Let's hear it for redheads!

It's no secret by now that I love red hair.  I know that those who actually have the stuff spend part of their lives hating it, and having seen the behavior of my smarta$$ classmates I don't blame redheads for their hatred or ambivalence.  But I love a good redhead, and I guess Big Brother got the memo because I received a link to a story about red-haired Barbie dolls a few days ago.  The opening text of the link suggests that redheaded Barbie dolls aren't as common as blonde or brunette dolls, and...I guess that's kinda true.  I know that when one is released she certainly stands out!  So I recreated the list and added in my own opinions, because the world wouldn't survive without my piddling little opinions, LOL.  Link to the article is here if you don't want to read my commentary; it's just opening text and a list of images.

1:  One of the Made to Move dolls

Miss Emily saw this one IRL and was kinda freaked out by her face.  I'm with her; this doll has too many teeth.  Her outfit is ugly too, but that can be fixed since there's ALWAYS clothes for Barbie.  It's a bit hard to go wrong with a Made to Move Barbie, but this one I'll skip.

2:  Another Made to Move Barbie. 

Now this one, I was very happy to see.  The first four MTM Barbies were three brunettes and the usual blonde, and I remember being put out that there was no redhead.  Plus, I like this doll's face and outfit better than that of the other one.

3:  Barbie Signature Looks #11

This one's okay, but I liked Model #10 better.  I do love #11's silver suit, though.  And as with the Made to Move lot I was glad to see a redhead.  

4:  Fashionista #168

Yeesh, I don't like this one at all.  Her eyes are too bright and her face is too made up.  Maybe she's better IRL, but I'm not feeling this one.

5:  Fashionista #141

I don't positively love this doll's face, but overall I like #141 way better than #168.  That tie-dyed dress is hard to beat, and this doll looks sweet and approachable. 

6:  Fashionista #64, "Lovin' Leopard"

Another Fashionista, one from the days when the dolls had "names," so to speak.  This one tempted me when she was in stores due to her thick build and (of course) her hair.  I wonder who I picked from that wave instead?  There's always at least one that I pick...

7:  Fashionista #29, "Terrific Teal"

I own this one!  I named her "Gertrude" after a childhood imaginary friend.  Gert is one of the tall models, and y'all can't see in her stock photos (or this reused image), but she's got dimples.

While not my absolute favorite Barbie, I'm so glad she got included on the list!  And of course, that hair is glorious.

8:  Fashionista #74, "Seeing Stars"

Yet another Fashionista, I was sorely tempted by this one's star dress.  Ultimately, I didn't like her face much in real life.  My eyes were more dazzled by one of her companions, #81/"Wear Your Heart."  Wear Your Heart isn't a redhead, but she had a beautifully painted Kira head that trumped Seeing Stars.

9:  The Look, redhead

I didn't like the Look line as much as I liked the Basics that they replaced, but I really loved this doll.  Red hair and purple clothes together appeal to me for some reason. 

10:  Barbie Fitness, redhead 

Meh.  I think the second doll on this list did the Made to Move thing better, but those accessories are nice.  I like how aerobics, yoga, and rhythmic gymnastics are all included there.

11:  Barbie Heart Dress, redhead

I remember these.  I thought the redhead was pretty, but the whole line was too basic for me.  At least the Fashionistas have dynamic arm positions.  This one has a pretty face, though.

12:  Legends of Ireland Faerie Queen

I wonder how popular this one was, since I saw no out-of-box images.  The picture I found makes Faerie Queen look like a complete bitch, but she's actually quite pretty.  Just the same, I've seen Irish Barbies that I like better.

13:  Silkstone Lingerie Model #6

This was one of the first Silkstone dolls that I really died over.  The other one (spoilers) was another redhead.  I was a teenager when the Silkies were first available, so I never got any, but I never forgot this one.

14:  Bob Mackie Radiant Redhead

Yowza, a Mackie girl!  I was a big fan of the Bob Mackie Barbies growing up, but again, I was a kid and couldn't afford.  As for Radiant Redhead, she's got a lovely face, but she's not my favorite Mackie doll.  My heart belongs to Neptune Fantasy.

