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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