Party Time Barbie AA Special Edition 1994

Some dreams come true sooner than we would’ve thought. In my recent post about the Party Time Teresa, I mentioned how I’d love to own AA Barbie as well. The doll was hardly available even on ebay so I didn’t have high hopes. To my astonishment, one of my Polish readers informed me there was one just waiting to be snatched and I did just that. Christie stole Jazzie’s doll stand because I’m behind with my stands again. My doll cabinet capacity is almost exhausted, so some dolls had to step down and sit down, so to speak. The Wallmart Exclusive Super Star 1993 has a new owner, but somehow I find it hard to let go of my dolls. So far only two Barbies left my collection and I won’t even mention how many joined.  

I know that Christie is technically speaking an African American Barbie doll but I’ve decided to be consistently erratic about her name. Anyway, it’s Mattel’s fault, they’ve created this confusion by calling Barbie’s African American friend by her name. Whilst Mattel’s objective was to promote racial equality by producing two Barbies and dressing them identically, the boxes don’t quite follow the rule. The promo picture presents the Caucasian Barbie in the company of her friend, but the AA Barbie is … alone? Not to mention that theres’a certain pattern as far as the dolls’ owners are concerned. You might have noticed that the three girls are playing with the dolls that represent their own race. Now, I feel I'm treading on thin ice so I'm retreating. I’ll just clarify that I’d love to own all three of them, the Caucasian perhaps not so much although I’m the same race. I think that Teresa and the AA Barbie are far more beautiful.

I purchased Chrisite NRFB and even her box was pristine, I changed that of course. Her box contained the watch that did not age well. There was a catalogue and I was happy to see it. Teresa didn’t come with one.  The catalogue is in a form of a poster and it presents the dolls and playsets available at that time as well as some Barbie merchandise including everything from a china set to underwear, even a full scale car that Barbie’s little owner could drive. Although I don’t like the idea of taking pictures of pictures, I just had to show you the Baywatch playset and the Stack’n Play Barbie house. I adore Barbie real estate in its entirety, even the smallest houses that poses the advanced skills of Transformers. My ideal would be the Barbie Furinshed Town House. True, it’s made of cardboard and a little plastic, it’s only half furnished and comes with no accessories, but that’s the house I used to have when I was little, and for this reason it’s just the best.

 

So here’s the Barbie herself whom I’ll be calling Christie. I’m an amateur photographer and I don’t even deserve that title, which is evident by the photos I take. You just have to believe me when I say that Christie is far more beautiful in person and my pictures don’t do her justice. Her face looks fresh and youthful and the natural beauty of the headmold is further enhanced by the minimal make-up she’s wearing. Her hair is soft and silky though it’s kanekalon. I’m not so crazy about this kind of Barbie hair, it’s difficult to work with, but Christie’s is in perfect condition.

As far as Chrisite’s outfit is concerned, it’s just like Teresa’s except for the colors and I don’t know which one I like better. Both I guess look best when put next to each other. I like the peach colored accents, and I would’ve loved if Caucasian Barbie came with a different color dress. Lavender with pale yellow bows and shoes would look absolutely adorable. Somehow I’m reluctant to purchase dolls that are wearing the same dresses, but a change of color is a change enough for me.

I seem to be closing most of my posts with group photos recently. That’s because it’s an opportunity for me to take other dolls out of the cabinet and enjoy them anew. I love to analyze how face paint or hair color makes the same headmold look different. I have only a few “Christie” dolls but each of them is pretty in her own way and they are all completely dissimilar.

Dolls of the World Moroccan Barbie 1998

16.08.2018

My collection has recently expanded in terms of the various headmolds that I added to it. Not so long ago, my very first Ken 1988 arrived followed by my first Oriental doll 1980 and Christie 1987. As far as Christie is concerned, I’d long wanted to include her in my collection and there were many prospective candidates as the mold was very popular back in the 80s and 90s. They were all stunning, beautiful dolls but Moroccan Barbie 1998 beat them all.

Why did I chose her? She’s absolutely unique. She’s instantly recognizable for her unusually fair skin tone that makes her so much different from all the Christies in the world. Technically, I shouldn’t call her Christie, because she belongs to the amazing series called the Dolls of the World. Moroccan Barbie was also produced in 1998 and to the best of my knowledge released a year later, so she’s younger than the dolls I typically choose, but she still bears all the features of my favorite Barbie era – the click bending knees, TNT waist, the 90 degrees bent arms and the Christie 1987 mold.

The doll must have been a result of an inspiration! She’s captivating and ethereal, her expression is full of serenity and harmony and when I look at her it seems to me there’s some kind of mystery about the doll, I find it hard to describe. Her hazel eyes are dreamy and her makeup isn’t distracting – the thick eyeliner adds depth to her look and the light, metallic pink line makes it more vivid. The lips of the headmold have been sculpted as naturally ample though the effect varies depending on how the facepaint interprets the mold, but this time they were made incredibly full and the outcome is even more striking for the glossy lipstick. They’re parted in an enigmatic smile. The cute dimples are characteristic of the mold. Barbie’s hair is actually two toned – the black mingles with very thin, subtle brown streaks but it’s hard to capture in a picture.

As to the doll’s dress, I admit I know too little of the culture of the region to fully appreciate its beauty and complexity. However, it’s evident the designers spared no effort when creating it and the result is breathtaking! The orange-magenta combination makes it impossible not to stop for a moment to admire it. The exotic pattern and golden elements add dimension to it. The metal snaps that close the outfit reveal high quality.

Barbie surely likes to accessorize, but this lady exceeds all possible limits. Apart from the customary ring and a pair of earrings, whose design by the way is exceptional, two medallions grace her. The outfit is pure perfection as is the doll with all her trinkets, but my favorite part of the doll (except for just about everything) are her shoes! Like what?! Amazing!

Moroccan Barbie is captivating and breathtaking and makes me think it would be fantastic to have another Christie molded doll but this time with darker skin tone and preferably in a to-be-rescued condition. I’d love to try to restore such a doll! In the meanwhile, me and “Christie” went out for a little walk and in the city jungle we met … a tiger!