Dolly reviews, news, stories, and other doll-related stuff, plus some random crap.
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Tuesday, October 13, 2026
I finally heard from the doctor
Sunday, October 4, 2026
Dolls I want but don't need: Barbie's upper tiers
MASQUERADE GALA ILLUSION BARBIE
DESIGNER: Robert Best
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1998
No, still no owner pics yet. If I don't hear from the doctor by closing time on my birthday, her post is going up.
WATER RHAPSODY BARBIE
DESIGNER: Not listed
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1998
Water Rhapsody was a dream come true for my ten-year-old self. She was dressed in blue velvet with pearls, and she had the Mackie head, which for me was perfection. I wonder what her shoes look like? I wonder that for just about all of the dolls in this post, as most of 'em are wearing long dresses that conceal their shoes.
THE FABERGE TRIO
From left, these are Imperial Elegance, Imperial Splendor, and Imperial Grace.
DESIGNER: Robert Best
YEARS OF RELEASE: 1997, 2000, and 2001
I credit these three with inspiring my love for the Faberge eggs, as all three of them are based on one or more of the bejeweled Easter eggs. Splendor is based on the Imperial Spring Flowers Egg, which doesn't appear on Mieks's list and may not be a true Faberge egg. Grace and Elegance appear to be based on the eggs in general, and all three carry egg-shaped handbags that have little Swarovski crystals concealed inside. This too is a nod towards the Faberge eggs, many of which have smaller trinkets concealed within. These girls are porcelain, by the way, just like Charleston and Tango are from yesterday.
MILLENNIUM BRIDE BARBIE
DESIGNER: Guess who? Robert Best!
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1999
This one is my favorite example of dolly hubris, as when she was available she cost over a thousand bucks, and it was predicted that only a fraction of collectors would get their hands on her. Now it's possible to get her, in-box with her papers, for between one and two hundred dollars. That's still more than I want to pay for a Barbie, but it isn't a grand and some change like the original catalog wanted. Millennium Bride is a feast for the eyes though, with all that sparkle and beading.
MAIKO BARBIE
DESIGNER: Katiana Jimenez
YEAR OF RELEASE: Late 2005
It's hard to see in a low-res stock image, but this Barbie is a knockout. Memoirs of a Geisha was a thing right around this time, and I...I had never even heard of geisha, so I was intrigued. I ended up learning a lot about the history of geisha and oiran, and about what they're like now. Geisha no longer have to auction off their virginity, for example, and modern-day geisha often have a lot of trouble with foreign tourists wanting pictures. Seriously, the harassment got so bad in parts of Kyoto that authorities had to put up signs warning visitors to leave any geisha they saw alone. Geisha are humans too, after all! They're pretty, but they're humans. Anyway, this Barbie is one that I had a hard time not begging Mama for, as she was expensive and we had bigger fish to fry in 2005. But she's still a favorite, with her pretty face and all those details in that outfit
TARINA TARANTINO BARBIE
DESIGNERS: Bill Greening and Tarina Tarantino
C'mon, y'all knew there'd be a Steffie in the mix! That, plus the doll's pink hair and cute green dress, were what sold this one for me. I didn't know until last Friday that Tarina Tarantino has pink hair herself, LOL! I also liked the innocence of this one, compared to the other dolls in the catalog with their saucy expressions and somewhat vampy clothes.
ELTON JOHN BARBIE
DESIGNER: Caroline DeMersseman; Sir Elton John also contributed
As with Tarina Tarantino this one is kinda predictable, as I'm an avowed Elton John fan. I thought I read somewhere that Sir Elt liked dolls, but that may have been my sixteen-year-old self stepping out of the past and hoping that she and her idol had something in common. My sixteen-year-old self wore platform shoes like Elton John did, even though she was already five-foot-eight, LOL. My sister and I agree that those shoes may be part of the reason why I'm crippled now. Anyway, I love just about everything about this doll, though I kinda wish she had red hair and brown eyes, like Elton himself does. Oh well, she's BARBIE, and Barbie is almost always a blue-eyed blonde. I freaking love this doll.
TOKIDOKI BARBIE
YEAR OF RELEASE: 2011
2011 was already crazy enuff without Barbie making a stir, but she managed to do it anyway with that full sleeve tattoo. I thought she was cute, particularly with her pink bob. It isn't every day that Barbie has short hair, and it looks particularly becoming on the Steffie head. Since Tokidoki and Tarina Tarantino are both Steffie heads with pink hair I pretend that they're sisters, the stereotypical punk/girly pair.
