Madrid Premiere Beauty and the Madrid Fashion Doll Show Charity Auction

I wanted to share the beautiful Madrid Premiere Beauty the Convention Doll for the Madrid Fashion Doll Show held in Madrid last month.  I was fortunate enough to be offered this doll.  As a Steffie fan I was thrilled of course!  I will share more detailed pictures of her and my review and impressions in a post later this week.

As with most Barbie and Fashion Doll Conventions, the Madrid Fashion Doll Show has selected a charity to donate the proceeds of their convention funds.  That charity is the Cruz Roja España, or the Spanish Red Cross.  The Spanish Red Cross helps the most vulnerable parts of society in many ways, all of them very important. With the current financial crisis and the difficulties that many Spanish families have to face, The Spanish Red Cross helps with many different programs; one of them is collecting toys and donations for the Christmas campaign "No child without a toy."

If you like the Steffie doll, one auction I want to bring to your attention.  This is the OOAK doll "Madrid Premier Beauty Winner." She is a variation of the convention doll created by designers "MonLew."  Also known as Luis Manuel Gómez (Lewis) and Mónica Núñez.  Their dolls are "Made with the finest materials and quality fabrics... and "love is included in each of their creations."

Please take a look at all the other amazing dolls on auction that will support the charity.  They are all currently on ebay and ending very soon.   There is a gorgeous Steffie, a GaGa doll by Ovaz, a beautiful creation from The Black Swan Doll Company, an amazing OOAK from Arists Creations, a Magia Showgirl from Magia 2000, and a sketch by Linda Kyaw.  There are all types of dolls in all price ranges, please consider supporting the Spanish Red Cross and the Madrid Fashion Doll Show.

News: The Black Swan Company Q&A Hosted by Coleccionistas de Fashion dolls en Madrid

Today Coleccionistas de Fashion Dolls en Madrid ("Coleccionistas") hosted a special online Q&A with Black Swan Company's Francesco Catalano.

Coleccionistas is an active doll community based in Madrid, Spain, who will be hosting the Madrid Doll Show this fall. 

The Black Swan Company is an emerging OOAK doll based in Italy.  You can also find their creations on their Ebay page.  Please see their latest offerings.

This is the first OOAK Silkstone produced by The Black Swan Company is "White Swan Prima Ballerina."  Isn't she amazing?

White Swan Prima Ballerina Silkstone OOAK Barbie

The Black Swan Company was named after their first OOAK doll "The Black Swan" which caused a sensation in the collector world.  The company features beautiful styling with a focus on ballet, dance and fantasy.

Principal designer Francesco Catalano's focus stemmed from his love of music:  "The inspiration about ballet and dance depends on my love for the music. I am a musician and I study piano and flute since I was 9 years old. I have been in the conservatory of music with flute and I got a degree. In the world I lived I had the chance to see opera and ballet and I fell in love with The Swan Lake, Cinderella, Emerald, Don Quixote and many others I had the chance to see. I [have] love[d] Barbie since [the age of ] 5 so I tried to mix my two biggest passion in my life. The Black Swan Company is the final result of who I am.

The doll making process is not easy!  Francesco notes that, "In one year we were able to produce more than 50 dolls. 5 artists work about a week 8 hours at day to create one of our dolls."  [This does not include those] who work for the boxes, printings and certificates. Sometimes a doll requires more time, like Evanora the Witch of East who required almost 20 days of work.  

Francesco's favorite Barbie is Wind Rider, a true beauty and one of my faves!  I encourage you to learn more about OOAK artists and support these artists.  They are the ones who bring our favorite dolls to life in new and exciting ways!  Don't forget to check out The Black Swan Company's Facebook page and follow this amazing OOAK doll company and their future creations.

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!

Barbie Then and Now

Here is a cute new playline Barbie. Look at the face, it's a Mackie Barbie face! She is a modern version of the 1959 Bathing Suit Barbie. Up to now, only seen on ebay, now she is available at Amazon for a pretty good price. It's almost worth it to get two!

