Coffee and Dolls EN: Diva mold

Showing posts with label Diva mold. Show all posts

Monday, November 18, 2019

Barbie and the All Stars Midge 1989

I had planned to present an African American beauty today, but the sun refuses to cooperate and I couldn’t take the pictures of her. So I switched her for a lovely Midge doll who had been photographed last month. A great Native American Barbie first edition aka Indian Midge joined my collection some time ago and on that occasion I took all my Divas out of the cabinet to compare them. There they stood all of them in a neat row. There was a Native American Midge (you know what I mean) without feathers in her hair or a bow with arrows. There was a bride without a groom, a sailing enthusiast without a yacht and a mermaid without a mermaid tail. What did they have in common, or rather what did they lack in common? None of them had freckles! Yes, that’s what I needed – freckles! There were two potential candidates, both from 1989, both beautifully and freckled. I wanted them both but Barbie and the all Stars Midge 1989 was more available and more reasonably priced.

The entire All Stars series is just amazing! They’re cheerful and colorful like a rainbow. They were each of them assigned one dominating color – Barbie got hot pink and Ken- blue, like they should. Christie’s color is orange, Midge’s is purple and Teresa’s got red. All these colors pop beautifully against white of their outfits that was common for all of them. The outfits were also sprinkled with sparkly stars. The true queen of the series would be Teresa with the lovely Steffie features. It’s unlikely that she should end up in my collection as her price is exorbitant, but silly I may be, I like the modest Midge just as much. Now the gang is passionate about sports and although they prefer different disciplines, they are a great team. The dolls have been also well accessorized so that they could practice the sports they selected. And after some good physical exertion they still have plenty of energy to hit the town. They’re almost ready, just a quick shower and a change of clothes. And where are their clothes you could ask? In their bags, or should I say, the bags are their clothes, all you need to do is flip them to the other side.

For some reason, only two of the set ever reached Poland and under a different name – Sports Club. Ken also switched basketball for golf and if I’m not mistaken, Barbie’s exactly the same. Of course a proper doll series should have an accompanying playset to make a good background for the dolls themselves and All Stars is no different. The below commercial presents the amazing Sports Club playset in all its glory!

Of course it would be ideal to be able to purchase only pristine dolls and preferably still in their boxes, but that’s not always possible and my Midge is an example of that. I bought the doll in a replacement outfit, then I got the accessories and a stock outfit. I’m still missing the magic bag-dress. Perhaps one day Midge will be complete, at this moment I’m content with what I got. Midge’s been through a lot. Her jewelry is missing and her hair has lost much of its crimp. But the doll herself is still beautiful, just look at this face paint – the lovely green eyes, the lavender eyeshadow that helps further bring out the color, and those freckles! She looks very youthful.

Midge is a great fan of baseball and she’s dressed and ready to go out to the field and strike! As I’ve already mentioned, I managed to get her outfit- the tight pants and the shirt that buttons up on the font. I’m still pining over the dress that to all likelihood gets horribly wrinkled in the bag form, but it’s impressive how it can transform. It’s so simple yet so ingenious! What I also love about the series is that all the girls got two pairs of shoes and since I purchased the outfit and the accessories separately, my Midge’s got one pair extra. Of course, Midge also came accessorized with baseball gear – the bat and the ball, there’s no glove though but she got a can of soda to remain well hydrated. There’s a brush and a set of punch-outs as well. My doll was dressed in some remnants of All Stars Barbie outfit – the very faded body-suit and the leg warmers in a surprisingly great condition. There was also a mysterious looking sports bag included in the deal.

The occasion calls for a group photo, so I took out all my Divas yet again, this time there was one freckled Midge amongst them. As it happens there’s another Midge on her way as I’m writing this and she’s very special. I wonder if she manages to dethrone the ravishing bride.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Dolls of the World Native American Barbie First Edition 1992

There was a time when I wasn’t so keen on the Diva headmold and the very name Midge would bring one particular face that I wasn’t fond of, to put it mildly. That was Midge expecting a baby. And it’s not the round belly that would put me off so much, I actually don’t mind it though I look at Mattel’s interpretation of the miracle of birth with mixed feelings. No, it was her egg-shaped head that I didn’t find attractive, to say the least. She looked positively Hercules Poirot! So when one of my Superstars broke her fingers I selected a Midge doll to be cruelly beheaded. But in the end, I decided otherwise. When I saw this doll that clearly hadn’t had an easy life, I ordered some hair for rerooting. That was my first reroot and I abandoned the idea of giving her bangs (too complicated) and the result was that my Midge had that Hercule Poirot egg for a head, but guess what! It doesn’t bother me at all. I actually like it! That poor doll changed my view of Divas completely and now I crave for them. I want them in a great number and variety and my newest one, well nearly, is the gorgeous, raven- black hair Native American Barbie First Edition 1992!

Composing this entry took some time and countless photos and selecting only 15 was impossible. While doing my research I discovered that Mattel’s created a whole tribe of Native American Barbies. I’ve counted as many as 13 dolls! The Native American Barbie appeared 4 times within the DOTW series alone, and there was also a Toys’r’us exclusive, a Model Muse, and many, many others. So here they are and the pictures come from Mattel’s official website. The beauties below are well known, they are based on Diva and Teresa headmolds.

These two belong to the ambitious American stories Collection that deals with the history of the USA. So there’s a Pioneer Barbie, a Pilgrim Barbie, a Civil War Nurse, a Patriot Barbie and of course, Native Americans. There are two of them – a Superstar and a Teresa and they come with babies snug in their buffalo skin sacks. I adore the ebony hair Superstar! She just jumped on my wish list!

