Dolls of the World Greek Barbie 1985

My greatest doll passion are Superstars, so it comes as no surprise that Barbie’s most popular face should dominate even my assortment of the Dolls of the World. Even though DOTW is so deliciously versatile and offers you a great choice of dolls, Superstars rule on the international shelf of my doll cabinet. By the way, my grail doll – the first Parisian Steffie is still not there, but I’m ecstatic with my new arrival, the Greek Barbie 1985. I purchased her in a more or less NRFB condition … the doll was still attached to the inner cardboard but the box itself hardly held its shape. The cellophane was cracked and the lower lid was torn off. Barbie’s shoes and her doll stand escaped through the many openings in the box and the only evidence of them ever being there is the list of contents on the box. Though the box is badly damaged, I’m keeping it. I can never find it in myself to dispose of them. Luckily I have the necessary storage space for them.

Greek Barbie needed a bath and badly. She was dirty, her hair was sticky and she smelled of stale cigarettes. So she went straight to doll spa and after the necessary treatments she looked and smelled much better but I still put some freshly ground coffee in the doll cabinet just in case. It takes away the unwanted smell while the scent of coffee lingers a little. It was a bit stressful to wash Barbie’s clothes, all that red, white and black was not a good washing mixture. No damages here though. Uff!

Greek Barbie is just as pretty as the Philippine dolls can be and she couldn’t be more different from all the other Superstar Barbies in the world, or in my cabinet. Her uniqueness is her chocolate-brown hair and the same color eyes. My Barbie has a factory defect, her brows aren’t evenly painted and she’s slightly cross-eyed, but that only adds to her cuteness. Though I don’t change my DOTW outfits, she’s going to be one of my regular models presenting contemporary Barbie outfits. I like her immensely!

I admit I’m completely ignorant in the matter of traditional Greek outfits, but I don’t think my Barbie’s attire is very flattering. It comes with a black jacket with some yellow or gold pattern and there’s some white fabric sticking out of the sleeves, no doubt that detail is of paramount importance. Underneath the jacket Barbie’s wearing a halter-neck dress, very surprising. Again, this outfit allows a second, more regular kind of look.

As I’ve already mentioned, there are no shoes and what a pity because those were the kind of ballerina Barbie shoes that I haven’t got yet. But then again, if the doll were complete, I wouldn’t be able to afford her. So I got her a pair of golden heels with a lovely skull detail to them. My random shoes supply is running short, there was nothing that would suit my Barbie better but I’ll find some suitable alternative. Barbie’s jewelry is very modest – just a ring, but it’s quite intricate. It’s large and there’s some kind of pattern carved in it. My first Mexican Barbie has a ring just like that but in blue.

And here’s all my DOTW Superstar Barbies. I like them all but the new arrival is my favorite. I’m planning to do some fashion photoshoot pretty soon and she’s a kind of doll that will look great whatever you put on her.

Teen Dance Jazzie 1988

Jazzie (or should I say Kelley) belongs to my most favorite, most beloved headmolds in the entire Barbie universe. I’d gladly collect them all which is possible because there’s just ten of them. But then again I’d also like to own her predecessor – Kelley belonging to the short-lived Starr series as well as a couple of Heart Family Moms. My limited budget and display space make it impossible, so I focused on my three top favorites instead and it so happens that I’ve recently completed one of them. I’m talking about the adorable and fun Cheerleader Jazzie 1988 that is my third most favorite Jazzie of all times. Teen Dance Jazzie 1988 is my number two and the first place belongs to the very elusive Swim Suit Jazzie, also from 1988. She’s unique because she’s the only Jazzie with brown eyes and she’s very hard to get. How irritating! Anyway, I’m not going to focus on the Jazzie I don’t have, because the Teen Dance has just arrived and she’s NRFB!

Once there was the Starr dolls series. It was a great project but it somehow didn’t turn out to be a great success, so when Mattel came up with an idea of Jazzie, they took a slightly different approach. Once again they put the dolls in neat white boxes that would contrast with the overwhelming pink of Barbie. They added some geometric shapes that were in fashion at that time and they gave Jazzie logo a weird shape, looks very much like the Flintstones to me. At the same time they put Barbie’s name twice on the box to create a nice association with Mattel’s biggest doll hit. So Jazzie is Barbie’s cousin, she can wear her fashions. The lovely and unique “B” of Barbie’s logo was to bring the nice feelings and help Jazzie achieve success that the company aimed for. They failed and that’s Jazzie’s story reflected by her box. What’s inside? Just a doll and a comb that once belonged to Spectra. But look more closely and you’ll see that Jazzie comes with a lot, she just put it all on at the same time.

My Jazzie dolls really look good together – they’re both fiercely neon. The black of Teen Dance is supposed to bring some balance to the wild pink, green and blue. The doll’s so colorful you can’t focus and it’s impossible to see all the details of her outfit. There’s just too much of everything and … I like it! So Jazzie proves that a regular little black dress can be fun, you just put three additional skirts and throw a ginormous pink bow and something that looks like a corsage and you’re done. The bow and the corsage can be placed on her head or around her waist, or on her wrist or wherever you choose. You can put just one skirt or two or all of them, it’s up to you and if you’re a little confused by the bounty of her accessories, Mattel gives you a hit of the 8 ways you can arrange them, but with a little imagination you can create more wild styles. Just be careful now because the doll’s a bit old and the elastic at the skirts isn’t elastic anymore. I adore the below commercial.

