Restyling, 1990s and Y2K Barbie Fashion

This transcript was generated from the episode captions and lightly edited for readability. Names and product terms may occasionally be imperfect. Quoted dollar amounts retain the wording of the interview; the currency is not always specified.

0:00Hello dolls and accessories. I'm your host Kelly and this is Barbie Talk. Barbie Talk with Kelly in Pink. Today's guest is someone who turned their passion for dolls not just to Instagram, Tik Tok, and YouTube. He turned it into a creative brand and business. You may know him as Dolls Made Me Do It, who shares stunning dollry styles, fashion forward photography, iconic collection pieces, and the stand tall premium doll stands that collectors use to elevate their displays. From halls to fashion editorials to creating a product that serves the doll community, he brings together collecting, creativity, and entrepreneurship in a unique and captivating way. He's also a fellow Canadian. Please welcome Mick.

0:51Hi Mick. Hi. Welcome to Barbie Talk. Thank you so much for having me, Kelly. I'm so excited to be here with you today. I'm so excited to have you on the show. I love that background. I already see Oh man, I'm seeing so many beautes on there. I can't wait to get to talking about collecting and your content and a bunch of other things. So, I'll get right to it. Tell everybody a little bit about yourself, where you're from, and how your relationship with Barbie started. My name is Mick. Um, I live in the greater Montreal area. Laval is the city I live in, but I like to say Montreal cuz it's a little more known as as a place, you know, to live. Barbie has been part of my life ever since I was a kid. I was lucky enough to have an older sister who got dolls for Christmas or her birthday. And that was I actually was thinking about this today. I'm like, had she not been there and had it been me first or only boys, I don't know if I would have been ever physically introduced to seeing Barbie like as a doll that soon or that I guess quick. So, I'm so grateful for her. And then, yeah, I just I was infatuated with her from from a very young age and I just knew I really wanted one of my own. And I guess the story is I guess similar to a lot of people's stories, especially being a little boy. Um, in the '8s, I was born in like late '8s. There was a bit of push back, you know, from getting dolls and playing with them. So, I went through a few Christmases without any Barbie of my own. But then eventually, um, my aunt convinced my dad to

2:12be like, "You need to get him a doll. Please just get him a doll." Like, every Christmas, you just see him in a corner like sad. So, I got my first. It was the 1991 holiday Barbie in the green like velour dress. I don't have her anymore. And I, you know, she's been on my list to find again, but the boxes are really hard to get like without yellow cellophane or like a lot of damage. So, I'm trying to find like a good one so I can highlight her in my collection because she was really the first one I remember interacting with as a kid, you know? So, that's where it all started really. It was 1991 Holiday Barbie and then the rest just I got lucky. I got into like, you know, we were right before Totally Hair Barbie and Hollywood Hair and like all the amazing dolls of the early '9s. So, I had a really fun childhood with her and it just spiraled from there. Yeah. Yeah. I think you and I share the same interest. I was born in mid80s so we're not that much like there's probably not that big of a Okay, so we're three years apart. I was getting dolls in ' 87 88 like I was too young to even remember also cuz I had an older sister. So high five to the older sisters who introduced us to the uh Barbie world. But I got 1992 holiday Barbie. That was my first holiday Barbie and I just remember my reaction. So 1991 she's iconic too. like those dresses, those boxes. And I think it's easy to find, but the quality, you're right, is not the greatest cuz they are almost 40 years old, right? Yeah. Like I'd like to get her in box. So, it's like trying to find the right box. So, she's always on my wish list. So, I keep an eye out for her,

3:34but I'm sure again I'll keep an eye out for you, too. I got we got to support. So, your parents eventually, I guess, came around and they were supportive, would you say, afterwards? Yeah, very very supportive. I think my mom was always super supportive, but my dad did have push back and then he became probably the one who got me the most Barbies as a kid. Like he would take me to Toys R Us and I have like so many memories of him getting me dolls, especially Yeah. when I was like 5, six, seven years old, you know, birthdays and Christmases. It was just I was so lucky, you know, and my parents were really open and allowed me to be very creative with the dolls. I think a lot of the barriers or walls I had up as a kid were the ones I created for myself where I didn't feel like it was something I should talk about or let others know, but I was lucky that at home I could have that space and and play with them. That's really important and that's great. So, you don't have the 1991 Barbie there. Any dolls there that you have that are one of your firsts or maybe your oldest?

4:26All my childhood dolls, unfortunately, I did not keep or I did not have to take on with me. So, I don't have any of those. Um, any of the ones your dad gave you? Any of those? No, all of those dolls were like lost in like movings and like different eras, I guess. And as a kid, I didn't really have the mindset of keeping that. And I think so many people go through that where like their toys are put away or set aside and then eventually someone decides to get rid of it without even like they're not going to come to you like, hey, I'm going to get rid of this. They just kind of assume that, oh, they're not playing with this anymore. We'll just let it go. And then a lot of things, yeah, were just unfortunately lost or let go. So, I don't really have anything from my childhood. I mean, I got dolls back that I had as a kid, and that's where like my collecting started again was really trying to relive that of like, "Oh my god, I remember having this doll or I remember that one." And I was like, "I need to have this doll." And I do have one of those with And I think that's the beauty of being an adult now with adult money is like we can go and search the dolls that we had as a kid that we lost whether we moved or mom or dad got rid of them. That's the beauty of being like, "Hey, I can just look for it now and buy it." Yeah, definitely. I mean, I wish they were still the prices that they were in the stores because I love when you see them with their original price tag and you're like, "Wow, this was like $9.99 and now I'm paying like $150 for it." But a doll I did have as a kid and I loved so much is Hollywood Hair Teresa. I mean, all the Hollywood hair dolls I loved so much except for Skipper because I'm not a big Skipper collector. Teen Skipper, yes, but like little Skipper not so much. But not recently,

5:50but I would say a few years back I got her into my collection again along with Barbie. And this is also a doll I would love Mattel to reproduce. And I know that will be something we'll talk about maybe later, but that's why I also had her with me because I think the whole Hollywood hairline should be definitely remade. And I think Christy needs to be added into the mix for sure. So that's something Mattel, if you're listening, let's get the girls back together. Some of these '90s dolls need repros. So many of them. And I think so many are so good and so I would say not easy to remake, but I would think we're in that era too where I think so many of the collectors that were kids then are now adults and it'd be the perfect time to capture those dolls again in sort of um you know either reproduction or I don't think the inspiration thing works that well because they tend to miss the mark sometimes. So I would feel like just make it again as good as it was. Just reproduce it. Give us some iconic '90s dolls. And I agree and we've talked about this on the show before. Sometimes people say like, you know how they did like the spin on day to night and Andrew Mukamal came out with like a new style by design. That's cool. But even doing like jewel hair mermaid for example, why don't we bring a Kira or a Christie and she's wearing a silver bathing suit? I can't take credit for that idea. That was one of my podcast guests. But something like that. Yeah. I die thinking of all the girls in like different colors but in the same outfit.

