Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Stardoll by Barbie hits the shelves

Look in the Toys R Us flier for Nov. 27 and you'll see a promotion for "New! Stardoll by Barbie" listed at $16.99 each.

What's that about? Here's a press release that explains how a doll game from the "virtual world" became a doll in real life.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Barbie Collector Spring 2012 preview

Barbie Collector's Spring Preview 2012 catalog is in mailboxes and can be seen on line.

Here is my review:

  • Most hilarious: Shoe Obsesssion.
  • Most pink: Pink in Pantone.
  • Gotta have Barbie Basics: Model 5, 14, 8 and 4.
  • Gotta have Barbie Basics Acessories: Look 2 (jacket!)
  • Most welcome return: Dolls of the World.
  • Still on my wish list: Barbie silk scarf, Barbie laptop case.
  • I'd wear them if I had them: Barbie Flannel Hat, Barbie Wool Scarf.
  • Wrong size: iPhone case - I don't have an iPhone 4 yet, I have a 3gs and a newer model would be available by the time I'm buying my next phone anyway.
  • Cute but won't buy: Barbie watch set. I really, really need a date stamp on my watch.
  • The dolls I think my husband will buy me first: Dolls of the World Argentina and Australia.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Black Friday Shopper Barbie (OOAK)

I have created very few "one of a kind" outfits because I just can't do the tiny sewing. But I do have a great collection of dolls, accessories and outfits that I do arrange into OOAK displays!

So in that spirit, here is my Black Friday Shopper Barbie display. The shopping bag is from a 1997 Wal-Mart Shopping Time Barbie. The green sweatshirt and backpack are from one of the Fashion Avenue collections of the 1990s; although the jeans are from another outfit pack. The doll was purchased late 1990s. The pink tree is a purchase this season from Hobby Lobby.


 
This is the first time I've done this scene.

My daughter figured out the theme right away -- but her follow-up comment was that I gave the doll the wrong pair of shoes. She pointed out that the doll should have flat-soled sneakers rather than stylish heeled sneakers. You can't run, after all, in the heeled shoes.

By the way, if I was trying to depict myself on Black Friday, she wouldn't have a shopping bag. She would have the iPhone, a camera or video camera and a business bag as her props.

Yes, I cover the Black Friday shopping madness for my newspaper. I find it far more entertaining to be the reporter than to be one of the shoppers.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Paula's picks for holiday season 2011

I have three toy catalogs on my kitchen table this morning from the Sunday papers, in addition to the weekly sales fliers. Based on what I've seen in the catalogs and sales fliers, and what I've seen on the shelf, here are my holiday season picks for the Barbie fans.

Barbie camper. It's about $70 and I don't have anywhere to display or store a toy that big. Therefore, I won't get it. But if I was a 10-year-old girl again, I would play with this for hours! The features shown are just like today's RVs.

Printable Hair Barbie. Girls like dolls with hair they can comb, style, etc. Totally Hair Barbie is well known as the best selling doll Barbie made. The gimmick with this doll is you can print designs on inkjet printer and transfer them to hair extensions. It costs about $30.

Barbie I Can Be career dolls. Any of those dolls are a great addition to any little girl or adult collector's Barbie box. Just be sure to pick one that you think will appeal to her. For example, I love my Computer Engineer doll because I do so much digital work at my job. The career dolls were not expensive in the first place - $12 to $15. Besides, they're currently "old stock" and you will easily find clearance prices.

Holiday Barbie 2011. I never joined the Holiday Barbie craze, but I do have some of them. You really can't go wrong with this choice for any Barbie fan, unless the person you are gifting to has already bought the doll! The 2011 doll has a green and gold dress and is quite pretty.

Princess Doll and Horse. I'm not terribly interested in the pink box princess dolls because I can dress up my dolls with beautiful handmade gowns for the cost of what those dolls sell for. That being, said, the little girls love them. This one stands out from the crowd with her fashion, her hairstyle and the horse with PINK mane.

Perfect Christmas Chelsea doll. If you want a "holiday" doll without the "holiday" price, you can't go wrong with any of the Kelly and friend selections that have been on the market over the years. This one is a spinoff to one of the Barbie videos. Bonus: Kelly and friends are stocking stuffer size and low budget.

I would also put on any Barbie shopper's list at least one furniture or accessory set such as the bunk bed or the kitchen pieces. Those playsets are often overlooked. What is Barbie supposed to sit on, watch, or do other than change her outfits?

By the way, I know there are a lot of Disney Princess dolls and accessories on the market. But I consider that to be a different demographic and genre than Barbie. Therefore, I leave that discussion to the Disney fans.