I prepared this entry a couple of days
ago and I’ve kept it to release it today hoping I wouldn’t forget to do
so. Happy Holidays Barbie 1996 joined my collection in August, but it
was far too hot and sunny for such a Snow Queen, so she waited a couple
of months for her turn on my blog. Scorching sun didn’t suit her, but
the snow and frost outside and a Christmas Tree with its glow sound more
like it and such a sight brings back some lovely memories. When I was a
child, a Barbie doll, even the most generic one would be very expensive
and so one could only hope to get her for some very special occasion,
like Christmas. I remember how I hoped to find a Barbie or anything that
related to her under my Christmas Tree. And then there were the
commercials presenting the dolls of the season aired at the most
strategic and the best chosen time to feed the dreams of a new doll. I
wanted them all, the dolls that I saw on TV and I hoped to get at least
one.
Happy Holidays ’96 is probably my most
favorite out of the ’88-’97 releases and I’d had my eye on her for a
long time but she was out of my reach until one evening when I nearly
choked on my green upon the sight of a completely new, never unboxed
doll. Her previous owner was either unaware of her value or she decided
to be my benefactress. Either way I didn’t think two seconds before I
pressed “buy now”. Her box turned out to be quite fragile. The tapes and
glue no longer kept the parts together and it fell apart before I
figured out how to open it. I put it back together as best as I could
and I really like how it was designed. The box was meant to display the
doll to the best of her advantage, so it was made mostly of clear
plastic windows, and the upper and lower golden lids were made of heavy
and hard plastic too, so the glue could not hold them, no matter what.
The back of the box presents Barbie in all her glory and the picture is
so beautiful I almost feel like cutting it out and framing it. Just
kidding, I wouldn’t like to wreck the box which apart from the doll also
held her golden stand with a sticker and a burgundy brush.
Happy Holidays ’96 probably wouldn’t
have been my pick if I could choose amongst several dolls as a child.
But now that I’m all grown up I do appreciate the collector’s feel about
her. She’s very pale for one think and one of my favorite bloggers once
wrote she looked as if she was a porcelain doll and I feel the same.
Her complexion is very fair almost pink and her platinum blonde
kanekalon hair brings the color out even more. But her eyes are
everything- her cat-eye eyeliner and a multitude of eye lashes make her
look stunning. There’s two smoky eye shadows but these are hardly
perceptible. Her eyes are not two but three-toned and very purple, just
how I like it. There’s no blush on her cheeks but her burgundy lipstick
goes very well with her eyes and her outfit.
Her dress is spectacular, though it’s
not really a dress. The golden layered skirt is a separate piece and the
back of it is a kind of mesh. There’s a heavy velvet “coat” that opens
in the back and closes with the nasty Velcro. The coat is very detailed
and there’s a gold and white trim to it and there are three golden
ruby-studded buttons up front. The coat is trimmed with faux fur at the
collar and cuffs and there’s a plain white fur muff and a hat. The hat
has some nice detailing to it, there’s a ribbon, a golden snowflake and a
single golden button with a ruby. Barbie’s outfit is so rich and
elaborate that she was given some plain and simple jewelry not to go
overboard with the gold. Barbie’s wearing some generic golden ring and a
pair of earrings. Her shoes are the classic Barbie pumps and they’re
burgundy.
So far I’ve been lucky enough to have
collected 3 Happy Holidays Barbie dolls and these are ’90, ’96 and ’96
so there’s 7 to go and I’m good though ’88 will be extremely hard to get
and will need some dolly sacrifices. As I can never resist the
temptation of a group picture here’s my Happy Holiday beauties, all
three of them. Meanwhile, I was doing some shopping at my local
supermarket and I came across some nice Barbie and Ken two pack sets.
Barbie and Ken were dressed in aprons, ready to bake some cookies and I
even considered to purchase a set for my niece but all four boxes were
unacceptable. Ken looked pretty fine, though slightly effeminate but
Barbie was a disaster! Her eyes were either too large or too small, set
too low or uneven, her lips were just as bad. She really looked as if
she’d undergone a failed plastic surgery! I left the store without the
set because I wouldn’t purchase a disfigured doll and it’s such a shame
because the set would’ve looked really cute if the dolls were perfect.
Anyway, I’m done ranting and me and my Barbie would like to wish you a
lovely Christmas and a ton of dolls under your Christmas Tree.
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