Accessory pack #CFB51

08.11.2018

One day, when she was home alone, Hime-chan climbed out of her box with as much gracefulness and dignity as her elaborate kimono would allow. The kimono was beautiful and she knew she looked like a million dollars, but it restricted her movements a tiny bit. Last night she stole into the liquor cabinet and instead of taking a sip of her favorite brand of sake, she drank some Polish vodka, just a little… a little too much, so now she’s thirsty.

'Coffee or tea? Hmm, my heart will stop one day for all the caffeine I consume daily when she looks away. Not today, it’s definitely matcha time!'

'Whaaaat? That glutton drank it all! But maybe, just maybe, she hasn’t discovered my secret stock that I keep hidden behind the instant coffee jar. Coffee hates it so she doesn’t look there often. Ahh, here it is!'

'Ok, now I need a pot. Ugh that’s heavy, but I’ll manage. Where’s that shovel now? It’s really beyond me that Coffee hasn’t bought a genuine chawan yet. What am I supposed to drink matcha from? A miso bowl? Oh well, no matter, now let’s mix it and we’re ready to go!'

'Tea certainly goes very well with a good book. What has she been reading lately? Ah, Gai-jin, excellent! That’ll do'

'A vegetable chopping board will be a perfect substitute for a table. I wonder if the sushi from Matte-ru is any good. Oh dear, I wish I had the made to move type of legs. Click and bend knees are very nice indeed, but there’s no way I can kneel'

'Ohayooooouuu Hime-chan! May I join you?'

'Aaaaah Peko-chan, of course, please sit down.'

'You’ve made a table out of … a vegetable chopping board? Seriously?'

'The meat board was disgusting. Anyway, it certainly does what it’s supposed to, so don’t complain.'

'Well then, Itadakimaaaaaaasu!'

'Wasabi was first class, I’ve already stopped sneezing, but the onigiri had that plastic under taste to them …'

'You know, you’re right. Let’s wash it off with something. Let’s see, there should be some Pocky left, unless Coffee ate them all, which is quite probable… Ok, we’re good.'

'O no, Coffee’s back, she’ll catch us red-handed eating blissfully her Pocky!'

'Well, well. What do we have here? A tea party, and I’m not invited! Fancy some sake? Kanpai!'

I enjoy reading blogs of the collectors who give names to their dolls and create their stories. It makes a doll that is mass produced very special and one of a kind. Much as I love it, I lack the creativity this requires or perhaps it’s just not the direction I follow with my collection. But there’s one doll that I’ve named and that’s Ohime. When I look at her, all kinds of stories just pop up in my mind and although Mattel gave her the expression of serenity and inner harmony, to me she could be a dangerous woman and holding a shuriken quite becomes her (shuriken is a kind of Japanese weapon, star-shaped and quite small, but deadly and very helpful should you want to help your enemies move onwards). Hime-chan’s shuriken is actually a part of a Christmas Tree ornament, but what do you have your imagination for?

You may think otherwise, but the object that I really wanted to present in this entry is a tiny little accessory set #CFB51 that I found by accident when I unintentionally lost my way to the groceries and ended up in a toy section one day when I was out shopping. The set includes a sushi tray, two plates, two sets of chopsticks and two cups of green tea. It’s also packaged in such a way as to allow taking the contents of the little bag without damaging the packaging and then put it back again. Very nice if you like to keep your collection boxed.

This entry also features Peko-chan who of course isn’t a Mattel doll, but she’s very special to me. I got her six years ago from my friend Y. She came to Poland accompanied by her students to launch a school exchange following the very unfortunate earthquake and the tsunami in 2011. Back then I just started my Japanese classes and our Sensei asked us to write letters to the teachers and students living in one of the areas that were most affected and damaged at that time. A year later Y. came and brought me a ton of presents, a Peko-chan gift set being one of them. Peko-chan is a character created by Fujiya, a company producing candies called Milky.

 

Back then I didn’t even dream about collecting dolls and Y. must have been unsure whether a gaikoku-jin woman would like a doll for a gift. Well, she couldn’t have picked a better present for me!

Dolls of the World Japanese Barbie 1995

12.07.2018

The Superstar mold with its irresistible charm could easily obscure the beauty of all the other dolls that Mattel had on the menu back in the 80s and 90s. No wonder it was Barbie’s official face for good 20 years. But although Superstar is my favorite of all Mattel’s creations, having a redhead, a brunette and a couple of blondes, I could finally turn my attention to other headmolds.

The 1980 Oriental mold is so graceful I really can’t understand how I could have been so blind as not to have appreciated this face sooner. There were many prospective candidates to my collection who hold the exotic, oriental features, yet, for all my love and fascination for the culture of Japan, the choice was quite simple.

This one came as NRFB and she seems to have been packed a little more diligently than a play line, though I have a very limited experience with boxes. The back of the box contains some information about the country and its customs. The front of the box informs it’s a collector edition and displays the doll beautifully. The box contained also a stand, a brush, an invitation to subscribe Barbie Bazaar and a 2-year warranty, precious little artefacts reminding of Barbie’s glory from the past when attention to detail and high quality of the product were more important than they seem to be now.

My Japanese is dressed in a Kimono 着物- that literally means a thing to wear. My knowledge on this subject is quite limited, but from what I know, Barbie is wearing a spring kimono for young, unmarried women, which is evident by the length of the sleeves. The kimono is closed with a gold, embroidered Obi sash tied at the back and the purple layer underneath is slightly protruding. It’s attached to the pink layer of course. To keep the kimono in place, it’s been sewn with a single thread and there are 2 plastic snaps at the level of the obi. Velcro holds the Obi in two places so it doesn’t slide up or down. The doll’s kimono looks very accurate and authentic. 

Barbie is also wearing the Tabi – the socks, and her traditional clogs that have a slight tendency to fall off but they keep to the feet far better than I thought. As for her jewelry, she’s wearing a simple pearl ring and no earrings whatsoever. There’s a pretty pink bow in her hair and I can see the rubber band has started to disintegrate.

The hair of my Japanese is raven black and incredibly soft. It’s completely straight and very long. The fringe is unnecessary in my opinion and Barbie would look more authentic without it, but the 90s and no bangs? No way! Her face is simply gorgeous! Her lips are full and red and there’s a bit of lavender eye shadow and a thick eyeliner over her slightly too large, hazel eyes, but that’s Barbie, so whatever her origin, her eyes must be full of expression. Her face speaks peace and harmony. I guess, she’s exceptional in my collection in a way that she prefers tea to coffee. Green tea, of course.