Vintage, Rare and Custom Barbie Dolls with Jones4dollies

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. [music] Barbie Talk with Kelly in Pink. Today's guest is a collector who brings vintage dolls to life with such care and artistry. Her Instagram, Jones for Dollies, is a feast for the eyes full of mid-century dolls, handmade pieces, and thrifting treasures that tell stories. What I really like is how she pairs vintage nostalgia with modern creativity. Please welcome Debbie. Hi Debbie. Welcome to Barbie Talk. Hi Kelly. I'm so glad to be here. I'm so happy to have you on. I love what you've got going on behind you. So I always like to start off the show asking everybody to tell us a little bit about themselves, where they're from, and how their relationship with Barbie started. I moved around a lot. I grew up in West Virginia and when I was in I think third grade I discovered the new doll which was Barbie and of course I wanted one and so I asked for it for Christmas and my mother very sweetly night after night sewed me a complete wardrobe. She bought a pattern. She made a total truso for me and even made a bed for the doll out of clothes pins. It was so wonderful. And she then gave me to go with it a clone and I was devastated

1:26and I had to act like I was really excited, but really inside my heart was broken. I'm like, she is awful. It's not what I wanted. I never told my mother it was the wrong doll. I just, you know, I played with her anyway, but I I didn't like her very much. Now I love those dolls, let me just say. So, I saved my allowance little by little and then I got dollars for A's when I was little. So, I saved up my money and we went to the store and I bought a redheaded bubble cut Barbie and I was so happy. And she's right here. So, I've always had her. I had her packed away, but she's here. She's had a little spa day. Is this your original doll? It is. But I have to say shout out to Angie of Angie Pansy Paints because I asked Angie to rehab her because she was still looked pretty good, but she got a little tweak and hair styling and she looks pretty good now.

2:27I mean, she looks brand new. She looks fantastic. I mean, a lot of people can't say that they still have their original bubble cut. A lot of people have said, "I lost it, so I bought a reproduction or I went on eBay. I bought a new one." That's fantastic to still have that. I do have Skipper also because I I also had a redheaded Skipper, but I didn't get her out today. A redheaded Skipper. Yeah, because back then, you know, skippers were brunette, blonde, and then tish, they called it, and I had her because she matched the Barbie because, of course, they had to be mother and daughter. So, of course. Of course. Yeah, that's how we played as kids. That story about your mother is very sweet and I think that's very kind of you and very sweet of you as well and shows your character about like not saying anything to your mother. But did she ever mention anything after? Did she notice that different? Oh, okay. She probably saw how that doll was treated because she was cast aside as soon as possible. So, yeah. Yeah, I think she caught on. Do you have any other of your oldest dolls there or would you say that she is the oldest because she was 1962, you know? I mean, I didn't never have a ponytail Barbie, but that was the next best thing.

3:35Yeah. But I actually never wanted the ponytail. I wanted the bubble cut. I really liked that look. Yeah. But I'm a short hair doll person. I love short hair on dolls. Always did. That's interesting. Usually people like to comb the hair. No, that's not your thing. Not really. It's interesting. That's interesting. I know. And if anybody checks out your Instagram, Jones for Dollies, it's a lot of the vintage dolls that your content's based on. What is it about that era that feels special or different compared to modern dolls? I was I was a doll collector long before Instagram. I was on Flickr before I was on Instagram. Before that, I was a longtime doll collector. I collected lots of different dolls. That would be a whole another podcast because I have a lot of playline dolls from the 50s, that type of stuff. And then I tried to avoid Barbie because I just thought it was a slippery slope and I failed. So, here we are. And now, you know, I've got all the Barbies, but I had a lot of vintage dolls even back then.

4:41And I'm nostalgic. I mean, I escape from the world and come downstairs and start making 60s fashions and stuff because that's what I'm familiar with. That's what I love. And '7s, I like 60s and 70s and that's where I'm the most comfortable. That's where I feel the most confident. But I also I love a face. I'll buy any doll that I like. I'm not exclusively vintage at all. And if I, you know, a lot of times I'll buy a newer doll because I think she could wear 60s style and you do that really well. I saw that you have a love for this girl right here. Well, yeah, because I love superstar faces so much, but my kids, my older daughter was right in smack in the middle of 80s superstar type Barbies. So, I was buying her all these dolls and wishing I could have them, but back then I was like a mother, so I had a budget.