7:07Like I love like a color multiplier and I think that there's certain lines that were missing. maybe one of the characters in a different color way and I think what you just mentioned would be amazing and Kira is definitely needed in that set honestly would be so good 100%. So luckily I have these close by but I thought I would show you my girls. [laughter] One second. This is the one I have out of box too. So are you predominantly an inbox collector or an out of box? Like what's your style? Cuz I see you have your Hollywood hair inbox but then you've got a lot out of box. I'm a hot mess. So I have inbox and out of box. I've been a lot better with really choosing what I unbox, I would say. Or if I really want one out of box, I'll try to find one. Oh my god, Teresa, out of box is so beautiful. I need to get one out of box. Pretty. Cuz I always look at her and I'm like, I just want to unbox you so bad. She's so so pretty. I probably need to fix her hair because it's very like frizzy. The fiber is so weird though of the Hollywood hair dolls. It's like a weird wiry Yeah, she's missing her earrings because this could have been maybe a thrift find maybe or it was purchased. This was not mine from childhood. Like I got this I found this like a few years back or marketplace but her earrings are like busted which I hate when that happens. Yeah, I'll keep an eye out for you too if we can find those again. But blonde Teresa's like come on.

8:25I Yeah, it's Camp Teresa is one of them too. Like I love her. I actually have her here in a Fashion Avenue outfit that I kind of restyled a little bit but she's just you just can't go wrong with any Teresa actually. But I mean, if people follow me, they'll know that she's my go-to Barbie face mold. I love Teresa so much. But I just love a blonde one. And look what I have here. [laughter] She's amazing. I'm lucky to also have her in box. And it's one I just I also had as a kid. And look how beautiful she is blonde. I don't know why they stopped that. I mean, I feel like early ' 90s had a couple and then they just never made her blonde again. I mean, she's beautiful as a brunette. Like I always say, like there's just the blonde army. It's like a see a blonde. I kind of was like, I want to see some different colored hair, but this particular face mold is beautiful blonde.

9:10What I like about this Teresa in general, even like Hollywood hair, there's like a honey tone to her blonde. It's not like Barbie blonde, which I liked. It was like a different shade of blonde. And she's just And I totally forgot that her hair changes in the in the sunlight. Like I did, you know, I haven't tried this one. So, I got this one thrifted, which is shocking to me, but I haven't tried her in the sun. I may have to go out with her later. I know. I'm curious to know if this stuff still works cuz these dolls are like 30 something years old, right? But anyways, that's our little blonde Terresa Love. When did collecting become more of a hobby and turn more into a creative outlet for you? So, I took a break from everything doll related for a while. And I was really into wrestling, which is another whole topic for another day. But I got into collecting wrestling figures and that was kind of I felt more adult and you know, I was always collecting something and dolls took a bit of a backseat for a while. And then I got into Monster High. Actually, I think a movie came on and I watched it and I and I knew they had dolls and I started really getting into like walking into toy aisles again. Like I hadn't done that in a really long time, like walking through just doll aisles in general. And it started with that really a purchase from that spiraled into going into my Barbie memory, I guess, of what dolls I had as a kid. And then at the time, my best friend and I, we started a YouTube channel where we were unboxing and reviewing dolls primarily, but like it Mick and Mike. and we had primarily dolls, but we also like ventured out into a couple of other things. And then that's when I started getting like some

10:34hauls or some 90s or Barbies that I had as a kid. And then I also started getting Barbies that I thought were really pretty. And then that's where it got a bit more serious. I would say like 2016, I think, is when I started taking it a little bit more of like a collector approach, I guess, and accumulating more dolls than than I probably should have. Was there a collection or a series that kind of really pulled you back in? cuz I can imagine if you're going down the wrestling toy aisle, you're going to take a peek down the doll aisle. I think the doll that drew me into buying something more modern at the time was the Superstar Forever like not the remodel, but it was like the Dreamay Barbie, but like the reimagined version and I think it came out in 2015 and like they were selling them on Amazon at the time, it was nuts. Like now looking at the prices of those dolls and that was like the doll I got that was outside of the '90s dolls I had as a kid cuz she had that familiar face for sure. But then I also love the model muse body that I was discovering at the time. So I'm like this kind of like encompassed everything I loved like the pink and the superstar face and then like this more mature modelesque vibe. So that's one that really got me into keeping things in box. Well, I later got another one to unbox. But yes, she's in box still.

11:37And I do have her up here. So here are the girls that got me back into I guess inbox collecting in like 2016. They had been out for a while at that point. I got them on Amazon. I I think they did these really well. I mean, this one is just amazing. Gorgeous. They absolutely did. Yeah. So, I love these girls. So, that's what I remember getting a bit more into discovering the current world of Barbie, I would say. Even the artwork on the back of the box, like that is the Barbie image of her face and the logo that I remember as my oldest memory of Barbie was that was the branding I remember. So, to see that it touches in so many nostalgic feels, you know what I mean? Yeah. I love that they incorporated that actually even with the doll being so modern or current that they kept those elements in. It's it's actually really nice. Yeah, I agree. I absolutely agree.

12:26Do you have any pieces in your collection that you would say is a unique piece or one of your prized possessions? I do. I don't know how rare these dolls were or how familiar people are with them, but I discovered them a few years back and they're the my design friend of Barbie doll. And okay, so I did some research and basically in like late '9s, like '98 through I think 99 or 2000, you were able to go to the Barbie website and then you could customize predetermined selections, but you could choose the face sculpt. So they had like Christy, Kira, Barbie, Teresa. Then you could choose hair color. So they had like red hair, blonde hair. So you could see Christies with blonde hair. Like I've seen some online. It's just mindboggling. Like it's nuts. Eye color, and then the fashion. So you pick literally everything. And then they were basically gifted to the person. Like you could name them. I think this one maybe used to have like a card insert here that said like oh for I don't know Kelly by mom or something and you know it was like a real customizable experience and unfortunately because I'm not in 1999 I couldn't pick and choose but now I'm going on eBay and I'm trying to find these again and trying to find combinations that I think are super unique and different. And this one was one I fell on and it's a Teresa and and we were just talking about blonde Teresa. What are the chances? 1999 you said they began in '98. So, this one's box dated 98, but I think it ran through a couple of years. So, and I actually have another one from the My Design. She's actually wearing a Fashion Avenue outfit, but she was a doll that

13:49I restyled and like she's a red head superstar. Like, it's this is what I'm saying. Like, some of the combinations were so incredible. And I guess you could pick and choose whatever you wanted. So, like I've seen this version with black hair. I've seen her with blonde. And then like this red hair is just so bangs. Mattel, bring this back. These are stunning. I didn't know about these. She has like turquoise eyes. I don't know if you can see that. Oh yes, turquoise eyes and this beautiful lip. Like so you could customize. You can pick the hair color, the eye color. So every doll could have been different. Like had I been around then I would have lost my mind. I would have had so many different ones and I probably would have done a lot of Kira's. I would have done a lot of Christies. The Christy with blonde hair is just I've seen a photo of her and like it's just beautiful. Oh my goodness. I don't remember this. If anybody watching knows, leave a comment below. I'd love to know if anyone knows how much did these go for at the time cuz I'd love to know that too. Yeah, I would love to know what the flat rate price was on the website.

