Let's talk about Jazzie

I got pretty excited about Jazzie last week, and she reminds me a lot of two similar dolls I've reviewed, Starr and Maxie, and was created as direct competition to the latter.  So I reckon it won't hurt to talk a little more about this obscure member of the Roberts family.  For a refresher, here's my Jazzie, from the Hawaiian Fun line.  Taming her hair has NOT been easy and it still needs work, but she's here in my collection now and I'm very glad.

Jazzie is Barbie's cousin, kinda like Francie is...and strangely, like P.J. sometimes was.  In the 1980s P.J. was marketed as Barbie's cuz rather than as her bestie.  Anyway, like Francie and unlike P.J. Jazzie fills in the age gap between Barbie and Skipper.  She was released in 1988 and discontinued in 1992, meaning that she had a longer run than I realized, and a slightly longer run than Maxie (Maxie got the axie in 1990, after a two-year run).  I first learned of Jazzie when I was about fourteen and received a book that summarized Barbie's long, eventful life.  Jazzie was only mentioned a couple'a times, but...I don't know why, but I thought she was cute and remembered her.  I also remembered her friends, who were mentioned in the back of the book on a timeline of Barbie's family and friends.  There was Stacie, who had the Steffie head (yep, another Stacie!)...

...there was the ridiculously-named Dude, who I presume was Jazzie's boyfriend...

...and there was poor Chelsie.

Chelsie's very unusual head mold was originally found in the Starr line.  Starr had a friend named Tracy who had a big goofy smile with teeth showing, and when Mattel created Jazzie's line they used Tracy's head for Chelsie...but they painted inside her lip lines so her mouth looks tres weird.  Too bad too, because she's got pretty eyes...and pretty hair.  Jazzie also shares a head, with Starr's other friend Kelley.  Caucasian versions of Mrs. Heart also used this head.

As far as I know Jazzie was the only member of her four-man band to make it into Barbie's lineup.  My doll is part of the Hawaiian Fun line, and she joined the Beach Blast, Sun Sensation, and Glitter Beach lines as well.  In other words, Jazzie liked to hit the beach, just like the rest of Barbie's bunch did during the nineties.  As far as I know the rest of the time Jazzie hung out with her friends, either worked at or frequently ate at Burger King (I like Burger King!), and wore clothes that were uber-stylish back then and are uber-dated now.  My favorite of them all is Teen Dance Jazzie, who is clad in a garish little number with a pink hair bow.  I know I've derided eighties and nineties fashion for various reasons in the past, but dayum, it be fun to look at!  The colors on some of those old Barbie fashions are epic.

Interestingly, only Jazzie got multiple lines and releases.  From what little information I could glean Chelsie, Stacie, and Dude only got one release and didn't get to prance around in swimsuits or formals, and that kinda stinks.  Chelsie and Stacie could wear Jazzie's clothes, but I'm not sure if Dude even got that!  Skipper's friends at least got to join her for her various lines (Pet Pals and Cool Tops are the two I remember best).  And now that I think of it, Skip's fellow Kevin didn't get any separate fashions during the Pet Pals wave, so at least he and Dude had something in common.

Because her measurements are so similar to Starr's Jazzie has a different build from those of her Hasbro friend, Ashley (one of Maxie's cronies).

I need to root the Starr Quartet and Kelley out of storage and compare them to Jazzie further, but that'll have to wait.  For now, both Jazzie and Ashley can still wear some modern Barbie clothes, but Jazzie is more comfortable in fitted stuff, while Ashley prefers her Barbie dresses roomy.  Still, just as Starr and Maxie became very thick, Jazzie and Ashley have grown rather tight as well.

No Terri Lee vs. Mary Jane nonsense for these two!  Being a semi-forgotten nineties doll can help create a comradery.  And when I was a little kid I didn't care who made who anyway; Cut 'n' Style Barbie and Cool Times Midge embraced Beachy Keen Maxie and they swam in the bathtub together (they skinny-dipped, as a small child's dolls will often do, LOL).  I'm a bit above that silliness now, but I think I can come up with something else for Ashley and Jazzie to do.  There is that Ferrari, after all...

The Ferrari is an open-top job though, so that'll have to wait until spring.  Since I brought up Barbie clothes, here's how some of my Fashionista stuff fits Jazzie.  This first dress belongs to Dionne, Fashionista #221.

Dionne's dress looks okay on Jazzie, but to my surprise it's big around the shoulders.  It's big around the waist too, but that's NOT a surprise since Jazzie's waist is almost as dinky as that of an older Barbie.  This could work in a pinch, but I doubt Jazzie will wear it again. 

Laura, #228, has the same body as Dionne's (original), so I'm expecting a similar loose fit for Jazzie.

I thought wrong, though.  The waist of the skirt IS big on Jazzie, but the top is...tight all over.  I almost didn't get the Velcro fastened all the way.  I definitely won't make Jazzie wear this again, though I do love the colors on her.

Let's take a moment to look at how pretty Laura is.

She's got that pink lipstick that I usually hate, but on her it's not so bad.

Lastly, Chardonnay, Fashionista #189.  Chardonnay is curvy, unlike Laura and Dionne, so I predict that this dress will drown Jazzie.

Well, it doesn't exactly drown Jazzie, and Jazzie acts like she likes it, but it doesn't flatter her figure.  Maxie's bunch would be more likely to look good in Chardonnay's dress.

At the last minute I remembered the two dresses that I bought summer before last, along with Chardonnay's locker.  

I actually like the way these fit, especially the patchwork dress.  Everything fits except the shoes for both dresses and the sunglasses that accompany the yellow and pink dress.  Finding shoes for Jazzie probably won't be easy, though if she does indeed share Starr's body she can probably wear Flavas shoes...and Flavas clothes!  Where's that jacket Treesa sent me???

And that's Jazzie in a nutshell!  I had been considering seeking one out for myself, and as things often happen one just fell into my lap.  She's definitely a cute little doll.  ALL of the dolls in that box are cute, but Jazzie's the one I palled around with last weekend.  It was a difficult weekend, and Jazzie helped keep me from slugging someone or something, LOL.  Next post may touch on Stacie, I think, and how she reminds me of...other dolls that have proven more successful than her.

Love,
RagingMoon1987