Barbie's New Career Involves a Rabbit

No, I did not find a pregnant Barbie. Barbie never has taken on the role of "Mother;" my guess is that motherhood would impact her role as fashion model. (Really though? What about Cindy Crawford, etc. But that's never been an option for Barbie ... probably because it would bring in the taboo of sex and a children's toy. Shhh.)

No, the new career is Magician. Alas, I cannot upload my photo of the new "I Can Be ... Magician" Barbie doll. Yet. But this Barbie has a cute rabbit companion nestled in a purple top hat. It is the third playscale rabbit - after Liv doll Hayden's brown rabbit and the thin white rabbit that accompanied one of the 2009 "Think Pink" Barbies - that I would like to add to my collection. The rabbit is the best part of this doll set even if its head is slightly oversized.

I suppose the purple gown and accessories could be an improvement over the omnipresent pink, but not by much, I find. I would have given this doll a black sequin dress with a black felt top hat and a black or silver wand. But I suppose purple is a preferred color for the target audience that begins at 3 years old. (Wince. I forget how young the current Barbie doll target age is.)

So if you have been waiting for a magician Barbie, there is one in the "I Can Be" group. What do you think?

Happy Mother's Day

 

They were dubbed "The mother and the baby of today" in 1973. That's right I'm talking 9" Jenny Jones and 2.5" Baby John. No Mr. Jones was included or mentioned on the box or in any of the advertising. Jenny wears a silver "band" on her left ring finger so the assumption was that Jenny was married. No one complained about the lack of a husband in the box, but those were different days. Sigh.


Mothers appear in other fashion doll series. Jenny reminds me of other playscale mother dolls even though she was a little "hipper" than most. I will be posting a list of playscale mothers this week.

Happy Mother's Day!

Ada Has a Promotion Photo of

Ada of Papuslie Mele has a promotional photograph of a new Monster High doll, Catty Noir. Ms. Noir is a rock star. So for Monster High fans keen on werecats, there is a new one. Additional photos of Catty Noir can be found online.

Enjoy!

May Notes

What will PhillyCollector discuss this May? Well, this is Asian and Pacific-American Heritage Month. And looking over my last two years' coverage on this topic, I think I need to update my list of Asian and Pacific-American Heritage dolls and action figures. So that's one topic.

What else does May hold? Mother's Day. That means a special Mother's Day post. I can share photos of established (by manufacturers) doll and/or action figure mothers and their children. Midge and her parents, etc. Then I can also show mother(s) and child(ren) pairings created by me like Color Rave Janay and a Mattel Prince.

And how can I forget the International Black Doll Show held at the end of this month? Alas, as most of you probably know, the Philadelphia Doll Museum will NOT be doing the Show this year. I might have a tribute post about that.

I am organizing my collection so I'll share insights and tips on that project.

And I want to do a Mixis doll promotion ... so I can be sure that I can someday have those unreleased dolls ....

Projects galore, smile.

It's Been Good to "Know" You (Denise Van Patten)

Denise Van Patten, the Guide of About.com's Doll Collecting, has retired from that post.

Longtime doll collector-enthusiasts may be familar with Ms. Van Patten as author of The Official Price Guide To Dolls or as "proprietress" of Katherine's Cottage. I have gleaned many tips from her About Doll Collecting pages from basic information such as doll terminology and more advanced information like organizing a collection. She has covered a variety of dolls, from antiques to Barbie.

Thanks for your many years of service to the online doll collecting community, Denise Van Patten.

Not Doll-Related SOS Computer Request

I turned off my e-machine computer while it was on.


When I turned it back on, it only shows the "e" logo screen with this two line message


BOOT Menu   :

BIOS Setting  :


Note: pressing the F10 button does not help.


Should I drape the machine with black crepe paper and put on my widow-wear? Any suggestions welcome.


HEEEELLLLPPPP!
Distressed Dana

Puzzler: Just Kidz' Scary Fashion Doll

Usually, I don't pay much attention to what I call the "cheap doll aisle." That aisle in Kmart where they have the Just Kidz toys. This 11.5" fashion doll though stopped me. I like her heart-shaped face. That is somewhat unusual. My jaw didn't drop, but I reached for my digital camera. Was it the tattoos on her face and on her thigh? No, although that placement raised my eyebrow. How many fashion dolls have thigh tattoos? Ankles or cheeks or stomach, yes. Thighs though? Her white complexion a la Mattel's Twilight dolls? No, clones happen. Her odd hollow posing body a la Maddie Mod? No, she's a budget doll. Budget dolls have cheap bodies. Shrug. So why did I decide that I must show this doll?

First, she comes equipped with her own coffin-wardrobe. The coffin-wardrobe looks bizarre to me. It's a flaming pink. (Scorching to the eyes, I would say.) And it has a cross embossed on the front that leaves me puzzled. How many hot pink coffins exist? Especially with crosses on the front?

Second, supernatural dolls seldom show crosses. Think of similar dolls in the "undead" or "mystic" vein: Lovely Patsy's Midnight Magic quartet; Mattel's Twilight series; MGA Entertainment's Bratzillaz; and Playhut's Mystixx teens. No crosses anywhere among those dolls. I am not complaining; I just find the cross - odd? - in this playline fashion doll set. Possibly it's the placement of a sacred image in with a secular setting?

Then, I wonder, what is a supernatural doll figure doing with a cross on her coffin-wardrobe? If she is a vampire - as might be inferred by the coffin - wouldn't the cross be ... well, disturbing? And if she is not a vampire - more likely - isn't the choice of a coffin odd for a wardrobe? Is she a "Goth" fashionista?

Whatever her background and story, let's say that A Scary Fashion doll is Just Kidz's piece of the "scary" fashion doll line. So she could be an interesting addition to your Gothic fashion doll line.

Here is a full length photo of the Scary doll.




And another full length photo of the doll and the coffin-wardrobe.




And last, a photo of the doll's stock number and a non-working url for the JustKidz line.



What do you think?