Say Hello to Shanghai

This week we will introduce three new Asian dolls to Mattel's current line. My Shanghai dolls finally arrived. The first is the blond Shanghai doll. She is a little unusual in that she has larger anime type eyes. This has proved to be somewhat of a turn-off for some collectors. The look of the doll and her accessories and placement are quite nice but she somehow does not match her "friend." I only learned which doll was the Shanghai doll when one of the forum members pointed out to me that the invoice was labeled Shanghai doll and Shanghai Friend. She is not sold out on Barbie Collector but you can also find her on ebay for a little more than the retail price. If you don't want to join the club just to get her it may be cheaper to find one on ebay. I'm still undecided about whether or not to de-box these girls. They are currently on display still in their boxes.

Barbie for President

Here is the caucasian Barbie for President doll. There seemed to be quite a few of this doll on the shelves when I went to TRU and she should be easy to find. She is listed at 16.99. I have already seen this doll and her outfits listed seperately on ebay for those who may only want the doll for her outfit or outfits.

2008 Holiday Barbie

I received the 2008 Holiday Barbie as a gift so I won't need to wait until she's on sale at the Mattel Toy Store! She is the 20th Anniversary Holiday Barbie for Mattel and is also featured in the first Barbie Christmas DVD, Barbie in a Christmas Carol. She is so beautiful and detailed. I love so many things about her including her dress, side ponytail and the fact that she is Model Muse. I have seen her nude on ebay and am considering buying another one to redress! I do hope you can pick this one up. This Holiday doll was designed by Sharon Zuckerman.

Gold Label Dolls at TRU

It's so nice to be able to pick out the dolls that you want directly in the store. I was at my local Toys R Us and noticed that they had Hello Kitty Apple Tree and Cha Cha Dance Off from Grease right on the shelf. I already had Hello Kitty and probably would have bought Cha Cha, but I held off. I also saw the Holiday 2008 doll. It's nice to see these collector dolls on the shelf and be able to pick out the best one. Mattel recently announced that a select number of Toys R Us stores in the U.S. will carry Gold Label Barbie dolls. The dolls will be displayed in beautiful in-store cases. There are none in my area but if I take a little drive I can visit one of these stores.

Today's close-up is another one of my favorite Fashion Fever dolls from Wave A. She is Teresa with the hat and white washed jeans. She has the super cute classic Teresa face. I think you can still find this girl on Ebay for a reasonable price.

Shanghai Dolls Backordered Until August

I ordered the Shanghai dolls from Barbie Collector earlier today. With my $20 quarterly reward I got a pretty good deal on the set. I was hoping to use a code for an additional $10 off but it didn't seem to work. I'm really looking forward to the packaging on these dolls since they also come with an extra outfit on a mannequin. I hope they won't be too cute to de-box. I've been known to keep quite a few of my dolls NRFB! The dolls are set to ship around the middle of August. That will give me time organize my dolls a little more and to clear out some and work on selling them on ebay. There is currently a fixed price listing sale for 25 cents per item. This promotion begins today and ends on July 29th. I'll post a link once I start listing!


Here is the last of my Silkstones returned for shiny new ones. This is the Siren. I did not intend to de-box her but I did and enjoyed taking some nice pictures. Boy is her hair red. It is really quite striking!

Happy May!

Yes, we are still here. We got so busy with our Barbie project that some things fell by the wayside, including updating here. I wish I could say that doll buying stopped. LOL. I will introduce you to some of the our recent purchases throughout this month.