The enorumous bow and the wrist corsage aren’t the only accessories included in Jazzie’s package, though it’s really hard to notice them amongst all those colors and layers. Jazzie’s wearing tights, authentic, black tights! Can you imagine a contemporary Mattel doll wearing them? They’re too fragile to survive playtime, too expensive and difficult to manufacture, in short, they aren’t worth all the effort but I really appreciate them as clear evidence of the high quality products Mattel once made. But Jazzie’s also got something else that most contemporary dolls are missing – jewelry! Although she isn’t wearing earrings, she’s got a clear rubber bracelet, a hair accessory of the same kind and an intriguing necklace that reminds me of the Jetsons!

The doll’s face is adorable, she just looks like a girl next door. She’s going to a school dance, but she’s applied minimal make-up just a touch of pink lipstick and some eyeshadow of the same color. Her eyes are blue, because Jazzie’s eyes are almost always blue. There may be just a hint of lavender, a touch of green, but the dominant color will be blue, except for the famous Swim Suit.  Swim Suit is also unique because she has saran hair, while Jazzie would mostly get kanekalon rooted and Teen Dance is no different in that respect. Unfortunately, Mattel decided to practice economy here and the result is that Jazzie’s root is sparse. Apparently, the wild bangs took most of the material.

All in all I’m extatic because despite the hair issue, the doll is flawless! She’s so colorful and happy. That’s a doll that I’d gladly buy for my daughter if only there were dolls like Jazzie available in stores. Somehow, I feel Kelley headmold is a missed opportunity, it may not be a material for a striking beauty but it’s got some charm do it. Enough of that, here’s some more pictures of my two Jazzie dolls and I entertain hope there may soon appear a third one, my number one.

Dolls of the World Native American Barbie First Edition 1992

There was a time when I wasn’t so keen on the Diva headmold and the very name Midge would bring one particular face that I wasn’t fond of, to put it mildly. That was Midge expecting a baby. And it’s not the round belly that would put me off so much, I actually don’t mind it though I look at Mattel’s interpretation of the miracle of birth with mixed feelings. No, it was her egg-shaped head that I didn’t find attractive, to say the least. She looked positively Hercules Poirot! So when one of my Superstars broke her fingers I selected a Midge doll to be cruelly beheaded. But in the end, I decided otherwise.  When I saw this doll that clearly hadn’t had an easy life, I ordered some hair for rerooting. That was my first reroot and I abandoned the idea of giving her bangs (too complicated) and the result was that my Midge had that Hercule Poirot egg for a head, but guess what! It doesn’t bother me at all. I actually like it! That poor doll changed my view of Divas completely and now I crave for them. I want them in a great number and variety and my newest one, well nearly, is the gorgeous, raven- black hair Native American Barbie First Edition 1992!

Composing this entry took some time and countless photos and selecting only 15 was impossible. While doing my research I discovered that Mattel’s created a whole tribe of Native American Barbies. I’ve counted as many as 13 dolls! The Native American Barbie appeared 4 times within the DOTW series alone, and there was also a Toys’r’us exclusive, a Model Muse, and many, many others. So here they are and the pictures come from Mattel’s official website. The beauties below are well known, they are based on Diva and Teresa headmolds.

These two belong to the ambitious American stories Collection that deals with the history of the USA. So there’s a Pioneer Barbie, a Pilgrim Barbie, a Civil War Nurse, a Patriot Barbie and of course, Native Americans. There are two of them – a Superstar and a Teresa and they come with babies snug in their buffalo skin sacks. I adore the ebony hair Superstar! She just jumped on my wish list!

I’m not so familiar with the below Native Americans, but I’ve got to admit  that two of them are just ravishing! The Northwest Coast Barbie is based on the Goddess headmold for a reason! She’s just gorgeous and so is the Spirit of the Earth Barbie. Overall, the entire Spirit series is excellent. Princess of the Navajo is the embodiment of the inner harmony as well as the union with nature. She’s very proud and beautiful. The Wind Rider is as wild as a galloping mustang, but I find Model Muse too skinny. When I picture her as a real human being, I somehow can’t imagine a dieting Native American and that she would prefer berries and roots over a juicy buffalo on a skewer seems odd. She’s a gold label nonetheless.

I hope I haven’t left anyone out because it’s high time I introduced the star of this post. My Diva Native American is gorgeous and so much different from all the Midge redheads in the world. Her ebony hair and dark complexion are a perfect background for her chocolate brown eyes encircled with blue that really pops out and gives her eyes a unique shape. Her lips are deep red and that’s her entire make-up. A true beauty doesn’t need much.

I’m really glad that Mattel decided to give her a cream outfit that highlights her other colors. It really goes well with her raven black hair and her dark skin. The outfit consists of several elements and it’s surprising. The loose tasseled top with blue beads sewn up front can be taken off and it reveals a simple dress that, had it been a bit shorter would be just ordinary in a slightly boho manner. I actually like the doll better without the top.

The first Native American Barbie comes with a few accessories but my favorite would be the over-knee boots! These are just made out of the same fabric as the top and the dress, but my, aren’t they great! I love the blue detailing that makes them a little less simple and more intriguing. The dress is definitely too long and hides them, but I played the Perfume Pretty Barbie trick and now you can see them better. The remaining accessories are a tasseled purse on a long strap and silver jewelry that doesn’t look accurate to me. I would rather have her wear some feathers or some tusks that once belonged to a very wild animal, but plastic please!

This is the first DOTW Diva in my collection and I’m just extatic to finally own her. There’s just something about DOTW dolls that makes them so irresistible to me. I’ve hardly crossed the Native American out of my list and another DOTW is now on her way. This time it’s somebody from the 80s and I just can’t wait to welcome her.