Another Look

Let's have another look at this redhead Fashionista before I store her and desire newer dolls. I like that she can look sultry if her hair partially covers her eye. I posted a photo (not mine) of this dress on another doll and thought no other doll can wear it any better than that pink-haired Nikki. Although Nikki's vibrance matches the dress, this redhead brings a certain maturity to the youthfully colored dress, not there is anything wrong with being youthful. I like things a little mature but not too matronly unless, I'm dealing with vintage molds. I didn't want the dress before. I just bought it specifically for this OOAK doll.

I really like this closed mouth mold for Barbie, especially that they offered it in a littler skin tone and red hair. I wanted to compare it to another redhead I also like and to another mold which is not my favorite for Barbie. The goddess mold looks fat while the Barbie basic looks dead in the eyes. They all have their own charm so I'll be keeping all three.

Sheng Yuan (SY370) Attack on Avengers Tower

If real life didn't get in the way, I would have gotten my hands on this set earlier. Now that life is a lot closer to normal, I had the chance to hunt for this at Divisoria. I got mine for PhP 750 (US$16). Others are selling it for as much as 60% more.


The tower looks good from any angle and can be opened up like Polly Pocket houses. The first floor has the sick bay and the Iron Legions (a symbol of how the idea of being the world's saviour can easily be corrupted) deployment area. The second floor has the lab with Loki's scepter being analyzed. It also has the assembly/repair room for the Iron Legions, which Ultron can use to rebuild himself.


The "glass" panels on the first two levels can be opened to allow the minifigs' entry/exit. On the 1st level, the panels are hinged while a lever is used to "blast" open the glass panel on the second.


There is a lounge on the 3rd floor with a viewing deck aside from a control room. The floor of the deck can be opened apart to simulate being destroyed or getting ready for battle with a couple of hidden shooters underneath.



The lounge has a secret compartment for minifig ammunition. This is perfect for Black Widow. The Black Widow and Hawkeye minifigs are not included. I just thought those rooms have been designed with them in mind.



The top most part of the tower has another pair of shooters. It also houses the drone, you know, similar to the ones they regularly use on terrorist regions even is there will be a lot of civilian casualties but they don't really become trending topics. I digress.

I kinda like this set more that the Quinjet. Maybe because I can play house with this set. What more can you do with Quinjets anyways aside from bomb places?

Playline Faces

Just a comparison of two playline face molds associated to the character of Barbie in recent years. I'm partial to the mouth closed. I only like the rightmost because of the skin tone and the black hair.

Spot the Difference 105

How many differences can you see?

Clue: At what age will Barbie grow up?

Because I get the feeling I'm getting through to Mattel

I'm still interested on how well Mattel is doing in selling Barbie. Some fans went gaga over the stiff Fashionistas. Others thought that maybe Mattel is finally listening to its consumers. I figured maybe Barbie sales couldn't go any lower as it has been declining for years now. There's no way to go but up. Well, it still went down and that means more people think Barbie is not worth its price tag.

Mattel claimed that the dollar exchange rate had something to do with the decline, making the gross international sale drop by 19% but the North American gross sales still dropped by 5%, so there.

When I bought Barbie clothes, the minimum wage earner cashiers double checked the prices. They couldn't believe that a tiny Barbie shirt can cost as much as their shirts! They didn't say it out loud but one can tell just by the look in their eyes. The fact is, one can get more value from buying other stuff than Barbie.

Last Christmas, I gave my nieces Barbie dolls. They really weren't that happy. They have enough Barbie dolls. How many dolls does a girl need? Kids don't really care much about doll diversity. My nieces don't care if they don't have an AA or an Asian doll. Barbie never looked like any real person anyways. Barbie is not a real person. She's not somebody you will care for. She's somebody you'll envy and secretly wish ill.

When I saw their reactions, I thought that I should have kept the dolls and use the bodies and give my nieces a different gift instead. That's what I'll do this year. I'm going to give them non-Lego brick sets in pink. Maybe it will encourage them to be more creative. Plus if they lose or broke a piece or two, they can still play with it.

Maybe Mattel has some serious challenges ahead of them. I don't know if the new articulation in the Made to Move dolls will cut it. Personally, I don't like the Frankenstein joints. Maybe those who like the monster dolls will love them but not me. I don't think the trendy fashion will be enough. It has been tested with the stiff Fashionistas but the sales prove that it's not the key. The limited edition dolls really has a limited dent on the sales.

To improve international sales, maybe Mattel can do something about the price. People outside north America pay a lot more. If they can sell more unit a a lower profit margin maybe it will be better than selling less units with higher profit margin. I don't have the figures so I say "maybe".

Mattel has an agreement with a local company so the local company can monopolize the sale of Barbie. It is possible that the same setup is in place in other countries. Maybe Mattel can change the setup. Personally, I think there are other local entities better equipped in selling Barbie locally.

The main problem is making more people buy Barbie. Why will you buy a character you just envy and secretly hate? It's not like Barbie cares for you. That's the problem. Barbie as a character seems to care more about material things and less about the child or the collector. Barbie is the star in her world and we just play in it. Why play in it if you'll forever be an outsider playing by her rules?

In short, Barbie needs to change her identity, not just the skin color. She needs to change her values to make her more relatable. She has to be seen as a friend you can care for, not a plaything. She needs to be human so people will care for her. Maybe the Barbie live action movie will help. We'll see...