BRIEFS

Miller's Fashion Doll Magazine SOLD! -- March 28, 2000
Miller's Fashion Doll Magazine has been sold to another publishing company. An announcement will be made this week at the Millers website. No news yet regarding their Toy Fair issue.
 
 

  The Savvy Shopper on Green Ear
        Tips on products for treating green ear. - 1997, updated December 20, 1999.

  Barbie Goes to the Doves
        Interviews with several contemporary Christian artists who share their Barbie anecdotes.

  Barbie Goes to the Opry
        A look at the Grand Ole Opry series of dolls - 1997, updated October 27, 1999

  Archives
        Old artilces never die; they just get archived!
 
 

© 1997 by Kathryn E. Darden
 

 
In 1967, I took my allowance to Spann's 5 & 10 Store outside of Nashville, Tennessee, to purchase the brand-new Barbie® that was on all those exciting television commercials, the one ALL the girls were getting. She was new, she was groovy, and she was beautiful with real eye lashes, a twist and turn waist, and gorgeous, shiny, straight, platinum-blond hair! She was a prized addition to my Barbie collection, and she was the last Barbie® doll I would buy for 30 years.
 
When I rediscovered the joys of Barbie® collecting after most of my original collection was stolen, the first thing I did was to take stock of my remaining Barbies. One of the dolls stored in my closet was my TNT, but to my horror, I discovered I had left the earrings to one of her original outfits in her ears, and while she had still had beautiful, thick eyelashes, lovely mint makeup, shiny, mod hair, and even her original orange hair ribbon, she also had large green spots on both sides of her head.
 
Soon afterwards I discovered the two Barbie collector magazines, Barbie Bazaar and Millers Fashion Doll Magazine, and one of the first articles that caught my eye was written by Nicholas Hill  in Millers extolling the virtues of using Remove-Zit on the problem called green ear. Eagerly I ordered his products, and as soon as they arrived, I poured over the instruction sheets provided as well as re-reading the article in Millers. I wanted to make sure I did everything right to restore my beautiful girl to her original glory. One thing that gave me confidence was Hill's claims in the instruction sheet that Remove-Zit was safe and harmless to use, even on synthetic hair:

   REMOVE-ZIT will not harm or discolor human hair, mohair or synthetic hair. As a matter of fact, the product
    has been used successfully to remove copper metal stains (from a bobby pin) from the hair of a blond Barbie®.
 
I wanted Barbie's beautiful original hairstyle to remain perfect and the green ear did extend up to the scalp line. Another confidence builder was an article in the Winter 1996 issue of Millers where writer Virginia Walker says she successfully used Remove-Zit on a White Ginger bubblecut. However,  she did note that the doll must be protected against the fumes from Remove-Zit damaging the eye paint, so I was careful not to get the chemical on Barbieís paint.
 
Week after week I faithfully applied a small amount of Remove-Zit to the affected area.  Hill's literature did say it might take several weeks to remove all the color, so I kept the treatment up for more than three months.  I tried to keep it out of her hair as I didn't want to even have to wash her lovely locks for fear of disturbing her all-original hair-do. However, occasionally over the two months in which I applied the product, a small amount would get into her hairline. I was not overly concerned; after all, the product was clearly billed as safe for synthetic hair. A little more than three months after the first application, I made a horrifying discovery; Barbie's hair had become brittle and appeared to have dissolved at the hair line! My beautiful girl was loosing hair behind her ears on both sides where I had applied the Remove-Zit. In addition, not only had the treated area begun to bleach, but the Remove-Zit was bleaching out areas of the doll's face BEYOND the points where I had applied it!
 
Immediately I wrote Mr. Hill requesting an explanation and asking if he backed his product up with any guarantee if something did go wrong. He sent back this reply:
 
   Dear Kathryn,
   REMOVE-ZIT is an efficient stain remover...no more no less. It does not damage natural or
   synthetic fibers.
   Even though the successful use of REMOVE-ZIT to remove metal stains and oxidation from
   natural and synthetic hair fibers is documented in both Barbie magazines we have never recommended the product for this use.
   Sincerely,
   Nicholas Hill

And although Hill's literature proclaims that his products come with a "money back guarantee," I was offered no refund.
 
