Silkstone Francie Exclusive for Barbie Fan Club Members!

"Francie, Check Please! by mood4mod, on Flickr"


Just as anticipated, Barbie Collector has announced the new Silkstone Francie! Her  name is "Nighty Brights" and she features her nighty outfit and a cute yellow mod shift dress.  Barbie Collector also announced some cute collectibles honoring Francie! Francie will be available on November 2 at 9:00 a.m. Pacific.  Here is her page at Barbie Collector.  If you would like her, it's not too late to join!   I'm hoping this one will be more of a hit with collectors but as you know repros always bring up strong feelings for collectors. Mattel tries to please vintage collectors but sometimes the new interpretations are not exactly what the collectors hoped for. Recent comments about the repro Check Please Francie were mixed.  Some collectors have noted that Francie's lips and eyes were too cartoon like!  I think this is an interesting addition to the Silkstone line but I'm still a big fan of the classic looks and tailored outfits of the earlier Silkstone offerings.  I think this Francie is a cutie who may end up on my list sooner or later!  If you are a Barbie Fan Club member check out this exclusive content!

Barbie Collector: Hollywood Icons Sale at Gilt

Don't think I blogged about the previous blog sale so I hope you see this in time!  The last great sale at Gilt Groupe allowed me to buy the Russian Silkies I was seeking for just $50!  This time they are having a Barbie Collector: Hollywood Icons sale featuring the Grace Kelly vinyl and Silkstone dolls, Elvis, Sinatra, Dynasty, Lucy and Ricky and more Barbies.  If you haven't signed up use this link and you will be ready for the sale tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. Pacific time.  You can get into the sale at 8:00 a.m. Pacific if you go to the Gilt Children's page and look for the Exclusive Sales tab.  I already got my Sinatra and Elvis Barbies but maybe you can find one with your name on it!

Can you Believe the Tokidoki Barbie Firestorm?

Tokidoki Barbie, a photo by ShellyS on Flickr.

Wow, who could predict that Miss Tokidoki Barbie would cause such a firestorm! I'm sure you've read the articles and may have even seen the news reports on CNN and other outlets. I loved this doll from the moment I saw her pictures from Toy Fair. There is no way this is a child's Barbie doll and I'm not buying into all the articles and new stories that the media has picked up on. Now that Barbie Collector announced on 10/21/11 that this Barbie is really sold out she seems to have gone up in price considerably!  A few weeks ago I was able to meet the designer Simone Legno in Santa Monica, California. I hope you enjoy the pics!

Katrina Kaif Barbie Pics

Katrina Kaif Barbie , a photo by The Doll Cafe on Flickr.

I finally had the chance to take some pics of the Katrina Kaif I Can Be Barbie.  As Barbies go she is a regular playline belly button Barbie with the Lara/Drew face mold.  Her accessories include a female Oscar and a gold purse with matching gold jewelry that's a little nicer than most recent playline dolls.  It's too bad that playline dolls no longer feature this face mold.  The face mold gives her more of a collector doll look. I was hoping the doll would look more like the prototype that I posted about in my last post but this doll is very beautiful and she could easily be rebodied to a model muse body as the skin tone is the usual Barbie tan color that a lot of MM bodies come with!

Barbie goes Bollywood with the Katrina Kaif Barbie Doll

I have heard a lot about Katrina Kaif and her upcoming Barbie doll but I don't know much more about Katrina apart from the fact that she is an actress born in England who became a big Bollywood star!  I remember reading about the doll last fall and there were even prototype pictures available.  As you can see from the pics, the prototype is wearing an outfit similar to an outfit that Katrina Kaif modeled for Barbie's 50th Anniversary.  The doll was also a Model Muse doll.  It looks like Katrina Barbie went through some changes for the final product.  Now you can own her Barbie doll from the I Can Be series.  Barbie I Can Be a Movie Star, Katrina Kaif features the Barbie I Can Be a Movie Star packaging that is similar to the US Version.  Katrina Barbie also holds a female gold "Oscar" in her hand.  I was able to obtain one of these dolls from a friend in India.  I will post some pictures in my next blog post.

Barbie hits the red carpet in first UK TV campaign

Barbie is a star, but I'm shocked to learn that this is her first UK TV campaign. According to Adpraisal, ad agency Ogivily has created two adverts aimed to strengthen and build Barbie’s relationship with 4-9 year old girls.  I hope the stores are well stocked with Barbie items for our UK Barbie fans.  May this be the beginning of a nice successful campaign.  Since Barbie is heading off on her Grand Tour for Barbie Convention in 2012, maybe the UK decided to get in on the fun.  This looks kind of like a teaser since I doubt these Barbies will ever actually be produced.  Look at the Ken.  He seems to be the glamorous Ken staring in ads this year.  Barbie looks like she is wearing a dress based on the Heidi Klum Barbie dress.  The Barbie also looks like a glammed up Fashionista Barbie.  Hopefully the UK will see increased interest and sales for our favorite girl in their future!

Barbie Basics 2.1 or 2.5?

Barbie basics, a photo by Jesús_Doll Addict on Flickr.

The Metallic Basics are now available! We've seen several pics of them on ebay mostly from a foreign seller. These boxes are labeled 2.1! Today, Barbie Collector placed the collection for sale in their shop, for the nice price of $19.99 I might add, and listed them as 2.5. Well, 2.1 or 2.5 take a look at this Flickr stream with some great pics of two out of the three new Barbie Basics! Wow! What do you think of the body? Is it what you expected? I ordered my dolls today and ordered two of each of these dolls. I want one on the pivotal body and one on MM. I am waiting to get a second of Model No. 8 because I'm not sure if her skin tone will match any MM bodies I have. I know, I'm strange. LOL!

I saved a lot of money because of the sale that Barbie Collector currently has going.  I hope my dolls arrive soon!

Enjoy!