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| Mattel Polish Barbie 1998 |
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| Close up of Mattel Polish Barbie 1998 |
Yes as in o-n-e. One. Amid the many Irish, Italian, French, and British dolls. Then again, if you had asked me about Poland before I wrote this post, I would have been hard pressed to comment about Polish America. I have eaten kielbasa and pierogi. A Polish American teacher told my class that surnames ending in "ski" or "sky" were Polish. I remember being told that there was a Polish resistance movement during World War II. Oh and we have a Polish American Cultural Center in Philadelphia! No, I have never been there, but I know it exists and where it is. More importantly, for this post, though is finding playscale Polish American dolls or action figures. Where can we find them?
1. We could "borrow" dolls from Mattel's Dolls of the World Europe line from neighboring countries like Germany, the Czech Republic, or the Russian Federation.
2. Find celebrity dolls who are Polish American. Ding, ding! A few hits!
Hot Toys
Silken Floss; Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)
Mattel
Lord of the Rings Arwen (Liv Tyler)
High School Musical Troy (Zac Efron) - more than 1 version; I like the grin-faced one best
Play Along, Ltd.
Hairspray Link Larkin (Zac Efron)
Toy Biz
Lord of the Rings Arwen (Liv Tyler)
3. Or we can find dolls or action figures from different backgrounds. Here are some figures I considered. Let me know which ones you think "work."
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| Mattel Scooby Doo Skipper (as Velma) |
I suggest Scooby Doo Skipper (Mattel) for her fair complexion, auburn hair, and blue eyes.
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| YNU Group, Inc. Mixis doll Houda |
Houda? Yes, her stated ethnic mix is French/Lebanese. How about her profile?
What about these two action figures? They are Revell GmbH& Co. KG Benjamin Lauth (left) and Jakks Pacific Van Helsing (right). Would you use them in playscale roles for Polish Americans? Let me know in a comment. (As always, thanks for your comments.)
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| Revell GmbH& Co. KG Benjamin Lauth (left) and Jakks Pacific Van Helsing (right) |
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| Revell GmbH& Co. KG Benjamin Lauth (left) and Jakks Pacific Van Helsing (right) |
Additional subject reading wanted? Try this article by Matt Soniak or this article by Matt Kiebus. My favorite Polish American contributions are Häagen-Dazs frozen treats and sound in film.
P.S. Bonus link to a Barbie-clone named Joanna produced by Polish company Krawal shown on here and here.
So Mattel's Polish Barbie need not stand alone in your Polish American display.