5:44And so, I just bought them for her. And I love that face. She is so cheerful and her makeup is natural looking and she's so pretty. I love that era. And the clothes aren't too shabby either. I mean, like, yeah. You know what? If you want me to be really honest, I'll say that is not my favorite style of clothing. like 80s style fashion is kind of like I mean look I was a mom in the 80s whatever a mom jeans maybe I don't know what I wore in the 80s but believe me I wasn't into fashion so those aren't exactly the clothes I love but that doll I love I love her blue dress she's a recent acquisition it caught my eye cuz naturally I'm an 80s9s collector and some early 2000s but even still that caught my eye I was like oh Debbie has magic moves this is interesting Well, I have a lot because in the earlier 2000s, around 2010, the thrift store that I go to was loaded with 80s and late7s Barbies. So, I was buying Oh my gosh. Crystal Barbie, who's right here.

6:53This is all thrifted. I'm not kidding. The doll was naked and I bought her and then somebody else had this on. A lot of these dolls that I have that are from the8s are all thrifted. I thrifted a lot of the8s dolls because I felt nostalgic for those because I was buying them for my daughter and I just love them. So now I've got a whole bunch of those too. [laughter] Yeah. Yeah. How long would you say you've been collecting? I probably started in the '9s. So probably 30 years. Okay. Long time a lot of time. It's a long time to accumulate dolls. And that's why this room looks like this because I've been doing it for 30 years. Yeah. You have to guess how many dolls do you have in your collection. My friend Holly and I counted one day and we just ballparked it. We were up to 2,000 when we counted. We did not just count Barbie. We just counted. Okay. So, if we just counted all the dolls in the room, and that's about 2,000. If we count just Barbie, at least 1,000. 1,000 or 1,200 are Barbie. Okay. Because there's a lot of other dolls in here. Listen, that's a lot, but you're talking 30 plus years, right? So, yeah, it's going to happen. It's going to accumulate for sure.

8:18Is there any other dolls from other eras? like you said you were into like the other eras and some of the superstar that are some of your favorites that you have there that you can show. Okay, I'll show you this one cuz it's really So I don't know if everybody is familiar with Hawaiian superstar Barbie. So this is another 80s doll. Some of my favorite dolls are really from that era. But this is interesting because so she's a European exclusive. Here's the thing about this doll here. take this off. She is a one of a kind because what happened is is that when I really wanted one, I felt like they were too expensive. So, I thought she was too expensive and I kept saying, "Oh, I can't get her yet." And then finally, I missed out. But then there was someone that I knew of on Facebook who said, "If you buy a Native American Barbie, she was called, from the '9s, I can turn her into a European Hawaiian superstar." at which she did this doll. I can tell you that if you had the real deal and you held them side by side, it would be hard to pick the right. So, that's a really special doll that I really wanted, but I didn't have to get and I'm quite happy with her. I didn't have to have the super expensive one that was really hard to find.

9:40So, that was one that was super duper special. I mean, her face with that dark hair, like superstar face. And here's the really best part. Um, those were in the in my heyday of thrifting, which are no longer. But I thought, well, I'm just going to have to find a Native American Barbie at the thrift store. So, the next week when I found out about this, I went to the thrift store and I found one. That's how it used to be. I used to be able to like manifest. I'm not kidding. It was amazing back then. It's not like that now. It's absolutely not. It's sad, but it was then. So, I create. So, this is probably roller skating Barbie or superstar. I'm not sure. I think she's roller skating Barbie.

10:29I don't know the faces that well. And I had her r-rooted with brunette. I was just going to ask, did you re-root her? Because I love this dark hair on this face sculpt. Yeah. Yeah. And it's like you said with the Hawaiian, it doesn't have to be the original. Not to me. Yeah. Cuz it's not to me. That's not important to you. And that's what I love about meeting different people is everybody has different ways of collecting. But she's fantastic. She's so cute. Oh my goodness. With that dark hair and that end. Yeah. Oh, so cute. Love it. I love her, too. She's really special. I'll show you another special one that you will love. Yes. Yes. Keep it coming. This is my MIJ that I had. I did not do this work. My friend Elizabeth did. I couldn't possibly.

