Hudson’s Bay Barbie!
Sorry to start this blog post out with some snark but here it goes. When you are a company the size of Mattel…and you say you are going to have something for sale on a certain date at a certain time….you would think they would honor that. Nope. But then again, this was the same company that advertised a doll for $50 then raised the price 50 percent an hour into the sale to $75. Snark over…for now. 
All this being said, Mattel released a highly anticipated doll today ( about an hour and a half later than they said they would but released it they did)…whaaaaat…how did that extra snark get in there?
Seriously though..Carlyle has a new girl to show off at Mattel and she is a beauty! Well done Carlyle!!! Also important to note…for once Canadian collectors can buy directly and get this one shipped to their homes. She is also available at Hudson’s Bay online.
Designer: Carlyle Nuera
Release Date: 10/5/2016
Retail: $49.99
She’s purrrrty. And…There is a poodle!!! The latte cup and cell phone are a bonus too eh?
-Rebecca
More Silkstone News!!
So right after I posted yesterday, Mattel posted new images of the BFC exclusive Silkstone for 2016. We have all had a gander at the sketch for many months and many of us had a chance to see the doll in person at the NBDCC 2016. Here are a few images I took of her at NBDCC
And here is the information and official pictures
Designer: Robert Best
Release Date: 10/12/2016
Retail: $100.00
- Body Type: Posable Silkstone®
- Facial sculpt:
- Fashion Sewn On: No
- Fashion: Pink satin gown with flowing organza train
- Accessories: Black satin opera gloves, chandelier earrings
She is a BFC exclusive which means you need to be a BFC member to purchase.
Things to take note of….The IRL doll at NBDCC was sporting pink shoes not black and the fabric on the IRL doll did not show the same kind of fabric as the promo shots are indicating. Just trying to keep it real folks and set expectations appropriately. You be the judge but to these eyes, the ruffle material on the promo shots looks like it lays very nicely, whereas the IRL doll at NBDCC did not. The beading also looks very different but there are always differences between the promo shots and the actual production doll. The difference here is that the production doll was actually seen BEFORE the promo shots so, it feels kind of humorous to me. It’s like saying “ Yeah…this is what we could have done…but….we didn’t”
All else being held equal, I’m still buying the doll. She is a platinum updo with a pink gown…of course I’m buying. Whether or not I feel very good about it is another thing. I have a hard time supporting a company who is making some really unfortunate decisions regarding their collector line. I find it hard to plug a product in this blog when I have a very real concern for the direction of this Mattel division.
-Rebecca
New Barbie Look and Silkstone News!
There has been a bit of a Barbie drought in this collectors house for a while but that may change in the coming weeks. This morning, The Barbie Collection added a few items for preorder that has some collectors very interested.
First up are a couple of new Barbie Look dolls.
The Barbie Look™ Barbie® Doll – Park Pretty
Designer: Bill Greening
- Body Type: Articulated
- Facial sculpt: Millie
- Fashion Sewn On: No
- Fashion: Floral dress paired with yellow peep toe shoes
- Accessories: Doll, fashion, shoes, sunglasses, bracelets, purse, phone, coffee drink, Miss Honey, dog tag
Release Date: 9/30/2016 **** Caveat…don’t be fooled by the date people, it says release but in actuality, this one won’t ship until 11/11/16** Just keeping it real.
Retail: $29.95
I love the accessories this one comes with. Honey the dog is always a plus ( did you know this dog has her own Instagram account!) and the phone and iced coffee drink is adorable. It looks like this doll also has a semi ‘made to move’ body. The knees at least look that way and one would assume its so Barbie can sit very easily on the picnic blanket while she is at the park. Nice work Bill. I like this one.
The Barbie Look™ Barbie® Doll – Pool Chic
Designer: Bill Greening
Release Date: 9/30/2016
- Body Type: Articulated
- Facial sculpt: Karl
- Fashion Sewn On: No
- Fashion: Floor-length aqua blue halter dress with gold detail
- Accessories: Doll, fashion, shoes, earrings, bracelet, purse, phone, compact with pom pom, lipstick
Release Date: 9/30/2016 **** Caveat…don’t be fooled by the date people, it says release but in actuality, this one won’t ship until 11/11/16** Just keeping it real.
