Monday, March 11, 2019

Standard European/ Canadian Barbie 1976



The superstar Era is so appealing to me that I never really thought I’d cross its borders, but my Standard European/Canadian 1976 Barbie stands exactly between Superstar and MOD. Furthermore, although she bears the lovely Steffie 1971 headmold, she’s actually Barbie, not a P.J. or Whitney or anybody else. So let’s take a look at Barbie who’s not a superstar for a change.


Time’s passed and much has changed for the Standard E/C who Mattel had designed to be plain and common. Now she’s very much desired by collectors worldwide, especially that she was released only in Europe and Canada. When creating Standard E/C Mattel had intended her to be more widely accessible as well as affordable, so they cut the corners wherever they could and here’s the result.


In order to make Barbie’s price more attractive they limited her articulation. Although the TNT body had been in general use at that time, Barbie didn’t get a turning waist or click and bend legs. The plastic that the company used was also of worse quality or so I’ve read because my Barbie’s come upgraded with a TNT body, but the shape of her feet as well as the signature below her waist suggest an older type body from 1984 or earlier. The body’s also extremely pale, but it may be just me being so used to seeing Barbie tanned. Barbie’s head also turns only left and right. If I could, I would like to see what the doll’s stock body looked like, but I guess it made her less posable than a fashionista.



As to her hair, well, it can’t compare to the 80’s and 90’s wild mane that needed tapes to support it in the box. The hair is thin and rooted wide apart. There are huge gaps between the rows of plugs leaving Barbie with extensive bald spots. Her hair line doesn’t look perfect, one plug’s almost empty and another’s been cut short. I may be able to fill these in the future, but finding the right shade hair may be a bit difficult given she’s not exactly blonde, more like yellow and resembles Sailor Moon in that respect, pictures don’t convey that though. But overall, I’m reluctant to change anything about a doll this old. She is a piece of Barbie history and should stay as much intact as possible. I’ll buy her a hat instead, after all, she is in a good condition despite her age.


If her poseability or her hair may not be perfect, her sweet face certainly makes up for it. The loveliness of Steffie headmold is obvious but ther facepaint adds to its charm. Barbie’s striking blue eyes, her minimal baby blue eyeshadow and brown eyeliner as well as her thin, peachy lips make her look sweet beyond expression. Barbie’s blush is uneven, but it’s reminiscent of the good old times when every doll was a result of a human labor as opposed to today’s advanced automation. Those tiny imperfections made each doll unique in a way, but now that I think of it, the contemporary dolls aren’t quite so perfect as one may expect. There’s a plenty of pictures online that present Barbie disfigured, with her eyes too low or too high and it’s so sad that some of these actually get approved. It makes you reluctant to buy online not knowing what exactly you’re going to get.




The online auction showed Standard E/C entirely naked and there was no mention of any clothes so it was a nice surprise to discover she actually came with two dresses and a pair of shoes. I haven’t identified the dresses, as one tag states Made in China and the other’s ripped and only a single red letter M remains. The dresses however, are nicely made, the fabrics are more than decent quality. The dresses came clean and pressed and I couldn’t wish for more.






The dresses quite become her, especially the one with tiny hearts, but when I look at her I’m thinking hippie! So I bought her this amazing 2-pack from 2016 #DWG40 that consists of cute, little, ethnic dress, a pair of denim shorts, a yellowish top and a black, floral cover-up. The accessories that come with the outfits are a pair of flat sandals, a purse with a “fringe” and a belt or a headpiece that has a yellow flower on it. So here’s my hippie Barbie. “Flower Power make up!”







Again, despite my best efforts at being concise, this entry’s much longer than anticipated. But I must be excused and forgiven! Standard European/ Canadian Barbie is so captivating, her each detail so fascinating it absolutely must be mentioned. After all, a doll this old and unique deserves time and attention.




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