PERUVIAN BARBIE, SECOND EDITION
DESIGNER: Not listed
There really wasn't a loser in the Dolls of the World bunch, but of them all the second edition of Peruvian Barbie has always been my favorite. She pairs the Kira head with a lovely outfit, and I've always been a fan of the combo.
PINK IN PANTONE BARBIE
DESIGNER: Linda Kyaw
Oh, I loved how clever this one was! I always loved those little paint swatch cards, but it never occurred to me that they could be used as an inspiration for a dress, let alone be part of the dress. Since this doll is on the Model Muse body the asymmetrical dress looks particularly flattering. I just like this doll...except for the bow on her chest. I'd have put that in her hair, LOL. But I adored the originality of this one. She's wearing her signature pink, but in a whole new way.
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS BARBIE
DESIGNER: Javier Meabe
I'm so glad Mattel has made this a yearly thing! This year's Ken is to die for. But so far my favorite one has been the debut doll, from 2019. She's about as Day of the Dead as they come, with nothing Barbie-fied or anything. Oh, and she's got a gorgeous face. The others are pretty awesome too, though.
Oh sure, I could probably add some more, but I think thirteen is a good place to stop. These are the ones that immediately came to mind anyway, so they're the most memorable.
Love,
RagingMoon1987
Saturday, October 3, 2026
Dolls I want but don't need: the Mackie edition
THE CHARLESTON, 2001
From the halcyon days before 9/11 (seriously, that year had been awesome up 'til then) comes the Charleston, who inspired my love for flapper dolls. The Charleston is a porcelain doll, something I didn't oft like because porcelain Barbie dolls are more figurines than they are dolls, but this one looks like she's actually moving rather than just holding a pose.
THE TANGO, 1999
This one actually came out BEFORE the Charleston! But the Charleston is the one I remember best, and then after I'm through thinking about her I go "Oh yeah, the Tango was gorgeous too!" As with Neptune Fantasy, I love the colors and the beadwork, but dang, I wish those awesome shoes came off! One of my dolls could steal 'em! The Tango is porcelain like the Charleston is, and both belonged to a collection of dance-themed dolls that Mr. Mackie designed. To my considerable disappointment they were the only dolls in the collection! No ballet, no waltz, no cha-cha, kinda a bummer, but the two that collectors did get are epic.
BRUNETTE BRILLIANCE, 2002
Mama was looking over my shoulder when I put this post together, and she liked this one a lot. I like her too; she looks...welllll...she kinda looks like Mama did when she was young! Mama never wore her hair like Brunette Brilliance does, but the overall look is there. The hairdo also reminds me of Liza Minnelli, if any of y'all like her.
MOON GODDESS, 1996
Barbie? Lots of beads? A blue dress? The moon? Yes, please! This one has a sister, Goddess of the Sun, but I've always loved the moon.
FANTASY GODDESS OF THE ARCTIC, 2001
I think this one is my favorite of the Goddesses. She predates Queen Elsa by a country mile! That open-front dress looks kinda cold, though. Maybe the Goddess is like Elsa, and the cold doesn't bother her anyway. But despite my hatred of winter I love winter-themed dolls.
QUEEN OF HEARTS, 1994
This one is another that Mama liked a lot, and surprise, surprise, she's got dark hair like Mama once did! I like that eye-catching shade of red, meself. She's just a pretty doll.
HONORABLE MENTION: BEAD BLAST BARBIE, 1997
Bob Mackie did NOT design Bead Blast Barbie, but she does utilize the Mackie sculpt so I'm giving her an honorable mention. I love Bead Blast Barbie, with her colorful clothes, her long, lush hair, her kid-friendly gimmick, and of course, that soft, closed smile.
Y'all may have noticed that I omitted Illusion Barbie, and it turns out that she was NOT designed by Bob Mackie, but by another of Mattel's brilliant designers, Robert Best. Like Bead Blast Barbie, she utilizes the Mackie sculpt, and she'll appear on the list of my favorite collector dolls...or sooner, if the doctor calls today (which I doubt).
All my love,
RagingMoon1987
Tuesday, September 22, 2026
Are any of y'all having trouble?
For me this is what Blogger's feed has been saying, and it's been this way for about two weeks now.
