I love this blog, I really do. But half of my images keep disappearing, no matter how many times I re-upload them. I can’t do this anymore: I might restart my blog on Squarespace.
60th Anniversary Barbie: Review
Hey, cowboys! I hope all of you have had a lovely 2019 and will have an even better 2020. 🙂
As many of you know, Barbie turned 60 last year, and Mattel released a special edition 60th Anniversary Barbie.
Her look is inspired by the OG Barbie, from her white and black colour scheme to her red nail polish. Even the sleek heels match up.
I was lucky enough to receive her on Christmas, so here’s my review!
Quality: 9/10
I really wanted to give her a 10/10, but nobody’s perfect. There’s tiny gibbers of dark plastic on her earrings, a tiny bit of excess plastic on her hands, and a tinyyyyyy little nick in her eyeshadow. I practically had to use a microscope to find these mistakes, so unless you reallyyyyyy look at her, you won’t notice anything. The most prominent mistake I could find was a bit of red “nail polish” on her left palm, but other than that? She looks great!
Now, onto the dress: the glitter stayed on firmly, which was a pleasant surprise. The stitching is very neat and clean. There is one weird string underneath her dress, but it’s there to hold two flaps at the front of her dress together, and the fact that it’s visible may have been my fault.
Design: 8/10
For the 60th anniversary, they really had to go all out on this design. And I think they did! Barbie looks glamorous rocking her long, white ‘n silver gown. I LOVE the hair: the Ariana Grande ponytail suits her well. (Every long, silky ponytail is now a homage to Ariana, in my mind). The makeup is reminiscent of the original Barbie’s makeup, except done in a modern style. It’s wonderful! The one reason I didn’t give her 10/10 is because the design is lacking a sort of… ‘wow’ factor, I suppose.
However, she does look better than the 50th anniversary doll, in my opinion.
Packaging: 3/10
Since I’m a collector, the packaging matters! It has to be sturdy, pretty roomy (so you have the option of putting the doll back in the box), and appealing. This box was none of those things.
The plastic was flimsy, and Barbie wasn’t very securely packaged. After I opened the bottom I realized I wouldn’t be able to put her back (not only because the box was ALREADY dented, but also because there was no room in there at all). I did like the black and white striped background, but other than that, the packaging sucked.
Is she worth the $$$?
This Barbie costs around $70 (American) on Amazon, but I’ve seen her sold for $70-$100 Canadian dollars as well. In my opinion, that’s a reasonable price point for a signature Barbie. Just be aware that the packaging may not come in the best condition: according to the reviews, I’m not the only one that had a struggle with it.
Merry Christmas (and Happy Holidays)🎄
Just a quick post to wish all of you a joyful, relaxing, and lovely holiday season! Whether you plan to spend it with family and friends or alone, I wish you a grand time. 💗
See you soon, cowboys!
Holiday Barbies Through the Years: Part 2
Hey y’all! This is a continuation of my other post, which you can read here:
https://thehogblog.home.blog/2019/12/08/holiday-barbies-through-the-years-part-1/
But if you already have, or simply don’t care, let’s pick up where we left off: 2002.
I would particularly like to point out the 2003 Barbie, for her theme: winter! Although other Holiday Barbies have worn all-white attire before, she’s the first to be specially winter inspired. Plus, I like how they went for “Winter Fantasy” instead of the usual “Winter Wonderland”.
The 2004 doll wasn’t as special. Even though she came in both burgundy and dark sea green, the burgundy version looked EXACTLY like the 2002 doll. Seriously?
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/2004-holiday-barbie-collector-special-410897690
The 2005 and 2006 dolls are some of my personal favourites. The 2005 Holiday Barbies were released in (obviously) 2005, which happens to be my birth year, and the 2006 Barbies take a unique spin on traditional Russian dress.
Santa babyyyy~ Honestly, I can’t believe it took Mattel so dang long to make a Santa Holiday Barbie. What can I say? She’s iconic.
Next up is the 2011 special edition holiday Barbie. Sporting an emerald green dress, she’s one of my very favourites, but unlike the other ones, I can’t find a specific reason why. I suppose the green is a very pretty, festive colour, and looks especially nice with the African American version of the doll. No matter the reason, I believe Mattel did an really good job on her.
However, the 2012 Barbie doesn’t have quite the same effect for me. She’s undeniably gorgeous, and I like the black hair representation, but she’s somewhat forgettable amongst the other Holiday Barbies. It’s worth mentioning that my sister (who was born in 2012) disagrees.