14:40I know you had a selection of fashions you can choose from. A lot of them were fashions that were also sold in fashion packs. So, I recognized some of the fashions that they're wearing, but then you can really pick and choose. Like, I'd like to know what the price was. Actually, maybe I don't want to know because what I'm paying for them now is not so fun. So, maybe just keep it to yourselves for that one. But, or maybe just message me cuz I'm I'm curious to know. Yeah. And they're just not easy to come across. Like, I do have another one. So, same kind of box. And this one is a Barbie and she has blonde hair. A little more like standard, but I really thought the outfit was cute. And honestly, like beggars can't be choosers. So if I find them in box, I'll try to grab them. And you could also customize like she has all these Christmas ornaments that came with her. I guess the person who chose the accessories was into like a Christmas or if it was like a Christmas gift. I do remember seeing some that had names on them. I just don't know.

15:28These don't really have, but this I actually got at a doll show for like $20. This is like I almost passed that one. I just saw like the corner of the box and I'm like, is that a my design for me? Like I ran to the table and um yeah, I got her. Luckily, a lot of people don't know what they are, so I don't think people really like seek them out necessarily, unless you know and you're into that. But something I love so much, we'll probably talk about this later, too, is just I love having a selection of very unique looking dolls that have like different combinations that are not the traditional that you would find. I love hearing stories about like I got this for $20 at a doll show or something. Like I just love hearing stories like that. And I think a lot of people maybe they don't know about them, they're going to know now, but even if they did, because these dolls are custom, some people just might not be into the option that the person chose, right? Like they might not want the blonde or the red hair or whatever. You know what I mean? But it's interesting that you showed these my design dolls cuz I was going to get into a lot of your doll styling and photography. So, what inspires you to create the looks that you do for your dolls?

16:28Originally, my photography started with product reviews that I would then take photos of the items that I unbox and then post them on Instagram cuz we would do like a review and then I would post the photos of that doll and then sometimes I would restyle them and do something a little different. Like I wouldn't necessarily like to just photograph the doll as it was unboxed. It was nice to showcase it, but then I would do something different, style it differently. And then I really loved playing with '90s fashions but with modern dolls. And that's what I really I guess got me into the creative part of my Instagram page. It's like my main inspiration is 90s for 80s and 90s actually because I was a kid in the '90s but I discovered like an appreciation for the '8s girls and I do have like some of them here and some of the '8s fashions and I love '8s fashions. I think they're so exaggerated and so like opulent and some of them were just amazing and I love to pull like certain pieces out of that and modernize them in certain looks without it being necessarily like worn as the fashion was meant to be sold back then because I think obviously then it'll look like an '8s fashion but there's sometimes like you know shoulder pads were were back in like you know years back you can pull something from the '8s but then modernize it with like a pair of jeans and like a heel and and like on a modern doll it changes a lot like I've had a lot of fun resiling Odal and I've been using 8.90 stuff and 80s stuff and and modernizing it a little bit, but you know, having it on a doll that's more current is is really fun. And that's how I see the joy of modern Barbie. Like, I don't collect a lot of modern Barbie, unfortunately, just because

17:51it's not necessarily the type of product I'm drawn to or that I'm looking for. You know, I'm sure it has a place for everyone and people are really excited about it. I look for certain elements in certain new releases because there's something about just getting something new that's fun. So sometimes I'll look I'll see a fashionista like and I'll say oh like I like I just I recently did an unboxing and like a restyle of Odal like the newest Barbie style I guess doll and that was fun because it was like taking something new that I wouldn't necessarily have bought or kept as is but I knew there was something fun about her face sculpt and the hair color and I can you know style her a little differently. So that's what really got me into being creative and taking photos. And then it just spiraled into putting a bit more time into conceptualization of not only the outfit, but then like the type of background and the doll that's chosen for that look is there's a lot of thought process and a lot of time that goes into these photos which is you would never really think just looking at like you know scrolling through Instagram but like and you're one man show so like there's not much you know you literally from like the idea and like I'll have really strange late night like I'll be putting something away and then I'll see a shoe or a bag and then it'll be Huh? Like that actually would look nice with something I saw a few days ago. And then I'm like and then I'll start piecing that and then I'll leave it aside and actually that happened last night and that's one of the dolls I restyled that like I have with me. It happened last night. So she hasn't been photographed yet, but it started piecing together and I'll come back to it the next day and then I'm like, "Oh, that that would look nice." And then I kind of do like a bit of

19:13um I wouldn't say like a mood board, but I sort of lay things out, try them on different dolls, try to understand like what kind of vibe I want to go for. Like I feel like every face sculpt tells a story, like every hairstyle, every hair color. So I just enjoy putting a lot of thought into that. And sometimes it translates, it's not about views, but like sometimes something I think is like so incredible, like no one looks at it. And then sometimes there's things that I didn't think people were not going to be so drawn to it and it's like boom, it goes nuts. And it's like it's nice to see that because everyone has a different taste, you know, and everyone likes different things. So yeah, that's really where I use a lot of my creativity. It's through my Instagram doll photos. And I throw in some reels in there and I, you know, I try to be funny, but like, you know, there are some funny like audio clips that you can use that I've been putting in there recently that's a bit different than what I'm used to doing. Some hauls and unboxings. You know, I still have that on my socials, but really like the doll photography and styling is is what I guess makes me the happiest. I think everything that you do, like you're super talented. It's very captivating.

20:09It's very eye-catching. This is why I wanted you on the show because I'm enjoying it. I'm sure lots of people are. And you are very good at your craft, that's for sure. Now, I'd love to see if there's any recent styles that you have there maybe that you haven't shared that you could see a little preview of. I do actually. So, she came about last night actually as I was putting other things away and the rest get real messy in here because it just like takes over the whole space because all my fashions are stored in bins and like different little baggies and everything. So, I try to keep it organized as much as possible. But to really see what you have or like what kind of look you want to go for, I have to like spread out real everywhere. So, I recently thrifted this doll actually this past week. Maybe your viewers could help me because I have a feeling she's a Cali girl Barbie, but I can't tell if she she had the reg I rebodyied her two model muse though, so but she had the regular feet. Like she didn't have the crazy big feet that the Cali girls had a bit later, but I think this is the first release, but there's just something about her that looks a bit different. So, I'm not sure. She's got like the highlights in her hair, right? She does. And she did have like some crimping going on, so I tried to keep that a little bit present. She might be a Cali girl. And her skin's like super tan, too. Super tan. And luckily, I had a model muse body that matched it because I was like, "Oh my god, I don't I was going to say, how did you find a you know, like a I have a bin of bodies that I'm sure a lot of people have, like