I received an email from Claudia at Pink Ponytail with the following paragraph:

April and May are always transition times . . .Collections go through transitions as well. After keeping dolls NRFB (never removed from box), some folks begin deboxing to experience that hands-on enjoyment of their dolls. Some collectors prefer OOAK dolls (original one of a kind). As space for displaying a collection becomes an issue, some collectors switch from purchasing dolls-only to collecting fashions and accessories to compliment their doll collection. Or creative passion leads to creating dioramas and unique displays. Many collectors who had only one doll line they were devoted to, discover other dolls along the way that are must-haves as well. And currently, many collectors are experiencing a change in the way they collect due to finances. Whatever the reason, our collections and the way we collect are ever-evolving.

I hope that your collections are all proceeding along. We are still selling away some items but purchasing a lot more! We decided to go back and purchase some of the MM dolls that were missing from our collection and go back and buy some of the older Steffie dolls that we have admired over the years. That darn Barbie Collector article is now battered and read-over from checking the list and checking eBay to see which dolls are available! LOL. Here is one of our recent Steffies, Deluxe Quick Curl P.J. She looks so pristine in her box. There she will stay . . .

It's A New Month!

The fruits of my recent over-buying on ebay are trickling in. I was being so good and avoided over-buying but about a month ago ebay began calling to me in a big way. This evening I realized I was watching 68 items! At the time I should be spring cleaning, I should not be watching that many items. Bad me!


Head on over to BC.com for the new monthly calendar. This month features Campus Sweetheart. There is something just so beautiful about this doll. I am so tempted to buy her! Maybe she will go on sale or I'll find her cheaper at the Mattel Toy Store. I just love her packaging too.


I received some great news from Claudia over at Pink Ponytail. Speed Racer and My Melody have arrived. These are some great sets and I can't wait to receive them. I highly recommend Claudia for all your Barbie needs. If you buy from her, please tell her Sandra sent you!

Today's picture for the day is the now missing from the My Scene gang Nolee. This is Rebel Style Nolee. I miss walking into stores and buying My Scene dolls off the shelf. Sadly, they have virtually disappeared from major US toy retailers.

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.

Sugar is So Sweet

I was shocked this evening to find out that Sugar™ Barbie® Doll is part of the sale at the bc.com shop! I figured she would be $59 or $49. When I logged in I realized she is only $39.00. For once it paid off to wait to buy a doll. I had been watching a few on ebay and was almost ready to buy too! I took advantage and also bought Ferrari for $49. Another great deal. I'm so excited! Here is the picture of Sugar I took at the Barbie convention in 2006 to celebrate!

Organizing Dolls is a Never Ending Task

Again this weekend I spent most of my time clearing out boxes and organizing my collection. This includes de-boxing, repackaging for storage, storing in baggies, etc. I still have to go through my holiday dolls. I keep meaning to go through the Valentine, Easter and Christmas playline dolls I have and thinking hard about whether they should stay or go. I just don't think there is a market on ebay for most of these dolls. Every so often I watch the prices but even for the Kelly themed holiday dolls, the prices have gone way down. At some point, I'll have a big de-boxing party and strip them of their clothes and put them all in a nude lot. Of course, the problem is that I always love to take photographs of each doll before I sell it just to have a record. I set up a pile of dolls to de-box, I do one, take a lot of pictures, put the clothes in a baggie and put the doll itself in a sale box. It works out ok for the first two or three. Then I get side-tracked by the phone, reading e-mail or one of my children. It just never ends and all the dolls I intended to get to in a day just go back in a bigger box, in the closet until the next weekend. I guess I should be grateful I have something to do. I can honestly say I am never bored and wish I had time for all my hobbies like reading, watching movies, etc.


While preparing for some dolls to go to new homes, I took some time to photograph some of my newer items over the past few weeks as well. I was lucky enough to find a nude Indigo Obsession doll a few months ago. She is re-bodied with Milan Best Model's body. I didn't feel I had quite the right outfit until I saw this new Randall Craig outfit Retro Modernism. I think Miss Indigo looks quite happy to be back in blue.