15:  Marvel Studios Black Widow

This one is a bit too action figure for me, but I do like her strong face.  This gal is bada$$, as Black Widow should be.

16:  Twilight Eclipse Victoria

Oh barf, the Twilight saga.  My sister loved it, but...it's romance.  Like Black Widow, Victoria is not my balliwick, but (again) I do like her face.

17:  Gloria Estefan 

Barf again, pop music.  Gloria Estefan is pretty cool, though.  She should've been permanently paralyzed in that tour bus accident she had, but nope!  I read that her spinal cord was resting on a very sharp piece of shattered bone, and the wrong move would've brought that paralysis down.  Gloria had some epic doctors, and she herself is to be credited for pushing herself through recovery.  So I respect this doll, red hair or no.

Now that that's outta the way, I'll include a few of my own.  Indeed, if I'd been putting this list together it would've been quite different!  No list of redheaded Barbies is complete without Midge!  Midge began life in the era where Barbie and company could be any hair color you liked, but as time went by she became permanently red-haired.  Here's two of my Midge dolls, Life in the Dreamhouse and a rebodied California Dream.  Pardon the old, grainy picture; I didn't yet have photography mastered.

Okay, so she's not really Barbie, but my point stands.  If I bothered with Barbie dolls at all during my childhood I usually went for the redhead if there was one, and that usually meant Midge.  My favorite ones are the handful that came with the Steffie head like these two, but Midge is Midge and I love her with the Diva head too.

Signature Looks #13.  

Signature Looks has released several redheads, and I love this one's face.  I like her colorblock dress too.

Signature Looks #20.

I love her face, and I love that purple.

Hip 2 Be Square, redhead variant.

To me, this doll is perfection...but I'm a little biased, since she's a childhood favorite.  Regrettably I don't have a decent picture of mine, but she is loved.

Stacey, Barbie's mod British friend.

Stacey could be either blonde or red, and it's the "copper penny" dolls that I love the most.  I'm fortunate enuff to own two of them, as seen above. 

Kelley, a forgotten seventies friend. 

Kelley was a member of the Quick Curl bunch, and she camped at Yellowstone, but after that she was gone.  Red hair, Steffie head, yes, please!  There was also the Pop Life line, available during my late teens, and the redhead in that line was called "Kelley."

That hair made me LOL when I saw it.  I don't know anyone who wears their hair like that off of a runway.  

Top Model Summer, also available during my early twenties.  I'm still mad at myself for letting these get away, as they'd have looked cute in my dorm room.

From left, Resort, Hair Wear, and the original Top Model.  Not my picture; if it's yours please let me know.  Anyway, Hair Wear was my favorite, as she reminded me of Hair Happenin's Barbie.

Speaking of Hair Happenin's, she's a redhead.  I can't provide a picture since I know for sure who owns 'em all, but she's one of my favorite mod dolls.  She's also one of the mod era's more obscure girls, and unfortunately pretty pricey.  Still, she's a redhead and I love her.

Barbie Basics 1.5, Model 003

Speaking of redheaded Steffie dolls, my all-time favorite Basics model.  I own her, and her name is Inga, but once again I can't find any good pictures of Inga.  Oh, and since I know damn good and well that Big Brother is reading and watching...HOW 'BOUT A FASHIONISTA WITH THE STEFFIE FACE???  I don't care what color her hair is!

Irish Barbie, second edition (first edition was a brunette)

Now THIS is who I picture when I think of a Barbie representing Ireland.  This one is one from my childhood, and while I never owned her I did and still do love her.  This one may have to come home with me if I can afford her.  Admittedly, I could go hog-wild with the Dolls of the World; Peruvian Barbie is my favorite. 

Fashionista #47, "Kitty Cute"

If Amy Pond had a Barbie doppelganger, this one would be it.  I own this doll, and surprise, surprise, I don't have any good pictures of her (her name is Katherine, "Kat" for short).  Combining cats with the hair was a surefire way to drag me in.