To Fantasywoods, Illusion Barbie arrived alive and well yesterday, and I will give you that post for her that I promised, but I'll probably wait until I get my MRI results back. That way I can kill two birds with one stone instead of putting up another boring post like this one. To the rest of y'all, I love y'all. I'm still here and I'm still having some problems with motivation, but I intend to get back into the swing of things eventually. Please just be patient with me.
Love to all,
RagingMoon1987
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Daisy, Denika, and some random stuff
Anywho, y'all probably know by now that Girl of the Year 2027 is in the building. Her name is Daisy Davenport, and she attends the same summer camp that Molly McIntire attended. Looks like she may own the same breed of dog, too.
One of Daisy's friends is in a wheelchair. We've not yet had a differently abled Girl of the Year, but no sense in beating a dead horse. GOTY 2027 is in the house and...I probably will pass on her. I've barely touched the new American Girl doll I do have (Electra), so why bother with another one? For now, anyway.
The same fate may await my newest doll, though as with Electra I don't intend on forgetting her forever. This is Denika Newton, my new-to-me My Twinn.
I also got a small teddy bear haul from Treesa, in the form of some Build-a-Bear accessories for National Teddy Bear Day.
Lastly, if you're a Barbie fanatic then you've probably heard that Bob Mackie passed away. Mr. Mackie was responsible for a great many beautiful dolls, including a few of my favorites. I was too little to own a lot of 'em, but I have my all-time favorite en route now...and it's not Neptune Fantasy! I said in the past that Neptune Fantasy was my favorite of Bob Mackie's Barbie designs, but I didn't know that he was also responsible for this lovely lady.
She's from the Masquerade Gala collection, and her name/title is "Illusion." She's still in the post, but I'll get her eventually.
Of course Bob Mackie did clothes for real people too. Our dearly departed Dolly Parton was one of his clients, as were Cher, Diana Ross, and Sir Elton John. I don't like the stuff he put Cher in, but then I don't like Cher much so that's not saying anything. She's a pretty enuff woman with a decent voice, but like many other female singers she throws away her talent for sex appeal. Oh, and she can't shut up about leftist politics during her shows. If you wanna be a liberal, fine. Live and let live, some liberals have sound points, and thank God, we still have freedom of speech in this country. But if your job is to sing for the masses, SING FOR THE MASSES AND LEAVE THE POLITICAL CRAP AT HOME. Ted Nugent, I'm looking at you too. Both liberals and conservatives are guilty as sin in that respect.
That's about it for now. I go to get my MRI on Tuesday. It's being done at Cape Girardeau, and Mama has to work Tuesday, so...big sigh, I'm looking at a 150-mile round trip with Uncle Man-Child. I am NOT excited.
Love,
RagingMoon1987
Monday, August 31, 2026
So random, July/August '26
I bought too dang many dolls during May and June, and I hit July running too. July 5th. Carola (from June) poses with one of July's first newbies. The newbie's name is Ilse (pronounced "ill-seh").
I think I got her for a steal because she's not one of the big-name dolls. Not a Kestner, not an Armand Marseille, y'all get the point. She's got a sweet face, with lovely gray eyes...
...but if I don't position her just so, she can look kinda vacant. She shares that problem with Queen Elfriede.
Also July 5th. This is Daisy.
Daisy is one of those ily 4EVER dolls, and she's inspired by...well, by Daisy Duck! My mom likes Daisy Duck, and Donald Duck too, for that matter. Their tempers match sometimes, LOL. I have a further incentive for liking this doll; besides the hippie dress, she's got gray eyes. Hey, just like Ilse!
Okay, Daisy's eyes are more bluish-gray, but my point stands. I love dolls with gray eyes, and I love finding a doll of color with eyes that AREN'T brown. Mind y'all, I like brown eyes, but not all Afro-American people have brown eyes. Thus I like it when I find a doll of color who doesn't have brown eyes.
Oh yes, Kirari-chan! July 8th. Kirari-chan is the orange-haired poppet, and her companion is a Famosa Expressions doll that I hadn't yet named. I was leaning towards "Angelica," per my mother's suggestion.
Another new arrival for July 14th is Georgette, a Clodrey doll.
We jump back now, to July 18th. My cats (particularly Tommy and Chessie) had developed a sudden interest in knocking my dolls from hell to breakfast. That morning Carla Jennifer (Cabbage Patch Preemie, left) and Mikey (Magic Nursery baby) were my latest victims.
August 28th. I'd just told Mika that it was gonna get hot again.




















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