Crystal Barbie 1983 needs no
introduction whatsoever! She’s a classical Mattel beauty and collectors
worldwide just love her. I’m no different and of course she’d spent a
lot of time waiting on my wish list but she was nowhere to be seen in my
country. One day one of the ladies I’ve already purchased from several
times decided she no longer needed her and I didn’t hesitate two seconds
and bought her on the spot! My poor neglected and mistreated Peaces and
Magic Moves arrived and Crystal followed them soon after that. She had
been well taken care of by her previous owner and the two looked
positively homeless next to her. I’m happy to say that now they stand in
a row and I can see no striking difference between them. So I’m happy
to have collected the classical trio and a fourth early 80’s doll is on
her way! I’ve got to say that the Barbie dolls from that time period
make my heart beat a little faster. There’s just something incredibly
beautiful and elegant in their simplicity and Crystal is an excellent
example of all that.
Crystal Barbie is one of the few dolls
that I’d be glad to have as doubles because she was produced both in
Taiwan and the Philippines at the same time and the dolls bear the
typical facial differences that characterized the two factories. Even
more than that- they come in different hair styles! As always, when I’m
waiting for a doll to arrive, I amuse myself with all the pictures I can
find online and Crystal is well photographed for sure. I’ve read that
the Philippines dolls come with their hair curled tight and gathered in a
side pony tail, whereas the Taiwan ones have part of their hair up in a
pony tail and the rest is let in loose curls. The AA Crystal Barbie is
gorgeous too and just a perfect candidate for my first Spanish headmold
doll. There was also a Ken in the series.
My Crystal is all spare parts. The head
was definitely produced in Taiwan, but her body was made in China much
later and it has the round no- toes sort of feet. This doesn’t bother me
one bit, to me she’s a dream doll and no less a Crystal Barbie than one
just taken out of a box. But my Crystal is missing most of her
accessories that further emphasized her beauty. She no longer has her
boa, her ring, dangly earrings and a necklace are long gone. As far as I
know, she also came with a pendant for her little owner, a brush and a
comb and some lovely crystal glittery slippers. Mine arrived with Day to
Night Barbie’s pumps and a spare dress that her previous owner
suggested might be made into the missing boa, but God forbid! I wouldn’t
destroy such a dress for the world, anyway it may come in handy as I
hope to get the Philippine or the AA, or preferably both! Some time ago I
purchased a large number of shoes for my barefoot dolls because I can’t
stand the sight of a doll dressed elaborately and no shoes on! Amongst
them there were those crystal slippers and I at that time I thought they
would be perfect for my Crystal Barbie if I ever got her. The below
commercial shows Crystal in all her glory.
The dress is spectacular. It’s simple
and more controlled than the 90s gowns of prodigious dimensions
sprinkled with glitter and whatnot (oh how I adore them) and that’s what
I like about it. It’s made of this white iridescent fabric that
reflects light in its amazing rainbow sort of way. The top of the dress
is simple, with spaghetti straps and a single metal snap at the back.
The bottom part has a ruffle and to add to the dimension – there’s a
single tulle layer. There’s a belt made of purple and magenta tulle that
adds color to this otherwise very placid dress. As for the fabric
itself, well I had my doubts. I was sure it would crack and peel in
time, but it’s actually very good quality. The doll is 35 years old and
the dress looks perfect!
The same about her hair! Her beautiful
straw blonde saran hair looks amazing. It’s as controlled as the dress
and done in the Taiwan way with the ends slightly curled. Sure she
doesn’t have the bushy, crazy kanekalon waves that needed special
suspenders in the box that had to be large and specifically made for the
purpose of containing the wild hair before it exploded as you unboxed
the doll, but I really like the 80s way just as much with a slight
preference for the 80s actually, but don’t tell that to my 90s dolls!
Her face is everything! Not obscured by
the bushy bangs of the next decade, we can admire the beauty of the
simple facepaint of what is probably the most glamorous decade in
Barbie’s existence. She has purple eyes! There’s something spectacular
in that particular shade that is actually quite rare, because in real
life people don’t have purple eyes, do they! But I love this lavender
gaze, I definitely need Dream Date Barbie in my life, and asap too.
Crystal Barbie is actually quite easy to recognize – her 6 eyelashes
come in two lengths – short-long-short and so on. Her makeup is very
subtle and not over the top. There’s a lavender eyeshadow and some
minimal blush on her cheeks. The magenta lipstick goes nicely with her
belt.
My collection wouldn’t do without
Crystal Barbie, she’s all the beauty, elegance and simplicity of the
early 80s that are getting more and more appealing to me with every doll
of that period that I discover. I mean, the pictures speak for
themselves, no need for words.
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