Below are the 2013 and 2014 Holiday Barbies. I feel like…. Mattel was sort of running out of ideas at this point, but they had to keep making special Holiday Barbies, so they did what they could. Conspiracy theory alert! No, not really, but just look at the next few designs. They’re pretty, but forgettable. The 2015 Barbie doesn’t escape this trend either.
Luckily, in 2016, there was not 1, not 2, but 3 Holiday Barbie variations! Even though the design is somewhat plain, I really like these dolls nonetheless. And 2017’s Holiday Barbie came with a GIANT STAR IN HER BACK.
Last year’s Barbie came in a giant, poofy red dress, accompanied with silver jewelry accents.
She was the 30th anniversary Holiday Barbie, and something about her design does remind me of previous Holiday Barbies.
Here we are, at the end: 2019. This year’s Holiday Barbie is what inspired me to write this post in the first place, because of her delicious candy-cane design. I also adore the huge red bow on her shoulder, and the sideways hairstyle.
Conclusion
Over 31 years, Holiday Barbies have had extremely creative themes as well forgettable looks. Barbie has always been a fashion icon, and through these images, you can see how her outfits somewhat fit into what was stylish at the time. The 1990 Barbie and the 2017 Barbie are striking examples of this phenomenon. It’ll be interesting to see how future Holiday Barbies tackle the “holiday” theme in modern ways and evolve.
Thank you so much for reading, friends, and I wish you a wonderful holiday season!
Holiday Barbies Through the Years: Part 1
Hello friends, and Merry Christmas! Or, y’know, whatever holidays you celebrate during this jolly time of year. Today I’m going to be looking at the evolution of holiday Barbies, starting with the first ever holiday Barbie, released in 1988. She also happens to be the first collector Barbie, although that wasn’t planned out by Mattel. 31 years and 31 Barbies, most of which will be shown below. Let’s get started!
On the left is the 1988 Happy Holiday Barbie. The ‘Happy’ was eventually dropped from the title.
In 1990, Barbie’s holiday look was hot pink and extra poofy. She came in two different skin tones, though, so good on Mattel for that. The 1991 Barbie came in a darker gown, which was certainly refreshing, even though it doesn’t scream ‘festive’ to me.
Then in 1992, it was back to the glitter.
If you’re wondering why I skipped ’93: the red dress Barbie wore wasn’t particularly special, and looked similar to the 1988 dress. She did have a poinsettia theme, which I’ll admit was creative.
The 1997 Barbie wore a red ribbon inspired dress, which was pretty unique. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really find a good picture of her, so let’s move on to 1998.
The 1999 Barbie, named Millennium Princess, came in a gorgeous navy blue and silver dress, complete with a DISCO BALL. A disco ball!! I personally prefer her to the 2000’s doll, and the name gives me total Sailor Moon vibes.
This blog post is getting lengthy, so I’ll just stop right here for now. Stay tuned for the epic conclusion of my Holiday Barbie Roundup!!
The Toys That Made Us: Why You Should Watch It
It’s the 12 part documentary series… about the toys that we all know. Plastic creations, that last for generations, and we still cannot let goooo–
Little molded figures that gave us big dreams, we’ll go back in time and behind the scenes!
This series is incredible. It came out in December of 2017, and has had 2 more seasons since then. Yeah, I know I’m late to the party, but if you’ve already watched the first two seasons, the third has JUST come out! This time, the toys of honour are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, My Little Pony, and Wrestling Toys.
Series Overview
The episodes aren’t connected, which means you can pick and choose between the ones you watch. Here’s what each episode is about.
Season 1 Episode 1: Star Wars Toys
Season 1 Episode 2: Barbie
Season 1 Episode 3: He-Man
Season 1 Episode 4: G.I. Joe
Season 2 Episode 1: Star Trek Toys
Season 2 Episode 2: Transformers Toys
Season 2 Episode 3: Lego
Season 2 Episode 4: Hello Kitty/ Sanrio
Season 3 Episode 1: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Season 3 Episode 2: Power Rangers Toys
Season 3 Episode 3: My Little Pony Toys
Season 3 Episode 4: Professional Wrestling Toys
Every episode delves into the history of each toy, interviewing everyone essential to its development. The series goes over successes and hardships, societal and personal impact, and interesting trivia about all the toys in question.
