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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