My collection isn’t unusual. I like the popular
models of Barbie like Peaches’n Cream or Dream Date and Magic Moves is my
all-time favorite. So it should come as no surprise that I pursued the famous
Day to Night Barbie 1984. It was only a matter of time and good deal. Finally,
the doll arrived, beautiful and glamorous, the problem is, I’m not entirely
sure it’s Day to Night, but about this in a minute. First I need to deal with
the encyclopedia part of the post, so sit back, it’s going to be a long, looong
text.
So back in the 80s Mattel had a brilliant idea
– they would make Barbie an independent, career woman, possibly a corporate
worker. Barbie’s running shoulder to shoulder with the male work force in the
endless rat race and her stiletto high heels wouldn’t slow her down, though the
clacking is muffed by the office wall-to-wall carpeting. She’s the embodiment
of Mattel’s slogan “We girls can do anything, right Barbie?”. She’s added a
little pink to the corporate dress code, she’s got a briefcase in one hand and
a calculator in the other and she’s ready to become the big fish of world class
business. Beware! The Taiwan, Philippine and Malaysia sites received the same
design and interpreted it in their own, unique way of course.
The „foreign” sites producing Barbie dolls on
Mattel’s license were pretty active too albeit on a smaller scale. That is why
Barbie Dia y Noche by Congost or the Estrella Night and Day clad all in blue
carry a hefty price tag nowadays. These would also include Barbie dolls by
Rotoplast and Basa. Those dolls are rare and exotic to me and I know very little
about them. Apart from the Caucasian D2N Barbie and her exotic variants, the
series also included 2 more dolls – an African American and Hispanic Barbie
both based on the Spanish1983 headmold as well as 2 Ken dolls.
the source: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/115967759134402861/?lp=true
the source: https://www.toysisters.com/1985-day-to-night-barbie-hispanic/
The dolls were gorgeous, but they needed the
right setting and a number of clothing options. There were 6 fashion packs
available with a great disproportion of 5 of them dedicated for Barbie and only
1 for Ken. These suggested 6 possible career types and my favorite sets would
be the Teacher and the Dancer. As to the themed playset, there was one and it
possessed the properties and abilities worthy of a Transformer. The playset was
called Home and Office, it was produced in 1984 and though it was not large, it
offered a lot of fun. There were two play spaces – an office and a bedroom with
a plenty of playability features such as real opening closets and drawers, a
bed and a desk pulled out of a wall. There was also a number of small
accessories such as an ancient looking computer or a coffee mug. Now I want
this playset, and badly, but I don’t entertain high hopes of ever getting it in
a decent condition, because it didn’t age well. All those little hinges are
prone to damage and the drawers are easily lost, not to mention the
accessories. My research revealed there were also two somewhat obscure
accessory / fashion packs – Barbie Finishing Touches 9 to 5 and Barbie in
Office by Leo Mattel exclusive to the Indian market. The first one appears on
eBay from time to time but the other one I’ve found only reviewed on
Youtube.
the source: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/838021443134421600/?lp=true
the source: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/323696291962175538/
Day to Night Barbie was a great success and no
wonder she was reproduced in 2017 as one of the most popular Barbie dolls in
history. The reproduction is quite close to the original but due to the more
advanced technology, the face paint lost some of its charm that manifested
itself in blurred lines and soft strokes. D2N from 1984 looks far more dreamy
than the repro whose hair seems stiff and heavily sprayed with some kind of a
hair product, but I still believe it’s a decent reproduction as it’s got a TnT
waist and click bending vinyl legs. The outfit was also copied to the last
detail and so were the accessories and there are the original photos on the
box. I was even tempted to buy the repro to have a nice, clean and fresh doll,
but I chose the 1984 Barbie because she’s prettier and she’s well … my age.
thes source: https://www.aliexpress.com/i/32863533000.html
Ok, that was a lengthy introduction, but the series
had much to offer and in my attempts at identifying my Barbie I was discovering
more and more wonderful things. It was impossible to me not to mention all
those marvels. Now as to my Barbie, she’s probably Day to Night, but she might
as well be the Vacation Sensation 1986. The two dolls are incredibly similar as
they share the general facial screening design. Do they differ - well there are
many country variants and face paint itself is prone to fading due to storing
conditions. I thought Barbie’s feet may be of help – to the best of my
knowledge D2N should have more detailed, pointy feet whilst VS’s are round, but
then again, body swap is not an uncommon practice. There was one version of D2N
produced for the European market and she has two white spots in her eyes
instead of one so she’s easily identified. As for the other ones, I have a
feeling that VS is a little more done up. Her eyeshadow and blush are a little
more vibrant but that I only inferred from photos.
the source: https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/479914904035569756/?lp=true
the source: https://www.amazon.in/Barbie-Vacation-Sensation-Sportswear-Accessories/dp/B000PJCPUY
As I was waiting for my „probably” D2N Barbie,
I ordered her stock outfit and accessories. The condition of her clothes isn’t the
best but it doesn’t age well in general. The body suit lost its straps and
threads are coming out, the “suede” suit has faded and there are some rust
stains on it, the tulle is frayed at the bottom, but I’m still glad to have it.
The design is great allowing two different looks and it’s also incredibly
detailed, just look at those miniscule buttons!
The accessories are also almost complete, I’m missing the newspapers and
a credit card though.
My doll came with a lot as a part of the deal.
She had a suitcase with two nearly complete fashion sets, two pairs of shoes,
some sunglasses a D2N purse and a phone. I like the clothes best of all and one
set in particular seemed quite familiar though I couldn’t tell where I’d seen
it before until I found this picture online. It shows the Living Pretty
Roll-top Desk and Bookcase that I used to own when I was little. That was my
first playset and I loved it! I got it the same day my mom bought me my very
first Barbie doll. The Barbie in the picture is wearing the Weekend Collection
fashion pack – the very one I own now. I must have loved it back then as much
as I do now, it reminds me of Dynasty
The other Weekend Collection fashion is
incomplete – I’m missing the sleeveless top, hopefully I’ll get it someday and
in case my Barbie was really VS, I got her blue one-piece. VS came with some
great travel accessories and two additional fashion options, unfortunately she’s
rather hard to get these days.
the source: https://www.amazon.com/Barbie-Weekend-Collection-Jacket-Clothing/dp/B001MQ9XM2
My new Barbie, be it D2N or VS is really pretty
and I’m very happy with her. She occupies the 80s classics shelf that’s
becoming increasingly pink. I do love this pink!
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