Retail: $29.95
Very elegant and I love the accessories again. Bill…you have this collector’s attention. I am really liking these Barbie Look collections so far.
Classic Black Dress Barbie® Doll (Brunette)
Designer: Robert Best
- Body Type: Posable Silkstone®
- Facial sculpt: Vintage Silkstone
- Fashion Sewn On: No
- Fashion: Little black dress
- Accessories: Boots
Release Date: 9/30/2016 **** Caveat…don’t be fooled by the date people, it says release but in actuality, this one won’t ship until 01/31/17** Just keeping it real.
Retail: $40.00
OK…first off I am really happy that a brunette version of the adorable blonde classic black dress silkstone will be available to collectors now. The price point is very attractive too! However, this doll is eerily similar to a couple of the convention dolls given in Europe this past year. If I were an attendee for one of these conventions and I saw this, frankly, I would be a little pissed off. Those convention dolls are supposed to be super exclusive, a perk for going to them. Now Mattel is offering up a doll so similar it’s uncomfortable. Here is the Milan convention doll…
Odd choice Mattel.
IDC 2016–Cocktails and Barbie for President Gala
After the amazing fashion show, it was time for cocktails, nibbles and a really amazing dinner and convention doll reveal.
Once Cocktail hour was over, it was time to go to the Gala dinner.
The amazing Monica Nuñez del Castillo!
And our fabulous table host Rogier and OOAK artist and table hostess Corinne Thorner.
It sounds like the evening was a huge success with lots of money raised for charity…approximately 20,000 Euros!!
The end of the evening brought the anticipated convention doll reveal! Many were thinking it was time for a brunette articulated silkstone…and they were proven correct.
Photos below are courtesy of Jim Taylor {Hugs}. Thank you for letting us use these photos!
Scrumptious!!
Last but certainly not least…our Rogier received an award tonight from the IDC!!! A well deserved recognition for his efforts and work in the collecting community. Congratulations Rogier and Dutch Barbie World!!! ** Thanks to Jim Taylor again for this photo!!**
Happy, Happy Mothers Day!! Sales room photos will be coming your way soon!
–Rebecca
Classic Cocktail Dress Arrives
My trusted dealer Barb of Windy City Dolls sent one of these lovelies out as soon as she received them. She isn’t even up on the BC website yet. It looks like she will retail for $100.00
So what am I thinking?? Hmmmm. Well, I like the gown and the little pearl embellishments are delightful. Her face is sweet and I like the silvery lilac eye shadow. The lashes seem a bit spikey to me but not a huge problem. I love the little pearl drop earrings. The hair on mine was a bit of a fixer upper. The curls on top are soft so when you remove the hairnet, you will get some flyaway hair. Not super crisp curls but not a deal breaker in my opinion.
The dress is a strapless gown with a little crop top overlay that snaps in the back. She comes with a white slip underneath too. Considering the quality of some of the other outfits we have seen from BFMC lately, this one is pretty good. I mean we get earrings, pantyhose, a slip and a fairly well constructed dress. It’s up to you as collectors to decide if that is worth the price. I have to be honest and say, I am not a fan of this new body. The flexibility ( or lack thereof) in the wrist joint is a major problem. I do, however, love the elegant pose of the hand. I just wish it bent so I could comfortably put her hand on her waist. My other issue with this doll are the very flimsy shoes. The heal is very pliable so it bends under the weight of the doll when she is on her stand.
Is Miss Classic Cocktail Dress a keeper at ITFDS? Time will tell. I am anxious to see how she redresses then I will make my final decision.
-Rebecca
There is Grey and There is Black and White
No this isn’t an April Fools’ joke. I wish it were.