Silkstone Dusk to Dawn giftset

Behold, my all-time favorite Silkstone Barbie.  It goes back to that "red hair, purple clothes" thing that I mentioned with the Barbie Look doll.  She also came with a ton of cute accessories that could be mixed and matched, and I was in love.  Dusk to Dawn was and still is out of my price range, but I can still salivate, right?

There have been other pretty redheads over the years, some whom I own and some of whom I don't, but those are my favorites.  Well, almost all.  My favorite redhead is a human, out there, among y'all.  Tam, I love you, chica!  I do hope your husband is better!

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

I hate group pictures

Today is the day that that Barbie movie is being released, so...this one's kinda a just-for-the-heckuvit post, but good ol' Barbie will be the main focus.  That said...I hate group pictures.  I try to put my dolls together for group photos all the time, and more often than not one or more of them is looking over me or off to the left or toppling over.  I considered it extremely good luck that this image came out so well, and even here they're not all looking at the camera.  Courtney appears to be fixated on a passing car, and God only knows what Rita Cheryl is looking at.

It seems like the bigger the doll, the more likely one or more of them are going to be staring into space.  For Barbie it doesn't seem to matter so much, presumably since their smaller heads and eyes seem to take the world in.  For example, even though these girls aren't looking directly at the camera, I was able to make it work.  From left, I have a TNT Stacey (thank you Gaston Calloway, for sending her to me!), a reproduction American Girl ("Victorine"), red-haired Cut 'n' Style Barbie ("Marie"), Tressy, and Mary Makeup in a dress that belonged to my mother's old Barbie.

Never in my life did I dream that a Mod doll could look good in a semi-modern outfit, but I threw Stacey in a nineties-era dress and shoes and they fit her like a glove.

I can't help but giggle at this next image, since they're not the prettiest dolls in not the prettiest dresses.  Western Winking Barbie is the one in the glasses (I think I named her "Sue Ellen" after that broad from Dallas), an unidentified Disney doll (I think she was Belle at one time), and Kissing Barbie (I named her "Lola" after the Kinks song).  They're all modelling dresses that I knitted (Sue Ellen and Lola) or crocheted (Belle).

Poor, poor Sue Ellen!  Western Winking Barbie never was a pretty doll, and my doll has not aged well.  I pretend that her green shades both hide her deformity and help her see better.  "She's like that guy on Star Trek:  The Next Generation," was how I explained it at the time, and that's the explanation I'm sticking with.  Belle suffered an unfixable haircut (even a buzz didn't do her), so at the moment she is completely bald and clad in a hat.  I may have her rerooted some day, but for now I kinda like her the way she is.  I made her the little hat for that specific purpose.  As for Lola, I was trying to teach myself fair isle knitting, and...well, y'all see the result.  Not the prettiest little dress, but I was proud of it then and I'm proud of it still.

Like American Girls and the various Doctors, Barbie Fashionistas are numbered...and I have the damnedest time keeping the numbers straight!  It's even harder for me personally since I give them all pet names.  I don't remember why I took this particular picture...yeah I do!  They were all the petite Barbie dolls that I had at the time (the different body sizes were a novelty back then), and I loved how they were a nice diverse trio even though they're the same size.  Natalie (Love That Lace, #23) is a honey blonde with light brown eyes, China (Blue Brocade, #25) has the lovely Mbili head, and Bambi (Pretty in Paisley, #41) has two-toned hair and brown eyes paired with a nice tan.  China and Bambi are both clad in Bambi's extra outfits; for awhile some of the Fashionistas with the new bodies came with extra clothes.

China and Natalie went on to become two of my favorite little models, while poor Bambi kinda fell by the wayside.  Even now I sometimes forget I have her.  I have group pictures of the tall dolls and the curvy ones too somewhere, but goodness only knows where they are.  I don't have very many curvy dolls as it is.  There have been plenty along the line that I've loved, but I only loved Billie Jean and Deb enuff to buy them.  I liked Daisy Pop and To Tie-Dye For (I even mentioned them in my post about curvy dolls), but when I saw them IRL they didn't give me that "Wow, I gotta have that!" feeling.

