Barbie questions

[quidam]

So, in attempting to find clothes for some of my smaller dolls I've ended up with some Barbie outfits that fit no one in my collection. Plus I've been seeing some cute clothes out on the shelves. So, I figured, why not get an actual Barbie who will actually fit them?

So, this past weekend I've purchased my first Barbie. (Actually Barbie's friend, Summer) For reference, I had a couple as a child, but they would have been from the late 80's, maybe the very early 90's. They went away in a yard sale over 20 years ago. Obviously, the line has changed a bit since that time.

Do all Barbies now have hard PVC type legs? I was expecting the soft rubbery legs and was surprised.

I know I've seen some with hinged knees, but could only find one in the store. Are there certain lines that are more likely to have them? Are there any with hinged elbows?

Her hair seemed a bit sparse in some areas. She was a cheaper doll, so that might be the problem, or is that something that I might run into with any of them? (thinking how the MH hair became an issue at some point)

I'm recalling hearing something about "glue fulled heads". What is this?

Is there anything else I might want to know about? While I don't plan on becoming a Barbie collector, I might want to get another one or two. Of course, I never planned on being a doll collector at all, and we see how that went.

[DollyKim]

The soft "click knees" are still made, elbows and wrists are out there, I've seen new dolls with both. It's been more of a joint grab bag since the 100 Poses Fashionista Line which showed up a few years ago. Rounded hard knees have better motion than the simple hinge. The biggest change in all the years will be the shape of her body and no more Superstar face.

Glue Head on Monsters refers to stiff and/or greasy hair that feels like there's a lot of product in it. It's easy to fix.

[Kirahfaye]

You could also look into the Integrety Toys line of 12-13 inch dolls. While many can cost as much as a Tonner or a BJD, I got a fulll set Dynamite Girl London Calling Dayle from The Doll Peddler for about $65.00 last year. She has articulated head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips and knees. She can wear a lot of Barbie fashions. The shoes tend to be hit or miss, though.

[DollyKim]

I have a Jason Wu Integrity body and unless the stuff is super stretchy she doesn't fit it.

[quidam]

As interesting as the Integrity line is, I'm definitely on a Barbie budget at the moment.

Plus, despite the fact that I've never paid too much attention to the old gal for most of my life, I have been feeling kind of sorry for her lately. With her sales slipping quite a bit, and it seems like all of the mommy/feminist bloggers are always picking at her. She just can't seem to catch a break. I think it would be sad if she were to go away or be eventually pushed into collector-only territory. When I have kids or grandkids, I hope that she is still around for them to enjoy if they choose. So, I guess I'll do my part to help keep her afloat.

The soft "click knees" are still made, elbows and wrists are out there, I've seen new dolls with both. It's been more of a joint grab bag since the 100 Poses Fashionista Line which showed up a few years ago. Rounded hard knees have better motion than the simple hinge.

Ah, I wish it was easier to figure out what you were getting. Even comparing photos of stock in online stores, it appears that dolls in the same line don't always have the same joints (or lack thereof). I'll try to look for the rounded knees if they are better, then.

The girl I got had very obvious leg seams showing in the box. Would that be a good sign that the legs are the pvc instead of soft legs? Or can the soft ones also have obvious seams?

The biggest change in all the years will be the shape of her body and no more Superstar face.

I do like her body mold better than the old ones. It's more natural looking. Are her boobs smaller, or does it just appear that way since they filled out the waist some?

Glue Head on Monsters refers to stiff and/or greasy hair that feels like there's a lot of product in it. It's easy to fix.

LOL, I thought that it meant the head was filled with glue on the inside! I do have a MH with hair like that, but haven't fixed it because it has a fancy style, and bald spots where it isn't styled. I figured that it should probably be left alone.

Summer actually has amazingly soft hair. I was really surprised about that. It feels a lot nicer than I remember.

Even though she is on the cheap end of the scale, I'm certainly pleased with her. I would just like a little more mobility in my next purchase.

[Kd_Bunchanumbers]

Honestly the latest bunch of modern/current Barbies all seem to have hard plastic hollow legs, which I think it's a cost effective decision for Mattel plus the complains of the vinyl legs leaking and causing parental concern.
On the plus side, I can actually put tights/stockings/pants on them so I'm not too upset heh.

The only fully jointed doll line out currently is the Barbie Style dolls with deluxe clothes. You can usually tell they're jointed since they have contorted poses in their packaging lol. You may be able to find older Fashionista dolls online or at Thrift stores but Mattel stopped making them last year.

Also I thought Glue head meant glue on the inside too? Cuz I've seen MULTIPLE threads and complaints about the excessive snot like glue they used to keep the hair secure and sometimes it can leak through the scalp or earring holes. It seems to be yet another cost cutting decision since it seems to be mainly Indonesian dolls that have this and not Chinese made dolls.

[DollyKim]

You guys might be right with the glue head thing, I might be thinking glue hair but it's kind of related, Monsters have all sorts of snot and cat blarf inside their heads that leaks out. It's a pain if the weather gets too hot and it starts seeping out and running down their faces.

The newer bodies might have smaller breasts but the chest circumference is about the same. My girls are a mix of bodies and a mix of clothes from whenever and 99% of the stuff fits 99% of them. The only body I've known to be irritatingly skinnier is the fixed pose one they used on the Basics and some of the collectors dolls, the Pivotal jointed collector body is skinnier too.

[maywong]

Some Barbie dolls have this awful glue that is poured inside the head to hold the hair. However this glue seems to seep into the hair. It feel awful and is very hard to get rid of. I ended up doing a reroot.

I like the hard plastic as opposed to the rubber. I put all my Barbies on jointed bodies so I can move them. The latest round of jointed Barbies have flat footed and can wear flats or high heels. These dolls have ankle, wrist, knee, and elbow joints. For some strange reason Mattel forgot to put in a torso joint.

[Studio 126]

That is why I go for the Gymnast/Ballerina bodies. The ball waist joint is more valuable to me than the wrist & ankle joints. They are date stamped (c)1993.


Example from last year.

[quidam]

Okay, ewwww...the leaky head thing sounds kind of gross.

My older MH doesn't have this issue, but my newer one came home after the hot weather. So I guess we'll see what this summer holds. The Barbie has very simple, straight hair. I assume that she probably won't have the issue? Would it just be a problem with fancy hair? Or can any of them have it?

I'd like a torso joint, but didn't know that it might be something she could have! Quite frankly, I just want her to be able to sit nicely, if nothing else. (side-eyes my Disney Store Merida who sits on the shelf like a dude.) But, really, the more poses she can do the better. I like my dolls to be doing things, not just standing around.