I was all ready to share a quick blog post about the new Camel Coat Silkstone Barbie that became available on the Barbie Collection website yesterday for BFC members (a day ahead of general public distribution). I was all ready…and then…something happened that sank me and many collectors into a state of complete and total disbelief. It was a situation where something was so clearly black and white that I could not stay on the sidelines and watch it happen without comment. Our story begins with a Sneak Peek on the BFC.
I can’t show you the sneak peek because that would violate my agreement with the BFC but I can tell you that pictures of the doll were shown last week (3/24/16 to be specific) and a release date of March 31st was given. The big surprise — and a pleasant one at that — was the $50.00 list price. This doll had a full outfit with accessories (yes she has earrings and a purse!!) and the price was more than reasonable. The verbiage in the sneak peek was general…name, label, designer and…price. It was not listed with suggested price, not estimated price, just price: $50. For the entire week after the sneak was posted, member after member commented how this price seemed low. There were questions as to its validity but no correction or retraction was submitted or offered by Mattel. As of this morning, $50 was the set price.
Fast forward to yesterday. Gates open in the morning at Barbiecollection.com and many collectors were able to purchase Miss Camel Coat at $50. Somewhere after the first hours of happy purchasing, the price jumped to $75. To say collectors were surprised is a gross understatement. When people questioned this, the response back from the official Mattel channels was, “We are having issues with the price and that she was really $75.” Hmmmmm…what issues change a doll with an “advertised” price of $50 to $75? Look, I understand that mistakes are made and if Mattel had explained after say…a couple of days in the sneak peek forum that “oops we goofed, we put the price down wrong.” , I think it is fair to say that most of us would have understood. Stuff happens.
When you hike the price up 50% mid-sale while people are purchasing (yes, collectors have stories of seeing the dolls price change while still in their cart) then you have a bigger problem I think. You not only have a problem of epic customer service proportions, you also have a potential legal issue. Let me explain.
I need to state up front that I am not a lawyer. I have never been one. My background is in business and finance. While studying for my bachelor of science in this field, one of the main areas of study was business law. The first lesson we learned…and I mean the first lesson, day one… had to do with unfair and illegal marketing practices. One of the most common ones is called “Bait and Switch”. It is illegal in the United States. Here is a brief description of what it means:
"Bait and switch advertising is a violation of consumer laws. It is a type of fraudulent business practice where one party, such as a manufacturer or business, will offer the "bait". This could be a product that is advertised at a very low cost and is designed to lure in a customer. Once the customer is attracted, the manufacturer will pull the "switch". The proposed product will no longer be available at the advertised price, but instead it will be offered at a much higher price or an altogether different product will be offered." **
Simply put, you can’t advertise something for a price then hike the price when people come to buy it. You just can’t. Now, here is where things can get a little grey. Do you consider the sneak peeks we receive in the BFC “advertising”? I will admit, kind of grey because this is information shared only with BFC members and it could be considered preliminary. If that had been the only place where Mattel had mentioned a price, then perhaps categorizing this as bait and switch could be debated. However, it’s not the only place they advertised the price.
This was what you found when you went to the BFC tab of the website all day yesterday. This is not a grey area. This is advertising space on their public website.
While I sat at my computer and saw this story unfurl I was shocked that Mattel was not coming forth and 1) apologizing for their error, and 2) honoring the $50 price for BFC members. To me, this was so black and white. They advertised it at $50 for BFC members, some BFC members had already purchased dolls at that price, and I assumed they would simply have to honor the price for other BFC members. No brainer, fair, legally and ethically right. But for a time, Mattel was silent and calls to the customer service center in Wisconsin just gave the response of, “The price is $75.” Holy cow! When I called the customer service center, I explained that if that doll was $75, then they needed to yank the ad that stated she was $50 or they could get slapped with false advertising. The ad remained up all day.
