Dolls and Doll-related Items for Sale

Friday, February 5, 2016

Curvy Barbie Is Here!

I ordered both Curvy Barbie and Petite Barbie; only Curvy Barbie has arrived. I'm not sure why Petite Barbie is backordered, unless there was just a greater demand for her. For now, I have Fashionista Doll 22, Chambray Chic. I think she's very pretty.

Her clothes are nothing special, but for a $10 doll that's to be expected. Her dress is a blue stretchy top, printed to look like a denim shirt, with a stretchy yellow skirt. One thing interesting is her belt. It has three holes in the back, so it can fit different sizes of dolls.

Fastened at the first hole, the belt just fits Made To Move Teresa.
Curvy Barbie's hair is silky soft, and there is no sign of glue. It's terribly uneven, though.
Curvy Barbie can't wear flats for the Made to Move dolls, nor can MTM Teresa wear Curvy Barbie's flats.
Curvy Barbie's feet have a slight arch.
I think Barbie's hands are nicely sculpted, although there is not much nail definition. I also took a picture of Barbie's hand with the hand of a bellybutton Teresa for comparison. They look very much alike.
There is much doll nudity below the fold, with comparisons of the Curvy body to older Barbie bodies. Come and see!
As has already been noticed by disappointed collectors, the new Fashionista bodies do not have much articulation. It was odd to handle a Barbie body that does not even have bendy-click knees. I took pictures of how far she can move her legs to the side, and front to back.
Here are comparison pics of Curvy Barbie and a Teresa on the bellybutton body.
Next we have Curvy Barbie and Asha. Asha's body is known as the Shani body, or Palms to Side body.
Lastly, a comparison between Curvy Barbie and Made to Move Teresa. These bodies are definitely where the most differences lie, at least in my collection.
Finally, a lineup of the four body types that I own. Oh, I may have the older Palms to Back body, but I didn't see it in a quick scan of my dolls. :)

 

I tried the new Barbie's dress on Teresa and Asha. It closed in the back on both girls, although the material was stretched a little bit tightly over Asha's chest.
Honestly, I think Curvy Barbie has the most well-represented *woman's* body. The other dolls shown here all have perfectly or almost perfectly flat stomachs. How many women have a flat stomach, and/or no curve in the rear? Bellybutton Teresa's body is probably the next closest to the average woman, but her legs are still rather thin, with little definition. Bellybutton Teresa also has that much-sought-after "thigh gap," as do Curvy Barbie's other friends. It's become rather a standing joke how certain celebrities have had that coveted thigh gap retouched into pictures. Sure, there are women whose metabolism allows them to have a body more like our older Barbies. And clothed, the older bodies may not look as different from many women. But even someone who works out may have a body closer to Curvy Barbie's, a toned body, but still curvy.

Barbie Millicent Roberts may have started life as a teenager, but over the course of her life, Mattel has changed her into an adult. She's no longer a student teacher or a candy-striper volunteer at the hospital, but a full-fledged teacher, nurse or doctor. I wasn't upset about how older bodies looked, nor do I think a Barbie doll is the only influence on what a little girl thinks she will look like when she grows up. For many of us, Barbie was not an influence on our idea of womanly bodies at all. We looked to actual women for that. But if there is a real market for a Barbie who looks more like a grown-up woman, this Barbie's pear-shaped body is not bad. We'll see if there are truly people who wanted a more womanly figure, or if only those who make a living shrieking about the latest outrage were calling for this. Hopefully, if Curvy Barbie sells well and stays around, she'll get more articulation. Maybe just bending elbows and knees? Even if I wasn't one of the ones calling for this change, I do like the new Barbie in town.

18 comments:

  1. She's got a sweet face. I can't wait for these to hit store shelves.

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    1. I like her face too. She kind of reminds me of Apple White somehow, a little bit cute and a little bit sassy.

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  2. Oh she's cute! I hope that they manage to give these new shapes articulation, that would catapult that adorable blue haired gal to the top of my wishlist.

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    1. I'm hoping these dolls are Mattel dipping its toe in the water to see how the different body types sell. The other advantage to this doll from Mattel's point of view could be that it is inexpensive, so people might be more likely to pick this doll up and then want more. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway.

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  3. The only 'flaw' I see in this design is that her neck is too thin for the rest of her. The non bending knees might hurt sales. Kids expect at least that these days.

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    1. This is actually one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to plus-size dolls. I'm still ridiculously excited about these new bodies though, and crossing my fingers that we'll get articulation at some point.

      I've been trying to identify this sculpt, but maybe it is a new one? Either way, I love it.

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    2. I can see what you mean about the neck thing, Tam. On the other end of the spectrum, I think the new tall Barbie body's neck looks unrealistically thin in the pictures. As far as the non-bending knees, many of the newer lines don't have bending knees either. Considering how bad the economy is, maybe it's simply a cost-cutting measure, so some dolls can be lower-priced. Hopefully Mattel's research shows there are enough folk who will pay for these new bodies plus at least bending knees and elbows.

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    3. Oh, and as far as the face sculpt, I think it is a new one as well, just like MTM Teresa's is. This curvy body probably did need a rounder face.

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  4. Well said, Barb! I'm glad you're enjoying your new doll. I wonder how similar the petite body is to the "hobbit" body. Any chance you can dig up one of those? It was used in some Fashion Fever lines, as well as the Muses in Barbie and the Diamond Castle.

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    1. Thank you, BlackKitty! I'll look around and see if I can scare up a hobbit body. I liked the Fashion Fever stuff, so maybe I can get something from there.

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  5. Nice! I've been looking forward to seeing reviews of these as they start coming home after those first orders - it's too bad she can't share shoes, but aside from that (and the lack of articulation), she looks like a fantastic addition.

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    1. Part of my reason for buying her was to write a review. :) Now that I have her I'm glad for her own sake, although I may also try to make some clothes for her. I'm looking forward to getting Petite Barbie. She was supposed to be released on February 1st, so I'm hoping it will be soon.

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  6. Great post! I really like this Barbie, she's beautiful, her body as well as her face! The belt is clever too. And no glue in the head, quite an improvement!

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    1. I like her too, and I'm glad I got her. The belt is interesting, isn't it? I wonder if there will be other accessories that fit multiple sizes. I'm hoping her hair will hold up. It feels great now.

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  7. Great review Barb, thank a lot!
    I'm so tempted by this girl, it would be such a challenge sewing dresses for her (and I'm very bad with darts...LOL)

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    1. It will definitely be more of a challenge sewing for her. As far as the darts, the best advice I can give is to practice. It sounds like a cliche, but it's true. :) There may also be useful tips out there that you may not have heard of.

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  8. I have been waiting for a review of these new dolls, excellent review! I grew up with Barbie as my constant companion and was frustrated with the new Barbies, as not all have articulating joints. I wish they would clearly state on the box if the doll's knees bend or not. I look forward to your review on petite Barbie.

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    1. I'm glad that you liked the review. I'm still holding out hope that Mattel produced these to gain interest, and more articulated ones will be coming. I agree that it's hard to tell if a doll's legs bend, sometimes.

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