Moving on, here's the biggest group shot I got.  Everyone I can think of is in this shot.

Not the greatest quality, but y'all get the drift.  Gosh, where do I start?  Okay, back row, from left:  I started out with 2015's IT Girl Elizabeth (#12 on the Barbie wiki) and Rapunzel is next to her.  Then there's Merida and Chandra, Belle, a redressed Barbie LOOK doll that I never named, then Tiana, and Kenzie (#14 on the same wiki).  Up front from left are Aurora and Mulan, Mara (whom I bought during a depressed spell, hence the name), Cassandra, Dreamhouse Midge, and Sherralee.  Sherralee shows what the Fashionistas once were, as they're both jointed all over.  Fashionistas nowadays have five joints, period.  They're still a lot of fun, and they have shoulders that move out as well as back and forth, which is more than a lot of my childhood Barbie dolls had.  Tangent alert now, because this last bit isn't a group picture or anything of that sort.  That said, I'm trying to be very choosy about which Fashionistas I bring home now since I have so many, but the new Down syndrome doll is a must-have!  Her Fashionistas number is #208.

There have been other Down syndrome dolls in the past (Lottie's friend Rosie Boo has it), but this is the first Barbie!  She's even got pink leg braces, which I love.  If you've gotta use leg braces or anything like that, get them in your favorite color!  I'd want mine to be green, of course.  This doll is so stinkin' cute, though!  She's loaded with references to down syndrome; the dress has both the awareness colors and the insignia for Down syndrome, and her necklace has three chromosomes on it, for Trisomy 21.  She also has a specially designed body.

Are any of y'all going to see the Barbie movie today?  If so, let me know if you enjoyed it!  I think it looks cute, but I don't have wheels so I won't be going to see it.  Sooooo...let me know if you saw it and enjoyed it!  Also, do any of y'all have trouble getting group pictures to look decent?  Share your horror stories.  As a final little Barbie bit, check out Miss Emily's post on Barbie's growing inclusivity.  It touches on Fashionistas #91, #121, #135, and #208, plus a few other dolls that I don't own (I like the Chelsea doll with scoliosis the best).  It's a nice diverse bunch, far better than the blonde, blue-eyed group I had as a teenager, AND it opens with an awesome group pic.  I don't know how Emily does it without tearing her hair out.

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

Dolly Dress Discussion: Spring duds for Barbie, part 2

Part Two of my Spring-themed dolly dress haul!  This post sort of picks up where the other left off, with retro dolls wearing some new old stuff.
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OUTFIT #7:  Best Buy #1354 in sizes for Barbie and Skipper, 1978
MODELS:  Twist 'n' Turn Stacey, Val (early Malibu Barbie), another TNT Stacey, and Living Fluff
DESCRIPTION:  Like Fashion Avenue I'm quite fond of these old Best Buy dresses, as they appear to have been a good way for some little seventies girl to flesh out her doll's wardrobe without spending a ton of money.  Regarding these particular dresses, I usually put one of these on P.J. so that she and Fluff match, but P.J. is wearing that Fashion Avenue getup so Flip Stacey volunteered to wear one.  And whatever one Stacey does, the others like to do too.  These are simple slip-on dresses with strappy sleeves and ties at the waist.

Fluff's dress is constructed a bit differently, with a bodice that's not terribly unlike the bib part of a pair of overalls.  This dress also has a tie, but it doesn't wrap around the waist like the bigger dolls' dresses do.

One of the interesting things I've noticed is that this dress appears to come in at least two variations.  Val's dress is brightly colored (not unlike a package of Fruit Stripe gum), while Ponytail Stacey's dress is more muted in shades of lavender, salmon pink, magenta, and lemon yellow.

Adding to the confusion is Flip Stacey's dress, which is the same color scheme as Ponytail Stacey's but in a lighter shade and with wider white stripes in between the colors.