By late afternoon, Mattel did respond stating that the $50 price would be honored if you called customer service but it was a one day only deal. For those who had purchased the doll at the $75 price, they could email customer service and their account would be adjusted. On my third call to customer service, I finally was able to purchase this doll for the price she was advertised for: $50.00 This was half my day people, to try to accomplish something that should never have been set up this way. And this was half a day in which I had to argue with two customer service reps that their website and company were in violation of consumer law. Not something I do every day…every year or frankly every decade. It has left me repeating one phrase over and over again…”What in the Sam Hill is going on over at Mattel?”
For those unfortunate collectors who come late to the party tomorrow hoping to use their brand new quarterly reward on a $50 Camel Coat Silkstone, good luck. I hope Mattel will do the right thing here and honor the $50 price to the BFC members they advertised it to. I am hoping but I don’t expect it. I am left with a lingering sense of mistrust in this company I have supported for years with many compliments, time and dollars. What a sad way to show their appreciation. #customerfail.
I’m not even showing the doll or giving the link. Caveat Emptor people! Now, as they say over at Flickr when a disturbing or alarming picture is about to be shown, “Take me to the Kitties”. I have such a bad taste in my mouth on this one, I need a whole box of Altoids and hours of cute animal videos.
** – http://consumer.laws.com/deceptive-advertising/bait-and-switch-advertising
Soda Shop Barbie
Bill Greening has given the BFC his next installment in the Willows, WI line that is continuing to pay homage to Midwest Americana nostalgia. This one is only available to BFC members, and a nice perk of membership this year in my opinion. How can you not find this one adorable?!! That face!! Awwwww….makes me want to pull up an upholstered chrome stool and slurp down a milkshake. Nostalgia isn’t cheap though folks…she comes with a hefty price tag of $75. You do get some adorable little extras though. And, it’s pink and there is a poodle involved…enough said, I’m buyin’. Excellent work Mr. Greening!! One question though, where are the saddle shoes?! Guess they really wouldn’t have gone with the look.
Soda Shop Barbie® Doll ( BFC Exclusive)
Designer: Bill Greening
Release Date: 2/10/2016
Retail: $75.00
And…what about that set!!! Me likes.
-Rebecca
2016 Silkstone News!!!
Well, well, well. Thanks to Rogier and Dutch Barbie World’s super sleuthing, we have some new info on the 2016 articulated Silkstone line. Many collectors have known for a while that there would be a Trench Coat silkstone and a Glam Dress silkie but no images. Today that changed when these images were posted on a European sales site. I was hoping for some released info ahead of Toy Fair this week and it looks like the European market has obliged.
**Note, these images are prototype only and no indication of actual product**
Disclaimer out of the way, they look like valid promo shots to me so I will share them. Keep in mind that Mattel has not “officially” released information on these but then they have been slow as molasses to release any information so…make up your own minds.
Trench Coat Silkstone
Glam Dress Silkstone
EEEEEEEEEE! In a puddle with pure delight right now. A couple of weeks back, I was chatting with my friend and fellow blogger, Rogier over at Dutch Barbie World, and we were both discussing an outfit we had seen on Instagram and how much we liked it and how we were hoping it would be produced. I think I might have even joked “ Wouldn’t it be perfect if this was on a Silkstone?!”
Anywhoo…and it appears to be coming true!!! Thank you Robert Best!!! Best of all people…this girl has some jewelry!!!!
Articulated Silkstone Now Available to Order
But she won’t be shipping until March 1st folks. If you want her sooner, look to the dealers, they appear to be getting them first. I like this idea of giving the dealers first dibs on shipment. It makes sense to me and it helps support those dealers that have been loyally selling Mattel’s collector products for all these years. I called my trusty dealer Barb of Windy City Dolls the moment I saw these ladies showing up on Ebay ( not happy that this is where the first ones showed up but not surprised either). She sent one over as soon as they arrived at her shop.
Classic Black Dress Barbie® Doll
Designer: Robert Best
Release Date: 2/1/2016…hmmm…this is what the site says but they also clearly state that shipping won’t start until 3/1/2016.
