Dream Glow Barbie 1985

My 80s classics shelf is getting more and more crowded and very pink too. I’ve recently added two new dolls there and those are the lovely Day to Night or Vacation Sensation Barbie (whatever she may be) and Dream Glow 1985. She’s so pretty, in fact I think she’s one of the best Barbie dolls of the 80s for her beautiful, vibrant face paint and her simple but elegant hairdo. Unfortunately, my doll’s hair is far from perfect but before I begin to despair over that, let me tell you something more about the Dream Glow line.

Dream Glow Barbie was available in three ethnic variants and I cannot say which of them is my favorite, I love them all. The African American and Hispanic dolls bear the lovely features of the Hispanic Headmold. Each of the three girls has a unique make-up and … an identical outfit which was a common practice back then. The dress was sprinkled with fluorescent stars and to add to Barbie’s romantic look, she was accessorized with an umbrella. The umbrella would double for a shawl as well, Mattel has had some bold ideas over the years of Barbie’s existence! There were Ken dolls to assist the ladies, a line of fashions and two furniture playsets – a vanity and a canopy bed.

 the source: https://www.pinterest.se/pin/58124651422148664/

 the source: https://www.pinterest.at/pin/58124651422148702/ 

I had mixed feelings about my Dream Glow Barbie. I purchased her online, as usual, but this time the state of the doll’s hair escaped my scrutiny, so when she arrived, she surprised me and not in the way I like it. The hair was sparse, coarse, stiff, matted and cut on top of Barbie’s head. I guess, one of her previous owners intended to give her bangs, but failed. Covering the bad haircut was impossible and I despaired over the doll that was once so pretty and she still had a beautiful face, but the hair was a catastrophe!

Sure I could shave her hair finishing the destruction set in motion many, many years ago and try to rectify that by giving her a complete reroot, but I wanted to check if I could save what was left of her once glorious hair first. So she spent a week soaking in fabric softener while I was doing my best searching for saran. I failed and at my disposal I had nylon in three shades of blonde – one was too dark, another too light, and the one that was closest to the desired color had too short strands! Frustrating! It’s hard to get saran in my country and shipping it from abroad is hardly economical.

So I used the nylon at hand, filled the empty hair plugs and added some volume in general and the result is far from what I’d had in mind. Barbie has noticeable highlights and the two kinds of hair refuse to cooperate, the new nylon and the old saran just won’t blend despite boilwashing. In my disappointment, I sat Barbie on the lowest shelf of my cabinet not sure what I was going to do with her next (again focusing on an insignificant, little problem because it’s impossible to cope with the big one that’s been crushing the entire world – Covid-19). But then a few days passed and I looked on her with a kind eye. She was still very pretty and someday I might correct the partial reroot. My Barbie is a Taiwan variant which happens to be my favorite. There was also a Philippine and a Malaysian.

Barbie’s lost her umbrella, her shoes and jewelry (and much of her hair), but she’s kept her dress and it’s in a pretty decent condition. I love the top that’s made of something very similar to suede and it’s trimmed with silvery lace. The bottom part still glows in the dark. That’s the kind of dolls that I’d dream of as a little girl! She’s staying!

So Dream Glow Barbie no longer occupies the lowest shelf of the cabinet. She got her doll stand and joined the other classics of the 80s. The dolls have been through a lot and you can still see that upon a closer look. Some of them are missing their stock outfits, their lovely curls long lost their shape, jewelry is rare with them, but I still like these dolls enormously and my fondness for them is growing with every new veteran.