11:17Isn't she adorable? Cute is MIJ, right? Oh my goodness. So, which MIJ is this? This is a bend leg MIJ. So, she would have come with the chin length hair. Got it. Cuz she does have bendable legs. See, she does. I just looking at the length of her hair. Yeah, she was the Okay. Yeah. Yeah. I just wasn't cheerleader. So, someone else did it a long time ago and I saw it and and I wanted to do it. So, but these are all one of a kind. The second you re-root the hair and you change the into pigtails, like it just becomes unique. I love that. And I love that. And her brown eyes. She has brown eyes and MIJ. I need a vintage mij in my collection. Ever since I had my podcast with MIJ fan, I have to get Yeah, but if you just want a MIJ with a flip, they're not that expensive. I want her to be a red head. They're pretty common. I think you can find one. I wish I could send you one. I found a beautiful, really nice Mitch with the perfect hair and everything thrifting except that the whole side of her face is greener. I'm like, it's repairable. It's just sometimes I'm very confident in fixing. I personally I don't want anything to do with it because it comes back. Like I've had some dolls that have a shadow, but this doll's face, she looks like a Martian. Okay. And it's so sad. It was too far gone.

12:38I think I might try when I feel like doing a doll project. I'm still going to try, but it's not good. I wish Yeah, I was very sad. Yeah. [clears throat] Sad, too. You mentioned thrifting a lot, which seems to be kind of your go-to for finding some fine treasure. Yeah. What is it about the thrill of the hunt for you when it comes to thrifting? And if you have any recent thrift finds around that you'd like to share to see them. Well, the thing is is that it's just so unexpected. And again, I hate to keep saying it, but I don't know what they're doing with this stuff now. I don't see it in the store as much anymore, but I also don't go as much. But I just love the thrill of, you know, you're walking and you're looking at all this stuff, just a sea of millies and all these just nothingness. And then all of a sudden, you know, and I always dig through and you see something in a bag cuz I look for things like the hands and the feet cuz I know that the vintage dolls what they look like and then you know you find something and just like so exciting. This is a doll that I found, another bubble cut, and she was kind of dirty and messed up. And I sent her to a woman that used to do restorations and I said, you know, I wanted her to be cleaned up and the whole thing. She wrote me a note back and she said, "Do you know that this is a European side part?" And I said, "No, I paid $2 for her." And she said,

14:05"She's a European side part." So her hair bubble cuts that are a side part. You can't really see. I I noticed right away she was a side part. The part is thatched. And so did I know that? No. Would I have bought her anyway? Yes. She's a vintage Barbie. I have to save them all. So she was a treasure. And a recent treasure in the last couple of years was this girl. She's a repro, but she's the repro of the AfricanAmerican first Barbie. Yes, the first Barbie. Except her hair is different. Her hair is different. Yeah, her hair is like a kind of a bubble cut. Interesting. She's gorgeous, too. Thank you. That was in the thrift store. So, yeah, this one I found I was shocked.

14:54I have found silk stones. But look at this Barbie basics hanging in a baggie waiting for me. Just a Bill Greening doll hanging in a bag. Yep. But I have to say if I find a doll out of 10 visits, I find a nice doll. Out of maybe out of 10 visits, I'll find one. There aren't that many. But I have found some unreal things like a baggie of Francancy clothes. and shoes. I don't find things like that anymore though truly. Maybe I just don't go as often or maybe they're you know there's a finite number of these old dolls. There is and I think after the pandemic people started collecting again and now they are on the hunt and everyone kind of has very posit Yeah. People have learned like oh I can go to a thrift shop and then availability just like I think so. I think so. And then the Barbie movie everybody was like they wanted to find a Barbie.

15:51So, I think all those things. Yeah. But it's okay. I don't need anymore. We don't need anymore. We always want more is what it is. True. But it's just nice to know that at least they're being saved, right? Whether we get them or somebody else gets them, they're being saved and that's all that matters, right? I like to save them. Yeah. Yeah. Me, too. You have quite the skill of sewing and stitching. How did that start? And do you have any pieces there that you can show us that you've made? I've always done needle work and I thought sewing for Barbie was ridiculously hard. So, I started sewing for bigger dolls like 18 in and 14 in and they're so much easier. But, I couldn't help myself once I really got into the Barbies and all these fashion dolls. I just couldn't resist. So, I started sewing. So, I've been sewing for them for probably 20 years.

