Don't Just Play Barbie, Be Barbie!

Barbie Convention 2009 [VIDEO]

2009-07-14T06:16:00.004-04:00

Here's a video from this year's Barbie Convention in Washington, DC. I'd love to have attended since this is a historic anniversary year for Barbie.

© 2009, Don’t Just Play Barbie…Be Barbie!, www.bebarbie.net

Real-Life Barbie: Desiree Rogers

2009-05-12T07:01:00.002-04:00

President Obama's Social Secretary, Desiree Rogers, is quite a fashionista. She is frequently noted for her impeccable style, taste and ability to make the most simple ensemble look fabulous and powerful.

Rogers is a long-time friend of the Obamas. Here's her interview with Essence magazine.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Desiree Rogers knows a thing or two about throwing a party. The high-powered Chicago woman and longtime friend of the Obamas was named this week as the first African-American White House social secretary. She formerly served as president of social networking for Allstate Financial, and as president of Peoples and North Shore Gas. She will be responsible for staging every event or ceremony that occurs at the White House. Rogers, 49, talked to ESSENCE.com about how the Obamas plan to make their mark on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

ESSENCE.COM: What's the first event you will be responsible for?
DESIREE ROGERS: Some of the inaugural events. We're just getting started working on them, so I can't really discuss it, but that's the first series of events I'll be working on. The first event we will have in the White House is the governor's ball in February.

ESSENCE.COM: How long have you known the Obamas?
ROGERS: Probably about 20 years-Michelle, I've known for about 20 years. I met her through her brother, Craig Robinson. My ex-husband played basketball with him in college.

ESSENCE.COM: As a longtime friend of the Obamas who knows their personal tastes, what kind of affairs do you think they'll want to have at the White House?
ROGERS: I think it will be important in this economic climate to be responsible, so we will certainly be thinking about that in any events that we have. At the same time, we want to be celebratory. This is history in the making. Americans have come together, as in no other time that I can recall, so there's something to celebrate. There's some value in bringing people together, and forming relationships with people-as President-elect Barack Obama has said, we have more in common than not. We will be creating opportunities where people can come together and celebrate the arts, cultural events, intellectual events, everyday events, like picnics with children. Michelle wants to be very involved with the work and family balance, as well as celebrating our military families.

ESSENCE.COM: And what about you-how do you hope to put your mark on the White House? Do you have things that you'd like to do differently from past social secretaries?
ROGERS: Not yet. Those will be things that I'm thinking about prior to moving over in January. But I think we're going to cast a wide net. We are certainly going to look at what has been done historically, and figure out what makes sense moving forward.

ESSENCE.COM: Since the announcement of your new job, have you been getting calls from people wanting to be put on guest lists?
ROGERS: (Laughs.) That would be an understatement. I've gotten hundreds of congratulatory notes. I can't keep up with them. They're not asking me to events yet, but maybe they're just warming me up: "Let's tell her how great it is; then later we'll ask!"

ESSENCE.COM: As a successful businesswoman, how will your business acumen specifically come into play on the job?
ROGERS: This is a large operation to run. During the Clinton years, they did 400 events in one year, so it takes a lot of planning and processes to be put in place. I think a lot of people will be reaching out to us, sending in different recommendations they think will make sense, so you've got to manage that. At the same time, I think the work I've done in the marketing area will be beneficial to me as we think about, "What does the Obama presidency look like?" Now that the election is over, certainly there are lots of issues that have to be addressed and attacked, but what does the administration look like beyond that? How can we continue the excitement, inspiration and involvement, in addition to the good work being done on the policy side? How do you do that? Are there ways that the White House can play a part in that? So that's where my strategy work comes in. The work I've done with all types of people from all backgrounds, I think, will serve me well.

Jonathan Adler's Barbie Malibu Beach House...Gorgeous!

2009-04-10T12:17:00.004-04:00

OK, what real-life Barbie wouldn't love the absolutely fabulous beach house with the interior designed by the Jonathan Adler? It is gorgeous!

Thanks for the video, barbiedolldup!

© 2009, Don’t Just Play Barbie…Be Barbie!, www.bebarbie.net

Barbie is 50!

2009-03-09T22:37:00.003-04:00

Barbara Millicent Roberts debuted at the American Toy Fair in New York on this day in 1959. Her creator, Ruth Handler, guided her production into toy history. Millions of Barbie dolls have been sold and she continues her prominence in spite of ambitious competitors in the fashion doll arena.

Barbie has changed tremendously since her inception. Well, her inception, which is down played, is actually the Bild Lilli doll that Handler brought over to the States from Germany.

Anyhoo, the original ponytail Barbie in that black-and-white striped swimsuit has transformed to represent different ethnicities, different countries and had many different careers. Barbie has even run for President of the United States.

