Emerald Elegance Special Edition Barbie 1994

If I were to sum up the entire post in just one sentence, it would be „December calls for ball gowns”. That’s when I like that type of dolls the best. Their splendor suits the holiday season perfectly and their voluminous dresses seem a little lighter at that time. In fact, splendid and spectacular dolls like the Happy Holidays Barbies were the beginning of my collection and I had initially meant for them to be its core but as I went on, my tastes and interests altered and now they occupy only one shelf in the cabinet. Now, Emerald Elegance Barbie doll isn’t a Happy Holiday, but she’s spectacular and fits with the season just perfectly.

Emerald Elegance mesmerized me at a time when a cabinet full of dolls felt unreal at all and could only be considered a daring dream, but I promised myself that if that cabinet ever came to exist in reality, Emerald Elegance would take a place of honor on one of its shelves. I truly have no idea what kept me from acquiring her so long. Perhaps it’s the wide and easy availability of the doll on Ebay combined with her low price that made me put her off in time and focus all my efforts on getting the rarer ones. Or perhaps it was my indecisiveness that was in my way – I couldn’t make up my mind which doll I liked better – the redhead or the African American. But I do know one thing for sure, I’m happy she arrived and her timing is just perfect.

I do sometimes see Emerald Elegance on collectors’ blogs, she’s hard not to notice but for a relatively popular doll, not much is known about her and I cannot be sure if the information I’ve dug out is reliable in any case. Maybe there’s not much to be known about her but her name and/or her box suggest 2-3 other dolls, all of them having been released as Toys’r’us exclusives. These will be Radiant in Red 1992, Emerald Elegance 1994, Purple Passion 1995 and Sapphire Sophisticate 1997 (production dates). As you can see the names are all about colors, the dolls are dressed in the same style, the box of Emerald Elegance and Purple Passion is pretty much the same and the four dolls were available each in two versions – a redhead or AA with the exception of Sapphire, she was a brunette or AA. They are all excellent dolls and I’d be glad to own the entire line. So far, I’ve managed to collect two of them, the other one being Purple Passion with the gorgeous copper colored saran hair.

                       Source: https://www.amazon.com/Barbie-Purple-Passion-African-American/dp/B000PKQ6H6

Source: https://gameplayforvideogames.ecrater.com/p/18504352/barbie-collector-doll-toys-r-us

Source: https://archiwum.allegro.pl/oferta/sapphire-sophisticate-barbie-1997-kolekcjonerska-i7161891689.html

 

So on the surface, Emerald seems to be just another ball gown type of doll, but what tells her apart from all the other dolls just like her is her hair. It’s kanekalon styled with simplicity but the color is just amazing. The hair is soft but not to be brushed. I’ve seen Emerald with hair damaged beyond repair and I don’t think that was due to the doll being mistreated. Her hair is just not the best quality to be honest, you just need to be gentle with her. As to the color of her hair, it’s very warm and pleasant and it contrasts with the cold of her make-up. It brings some other dolls to my mind and those are the girls from Barbie and the Rockers and Fashion Play Barbie 1988. Barbie with her make-up is so bold, daring and extravagant, and she likes to accessorize. Just look at that opalescent flower in her hair.

There’s another flower of that kind on her dress whose design I like a lot, but I wish some better quality fabrics had been selected for it. Still, the dress is really impressive. It may, however, seem a little out of date with the drop waist and the large collar at the jacket. There’s some tackiness to it and I fear for my good taste because I like it. As far as the design and the accessories go, I wouldn’t change a single thing, well, I’d give her some panties, but that’s all and since we’ve already discussed what’s underneath her skirts, let’s talk about the shoes. These are just the classic 90s Barbie pumps but I love the color with just a touch of pearly coat to them. Barbie’s name refers to emeralds and she’s got them in abundance.

The occasion calls for a group photo. Emerald Elegance and Purple Passion look so amazing together, but let’s add some more color in the place where Radiant and Sapphire are lacking. Perhaps Royal Romance and Happy Holidays 1990? Yes, that’s better.