From that point on I began a quest for a knowledge, a quest to discover exactly what DOES work on green ear if not Remove-Zit. I began to poll people on the Internet, dealers, and anyone else who would give me the time of day,  and I made a startling discovery. There is NO perfect cure for green ear. Furthermore, people were highly polarized, as you will discover, in two equally passionate camps: those who recommend Remove-Zit and those who rave about TarnX. I also discovered some interesting alternative green ear solutions.
 
Out of the twenty-five people who responded to my request for green ear solutions, five favored Remove-Zit; ten recommended TarnX; four mentioned Clearasil, Oxxy-10, and plain Hydrogen Peroxide;  two suggested TarniShield, two had mixed feelings, and a couple of surprise methods were thrown in.
 
One defender of Remove-Zit was Ryan Karp who does restorations for Kitty Stewart. While Ryan states Remove-Zit is ìterribly slow,"  he attests, "It seems the best thing to use." He follows that up with a disclaimer; "I don't recommend it on TNT's. Nick Hill says it bleaches the green ear out and then you can color it with those little pens he mentioned in his article, but I don't even get that far. I've done it for six months and never got it out enough where I could even try to recolor it."
 
Carol from the Pink Chat Internet board says she has always used Remove-Zit. "It doesn't always completely remove the green, but I have never had ill effects and the green fades considerably." She goes on to mention,  "I have heard negatives about it, though, like it causes brownish stains, and when used over a long time it damages face paint. I have heard the same complaints about TarnX, though, so who knows."
 
From Shawnee, Kansas, Jana LeBlanc has been collecting Barbies for only about a year, but in that time she has treated four dolls with Remove-Zit with varying results. "The greatest success was with a #5 with a slight case of green ear. The green was about the size of the earring pearl and I was successful in removing all traces of green with about three, two-day treatments. I used a size 0 paint brush to apply the cream. I put it on thicker than the instructions say, and it seems to be more effective if you leave it on at least 2 days, till it starts to crack. I did notice a very slight swelling, but it subsided after treatment. I did not notice any reappearance of the green in 5 months." Next Jana tried brightening the same doll's lemon hair with Remove-Zit. "I did not cover the face or use vaseline and sure enough, the cream touched the brows and they wiped off when I was removing the cream." Jana also discovered Remove-Zit was very hard to get out of the hair, and when she did finally remove it after repeated washings, the doll's hair was never as soft again; even after conditioning the doll's hair was limp and lifeless. A bendleg Francie with dyed hair was Janaís next project. "This time I put lotion on the doll's face and rubberbanded saran wrap over the face. I managed to get most of the dye out after two treatments, but the hair seemed to loose some of its bounce. I even tried to soften it with some liquid fabric softener  which usually works so well, but the texture seemed permanently changed and felt rough. The roughness  dulls the hair to the eye, though, so it is visible. Thank goodness for  those Francie hoods!" Jana's final treatment involved "a NRFB Lemon Swirl with massive green ear that I spent at least 4 months treating at least every third day. The green was very dark to begin with and paled considerably, but you still could see it. I did notice that the tan-toned area around the green paled somewhat as well."

 Respected Barbie® doll dealer Marl Davidson also mentioned problems with Remove-Zit's effects saying, "My experience with Remove-Zit has been unsuccessful!  Your doll parts swell and get bumpy when used on the body and it can change the dollís eye color when you use it near the ears."
 
An Internet site that is frequently visited is Nancy Coogan's Beanies and Barbies. Nancy, who has been collecting Barbie® dolls for over seven years and dealing with the green ear problem for the same amount of time, vehemently writes, "I STAY AWAY from Remove-Zit - it does nothing but turn the ears brown."  Penny Carenza from Fair Lawn, NJ, responded to my survey on Pink Chat by telling me, "I remember a while back someone did a story on green ears and it turned out to be a commercial for Remove-Zit.  I tried that stuff once and it made the doll's head and cheeks swell up so that it looked like she had the mumps. Never will I use that product again."
 