Goodbye Barbie Collector Magazine

I recently received the last issue of the Barbie Collector Magazine. This is the magazine that replaced Barbie Bazaar magazine some time last year. You may have heard that the magazine is already folding. The fourth issue, the Spring 2008 issue is the last issue. I really think it's a shame that the magazine wasn't given enough time to develop and gain acceptance. It is true that most of the magazine was advertisements but I was really starting to enjoy the articles. The last issue did two things for me, it convinced me to buy the Haut Monde Barbie Collector Club Silkstone. The front cover picture (I know it's perfectly retouched and all) helped me to see the beauty in this doll. I'm still not liking the price tag but the club discount will help. The other thing about the magazine that I enjoyed was the article about the Steffie mold. The article discusses the history of the Steffie head sculpt and her creator Martha Armstrong Hand. In the article there is also a list of all the Steffie dolls produced. I was surprised to learn that the Steffie mold is the longest running head sculpt in Mattel's history spanning 35 years and still in production! I don't have any Steffie mold dolls prior to 2000 but now with that list, I've been stalking ebay for some of the older ones. What is amazing is the versatility of this sculpt. There are so many different types of dolls using it. Maybe I'll look for some bargains on less than perfect dolls and leave the beautiful NRFB dolls to the collectors. I'm watching one now from the 80s. I'll be sure to post if I get her!

I know I got started a little late but this was my first Steffie, the Paul Frank Barbie. She is on the Daria Celebutante body. Here is a cute close-up of her.

If You Sleep, You Missed Her!

I discussed the Platinum Label Walmart exclusive Japan Barbie a few posts ago. I knew she was going to be really hard to obtain after Mattel announced that she would be Platinum Label and only available at Walmart but I didn't think I had to lose sleep over her! It seems she went online early this morning sometime after Midnight Pacific Time. By three a.m. she was sold out! So a $70 dollar doll becomes a $350 doll almost overnight! Actually, I'm not all that broken up about it. I did manage to get the foreign exclusive version of this doll so I'll live. It's hard for me to tell but it looks like the Japan Barbie has a Goddess face mold. Maybe it's just the facial screening that's different. Well, good luck to all who obtained her for themselves. For those that resell at those outrageous prices, well, that's their choice but it's sad that actual collectors don't have a chance to obtain a doll just because they had to get some sleep!

On a lighter note, I received my lot of dolls from Ebay with the nude 70s Cher! I really wanted an extra of this doll to re-dress but by the time I wanted an extra the prices had gone up so high! I got Cher in a lot with other nude MM dolls and the seller even included two extra MMs and some extra clothes including this cute dress from Modern Circle Melody. I think the dress really looks like one of the dresses that Cher used to wear in the 70s that were off the shoulder like that. I'm very happy with my new Cher. I see a lot of redressing opportunities in the future. . .

I Hope I Don't Regret This

From time to time I have sold some of my Barbies for varying reasons. At the time I am comfortable with the sale and usually buy another doll I want or use the money for pressing issues. I have decided to part with my Platinum Badgley Mischka Bride Barbie. At the time I bought her I was really into bride dolls and buying bridal dresses and redressing my dolls. A few days ago on the bc.com board I read that a member was seeking to trade the Badgley Mischka Bride for the Platinum Label Monique Lhuillier Bride. She is the blond version of the original doll only offered by FAO. I immediately thought oh, yes! I really want this this doll. But, I stopped and thought about it for a few days. For some reason I always regret selling or parting with my dolls. I don't regret it at the time, but I regret it later. The difference this time is that I will be trading for a doll I think is beautiful and that I've wanted. I was actually watching one on ebay when I saw the offer for the trade. Tonight I made the trade. Miss Badgley Mischka is boxed up and ready for her trip to Minnesota! I think she will be very happy in her new home and I will be very happy to add Miss Monique to my mm collection. I'm thinking this is one Barbie I will not regret parting with. . .

Why Do I Always Do This, or Why is Coco so Expensive?