Normally I'd just chalk this up to fading and go on with my life, but A, the colors on Flip's dress are very even for a fade job, and B, Fluff's dress matches perfectly.

So I'm not sure if there are three color variations here or if two of these dresses just faded very evenly.  I don't guess it matters much, but I'm still curious.  It was not uncommon for vintage Barbie outfits to have a number of variations (check out Best Bow for a good example), and indeed another version of this dress appears to exist, one that's even paler than Flip's dress!
PROS:  These are simple, retro, and brightly colored, perfect for my Mod Squad here.  The material is also soft and stretchy, perfect for these old, curvy TNT bodies.  Lastly, I like that the fit can be adjusted by virtue of those sashes.
CONS:  The back seam of Val's dress is coming undone.  I suspect that this may be age-related.

I can mend Val's seam, but I can't fit the bizarre fit of Fluff's dress.  This is hard to describe in words and hard to photograph, but I'll try.

Doesn't something look off to y'all?  I can certainly testify that it's hard to adjust the fit of this dress.  No matter what I do to it, it's baggy.  Maybe it was meant to be worn over a peasant top?
RATING:  9 out of 10.  Minus one half-point for that seam coming undone (just a half because I can fix it), minus one half for Fluff's ill-fitting bodice.  None of these outfits came with shoes, but I don't think any Best Buy dresses did so I won't dock points in that category.
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OUTFIT #8:  Swirly Cue, 1968-69
MODEL:  Farrah (another Malibu Barbie)
DESCRIPTION:  This is one of my all-time favorite vintage Barbie outfits.  I'm a big fan of the Mod era, and this outfit is as Mod as they come.  Unfortunately all my other Mod dolls have been shown already, so the not-so-Mod Farrah ended up with it.  Maybe I'm weird, but I see Barbie's Mod era as having ended with the debut of the Superstar head, thus why I consider Val a Mod doll and Farrah a not-so-Mod doll.  But then again, just about any doll is capable of looking decent in these older outfits.  Anywho, Swirly Cue is a very typical fashion for the late sixties, being a Pucci-style minidress with little pleats at the hem.  The bodice has darts, something that few doll dresses have nowadays, and the back...THE BACK ZIPS!!!

I own exactly one other doll dress that zips, and that dress belongs to Infinity A. Byss.  All my other doll dresses (including my handful of vintage Barbie items) snap, Velcro, or hook closed, and some just slip or tie on.  This dress also came with its own shoes; I think the proper shoes for Swirly Cue were pink closed-toe pumps, but mine has era-appropriate "pilgrim" shoes like what my P.J. usually wears.

This dress also once came with earrings, but mine are MIA.  No biggie, since most of my Mod-era dolls don't have pierced ears anyway, AND since Twist 'n' Turn dolls are apparently some of the worst about getting green ear (according to Barbie Bazaar, anyway).  Reproductions are available if I ever want any.
PROS:  When new this dress came with accessories, and though mine is missing its earrings it's good to know they existed.  The fabric is very sturdy, which is good because that factors into the main problem with this outfit.
CONS:  There are a few age-related pulls and thin spots, with the worst one being these tiny holes on Farrah's left breast.

I'll be attacking that with some Fray-Stop so it won't get worse.
RATING:  9.75 out of 10.  Minus one quarter of a point for age-related wear, which I knew existed when I bought this dress.  Y'all really can't beat these old Barbie clothes.
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OUTFIT #9:  boxed fashion, 2018
MODEL:  China (petite Fashionista #25 "Blue Brocade")
DESCRIPTION:  Green has always been my favorite color, but I nurse a special fondness for blue as well.  In fact, I've been actively seeking out blue doll clothes lately.  I prefer the darker shades but I'm not picky, and I'm particularly pleased to see other colors besides hot pink being used. The bodice has sparkly polka dots on the front AND the back.

PROS:  Uh...it's BLUE!!!  I also love the elegance of this, and the full skirt that makes China look a little bigger than she really is.  Oh, and did I mention that the bodice has polka dots???  It's very hard to go wrong with polka dots.
CONS:  China is petite, and "petite" means petite all over, including the bust.  China's chest doesn't quite fill out this bodice.