TarnX fared better in poling collectors, but it did not escape criticism. While some contributors were enthusiastic, as with Remove-Zit, most TarnX users offered cautionary notes. One collector who gave TarnX her blessing was Marl Davidson. "I have been treating green ears for over ten years now, and I can tell you this, I favor TarnX, and persistence is everything!!!!  I have tried every other product, but TarnX seems to work the best for me."  Nancy Coogan raves, "TarnX works wonderful for me. I have used it for seven years and have only done damage to two dolls - both due to my own stupidity. I have found the only dolls that TarnX will not work on are, of course, TNT's (nothing works on them yet) and the dark-faced, suntanned dolls from 1964-65 (swirls mostly, but some bubbles and Midges have that dark skin tone as well as some American Girls)."  "I have successfully treated my own first edition Bubblecut and titian Midge.  They both had green ear that was crusty in places, it was so bad," says Debbie Ledbetter, Winterville, NC.  "Also, I treated my s/l Skipper in the hair from her headband.  I'm currently treating a white ginger bubblecut."  Debbie treated her dolls two years ago and reports no green ear or discoloration has returned.  "I am careful to clean inside and out every two days with alcohol and new TarnX soaked cotton balls.  I place the head in a tupperware-type container.  Check every day!!  It takes a while but I have been happy with the results."

Collector Penny Carenza states,  "The best thing I have found to use for green ears on vintage dolls is TarnX," but she goes on to say that not all green ear can be cured, and sometimes it comes back. Penny feels the problem with returning green ear is an incomplete treatment. "It is necessary to treat both the inside and outside of the ears! That's why I think green ear comes back sometimes, because it was never completely gone to begin with." Penny went on to provide an exhaustive 11-step TarnX treatment plan:
 1. carefully remove the head (ouch)
 2. clean it thoroughly with alcohol
 3. gather supplies :
      l. small plastic container with good sealing lid
                     2. TarnX
                     3. cotton & Q-tips
                     4. tweezers
                     5. saran wrap to protect the hair (optional)
 4. wrap the hair in saran wrap if so desired or wash the hair and head thoroughly when through.
 5. tear of a small piece of cotton just big enough to cover the green
 6. soak it in the TarnX (I pour some in a small shot glass or use the lid.)
 7. with the tweezers, place the saturated cotton ball on the green. DO NOT ALLOW THE TarnX TO RUN ONTO THE LIPS OR MAKE-UP!  I did that with a bubble that I thought had no  lipstick left. Actually it had faded to nude and I just didn't notice.  I was new at de-greening and  placed her carelessly in the container and the TarnX ran onto her lips turning them white! That's when I discovered that she had lipstick!
 8. Place the head with the cotton soaked in TarnX on the ears face up in the container.  The cotton  will stay on if it is small enough and wet enough.  You can do 2 ears at the same time.
 9.  cover the container
 10.  LEAVE IT ALONE FOR A FEW DAYS! Depending on how green the doll is and how deeply  imbedded in the vinyl, this process can take anywhere from a few days to a few months.  You are  checking for 2 things: to see if the green is gone and to see if the cotton needs wetting. Keep the  cotton wet by checking every few days and the green will go. The reason to keep the container  closed is to give the TarnX a chance to work, and air will dry out the tiny cotton too quickly.
 11.  When the green is all gone from the outside,  dip a Q-tip in the TarnX and position it on the  ear to degreen from the inside.
 
What do people from other parts of the world use? Megan Bouris from Australia says they order TarnX from the States! "We have no magic formula, and in fact we mainly use TarnX imported from the USA as we do not seem to have a silver cleaning product quite like it. It has been very successful for many of us; you  just need to be careful not to get it near the hair (sends blondes very brassy) or the makeup (sends pink lips white for example). NEVER use it on Twist n Turn era dolls - disastrous.  An alternative is to use a cream such as Oxxy10 (any face cream with benzol peroxide 10%) and dab it on, repeat many times (put it in the sun to speed it up) and sometimes that works OK as well. Overdo it and it bleaches out the tan tone. But I believe you cannot use that on a doll after you have tried the TarnX." Megan says she has not yet tried Remove-Zit, "But other friends in the US swear by it. I intend to buy some and try it." Italy's Mauro Marchetti has had a similar experience. ìIn searching for getting good results with green ears, I must confess I tried lots of products available here with no results at all. Even chemical products are different in other countries. For example, the Clearasil here in Italy has a different formula and doesn't contain benzol peroxide (which helps to remove stains). The only products I tested and that gave some good results are the TarnX (from USA) and the Clearasil from England  (to remove stains). Unfortunately I believe there is not an ultimate product to solve the 'green ear disease'. Even the good old TarnX it seems to act as a temporary  remedy, in fact the green reappears after some times and I think it depends on the weather and the conditions of storage of the treated doll. A Casey head with really bad green ear turned brown and either the paint of the eyebrows and eyes and the color of the hair were lightened by the TarnX." Ger van Kempen indicates collectors from The Netherlands use a local product as well as importing TarnX. "I personally use TarnX bought in the US. Here in The Netherlands people use "Hagerty" silver dip." Ger believes Hagerty's is very similar to TarnX. "You use it the same way as the TarnX (a cotton dot on the green spot and be patient). Up till now my experience has been good with TarnX and I hear about the same with Hagerty. Sometimes with TarnX the spot turns brown instead of green after a while but most of the times it works. I think it is the same with 'Hagerty.'"
 
