New Barbie Collector site is Launching July 17th, 2017.

Hoping someone other than the last web designing crew designed this new site or it's going to crash and be dysfunctional - again.

If you cannot read the text, click on the photo to enlarge.

Will you be joining this time around?

The 2015 Barbie Fashion Model Collection Debut by BarbieCollector

Five new Silkstones are scheduled for release in 2015. Here is a wonderfully filmed video that you will just love, that shows them off in a mini fashion show setting.

http://youtu.be/pxcHPSQQ_ds

It looks like they upped the bar this year for Silkstone as last year was a loss IMO.

One of the five, Fashionably Floral, below, was released on 1/30/2015 at a realistic (?) price of $50. You get free shipping through March 2. If you use your $20. club rebate, your doll will cost only $30. plus tax if any. Unfortunately, you have to spend $75. in order to benefit. Free shipping used to make shopping worthwhile.

On the other hand, there are many dolls and other items on sale http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/browse/on_sale?showall&sort=  It would be very easy to put together an order amounting to more than $75 and benefit from the free shipping and the sale prices at the same time. I'm all about trying to get good prices. All the Twilight dolls are $9.96.

 Barbie^® doll’s intricately crafted ensemble includes a beautiful floral print dress featuring puff sleeves, cinched waist and tufted back pleats. Her small straw hat is adorned with tiny dark and light pink flowers and is covered in delicate tulle netting. The opera-length gloves are made of shirred charmeuse and complete her elegant look. Features genuine Silkstone^® body.

If I buy any of them it will be the redhead in the lavender gown as seen in the video, though I'm pretty sure she won't be $50.


The website formerly known as The Barbie Collector is now renamed The Barbie Collection although the URL remains the same.  http://www.barbiecollector.com/.
Not much has changed.

New York Toy Fair
The news is that Barbie will get articulated ankles. I'm not impressed. Why start with the ankles? 
There will also be a digital Barbie who will have conversations with you. This way children do not have to talk to friends. They can talk to their dolls.

Here's a post with excellent photographs of the coming Barbies:
http://rayedelsol.com/barbie-showcase-new-york-toy-fair-2015/

Barbie Collector Sale Alert

http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/browse/on_sale

Coupons and Bargains

—Thursday, March 31 is the last day to redeem your first $20. reward at Barbie Collector.

—At Noon (EDT) on Thursday, at Tonner Direct, gift sets are 40% off and shipping is free!
The sets that the company is offering didn't originally come packaged as sets but they definitely work together.  The sale ends on april 8th at 11:59PM EDT.


13" Women of Power Gift Set of Three Dolls

 LOTR Elven Gift Set of Two Dolls

 

 Ladies of Oz Gift Set of Three Dolls

Twilight New Moon Gift Set of  Three Dolls

 Clash of the Titans Gift Set of Two Dolls

It would be fun to have those OZ dolls. I think they are so creatively designed. Of course I want them. I want everything I like but I'm not getting them. There is one tiny bit of impulse control left.

Perhaps if the 13" dolls had an attractive sculpt...well, I've said it already. They are mannish-looking.

Barbie Collector #1 Reward Good Through 3/31/11

Just a reminder to members of the BFC that the first $20. reward is good through 3/31 at 11:59PM CDT.
I never wait until the last minute because I like to shop! I'm already looking forward to the second reward. I'm not sure what I want to use it for. I should wait for the new dolls to start showing up along with another sale. As with any line of dolls, it's hard to wait.

Mad Men Photo Contest Winners Announced

Congratulations to the winner and five finalists in

I would love to see Mattel continue to do contests such as this one which shows how collectors are using their dolls creatively. Be sure to read the text under each entry especially those written by Lorrence Dungca and Debbie Breeden which are very thoughtful and personal.

Here is the announcement reproduced in its' entirety:

GRAND PRIZE WINNER
 

Cameron Conrad
From: San Francisco, CA

Photo Description: “Don Draper at the Museum of Modern Art. This photo I created was inspired by a Norman Rockwell painting of a man in a grey suit holding a hat while gazing into a modern American abstract painting of the mid twentieth century. The paintings in the photo were painted by myself. I felt it would have been very probable and appropriate that a character of fiction of that era would visit a museum of modern art. I hope you enjoy my entry as much as I enjoyed creating it.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