21:29either my Made to Move or model Muse dolls. I just luckily had a match that looked so great with it." Yeah, the Cali girl that I thought she was with like the red shorts. Her hair is not crimped. So, I don't know. I mean, I She did have a little underb braid. So, maybe there were braids cuz I thrifted her like this. So, maybe they were braids and they just look like they were crimped. Well, hey, if anybody recognizes, leave a comment below and let us know. I'm kind of in this early 2000s vibe right now, like this Y2K kind of aesthetic. So, and this bag keeps like just falling off. So, it's actually the mini brands bags. I don't tend to use them too often because I don't like when they're overly branded but this one is like super discreet so you don't have much and I just love the color because I had these shoes that I wanted to kind of coordinate with the early that you put together. It's Oh, thanks. Yeah, like the satin like you know cargo trouser and then like this is a top actually from a '90s fashion and then the sunglasses are pretty modern actually. They're from one of the Barbie basics. No, they're the Barbie style dolls like the gift sets that had come out like a few years ago. One of the dolls had these sunglasses with her and the earrings too, Mick. Those earrings. Yeah. But the thing is, sometimes people ask me like, "Oh, where's that from?" And I have like containers of accessories or bags or shoes. And I don't remember anymore like what doll I pulled that from or sometimes I'll find it thrifted and I'll just throw them in. Like if I find earrings or a bag, I'll put it in the bag section. Like I don't really remember everything. And the fun thing about this doll is that there's going to

22:51be a threetory part, I guess, where she's going to have three different outfits that are all like Y2K themed. I'm starting to conceptualize those. This was like the leading outfit and then it started like branching off into some other looks. So, it's going to be like a little I guess a three-post little moment with her and she's going to have some different wardrobe looks, you know, getting inspired to like those early 2000 Barbie like my design or you know, they came in like a doll and a couple of items on a cardboard wardrobe which I loved and you can mix and match fashions and you got a couple pair of shoes and like to me like time it's just so like the playability of that and the mix and matching is so much fun. And then another doll I restyled is this Odal restyle. And basically she was inspired by the latest Gucci runway show that Paris Hilton modeled for. The thing what I love about restyling is that you could really make it your own. And I don't focus too much on having the exact items. Like I'm not going to go on Etsy and find like a Gucci red purse because that was the purse she was wearing. Like I just like to use my current wardrobe and pull pieces that kind of give you that feel. Like when you look at it, you're like, "Oh, yeah. I recognize that." But it's also it's its own. Yeah. So, she has her like red handbag that she's holding in on the runway. And then she has this yellow. It's a two-piece.

24:02This is from their recent like Barbie Well, recent like a few years back now. Barbie style gift pack. I think it was the second release. And yeah, I recognize it. I just can't remember. Where did you get the like the brooch? So, the brooch is mini brands actually. So, I just tied around her neck just to give that Gucci feel like the red and the green. And then the fur coat is Oh my god, I'm terrible at remembering where I got these from, but again, it's like a more recent release. And then I got these boots from another recent release. And I wish I had prepared a bit more to know where these It's okay. It's okay. And you know what? People can probably recognize them. Yeah, they'll identify them for sure. The thing is, a lot of my restyles once I photograph them, I tend to undress them so I have them like ready to restyle again. Cuz if you look at my photos, I gravitate to like a very similar doll or aesthetic. So I don't have many many different dolls. I tend to restyle some of the same ones that I like or that I'm feeling at the moment. So, I re I undressed them. But this one I just like I loved so much as she was that I didn't feel she was ready to be undressed yet. So, I kept her as is. Yeah, she's gorgeous. And I love again the color combination. Is that the Juan Gabrielle doll that you have there? Yes, exactly. Yes. And I just took her hair down actually just to I should do that. I've got my Juan Gabrielle here and I just love the way she looks. But I think she's time to like She's gorgeous. Yeah. I just love this fit, too. I just love the way they put her together. I actually kind of like this fit she's wearing.

25:17And I know it's a tip of the hat to one Gabrielle and kind of the costumes you would wear, but like yeah, when I see some of the stuff like you or any other Instagrammer like taking down her hair, I'm like, I need to do that cuz she's just so beautiful. She's so pretty. Honestly, this like I love the dark brown hair and she just wears clothing really well. I think she just has something about her that's really easy to coordinate and she has like a warm tone in her makeup which is really nice. So So those are some of the dolls and then recently uh we spoke about the unboxing I did of the Barbie style doll. So, she's here as well. Like the So, put some sunglasses on her. And I This is like a '9s. Well, everything she's wearing is like late '9s, early 2000s, giving her like a really YTK kind of vibe. And I love it. It's so cute. The sunglasses, the way she's holding them down. A lot of people have actually put that head on a smaller like a petite made to move body cuz she kind of gives off like this like teen vibe skipper. She does, right? Yeah, she really does actually. I'm just not the biggest fan of made to move bodies in general. But if I do gravitate towards one, it's more so for it gives a bit more storytelling in your photos for sure, but I stick to the regular. Like I don't the petite or the tall or I just stick to the regular one and then I feel like some heads make sense on them and then some just belong on like either a belly button body or a model muse body. It really depends. But I think the fun thing is that you could do so much with these and you can really storytell in your photos which is really nice. Oh, and then one last odal because I had her nearby. I put her on a '90s body actually

26:41and a '90s this was like a six gift fashion pack. One of the outfits that came in and she has her little jelly slides and it's really true to like the era that this outfit came in and I think the body just made sense and her head sculpt really works with this whole and the pink hair works with the outfit. It does. It's like a watermelon. Like it's just cute. I love it. And I just thought she was really really cute. So, I was going to re-root one of these to be honest when I first got her. But then when I took her hair, like washed it and just styled it. I just thought it looked I mean I didn't do much to it. I just I think put her front back, but it just has a really nice shade to it and I thought it looked cute with this fashion. So So I agree with you. I actually thrifted that mermaid odal months ago and then I kept her in the pink hair and then I'd seen so many people do the re-root that when she was on sale on Amazon I just bought another one and I'm getting a friend to rroot because she just she just looks so beautiful in like every color of hair. Red, black, chocolate brown, light brown. Yeah. And because her eyebrows have like our neutral color, you could really pick any kind of neutral hair color too, like you said, like browns, blondes, and it would look really nice. I do have a second one also. I did the same as you. Like I bought a couple. I haven't got around to redoing that one, but it's definitely on my to-do list, you know. Yeah. I mean, Angel Kent, how talented is he to make? It's nice that he was able to bring something this exciting and into play line. It's been a while. I mean, Odal is beautiful and like the Millies were too much. So, Odal is kind of a nice rush. Yeah. Especially recently at the thrift

28:05stores, I guess it goes in waves, but so many of the baggies are just Millie everywhere. It's like the same Millie, but just in like either they did her She's cute. She's cute. and she has her moments and I appreciate her and I like she's on my page sometimes like I restyle her when I think like it works but yeah she's definitely you know it's too much it's overdone I'm a huge Fashion Avenue fan I mean that was growing up like when I started to see those in the doll aisle I was like finally like Barbie has some realistic clothes but still Barbie core you know what I mean so I've seen a lot of your content with Fashion Avenue being featured do you have any there that you can show I do I do have so we already looked at Teresa. So, Cam Teresa was redressed in this Fashion Avenue outfit, which I think is like very cute. It's very like back to school vibes.