Some experts gave TarnX a mixed endorsement and another 'recipe' for its use. The most efficient way to use it is to take several tiny pieces of cotton ball and take a needle and thread, and knot one end of the thread. Run the needle through the cotton ball and through the earring hole, then through the cotton ball on the inside of the ear, then across the inside of the head, and then out the other earring hole and out to the cotton ball on the outside of the head. Then knot the other end at the cotton ball so it all holds together. That way there is cotton outside the ear and inside the head. Apply the TarnX with an eye dropper or Q-tip, dab it on the cotton ball. Keep it wet; apply it every day. This effects the inside and the outside of the ear, and it wonít run all over everything. One of the disadvantages of TarnX is that it will get in blond hair and make a dark stain, and it will fade the lips. The red pigment seems to be affected the most. It can also dull the blue pigment in the eyes over a long period of time.
 
Other disadvantages to TarnX were mentioned. Ryan Karp says he bought his first bubblecut back when TarnX was the only thing out there. "I treated her with the TarnX and completely removed the green ear, and I put it in a showcase. In three years all the green ear was back. I have a friend who bought a ponytail and the same thing happened. I guess it is some sort of time thing, but the green ear seems to always come back."

 An Organics Professor in the Chemistry Dept. at Duke University was consulted by Carlota Berry, a junior majoring in Textiles Manufacturing & Design at North Carolina State. His recommendation was NEVER use TarnX. Why? Because TarnX contains copper, which is the element in brass that causes green ear.  Carlota says without being told so, the professor accurately guessed that TarnX-treated ears would turn brown a few years down the road because of the copper content.
 
Other chemicals did not fare well on green ear with the experts. For instance, TarniShield left white powder residue fter treatment.  Lori Smith from the Internet Pink Chain Gang has a friend who has used TarniShield successfully. "My pal at work here uses TarniShield (available at drugstores) to wipe out green ear on her vintage Barbies.  She's been using it for about two years with no problems so far." Experts caution, however, that this doll may not have had enough time for the white shadow to show up yet.
 
Penny Carenza recommends Oxxy-10 for the same problem, used basically the same way as Clearasil. A combo treatment for green ear using Clearasil has been used successfully by Marl Davidson. "In the very beginning, I sometimes use Clearasil with a bright light focussed on the green area, then do the TarnX treatment. The reason I tried that treatment was because the green was so thick and goopy surrounding the ears.  I thought if I put Clearasil on the ears first and then put the head under a bright light, it would help start the de-greening, and it did. I left it overnight, checking it frequently. The next day I applied the TarnX and did the usual treatment of putting it on the ears and then placing the head in a Tupperware container and then burping the container.  Try to change the cotton everyday and apply a fresh application of TarnX daily. This system worked quite well as all the green came out of the ears on this particular doll."
 
Some other novel treatments were brought to light through this research. A gentleman named Vernard contacted a couple of women on the Internet's Pink Chat for tips about some old Barbies he had unearthed. He showed the vintage Barbies to a friend who is curator for the local museum in Vernard's area. Vernard told the curator he wanted to restore and save the dolls for his daughter, and the curator successfully removed the stains around the ears with some cleaner they use at the museum for cleaning around brass book tacks. Unfortunately, Vernard was unable to provide the name of this tack cleaner.
 
Ruth Harvey, President of "The Diamond Doll Club of Arkansas" bought a blonde bubble from her next door neighbor last year. It had been stored in the attic with the earrings left in. This doll had green face! Ruth is also an Avon Representative, and feeling she had nothing to lose, she started experimenting with Avon products and found that ANEW : all-in-one perfecting lotion, worked extremely well at  removing the green. She stopped using the lotion when the hair covered the remaining green, and she felt that had  she continued using the lotion it would have eventually removed all the green. The lotion in no form or fashion harmed the makeup, hair or vinyl.
 