It's not that bad, but I thought I'd mention it.  No, the worst thing about this outfit is that it didn't come with shoes. 
RATING:  8.5 out of 10.  One point docked for a lack of shoes (this is slowly becoming a theme) and half for the loose bodice, which I have to keep pulling into place.  That's not THAT bad, but it does get frustrating after awhile.
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OUTFIT #10:  Still another boxed getup, 2017-18.  I call this one "the one with the saxophone."
MODEL:  So In Style Baby Phat Chandra, who coincidentally looks a lot like China
DESCRIPTION:  It's the saxophone outfit that I got so excited about!  I've seen Barbie play the piano, the guitar, and the violin on plenty of occasions, but I don't remember EVER seeing a saxophone included with an outfit.  The dress itself is a blush-colored empire-waist with gold glitter on the bodice.  The skirt is ever so lightly ribbed.

I find it ironic that in China's entry I spoke of being glad that less pink was being used for Barbie, and yet here's Chandra modeling something pink!  But as I said above it's one of my favorite shades of pink, and it's NOT hot pink like so much of Barbie's nineties wardrobe was.
PROS:  The color of this dress is stunning.  I gripe often about the overuse of pink in Barbie's wardrobe, but this is a shade I absolutely love.  And then there's that saxophone, which I'm delighted to have in my collection.
CONS:  Once again, this outfit didn't have to come with shoes.  I got these shoes from Yesteryear Finds USA, an Etsy shop.  They're the perfect mix of pink and gold, a color that I don't ever remember Barbie shoes coming in.

The proprietor of Yesteryear Finds requests that those looking for Barbie shoes kindly send her a message and she'll try to find the shoes in question.  Her shop can be found HERE.
RATING:  9 out of 10.  Minus one point for no shoes...again.  Good thing I was able to find a decent pair of shoes elsewhere, or Chandra would be like Natalie was yesterday.
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OUTFIT SET #11:  I call this one the "rockin' red" set.  Dates from 2017 or 2018
MODELS:  Minnie (left, petite Fashionista #81 "Cheerful Check") and Norelle (right, original Fashionista #82 "Chic in Chambray")
DESCRIPTION:  Last ones, I promise!  I originally wanted Norelle to wear the saxophone dress for a rather convoluted reason, but she couldn't hold the saxophone as well as Chandra can so I put her in one of these instead.  Anywho, Minnie is wearing a red and black plaid dress that comes to her knees, a black faux leather jacket, and her own stock shoes.  Norelle is wearing a gray graphic T-shirt with red trim and a matching pleather skirt (I hate pleather), plus a pair of black heels from one of the add-on packs.
PROS:  These are mildly edgy for Barbie clothes, taking on a slightly punk or rocker flavor rather than the glamorous or earthy styles that have been prevalent.  It's always nice to see Mattel going off in this direction.
CONS:  No shoes, dammit.
RATING:  9 out of 10.  Minus one point for a lack of shoes...again.  At least that purse looks like a convincing purse; so many of Barbie's purses don't look like purses, or they're omitted altogether.

I had plans to include Licca-chan in this as well.  Yeah, I know the title says "Barbie," but Licca has a nice new dress that I'm dying to show off.  Unfortunately for Licca, I'm in the process of rebodying her...and the blankety-blank body STILL hasn't made an appearance!  It shipped three weeks ago...not one, not two, but three, and it's not here.  I'm getting her an Azone body, and I wanted to unveil it here, but how can I unveil a body if it's not here yet???  The late, great Tom Petty wasn't lying when he said the waiting was the hardest part, though I doubt he was waiting for a parcel to come in the mail.

So I've whiled away one day and seventeen hours of my three-day Facebook block with these two posts...now to come up with something else.  LOL, whatever it is y'all will be the first to know.  If the admins at Facebook don't chill out I may tell them to sod themselves and find some other social media site to terrorize.

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987