I was assessing my MM doll collection a few days ago. Model Muse dolls are now the predominant part of my Barbie collection. It's amazing how this body sculpt really breathes new life into an older doll. I've spent the past year or so re-bodying most of my collector dolls. This means de-boxing them, photographing their original version and then body switching them. I still have several dolls I would like to de-box but it will probably take me another year to do so because in the meantime I buy new nude dolls and new nude MM bodies for these new projects. I guess this is a never ending task. But, I really do love it. There is something somewhat therapeutic about going through your collection and revamping it.

Another issue is that I would like to have all the Mattel produced MM dolls in my collection at some point in time. I think I have pretty much all of them but when The Chapeaux™ Collection came out, I really wasn't interested. I saw Sugar close up at the 2006 Barbie Convention but she didn't do anything for me. Last year I found her nude on Ebay re-bodied with Marisa Beach Baby's body. I went for it and bid and won the doll. The picture of her is below. Her hair was trimmed by the seller and I thought she looked just great. When Pepper was announced I thought it would be nice to buy her and the others in The Chapeaux™ Collection. I looked in the Barbie Collector shop and realized that Coco was sold out. I'm amazed that her price is going for over $300 on Ebay now. I wonder why? Was it because she was produced in such limited numbers? She really is out there in style and hat pin! Maybe it's because there are some die-hard Byron Lars collectors? I could have bought her for her original price of 99.96 but that seemed so high at the time. I see that Sugar is still available in the shop so what is it about Coco that made her sell out and jump up in price? I'm going to enjoy my Sugar for now, but I have the feeling that someday Coco, Sugar and Pepper will all have a play date at my house.

Armani, Yes!

This week I've picked up a few dolls on Ebay that I've been wanting for a while. Today I managed to buy the Armani Barbie at a reasonable price. I know when I receive her she is going to be hard to de-box. But of course, I have plans for her . . . Now I'm stalking another doll that just didn't grab me when she came out. I've seen really nice pictures of her on the Barbie Collector Board and in the forum so I think I'll take the plunge. I'll post here if I nab her!

I've taken so many pictures the last several weekends that I still have tons I haven't posted. This one of Summer is one of them. So far, Summer remains in her original outfit. It's just so cute that I can't bring myself to redress her. I picked up the Street Sweet My Scene dolls and thought it would be cute to have them switch clothes with the four Hair Wear girls. I guess that's a good idea for a future photo shoot!

To Buy or Not To Buy

That's always the question isn't it? I'm just about this close to stop buying Silkstone Barbies but then some cute ones are introduced into the line and I break my own rule. I pretty much had every Silkstone up until 2006. I can't remember what happened and I stopped buying every single one in the yearly collection. I really like the Career Girls and have all of them except the Secretary but I'm thinking it's time to stop collecting. Some of the dolls were introduced as foreign exclusives for the Asian and Australian/European markets. I do have two dealers that contacted me about purchasing the dolls but I really think I should wait. The Artist is probably the only one I really want. The Shop Girl kind of scares me with the streak in her hair. Barbie Collector may offer a limited number of these dolls so the big question is pre-order now at a high rate or wait and try my luck at getting her for the retail price. She is supposed to be $70 but I have the feeling she will be more. Some dealers are charging $200 for these dolls. This seems to happen every year with the Silkstones. There are one or two dolls that everyone wants and the prices go up, up, up! Hello Violette, Dahlia . . . I think I'm going to wait for now. If I don't get these dolls I think I'll live.

My doll for today is Modern Circle Simone. This is a doll I saw tons of at the Mattel Toy Store and she did nothing for me at all. The hair even frightened me. I bought her outfit from E-bay years ago and finally last year I bought this doll. I bought her in a lot with Melody. Now that she has a new body I really love her. It's funny how my tastes change. I probably ended up paying more for her nude and her outfit separately than I would have for a good deal at MTS but she wasn't speaking to me back then! Now I think she is smokin! A few more pictures here.