My Favorite Barbie Swirl Ponytail (1964)

This one has been scooting around under my bed for a while.  I got it for the Dancing Doll dress and the record player.  The doll itself is pretty boring.  If a Big Lots store has any Collector Barbie dolls, it probably has a stack of this one.

Dang, there's a spot of dirt on the face in the photos.  It came off, thankfully.  It was official factory dirt, so I'm not going to re-take the photos.

Window Shopping... as always!

I found the fashion Queen repro at Big Lots. I have two nice originals, so I wasn't looking for this. It's actually the best repro ever. The head is either based on the Silkstone head, or made from scratch. I will buy multiples after they are marked down some more.
























I'm pretty critical of the repros, but this doll is nice. They should all look this good.























From Wal-Mart, here's the semi-articulated 2011 Bride Barbie.























She has a single articulated wrist. Just one!

My Favorite Barbie Rockers

MFB Barbie and the Rockers waited under my bed for a long time. I honestly don't think she's as attractive as the original, which isn't expensive to buy on its own. She's now on my pile of nudes, awaiting eBay.























I do wish I could have taken a comparison pic next to my originals, but they're both missing somehow.

Happy Carl Sagan day (one month late)!

Shot over a deck of lovely vintage astronomy flashcards from 1960.

Sparkling Pink Gist Set doll

Speaking of dolls headed towards eBay, here's the Sparkling Pink bubblecut. I like the color scheme. I don't think vintage Barbie ever had this eye color, but it is a nice change. Still, I look at the doll and feel no emotional attachment. The clothes will stay, the doll will go.

Astronaut Barbie Repro

A few months ago I gave up the space I had for taking doll photos, so I could have a craft table. I'm king of regretting that now.

This was my latest Barbie purchase. It was a let down. The doll looks good in photos, but very frog-eyed in person. I really like the box art. I wish Mattel would make reusable boxes.

Superstar Repro Closeup

I snapped a few photos before banishing her to the eBay box.

Malibu X3

At a certain point, I realized I have way too many too-similar dolls eating up too much space and money. And now I have 2009 Malibu Repro Barbie adding to the clutter.

The first repro looks almost identical to the original. The sculpt is a little different and less detailed, but the paint job is 98% perfect.

The new repro face paint is crazy. It's more like a Then and Now doll. The 2009 body is much nicer than the previous MOD repros. I'm a bit addicted to bending the legs. They click like vintage!

Now I have to decide whether it stays or goes. I wish I could head swap, but they don't match. Neither is as orange as the original.

How to tell a reproduction head from an original

There are people who try to pass off repro heads as minty originals. Don't fall for the scam.

Here is a shabby vintage head next to All That Jazz reproduction.

However, the easiest way to tell is to look at it from the side.


The junction with the neck is smooth on the original. The reproduction head has a thick plastic lip that goes around the neck.