Mattel
Philippines Barbie 2012
Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical Gabriella) various models. Below is the first, Barbie-sized - 11 1/2" Gabriella; later Gabriella dolls were on shorter, 10" bodies.
 |
| Mattel High School Musical Gabriella, full length |
 |
| Close up of Mattel High School Musical Gabriella |
 |
| Box showing actress Vanessa Hudgens |
Richwell (Mattel fashion dolls sold in the Philippines)
Various Barbies, Kens, Barbie family produced for the overseas Filipino market.
You will remember that I could only find one explicitly Polish doll from Mattel. However, I could tick off Polish foods and some Polish American facts. Aside from recognizing that Pinoy is another adjective for Filipino - and one that I would not use because it might be considered derogatory - I know little about the Philippines and the Filipino people. An Internet search uncovered a local group, the Filipino-American Association of Philadelphia, Incorporated (FAAPI). But ... this post is about Filipino American representation in playscale. Lacking explicitly labelled Filipino dolls and action figures, where can we find substitutes?
1. We could "borrow" dolls from Mattel's Dolls of the World Asia line. Or your choice of Mattel's Kayla/Lea, Goddess, Oriental, or other head mold dolls. Mattel has non-specific "Asian" dolls that might do.
2. Find dolls based on Filipino American celebrities. Other famous Americans with Filipino ancestry include Tia Carrere, Phoebe Cates, Mark Dacascos, Bruno Mars, Nia Peeples, Lou Diamond Phillips, Rob Schneider, and Hervé Villechaize. I do not know of any playscale dolls or action figures based on those celebrities or any roles that they played. (Although it does seem as though there should be figures of Mark Dacascos and/or Lou Diamond Phillips.)
(Aside: more relevant to playscale doll and action figure fans Noel Cruz, master doll artist, is Filipino-American. Not that that means a doll and action figure of the artist.)
Next, I would offer substitutes. However, I was not able to photograph the dolls and action figures I would offer as potential "stand-ins" today so I am saving that part for tomorrow.
RELATED READINGS
Manika's Filipina Barbie Guide
Amazon review of Mattel's Philippines Barbie
Click these links for additional information about Filipinos in the United States, Vanessa Hudgens,or Noel Cruz.
