Made To Move Barbie (Part III)

I LOVE this Mattel idea and it seems to keep getting better.  A doll friend of mine posted the next two dolls in this line a few days ago; she had found them on Amazon.  Having a gift card that was burning a hole in my wallet, I naturally followed her lead.

First, here is the blonde with a tan.

I haven't deboxed her yet.  I'm afraid she is going to have her body stolen by Ruffles & Leather!  It's nice that Mattel is adding all the skin tones.  There are several dolls that will benefit from this doll's coloring.

Next up is the redhead.

I think she is my second favorite from the six dolls in this lineup.  (The brunette is my first.)  I love those freckles.

While out running errands today, I stopped at a flea market and squealed with delight when I found this vintage Irwin Austin Healey.  The windshield is in tact and not cracked!  None of the chrome has broken off!  It has faded a little with age and some of the chrome has peeled, but it is in excellent shape for 50 years old! And the best part is that it cost only $17!

MTM Redhead agrees.  She can't wait to cool off at the beach; having some nice wheels to get there is a luxury!  See ya later!

We Have A Winner!

I sold my Never Ordinary Twins Eden and Lillith to another collector for my cost.  I'm not ready to add dolls to my collection that are poorer examples of molds I already own. (Please do not send me hate mail on this - I truly believe Hard Metal, Great Pretender, and Sweet Nothings are better screened.)  I knew they wouldn't get the redress and play enjoyment to merit their $200 price tag.  I have also decided to steal the body from from Voltage Erin and have listed Energetic Presence Giselle on Mister Dollface.

That means from all the NuFace dolls offered in 2015, I've only kept Evening Blossom Dominique (LOVE HER!), Polarity Nadja, Up All Night Lillith, and Out of Sight Nadja.  I recently added High Frequency Kumi and will be spotlighting her soon.

I have also listed on Mister Dollface Black Tie Vanessa Perrin and As Dusk Falls Eugenia Frost.  Since Integrity Toys hasn't released promotional material yet on their mainline or NuFace dolls and my love/hate relationship continues with Poppy Parker, doll collecting here in GA has been dryer than the weather.

My thirst for something fun and different in my collection needed drenching!  And who would've thought that spring of sunshine would've come from Mattel's newest groups of Fashionista Barbies?

Let's start with Pizza Pizazz.  I refer to this mold as the Shania Twain mold because the Made To Move (MTM) version reminds me so much of the country singing star.  Here she is:

Who can resist a very dark haired doll with blue eyes?  Not me!  Add an Asian MTM body and you got something special!

I really do like this doll a lot.  Her retail was $19.99.  (Add $14.99 for the MTM body and you have an articulated doll for $35.  Plus you got two additional ensembles.  I love the t-shirt!)

I had turned away from her at Target and Walmart  because her face seemed "fat", but found this perfect version at Toys R Us.  I think the glue they are putting inside the heads of some of these dolls are making the heads out of shape.  (Do you think I left Target empty-handed?  Not when Pretty in Paisley was looking at me so plaintively.)

Another MTM body (this time from Shania Twain's sister) and a fun new doll with streaked hair and two additional outfits - I love the orange sundress with this one!

Let's not forget the Fab Fringe Fashionista that arrived today from Amazon.  An AA Made to Move body and wowza!

Arriving with Fab Fringe was her friend, Leather and Ruffles Fashionista.

I got four dolls and seven ensembles for $140.  (That includes the four MTM dolls purchased as body donors.)   I spent about the same amount of money of these four dolls as the retail price of one Integrity doll.  I know the quality is different.  But the sheer play enjoyment of these four dolls outshines any IT doll I've received in the past six months.  Makes me pause to think….

Made To Move Barbie - Black Skin Tone

One of my readers questioned whether or not this doll could be pulled apart.  I think they all can.  It's scary to try and pull out the parts because we think the bodies are more delicate than they are.

As you can see.  The doll can be separated at the biceps, the quads, the ankles, and the wrists.  (I've not tried to pull her apart anywhere else.  Maybe next blog!  LOL!)

You have to hold the torso firmly and then you screw the part back and forth, left and right, firmly pulling away from the torso.  I don't deny that it's a little scary!  I'm nervous something will break off inside a limb!

