Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Dolls of the World Italian Barbie 1992



I used to be insensitive to the unique charms of the Teresa 1990 headmold and it appears I wasn’t insolated in that at all. Many collectors have criticized her for her eyes that seemed to be a tad too large and then there’s her square jaw, like Schwarzenegger’s! But the truth behind it is that I never really took the time to look at her properly, otherwise her beauty wouldn’t have escaped me. But at the same time there were other charming headmolds that distracted me. There was cute Skipper, queenly Steffie, lovely Christie, exotic Kira/Oriental, mysterious Midge/Diva, handsome Kens and countless smiling superstars! Teresa? She was there, somewhere in their shadow, omitted, unappreciated. It also doesn’t help that, as a doll of the 90s, her make-up may not always be very flattering, too heavy, too dark and … too much in every possible respect. Until one day I did take a closer look at one Teresa, the Hollywood Hair Teresa to be exact and this Teresa version seems to be universally admired. All of a sudden, her eyes didn’t seem too big any longer, and her square jaw appeared to the doll’s advantage. HH Teresa joined my wish list and she was soon followed by the Italian Barbie 1992 and the Mexican Barbie 1995.


Mattel seems to be fond of Italy, as Italian Barbie was one of the three very first Barbie dolls to create the International series dated 1979/1980 – there are some discrepancies. The first Italian Barbie was produced in 1979 and to this day she remains the only Barbie to bear the Guardian Goddess headmold. The headmold was used by Mattel to create two other dolls, but these weren’t Barbies, strictly speaking. Then in 1992 Barbie visited the country again and the result was the lovely Teresa faced doll that I’m presenting today. Barbie did return to Italy once more and that was in 2009 when Mattel produced the stunning Italy Barbie. Newer dolls are outside my collection focus but I’ve got to admit I would never pass this doll without stopping to admire her beauty. She looks very realistic and her features reveal a woman with a mind of her own and not to be trifled with, if a woman like that were real of course.

source: https://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/barbie-dolls-of-the-world-europe/italian-barbie-doll-1682

source: https://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/italian-barbie-doll-2nd-edition-2256

source: https://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/barbie-dolls-of-the-world-europe/italian-barbie-doll-1682

https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/393502086181888220/?lp=true
 
I purchased my Italian Barbie in the NRFB condition and I was so excited that my very first Teresa faced doll arrived that I unboxed her hastily and didn’t bother to take her pictures still in the box. My excuse is that the light was very poor that day and the doll was strangely positioned in the box. Her hair was secured with excessive care and it pulled her head backwards making her square jaw the center of attention. I was quite impressed when she finally left her box, hopefully never to return. Upon a closer look I must say that Teresa 1990 is a natural beauty and as her facepaint is concerned – less means more. Her features should be treated with simplicity and economy but although my Italian Barbie doesn’t necessarily follow that rule, she’s a very pretty doll. Her eyes are so huge and dramatic. They’re green with just a tiny bit of hazel and the color of her eyes is further brought out by the metallic blue eyeshadow that’s given some more dimension by the other one, smoky blue, that goes up to her eyebrows. There’s but a whisper of blush on her cheeks and her lips are bright red. Interestingly enough, her teeth haven’t been painted white probably to add fullness to her lips and make her look a little more sensual. Her hair is just gorgeous, dark chocolate color, it’s straight and curls slightly past her waist. There’s no fringe, and that’s a very good thing and her hair is brushed back and held with a ribbon and a flower. She’s such an excellent doll.





Now the box informs us that Italian Barbie is wearing a traditional outfit of a Neapolitanian dancer. Purple and read together appeal to me, I love that color combination and this plus her eyes were the deciding factors when selecting my very first Teresa doll. Her outfit comes in several pieces. The red jacket lacks no detail and it’s very well made, but I think I even prefer the doll without it because underneath the jacket, there’s a lovely dress. The white upper part of the dress has a charming ruffle and the purple bottom piece is trimmed with a motif that gets repeated in the jacket and the box too. Sadly the white blouse and the purple skirt are a one-piece, but I like the apron a lot and that is separate. She’s such a colorful doll, there’s red, purple, blue, white, yellow, you name it! The design of the outfit is not only excellent but also well executed. The fabrics are decent quality and the dress keeps its shape but again, she’s a collectible so it follows she must represent certain standards.






The accessories that come with the doll are a baby blue brush and a saddle stand with a sticker that says Italian Barbie and there’s her flag too so that there’s no ambiguity as to her nationality. As far as the accessories that the doll’s wearing are concerned, they consist of some elaborate, gold plastic jewelry. Italian Barbie’s got some large hoop earrings, an elegant necklace and a ring, that’s not the most popular design of the 90s. Her “Minnie Mouse” wide-toe heels are bright red and they go really well with her outfit, but the somewhat playful knee-high stockings make it difficult for them to do their job.






My Dolls of the World collection is growing in number and in beauty and I’m already making plans for future acquisitions because I’m impressed with the quality and diversity of these dolls. I know that they’re all technically called Barbies, but when I look at the lovely Italian, I want to call her Teresa. That’s because back then there were fewer headmolds than nowadays and they were far more distinctive, their identity more pronounced for the simple fact that Barbie’s gang held together. When a series was released it wasn’t limited to Barbie in three different dresses, but there were different dolls included. There was Barbie, Teresa, Christie, Kira, Ken and quite often Skipper too as the blooming beauty was “out” and following her big sister wherever she’d go. Now I feel that there are far more faces, they’re beautiful – don’t get me wrong. Even such skeptical creatures like me will surely find something to please their selective tastes, but Barbie’s gang got disintegrated. It’s as if the friends grew up, got their jobs and moved do different cities. They got lost in the crowd of a hundred different faces. I’m whining again, but I’m really very happy I can still find such jewels like my Italian Barbie 1992.




 



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