Barbie has accomplished a lot in her 50 short years on the planet. As her legend continues, it’s crucial that little girls understand that Barbie’s message is more about her accomplishments --- teacher, astronaut, CEO, physician, businesswoman, paleontologist, Marine, veterinarian, prima ballerina, etc. --- than her measurements.

She’s also represented countries around the world and has even promoted learning sign language and understanding people who are wheelchair-bound before it was politically correct.
Barbie’s first fifty years have been awesome; wonder what’s in store for her next fifty years?

Happy Birthday, Barbie!

Real-Life Barbie: Tyra Banks

2009-02-06T05:41:00.000-05:00

Tyra Banks parlayed her modeling career into acting and then to her own empire. She is obviously more than beautiful; she's also brilliant.

Talk show host and host of a successful reality show, Ms. Banks is definitely making bank and trying help people, especially young girls in the process.

I recall her striking resemblence to fellow supermodel Naomi Campbell when noticing her in Essence magazine; she was still a teenager and she's not looked back.

Did you see her in the early Lindsay Lohan movie, Life-Size? She played a Barbie-like doll, Eve, accidentally brought to life as Lohan's character tries to bring her recently deceased mom back-to-life. It's a rather charming movie with good performances by all of the lead actors.

There is likely more in store for Tyra Banks. She has created her own empire rather than waiting for opportunities to come to her. Take note, my sisters!

The Josephine Baker Doll by Integrity Toys

2009-02-04T05:16:00.001-05:00

Jason Wu and Integrity Toys have released The Josephine Baker Doll and Fashion as a part of its Hollywood Royalty Collection. Ms. Baker is deserving of such recognition by having dolls molded in her honor.

She was a trailblazer in many fields. Though aspects of her life were tragic, she demonstrated the power of a determined female to accomplish her goals in spite of adversity.

The Official Josephine Baker Website

© 2009, Don’t Just Play Barbie…Be Barbie!, www.bebarbie.net

Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds Barbie

2009-02-02T05:00:00.003-05:00

Mattel produced this The Birds Barbie doll based on the Alfred Hitchcock classic movie, The Birds. I really want to buy this doll for a couple of reasons: first of all, I’m a big Hitchcock fan and secondly, I really like the outfit worn by Tippi Hedren’s character, Melanie Daniels. I’m trying to not to spend frivolously but if those birds can be removed from the doll's outfit, I might give it a try.

Here is a photo of the famous scene of Hedren and the children running from the school. This movie was Tippi Hedren’s break out role. She owes her movie career to Hitchcock who spotted her in a commercial and cast her in the starring role. She’s also the mother of actress Melanie Griffith; could she have been named her after her mom's character in this movie or is that just a coincidence?

Anyhoo, back in the day when there was only had one television in our household, my mom sort of got me hooked on Alfred Hitchcock. She still loves suspense movies today. The Birds, Dial M for Murder and Rear Window are just a few of my favorite movies that he directed. Of course, watching “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” was, and still is, a regular occurrence as it is in re-runs on the Chiller TV channel.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T00:00:00.001-05:00

It’s 2009 and I am so excited about Mattel’s 2009 collection. This year is Barbie’s 50th anniversary so there’s likely to be a lot of coverage of that milestone. It’s great to see more black dolls offered and I am so looking forward to adding both versions of Debut Barbie to my collection.

We’ll discuss these dolls and more throughout the year so be sure to come back often. In the meantime, enjoy this New Year and celebrate each day.

Kwanzaa Barbie

2008-12-31T08:55:00.008-05:00

In 2006, Mattel produced Kwanzaa Barbie in recognition of the seven-day celebration developed to strengthen African-American values of family, community and culture. There's also an aspect of Kwanzaa that discourages commercialism and encourages educational gifts for children.

Initially, when I saw the Kwanzaa Barbie advertised, I was disappointed in the commercialization of the celebration. The doll was included in their Dolls of the World - Festivals of the World Collection so I understood their perspective.

I was also disappointed that the doll, although dressed in African-inspired attire, had way beyond shoulder-length wavy hair and gray eyes. I'm sure there's a black woman somewhere in the world that looks like that but for the most part, the doll reinforces a negative self-image in little black girls. She's a beautiful doll but the same hair with a shoulder-length cut and brown eyes would have been much better. This doll is no longer in production but is likely available on the secondary market.

Thank You and Personalized Slide Show from Fashion Royalty Girl

2008-11-18T03:32:00.007-05:00

I was completely floored to receive the personalized slide show created by Deb AKA Fashion Royalty Girl. Is that awesome or what? I love this so much that I've already placed it on my sidebar. Yeah, I know that's redundant any maybe a little tacky but I don't care. Miss Deb is all that and a bag of chips.

I just love the ladies and gents in the slide show. It's Deb's attention to details that set her work apart from other photographers.

