Doll-A-Day 2023 #116: Malibu Barbie

  I'm trying to get caught up, and I am getting a couple of reviews ready. But mainly today was doing some cleaning, and visiting with Emma. She was transferred to a bigger hospital today. She may have the stent put in tomorrow, but it seems they probably won't put the camera down her throat and look at her insides tomorrow. I'm guessing that kind of thing won't get done on the weekend either, so she may be there until Monday! She's feeling much better though, which is great. She had been having so much pain and was feeling terrible for so long. This gall bladder removal may also be the end of some other problems she's had for years. If anybody is experiencing severe stomach pain, chest pain, vomiting, etc., obviously you should get yourself checked out. But make sure you ask about the possibility of gall bladder problems when you talk to your doctor. Emma went to see the doctor just a week or so ago, in the midst of her really severe troubles. She was told she might have GERD, and gall bladder was never mentioned. If this had been caught early, she could have been in and out with the removal in a day. Instead, her gall bladder was so deteriorated that she was extremely sick and in great pain, her gall bladder became infected, and she developed a leak in her liver. She went in the hospital Tuesday morning, and as of tonight, (Thursday night), she's still not home.

  On to today's doll. She's Malibu Barbie.

Malibu Barbie, first produced in 1971, became the idea of the quintessential beach girl. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, a heavy tan, a 'perfect' figure, and lived at the beach. 

Pardon her dirty swimsuit. The ocean waters ain't what they used to be.

Yes, she does seem to have had a piece chopped out of her hair.

Personally, I never thought she was one of the more attractive Barbies. She was made with the Stacey head sculpt. Stacey is my favourite Barbie and Friends doll. But Malibu Barbie was given weird little 70's eyebrows, spikey lashes, and a cancer inducing complexion. Also, the hair on Malibu Barbies is usually coarse and unattractive. (Must be all that swimming in salt water.)

Malibu Barbie came in a light blue swimsuit, and originally would have had sunglasses attached to the top of her head. The ones I have mostly seen are a thin nylon, like the extra suit pictured below with Barbie. This doll though, was wearing the suit you see on her here, which is a heavier fabric. The colour difference is probably due to fading, but the fabric difference has me confused.

The staining doesn't make it easy to see the colour difference clearly.

But maybe you can tell from this close up that the suit she's wearing is a heavier fabric than the extra suit. It's much more structured looking.

  Malibu Barbie was part of a line that included Malibu Ken, Malibu Skipper, Malibu PJ, which used the Steffie head sculpt, Malibu Francie, which used the old Casey head sculpt, and Malibu Christie.

  Malibu Barbie was first reproduced in 2008, as part of the 'My Favorite Barbie' line, to coincide with Barbie's 50th anniversary the following year. She was also celebrated on her own 50th anniversary, in 2021, with a reproduction doll, sold alone, and as part of a gift set with reproductions of Malibu Christie and Malibu PJ.

  Later original editions of Malibu Barbie were made to 'tan' when laid in the sun. They actually stayed pale under their swimsuits. It's kind of weird looking, and you'll find many of the dolls with their 'pale paint' all scratched up.

  There is a doll that looks like a pale version of this Malibu Barbie, complete with a (different) light blue swimsuit. She was a European doll called Fashion Fireworks. You can see mine HERE.

  This girl will end up on the sales page. She was in the Room of Water, with the dolls I don't want, and she didn't even get wet!

  That's the doll for today. See you again tomorrow.