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An Interview With a Doll Lover, January 2012

DollObserver — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:15:05 +0000

Ada and friends...

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that our first DollObservers.com Superstar Member of 2012 is the beautiful, talented and generous of spirit, Ada. Ada has been with us since the very early days of DollObservers and has always inspired and advised other members of the site.

Ada also has her finger firmly on the pulse of the Barbie world and was generous enough to design our site logo and look of our site for our first birthday last year. Ada you are a Superstar indeed!

Here is our interview with Ada and I hope you enjoy at much as me…

What made you join Doll Observers?

I love doll related websites! I saw the link on Facebook, I think, and when I saw that it was a doll lover’s community I was like: this is the place to be! LOL

When did you start collecting/playing dolls?

Playing with them… I think it was ’87 or ’86 when my mom bought me my first Barbie. Sun Gold Malibu Barbie. I still have her. She always wanted a Barbie when she was a kid but because we were a communist country it was impossible to get one. So she got one for me with the help of a friend of hour who used to smuggle things in and out of the country. My collection grew over the years until I became a teenager. As you may have guessed I started being more interested in boys than dolls by then, so I stopped buying dolls. ) And then, one day in 2008, I saw some Collector Barbies online and my addiction was back!

Tell us about the dolls in your collection.

Well first of all don’t ask me how many I have. I stopped counting after 200. Mostly I have Barbies from the 70′s, 80s, 90s and some Collector Dolls. Besides them I have a growing collection of 80s and 70s dolls such as Maxie, Tuesday Taylor, Candi, Jem, Sindy etc. Now I really am into Darci dolls and I plan on getting some of them.

You are DollObservers’ unofficial Barbie expert. How do you keep up with all the Barbie news and developments?

) I love the unofficial title. ) Well I read a LOT of doll blogs and websites, I’ve joined a lot of Barbie groups on Facebook and I also have a lot of doll collector friends on Facebook so I read their updates every day.

Your love of Barbie is certainly no secret. Even your recent marriage and engagement had a Barbie related elements. Tell us about that?

Well first of all I must thank God for the Marian. ) Because he understands what a collector is and he loves and takes care of my collection. He doesn’t love the bills that come with this collection but he still loves it. That is why he proposed to me, on the 29th of December 2010 with a custom Ninimomo Barbie called The Ada is Getting Married Doll that was made to resemble me in my Marie Claire spread I had done a few month before. He came up with the idea during a trip to Amsterdam where he saw Teresa Barbie Basics 1.0 and he thought to himself: oh, she looks just like Ada! As he already knew my love for Ninimomo’s creations he got in touch with Nik and Marie and they came up with the amazing doll that was given to me as a Christmas present AND a marriage proposal. I had no idea he was going to do that so it was a TOTAL surprise for me.

You are a very talented graphic and web designer (thanks again for our wonderful site design!). How do you combine your skills in these fields with your love of dolls?

Dolls inspire me. The same is with old cartoons. When I don’t have inspiration I look at my doll collection or search through my cartoon collection and watch some episodes from a classic series such as Jem or Saber Rider.

What advice would you give members who are thinking about starting a doll related website or blog?

Get someone to help you with a nice design. If you also want to make some money for your dolls from ads on your site you have to make it eye pleasing. Content is VERY important but the look also plays a big part in the success of a blog. Oh yes…you can email me!!! )

Other than playing with dolls what else do you do to relax?

As I have said before I love watching old cartoons from the 70s and 80s, looking at classic movies and reading books. I love books! Take me to a book store and I’ll spend everything I have there. ) And also spending time with Marian and our 2 cats, 2 hamsters and the neighbour’s dog, talking on the phone with my parents and going to the gym.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Barbie loves cats. )

Interview with a doll lover, September 2011 (dollobserver.com)

It’s official: Barbie and Ken are back together…

DollObserver — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:10:00 +0000

Together again...

Well it was the season of love so it was good timing for the most famous of dolls to mend their long broken relationship!

After several months of online flirting on Twitter, facebook et al the love birds finally made it official on Valentines day. Announced via billboards placed in major cities all over the world.

Congratulations to the two of them. Lets hope it lasts this time round!

Reunited: Barbie and Ken get back together (thestar.com)
A 50 Year Romance: Barbie + Ken (dollobserver.com)
Ken And Barbie Update Their Status (npr.org)

Facebook bans doll nipples!