28:52And some of these are really engraved in my memory as a kid. Like, you just look at them and you just think childhood. Like, I remember dolls wearing these fashions so vividly. This was another one that we already looked at. So, she's wearing this plaid little dress and this turtleneck and I just I love this so much. And then I loved Fashion Avenue because of lingerie. I think that was such a cool thing. And I love like as an adult I think lingerie is very beautiful. So this is one of the I think earlier Fashion Avenue lingerie sets that had come out. And she comes with like such a cute little satin pouch with a little comb and just the details thinking this was playline is just I mean it's a little risque now that I look at it like as an adult. [laughter] I would say for kids little mules. The stockings and like the little I guess it looked like garters but I guess it's it's eyes.

29:41Yeah, exactly. with the little bows and I just think like it's so beautiful. What really inspires me with Fashion Avenue is picking the models for them because like most of these are fashions, right? They don't have dolls. So, the exciting part is like, okay, what doll can wear this and like how is this going to make it unique? And I think that a lot of dolls I've chosen are dolls that a lot of people just overlook. A lot of these dolls, like I can even post them up later, but like they're the Avon Barbies. They're like the dolls of the world Barbies that no one really like, you know, you see them in like stacks and stacks of of like the same dolls and people kind of overlook them. But if you strip them down, what's cool about them is that they have so many unique features. Like they have maybe different hair color combinations that you wouldn't normally see or like different screenings and like once you strip them down, they make amazing models for Fashion Avenue. And when you look at a lot of the box work of Fashion Avenue, they were dolls that I had never seen before. Like even now when I look at them, I'm like this is like is this a prototype? Is this just like a doll for the shoot? But like you never really saw those dolls being released afterwards. A lot of times they were dolls just used for the box art. And a lot of times they had really cool hairstyles, different hair color combinations, and I thought that was so cool. So like that's what I did with one of the dolls of the world. This is Dolls of the World China. Oh my goodness. A Chinese doll, I think. And I put her in this fashion avenue. She had like a different hairstyle, but I I redid it just to fit this outfit a little bit more. So I just love the purple on her and it just compliments her. So I never even thought about that. You

31:01bring up a very good point of [snorts] the fact that like when we see these dolls of the world or Avon dolls, like we're just so used to seeing them in what they're wearing. Especially growing up and being told, don't take your collector dolls out of the box, but stripping them down, it's like a blank canvas. Yeah. And what's fun is that those dolls, like, you know, when you think of like budgeting and stuff, like it costs money to buy a lot of the iconic dolls of the ' 80s and the '90s to redress. And sometimes these dolls are easier to find. They're more affordable even nowadays. And they make great models. Like I actually have another one. I know we always laugh like the Avon dolls are so like everywhere all the time but this is one of them that I redressed and oh that fashion too on her yeah this is so so good like such good fashion avenue like evening gowns and if you just look at her makeup this outfit was not made for this doll but like you're right it just got the purple in her eyes and it purple and then the gold earrings and then it just all ties in together beautifully like even the well I call her Kira but like she has lavender eye makeup and this like super nice pink lip and it just ties in so nicely with the dress. Like it just feels like they belong with their fashions and I think that's the fun part. And you can really customize it to your own liking. Like every collector may have fashion avenue in different dolls. Like no one's shelf is going to look the same. You know, sometimes I like to recreate the dolls that I saw on the back of the boxes like oh I want mine to look just like that. Sorry. When you talk about the back of the boxes I've got like I've got this fashion still I still have

32:24to unbox these because I do want to unbox them. I want my dolls to enjoy it. This is not something I want to like. You know what? The fashion avenue like I agree with you. Some things I like in box, but these are so fun out of box. Like they just look so good. And as a kid, I just didn't think about keeping fashions in a box. And then you're talking about like this like on the back. Yeah. So like if you look at them, a lot of times the dolls that they featured on the back of the boxes were not dolls that you would typically see in stores. Like the hair styling. I mean this one is all blonde. Oh, look at the mij for example on the back coat. Yes, like that was like such a nice thing to see and I was like, "Oh, I kind of want to do that and get a doll that looks similar or they had different hair styles that weren't typical that you'd see in stores and like yeah, they would inspire me a lot to pick dolls." Um, still trying to find that coat. I think I have her. You probably do. The reason I actually found somebody had it on Marketplace for $20 and by the time I messaged him, it was gone. And he's like, "Oh, I guess I priced these too low." I'm like, "You did. You did. You did. I'm going to grab her. One sec." The only thing is the pants of hers got completely destroyed. Oh, I saw the post you made with this doll and then the one with the purple. Yeah. And the one with the Oh, what was the other color? Was it pink? It was pink. Pink, blue, and purple. Yeah. Like just these pastel colors. Oh my goodness. You see what I mean? Like this is I think veterinarian Barbie or dentist Barbie, I think. I can't remember exactly. And look at how nice it works. And it's interesting that you have that because look what I have here.

33:47I know. I love that. You know, I do appreciate them in box though because you get to see it like as it was released but then also on the doll which is really fun. And they just have the beautiful like it looks like it's like a dressing room with like the dressing screen in the back, right? But yeah, like so beautiful. Don't look at the penmanship or the writing that's on the back of this box. This was a marketplace pickup, too. It was obviously a gift to Stephanie because her writing's all there. But like look at these dolls. I love that so much. Like look at the one in the middle with the red hair. Like it's just so like I love that. And even the Kira the the Mo whatever her she had many names. But yeah, I've got this fur jacket one like this blue. I love this one, too. Yeah, it's super super nice. Fashion Avenue, man. So, this is the coat girl. Oh, coat. This coat. I could have got it for $20. I was just so cute with a little bag of the hat. It's like the beret style kind of the hat. Yeah, it's just really, really, really cute. Fashion Avenue. Yeah, it's gorgeous. And then I got this girl too cuz she was next to her. I have some like my winter girls in storage now. But yeah. Oh, see the pink with the fur trim. Like so so pretty. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because I don't want to say it's a Canadian thing, but when I see like big bulky jackets or like fur trims, I'm like, "Oh, I have to have that." Like winter in Montreal.