16:40So, this is a super simple outfit that I made once that I really like because somebody one time said that it looked like a Japanese exclusive style dress, which of course made me feel like, whoa. So, that was very exciting. But, it's a super simple. It's just a shift. I started out with clothes like this that weren't that hard. And then I just started reading people's comments about sewing. And then I like very much to make clothes that are replicas of other real Barbie outfits. So I do that. So I did not make the little underdress. I just made this. But this is a lot like a Japanese exclusive dress. I like doing that a lot. That's super fun. This is a felt outfit I made. This is Casey. And this is a little felt mod suit. This was fun. I love it with the hat. It's so sweet. Yeah. And that's from a fancy pattern that's a manufacturer like McCall's.

17:42I like this dress a lot. She has no shoes, but I forget the pattern I use. But this one, she's wearing a wig. This is a fashion queen. Okay. Wearing a wig. And a headpiece or like a bow? It's a bow that um sits on her head. Yeah. But I made this a long time ago. This was fun. This was a good one. I love the gloves and the little white clutch to match. Yeah, you did a great job. Thank you. Most of these doll clothes are actually clothes I've made. And then of course I have to crochet. So I crocheted that. Oo, who's this? I love her hair. She is amazing. I got her in 2015 at the Barbie convention in a room sale and she still had her string on her hair. I couldn't believe it. So, she's pretty fun. I like her a lot.

18:43Yeah, I like this dress. I like the leggings. I like It's very Yeah, I like it. That was fun. So, sometimes I crochet for them. You make ken clothes? Uh, no. I've made a couple and I've made some shirts and I did make Allan I made him some pants. I did not make this the sweater vest is Barbie but the long sleeve dress shirt I made. So love it. And I love this Allen. Yeah. I don't like sewing clothes for boys. Yeah. It's not as fun. It's not as fun. I try because I love Allen. Yeah. And I think he should have more clothes. But Mhm. Yeah. So this doll, remember her? Yes. Yes. Oh, do you have her? I do. She was part of the Gala series and she's like the pink. I forgot her name cuz they did a purple one after and then they did the Elma in the blue after that. Well, her name her. Yeah, because I don't buy series. But I had her in the box forever. And finally, I thought, "Oh my god, take her out of the box.

19:53What are you doing? It's not a great box." But I It was hard for me to take her out of the box because I'm waiting for that day when it's going to be the perfect moment. And I took her out of the box and I thought, "Oh, she's really pretty. I'm really glad I took her out of the box because she's much more appealing out of the box. She's very pretty. She is. And you can kind of extend the dress or the fur boa. She's got like the fur wrap just looks so much nicer out of the box. Yeah, she is a very pretty doll. So, that was one that I stalled and now I'm glad I did. Yeah. And that was the pink Premiere was her name. That was Oh, that's Premiere. Yeah. So, we've talked a lot about your dolls, your collecting, seeing some of your sewing items, but you also do create a lot of nice diaramas and displays. What's of your favorite part of creating that for your dolls? It's funny because it is not my favorite part at all. But you did such a great job. I don't understand. That's nice of you to say. I always feel like, well, I did really good work on my A-frame. Well, we put the table, put it on wheels. So, then we had to remove the whole thing, and then once I removed it, I thought, ooh, this is really dusty. So, then I cleaned the whole thing and dusted it and put it back. And I started putting it back together in a more thoughtful way.

21:12You know, I really thought about who I wanted where and accessorizing. And I don't do that very often. A lot of my diaramas are little quick almost like a snapshot and they're in my IKEA cubbies which are not optimum for diaramas, let me just say. So, I have a lot of cubbies that I'm just putting in like a quick little scene. So, that's really what I do. And I I don't spend I mean I I watch people who spend all this effort and time making these beautiful diaramas and they show how they did it and everything and I admire it so much. But this is the basement. It's a walk out basement with big windows and this is where all the dolls are. And when I walk down here I head straight for the sewing machine every time. And that's how I spend my time. And if I'm not spending my time sewing, which is my first love, my second love is organizing my stuff.

22:11So the diaramas, they get put together and then they usually don't change. They're pretty static. I just leave them and use them and I might put something different in them. But it's not my first love. Although I like the ones I have. The diomas that you have, like they're versatile. Like you can use them over and over. They never go out of date. You know what I'm saying? Like they always I do try because I don't want to reinvent the wheel every time. This is lower one is my Palm Springs room. So the way I do diaramas is I say, "Okay, well I'm going to start with the sofa, the go together sofa and chairs. The sofa is very long, so I needed a spot. So then I just start walking around looking and seeing what can I put in it." And that's basically it evolves.

