Doll-A-Day 2023 #342: Princess of Imperial Russia Barbie

   Today's doll is one that's a little worse for the wear from the fire. She's Russia Barbie.

  There has been more than one Russia Barbie. This particular one is from the Pink Label Collection and was part pf the 25th anniversary of the Dolls of the World series in 2004.

  She has a very fair skin tone, and the Mackie Face.

 

That's some heavy duty crown! Her hair is a long braid.

 

See? Huge crown, very long braid.

No rooted eyelashes, but I think she's very pretty.

  Her boots look to have been made from the same mold as the Barbie boots from the late 60's and early 70's.

  I know this has been a quick one, but Tammy World and my Christmas projects have taken up all the time. I think the multi-post catch up will have to be three posts a day after Christmas, instead of two a day from here until the end of the year! See you tomorrow.

Doll-A-Day 2019 #353: Kelly as "Lucy Gets a Paris Gown" Plus Ethel

  Yesterday I spent the day helping our middle child move back in. So I totally missed the daylight for photographing a doll. It was ok though, because I was able to go with  two more of Ivy's dolls. Everything was going swimmingly until the page crashed THREE times,followed by my ability to type words completely disappearing. Eventually,really late last night, I had to just give up posting a doll. So this is yesterday's post. It's these ladies.

The TV is a Christmas ornament by Carleton Cards,from several years ago. The screen lights up and dialog from 'I Love Lucy' plays. What's missing from the left side of the screen is a plastic magazine. It made the Tv look less realistic,so I think we broke it off. The TV is Ivy's too.

Obviously these are Kelly dolls. What might not be as obvious is what they're imitating. They're portraying Lucy and Ethel from the "I Love Lucy" Episode called, "Lucy Gets a Paris Gown.

They have the usual Kelly faces and  Lucy and Ethel make-up and hair.

Lucy has big hair under that hat.

They were another Barbie Pink Label set,made in 2008.

The episode centered around Lucy's desire for a real designed Paris gown,and Ricky's insistence that he was NOT going to buy her one. After Lucy fakes a hunger strike,(aided by Ethel). Ricky and Fred   decide to get back at Lucy and Ethel by making them fake designed gowns out of burlap sacks,and hats out of a feedbag,(Lucy),and an empty champagne bucket,(Ethel). Their plan sort of backfires when the ladies proudly wear what they think are designer outfits. They are humiliated when Fred and Ricky tell them what the dresses are really made of. The next day the group see loads of women all wearing replicas of the fake designer outfits. The Kelly dolls are wearing reproduction outfits, but they are quite a bit longer than the originals.

The dresses are pretty good recreations as far as the style though.
 

Ethel's dress was supposed to have the unraveled sleeves too.

Lucy's dress has a huge bubble butt.

Lucy's dress has what is supposed to be broaches,I think.
 

Lucy has her feed bag hat.
 

 

Ethel's champagne bucket hat is plastic,with a black chin strap.

 They both have painted on gloves.

They're arms are jointed differently though. Lucy's can move up and down and out to the sides.

She can do the 'Stop in the Name of Love' pose.

Ethel has Jazz Hands,but they can't go out to her sides as much.

But she can also do 'Stop in the Name of Love'.

  Finally! Here is yesterday's post! Today's post will come later. today.

Doll-A-Day 2019 #343: Elly May Clampett

Today we're visiting with an old friend from the 60's. She's this lady.

She's Elly May Clampett.

Elly May was a character from the popular TV show,"The Beverly Hillbillies",which ran from 1962 to 1971.

The cast of the original Beverly Hillbillies. Elly May was portrayed by Donna Douglas, far right.

She is made using the retro Barbie sculpt.

Not just the face,but the body too.
 

I think they made new molds for the retro Barbie dolls,because the original molds were no longer usable.

They got a lot of things right with this doll,including her jeans and rope belt...

 

...her unnaturally fitted button up blouse...

...and her twin ponytails with pink ribbons.

One thing they did not get right is her shoes.

Elly May wore penny loafers,not wedge heels. I'm sure her character would have objected strongly to them. Elly May was definitely a Tom Boy,and you can't chase 'critters' in wedge heels. I realize you also can't keep penny loafers on those high heel Barbie feet. But still...

