2016 articulated Barbie

[Anderson'sAllPurpose]

ETA: someone found a pic of a boxed doll, so I guess it's definitely happening: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29866841@N08/22712168115/

So it looks like Barbie will get a new body with lots of articulation next year (18 or 22 points, accounts vary).
When I saw the first pics a few weeks ago there was speculation on whether it was just the body for Mattel's Wonder Woman doll/action figure, but now there are more photos of what definitely looks like a new doll line: Barbie, Teresa, Asha and Neko, wearing some kind of yoga outfits and doing yoga stuff. I don't know anything more but I thought I'd share the photos (or rather, links to the photos):

http://papusilemele.com/en/2015/10/11/2 ... sha-dolls/
http://www.fashiondollworld.de/2015/10/ ... ichen.html

Lots of comments about the joints being ugly, and they're definitely more visible than usual. For me poseability is more important, so I don't really mind. I am however pretty excited about the prospect of having jointed bodies in three skin tones (especially AA) readily available in major toy stores, even if they can't compete with an action figure or Obitsu. I hope they won't be too expensive, exclusive or, God forbid, just never happen for some reason.

[Studio 126]

Will they have adult necks...?

I wanna see 'em nekkid...!

[Kd_Bunchanumbers]

Seems like a factory leak pic but:
New Barbie Body? by Bubbles C., on Flickr

I'm kind of ambivalent about these especially since the jointed ankle dolls' knees have been the flimsiest things Mattel has produced yet and I don;t trust Mattel to make a doll be able to sit like anything except like a drunken sailor so hopefully it'll turn out well.

[DollyKim]

I might pick up one out of curiosity but don't see a reason to replace the bus load of 100 poses bods yet. The big thighs to dainty ankles and feet turn me off.

For #$%! sake elbows and wrists on a ballerina would do wonders.

[Anderson'sAllPurpose]

Seems like a factory leak pic but:
New Barbie Body? by Bubbles C., on Flickr

I'm kind of ambivalent about these especially since the jointed ankle dolls' knees have been the flimsiest things Mattel has produced yet and I don;t trust Mattel to make a doll be able to sit like anything except like a drunken sailor so hopefully it'll turn out well.

I agree the knees on the new ankle-joint legs are a bit flimsy, hopefully they've learned from that mistake. Since this is a completely different double-jointed knee at least we know they didn't just copy the old one.

I might pick up one out of curiosity but don't see a reason to replace the bus load of 100 poses bods yet. The big thighs to dainty ankles and feet turn me off.

For #$%! sake elbows and wrists on a ballerina would do wonders.

The tiny feet bother me a bit too, but I like the shape better than the flat ballerina feet, and they're more versatile than the jointed ballerina feet with molded ballet slippers. But double joints really does a lot for posing ability, so if we get that I'll take any kind of feet.

[Shyla]

It might be a bit off topic...but the system looks pretty similar to the jointing system for the big MH dolls. Upper arm and thigh mobility, two part torso, the big girls don't have jointed ankles, but the elbow and knee joints look about the same too. The inner thigh cut isn't present in the big girls.

Perhaps they copied it from there?

[kenaiqueen]

The 'drunken sailor' comment had me laughing out loud! I agree about the teensy feet. They just don't look right to me.

[embyquinn]

A Barbie body almost as poseable as an Obitsu?

I AM SO THERE.

[WhiteDove01s]

Lesse... poseable, check... vinyl, check... not strung, check... cheap, probably check. Yeah, I'll have to get at least one. Two if there's a new poseable Ken. (Tho I still need to snag examples of the Style ones. I have trouble keeping all this stuff straight!)

[Tasuke]

well, it's about damned time MATTEL attempted to bring Barbie doll design into the 21st century!!

more than anything, i might imagine it's probably indicative of MATTEL having to attempt to appeal to a more
sophisticated, demanding customer base; children and Barbie collectors
that would actually like their dolls to be able to achieve much more than a tiny handful
of stiff Glamour poses.

i'd like to think that Asian doll mfrs. have handily demonstrated to the "Great American Doll Company"
that "Fashion Dolls" can in fact be SO MUCH MORE than what MATTEL has been content
to be instrumental in keeping them so tightly limited to for around a half-dozen decades now...