Tokidoki Barbie 2015 update: The Platinum Label version

It seems Mattel is not only releasing one Tokidoki Barbie but two. As you can read here, there is a Black label version of the doll coming out on the 1st of September but there will be a second version of the doll, as a Platinum Label edition (no more than 999 dolls available). The catch is that the doll will be available only to those that can complete a treasure hunt for her. It seems Mattel likes to put collectors through hoops to get their rare edition dolls - let's hope the newly updated Barbie Collection website will be up to par for the frenzy coming upon it in two days.

The news were revealed on the Barbie Collection website, first through a video exclusive to club members, but then there was a post for everyone to read. The process will be like this:

The Black Label® version of the doll will be easy to find, while supplies last – the last tokidoki® Barbie Doll was one of the hottest sellers of 2011 – but the Platinum Label® version will be much harder to find. Some will be mixed in with shipments of the Black Label® doll to select retail outlets, and some will be available in the online shop beginning on 9/1 at 9 am PT.Two webpages, somewhere on TheBarbieCollection.com, will have a picture of the tokidoki Cactus Friend that comes with the Platinum Label doll:

When you find the Cactus Friend, click on it to be taken straight to the hidden shop page for the Platinum Label tokidoki Barbie Doll. What webpages will they be, you might ask? Since it’s a Treasure Hunt, we can give you a hint … one single paragraph in this very news story has the answer to which two webpages will have the Cactus Friend on them! It’ll be smaller than the example you see in this news story, but it will be up high, and not in any of the headers, footers, or sidebars of the site. Good luck with the Hunt, and don’t forget to pick up the Black Label version of tokidoki Barbie Doll as fast as you can.

I wish good luck to everyone who tries to get her, it will be hard. She does look better than the Black Label version but still not the kind of doll I collect.

All photos ©2015 Mattel. All Rights Reserved. ©TOKIDOKI, LLC. Designed by Simone Legno

Tokidoki Barbie: the sequel

Back in 2011, Mattel released their first Tokidoki Barbie doll, which instantly became the talk of the town, even outside the doll collector world. She was a step outside the box for the company, with her pink hair and body covered in tattoos, which caused a stir among parents. It was a huge success commercially and now commands high prices in the secondary market. No wonder then that the two companies work together again; I was expecting it sooner rather than later.

This time around she's a Black Label cool (not a Gold, like the previous one) and designed by Bill Greening and Tokidoki company. She will be probably be available for sale on the 1st of September, according to her now defunct page in the Barbie Collector site. She wears a sequinned top to show off her intricate tattoos. The skirt features many of the whimsical characters that have inhabited the world of Tokidoki for 10 years. With her Cactus Friend Polppetina by her side, she carries a chic silvery clutch and also comes with a Tokidoki gift bag. There will be a limit of 1 doll per order.

Body Type: Model Muse straight Arms
Skin Tone: Nostalgic
Facial Sculpt: Karl
Fashion Sewn On: No
Eyelashes: Painted
Included: Shoes, bracelet, pet, purse, doll stand
Customizations: Painted fingers and toes

The headpiece must be the same, just with different front and back to offer variety in styling. The sculpt is the Karl one, which was of course first seen on the Karl Lagerfeld Barbie doll. She's not articulated though, unlike that doll, which of course is always a shame. She's not my cup of tea but I bet she will make many collectors happy and many resellers even happier.

All photos ©2015 Mattel. All Rights Reserved. ©TOKIDOKI, LLC. Designed by Simone Legno

Tokidoki Barbie upsets parents in the US!

Matell released a few days ago a Collector's Barbie named Tokidoki. She is designed by Simone Legno of Tokidoki, a "liefstyle" company from Italy (funded by the Hard Candy make up brand owners from USA), with obvious Japanese influences. She is wearing a pink miniskirt, logo leggings and black top with signature skull heart and bones, carries a large bag from the brand, and accessorized with bracelets, a belt, and sky-high sparkly silvery shoes. The doll features trendy tattoos on her body (non-removable save using acetone) and a pink bob. She is also accompanied by her cactus friend, Bastardino (mongrel in Italian). Considered very trendy (bleh), she was a favourite of Barbie collectors everywhere.

You must have noticed that I rarely write about Barbie doll releases, unless they are something special (like the Pantone Barbie in the previous post). So why this one, since I do not even like her styling? Because she managed, in just a week, to become the bane of many parents in the US, even though she is not a toy. Mattel clearly sells her as a collector's doll, she's a Gold Label doll with no more than 7.400 dolls produced.  She even has a price tag of US$50, which makes her unavailable to most children. Still, many news outlets, from doll blogs, fashion blogs, twitter and even major fashion publications like Allure and news outfits like L.A. Times and CNN keep on reporting about parent's supposedly irate reactions to the doll.

The give-me-a-scandal-any-day UK newspaper Daily Mail even gets it all wrong as they mention that the doll is marketed to children. Sorry guys, get your facts right. Barbie Collector Dolls are for adult collectors and are not to be sold to anyone under 14 (written on the back of all Barbie Collector boxes). But who reads the fine print when they want to create controversy? Of course the doll is not only sold out (more are to be released in mid November from what I read) but her price in the secondary market has quadrupled.