23:02Can you see that cool little thing right there? The little table. I see a little table there. I recognize it from Flip and Debbie. Yes, it is. I wouldn't be able to go over there, but I do have a couple of cubbies that are set up just with Flip and Debbie stuff. So, this is my Tammy family. They hang out in the kitchen. So, this room, the furniture is created by Mike Dawson. This is my mod living room. I guess there's a party going on in here, but the furniture, the sofa and the chair were created by Mike Dawson. He made that for me. And then this is a Mike Dawson design. It is the one in the back. If you can see her. I don't know if you can see her.

23:50I can't. Um, I see the little voses. Is that a Mike Dawson? That is Flip and Debbie. That is slip and de. [laughter] Yeah, they both make beautiful things. They move. They do. They do. So, that's my living room, which I change up a little bit, but I mostly keep this furniture in it. But but to your point, I don't think there's a reason to change it, right? I think if people like that, if people like to change around and it's it works. It works. Yeah. I I do move the furniture around a little bit when I want to, but I do pretty much keep the same. I change the artwork and stuff. I love the brick fireplace. All the little details, they all come together. That little cart, it looks like a bar cart. How that? Yeah. Awesome. It's pretty fun. Love it. So, I pretty much leave that the same. And then this is my little tiny fashion studio.

24:40It's got the Barbie dreamhouse. The cardboard one is the backdrop. And then I just put girls in there. I mean, they just hang out. I love it. Oh, I love the little chair. Uhhuh. Look at that. And the little artwork, the art pieces. Yeah, I love that. You know, I change them out. So, this is my beach dolls. I just leave them there. They live there all the time. So, it's perpetual beach. This is one of those Cali girls. You probably know those girls, right? I noticed her right away. I'm like, she's got some girls. That girl is gorgeous. Beautiful. She's so pretty and they're so tanned. Yeah, I love her. But anyway, in the back are my Hawaiian Barbie and Ken and a I love the swing. And then the swing, which is so fragile, we're terrified of it. So, we never touch it. Don't touch it. Leave it. Just let it. [laughter] So, it should be beach time all year round anyway.

25:33Yeah. So, it's just always the beach there. Um, so yeah, that's awesome. And they always are there. They're just Oh, this kitchen. I know that there's Barbie dolls in there, but that's a vintage kitchen. This is the deluxe reading kitchen. I always like to say everything is shabby chic. This thing is not in like optimum condition or anything, but the thing is it doesn't have to be because you can still use it in photographs and it's fine. Yep. It's so charming and it's just the perfect thing. So, um it does get crowded. I don't always have this many dolls in these, but people find their way here and then I clear them out and somebody else comes in. I mean, you could have fooled me. I don't see anything in your photos or on your social media. I don't see any What was the term you used? Shabby chic. There we go. I don't see any shabby. I just That's an old term from the '9s. But they don't. They look fine. But I think one of them Brooke had to repair it because the top like separated. Oh, yeah. and fell forward and she repaired it. But she's good at all these things. So, I'm very lucky. I'm the handyman. She's the I mean I mean we're talking stuff that's 60 years old. Yeah, I know. And that's we have to remember is this stuff is old. Yeah. You know, all this stuff that everybody loves, it's old. Yes, 100%.

27:00Yep. But it's fun. Well, I love this. There is one more room I wanted to see. It was the shelf behind you. Is it that one? Yes. So, this is part of the Barbie's New Dreamhouse. So, Barbie's Dreamhouse came out in like 1962, I think, and then the next year they came out with Barbie's New Dreamhouse, and it was a little more deluxe, much bigger. And I have one, but it easily came apart because it's so old. And the cardboard just really, it's easy to separate. So, this whole backdrop here is from that. So, that's what this is. Oh, I love that. And you know, I didn't know about this dreamhouse. I actually learned about it from Demi from Flip and Deb. She was talking about it and I didn't even know that that existed. It is not that easy to find. Oh, but that's what this is. And this furniture, this is really not Barbie scale, but it's made by a company that made doll furniture back in the 60s, Strobe Becker. And the fun thing is this thing. It's a sleep sofa. Oh my gosh, it works. I would have never guessed that it's not for Barbie. It's not. It's for like a 10-in doll.

