Me and my daughters like to watch Barbie in the Nutcracker at Christmas. I like this movie for the festive atmosphere, not for the ballerinas which, to be honest, I don’t care much for. The same goes for fairies, mermaids or princesses. They’re usually pretty, but I don’t really need them in my collection. Of course where’s a rule there must be an exception, in my doll cabinet there are two and Swan Queen in Swan Lake Barbie 1997 is one of them.
That Barbie should be a ballerina is of little consequence to me, she could very well be a plumber. I love her for her face and the hair. By the way, I think that 1997 was a good year for the brunettes – there’s the Happy Holidays ’97, Holiday Treats Barbie and of course, the Swan Queen. I put the purchase off for a year because I was afraid I would never style the hair having bathed the doll. Luckily for me, my Barbie is in perfect condition and very clean for a secondhand doll. The updo is pure perfection – gathered in an elaborate bun adorned with pearls and feathers. The face looks very clean, just the eyes are a tad bigger than normal for the rooted lashes.
My Barbie’s outfit is gorgeous though fairly simple. The bottom part is layers of tulle sprinkled with glitter and something that is supposed to look like swan wings perhaps. The top, however, is just perfection – satin (polyester actually) with real beads sewn to it looks really beautiful. I like the fact that some of the beads are pale blue, it adds a bit of color to this otherwise completely white dress. Of course I appreciate the old Mattel putting tights on Barbie’s legs instead of just painting them white. The ballet shoes have a pearly shine to them and I are very pretty.
With Swan Queen and and Sugar Plum Fairy already in my possession, I’m only missing Barbie as Marzipan in the Nutcracker from 1998. She truly is a beauty and she would look marvelous with the other two ladies. That’s my plan for this year and I hope to get the doll before Christmas 2021. Wish me luck!
