Barbie Fever!

[greeneyedgirl107]

So Barbie and Barbie-pink seem to be everywhere these days, what with the new movie.  And Mattel's uphill battle to shape its perception.  And of course the permutations that happened after Barbie, like Bratz, Rainbow High and L.O.L. dolls.  I thought many of us would enjoy chatting about our Barbie experience, or just dolls in general.  

You can post pics, reminisce or sound off.

Happy posting!

Some posting ideas:

-Were you a Barbie girl?

-Did you have a favorite Barbie, and/or Barbie outfit?

-Did you collect Barbies?

-How did you play with your Barbies?

-Was there a Barbie that "got away?"

-Was there a Barbie that you just didn't care for?

-What do you think of how Barbie has changed over time?

-Do you like any of the sub-collections of Barbie?  (For example, Barbie's friends, Barbie's careers, Barbie's Dream House, celebrity or movie Barbies, etc.)

-Favorite Barbie pink shade(s)?

-If you weren't into Barbie as a child, what did you prefer?

-Will you see the movie?  

[greeneyedgirl107]

@JoSometimes lol!

[greeneyedgirl107]

Ulta catalog

 

 

[Buootiful]

OMG! Too cute!  @greeneyedgirl107  I definitely want to see if I can snag that Flip phone and Barbie hair clip 😍

[greeneyedgirl107]

This finally came in the mail from Target

 

 

 

For $11 I wanted more throw back Barbies.  Most of the stickers were focused on Barbie's various careers.

[CorgiMommy]

@greeneyedgirl107 Barbie proved that you can be smart and good looking.  She had so many different careers

[JoSometimes]

Too bad about the lack of throwbacks to Barbie’s early years @greeneyedgirl107. This is a really cool find though!

My kids would tear through that entire book in a day and Barbie stickers would be on EVE-RY-THING.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@JoSometimes it's also available on Amazon and other places so maybe you could find it in Canada if you're interested in making a purchase. 

[bakeamuffin]

Fun thread @greeneyedgirl107 ! 
I was SUCH a Barbie girl growing up, I played with them until I was well aged out and then saved some to pass down to my kids; I did have a daughter who now loves playing with Barbies including the various toys I kept in anticipation of having her. 💝

I remember when I was little, my sister and I would yearn to have the clothes and accessories that our Barbie’s did. Now that I’m an adult I get to have these things and it feels so exciting! My sweet husband bought me a gorgeous Starbucks tumbler that screams Barbie pink 💕 I also love wearing dresses k would have had for my dolls and love playing with different “Barbie Pink” colours in my makeup looks. 

A few products that inspire my vision of “Barbie Core” are Danessa Myricks Beauty Vision Flush Blush, Eyeshadow and Lip Color Tutu, Tower 28 Beauty BeachPlease Lip + Cheek Cream Blush Party Hour , Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Match Stix Color-Adaptive Cheek + Lip Stick Strawberry Pop 🩷 I know I’ll come with more ideas but these are the ones I’m obsessing over this season! 

[greeneyedgirl107]

@bakeamuffin I've been wanting to respond to this for a while!  I'm super curious about what Barbies you saved to pass down to your daughter.  And that's great that she likes them and can appreciate them.

And I totally yearned for Barbie's clothes!  You're right that it is exciting to be older and able to have what we dream about when we were kids.  I often think, though, that it's a bit ironic that when I was in college and had a life my funds were limited.  Now that I'm older and have the funds I have no place to go!  And I get anxiety just thinking about the lack of brick and mortar stores, and declining malls in my area.  The fun has been taken out of shopping.  Anyway, any fashion that you're obsessing over RN that is Barbie-inspired or would have been your fashion dream as a child?

[CocoLancome28]

Barbie Pink is legendary and timeless with the iconic Doll ..she's always fashion forward from her early years to the empowering young women movement now  . You can channel your inner barbie with a favorite hue of Barbie pink ..could be by any brand of lippies and cosmetics sold at Sephora ..  I think  Charlotte Tilbury Jewel Lip Gloss  in the iconic Pillow Talk would be a good choice. I am excited for the Margot Robbie film to come out .. it looks entertaining. 

[greeneyedgirl107]

-Were you a Barbie girl?  Yes!!!  It was my number one, most favorite, toy to play with.  Second was She-Ra.

-Did you have a favorite Barbie, and/or Barbie outfit?  I remember having two favorites in particular.  Dream Glow Barbie 1985 and Jewel Secrets Whitney 1987 (or was it Magic Moves Whitney? - sometimes it's hard to decipher through quick online searches).  I loved all the loud 80s gowns, faux furs and 80s mini-skirts the best.  I also had some beautiful turn of the century/Victorian Barbie dresses that I got for Christmas one year from JCPenney.  

-Did you collect Barbies?  Yes!  My first was Happy Holidays 1990 and Parisian Barbie 1990

-How did you play with your Barbies?  I just liked to dress them up and style their hair.  I'd put on fashion shows with one of my friends.  I didn't really desire any accessories, although I did have a Barbie Corvette and hot tub.  My friend and I only occasionally had them play act.

-Was there a Barbie that "got away?"  Peaches N Cream, Crystal Barbie, Jewel Secrets...again, if I'm getting the names right.  And Flapper Barbie.

-Was there a Barbie that you just didn't care for?  Cool Times Barbie 1988 was one I just wasn't into - I think she was a budget Barbie.  So of course I was gifted two!

-What do you think of how Barbie has changed over time? I think the line has been maligned a lot.  Yes, I know that there are negative aspects.  But IMHO, the option before that was just baby dolls and dolls geared toward homemaking.  I never felt threatened by Barbie.  I liked the dress up and hair play and fashion.  I also think that Barbie was the only outlet at the time to role play things from model to dentist to astronaut.  I don't know what kids play with these days, but when I think back to dolls subsequent to Barbie like Bratz or the American Girl dolls, I see a lot of the same issues just in different forms.  

