Barbie celebrated her 65th birthday this year but it's not the anniversary dolls that make me interested!

Barbara Millicent Roberts celebrated her 65th birthday this year - and of course there were the corresponding collector’s anniversary dolls to mark the occasion (along with a slew of play-line releases) but it was not any of them that caught my eye. Instead, I loved a new release exclusive to Mattel Creations, available for sale on the 21st of March 2024 on their website: Barbie Styled by Design Doll 1.

BARBIE STYLED BY DESIGN DOLL 1

SKU: HRM31

Label: Gold

Collection: Barbie Styled by Design

Designer: Suim Noh

Release Date: 2024

For our first entry in the Styled by Design series, we put the spotlight on designer Suim Noh to create a fabulous new Barbie doll. Inspired by fashion illustrations from the 1970s, Suim captured the decade’s exaggerated style with a bright pink satin dress featuring an oversized bow. Accessorized with black gloves, stiletto over-the-knee boots, and rhinestone accessories, this doll reflects Suim’s vision of elegance, extravagance, and nostalgia.

• Barbie® Styled by Design™ Doll 1 

• Designer: Suim Noh 

• Label: Black 

• Face Sculpt: Claudette 

• Body Type: Model Muse 

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity 

• Launches March 22, 2024 9:00 am PT

• Limit 2 per user

• Doll cannot stand alone. Doll stand included. Colors and decorations may vary. Purchase limits subject to change at the sole discretion of Mattel. 

©2024 Mattel 

SKU#: HRM31

What a gorgeous Barbie doll - and without the usual sweet smile that they have (65th anniversary dolls included). The sculpt is Claudette, which is usually, if not only, found on collector limited editions, and it is one of my very favourites, because of the high fashion look it has. Her face paint looks good, if you ignore the black crease line in her eyes that shows the dreaded pixels (I mean… they could have avoided that, right?). Her hairstyle is too simple for such a doll, but I am guessing it helps keep the cost down. Would have preferred her being in the pivotal body.

I love her dress and the colour combination - very French. Also notice that she has metallic jewellery and her boots are made of fabric and not plastic! All these should be self evident in collector dolls but with Mattel there is no guarantee. Too bad she is such a limited edition and will disappear in a blink of the eyes. I’d love to have her and it looks like she’s the first in a series, so I’m excited to see what comes next. She looks great in her box too.

David Bowie’s Space Oddity was released 50 years ago today and there is a Barbie inspired by him.

The seminal David Bowie song “Space Oddity”, was released as a 7-inch single on 11 July 1969. The opening track of his namesake 2nd studio album, it became one of his signature songs. And curiously enough, Mattel has released a Barbie inspired by the amazing artist.

The doll will be produced in a limited edition, as she is a Gold Label™️ doll. She’s dressed in one of his iconic Ziggy Stardust outfits, the metallic “space” suit with red and blue stripes, winged shoulders and red platform boots, as pictured in this legendary photo by Masayoshi Sukita from 1973. The suit was designed by his then costume designer Freddie Burretti (21 years old then and David’s boyfriend too!) alongside Kansai Yamamoto. The boots were designed and made by Kansai Yamamoto, bought by David and Angie from Boston 151, the shop in London’s Fulham Road that represented the designer in the UK. The boots would be worn again by Bowie, this time with jeans, in his nineties homecoming tour.

The make up was by Pierre LaRoche, Bowie’s personal make-up artist. He designed the sunburst circle on the singer’s forehead (and later the lightning bolt). Which brings us to what I think is a missed opportunity here: I would have preferred for the Bowie tribute doll to be more androgynous, as befits the great artist, and also have the lightning bolt make up, plus more spiky hair. The doll looks nice and I will probably get her, but she’s too slick and proper for a representation of the artist in that era. Just see what it might have been in this OOAK doll made by talented Russian duo AFD Group Dolls.

Here is the information from Mattel:

Barbie® David Bowie Doll

Ages: Adult Collector

$50.00

PRODUCT FEATURES:

Introducing Barbie® as David Bowie. In a definitive celebration of two pop culture icons, Barbie® honors the ultimate pop chameleon, English singer, songwriter and actor, David Bowie, whose dramatic musical transformations continue to influence and inspire. With a career spanning over five decades, David Bowie was at the vanguard of contemporary culture as a musician, artist, and icon. He was, and remains to be, a unique presence in contemporary culture. Dressed as Bowie’s fantastic sci-fi alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, in the iconic metallic ‘space suit,’ this collectible Barbie® doll honors the cultural legacy of the musical genius who redefined rock and roll. Subject to availability. Colors and decorations may vary. 