34:58I had to have that doll. I had to have her. She's up on my shelf somewhere. I just had to have her. She's beautiful. I restyled mine's outfits cuz legit. But of course, even her original outfit. Like look at the outfit. Like it's stunning. I just changed it all basically. I kept it as is cuz I thought it was beautiful. But this is like a Glenda doll. I think I love a superstar face and I love that she had like this strawberry blonde hair and I just thought it was so pretty with the These are like very one of a kind. So I know you're taking one doll, but you're kind of mixing the different fashions from different dolls to dolls. It's It is essentially one of a kind. It's weird. Like I tend to either go like a full restyle and pull pieces or I keep the fashion as is, but I just switch the doll up because I think to me anyway it's more appealing having her in a different outfit and sometimes they go back in the original outfits with the original dolls. Like it really depends on my mood. And then the last fashion avenue girl I set aside just to show you is like this uh this is be blast Christy and I love this iridescent kind of I guess mod looking fashion that they had put out and then she has like her little stockings and I love that. I love that. Oh, there's so many fashion avenues like the fur jacket with the leopard leggings. Like there's so many I'm still discovering stuff as I go through. And you know what that just reminds me something that is super unique that I totally forgot about that I have is a fashion pack that I shared on my Instagram. But this is like another fashion gift pack that I had never seen before that I just recently got off of eBay. I don't know if you could see it, but I can like look at that

36:19cute little two-piece with the plaid skirt. And this one comes with like little shopping bags and money accessories. It comes with money. Money. Barbie [clears throat] money. A bucket hat. Man, they need to bring back some of these. This is what I mean to like the back of the boxes. Like look how cute is this little bob on this Barbie and like the Teresa. It's just I would have loved to have been the person to be like oh like what doll are we going to choose for this? Like look at this brunette. I know. So pretty. And even like that one with the jeans with like the trim on the bottom that matches the top. I know. It's so cute. And she's just like living her best life. I just love it. And the other fashion is the one that I did share. This is one I haven't unboxed yet, but with the orange metallic jacket and the dresses, I just had never seen them before. I I look at a lot of fashions a lot of the time. And when I saw these, I was like, I haven't even seen like pieces of these in like lots or things throughout the year. So, they may not be rare, but to me, it's still exciting to discover things I didn't even know existed, you know? It's so much fun. And I'm still learning about Barbie Fashion Avenue and fashion packs in general because there's just so much of it. And like, I'm still shocked at how many there are that I have not seen or that I don't own. Well, I mean, I'm not going to be the completist to try to finish Fashion Avenue, but I'm trying to get like a little bit of different throughout the years. You're close. You're close.

37:31Like, you've got quite a bit. And I think that's the whole beauty of Doll and like what I wanted to do with this podcast is like there's just so much that we possibly can't know and I want to learn from people. Like you didn't even know that like these fashion packs existed or you may have a fashion avenue I've never seen. Like I remember going to the store and getting these because they were cheap. Yes. So, grandma would get me this because this was $5 or something. You know what I mean? And this to me is very Barbiecore, but it's also like I got to a point as I got older, I'm like, I'm getting bored of this. But now, as an adult, I have a new appreciation for this again. Definitely. And it's just crazy to think what those budget fashions were like compared to what we get today. And like it still to me is so amazing. Like you get a full outfit usually. They didn't always come with shoes, but it was still nice to see like you can still pull a look together for like you said five bucks. This is a two-piece. Like you could still use this skirt for something like you know what I mean? And I don't know if you anybody remembers in the comments, but you used to be able to cut out these little they were like tokens. I think it's a two. And I think you would accumulate them and you can send them in maybe. I don't know what the end goal was. So if anybody knows cuz I used to collect them and go what do I do with these?

38:36I don't know what to do with them. Going back to fashion avenue. I know these are not Fashion Avenue but how about things like this. Okay. Love them. And I now have now because of this. Woo. Shoot. Hold on, honey. It's like you get too excited. We're like, "Ah, I can't even hold the boxes anymore." Like everything is falling. Everything I also discovered like these little accessory packs recently and like they're little add-ons and like look at look at the amount of work that went into just the photography of this like just I would have loved to work for Mattel doing that. Yeah, same. I don't need to design dolls. I just want to be like this little heart bag $1.99 from Kmart. That's This is what I Like I can't look at this stuff. When I see the prices on it, I just want to like the polka dot stockings. How cute would the stockings be with like the polka dot on the raincoat with the raincoat and like the little hat like the She has the umbrella that has She does have the umbrella. So it would like I mean it wouldn't be true to like the fashion. Actually stockings didn't even come with this fashion. So funny thing about this Fashion Avenue outfit is that there was two variants. There was like the version that came with the code and then the vinyl the kneeh high the knee high to make it look like she was wearing boots and then these boots just keep falling out. Yeah, but she didn't have boots and it was raining. You would think they would have given her rain boots. Yeah, but a second version. So, this fashion pack came with boots. So, there was like an alternate version that came with just the boots but no. Um I

39:59didn't know this. Yeah, I didn't know either. So, cuz when I bought it online, I didn't really pay attention. I just like I recognized the fashion so I got it. And then when I was unboxing it, I was like it's missing the heels. I kind of wanted the heels but it's fine. But then I added the little stockings to give it like a layer to it. But I'm thinking now like these polka dot stockings would just look perfect with this outfit. And so we got a bit of a preview. Maybe this might be something we might see on dolls. Maybe do it soon. Exactly. It'll probably be coming and Yeah. But these are just like how sweet. And then the imagery on the back, right? The imagery on the back. Let me get this centered here. Yeah. So pretty. That blue handbag is beautiful. It's plastic, but it kind of is detailed, right? It has like um a handle that's bead work. Yeah. So nice. Just the gold and the blue together is so pretty. So pretty. I don't know how I got this, but like the pretty treasures line. This is for specifically for Kelly. It's like a little teddy bear and a comb and like bottle and like a pacifier and like her little food plate. Like this is like a whole Kelly set.

40:54That is very cute. But they made so many. I had one as a kid that is probably stored away that was like a champagne bucket with like the bottles and the glasses or like a dinner wear set. Good times. Yes, you could really expand the like imaginative play with all these extra accessories. It's just So, not only are you a content creator, you also started up your own business with the stand tall doll stands. So, tell me a little bit about how that came to be. It started with the idea of wanting to unify my doll stands for my display. And I was very drawn to another brand's type of doll stands that was like acrylic clear base, super neutral. However, in order to get those stands, you had to buy the very expensive dolls. Uh, so I couldn't do that. It's impossible. And then ideally for me anyhow, I'm going to speak for myself as a collector. I do like to have things unified. I don't like mixing brands or like I wouldn't put like a Barbie on an Integrity toy stand even if like it's the kind of look I wanted. It's like a little thing in me. It's it's kind of maybe a little weird. So, I initially was trying to look for something in that aesthetic, but very neutral. And I could not find them on the market at the time and even now. I don't think you could really buy that type of stand. So I started thinking of like what would it take to really make my own stands initially for my own collection. Like this idea stemmed from just something that I wanted for myself and I didn't know what I was doing and I just started reaching out to different

42:15manufacturers more locally like here I'm like okay well if you work with acrylic and you work with steel maybe we can a lot of people turn me away just being like no this is not something we do or we don't combine materials we only are like an acrylic place or so then I started reaching out more internationally and I fell upon one person who like she knew what I was talking about she's like I can do this for you she's like I can make this happen I was like okay amazing but she's like there's a minimum order and that minimum order is way more than the amount of dolls that I had. So, I knew that it wasn't going to necessarily be feasible for me to do that for my own collection. So, I'm like, well, if this is something that I'm looking for, maybe other people will be looking for too. So, then that's when it shifted from a personal project to something that became more of a business cuz I'm like, hey, if I can make this accessible for other people, then it would be an opportunity for collectors to have something a little bit more premium, a little bit more in that aesthetic. And listen, doll stands have existed for a long time. This is not something that is necessarily revolutionized. However, it's something that I put together really combining different elements of a doll son that I was looking for. And I think that's really where it began. And then the stand tall was born. I guess I went through back and forth so many samples and again this was all new to me and I said, "Okay, so finally we got to a place where I really I liked the sample that we got. I believed in the product a lot and I think that was important. It's like if I wasn't going to use it then I wasn't going to share it with others." And that's where when