28:14But isn't it funny? Yeah. So, you can have a sleep sofa. I love that. So, adorable. But before all the 3D printing and all that stuff, you'd go to doll shows and you'd find what you could find. And that's what we did. we had this kind of furniture. I bought so much of this type of thing. So that also goes to show like your creativity cuz I don't have an eye like Mike Dawson can walk into a thrift store and see a bowl and make an ottoman out of it. I would have never seen that. But like that's the beauty of this hobby that like that you see something and say Barbie. He's so good at that. I'm not good at that kind of thing. And I admire people who are that can repurpose something. But really, back when I was setting up that diarama, there was no 3D printing.

29:02And if you bought things on Etsy, they were super expensive. So, you had to think really carefully. But I would go to doll shows and find that kind of furniture, which really was made for a 10 and 1/2 in fashion doll, of which I have those, too. But yes. Yeah. Yeah. So, but you know, it works. Yeah. No, exactly. And that's the thing. That's the beauty of like today of like going to a thrift store and you see something and you're like, "This could work for Barbie." Like I found a little ornament. It was a Christmas ornament. I think it was like a stack of books and I just took the ornament piece off and it's a stack of books. Like it's kind of nice to kind of be able to um Yeah. And that's what makes it fun and it works again. And it makes it your own. Yes, it does. It does make it your own. Yeah. Yeah. Do you have a doll there that you could show us that has maybe a funny story attached to it? I don't really think so. I can't think of any. I thought about that a lot and I don't. Sorry. How about a doll with a memorable story? So, this is my fashion photo PJ.

30:02One of my friends who's a vintage collector mentioned really off-handedly that she had been to an estate sale and that she had found some dolls. This was one of the dolls. She said, "I found these dolls in an estate sale. you know, I don't really collect these. And I she showed it in a picture on Flickr and I jumped in the comments and I said, "Oh my gosh." I said, "That's a fashion photo PJ." And she said, "Oh, well, do you want it?" And I was like, "Yes. [laughter] [gasps] Yes, I would. Thank you." Oh, I love that. So, she sent it to me. So, I sent her I had a talking Barbie, but I had an extra one. Yeah. So, I sent She sent me This doll is perfect. I did go on eBay and I bought her costume, her outfit. She likes to wear purple.

30:53She looks great in purple. Yeah, she beautiful PJ. I never thought I would have her. And of course, everybody was talking about her back in the day. Even like a Jewel secrets PJ like just so hard to find. They are now. They definitely are harder now than they used to be because all you guys who love them and are nostalgic for them are trying to find them. I think that's part of what happens and it's the natural order. Yeah. It's just like all of you who were not interested in that when I was finding them because you guys were doing other things. Now you're at an age where people start really collecting and you're looking for. But you know, remember that's how it was for people like me.

31:40Yeah. Cuz you know, when we were looking for the ones that we remembered, they were hard to find, too. It is interesting though when I think about I also have another one of her because I was at Granowish convention in Michigan and I found her head in a drawer of heads, just heads this guy was selling. And I picked up this doll and I thought, "What is that?" I thought at first it was Hispanic Barbie and then I realized it's a fashion photo PJ head. Yeah. So, I have her, too. This is my mini me. Oh, how cute. So, it's Martina McBride. Oh, is that who she is? Okay. Yeah. So, this is my fantasy me. I think she looks like you. You think so? I do. I mean, they're never going to be 100%, right? But Yeah. Close enough. Right. I started out trying to use the Eleanor Roosevelt doll and it just felt wrong to me and one day my kids said, "Mom, she's really not like you. She's like elderly." So that's when I started looking around and I looked at some other dolls and then I saw her and I thought, "Oh, she could be me." So yeah, I think it's true. U I've had guests on the show talk about how when you have to look at a doll, you might look and go, "Oh my goodness, this looks like my sister. Oh, this reminds me,

33:01my friend. Funny how that happens. Got to be They got to speak to you in a way. It's not 100%. So, I think you did really well on that mini me. And she's wearing a Bill Greening sweater. Yeah, she is. She's hanging out in her crafting clothes. Oh, she's crafting. I like that. Of course. Well, she has a sewing room. Yes. I was looking for my mini me and I tried Elanor Roosevelt. Decided no, she didn't feel right. So then I started looking at shorthair dolls and I came across her and I thought, well, I like her so much, but I don't know. I showed her to my daughter Brooke and Brooke said, "Oh my gosh, mom, that's you." Because when I was little, I thought you were Martina McBride. No way. She really thought I was Martina McBride.

