It's still October..., but Happy New Year!

If you are a member of the Barbie Fan Club on Barbie Collector mark your calendar for October 9th.  The next Holiday Hostess will be available for $75.00.  I'm excited about this doll.  I was able to see the doll in person at the 2013 Barbie Convention and I was able to snap a few pictures.  I love her vintage look and gold dress with blue accents with the crown, makeup and jewelry.  Bill Greening has done it again!

Happy New Year™ Barbie® Doll | Barbie Collector

See More pics on Flickr!

Halloween Haunt Coming This Fall

Here is a doll I am excited about. I like the vintage look with the modern styling. She is much cuter than the upcoming Dracula Mackie doll.  I cannot post pictures but if you are a Barbie Fan Club member you can take a look at the recent sneaks.  This cutie is much more up my ally.  What do you think?  She is a Bill Greening Barbie.

 Halloween Haunt Barbie

I hope her production issue is similar to the prototype shown here.  I think she would look great paired with the vintage Bewitched Barbie.  I missed out on this one but there is always ebay!

1593 Golden Groove Gift Set

I've become very nostalgic for my childhood dolls. So far I have managed to re-collect two of them. One is discussed in my post from a few weeks ago. Another one of my childhood dolls was Talking Barbie. My doll was from the Sears Exclusive set "Golden Groove" (item #1593). This set features either a blond, brownette or brunette doll. The doll pictured below is the brunette version. I took this picture at the Mattel display of rare and collectible Barbies at the 2006 Barbie Collector convention. I was absolutely amazed to think I actually owned this set once upon a time! I always remembered this set because I thought it was so elegant. The pink and gold snakeskin like material and matching faux mink fur trim were just so impressive to me as a little child. The fur was so soft. I remember running it up against my cheek and being transported into the world of parties and music and adults. The thigh high gold lame boots were the perfect match. They went all the way up the leg right to the edge of the skirt. Much later when I purchased the Barbie Bazaar Mattel & Christmas Catalog reprints I realized that this set that I had as a child was a rare Sears exclusive and highly collectible. I don't think I've ever seen this entire set mint in box on ebay. I have seen the outfit or just the boots, which are the same boots in the Winter Wow ensemble. I stared at this set and took several pictures when I was at the convention because I knew it would be one of the last times I see such a perfect version of my childhood doll set.

So Many Memories

One of the things that so many doll collectors share are the memories that a special doll brings. The 1969 TNT Barbie 1160 is one of those dolls for me.

Once I started collecting dolls again I always kept the special memories I had of my childhood dolls very close. This TNT Barbie was one of my first dolls. I always remember having this doll and taking her everywhere. I mean everywhere. She was really my best friend. She even travelled with me to South America when I was eight years old. She brought me a lot of comfort!

I recently obtained this doll again. I had seen many of her in doll shows and even on ebay but I could never find one with the right look. It's hard to find one with perfect hair. Actually, that doesn't really matter to me. I just can't tell you the feeling I had when I first held her. She was a little dirty and even smelled a tiny bit of mildew. That's ok. I gently washed her hair, her arms and legs and even her swimsuit. I made her mine again. It's like we were never apart. I am holding those memories close at this time. I have a lot more friends now and so many more memories, but they will never replace the thoughts and emotions of my childhood "best friend."