Thanks, Deb; you have really made my day. Happy collecting!

Meet a Doll Collector: Deb AKA Fashion Royalty Girl

2008-11-11T03:33:00.008-05:00

If you love doll fashion, you must check out the photography of one of my MySpace buddies, Deb AKA Fashion Royalty Girl. Not only is she a doll collector, she’s also a doll photographer and doll artist. Many of her fabulous doll scenes have graced my page on MySpace and I look forward to displays of her creativity. You can see some of Deb’s work in the slide show at the bottom of this page.

Be sure to go to her page and check out her work. While she’s more into Fashion Royalty dolls, some of the dolls in her photos are redressed in Barbie fashions. The fashions, hair and accessories are perfect for the message she conveys with each photo.

I hope you enjoy getting to know this doll collector. Stay tuned for features of other doll enthusiasts. Feel free to let me know if you’d like to be in the doll collector spotlight. Don’t be shy. Until the next time…..

Smooches!

Post-Election Comeback

2008-11-09T13:28:00.006-05:00

Hey, everyone. I'm over the craziness and exhaustion of the 2008 General Election. Yes, my candidate, Barack Obama is now the President-Elect and many are pleased throughout the world.

If you're not an Obama supporter, that's cool too. The people in the United States spoke and Barack Obama again out-campaigned a more seasoned competitor. Barbie fans still don't have a President Barbie and that's OK, too.

Barbie in 2012!

I do hope you will become or remain engaged in the political process wherever you are. Now...back to Barbie collecting for Barbie fans!

Sneak Peek: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Barbie

2008-08-16T22:15:00.003-04:00

I've posted previouslyabout the upcoming release of the Barbie doll in honor of the 5oth anniversary of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. As you can see, she's pivotal, not a surprise but where's the umbrella?

Her eyelashes appear to be rooted and her hair is in a natural hairstyle.

This doll is scheduled for a December 2008 release. I am looking forward to adding her to my collection.

Stay tuned for more sneak peeks.

AKA Barbie Online!

2008-08-15T18:59:00.002-04:00

For everyone who's asked, you can purchase the AKA Centennial Barbie at BarbieCollector.com. She sells for $49.95 and there is a 5 doll per order limit. :(

Official Response on the AKA Barbie

2008-08-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

I've received a few questions about the AKA Barbie: where she can be purchased, when she'll be available and how much she costs. I've only been able to share what I've learned through Sorority communiqués and information shared on the Barbie Bulletin Board.

One of my sisters actually got an official response from Barbie Collector and here it is:

Subject: FYI: [Fwd: Re: Barbie Collector
by Mail Order]

I got tired of all the speculations; so I contacted them
myself.

From: Barbie Collector Customer
Service
<customerservice@barbiecollector.com>
Date:
2008/08/07 Thu PM 08:57:08 CDT
Subject: Re: Barbie Collector by Mail
Order

Dear Barbie Collector Customer,

Thank you for asking about
the Alpha Kappa Alpha Barbie doll. The AKA Centennial Barbie doll, which honors
Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first sorority established by black women, was unveiled
to sorority members during their Centennial event held July 11-18, 2008, in
Washington, D.C.

Ordering information and official
pictures of the doll will be available beginning August 15, 2008, on
barbiecollector.com.

Please continue to check our website for further
information on this exciting new doll. Thank you for your
patience.

Sincerely,

Barbie(R) Collector Customer
Service
Phone: 1-800-491-7514
Hours: Monday - Sunday 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Central Time
E-mail address:
customerservice@barbiecollector.com

Original Message
Follows:
------------------------

Barbie Collector by Mail Order

Customer Email address:

When is
the Alpha Kappa Alpha Barbie going to be on your website?

Barbie Fan Club Chat

2008-08-08T00:18:00.001-04:00

I participated in my first BFC (Barbie Fan Club) chat last night. The guests were designers Robert Best, Sharon Zuckerman, Bill Greening and Linda Kyaw.

The conversation was fast-paced and covered a number of topics. I was excited about plans for a new black Silkstone doll in 2009 and a reproduction of the Julia doll.

Mattel is going to force me to eat peanut butter to save for all of the dolls I want. Ha! I actually had my Barbie addiction under control at one point. Now, I think I may need to try a 12-step program.

Coincidentally, I was speaking with a young lady in my office today. She had no idea about the groundbreaking Julia television series and proceeded to remind me that she was born in 1989. Aarrgh!

Anyhoo, here's a photo of the Julia doll and a link to more information about the television series starring the legendary Diahann Carroll.

I'm looking forward to purchasing the Julia reproduction doll and the new Silkstone.

My AKA Barbie Arrived!

2008-08-06T10:24:00.006-04:00

My Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Barbie arrived in the mail and she is gorgeous! I love her and can hardly wait until my second doll arrives so I can redress one of my other Barbies in the fabulous dress and those lovely shoes.

