I have a Facebook account, only because I need one to be linked to for my LoveNikki online game. I found a local buy/sell account on Facebook, mainly because I want to sell my daughters' graduation gown. But I have to admit that I've also bought a few dolls from there, as well. Birthday Wishes Barbie from 2000 was one of them. I also bought a DC Super Hero Girls Wonder Woman at the same time for my youngest, as Wonder Woman is her "Queen" (as in Yaaassss Queen!) She's strictly not a doll person, but she does have a few dolls representing things that mean something to her, and she loved the Gal Godot movie. The seller and I met in front of the local police station; I paid in cash. It was all easy.
I will admit that I bought this doll mainly for the dress; I don't think I ever would have bought it online. The doll herself is just an old-school straight-arm Barbie, and her face and hairdo remind me of the 1950s Era Barbie (the one with the poodle skirt), only this doll has ringlet curls. I took a few pictures of the doll in-box, which I always try to do.
The dress is very nice (it doesn't hurt that blue is my favorite color.) The bodice is fitted and closes with three snaps in the back. The skirt is attached to a waist yoke, and also closes with a snap. There are lace gloves with a pink ribbon. While they're not beautifully done, I wouldn't expect that from a playline doll. They don't look like oven mitts, at least. Barbie is carrying a gift bag, and wears earrings and a necklace. Once I captured what Barbie looked like in the box, I opened it and began to remove the doll. Unfortunately, when I held Barbie's legs while working on getting the rest of her off of the cardboard, her legs felt greasy. I got the skirt off of the doll as quickly as I could, and realized that both her legs felt like they'd been dipped in baby oil. Yuck! I got everything else off the body, including the head, and then tossed the body in the trash. Maybe I could have cleaned it up, but I have no idea what that greasiness is, and I should be able to find another body for poor ringlet-curled Barbie if I really want one. This doll was made in Indonesia, which I thought had a better reputation for making Barbie dolls, but this one, for whatever reason, had something happen to her. One final note, this doll also came without shoes. I guess she was meant to stay in the box, which seems kind of silly for a play doll. It doesn't bother me much, because they would have just been the basic Barbie pump anyway, but I'm giving Mattel a D on this doll overall.
I did get one more picture of the dress for you, so that you could see it better. What better choice than one of my Cinderella dolls? She was happy to model such a lovely gown.
So, good thing that I only bought the doll for the dress, and that the dress wasn't affected by the greasy legs. I guess I got exactly what I wanted, in the end. :)
Blick! That D was sadly well-deserved. Greasy dolls are nasty! The dress is very lovely though, perfect for Cinderella.
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm glad I managed to salvage something from this doll. I was so disappointed about the grease, though.
DeleteHi Barb,
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to wash that greasyness away? I don't know much about Barbie doll, but before changing her body I'd experiment with a few things first. I mean if you are thinking of changing her body anyway it wouldn't hurt to try. Her head looks really sweet with those ringlets from what I can see, I hope that is okay.
The dress is very pretty and looks lovely on Cinders. I can see why you like it, and with snaps too, not yucky Velcro that's a bonus in itself. :)
Big hugs,
X
As people have pointed out down below, greasy doll body parts can mean that something is leaking from the doll, and it may not be healthy. Straight-armed Barbies are a dime a dozen, or I might even find an articulated body, but I think Barbie's head will find a body at some point. It is very nice that the dress has snaps.
DeleteHi Barb,
ReplyDeleteI've heard that certain plastics can become 'greasy' over time, leaching plasticizers and eventually becoming brittle as the materials break down. However, I thought that was mostly a problem with vintage dolls. Though I've also heard that storage in an attic or basement can speed up the process, due to fluctuations in temperature and humidity in those places. The only remedy I know of is to wash the affected plastic as best your can with soap and water, then dry thoroughly and lightly brush the surface with baby powder. The baby powder is supposed to form a barrier and 'wick up' any remaining greasy-ness. Although holding onto something that is potentially leaking unknown chemicals might not be the smartest idea, so tossing the body was probably a wise move.
Signed, Treesa
I've heard of the plasticizer issue before, but I too thought it was an older doll issue. I did some quick Internet research, and it seems there was also a problem in the early 2000s with dolls that were made in Indonesia. So I guess this is not uncommon. :( I agree that I'm better off without something leaking goodness knows what.
DeleteThe dress is very pretty. I think your Cinderella wears it well.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I do like the dress, and Cinderella loves it. I think she's going to be wearing it for a while.
DeleteThe greasiness will be plasticiser leaking. There are lots of ways to wash it off but ultimately they all make the plastic break down even faster.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a doll with bad plasticiser leakage I'd throw her out. It'll mark fabric, only get worse and quite possibly isn't good for you. Plastics companies say plasticiser is harmless but since they also say modern plastics are more stable and don't leak plasticiser, they're not a particularly reliable source.
Yep, I was not at all sorry to let that body go, although of course I was disappointed by it. I'm glad I took her out of the box when I did, so I could catch it.
DeleteA greasy doll? I thought back in the year 2000 the quality of Mattel dolls was still decent enough! And no shoes? Maybe she really was Cinderella and lost not one, but both of her shoes. I do like her face though, I wish that was the "official" face for Barbie, I don't really like the Millie sculpt.
ReplyDeleteI found someone else online who said greasy legs were common on dolls made in Indonesia around 2000, so I guess quality was an issue then too. The Mackie sculpt is my favorite one, but I'm getting used to the Millie sculpt.
DeleteGorgeous dress and doll, bu and yeah...yuck on the leaking plastic legs! Can you imagine all the kids that could've had this leaking onto their hands and the parents not even knowing? I think I read somewhere recently that that is one of the reasons why they switched to the harder plastic bodies that we now see in the current fashionistas.
ReplyDeleteFarrah, I thought of that too, that maybe they switched away from those rubber legs because of the plasticizer issues. I like the harder plastic, although only with bending knees! :)
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