There is something that has been irritating me lately. It's not a big deal to most, and some of you probably won't understand why it's bothering me. But since it has been constantly on my mind the past week, I finally decided to blog about it.
It started with the new Adele sculpt that was presented at the Jet Set Convention. Most people are raving over the new doll. I, too, think that the doll is gorgeous, but it is not Adele. So my question to myself and to a few others was, "Why not give this doll a new name?" She is clearly not the Adele that Adele collectors have come to know and love. There are millions of names available. Are you saying that Integrity couldn't come up with a new name for this doll?
So then Mattel comes out with the new fashionistas. Now they have decided to go back to giving them names. So the Artsy doll is now named Nikki....again. This is not Nikki! It is the Desiree sculpt. Why are you naming this doll Nikki? Does Barbie have a limit on how many Black friends she can have? She has two. Nikki and Christie. Yes, you have the SIS dolls, but they are not Barbie's friends. They are friends to each other.
I would just like to see both companies be a little more mindful of when you change face sculpts to the point that the doll is totally different, you really should change the doll's name. Now I think I need to voice this opinion directly to the two companies. I feel better now.
Come back later, when I will be getting back to the joy of dolls.
It started with the new Adele sculpt that was presented at the Jet Set Convention. Most people are raving over the new doll. I, too, think that the doll is gorgeous, but it is not Adele. So my question to myself and to a few others was, "Why not give this doll a new name?" She is clearly not the Adele that Adele collectors have come to know and love. There are millions of names available. Are you saying that Integrity couldn't come up with a new name for this doll?
So then Mattel comes out with the new fashionistas. Now they have decided to go back to giving them names. So the Artsy doll is now named Nikki....again. This is not Nikki! It is the Desiree sculpt. Why are you naming this doll Nikki? Does Barbie have a limit on how many Black friends she can have? She has two. Nikki and Christie. Yes, you have the SIS dolls, but they are not Barbie's friends. They are friends to each other.
I would just like to see both companies be a little more mindful of when you change face sculpts to the point that the doll is totally different, you really should change the doll's name. Now I think I need to voice this opinion directly to the two companies. I feel better now.
Come back later, when I will be getting back to the joy of dolls.
OH LORD JESUS THANK YOU SOMEONE ELSE SAID IT AND NOT ME!
ReplyDeleteThat doll is not the Adele I grown to love over the past 2 years! Once I saw the photos of her, I went back to watching my Korean dramas.....
I never understood why Barbie only keeps Nikki and Christie names around, then there was Grace and we never really seen the friendship between Barbie and her until one of those God Awful movies came out!
However I totally agree with you!
Wow nicely said vanessa! Thats why i primarily focus on action figures! Mattel has been going down hill for awhile now and they arent going to win any contests now that the Bratz dolls are making a comeback!
ReplyDeleteVanessa, I agree with you wholeheartedly!! Very well said. In fact, the gift set was one of my last purchases at FR Con because of these facts. I almost decided not to get her. She is a pretty doll, but not the "Adele" that I like.
ReplyDeleteThe Big M...ugh...I am so over Mattel. They are just not right period when it comes to AA dolls.
I co-sign on this with heavy "black" ink, Vanessa. This doll that Fashion Royalty is referring to as Adele is definitely not Adele.
ReplyDeleteThe doll is an insult to the intellect of those who have loved the original Adele from the beginning, as well as to those, like me, who grew to love the original Adele within the past couple of years.
If FR wanted to introduce a new AA friend for Veronique, they should have done that and not used the same name of an existing doll.
Because her face appears Botox injected, I cannot call this doll FR is calling Adele beautiful, gorgeous, or even pretty.
You're right about Mattel and Barbie's ability to only befriend one AA female doll at a time. Obviously they think one friend is sufficient or that one AA doll is enough at any given time.
dbg
I haven't seen the new Adele or whoever the current face-sculpt IT has up for Adele yet. Thanks for letting me know that I just might not like her. Whew, thank you IT for sparing my budget. I still want that afro-ed Adele from last year so I could use a break.
ReplyDeleteRE: Barbie and Grace and other Black friends. Grace was formerly a Barbie friend per her intro story, but then Grace moved to Chicago. Barbie doesn't seem to want to retain friends outside of California or New York, so we have to make allowances for this break. Grace put away her hankerchief and found new friends, Trichelle, Kara, and Chaundra. Yay, Grace.
I would say that perhaps Mattel doesn't feel that Barbie can recall the name of more than one or two ethnic dolls at a time. (What about Teresa - sheesh.) BUT Mattel tends to recycle names. So maybe that's why the Grace doll plays double duty for both Nikki and Christie - as well as some of the Black Barbies.