Why I love this show
The Toys That Made Us has not only taught me lots of stuff I previously did not know about certain toy lines, but also gave me an appreciation of the work that the creators put into the toys. The interviews are meaningful as well as hilarious, and the editing is on point. I hope that in the future they’ll do an episode on Furby or Care Bears, as those are two toys lines near and dear to my heart.
Thank you all for reading, and I’ll catch you next time!
Hey y’all! <3
First of all, to those of you who may be new: welcome to the Hog Blog, where I’ll talk about toys, dolls, and other strange stuff I find interesting. I’m putting this notice here not just as an introduction, but as a little… warning? Depending on where you read my blog, it could glitch and refuse to show certain images. I’ve found that reading on a laptop/tablet is best, because the format looks better and it’s less likely to mess up.
(Also, I would like to sincerely apologize in advance, because there are ads on this page that I can’t control. If I could buy a member’s plan, I would, but I currently can’t. 
)
I work really hard putting together content which I think you guys will enjoy. So, let this be your formal welcome into my lil corner of the internet, the Hog Blog! ❤
Frozen 2: Singing Elsa Doll ❄️
I LOVE Frozen, so when I heard there was a second movie coming out, I watched the trailers obsessively and rushed to the Disney store in search of new dolls. I ended up getting an Elsa doll that sings at the twirl of her wrist. There was also an Anna one, and it was so hard to choose, considering their gorgeous costumes. That’s the unfortunate thing about being a young collector: you can’t get all the things you want, due to monetary restraints. But considering the similar build of the dolls, I think it’s fair to say that most aspects of the review below will also apply to the Anna doll. Let’s get to it!
Quality
Several things were off. For example, there were some minor shine marks on her face, a couple lose threads within the stitching, and not… let’s just say not ideal painting on the boots. The bottom of her braid was burned together, and while I realize why this was done (to keep the hairs neatly in check) it makes the last part of her braid look like a garlic clove.
Overall, the quality is around what you’d expect for an average Disney store doll.
8/10 !
Accuracy (to the movie)
When making a movie based doll, they’ve got to make them look like the character, right? Queen Elsa sports a variety of looks throughout the movie, the sparkly, pastel blue gown being the most notable.
The doll definitely has more purple on her, with the belt and lavender gradient at the bottom of the gown. She has translucent shoulder pads as well. The main reason she looks different, however, is the hair: it’s too slick and thick.
Now, I realize that certain changes had to be made to the doll for aesthetic purposes. Disney knows what they’re doing. Still, the accuracy rating gets a 7/1o from me.
Singing!
The sound is surprisingly loud and clear. I’ve attached a video below, but just in case you’d rather not watch it, Elsa sings a part of the song “Into the Unknown”.
Every day’s a little harder
As I feel my power grow
Don’t you know there’s a part of me
That loves to go
Into the unknown
Lyrics, as heard by me
Thoughts
Getting the Elsa doll has definitely pumped me up for the movie’s release (November 20th), and I believe she was worth the 27 bucks I begged my mom for. However, if you dislike dolls that just never shut up, aren’t a huge fan of Frozen, or would rather go for some of the rarer dolls that the Disney store has recently released, you might wanna sit this one out. I’ll give her an 8/10.
You can watch the trailer here:
Mystery Porcelain Dolly
First of all, I’d like to wish my fellow Canadians a jolly Thanksgiving! I’m grateful for a lot of things, this blog being one of them. So to everyone who’s ever read, liked, or commented on a post: thank you.
Now, into the mystery.
I’m fond of looking through thrift stores, trying to find vintage treasures. This time around, a beautifully curly-haired, Victorian style doll caught my eye. I decided to name her Jeanette (thanks for the idea, dad). But…who made her? Does she have an actual name? The only clue was the phrase, “Cathay Collection: 1-5000” written on her upper back.
Cathay Collection Dolls
Fun fact:
Cathay was another name used for China (the country) back in Europe’s medieval days.
I searched the internet for a long time, looking for answers. Ebay listings, people trying to find the value of their dolls, and Pinterest posts were pretty much all I found at first. Turns out, there are many different types of Cathay Collection dolls! They come in different sizes, poses, ethnicities, and styles.