Retail: $40.00 at The Barbie Collection
So…what do I think? I think the face on this first Silkstone of 2016 is a winner. It is one of the best facial screenings I have seen in a while from the BFMC. Very soft, and pretty. The black dress is basic. The material is nice and of a good weight…but basic. The boots are…basic. They are plastic people and almost impossible to get off unless you use the hot water trick **see below. No jewelry, purse with this one nor undergarments..yep that’s right…Barbie is going full commando.
The bigger question I think is what do I think of the body of this doll. First and foremost, the dimensions are NOT the same as previous BFMC Silkstone bodies. The bust is most definitely smaller. Clothing does not fit exactly the same which surprises me as I believe Mr. Best said that the body was going to be the same proportions in the video announcing the articulated bodies. I am not saying the body is bad…just different dimensions and for us redressers, that will be an issue. The material feels weighty and solid which is nice and the joints appear to be solid and stay where you position them. It is basically ok…but not great. Here is why: 1) The articulation on the joints is minimal except for the legs. This girl can do the splits if she wants but she cant rotate her hand enough to fully bend it one way or the other…it only goes a little bit one way or the other. She can just barely put her hands on her hips. Compare the functionality with Integrity Toys dolls and you will find that IT bodies are loads ahead as far as flexibility. The new Silkstone body can however, do the splits whereas IT dolls cannot. Not sure how that is something I will utilize unless I get the letch to do Gymnast Barbie, or Pole Dancing Barbie or perhaps contortionist Barbie. You never know…it could happen. I am hopeful that the next iterations of this body will beef up the bust size and include some additional rotation in the joints. My other big concern with these new bodies are the rough edges and seams that show. The knee joint on the one I received had a big ugly rough edge at the seam right above the knew joint. Some may argue that you will hardly ever see that…maybe but in the dress she came in, it was VERY evident. It’s not worthy of sending back, it’s just sloppy work on the part of the factory. Am I expected now to file down the seams of Silkstone dolls that I receive?
On the very positive side however, the doll is only $40. That is an extremely low price point for a Silkstone Barbie doll. So…messy seams and all, this doll photographs beautifully. I admit, I had to pin the gown on her so it fit more securing up top. It was made to be worn by the older body. She does look good though and I guess each collector will have to decide for themselves if she is a good fit for their collection. I am keeping mine for the present and still hopeful for the year ahead for the BFMC. I think it will be a very much paired down year but time will just have to tell on that one.
Beatuiful dress was made by Hilda of Bellissima Couture.
Oh..and as an added not to my loyal readers…After filing multiple DCMA claims with various accounts on Pinterest and Instagram all of which were cutting the watermark off my photos and passing them off as their own, I will have to start putting even larger and more intrusive watermarks on my photos. Not my choice people but there you have it. Sometimes…I just don’t understand some people.
**Hot Water Boot Trick** To help get those pesky black boots off, I heated up a cup of water to almost boiling then stuck the legs and boots in for about 30-35 seconds. Using a towel because they will be hot, boots should slid right off. If not, put the legs with boots back in the water for a bit more.
2016 BFC Membership Renewal Open to Current Members…
…and I am honestly conflicted about it. I went ahead and purchased a membership ( and had difficulties doing it see story below) but I am conflicted as to whether this is something I would really recommend to a new or even seasoned collector at this point.
Here is what I am liking about this years club.
1) AA Silkstone in a blue suit looks scrumptious!! She will be a BFC exclusive so only available to the club. This may be worth the $25 alone and is perhaps the main reason I signed back up this year. Mr. Best, you get my vote…your tech department does not.
2) Soda Shop Barbie ( part of the Willows, WI line) is ADORABLE. Love the poodle skirt and love where Bill Greening has taken and seems to be taking this line. Well done Mr. Greening.
3) The Free gift is a chair! And it seems to be the same pattern as the gilt chairs in the dioramas we all love so much from BFMC. But…it’s black and not gold or gilt. Hmmmmm… see more on this below.