What does make me sad is how Barbie changed for me over time.  When I was young, I like enjoyed the usual aspects.  I had so many Barbies that I had three carrying cases that were over-stuffed.  And those cases were hard to find at the time!  I felt bad that when I was in fourth grade I had Dance Club Kayla, and that the other girls in my class made me feel like a baby for still playing with Barbies.  By that time I had outgrown her, but I would have rather have come to that conclusion by myself.

While that was going on, the Barbie Dolls of the World was happening.  So, I moved from playing with them to collecting them.  I had several, although the only ones I can remember offhand are Parisian and Russian.  I also had collectible Barbies, like Rapunzel.  The problem came to be when my mother started micro-managing my collection - like she did so many aspects of my life.  It morphed from something that I enjoyed and could express myself with, to something that she controlled.  So, I couldn't get a certain Elizabethan-inspired doll b/c my mother didn't think the costume was "historically accurate."  And so on.  Thus, the joy was taken out of it.  My dad has told me a couple times that we need to move my Barbie collection to my house.  But I just don't have any desire.  (My sister is much younger than me, and more or less inherited my less expensive Barbies.  She couldn't have cared less, so I didn't get into playing with them as a middle schooler b/c she had no interest.)

Of course I understand that this is a "nice" problem to have.  I do feel a little like Tori Spelling complaining that her mother would only get her expensive Madame Alexander dolls when all she wanted was a Barbie.  Meanwhile, I just learned that there is a Donna Martin Barbie from 1991!

-Do you like any of the sub-collections of Barbie?  (For example, Barbie's friends, Barbie's careers, Barbie's Dream House, celebrity or movie Barbies, etc.)  I enjoyed the collectable aspect, like the Barbies of the world, and Barbies inspired by movies, etc.  I had a Whitney doll, some sort of a Midge, and a PJ (probably not her real name!).  I had a Barbie head/shoulders for hair dressing which was a hit at my sixth birthday.

Did anyone else have Barbie-inspired competitors, like Jem or Spectra?  I did!

-Favorite Barbie pink shade(s)?  The two that spring to mind are by UD: Obsessed and Brat.

-If you weren't into Barbie as a child, what did you prefer? I can't think of anything that stood up to Barbie although before Barbie I loved She-Ra and her castle.  I had My Little Ponies, crafts, stuffed animals, etc.  But by far my fave was Barbie.

-Will you see the movie?  I haven't seen the trailer, so IDK.  I think Margot Robbie is over-exposed, and I'm concerned the movie is over-hyped.  BUT, I also don't know who else would play her (any ideas, BIC?) and I can understand all the chatter about the Barbie movie.  I don't have any major ideas about what the movie should or will be, but I know that whatever the end product is, I will likely think that it's at odds with my ideas.  This is one brand/toy that has existed for decades and kind of has a life of it's own.  I found the animated Barbie projects over the years to be uninspired.  It's also worth noting that I've never been a Ryan Gosling fan (just not drawn to him) so I'll likely find him distracting.  I still think "Barbie Girl" by Aqua was probably the most fun Barbie-related thing since the wholesome childhood fun of playing with Barbie.  

[Titian06]

@greeneyedgirl107 - I was not a Barbie girl.  I did not have one; I did not want one.  In fact, I did not want any dolls! 😝  I loved playing with Lincoln Logs, Erector Sets, Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars and stringing the track all over the living room, reading Nancy Drew, and listening to albums or the radio.

[JoSometimes]

@Titian06 Seems like you had quite the childhood! Those kinds of toys are the best!

And it also sounds just like my living room kids play room right now. My kids love playing with cars just as much as Barbie and blocks. Thankfully, I have not stepped on one (yet).

[Titian06]

LOL - @JoSometimes 😄

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Titian06 do you have a favorite Nancy Drew?  I read her, too!

Ever see the old black and white movies of her?

[Titian06]

@greeneyedgirl107 - Yes, I've seen the old movies. I also watched the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mystery TV show.

I started out reading my mom's books, which were the original versions.  After that I started reading the yellow spine version, which was the next version.  I read a few of the paperbacks, which was the version that followed, but couldn't get into them.  That's when I stopped.  So I have all the yellow spines and a handful of the older ones.

[greeneyedgirl107]

@Titian06 I love the covers on the ND books!

[JoSometimes]

@greeneyedgirl107 I’m not a Barbie person, but I love this thread! I was into Ninja Turtles, then Pokémon (still am today). My sister was into Barbie when she was a kid and my girls kind of are now. I remember having to fix my sisters Barbies whenever she popped heads or limbs off.

I recently brought my girls to World of Barbie when it was in town and they had a blast. It was actually really neat exhibit. They had a life sized Barbie camper van and dream house but also a few areas that explored her various careers like astronaut, musician, and scientist. As a science teacher and musician, there were some areas of improvement I would have loved to see to make it more engaging and true to life but I appreciate that they even made sections for these. I love seeing girls showing interest in STEAM careers and I, for one, am happy to see Mattel trying to foster that in some way. The hope is that this current generation will be role-models for my own children.

I actually want to see the upcoming movie. The cast is amazing and the jokes they’ve shown in the trailers seem pretty funny. It seems like it’s shaping up to be one of the better movies-based-on-toys.

And thank you again for starting this thread. I was wondering if I’d ever have a chance to use this!

[CorgiMommy]

@JoSometimes love you as a Barbie 

[JoSometimes]

Thank you @CorgiMommy! 😊

[CynthieLu]

Omg! @JoSometimes I love your barbie poster! That's soo fun! Aaah it's too good! 💖💕🩷