Friday, March 8, 2019

Dolls of the World Malaysian Barbie 1990




I chose my very first Oriental 1980 molded doll from amongst three candidates. The first one, the beautiful Korean 1988 seemed perfect with her mesmerizing narrow eyes, but sadly, high demand boosts her price and so she remains out of my reach and my determination to acquire her in her stock outfit doesn’t make it easier. The second candidate was the Malaysian Barbie 1990 who lost to her Japanese friend 1995 for my obvious love and fascination for Japan. But Malaysian Barbie wouldn’t let me forget that she was still out there and not on my shelf so I succumbed happily.


The doll arrived as NRFB as the few of my Dolls of the World did. It’s very difficult to purchase them in a used condition, parents didn’t really buy these for their children and I can see why other collectors don’t want to let them go, I wouldn’t myself. The back of the box contains some information on the culture and geography of the region and there’s a beautiful drawing of Malaysian Barbie on one side of it. How I miss such illustrations! Of course there was the obligatory brush inside as well as a doll stand which is completely useless. It’s one of those clear plastic stands with curved surface and you’re supposed to attach the doll by her leg but it doesn’t really work. The plastic is to flexible to support the doll so she stands in an odd tilted manner and looks as if she’s about to collapse.





Malaysian Barbie, who of course belongs to the excellent Dolls of the World series, is an example of how the facepaint interpretation of a given mold features may change the overall look. It’s enough to compare her to the Japanese and it’s obvious that they are entirely different despite them sharing the same mold or hair color. I guess the absence of fringe also makes her lovely features to really show. There’s a tiny bit of smoky lavender eyeshadow to grace her chestnut-colored eyes and a subtle pink lipstick.





As to her hair, I’m struggling again as to determine the fibers it’s made of, but when I compare my both Oriental beauties, my Malaysian Barbie’s hair feels a bit dryer and chunkier, and it rustles, but it’s very shiny and gorgeous. The hair is styled in a side ponytail and wavy too. There are two Lame rosettes to decorate it. Barbie’s jewelry is very simple and consists of a pair of stud earrings and a ring. She’s wearing a pair of black open-toe stilettoes that add to her overall gracefulness. What a magnificent doll she is.





According to my limited and hasty research, the Lame that Barbie’s regional outfit is made of is supposed to imitate Batik – an elaborately patterned fabric. The pattern is traditionally handmade with the use of wax and the entire process seems to be quite complicated and extremely time-consuming but the result is stunning. Mattel tried to recreate that but why they selected Lame to achieve their objective is beyond me. I mean, Lame does look very impressive but its durability is questionable. My doll, for instance, is new, just taken out of her box and her outfit is far from perfect. It appears to be damaged by the tape supporting Barbie’s massive hair. Luckily the hair covers the damage so it’s hardly visible.



The outfit consists of four elements – a knee-long jacket, a skirt with an opening in the front (or in the back if you prefer her to wear the skirt in a modest way), and two sashes all in fuchsia, gold and black. The jacket emphasizes the doll’s narrow waist and closes with a single plastic snap and so does the skirt. The long sash is attached to the jacket with a snap which keeps it in place and a single rosette is a lovely finishing touch. 




Now that I look at my Oriental ladies I’m so happy to have them in my collection but they cause a certain longing known to collectors worldwide, I wish they were not two but three – with the charming Korean to join them. Or better yet – four, the Chinese Barbie is exquisite as well… is there never enough?




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