But finally, I found this excerpt on Reference.com:
Cathay Collection dolls are collectible, porcelain dolls that are available in North America. They are handcrafted, and many come with certificates of authenticity with purchase, as well as unique, decorative boxes.
https://www.reference.com/hobbies-games/cathay-collection-dolls-169d63a0bfaa4b86
The fact that they’re handcrafted makes a lot of sense. They can cost A LOT outside of thrift stores (30-200 bucks!) and all of the dolls have a unique feel to them. However, this still left a lot of questions. I decided to dive deeper.
Further Research
And then I hit it: the perfect gold nugget of information I was looking for. (I’m mostly going to paraphrase what the website said, but I highly suggest you read the original article at https://dollreference.com/porcelain_collector_dolls.html)
The dolls were first created around the 1980s. They were meant for collectors, not children (which I think is fairly obvious, from the quality and price) and many bought and resold theirs to make a profit. Cathay Collection was just one of the many types of porcelain dollies that fit into this buy/sell category. Fascinating, eh? Considering the amount of dolls I saw for sale at such high prices, I can certainly see this theory coming to life.
I wanted to find the blog of someone who knew more about these dolls than I did, but was unsuccessful. There might be a little something coming soon though, so stay tuned!
Jeanette: Photos and Details
Finally, we get to the girl herself.
Jeanette is about 41.5 cm (16 inches) tall, can’t sit down or bend her arms, but is big enough to be able to try on Journey Girl and American Girl clothing.
She has curly, dark brown hair with lighter brown eyes. Her eyelashes are non-existing and her nose is fairly triangular, giving her face a unique look. And who can forget the adorable blush and rosy lipstick!
There was another doll at the thrift store, a golden haired beauty, and I kind of regret not getting both while I could. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more Cathay Collection dolls, now that I know their significance, and hopefully I can find one of the fairies or brides.
Thank you so much for reading, hoglets, and I’ll see ya later. 🙂
The Top 10 Spookiest Toys Ever
Hello hoglets, it is I, back from my hiatus. Between school and other work I simply have not had time to write, but I am back and just in time for Spooktober! In this list I will be ranking the scariest toys ever made (in my opinion, of course), and giving a brief run down on their histories.
10: Chatter Telephones
Are they iconic? Yes. Do I want one? Also yes. But are they creepy? I think a glance at the eyes might answer that for you. Released in 1962 by Fisher-Price, the Chatter Phones have brought both joy and fear to children worldwide.
9: Anatomy Dolls
Made mostly by Jason Freeny (or at least from what I know), anatomy figures take a popular pop culture character and split them in two. I highly suggest you check out his sculptures and prints for some gnarly, slightly spooky fun.
8: Hugo: Man of a Thousand Faces
Hugo’s a friend, an enemy, and anything you want him to be! Kenner, I see where you were going with this, but did you have to give him such a cold, blank, stare?
7: Little Miss No-Name
This is another example of great idea, poor execution. Little Miss No-Name is an orphan girl who just wants love and friendship. Well, Hasbro, how am I supposed to love her when her eyes pierce into the very depths of my soul? All jokes aside, I think this is a pretty cute toy which I might talk about in further detail in the future.
6: Teletubby Toys
One word: Teletubbies. I’ll pass.
5: Reborn Dolls
Reborn dolls are hyper realistic dolls created from pre-existing doll parts (hence the name). They are usually babies or very young children, and cost a lot. The art is beautiful and requires weeks of work, but the question remains: why? If you’re a reborner or a collector of such dolls, feel free to contact me! Anyways, there’s something unsettling about a baby that looks alive but simply isn’t. Or maybe it’s just babies in general. Babies scare me.
4: Jack in the Box
Pop goes the weasel! Welcome to jump-scare central, ladies and gentlemen. There’s no other way to put it: the music can be pleasing, the doll cute, and I’ll still scream.
3: Undead Teds
I love Undead Teds, and have an article I’ve been procrastinating on about them. But I can’t deny; they’re REALLY freaky.
2: Whimsies
Produced by the American Character Doll Company (what a doozy of a name) in the early 60s, Whimsies are whimsical dolls with cute names and personalities. It’s not my fault that I find them terrifying.
1: The Jolly Chimp
What. The. Absolute. Hell. WHO thought this was a good idea? People in the 50’s were not ok. Out of all the toys in this article, this is the only one that genuinely gives me chills. It all started with that scene in Toy Story 2… ugh. I can’t look at that demented monkey any longer.
Goodbye, hoglets, and thank you for reading!
The Hog Blog 