Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Happy Holidays Barbie 1996



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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