Her jeans are so tight that this is as far as she can sit down!

   Elly May is from the 2010 Barbie Collector Pink Label series of dolls, which also included Samantha from "Bewitched", and Jeannie, from "I Dream of Jeannie",both also in the vintage Barbie sculpt. (You can see Ivy's Jeannie doll HERE.Elly May is hers too. And yes, she loved both shows.) I think it would have been a good idea for them to also have done Lisa,from "Green Acres",who was played by Eva Gabor.

Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor,Zsa Zsa's little sister, in "Green Acres".

Not as iconic maybe, but she was made to be portrayed by a Barbie doll.
  Elly May has been a doll a few times. The first time was in 1964, during the run of the show. Officially the doll was called Calico Lassie,but she bore a striking (and unlicensed), resemblance to Elly May. Her hair was in two ponytails,and she wore a fitted button up shirt, and jeans with a rope belt. The doll was available as a mail-in offer from Kellogg's Corn Flakes. She looks similar to Ideal's Tammy, the Horsman dolls of the era,like Mary Poppins,and most of all, Shelley by Eegee. (You can see my Shelley HERE.)

 

The second Elly May doll was sold in 1997,when Premiere/Exclusive Toy Products,who do a pretty  good job with their male dolls,made a really ugly Elly May for it's three doll "Beverly Hillbillies" line. (The other two dolls in the series were Jed and Jethro.) Premiere/Exclusive Toy Products made several dolls I have featured on the blog,including Ingrid Bergman from "Casablanca", Laurel and Hardy, and the Gilligan's Island dolls.
   The Beverly Hillbillies was still popular when it was cancelled in 1971,when CBS decided to cancel all of it's 'rural programming',in what was to become known as the 'Rural Purge'. This included "Green Acres", the 'Andy Griffith Show' replacement, "Mayberry RFD",and "Petticoat Junction, which had already met it's fate the previous year. The idea was to do away with the programs set in a rural environment, and replace them with more sophisticated shows.Trivia: Green Acres, Petticoat Junction, and The Beverly Hillbillies were all connected, and many of the stars of the shows appeared on the other shows. Green Acres and Petticoat Junction were all based around a town called Hooterville. The Beverly Hillbillies were from a nearby area, and showed up on the other two shows ocasionally. Bea Benederet,the voice of Betty Rubble and Lucille Ball's first choice for the role of Ethel Mertz,originally appeared as Jethro's mother,Mrs. Bodean,on The Beverly Hillbillies. Eventually the character was dropped,and Benederet went on to Petticoat Junction as Kate, owner of the Shady Rest Hotel. 

 Donna Douglas passed away in 2015, at the age of 82.
   That's the doll for today. Tomorrow we'll look at another doll. Remember too, that review of a new doll is coming soon!

Doll-A-Day 2019 #244: My Melody Barbie

  Today's doll is this pretty girl.
 

She's My Melody Barbie.
 

She was released in  2007.
 

She's from the Barbie Pink Label line.

My Melody is a character by Sanrio.

She's the best friend of the popular and maybe better known character, Hello Kitty.
 

This doll uses the ever popular Steffie head sculpt, first used on the Busy Steffie doll in 1972. The sculpt has been so well loved that it's still being used. I think it's the only head sculpt from that era still in use.

She has very long ponytails.

They're twisted at the top.
 

Her clothes and accessories are,of course, My Melody themed.

Her necklace has My Melody on it.

 

The scarf on her head is printed with pictures of My Melody.

 

She has a My Melody purse with a My Melody charm it. Her belt even has a My Melody buckle.
 

She's wearing fishnet knee socks.

Her white shoes have molded stitching detail and little ribbon bows.

The sunglasses in her hand have transparent pink lenses.
 

 I like that. I hate it when doll sunglasses have solid lenses. The doll can't see through that! It's very unrealistic. I even hated that when I was a kid. Things had to be realistic.
  I've had her for years. I got her for the amazing price of $9.99!

I have never opened her because,even though I would love to take her out and photograph her, and even change her clothes,(She so pretty and would look good in so many things.),I like her packaging,and I think she looks good displayed in her box. The box is pretty on it's own.

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