• Label: Gold Label®

• Designer: Linda Kyaw

• Release Date: 7/11/2019

• Included with doll: Blouse, pant, boots, doll stand

• Customization: Painted fingernails, painted art on forehead

• Eyelashes: Painted

• Fashion: Metallic suit and platform boots

• Fashion Sewn On?: No

• Body Type: Articulated-Original

• Doll Stand: Yes

• Facial sculpt: Star

• Package Dimensions (H/D/W): 13" x 3" x 8"

• SKU #: FXD84

More new Barbies released: from Blond Gold to Fantasy Oz

Three more fashion Barbies released in August by Mattel: Two are fashion designer specials and the third is a fashion fantasy interpretation of a beloved film classic. All available at the Barbie Collector website as direct exclusives.

The Blonds Blond Gold Barbie® Doll

The Blonds strike again. After their successful previous collaboration with Mattel, here is their new doll. She is wearing the outfit they designed for Kylie Minogue for the video clip of the song "Get Outta My Way" back in 2010, although the doll is not in her likeness. If she was, I might be tempted.

Let's see how Mattel describes the doll (which is quite pricey, at $150, a Gold Label release):

Inspired by Barbie®, imagined by The Blonds, the Blond Gold™ Barbie® doll glows in fashion riches. Incredible chain detail adorns her golden corset and metallic-woven cape and inspires her long earrings and golden armbands. Her unique doll stand is inspired by bars of bullion and creates the perfect pedestal for this golden diva.

Doll Details Body Type: ModelMuse™ Arms: New Left and Right Skin Tone: Tropic Tan Facial Sculpt: Lara Fashion Sewn On?: No Eyelashes: yes Included with doll: Stand, corset, shoes, arm cuffs, earrings, claw ring, cape. There is a limit of 5 dolls per order. 

© 2013 The Blonds LLC. All Rights Reserved. Direct Exclusives are currently available in the U.S. only from The Barbie™ Collection catalog or at TheBarbieCollection.com. For the adult collector. Production doll may vary from the photo shown above. Mattel reserves the right to modify the fashion/fabrics, sculpt, hair color/style, and accessories. Doll cannot stand alone as shown.

Stephen Burrows Alazne™ Barbie® Doll

Mattel has replaced Byron Lars with Stephen Burrows in designing African-inspired fashion dolls for them. The doll looks nice but the sequins on the dress are way off scale and it ruins the whole effect. Again it is a Gold Label doll with a high enough price tag, which for me, is not justified from what I can see.

This is the Mattel description of the doll:

So beautiful and glorious, her name is the Basque word for “miracle.” Stephen Burrows Alazne™ Barbie® doll wears a breathtaking floor-length coral gown adorned in countless, shimmering paillettes. The striking collar and fingerless opera gloves create an elegant, yet modern look. A towering headpiece and golden hoop earrings frame her gorgeous face.

Doll Details Body Type: ModelMuse™ Arms: Right bent, Left straight Skin Tone: Afra Facial Sculpt: Stephen Burrows Fashion Sewn On?: No Eyelashes: No Included with doll: Stand, pumps, headdress, earrings. There is a limit of 5 dolls per order.

Stephen Burrows™ is a protected trademark and is used hereby under license by Mattel, Inc. For the adult collector. Production doll may vary from the photo shown above. Mattel reserves the right to modify the fashion/fabrics, sculpt, hair color/style, and accessories. Doll cannot stand alone as shown.

The Wizard of OZ™ Fantasy Glamour Dorothy Doll

This one would have been fun if the dress was not so Cinderella-like (the wonders Isaac Mizrahi could have done with gingham for a gown!). The ruby slippers look enticing, even though they are surely plastic. But at this price? No way. Not for this kind of non-articulated, bland faced doll.

Mattel's description (again she is a Gold Label and priced at $100).\

The Wizard of Oz™ Fantasy Glamour Dorothy doll wears a strapless gown reinterpreted from her classic blue-and-white gingham dress. The frothy tulle over-skirt is trimmed in satin ribbon and sparkly sequins. The bows from her braids are now drop earrings, while the famed ruby slippers are re-imagined as striking red stilettos. Also included is a silvery clutch and bracelet.

Doll Details Body Type: ModelMuse™ Arms: Left bent, Right straight Skin Tone: Nostalgic Facial Sculpt: Lara Fashion Sewn On?: No Eyelashes: Painted Included with doll: Stand, shoes, earrings, clutch, charm bracelet. There is a limit of 5 dolls per order.