Here is what I am not liking about this years club:
1) The chair is black and not gilt or gold. I mean we can spray paint…no problem … but there is some work involved with that one. You need to make sure it’s the right gold…and does that white seat cover come off? Is it cloth or is it plastic? It’s totally doable…just wish they had sprung the extra buck and had them sprayed gold is all. I was kind of primed for the gold based on what was said in the promotional video about the articulated silkstone’s. But…free is free so guess I really can’t complain. Will take it and say “Thank you!”
2) The free gift doesn’t come until March? Why the three month delay? Yes, I say three months because I suspect this puppy won’t be mailed until late March. Oh and read the fine print people…in order to get said chair, you need to have signed up by 03/31/16.
3) NOT liking the troubles I experienced on the “improved” website. I had to sign in multiple times to get my account to recognize me as a BFC member and therefore allowed to purchase a membership today. Once that hurdle was jumped, I experienced the “waiting room” and once I made it out of the waiting room and had the item in my cart, I attempted to actually pay for my membership. Here is what I got
What!! My response to the screen was “ You have got to be kidding me! This was supposed to be the “improved system”. Do you want my business and money or not Mattel?!!
After about 4 minutes, I went back in and was able to re-enter all my payment info and successfully complete my transaction but for 4 minutes I contemplated whether or not it was worth it. This BC website is seriously affecting my love of Barbie and my collecting mojo. I am just not feeling the love from Mattel when stuff like this happens and the more it happens, it makes me question why I am giving my money to them. I hate to say it but there it is. Just expressing my concern and sadness. Oh and the graphic you see above…the nice one with the pictures and explanation of the club…it’s only visible if you sign out of your membership account and are looking at the BC site as a non -member. What?!! So members were not able to actually see the free gift chair on the product page when they paid for their membership but people who are thinking about signing up for the first time can see it? Can someone please, please explain this one to me?!!
So…here I am….conflicted because I am in essence advertising the Barbie Fan Club and including links in this blog post for people if they are interested and yet…I am really disappointed at how the roll out of this club has played out. Is this a harbinger for tough times ahead? Will I continually have problems purchasing? Will I have to log in and out of the website to see content that I am interested in? Will I ever be able to search the BC website and find what I am looking for? I remain hopeful but guarded. Mattel, are you hearing any of this?
I guess what I will leave potential buyers with is a big fat CAVEAT EMPTOR .
Caveat Emptor – let the buyer beware
If you are a current BFC member, you can sign up for the club now. If you are a new member, you can start signing up a week from now on 1/19/2016.
Articulated Silkstones!
The speculation has finally ended for many collectors and has become fact. Mattel has formally announced ,beginning with the 2016 BFMC collection, Silkstone Barbie’s will be on articulated bodies. According to the new BC holiday catalogue, there will be articulation at knees, wrists, elbows and torso.
There is no information about what material is being used for these bodies. I am hoping that the quality will still be there for these bodies. I am all for articulation…as long as it is done correctly. I am excited for this new phase in Silkstone collecting. I am also hopeful that they will make bodies available so that collectors can re-body some of the older dolls. I am also wondering if the hands will be removable like the Integrity Toys dolls. This makes it very easy to redress. We will just have to wait and see.
I don’t know about you guys but I am loving the chic modern look of this new line for 2016. The black purse alone in the picture above is making me excited to see our first sneak peeks of the 2016 lineup. I am also loving the cateye liner of Miss Silkie. Looking forward to new reveals Mr. Best!
Also interesting to note…there is a new video available to BFC members where Robert Best talks about the 2015 collection. In that video both the photographer and the set builder for BFMC make very pointed comments about the gilt chairs. Something to the effect that “you can never have enough gilt chairs”. Is this a clue?!! Will we finally, after years of begging, be able to buy these chairs?!! Or…will they be a gift when signing up for the BFC next year. If I were putting things on my Christmas list, that would be at the very, very top.
Dear Santa,
I have been good. I would really, really like a pair of Barbie gilt chairs for Christmas. Thank you
–Rebecca
Never hurts to try right 
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 