doll. Like many other dolls and action figures and other cool things in my collection, that doll and outfit have languished in the original box - unopened. What am I waiting for? The perfect moment when all is sorted and everything is in its place? I don't know. I just decided that I wanted to have that outfit out and available for one or more of the other dolls to wear. Thanks for that great post, Vanessa!

When I looked at my Anne Klein Barbie doll though, I wondered: do I really want to keep this doll? I mean, I have at least two other fair-complexion, dark haired, Mackie faced dolls. Here they are ... Catwoman Barbie and Kate Spade Barbie. Suppose I had to sell two and could only keep one. Which one will I keep?

Once, I would have thought Catwoman. I mean, Catwoman was my FAVORITE Batman villain, back when I was a child and when I watched the Batman tv series starring Adam West. Catwoman was played by Julie Newmar and Eartha Kitt. Statuesque and tiny Catwoman ... interesting contrasts. My Catwoman doll was to have been the evilest woman in the EastPhilly-verse. But ... her face is a little cartoony. She could still play a villain, but she'd look a little campy.

What about that Anne Klein Barbie though? Hmmm ... I'm not crazy about her face paint. She looks respectable. Lovely coloring, but just not enough vigor to her face.

Kate Spade Barbie ... now we are talking ATTITUDE. I know little about Ms. Spade except that she designs pocketbooks ... but I like her face screening best. So she's the one that I will keep.

If you had to decide from this group of three, is there any one you would single out? Or would you hold them all? Or not a one?

Photos to help you decide ....



7 comments:

Dollz4Moi said...

If having to choose Kate Spade would win it for me. I haven't seen Catwoman w/o her mask so I can't judge. But just from what I do see Kate is the winner for me too :O)

Anonymous said...

i'll keep the Kate Spade Doll...:)

V. said...

I would choose the same as you :P

AilanthusAltissima said...

It is hard to say which I would keep. I prefer the Anne Klein facepaint to the Kate Spade and I can't really tell what the Catwoman facepaint is like because of the mask. I actually don't care much for bent arm dolls, so that would also be a factor in my decision (and I am reluctant to pop off heads and do body swaps though I just might if I loved a head, but truly hated the body).

I think Barbies are tricky while still boxed. Some dressed dolls look wonderful in the box and lackluster out of it, while others look fine both in the box and out.

Now, don't tell me you are going to get rid of Catwoman! (I hope you don't type your blogs in your doll room where your dolls can read that you are planning to get rid of them).

D7ana said...

Thanks, Dollz4Moi. I remain undecided about selling the Catwoman doll; I sold my Catwoman action figure, but I had never warmed to that one's face. I wanted to like her face, but I couldn't so I sold her.

Hi, Anonymous! Kate Spade nods her thanks to Mysterious You ;-)

Hi Vanessa! Welcome and thanks for visiting! Love the photos on your blog ;-)

Hi Kim! Yes, the mask does make it hard to decide regarding Catwoman. Hmmm ... she might stay. I do have a choice villain part for her.

I agree that you never know which doll will look good out of the box. Sigh. Then again, it's always fun to find out!

I'm lazy about body swapping - would prefer to NOT do so UNLESS the head-body mismatch really disturbs me. Then, I am not satisfied until I swap.

And yes, sometimes - when I can get Yahoo working on my poor old computer - I do type home where the DAFs can see me. (Right now, I'm on a public computer.) Then I wonder why I have aches in the morning ... lol. Wonder if they trot down the hall to my room to beat me up at night?

Then again, some of them might be glad to leave. I'm thinking of my former action figure guys who have their guns taken away. I'm not worried that they'll shoot me; I just don't have any use for guns in a mostly civilian setting. I mean, the guns are awkward - like umbrellas before it rains or after it has rained ;-P

Vanessa said...

LOL! When I saw your post, for a second there I thought it was my post. I am so happy to be an enabler of sorts. I am loving the Kate Spade doll. She does have an attitude about her. I've always loved that outfit. I wish I had her stashed in my basement to debox. I don't think you will be missing too much if you let the Anne Klein doll go. She made a wonderful assistant for Nikki in my story. She's cute, but not a real keeper. Her arms actually worked very well. You know I am a head popping, (no boiling water needed) rebodying fool, but I didn't even need to change her body for her assistant role. She will remain part of my stories now that I have given her a daughter. I can't see the Catwoman face, so I don't have an opinion.

D7ana said...

Thanks, affandydesign. Your outfits are striking. Lovely photos on your blog :-).

Vanessa, you weren't just an enabler, you were a liberator. (Deep breath.) I have been wanting to get at that outfit for years. Sigh. My Anne Klein Barbie has no such ties so she'll likely "go." Quietly ;-)

(Oh and I am typing this outside the DAF Room, so she won't know that yet, lol.)

Kate Spade Barbie here will get a more developed character. She won't be evil per se ... that's reserved for the Catwoman Barbie, shown in this post, the Collector's issue one (as opposed to the Halle Berry one).