43:35we got to the place where like it was now on my display and I have like all my dolls are on it. So it comes in like this really clear base. Very premium. Very premium. I like that it is. And then a lot of times, you know, for branding purposes, I didn't want something that was so bold or specific. So I just have like a really neutral. It's really hard to see, but there's a little engraving there. It says like stand tall. MV are my initials. And then what's fun about this stand is that you actually have a rod that screws into the base. So, a lot of times when I was moving doll stands from other brands, the base would just fall off the bottom, hit the floor, hit my foot. So, I thought that if we can just secure the rod into the base, you can move your dolls around, you know, grabbing them and just kind of hovering them over. And then the rod actually is telescopes to pretty high. Like, it's pretty high. Like, I've tried, you know, the Barbie, the super size Barbie, they're like superstar Barbie, but taller. So, she fits on these stands actually. So, you can get a pretty good use. They don't fit for all like super tall dolls, but it's quite flexible. Like I've done this with like my Leica Chan dolls which are like quite short cuz it it also does go really short and then you can just telescope it at the height you want it. You know it's quite sturdy.

44:41They are premium. A lot of people on the outside I guess once you get into the manufacturing aspect of things you understand that there's like manufacturing costs that go into building a product. So, when I talk about the stand for me, it's like if you only have that one special doll that you love and then you really want to like have a nice stand, like you just can get one and then that's for your special dolls. And then you can get the Amazon stands or like you know the plastic stands that go around the waist for maybe like your other dolls or if you have a lot of dolls. Like I try to like, you know, let people know because I know it could be overwhelming. Like when I thought about it, I was like, "Oh my god, I have like a hundred dolls and I'm going to have to buy 100 stands and it's going to be I don't want people to feel like that." It's like, you know what? just get one and like have your favorite doll on the stand and then later on you can add on. And that's what's beautiful is that they're accessible. They are shoppable through the dolls dude website. So you could just buy one and then come back later on if you want to add a couple more. And I've had a lot of my guests or customers I guess come back and I see reoccurring names and I'm like oh like they're adding some to their collection which is nice. And yeah, so that's where it came from. It was really like a personal passion project that developed into like a business and I'm grateful that I've been able to share this product with people out there.

45:43And again, I really stand by it and every doll should stand tall. So, I love that name and it is a very premium stand. And I'll link your site here where you can get the stands, but you also have a link on your Instagram account. Yes, you could definitely shop through uh the website. So, look at your shelf. I don't see stands. It's very seamless. Then you've got my shelf where you see a white base, a black base. I don't like that. It's distracting from the dolls and it doesn't show consistency and it's not clean. And then your shelf is there's also dolls like when I took out this Hollywood hair earlier to show you. I get so annoyed cuz I'm running out of stands. And these they don't stay. This is constantly coming out. This holds their waist. Look how loose this is. This is super loose. It's been stretched out. I don't know how. So it doesn't fit around her waist. Sometimes if you put this through their clothes, you could rip their clothes or you have to go through their clothes in order for this to stay. It's just so much more work than it needs to be. So, I'm only saying this cuz this is a gripe of mine and your stands, they do the job and they don't have all of like I pick up the doll and like she falls because this is just so loose. So, I mean the idea was for it to be visually beautiful but also functional because I handle my dolls on a day-to-day. So, I need to make sure that there's something that's going to be durable. There are these rubber adhesive little tabs that you can put under the stand that will create really good friction like on any shelf, any surface so there's nothing will move. Every purchase,

47:06every stand comes with a set of four so that you can put them on yourself and that way you could choose if you want them or not. I was the same as you. Visually, I just don't like having a black stand and a white one and a blue one and then like a clear one and then another one that's like around the waist. One one's a saddle, one's um so I just this one is neutral. It's functional with mono muse dolls, with superstar dolls, with made to move dolls, with integral and very easy to incorporate. Let's talk a little bit about the doll show that you're organizing that's happening this weekend. Yes. So, it will be the first edition of the MTL fashion doll con this Saturday, August 15th. It'll be taking place in Laval. I mean, it's marketed as the greater Montreal area because Laval is quite central and I really wanted to pick a place that can cater to like people living in the surrounding neighborhoods and cities. And it just came from not having any event like that at all around here. Like I go to Ottawa, which is like a neighboring city, to two doll shows a year. I'm a vendor there. But aside from that, there really isn't a lot going on. So I decided to move forward. We are sold out as vendors. So like, it's going to be a very intimate doll show. It will be 25 tables, but completely sold out.

48:18So it's going to be a very nice space. A lot of vendors are coming from Ottawa, which is so cool. Like people I've made connections with when I go to the shows there. Really, the list of vendors is amazing. They have some really great Barbie product. It's primarily focused around fashion dolls. Different brands. You'll get Monster High. You're going to get Barbie espe like a lot of Barbie vintage Barbie. You're going to get Leica Chan, which is a doll brand that I love so much, like a Japanese centered doll. So, she's going to be there. There's going to be so much available and I'm really proud of the vendors that we have and I'm excited to see what the reaction is going to be because I've never been to an event like this in the city I've lived in. I just know that this is like the first of its kind that I'm aware of and I'm excited to just see what the turnout's going to be. Yeah. Well, I would love to see if I can make it this weekend. You never know. Maybe I can hop in my car and come make a drive. I'm not that far. You're not. It's like what? A 5 hour drive. Ah, whatever. It depends how fast you're going on the highway. Exactly. Barbie will make you do things a lot quicker. Let me tell you. Just got to We'll see. Maybe I'll see if I can hop in my car and make a drive this weekend. I love that. I think that we don't have enough of these events that are really focused on fashion dolls. And I think that's the approach I took for this one is to really try to create a space for people to come and be surrounded by. It's not really about the shopping. I mean, it's fun to shop, but it's really about the community, I think, too, to just be around other collectors and discover that, hey, like there are other people that live in

49:40neighboring cities that are also doll collectors. And it just creates nice relationships. I think I've met some really great people at the shows that I've been at in Ottawa. So, I thought like if we can recreate that a little bit here, it could be really fun. And again, like I really am excited at the fact that it's a fashion doll show. And again, it's not about necessarily excluding everything. But you have to sometimes when you have too much choice, you kind of lose who your audience is a little bit. And I think that with this, the goal is to really focus on fashion dolls within different brands and yes, different eras. But we're going to get the fashion doll, the fashions, the accessories. It's going to be a lot of fun. And I really hope you can make it. And if not, we'll be in talks for the next one, I'm sure. Do you have a doll there that is maybe a rare doll or one of your grails that you can share with us? I have not one, but I have two because they sort of come as a set in my opinion. And I was very lucky to be able to get both, but they are the MetGala Moschino dolls. And I know it was a journey to have gotten these. I mean, I'm going to show them up a little bit closer. I know there's a bit of a glare because of the plastic, but So, these dolls you will not remove from box. These are staying in box. And you know what? I know that they're in this polyurethane dress and I'm so nervous about what the condition of this dress is going to be like in the future. I look at them pretty much every day and I'm still like I look at them I'm like they're just so so beautiful. Like [laughter] I What does the back of the box look