The same Organics professor at Duke University that explained the problems with TarnX to Carlota Berry suggested another alternate treatment, CLR-- the Calcium-Lime-Rust used to remove tub stains! Carlota says, "It works especially well on the dark forest green stains: takes them out overnight on most TNT heads, and fades them gradually on bubbles/ponytails, though that could take several weeks of treatment.  It does not bleach or seem to harm the vinyl, either.  I'm still experimenting on the neon green stains that TNT's get. Alternate treatments of baking soda and H202 are bringing a bit of success, but I've only completed one head with that method."  A product called DD7 available in the laundry department at K-mart and other retailers was recommended by Bonnie in MN from the Pink Chain Gang who says while she has never used it for green ear, "It worked wonders when a small child had taken black magic marker to my white furniture!"
 
Ultimately, a combination of chemicals may be the best solution for treating green ear. One combo treatment commended: Clean the doll's head out with alcohol including running a thread through ear hole/s. Next, put TarnX on cotton ball, place the wad on the affected area, moistened with TarnX. Place the head in a sealed area like Tupperware; allow it to sit there until the green disappears. Check periodically and moisten occasionally. Because TarnX is a sulfur based product, it moves the stain, and doesn't necessarily eradicate the green, and it often leaves a brown stain or shadow in the affected area. Rinse it with really hot water, let it dry and apply the Remove-Zit. Don't let the two chemicals touch. Remove-Zit is some form of hydrogenated peroxide, organic peroxide, or cream peroxide. It expands the vinyl as its working. Left on too long, it leaves a bulge or lump. If you have pinpricks or hole it swells them. In order for Remove-Zit to clean, you have to leave it on a really long time. Since you can get rid of the brown stain quicker than the green, people get rid of the green first through TarnX, and then they remove the rest of the brown through Remove-Zit.
 
What about my problem with the dissolving TNT hair? Several collectors had heard of it happening to other people's dolls, especially to blond hair, and Donnie Tassey, a local expert from Tennessee, reported he lost all the hair on a vintage Skipper by treating her with Remove-Zit. A number of people also noted that treating a doll's hair with Remove-Zit resulted in signs of hair damage: dryness, brittleness, dullness, loss of texture, etc.
 
Progress is obviously being made in the search for a cure for the green ear problem. Maybe Vernard's tack cleaner or the Organics professor's suggestion of CLR will usher in the future for green ear removal. Perhaps the TarnX/Remove-Zit combination will provide long-term satisfaction. It is too late for my once-lovely TNT, but maybe one of the treatments here will save readers from the heartache that comes from ruining a doll with the wrong chemicals. Remember Gary's advice to experiment on a junk doll first. Don't forget, experts urge great caution and lots of rinsing when you are using two chemicals. Keep reading and researching, because the next issue of Barbie Bazaar or Millers Fashion Doll Magazine may have the perfect solution we vintage collectors are all waiting for - the permanent cure for green ear!

 © 1999 by Kathryn E. Darden, all rights reserved.
 
 

Barbie® Goes to the Opry
 
© 1997 by Kathryn E. Darden

 On Saturday, September 20, 1997, history was made as Barbie® made her "singing" debut on "Grand Ole Opry Live." Prior to the television debut of Country Rose® Barbie, she was the guest of honor at a reception hosted by Mattel for local clubs. About fifty excited Nashville Barbie® doll collectors braved the Saturday crowds at Opryland Theme Park to go to the Grand Ole Opry Museum for two and a half hours of fun, information and food. Members from five Middle Tennessee clubs were represented: the Grand Ole Barbie Club, the Music City Club, the Nashville Barbie Club, the Simply Southern Club,  and Nasville's newest Barbie club, the Belle Meade Plantation Belles Barbie Club. Members were greeted by Mattel representatives Lisa McKendall, Scott Turner, and Therese Wilbur along with Country Rose Barbie, a lovely brunette character model from California who played the part of Barbie, dressed in an exact replica of the Country Rose ensemble. Both the model and the outfit were beautiful, but almost overpowered by the interest shown in the diminutive original in her acrylic case.  As club members arrived, Barbie posed for photos with guests in a clever Grand Ole Opry stage setting as well as autographing 8 x10 color glossies that disappeared quickly to the disappointment of guests who arrived a half hour or more into the event. "I think it was the way the girl was dressed up as Barbie that made the event," states Lorena Anderson who resides in Pegram, TN.  "I think that went over real big." While photos were taken and autographs written, a large screen on one of the walls showed pictures of current and upcoming Barbie dolls. "It was pretty fascinating," says Donna Gorlier of West Nashville about the reception. "I though it was pretty neat how they had a screen that showed ten or so Barbie dolls like the Share-a-Smile Becky, and the new designer African American Barbie. They showed the gymnast Barbie and had her animated doing twirls like a cartoon."