DollObserver — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:27:34 +0000

Facebook has entered into the it’s very own controversial nipple-gate scandal after banning a photo belonging Victoria Buckley a jewellery designer from Sydney, Australia to showing a nude doll designed by Marina Bychkova of Enchanted Doll in Canada. These are no ordinary dolls either but beautiful works of art and can cost thousands of dollars. The photo was used to display and illustrate the designer’s jewellery and posted on her Facebook fan page. The doll also forms an aspect of Victoria’s window display in her actual store in Sydney, with no complaints thus far.

Not since Janet Jackson’s ‘wardrobe malfunction‘ has a normal part of female anatomy caused quite so much controversy. Well in the doll community at least!

Follow this link to read the full story!

Updates from Paris Fashion Doll Festival 2010

DollObserver — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:49:02 +0000

Well here I am in Paris at the Novotel Paris Est on the eve of the Fashion Doll Festival 2010. This is the first time (unbelievably) that I have attended so I am even more excited if that is possible as I have no idea what to expect. I am planning on covering my experience here on my blog and also via the other wonders of the internet Twitter, Facebook and Youtube as well as the Doll Observers Network. Phew that will keep me busy assuming all that technology doesn’t get the better of me!

So stay tuned as the first event is tomorrow with the Superfrock cocktail event ‘Disco 3000′ which commences at 7pm French time.

Barbie is a geek!

DollObserver — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 20:50:23 +0000

For the first time ever, Barbie® asked the world to help her select her next career. Over the past few months Barbie® did research around the world and also conducted an online voting campaign, calling upon the world to vote for her next career — Barbie® has asked her Twitter followers and fans on Facebook to help her with this important career decision.

The polls closed on February 10th and over half a million votes were counted! Barbie® doll’s 125th career, as selected by girls around the world is News Anchor! News Anchor Barbie® doll will make her debut this fall in a pink suite with black accents, a news folder, camera and a microphone and the “B News” logo.

But that’s not all! Consumers loudly campaigned for another Barbie® career. The winner of the popular vote is Computer Engineer. Computer Engineer Barbie®, debuting in Winter 2010, inspires a new generation of girls to explore this important high-tech industry, which continues to grow and need future female leaders.

“All the girls who imagine their futures through Barbie will learn that engineers — like girls — are free to explore infinite possibilities, limited only by their imagination,” says Nora Lin, President, Society of Women Engineers. “As a computer engineer, Barbie will show girls that women can turn their ideas into realities that have a direct and positive impact on people’s everyday lives in this exciting and rewarding career.”

To create an authentic look, Barbie® designers worked closely with the Society of Women Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering to develop the wardrobe and accessories for Computer Engineer Barbie®. Wearing a binary code patterned tee and equipped with all the latest gadgets including a smart phone, Bluetooth headset, and laptop travel bag, Computer Engineer Barbie® is geek chic.

Social networking… Fashion doll style!

DollObserver — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:40:04 +0000

Yesterday I launched a social networking site for visitors to the blog and fashion doll lovers in general called The Doll Observers (get it, lol?). By doing so I hope that you will interact and share your passion for dolls in a safe and friendly environment. I have added groups, forums, blogs. You can upload your photos from your Flickr account if you have one or from your PC if not and share everything on Twitter or Facebook. Wow social networking a go go!

Use the link below to check it out…

Visit The Doll Observers

Barbie hits the big 5-0!

DollObserver — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:43:00 +0000

Barbie first hit the doll scene way back in 1959 making her exactly 50 years old on March 9th. Whether you love her or hate her (whilst still secretly loving her!) there’s no denying that without Barbie’s introduction to the market by Mattel there wouldn’t be the amazing array of fashion dolls we have today particularly those aimed at the adult market. Or perhaps we would have more if the Barbie sales juggernaut hadn’t come along and squashed pretty much every rival to come in her way. Even the Bratz girls may have to bow to her power (or rather the power of her legal team) in the wake of the recent courtroom wrangling.

In order to celebrate the big occasion Mattel are going all out with a large online presense including a dedicated website, her own blog a Twitter page and even her own Facebook page. All this plus an array of events to celebrate the big day and an unprecedented add campaign. Just no one mention those recently dose-diving sales figures!