Batgirl By Bill Greening

Many thanks forum member JerricaBenton for taking some pictures of the great new Batgirl doll. She is the creation of designer Bill Greening. Jerrica reports: For those of you looking to redress, please note her gloves (over the fingers) are painted on and she is sewn into her outfit. Her mask is also stuck to her face. It appears to be stuck with double stick tape. So far, this doll is widely available. She has been spotted at TRU and is available online. I wouldn't wait too long if you want this doll or any of the other Super Hero dolls set for release. They are always collector favorites.

Asian Barbie For President Picture Available

One of the forum members alerted us that the Asian Barbie for President picture is now available at Toys r Us.com. I have seen the dolls in stores but I have not yet seen the African American or Asian dolls. I looked closely at the accessories and they are of good quality. The shoes are designer doll shoes and the laptop and other accessories could be used in dioramas. I will wait to see if I find this doll in the stores, but if not, I'll order her online. I have the 2004 Asian doll and she is so pretty. I think this girl would be great to own as well. This picture is courtesy of TRU.

Diamond Castle Playsets

Today we will feature some Diamond Castle playsets. The first is the Barbie & The Diamond Castle Playset. In the “Barbie & The Diamond Castle” movie, when Barbie and Teresa discover the Diamond Castle, the tower magically lights up. Girls can relive this exciting moment with the Diamond Castle Palace Playset. When girls press the gem button on the tower, a beautiful light show is activated featuring different colors and flashing patterns. The translucent purple, glittery walls of the Diamond Castle also resemble a sparkling diamond with many gem details throughout. The palace has many rooms fit for a princess including a royal dining area, salon with couches and chairs, a bedroom, vanity room and more. The playset also features music and sound, as well as many play pieces and furnishings. A Princess Liana doll and the adorable puppy Sparkles are also included. I think this playset would be perfect for a little princess at Christmas time.

Another cute item is a Toys R Us exclusive the Barbie and The Diamond Castle Horse and Carriage. Barbie and The Diamond Castle Horse and Carriage plus Mirror in the Muse" doll included. This enchanting giftset includes a beautiful muse doll from the Diamond Castle that can sit inside her very own horse-drawn carriage. The glittery horse features a long mane for grooming, and the carriage is shaped like a big glowing gem with wheels that really move. There is a similar item available that does not come with a doll. It is also called Diamond Castle Horse and Carriage.

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.

Barbie for President Teresa

While at TRU I had the chance to see the new Barbie For President dolls that are TRU exclusives. These president dolls have been released every four years for the last several years. Here you can see the TRU web page for this Teresa President doll. She has a dog and different packaging than he one I took the picture of. There is also a Barbie, Nikki and an Asian doll. I have not seen Nikki in person, only in photographs. I haven't seen any pictures of the Asian doll so far but she is advertised on the TRU website without any pictures. Click here for the web page.

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.

Hallmark Ornament Premiere Day and Some Preorders

I got up early this morning to go to our local Hallmark. This morning was the ornament premiere. I managed to buy the club ornament this year, The Soiree. I also picked up a cute Christmas tree shaped Barbie ornament with tiny shoes. I'm excited to plan my Barbie Christmas tree this year. Every other year in our home we put up the Barbie tree. There will be additional ornaments released in October of this year. I also took some time to pre-order two mm dolls with the TRU free shipping. I pre-ordered Legends of Ireland Aine Doll and the Little Red Riding Hood Set. They are still many months away so hopefully TRU will not cancel my pre-order.

The close-up today is of my Ingenue who is on a current extended vacation. I sent her off to Mattel to be freed of the yellowing issues plaguing some of the 2007 Silkstones. I don't expect her back for quite some time since I got my dolls in the very last possible day to do so. In the meantime, I have her cute pictures to remember her by.

Free Shipping for New Barbie Collector Dolls at TRU

I was just browsing the Toys R Us website and noticed that some of the new Barbie Collector dolls are being offered with free shipping. Click here to see the offer. You must place your order by July 12th to receive the free shipping. I think I am going to order the Aine Legends of Ireland doll. I am amazed she is so reasonable. I had to pay the secondary market price on the last Legends of Ireland release due to Toys R Us canceling my order. I'll be happy to order this doll with much cheaper shipping!

