Barbie Holiday Fashion Packs 2019

 I hardly ever buy contemporary Barbie dolls, and if I do, they’re always gifts for my daughters or nieces. Somehow, despite their diversity and pretty faces I can’t accept how lightweight they are and there are also a couple other issues. As to Barbie clothes, I’m not that picky and I’m eager to experiment checking out if they fit my older dolls. If they don’t, there are always my daughters who will gladly accept any clothes for their dolls. When I was little, it was extremely hard for me to get a hold of at least one fashion pack for my dolls.

Last year, Mattel released a line of Christmas themed fashion packs and I wanted to get the pajamas but somehow I didn’t. Probably I had purchased too many dolls and I had a shopper’s remorse so I decided to practice economy by not buying that single fashion pack. This year I made up for it by buying the entire line that consists of four sets. Mattel assigned them the numbers GGG48/GGG49, /GGG50, /GGG51 and /GGG52 and included some small accessories but not the shoes.

Fun-to-Dress Barbie is wearing the pajamas GGG48/GGG49. When I recall some 90s American Christmas movies, the kids always wore such pajamas and then on Christmas morning they would run down the stairs expecting a pile of gifts under their Christmas Tree. In my country or at least in the area where I grew up, we always opened presents on Christmas Eve right after the feast. The procedure was well practiced and staged to perfection to avoid suspicion. An adult would pretend to have just seen the first star on the sky and that would be the sigh that Santa was close. All the kids and adults would then go upstairs while one adult would stay downstairs to open the door or a window for Santa to enter. Once that person joined the rest of the party, everyone would stay still listening. Once someone heard bells, everyone would go downstairs to discover the presents. Joy, high frequency sounds and wrapping paper flying everywhere would normally follow.

As to the pajamas, I like the pattern that pops against the red background. The top closes with Velcro in the front and the bottoms have an elastic waistband. As an accessory included in the pack, I would be glad to get a pair of slippers or a toothpaste and a brush, but Mattel found these items absolutely unnecessary and instead we get … a puppy. And it’s the tiniest puppy in the world. The puppy changed ownership upon taking the set out of the box. My daughter decided one of her Barbie dogs would have a baby and I haven’t been able to borrow the tiny puppy even for the photoshoot.

When I first saw the promo pictures of the set GGG48/GGG50 I thought it would be perfect for Skipper and I bought it hoping at least the top would fit her. It does, but the skirt is too large. I could wrap the doll twice with the skirt and it’s too long as well. The hoodie has a lovely, wintery design, it closes at the back with Velcro and has an opening in the hood for you to put the doll’s hair through it. The skirt resembles denim in terms of fabric, it’s rather stiff and it fits a larger doll much better. The hoodie is painfully stretched on a Barbie though. The single accessory included in the pack is a white clutch. My models for the session are Sun Sensation Skipper and Pet Doctor Barbie.

A mysterious model is presenting the set GGG48/GGG51. The doll is a fresh purchase so she hasn’t had a proper presentation on the blog. I got her because I needed an African American model and although she came with her stock outfit, I just hate the atrocity she’s currently wearing and I plan for her to be changing clothes like my Fun-to-Dress Barbie. The set GGG51 is a bit of a disappointment. I liked the idea of a prismatic dress and the large print on the front part, but the silver layer is dull, wrinkles easily and the back of the dress is pink and elastic. The dress is so large it would fit on a Ken doll should he decide to go cross-dressing. The translucent, pink purse is pretty nice though.

The last set is numbered GGG48/GGG52 and although the skirt is one-sided, I really like the entire ensemble. The top is fairly basic with an opalescent trim at the neck and a large print. It closes with Velcro at the back. The red skirt with a ruffle at the bottom and the Norwegian pattern on the front part is pretty graceful. I chose Shoppin’ Fun Barbie and Kelly without Kelly for my model for her red lips and red earrings and I think this simple doll is so lovely she takes my attention from the set that, by the way, came with a great accessory that I like best of all four. It’s a gift box that actually opens. I fully expected a molded box with no bottom and the top attached to it, but you can actually lift it and put something tiny inside. A real, working box surprised me. Well done Mattel!

Overall, I like the entire series, though the prismatic dress could’ve been made better and I think it’s a missed opportunity. I would be really glad if Mattel decided to release holiday-themed fashion packs every year. After all, there are so many other dolls to be dressed – I’m sure Ken would love an ugly sweater and what about Chelsea that would use some cute holiday fashions, not to mention Skipper or Stacie that are very much neglected in that department. It’s something to consider