51:00like? Oh my gosh. Oh my god. Yeah. Let's look at the body. You have like the artwork which is just incredible. You know, there's something about this hot pink on the [clears throat] AA skin. I hate to think of this example, but if there was like a fire and I can only grab one thing, it would be her. Like, it would be her over Barbie. I love you, Barbie, but I love the I mean, I call her Christy. I know she's just aa Barbie, but in my mind, like, this is like Moschino Christy, but she is absolutely gorgeous and her face and hair and everything about her just like I know there's a couple of releases in the Moschino era and I'm so sad I missed out. Like, so I was in Italy in 2014. I think it was the summer that Mossino Barbie collection was in the Moschino stores. And it was right before I really got into Barbie again. So like, I knew it was Barbie, but like I didn't looking back now, like had I known I could have like gone in and like purchased like Barbie Mossino related items. Now I like, "Oh my god." Yeah, it was just surreal to have them to be honest. And so what year were those released? Is it one? No. So the first drop I think was like 2015 and then there was like another exclusive Moschino doll that was given at like the fashion show actually. So there's someone in Montreal selling her for $7,000. But it's crazy. Like I'd have to like reorggage my house to buy her. But like it's super rare cuz like only fashion show attendees got her. So I don't know how he got it. But maybe he was a guest. I

52:21don't know. But amazing. How many of that one were made? So I don't you know they're not numbered and I don't know if they're numbered in the box but I know that these were released in 2019. the night of the Met Gallas, they were dropped on the Met Gala website. So, not on Mattel Creations or the Barbie website. It was on the MetGala website and my partner, he's the one who kind of coordinated this. I don't even know how it happened because like I wasn't even aware that these dolls existed or that they were going to be sold that night and we then got on the website and I was trying to get some. And then the funny story is that through all the glitches that the website was having cuz there was so much like people trying to get these dolls that originally I wasn't supposed to get the AA Barbie. Like so she was confirmed but then they're like oh unfortunately like once the orders all went through we don't have any to send out and then we reached out to customer service again like listen like you know this is the situation and luckily they were able to have they found out I don't know how it happened to be honest I this is why she's even more special because I wasn't technically supposed to get her so the fact that she was able to come to me was like really like a blessing and you got you got somebody else's doll I guess I don't know what happened but whoever somebody out there who's like I don't know what happened I had But I don't know who the person was at customer service who ended up coordinating this to happen, but I love you and thank you so much. It was Yeah, I really am so so grateful for these dolls and they really inspire me like daily.

53:40Honestly, I know it's kind of maybe weird to say, but like everything about Barbie that I love, I think is embodied in this. It's the color and the fashion and the big hair and like the superstar face. Like all these beautiful things that just get me excited. And I'm hoping we get to see product like this again one day soon. Let's bring her close one last time to just get the Oh my goodness. And the dress. And you know, you bring up a good point like how is that material going to last? Cuz we've seen this type of pleather like material in past dolls and they I know. I'm so so nervous. But I don't know. I've heard people say it's because it stayed in the box, but I don't know. Well, the thing about these is like they are somewhat perforated. Like there is openings. Oh, and I bet the old boxes didn't have that. You're right. So, yeah. So, a lot of the older Mattel boxes were like sealed at the top and bottom. And so I'm hoping that this allows some air flow so that the polyurethane doesn't start decomposing I guess or the plastic doesn't start breaking apart but and if anybody knows maybe that is the strategy with the new boxes. If anybody knows like comment below cuz I have seen some of the newer boxes have like the air the whole the pockets.

54:41Yeah, I'm hoping that that will help the longevity of this fashion but again I think of earring magic Barbie and like that. Okay, so earring magic and we're not going to get there, but it's another line that I'm obsessed with. And I think when I look at this dress, I think of earring magic dress and I'm like, "Oh my god, what's the condition of your dress like?" Cuz she's out of the box. So at least So she was in the box and I had to take her out of the box because she was leaning on the plastic. So if you can notice like I don't want to point to her. Yeah. And then I'm noticing the belt had also caused a little bit of staining on the dress as well. So, there's a video online on how to fix some of this pleather and it just requires like fabric paint and um Modge Podge and things like that. So, I'm trying to do it, but I'm so scared cuz I'm not crafty and handy like that. I'd love to get like a spare dress and then test it because I don't want to do it on the only That makes a lot of sense. Yeah. There's also Jewel and Glitter which is a like one of my favorite like that Teresa has like almost like a reddish actually it's this doll but I redressed them in bead fun fashions but Oh nice this girl initially comes with a reversible Yes.

55:45And you can purple and lime green and the front the purple is like a felt fabric but the lime green is like a faux leather and like the moment you touch it it just crumbles like it's the one that you could one can dazzle it. I think it's called Oh, it's not paint and dazzle. I think so. So, paint dazzle had a denim like look, but then there was jewel and glitter which was the same concept. You got jewels, you got like this glitter paint and then you can create like and Barbie came in like gold bra and the black and it turned pink. Yes. So, the pink leather of that completely deteriorates like the moment you touch it, which is so sad. But yeah, no, I'm hoping that the longevity of them will stay as long as possible. So, yeah. Thank you so much, Mick, for being on the show. I had a fantastic time. I loved seeing all of your collection and your fashion favorites. I really enjoyed hearing about your collecting journey, your creativity behind your restyles, and how you turned your passion for dolls into a business that actually helps other collectors enjoy their collection. On behalf of the entire doll community, I think I speak for everyone when I say keep doing what you do because we definitely want to see more. Oh, Kelly, thank you so much. I had so much fun. I knew this was going to be a fun time, but I didn't realize how fun it was. And I think we could probably talk for another couple hours if we just let it grow. Thank you for putting this show together and regrouping collectors and letting people share stories and allowing us to get to know people we've never thought possible.

57:07And I hope we get to see each other in person at the doll show. Maybe what we need to do is maybe we do a part two like after the doll show and talk about what happened and how did it go and maybe some new things you've acquired. I'd love to do that. I'd love to share the experience in more detail of how we set it up, but also like yeah, what the result is going to be like. And I'll have footage too by then of the actual show. So, I'm really excited. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for your time, Mick. Until next time. Bye. Bye. It's amazing how one doll can remind us that [music] collecting isn't just about what we own, it's about what we create. Make sure to like, subscribe, and hit that [music] notification bell if you love all things Barbie. And if you enjoyed this episode, click here to see one of my other episodes. Thanks for watching. [music]