On that note here is my beautiful Deirdre of Ulster Barbie Doll.

Barbie Shanghai Dolls

Just announced today to Barbie Fan Club members is a special international release of "Barbie Shanghai Dolls." Planned for an international release later this fall, there will be 2,000 of these Barbies available to Barbie Fan Club members. There are two dolls featured and they are styled with shopping bags and a puppy dogs with doggy carriers. There is a blonde doll and a brunette doll and they appear to have the Goddess face mold. You should have received an email from Barbie Collector announcing these dolls if you are a fan club member. I will post more information as soon as it is available. It appears that these dolls are playline dolls and look like Fashion Fever dolls with belly button bodies.

The Barbie Collector shop is offering a discount on the purchase of two or more Dolls of the World. Now might be a great time to pick up Sumatra. Be sure to use the links here at the blog! She is also on sale at Toys R Us online for $13.98 in the U.S.

Little Red is a Cutie

Sorry for the lack of updates! I've been very busy with a Barbie related project. I'll report on that very soon! I'll likely go back and fill in for missing days. Barbie Collector recently announced a new Model Muse storybook character doll, "Little Red." An eagle eye member of the Barbie Collector forum spotted the doll on the Amazon Japan website and a few days later the doll was posted in the sneaks. Naturally, there is mixed reaction to this doll because of the larger head and the somewhat risque outfit. For the collector who likes a little whimsy or just likes the Model Muse body sculpt, this doll is a must have! Little Red and the Big Bad Wolf is due in September. She will be a Silver Label doll and a Toys R Us exclusive.

Here is a recent addition to my ever-growing Steffie collection. Miss India has such a sweet face! I'm still not sure if I should de-box her or not.

Back to Business!

Thanks to all the members that have returned to the forum. I still have to email several more people but I left my flash drive at work and don't have access to the email list for now. I hope to alert everyone by email soon of the forum opening.

I got some of the dolls I ordered today. Kate Spade is so incredible. I just can't bring myself to de-box her for now. I've admired her for so long that it's strange to actually have her in my hands. She was worth every penny. I also stopped by Walmart to pick up the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader AA doll. I really like her deep chocolate skin tone. Very nice contrast to her white outfit. I'll have to de-box all three girls soon for a photo shoot.

Bill Greening, Barbie Collector line designer, reported on the BC.com BB that the Vidal Sassoon Barbies were very much under wraps. They were not part of the collector design team but were designed by a Fashion Fever designer! Mattel is still working out plans for the 09 collection and dolls of this type will definitely be considered. Count me in! I'll take two of each please!

Sale Alert: Toys R Us in the US has all their Barbies marked down. Click here for the playline dolls and here for the Collector Dolls. I cancelled my Hello Kitty Apple Tree pre-order and picked one up at the sale price. I also ordered E! Live on the Red Carpet, The Interview, and Tout De Suite. The new Silkstone Preferably Pink Barbie Doll is on sale but I really don't need another blond girl in a suit so even though she's on sale I'm passing. There are many other bargains like the Dolls of the World and Vintage Repros. Check them out!

Good things come in fives?

Five Good Things About Today

1. I received an email that my Grease Cha Cha shipped from TRU.


2. I received an email from Walmart that my AA Cheerleader is ready for pick-up.


3. I heard from Pinkponytail that my Kimora Lee Simmons Doll is in.


4. I read about limited edition Vidal Sassoon Barbies on the Barbie Collector board.


5. Em has finally seen the light!

The Vidal Sassoon Barbies are part of a promotion for the Vidal Sassoon products in Japan. You buy the products for the chance to win one of 300 of these dolls. I'm not sure if they come in a set or any other details. There is no way to "buy" them. I e-mailed Kazue and she said she will try to obtain some of them but I'm sure they will be a pretty penny! The prize winners will not receive the dolls until October! In the meantime, re-rooting some of the current Steffie molds is an option . . . The dolls are based on a Japanese pop group that have currently running Vidal Sassoon commercials. The commercials were styled by Patricia Field. You can see the commercials here in You Tube Links from Patricia's Blog.