Great post Vanessa! It's an insult on both sides but I really don't understand IT getting lazy or cheap or whatever they call themselves doing. FR collectors spend mad money on these dolls so that's ridiculous.
ReplyDelete@ DBG - Thanks for posting a link to her photo. I was trying to Google it because I haven't seen the new line yet. She's a gorgeous doll but she should definitely have a different name. Adele, doesn't even suit this doll.
@ D7ana - I read that intro too about Grace moving to Chicago and meeting the rest of the S.I.S. girls as friends. LMBO at "Barbie doesn't seem to want to retain friends outside of California or New York..." too true.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I do feel better getting this off my chest. I also got a good chuckle here and there. Thanks for all the added info, too. I forgot that Grace was "supposedly" Barbie's friend. As for Theresa, to my knowledge they have never changed the sculpt for Theresa. When they call a doll Theresa, it is the same sculpt. I am fine with that
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you made this post. I have been wanting to talk about this for a long time. I do not understand why it would be so hard for Mattel to have dolls with more skin tones. They have some beautiful skin tones available to them. (i.e. the Zodiac line) I would love to see the fashionistas line more ethnically diverse. It almost seems as if Mattel is a taking a step backwards. Why would they even have a new line in 2011 with only two maybe three skin tones. The first wave I think only had two. Ridiculous! It makes me wonder if we as a nation are taking a step back. The fashionista guys have no diversity whatsoever. It really makes me angry because it shows that there is still a preference for a certain color. With so many bi-racial and multi-racial families you would think they would try to keep up. They need some diversity to that fashionistas line because their bodies are awesome and the price is even better. BTW, I still have not found a body for my AA basics ken. He has a head like the dolls that comes right off. I thought I found a body but it was not compatible with the head.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah and I won't get started on the new Skipper, Stacie, and Kelly!!!
ReplyDeletemrscarissa - Yes, I totally agree. I was very disappointed to see that the 2 new male fashionista dolls are the exact same two from last year. I have been to the Mattel website and they have a whole page on diversity. The link is below. This is what they say about their product diversity. They need to be brought to carpet about this statement.
ReplyDelete"Products: we will create and market products that appeal to and engage our consumers around the world"
http://corporate.mattel.com/about-us/diversity.aspx
mrscarissa - Skipper and Stacie who? Their new Kelly (Shelly) is the same size as the SIS kids, so I wasn't expecting they would do an AA version, but it would definitely be nice to see some diversity there, too.
ReplyDeleteI will speak from what I know as a collector of FR from the beginning. I love the 1st version of Adele. People however called her all kinds of names. "She looks like a man." "She's too hard looking" etc. IT taking this note changed her face and we received the version of Adele which many have come to know with the open mouth (Bodacious, Urban Antoinette). I was semi upset then with this change.
ReplyDeleteI have continued to buy Adele because of my love of her. The most popular dolls from Adele line seem to be the lighter skinned ladies in the line like Paparazzi Bait and Soul Deep. I'm saying this to those who never really loved her but can accept her now in those incarnations of Adele.
This newer version which was tweaked as they say so that she and Dominique who is her sister or something like that look more alike. This doll is a complete overhaul of Adele. I love the look of this lady although she is not Adele for me. I haven't decided on her name but she will have one soon.
As for Mattel there have been very few dolls that have impressed me lately. The only redeeeming thing is I can get some articulated bodies in more than 2 shades. There are runors that the AA one is another shade of brown. They could dominate so easily but are too afraid of what the few who are not collectors will say. See all the hoopla over TokiDoki and her tattoos..LOL. It's all laughable at this point
Dollz4Moi - Thanks for your insight. I was saying that new Adele looked like Dominique, but I didn't know she was supposed to be her sister. Adele has been here, Dominique just arrived. Why didn't they make Dominique look more like Adele. I already know the answer to that, but I wanted to put the question out there. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the new AA fashionista I saw was not darker. I had been told that she was going to be, and in the pictures, she looks darker. In the store, it seemed different, but not darker. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteYou know the camping sisters. I don't know if they gave them different names but they are Skipper sized and Stacie sized but I have yet to see an AA version.
ReplyDeletemrscarissa - Well that Skipper and Stacie joke went right over your head. I was agreeing with you, wondering where the other versions are. I have been wondering that ever since they first came out.
ReplyDeleteWell the 1st AA Chelsea(nee Kelly) is the dental patient. I bought the set just because she is the 1st in the newest version.
ReplyDeleteThere was AA Camping sisters set a few years ago. I don't think there are any plans to make AA versions of the newest camping sisters..LOL
The Big M still cracking me up and has me shaking my head :O)