33:48So when she was a kid and she saw Martina McBride, she thought So that's a big reason why I chose this doll. And those glasses, they're great. They didn't come with the doll. She didn't have No, I they're from eBay and I think they're glasses for a action figure. Yeah, but they fit her perfectly. Yeah. Yeah. It's awesome. What a cute story. What a cute story. I like And that shirt. Where did that come from? The this was a friend in my local doll club gave everybody these cute little Bill Greening shirts. Icon. Yeah. Awesome. With Bill's face on it. That's awesome. Yeah. I think maybe she gave them to us at Christmas. I forget. So yeah, that's awesome. But I love it. Yeah. I've seen I've seen like people wearing the Bill Greening shirts for adults, but I never saw one for a doll. That's Yeah. Yeah. If Mattel were to walk into your home and say to you, "Hey, we're going to do a reproduction of a doll and we want you to pick which one."

34:45Which one would you choose? I think they could go back and do another repro of early Barbie and do a better job on her face paint. Like a number one. I would love that. I have a repro of her, like whatever that one was, the anniversary one, but it honestly doesn't look like her. I would love to see them make a new repro of a number one. I think people would buy it. Yeah, I think so, too. I think maybe collectors are just tired of seeing the same old repros, like some of the 80s. I mean, I know as a '90s girl, I'd love to see some more '9s, but also the vintage as well. I think there's not enough. I thought the Barbie and the rockers were really nice. I didn't get them. I'm trying to tame my love of that era doll because I've got plenty. And yeah. Yeah. I think if they did a nice number one, I think that would be really great. I like it. Okay, so you hear Mattel, another number one. That's what Debbie Jones is requesting. So, let's get on it. So, this is another doll that she's pretty iconic. It's a no bangs Francancy.

35:52They're harder to find. They're more expensive because they're hard to find. And anyway, so this is her. So, here's two more rrooted. Okay, so this is I'll show you this one first. because I think this era people like this is a Malibu Barbie. Barbie. Yeah. Rooted not by me, by my friend Elizabeth. However, I did make this jumpsuit and it was hard. I will tell you it was hard. But I was very happy with it when I'm done. But I think she'll probably wear it for the the eternity because it was just so difficult to put together. It was hard to sew and everything. It suits her. It looks like it was nice for her. Yeah, she looks really different, right? Yes. Yeah.

36:38You've got some great eyelashes. She does. Yeah. See, she's got rooted eyelashes. Yeah. It's a little hard to see, but I guess Yeah, she does. I don't I I love her bangs. I know. But this is such a different look for her. I really like it. Yeah. I know. And I love one of a kind you have and that you made that outfit. Yeah. And then this one, I did not make the outfit, but again, I just love taking these dolls and turning them into something else. So, this is a twist and turn. And I again, these I did not re-root these. This is before I started r-rooting. But anyway, this one was a twist and turn, but I really wanted her to have a different look. So, so I like to play with my dolls. You know, some of them are just the way they are. You know, the older ponytails, I don't mess with them, but dolls like this, I love to give them a new look and they look unique. They look really fun. Yeah. So, this is a doll. This is a Francancy.

37:49and she was in the thrift store and she was um just a mess. So, I did re-root this doll. I gave her this look and then I had her face redone because it was kind of it wasn't too good. But anyway, so yeah, I rrooed this girl. Yeah. So, I can have all these different looks. Obviously, Barbie, she's blonde. We love Barbie. But sometimes the blonde army gets a little bit too much. I like see some red hair, some brunette, some black hair. I like to kind of see I like Francancy because her eyes are brown, too. Yeah. And I like a browneyed doll. Yeah. I definitely like dolls that are not blonde, for sure. And I love red heads. Another one is this one. So, I rrooted this doll. This is a repro that I gave red bangs. I love her eyelashes. Yeah, I she came with the eyelashes. So, I left the eyelashes, but I gave her the hair. I love the hair. Love it. And I And I did recently find another poor Francancy that I um am going to re-root, but I can't decide yet what style hair and you're putting these all on made to move bodies. Not all. Um my fancy collection, like I have dolls that I don't play with and they're just in the cabinet and they're all on their regular bodies.

