It’s been a year since Magic Moves and
Peaches’n Cream (both made in Taiwan) joined my collection. Upon their arrival
they presented a state of criminal neglect and it seemed as if dust and dirt
had been their faithful companions for these past two decades. Once they were
Mattel’s true stars and I made every effort to restore their glory long gone,
or at least some part of it. When their former beauty re-emerged I became very
fond of them but there was still something missing. The charm of the 80s manifested
itself in the dolls’ outfits and these were sadly not there. So I made a
decision: I’d get their original gowns or I’d leave them as they were but I’d
purchase their Philippine sisters. It took me just a couple of months to find
my Magic Moves, but the Philippine Peaches’n Cream is rarely available and one
dressed in her beautiful peach dress usually commands an exorbitant price that
is usually not reflected by the doll’s condition. As for the dress alone, I’d
rejected so many auctions because they were usually damaged. The doll appeared
quite unexpectedly and so well within my reach – in my country. She was in a
great condition, just a bit dusty, but she wore her dress almost without
blemish. Her arms were wrapped with one of the two shawls. But that’s not all –
Barbie’s jewelry was complete and I mean complete, even the necklace. The only
thing that was missing was her shoes and her hair was tied with a ribbon that
would do nicely for her red/orange belt. But I didn’t jump at the opportunity,
because her face revealed a Taiwan version, a very beautiful one, but Taiwan
nonetheless and I avoid doubles. I yielded two days later and I’m excused
because she’s no ordinary doll, right? So here she is, my second Peaches’n
Cream 1984 made in Taiwan.
What a nice surprise it was when it turned out
that my two Taiwan Peaches aren’t identical after all. But this is something
that could be expected. Back in the old days, behind every facepaint there was
a human being, not a machine. The paint was applied by hand with a use of a set
of stencils so the dolls may vary and in this case, they do. The second
Peaches’ eyelashes are more pronounced but her eyeliner is thinner, more
subtle. The color palette is also slightly different – the colors of the second
Peaches are warmer, her eyeshadow is more violet than blue. The lipstick is the
same but there’s more blush to her cheeks too. As to the dolls’ hair, the color
is almost identical, but the forehead line is different. Now the hair had never
been brushed and the original curls were still there but they were tangled. The
hair had to be washed, because it was dirty and though I was reluctant to
intervene here, it could not be avoided. However gently I treated the once
lovely curls, I destroyed them. After the usual hair treatments I curled the
hair anew. They’re not perfect, but I’ll be working on them some time soon.
Barbie’s hair held a surprise for
me, or several. For one thing,
the reddish-orange ribbon turned out to be her belt adorned with the lovely
flower. I’m very happy because the belt is usually missing with the second-hand
dolls. The other surprise was her hairpins – there were two of them and
Barbie’s previous owner must have put them in her hair before shipping her
because the pictures didn’t show them. The shoes were a replacement but they
match the dress very nicely. As to the jewelry, as I mentioned it was complete
– the ring and earrings reflect the light in a very lovely manner, but it’s the
necklace that’s my favorite part of the whole set. It looks so fragile and it’s
held just by two tiny hooks, I’m astounded it hadn’t been lost! In general,
the doll looks just as if she was just taken out of her box, played with for a
little while and then forgotten.
I was a little afraid if the actual condition
of the dress would be acceptable because there were no close-up pictures
attached, but my fears turned out to be groundless. The dress is almost without
a blemish and this is rarely to be seen because the gown is made of fabric so
fragile and prone to damage that it seems almost impossible for it to have survived all those years. There are no tears, no holes in the many layers and
the torso part is beautifully opalescent. The dress closes with metal snaps and
there are some additional ones discretely placed on the gown to attach the
shawls. It looks very romantic.
And here are both of my Peaches, I’m so happy
to own them and I wouldn’t like to part with any of them. I like the fact that
their dresses are different and I styled their hair differently, this way
they’re easily told apart. The second Peaches will keep her dress and
accessories unchanged, but the first one is a gracious model and there are
already two contemporary fashon packs waiting for her to present them. I feel
like I can have a cake and eat a cake.
No comments:
Post a Comment