She is another black and white swimsuit Barbie Reproduction doll. This one was made in 1993 (before the blonde one I have already) and is a brunette. She was made to celebrate Barbie's 35th Anniversary.
Her first owner really took care of her. The box was in great condition and she had never been removed. The box was still sealed with all its original packaging. I really debated on whether to keep her like this ... but ... of course, I just had to remove her from her box coffin.
The back of the box. I really love this black and white theme. It's very vintage in feel and atmosphere.
Still inside the inner box.
She has that hallmark faraway look. She is actually closer to the original Barbie than the blonde because her eyes are the same white/grey eyes.
This book tells a bit about when the first Barbie came out and goes through all the original features this doll has like her ponytail, swimsuit etc. It also opens out into a neat little Barbie family tree.
Original packaging! This was also part of the reason I wanted this particular Barbie. I adore this and wish Barbie still came in this box.
She comes with a clear stand.
Those neat little tags that I like.
Here she is. The "clear" straps that held her swimsuit up were already starting to break down, some of the straps fell apart in my hands when I removed them and a small bit had already started to melt. Luckily, it hadn't melded to her skin so I was able to remove it pretty easily. This is just due to age. After all, this girl is 24 years old, literally!
I really love her. There is also a blonde version made for the 35th Anniversary but as I already had a blonde version, I wanted to get a brunette this time around. I will probably have to add a makeshift strap to keep the top of her swimsuit from falling down but that's easy enough to do.
Similar sort of posing (or lack thereof) as the blonde Barbie. There was a rubber band holding the bottom of her pony tail but that had fallen apart with age too so I just removed it.
A quick comparison between the two. As you can see, the blonde girl came with a black base stand. I find the black stand is a lot more sturdy. The 1993 version also appears a tiny bit shorter. Not sure if that's due to the stand though...
The 1993 skin colour is paler. The quality of the sunglasses is also noticeable. The 2014 version has better quality glasses than her older counterpart. The eyeshadow is more subtle in the newer girl and I feel the face of the 2014 seems slightly different, maybe older in look and feel?
Overall, I'm happy I ended up going with both dolls. I like their differences and similarities.
Oh this is so cool! That is my favorite type of Barbie box and I love it also! (it's also the one my mom's barbie has!)
ReplyDeleteI like both a lot, but I do like the more striking eye liner on the 1993 girl :3
I love the original box. I wonder why they changed it. I love little things like that. The little art illustrations of the retro clothing too is so charming.
DeleteI do feel the 1993 version is much bolder in her face screening than the 2014 version. I just noticed, 1993 version's eyebrows are thinner and more arched than the 2014 version. They're small things but they do change the expression on the doll. I feel 1993 has a very glamour beach babe feel to her. Both would look great redressed too.
I also love those old illustrations, I'll be sure to take a photo of the booklet filled with illustrations my mom's barbie comes with! It's amazing, I love fashion illustrations from that era xD;! It's definitely a thing to be considered when designing my own little doll boxes.
DeleteThey have quite different expressions, which actually surprised me! I wonder which one is more faithful to the original, or maybe both are?
I think the black version mostly due to the eyes being closer to the original. But I think they both definitely have the same vibe though as the original.
DeleteFashion illustrations are amazing things. I love seeing them but you're right, there's just something unique about the ones made from that era.
Congrats!!! She is super awesome!! Love old barbies :D! I like her face a lot, it's much closer to the original, but both faces are great for different reasons. I think the black stand might be a bit taller?
ReplyDeleteI never noticed the earrings before, nor do I thought much about the glasses. Did the first Batbie came with those accessories too? how neat!
I think you're right about the black stand. I think the base is thicker too which adds that additional height.
DeleteI think the original came with the glasses and shoes as well. They usually make the reproductions with everything that was with the original version. I have to admit that I enjoyed having both of these dolls side by side in the cabinet. It's nice to notice something different every time I walk past!