NOTE:  The Black skin tone will sometimes show "stress" in the plastic.  Anyone who has switched heads understands what I mean.  The plastic will actually turn paler where the stress happens.  You have to be very careful with this skin tone.  I would probably use a heat source (heating pad or hair dryer) to make the plastic a little more pliable before doing this again.  Taking the parts out was less a problem than trying to put them back in.  I got a small (barely noticeable) stress mark in one wrist.

Barbie is very happy to be put back together and redressed.

"No doll was harmed in the production of this blog post …"  LOL!

So … What's All The Fuss About?

I finally got my hands on the Made To Move Barbie produced by Mattel Corporation.  There's been a great deal of discussion already on the boards about these dolls.  Some collectors were able to find them in November and started taking photos.  Toys R Us stores got them in stock over the holiday season, and I was able to grab a couple.  Here is what the packaging looks like.

And the back that shows three dolls in different skin tones:  Theresa dark Caucasian, Barbie regular Caucasian, and Lea with a paler skin tone which is used with the Asian dolls.  It has been reported that the black skin tone Target exclusive is beginning to show up in stores this weekend.   These are the first four in the line and two more have already been rumored for 2016.  Hopefully this shows Mattel's dedication to the new line.

Let's take one out for a test drive, shall we?  Can she dance like a ballerina?  Yep!

How about Pilates?  Very nice.

She is advertised as being able to do Yoga poses (explains the workout attire).  A yoga mat included in the package would've been a very nice touch!  It's amazing how her hands can gracefully touch her face.

Maybe a comfortable sitting position on the floor.  Alright!

Is she easy to redress?  Not only does she come apart at the biceps and upper thighs,  she has handspeak and footspeak! Similar to her expensive counterparts over at … cough … cough … Integrity Toys.

How does she look nude?  The joint seams don't bother me too much.  It's little to compromise for the realistic posing.  I don't think I would choose to put her in a bikini.  As you can see the thigh and bicep joints actually rotate completely (which allows the added mobility for posing).

Look at her sitting in this chair!  How cool is that?

So, how does the body compare to other Mattel bodies?  Her waist is a little thicker but her torso mold is more defined.  Her upper arms and thighs are a little more muscular.  Her height is about the same (looks shorter because she is flat-footed in the photo) as are the length of her legs, arms, and torso.  I like the breast plate better.  It doesn't set up so high (not pointing at the sky!).  

The body has a very nice weight to it.  It is not as light or flimsy feeling as you would expect.   It wouldn't be fair to compare her to those expensive cousins Momoko, Misaki, or Poppy Parker.  After all, she only costs $14.99.  (I actually prefer her body to Momoko - her proportions are a little better and she's a bit taller.  She is shorter than Misaki/Poppy and not as thin, but her proportions a little more realistic.)

She can be a little bit of a challenge to redress.  Many pants/skirts won't close in the back.  But when you get her redressed, she looks great!  She's got an athletic appearance to her body.  I really like it.  (Notice how she can really cross her arms!)

So what could the release of the Made To Move line mean?  When you pause to consider the implications, I think Mattel has just produced a true "game changer".   Collectors who like articulation should be very impressed by these dolls.  No one can buy a better posing doll for $15 anywhere.  I did not use a stand for this doll or photoshop out strings.  She actually stands well on her own.  The engineers did a fantastic job balancing her body.

I bet this line is causing a number of headaches for those high-end doll production companies.   (Yes her hands are actually touching her head!)

For one collector … I am, frankly, quite impressed.  This is one well-deserved fuss being thrown about a doll line!  A doll who stands up to the claim that she is the "ultimate posable Barbie".  She may be the ultimate posable 12" doll period.

EDIT:  I have really enjoyed this new Mattel body.  Since I am a teacher, my winter break is now over.  I decided to put this doll in some "back to school" college attire.  I really love how she looks.  The cap is from a Color Infusion Style Lab ensemble, the black bodysuit and earrings are Randall Craig, the fingerless gloves belonged to a Dynamite Girl, the boots Mattel, and the skirt and vest are Clear Lan.