© Turner Entertainment Company. Direct Exclusives are currently available in the U.S. only from The Barbie™ Collection catalog or at TheBarbieCollection.com. For the adult collector. Production doll may vary from the photo shown above. Mattel reserves the right to modify the fashion/fabrics, sculpt, hair color/style, and accessories. Doll cannot stand alone as shown.

New Audrey Hepburn dolls by Mattel - Roman Holiday and Sabrina

These are the first Audrey dolls that Mattel releases after the sought after Breakfast At Tiffany's dolls. One is a Pink Label doll and one is a Silkstone Gold Label doll. Let's find out more about them.

Audrey Hepburn™ in Roman Holiday Doll

This is one I have been waiting for impatiently.They are using a new Audrey mold than the one they used for the Breakfast at Tiffany's dolls back in the 90s and she looks different than those dolls. She also now sports the ModelMuse™ body. My main interest though is the outfit as there was none whatsoever released so far from this film. It looks faithful to the original and the shoes at least have what looks like real strings on them. The price is right to and she's already on her way to me.

Let's see how Mattel describes the doll:

This lovely Audrey Hepburn™ in Roman Holiday portrait doll is exquisitely sculpted in the actress’ likeness. She is dressed in a re-creation of Princess Ann’s costume: a beige A-line skirt worn with a crisp white blouse and finished with a wide buckled belt. A pretty printed scarf and brown laced sandals are her stylish accessories.

Doll Details Body Type: ModelMuse™ Arms: Left Bent, Straight Right Skin Tone: Afra Facial Sculpt: New Audrey Hepburn Fashion Sewn On?: No Eyelashes: Painted Included with doll: Stand, belt buckle, shoes, blouse, belt, panty.

©2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. AUDREY HEPBURN™ & LOGO IMAGE™ TRADEMARK, COPYRIGHT © 2013 AND LIKENESS PROPERTY OF SEAN HEPBURN FERRER AND LUCA DOTTI LICENSED THROUGH LICENSING ARTISTS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. For ages 6 and over. Production doll may vary from the photo shown above. Mattel reserves the right to modify the fashion/fabrics, sculpt, hair color/style, and accessories. Doll cannot stand alone as shown.

The photos above are the official Mattel ones, but of course everyone wants to know how she will look in real life. I looked for photos and found some on-line from a seller on eBay:

She more or less looks like the promo but closer to the BAT Audrey face, which is good. 

Audrey Hepburn™ as Sabrina Doll

This one is on a Silkstone body, which means the price is triple than the previous one. I already have the outfit in this scale from the Integrity Sabrina collection so I was not thinking of getting this, unless they produced a doll that was the spitting image of Audrey. The prototype is not a great likeness...

...but searching on-line I found some real life photos of the doll, from the same eBay seller. Not only she looks nothing like the promo, she is far from a perfect likeness of Audrey. For those who missed the Integrity Sabrina though, it's a good alternative, at least for the dress. The finish of the hem does not look promising on the promos and I cannot see it in the photo below. She's too expensive for what I see.

The Barbie Collector website has a neat feature for some of the dolls, where you can rotate the image 360°, which lets you see even the back of the doll:

Let's see how Mattel describes the doll:

This first-ever Silkstone® Audrey Hepburn™ as Sabrina portrait doll is beautifully sculpted in the actress’ likeness. She wears a re-creation of the famed black and-white embroidered long gown Sabrina wears upon her entrance into Long Island society. White opera gloves, faux pearl drop earrings and black stiletto pumps complete the elegant ensemble.

Doll Details Body Type: Silkstone® Skin Tone: Classic Beige Silkstone® Facial Sculpt: New Audrey Hepburn Fashion Sewn On?: No Eyelashes: Painted Included with doll: Stand, shoes ,earrings, dress, train, gloves, tights. There is a limit of 5 dolls per order.

©2013 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved. AUDREY HEPBURN™ & LOGO IMAGE™ TRADEMARK, COPYRIGHT © 2013 AND LIKENESS PROPERTY OF SEAN HEPBURN FERRER AND LUCA DOTTI LICENSED THROUGH LICENSING ARTISTS, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Audrey Hepburn™ as Sabrina doll fashion designed exclusively for the Silkstone® Barbie® doll body; not for use with other Barbie® dolls. For the adult collector. Production doll may vary from the photo shown above. Mattel reserves the right to modify the fashion/fabrics, sculpt, hair color/style, and accessories. Doll cannot stand alone as shown.