5 FIRST PRIZE WINNERS
 

Lorrence Dungca
From: Vacaville, CA

Photo Description: “Have You Dreamed of Falling? Mad Men’s opening credit sequence is actually what made me watch the show. It depicts a silhouette of the male protagonist falling from the top of a skyscraper and then lands smoothly on his chair, striking a confident pose with a cigarette dangling from his fingers. My photo entry is based on this contemporaneous Mad Men’s opening credit sequence with my BFMC Mad Men Don Draper doll as the male protagonist falling from the top of a skyscraper. To emulate the seductive advertising images of the opening credit sequence, I placed my Barbie and her box next to my Don Draper doll's box with the iconic Mad Men show title graphic. The doll boxes are positioned as part of the dreamlike Madison Avenue skyline. My photo "Have You Dreamed of Falling?" and Mad Men's opening credit sequence can have a symbolic or even literal significance, often indicating a feeling that life is spiraling out of control on some level or by believing that the only thing keeping you from being happy is the belief that you are alone. But happily for me, my photo "Have You Dreamed of Falling?" is my exciting and visual declaration of falling in love with Barbie, and of course, the fantastic Mad Men show”

Harrison Bernal

From: New York, NY

Photo Description: I was inspired by the Vanity Fair photo shoot accompanying a written piece entitled "Smoke, Drink, Man, Woman" by Jonathan Kelly. It appeared in June 2008.I feel that my portrayal best represents both the BFMC collections as well as the iconic characters of Mad Men.

 

Zlatan Zukanovic
From: Los Angeles, CA

Photo Description: "Who Says it's a Man's World"

 

Debbie Breeden
From: Richmond, VA 

Photo Description: Betty Draper gives Sally her very first Barbie Doll! Sally had been having trouble adjusting to her new baby brother Gene (season 3 episode 6) so Betty decides to give Sally a gift, supposedly from the baby. Betty hopes this gift, a brunette bubblecut Barbie, will help Sally accept her new brother. The show Mad Men weaves important historical events into the daily lives of its characters. I feel the addition of the Barbie doll to the story signifies the historical importance of Barbie. On a deeper level, Barbie has been bringing together people (both young and old) whether it be in clubs, online chat groups and more, for over 51 years. Betty Draper somehow sensed that Barbie might bring her daughter closer to her family. Of course, TV dramatizes events for the story, and Sally was skeptical at first about this gift. But I believe in time she grew to love her Barbie as much as the rest of us did when each got our first Barbie doll! In fact, my first Barbie was also a Brunette Bubblecut which I received for Christmas in 1962! With all the photo ops possible, I had to choose this one! I enjoyed using some of my vintage props to create this photo!

 

 

 

Maryann Roy
From: Harwinton, CT

Photo Description: "Flowers for Joan." The gift of flowers always makes a girl feel beautiful and wanted. Joan Holloway-Harris takes a moment to reflect and enjoy her lovely home.

The original images and text in this post can be seen at the Barbie Collector website.

Gene's Final Curtain Call ~ Part I

Last night I dressed two of my Gene dolls in fashions recently acquired. They are waiting to be photographed and I visualized them looking over their shoulders as they retreated from the front of a stage on the last night of their performance.

In a few days I will have begun to attend my first and last Gene Marshall convention. There, amongst the 400 or so attendees, I may be in the minority because I have not been a "real" Gene collector. I was aware of Gene, of course, during her Ashton-Drake years but never veered away from my Tonner collections until getting involved with Integrity Toys' Fashion Royalty dolls. Prior to that, I had purchased a basic Gene and a dressed Gene and that was it.

Simply Gene

Perfect Match Gene with Tiny Kitty

During my early Tonner collecting days, the Gene fashions I purchased disappointed me because they usually did not fit Tyler. Obviously I knew very little about that line. I did buy the wonderful furniture and accessories like the gazebo, the the patio set, the dresser, the swan bed, the clothing rack with wooden hangers and several room dividers. Fabulous items every one of them.

Tyler Wearing "A Shorts Story" Gene Outfit

In February 2007 Integrity Toys held an event at FAO Schwarz in NYC. That was the first time I met Mel Odom. Gene had been picked up by IT and the line was on display at the store. I had not begun my second round with the 16" dolls yet. That Gene was "Suited To A T. " The doll reminded me so much of my mother when she was young. At the time, Mom was in the final stages of Alzheimer's Disease. That was February. I couldn't get the doll out of my mind and decided to ask my husband to get her for me as a holiday gift that December, which he did. My mother died that month. I photographed that doll endlessly and began buying Gene fashions which led to buying Gene dolls which led to more and more. I bought Ashton-Drake Gene and IT Gene dolls and fashions and had a ball. I discovered another huge group of collectors who were so very different from the Fashion Royalty crowd.