Actually, I probably need to wait until I get a doll for my mom who is also a sorority member and several nieces and god-daughters who I expect to pledge as soon as they get the opportunity.

As I reassess my Barbie needs, I think I'll need at least 10 more AKA Barbie dolls. Wow, I guess I'll have to change my spending habits to fit those purchases in my personal budget. I don't care; those dolls are worth it.

Juror's racial slur delays battle of toy giants

2008-07-27T14:33:00.004-04:00

David Colke July 28, 2008

ONE OF THE jurors in the Barbie v Bratz trial, in which the toy giant Mattel has scored a big victory over its rival MGA Entertainment, was removed on Friday for making an ethnic slur about Isaac Larian, the chief executive of MGA, who was born in Iran.

The remark came during jury deliberations in the first phase of the trial, which ended on July 18. The jury found that MGA, and specifically Mr Larian, had helped the creator of Bratz, Carter Bryant, who at the time was working as a Mattel designer on the toy giant's Barbie line, breach his contract.

The trial is in the damages phase, during which Mattel is expected to ask for more than $US1billion ($1.04 billion). [More]

Unique Barbie doll re-roots

2008-07-16T06:40:00.005-04:00

Some readers have asked about the Barbie dolls with dreadlocks. Those are dolls whose hair has been re-rooted. The fabulous doll artist is a woman named Loanne Hizo Ostlie of Tabloach Productions. Check out her site to see more of her work. Her creations are also available on eBay.

Here's a small sample of a few of my favorite creations by her.

Randall Craig Pooch Accessory

2008-07-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

Randall Craig will soon offer two versions of an adorable poodle accessory Barbie-sized fashion dolls. These pooches are way better than the plastic dogs sold with many fashion dolls.

Note to Mattel: This is the type of dog that should have accompanied the Kimora Lee Simmons doll. The pooch can be purchased soon at My Favourite Doll.

AKA Barbie sells fast at sorority convention

2008-07-15T06:55:00.003-04:00

Well, I will have to wait to get the Alpha Kappa Alpha Barbie. The small number of dolls on hand went very quickly at the price of $49.95 each. A portion of the sales of the doll will go the organization to continue its legacy of wonderful international programming and service.

If you're not familiar with Alpha Kappa Alpha, do check the website at http://www.aka1908.org/.

A little trivia, Michelle Obama has accepted honorary membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. When her husband, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, becomes President of the United States, she will become the second Alpha Kappa Alpha woman to represent this country as First Lady. Eleanor Roosevelt is the first AKA to serve as First Lady.

Don't Just Play Barbie, Be Barbie syndicated at ToyCollector.com

2008-07-14T05:06:00.001-04:00

I am still meeting very cool people through Barbie collecting and this blog. I am honored that this blog is now being syndicated over at ToyCollector.com. Check out the site and let me know what you think; it's a site for all toy collectors.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Barbie Doll Unveiled on The Early Show

2008-07-12T10:29:00.007-04:00

I am so excited to post this photo of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Centennial Barbie doll. I tuned into The Early Show this morning to watch my sorority sisters spread the word about AKA and share the history of international gathering in Washington, DC.

I did not expect my sorority's spokesperson to unveil the AKA Barbie doll on television; what a bonus! I can't explain how it felt to see our organization's shield and beautiful colors --- salmon pink and apple green on a Barbie.

The doll looked like the one pictured above except I think the hair was a tad lighter. There were several boxes on the display table and one out of the box. You know I wanted to jump through the screen to get one.

Anyhoo, one of my sisters (Thanks, Soror Shawna) will get one for me and you know I will order more. This was a smart move on Mattel's behalf because they will make a mint from the sorority members, family and friends who will purchase the doll as gifts and others who just love the doll.

For any of my family, friends and kind strangers that may read this; I can never have too many of this doll.

It goes without saying that I will write about the doll when I actually receive her. She'll be availalble at BarbieCollector.com in mid-August.

Until next time, Smooches...

Fashion Icon Yves Saint Laurent Passes

2008-06-01T20:21:00.001-04:00

News reports today that Yves Saint Laurent passed away today. He was 71. No other details were released as of this post. Stay tuned.

Official website: www.ysl.com

The Barbie-Bratz War Goes to Court

2008-05-25T10:00:00.004-04:00

Carter Bryant, designer and former employee of Mattel, is at the heart of the Barbie-Bratz lawsuit you may have heard about in recent weeks. In dispute is whether he was a Mattel employee when he came up with the Bratz concept and shopped it to MGA Entertainment, Inc. If that is the case, Mattel would claim ownership of Bratz and the gazillion dollars they rake in.

Lo and behold, Mattel has dropped its lawsuit against Bryant but will continue litigation against MGA. So this mess isn’t cleaned up yet. Stay tuned.