I’m not so familiar with the below Native Americans, but I’ve got to admit that two of them are just ravishing! The Northwest Coast Barbie is based on the Goddess headmold for a reason! She’s just gorgeous and so is the Spirit of the Earth Barbie. Overall, the entire Spirit series is excellent. Princess of the Navajo is the embodiment of the inner harmony as well as the union with nature. She’s very proud and beautiful. The Wind Rider is as wild as a galloping mustang, but I find Model Muse too skinny. When I picture her as a real human being, I somehow can’t imagine a dieting Native American and that she would prefer berries and roots over a juicy buffalo on a skewer seems odd. She’s a gold label nonetheless.

I hope I haven’t left anyone out because it’s high time I introduced the star of this post. My Diva Native American is gorgeous and so much different from all the Midge redheads in the world. Her ebony hair and dark complexion are a perfect background for her chocolate brown eyes encircled with blue that really pops out and gives her eyes a unique shape. Her lips are deep red and that’s her entire make-up. A true beauty doesn’t need much.

I’m really glad that Mattel decided to give her a cream outfit that highlights her other colors. It really goes well with her raven black hair and her dark skin. The outfit consists of several elements and it’s surprising. The loose tasseled top with blue beads sewn up front can be taken off and it reveals a simple dress that, had it been a bit shorter would be just ordinary in a slightly boho manner. I actually like the doll better without the top.

The first Native American Barbie comes with a few accessories but my favorite would be the over-knee boots! These are just made out of the same fabric as the top and the dress, but my, aren’t they great! I love the blue detailing that makes them a little less simple and more intriguing. The dress is definitely too long and hides them, but I played the Perfume Pretty Barbie trick and now you can see them better. The remaining accessories are a tasseled purse on a long strap and silver jewelry that doesn’t look accurate to me. I would rather have her wear some feathers or some tusks that once belonged to a very wild animal, but plastic please!

This is the first DOTW Diva in my collection and I’m just extatic to finally own her. There’s just something about DOTW dolls that makes them so irresistible to me. I’ve hardly crossed the Native American out of my list and another DOTW is now on her way. This time it’s somebody from the 80s and I just can’t wait to welcome her.

Monday, June 24, 2019

Wedding Day Midge 1990

At the beginning of my collecting I set certain rules that since then I have repeatedly broken. I decided my collection would exclude all sorts of beach dolls, princesses/ magical creatures, ankle-long hair and brides. And? Well see for yourself:

No beach dolls – see Sun Sensation Skipper, Wet’n Wild Skipper

No princesses/ magical creatures – see rerooted Jewel Hair Mermaid Midge

No ankle-long hair- see Hollywood Hair Teresa

No brides – see Wedding Day Midge

No comment…

Wedding Day Midge has been by favorite Diva ever since I began to appreciate the headmold. The doll would’ve been perfect had it not been for her outfit. I just don’t like wedding dresses. While others may deem them spectacular I think them boring. In fact it took me good two months to find a dress for my own wedding and all of them just looked the same to me- just a flurry of polyester and tulle in white or ecru. I settled for a striking white dress with elaborate embroidery in deep purple. That one did look different and I liked it, but Midge’s is just ordinary. Or so I thought. At first I planned to purchase the doll nude and find something extravagant for her from the amazing Private Collection outfit packs. But then I took a second look, many looks in fact and began to appreciate the single fact that this is a transformation outfit and I simply love those. And then there were all those details that at first I failed to observe and the outfit intrigued me to the point that I decided I had to have the doll in her stock outfit, and nothing else would do.

The outfit comes in several pieces. There’s the voluminous overskirt that is two layers, the upper one being the kind of fabric I don’t know the name of but it’s very soft and spotted and trimmed with lace and some silver thread. The skirt closes with a plastic snap. The lace sleeves come off as well and so the bridal look changes into honeymoon minidress. The mini has a plain bottom and a lacy top with the same silvery thread. There was also a lavender jacket with polka dots but it’s gone missing as my doll is a second-hand purchase. Perhaps one day I might get it.

Midge has all her bridal accents, there’s the long veil of course. It reaches past her knees and is gathered at the head with some embroidery to add elegance to it. It’s held by a rubber band that has long lost its elastic properties. I might replace it with a new one. There’s a bouquet as well, and those are fabric flowers of some sort – tulips or roses maybe. My Midge has lost her stock flowers, but the one she’s wearing on her hand is quite beautiful. A bride needs a wedding ring of course, and Midge is no different. Her wedding ring is molded on and painted gold on her left hand of course but her jewelry – her ring and earrings are just plain silver and quite boring.

Midge is a striking beauty and that’s for the very simple facepaint. There’s but a whisper of eyeshadow and you need to look for it to see it actually. Her mascara and eyeliner are navy blue and that softens her features and expression. Her eyes are green and purple and there’s the tiny white cross in her eyes. She shines! Her lips are juicy pink and there’s a bit of blush to her cheeks. She would’ve been perfect, but she’s a Chinese version and so her hair is kanekalon as opposed to the Malaysian saran. The color is lovely though – a very warm shade of copper.

Of course, I should mention that Midge was available as a single doll or in a Wedding Party set that included 6 dolls! Now the topic of wedding releases isn’t quite as fascinating to me as it probably should, but there are some Mattel’s brides that have caught my eye. Tracy Bride is my favorite amongst them, the doll is so beautiful it almost hurts and if I ever manage to add her to my collection, I’ll study the topic thoroughly and determine if Pink Splendor is a bride or not because I’m not so sure.