She's been a wonderful doll—hair still perfect; eyelashes attached and she's still (sort of) smiling. STaT has been on the pages of FDQ!
That's my Gene story. Why do I say that I'm not a "real" Gene collector? I say that because I am not emotionally attached to the doll as so many are. Gene has been the force that has brought thousands of collectors together and has cemented their friendships. Gene has been a business for some of the very talented as well. Most of the hard core Gene collectors are film buffs and I am not. So I dabbled and I played and I am about to rub shoulders with the cognoscenti. I'm excited.

In my next installment on this topic, I will post my favorite Gene photographs.

Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® Doll Green Ear Update

From the Barbie Collector website comes this announcement:

Barbie Collector has been looking into reports of Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® dolls developing green ear. What follows is a press release with suggested next steps, should your doll develop green ear...

Dear Collector,

We have learned of a production issue affecting the Barbie® Fashion Model Collection N6594 Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® doll released via dealers in fall 2009.

There have been reports of Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® dolls developing green ear, caused by oxidation of the coating on the doll’s earrings. As we continue to undergo testing, we encourage owners of a Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® doll to contact customer service for a replacement doll or replacement earrings. At this time it is undetermined how many dolls have the potential to develop green ear over time, but all purchasers are eligible for a replacement doll whether their doll is currently affected or not. Please note this is an aesthetics issue only and not a health hazard.

If you are a U.S. collector who purchased this doll through a Barbie dealer, you now have the opportunity to exchange your original doll for a replacement doll.

To obtain a replacement doll, follow the steps below.

1. Call customer service at 1-800-524-8697 by January 31, 2010, to initiate your return. A shipping label will be sent to you.
   
   Please note: If your doll is not affected and you do not wish to part with your doll, you can request replacement earrings be sent to you instead.


2. Pack your doll(s) in original clothing, and ship using the provided shipping label. It is not necessary to send original packaging or accessory pieces. Dolls must be received by February 28, 2010. Any dolls received after this date will not be eligible for replacement.


3. Look for your replacement doll to arrive within 30 days after sending to customer service. Replacement dolls will be shipped based on the date when original doll was returned.

We appreciate your continued support as we correct this production issue.

Sincerely,
Barbie Collector

Barbie Basics - Collection #001

This is a very attractive, clever and fun-looking collection! Barbie Basics Collection #001 consists of twelve different dolls dressed in a different little black dresses. Each doll's description includes the name of the sculpt that the doll has such: Mackie, Lara, Steffie, Goddess, Kayla/Lea, Carnaval, Aphrodite, Mbili, Diva, Deidre, Teresa and Tango. The prices are right at $19.95 each. The entire set of twelve dolls would cost $239.40. There's lots of play possibility here unless the dresses are sewn on and I wouldn't put it past Mattel to do that.

There are four accessory packs, called "Looks," which contain scarves, purses, shoes, jewelry, and props. These are priced at $14.95. I would have to have one of each which would add up to $59.80.


If you are going to buy the entire kit and kaboodle, be prepared for a total of $299.20 and don't kid yourself that you will only open one a month. LOL
I'd have to rip those puppies out of their boxes in one shot, get them all set up and start playing. I can see it now. Announcing the "Little Black Dress Fashion Show." Get your runways up, ladies.

Go to the Barbie Collector site:
http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/shelf.aspx?shelfid=0
to see larger images of the dolls and accessories.

The collection is designed by Bill Greening and is going to be available on December 7, 2009. You know you want it.

Mattel's Pop Life™ Ken® Doll - Gone in the blink of an eye.

At 9:00 AM Pacific Time on October 21, Pop Life Ken by Bill Greening went on sale on the Barbie Collector website. This is a Platinum Label Collection doll which means "sequentially numbered editions of less than 1,000 worldwide, available at select retailers." It took just 11 minutes for the doll to sell out and by that time he was already being sold on eBay. Not surprising at all. The order process took me only 4.5 minutes but it felt like forever. The pages moved so slowly due to the traffic on the board. I think I was holding my breath the entire time.

The retail price was $74.95. The fourth quarter coupon was $30 bringing the price down to $44.95 for me. Shipping was only $1. Not bad for a Platinum.