 The ambiance couldn't have been nicer as the country-western theme was enhanced by the museum's Grand Ole Opry paraphernalia. Murals, articles of clothing and instruments from former Opry greats and other mementos adorned the walls. Food was plentiful as guests nibbled on cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, and many other munchies which were washed down with an appropriate rose-colored fruit punch.

 The highlight of the event, however, was the drawing for five Country Rose Barbie dolls. Two dolls were drawn at the close of the first hour for guests who had to leave early. The collectors crowded close to the character Barbie as she drew the winning tickets from a fishbowl. Sharonís Barbie Paradise in Kentucky was represented by her young daughter who walked away with the first Country Rose Barbie. The next winner, Charlene Willis, isn't even a member of a local club, but is sure to join one now that she has won a doll!

 Remaining guests had to wait another hour before the final three drawings when two members of the Belle Meade Plantation Belles won back-to-back beauties! Lorena Anderson  brought her husband Grover. Lorena says Grover, "Didn't much want to go, but ended up having a great time." He also ended up falling in love with the beautiful Country Rose Barbie his wife won, and as for Lorena, "I'm still floating on cloud nine." In fact, everyone had a great time, and everyone was impressed with the nice job Mattel did putting together such a creative reception for local club members.

  The Country Rose Barbie doll was the event's most impressive feature, however. Mattel, which has on some occasions disappointed collectors in the past when the quality of a doll does not live up to the prototype, has outdone themselves with this one. While the doll, makeup, brunette hair and rooted eyelashes are lovely in themselves, the outfit is marvelous in its attention to detail. From the tiny "rhinestone" studs and dainty floral print on the faux suede trim on the yoke, to the "suede" fringe on the hem of her red satin dress, this outfit is top quality. Throw in the trim on the hat, the black trim on her red boots, and you have one great ensemble. The tiny acoustic Gibson guitar, however, almost steals the show with its attention to details and Barbie's name proudly emblazoned on it, and Country Rose Barbie was provided with one bent arm and one straight arm to accommodate holding the guitar, should collectors want to debox her and pose her with the clever prop. "I think the doll is going to be a winner and is just what Nashville needs," says the enthusiastic Lorena Anderson.

 Mattel also seemed pleased with the reception. Lisa McKendall of the Mattel P.R. Department comments, "I thought it was wonderful. It gave us the opportunity to get together with collectors from the South we donít normally have a chance to interact with."

 Country Rose Barbie is the premiere doll in the new Grand Ole Opry Collection series, which is designed to capture the glitz and style of the legendary music institution. The collection along with Country Rose Barbie are approved by the Grand Ole Opry to bear its name -- an honor not bestowed lightly. Nashville welcomed the newest member of the Grand Ole Opry with open arms as Barbie appeared on "Grand Ole Opry Live," where she performed a country music song, and on several other local shows and newscasts including "Prime Time Country," "AM Nashville," and "Talk of the Town." Barbie and Therese Wilbur even presented a Country Rose Barbie doll to Bob Whittaker, president of the Grand Ole Opry, which is now on display in the opry house lobby. Mattel has done a fine job of developing this first doll and tying it in to the local market.

In 1998 the second doll in the series appeared in her full-length blue gown with its silver fringe trim. A beautiful redhead with rooted lashes and the Mackie face, Rising Star made an appropriately flashy companion to her predecessor.  But with the arrival of Duet, the Barbie and Ken country-western set, Mattel outdid themselves. This Ken has possibly the best face mold of all the Kens (but unfortunately has molded hair), and Barbie is stunning in her iridescent teal pantsuit with rhinestone button and gold trim. Wirh her chic ponytail, rooted lashes, blond hair and brown eyes, she is quite lovely, but her blouse is rather sheer with a bit of a peek-a-boo effect. All in all, however, she is a very pretty doll.

If the other dolls in the series live up to what Mattel has achieved with the first three dolls, then this series should bring a little bit of the history, charm and timeless glamor of Nashvilleís country music industry into many homes around the world. Y'all come!

parts of this artile were  previouslypublished in Barbie Bazaar magazine

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