39:11But dolls like this that I mess around with, I give them. Yeah, this is the repro Francancy that everybody has. The one that's not so expensive that came in the little green outfit. You know, the one with dark hair and I have to look it up after. It's not the prom one. It's not the prom. No, no, I have her, too. But And she's on a made to move body. Yeah, I love that doll. This one, she came in a little gift set with a green outfit, Gatabel's outfit, and I put her on a made to move. And this one, I just curled her hair. I love the flip. There's like a little flip on it. I like it. Actually, she is one that I actually thrifted. She is not. Can you hold her up a little bit so we could see her whole outfit? I made this outfit. You made that, too? Look at that. Yeah.

40:04Yeah. She's fun. Can I ask, do you make outfits for yourself or do you actually make to sell? I do not make things to sell. I've never done that. And I like to try new things all the time. So, I I never really get in a groove of something that I would actually sell. And also, it's my fun thing. Yeah. It's my hobby. That's great. I make things for gifts. Sure. Oh, yeah. I was just curious. I was just curious. But I I really have no desire. But I do like to give things. I absolutely love to give gifts um make things and give them to people. Yeah. I I was only asking because I think after this episode airs, I get people messaging me and be like, "Where can I buy some of her fashions?" I have people asking me too and I always say, "I'm sorry, I don't." Just because it's my hobby.

40:53Yeah. You know, I'm retired and that's what I like to do. You know, sometimes I look at the number of little racks of garments and I think, geez, maybe you should sell some, but I get attached to them, you know, and a lot of times if I make something I really love, I put it on a doll and then I love it and I don't want to take it off. Yeah. And then you post it on Instagram and people start saying, "Where can I find that?" But I understand I can understand that when you mix your hobby with work, sometimes it gets it's not as Yeah. Right. Yeah. The other kind of dolls that I love and I'm really getting into them a lot is Japanese dolls like Jenny and Lea. Okay. And um like this is one of my more recent dolls. Okay. Japanese fashion dolls. So that's what I'm really I'm really liking lately. That's what I spent my money on. But I was in an antique mall once and I spotted this doll and I immediately recognized her style. I thought she looked Japanese, but I knew she wasn't because she's clearly an American. She's a Barbie, but what she is is she's called Raina Barbie.

42:03So, there was a time in Japan when they tried to sell Barbie. I think it was probably the 80s or 90s and that's what she is. But she might not. She might be. So, I think she's so cute. She is. And she's definitely unique because if these are Japanese dolls then they're not she's very unique. You see this whole like school uniform is very Japanese style. A lot of their dolls have that. But yet she's got superstar arms. I just think she's really unique. But she also might be weird and people might I knew right away she was something. I think she might even I'm I'm going to be wrong about the date on her. She's either late 90s or early 2000s. So, she was a doll that was sold in Japan. And um I mean, she's got leg warmers. I love Yeah. I love it. I love her little outfit. And she's holding is she holding a cell phone? Yes, she's holding a cell phone. I love that. So, she was just waiting for me in the antique mall. And of course, I bought her because she's the fusion of American Barbie and Japanese Barbie. I was like, "Oh my god, I got to have her." So, it was she was meant to be with you. pretty great. Great.

43:19She's fantastic. Thank you so much, Debbie, for being on Barbie Talk. What makes your content so special is the way you preserve the beauty and the nostalgia of vintage dolls while also still adding that modern touch. And you kind of include your own creativity, whether it's sewing or styling, customizing diaramas, and it all just comes together like you're telling a story, which I just adore [clears throat] about your content. Your page just feels so comforting, inspiring, and full of heart. And I want to just thank you for your contribution to the doll community. Well, thank you so much, Kelly. This was really fun and I really appreciate you having me on and I'm happy to share. I love my dolls and I I love sharing them. So, this was really fun. Thank you. And you can tell that you do. You could tell the passion that you put into it. So, it definitely comes through in your social media. So, where can people find you on social media?

44:11I am Jones for Dollies. And I'll put it up on the screen right here. Jones for Dollies. So, everybody can go and follow you. And again, it was such a pleasure having you on and uh hopefully we'll have you back on maybe in the future. Okay, awesome. Take care, Debbie. Bye. It's amazing how one doll can make the past feel beautifully present again. [music] Make sure to like, subscribe, and hit that notification bell if you love all things Barbie. And if you enjoyed this [music] episode, click here to see one of my other episodes. Thanks for watching.