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Www.theVinylIdol.com - Unofficial Barbie Fan club magazine Sample 1 /2010

Over the last month, the Bdoll members have been suffering from being again shuffled around and made to navigate through a bilingual, not quite log ical navigation to find their destination.. This is due to the launch of the Eng lish sister site, the Vinyl Idol, moving all English language content over to the Vinyl Idol, eventually leaving theBdoll completely Finnish. This was done as I suspected that the bilingual site was a bit of a turn off for some members who didn’t speak the other language, which ever their native language was. The fact is that the translations didn’t always work, and at best of times, administrat ing it with two languages was a bit of a pain in the butt. So there we go, two sites instead of one and that’s exciting! However, I promise to the bdoll members after I’ve done with these changes, I’ll leave theBdoll alone for a while...! No more er-rors and weird stuff... For some time at least. Thank God the Bdollers are patient people!

Adalia has joined the Administration team of theBdoll to keep an eye on things there while I work on the Vinyl Idol. Thus, Adalia has also been promoted to the Media representative of theBdoll, as she’s always there when an inter-view needs to be given. The Finnish media has been pretty good to theBdoll. Adalia also handles media connections the other way, being a professional journalist, she is my Send Out girl when I need an interview of Barbie celebrit ies like Claudia from Pink Ponytail!

Sebby

Again, Big Changes

The Vinyl Idol Magazine For YOUR website

From January 2011 onwards, you can get the Vinyl Idol Magazine to your club or website to send to your members. Here’s what I have in mind: There’s tons of Barbie webmasters who don’t get paid for their hard work. You spend hours and hours in front of your computer creating valuable content for your visitors, without ever really getting much back. You’ve tried advertising, but it brings you pennies at best, and although you love what you do it would be nice to be rewarded, right? It is not unheard of, that a whole site is taken down once the webmaster is exhausted and still without pay. This is where the Vinyl Idol Magazine comes in. You can sell the magazine on your website and profit from it. Or, you can offer it as a gift to people who give you a voluntary donation of a set amount of money (or more). This requires very little extra work from your part, but gives your members a valuable addit ion to their experience with you. As a reseller you’ll also be able to send in material about your club or website events to our magazine, which will add valuable content to our publicat ion, but also spread your news across clubs and websites in your niche. Your members are also welcome to take

part in the creation of the magazine, making it a great hub of Barbie hobbyist news from around the world. From people to people about people and their dolls! As the magazine is published in pdf-format, this offer is valid anywhere in the world, for the same price, delivered to everyone at the same time regardless of their country of residence. If you are a Barbie webmaster interested in this idea, please contact us on [email protected] and share your thoughts and ideas. We would also appreciate your input on the pricing, as that will be the tricky part and is not yet finalized. Please do spread the word as well: One way to do this is to share our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vinyl-Idol/159876400698695 (or search for Vinyl Idol, without “the”) and we’ll keep everyone updated. We are also running a Facebook group called Barbie Webmasters , which will be updated on any developments in this. Of course, registrations to the Vinyl Idol website are currently free, so you can tell that to your friends as well.

4 This publication is not associated with Mattel Inc.

It is great to meet up with your online Barbie-friends in the real life too. There ’s plenty of ways to put together a meetup, and it ’s not always necessary to try to get as many people together as possible, even a small meetup will brighten up the day - and a few after. You can invite them to your home or pick a place at a local community centre for a larger group.

Place The location does not have to cost a lot. Meeting up at someone’s home is fine, especially if you’ve known the majority of the group for a length of time. If you need a bigger place, ask around for a community centre room or maybe a class room at your local school. If you are putting together a large meetup, try and organize it as close to everyone as possible - don’t forget the small town people, especially if there’s a lot of them. (Small town people usually have bigger houses too... Catch my drift? :))

Date The date is usually the most difficult thing to decide. You can use forum polling systems to decide with a democratic vote out of possible dates with fair ease. Remember to allow more than one vote per person, so they can pick all of the dates that suit them. The weekends are, of course, usually the best ones.

Food Food is not the main thing at these meetups, and often it can be a bit of a distraction from the main event; The dolls. That is to say that if you don’t enjoy cooking, don’t stress about it, but ask people to bring a little something to


snack on while they’re over. If you do enjoy cooking, then well, go right ahead and cook! If you opt out asking everyone to bring something, you could think ahead a litt le and see what you would like to be on offer. That way, you can instruct the guests to bring a specific item so they match together and there won’t be over supply - often this method can result into A LOT OF FOOD with very few eaters. (Barbie’s are cooler.)

Program A popular meetup-event is the show and tell. The event is simple enough, everyone brings a doll to show and tell about. A show and tell can be themed, such as “bring a Barbie/Ken wearing X color”. The whole meetup can be themed. Christmas, Halloween, Pink, Wedding, to name a few. This would mean that all dolls are dressed / selected by the theme, as if they would be attending a themed party. Optionally, people can dress up too! The meetup organizer can go ahead and put together a party-room with 1:6 scale decorations, or you can decorate it with the guests with items they bring with them. That way, the decorations usually end up being amazing as you’ll put together everyone’s best ideas. Decorating a meetup theme can be joined with a bit of arts and crafts too. One of the most exiting things you can do at a meetup is to trade stuff! Bring in all the stuff you want to part with, buy and sell. You’d be surprised how what you no longer want is cherished by someone else. This event is usually enough to fill a whole day - especially if you have limited time and a lot of people attending. When you put together a bunch of doll people, there’s bound to be someone who has experience in OOAK-arts. Organising little tutorials is a great way to entertain the guests, even if nobody learned anything, it’s fantastic to see what skilful hands can create. If your meetup place is connected to the net and or you have an access to a data projector, you’ve got more options again. You can put together a video compilation on You Tube (think old Barbie TV commercials), you can show videos recorded off the TV if you have happened to catch something interesting, or you could simply run a slideshow of Barbie photos in the photo gallery. An internet connection is also handy if you want to include some people who

haven’t been able to physically make it to the meetup. Set up a webcam show or a direct Skype-, Yahoo or MSN-video conference. Before or after the meetup you could also take a guided tour to the local flea markets and shops looking for Barbie treasures together. If your guest seem a bit shy of each other meeting the first time, you can melt down any barriers by anything that glows in the dark like the Dream Glow Barbie and Ken! Cram into a dark toilet together and see how long you can last not being best of friends! (Tried and tested in difficult condit ions during the first ever theBdoll meetup in Tampere 2006.) Adalia and Sebby (avid meetup hosts and guests alike)

Shock and Horror! Attending a party wearing the same costume! Photo: Sebby Halloween mini-meetup 24.10.2010, Tasmania

The inspiring Bdoll-meetup in Lahti, November 2009. The screen showing a slide show and the people going through the sales tables. Photo: ShoeCat (theBdoll)


Many of us have done business with Claudia of the PinkPonytail Barbie web store (http://www.pinkponytail.com). But who is Claudia? Does she collect Barbie dolls too or only sell them?

“I don't know how many dolls I have but I collect only the ones I love. I have some Vintage Barbies and Francies, and Reproductions... and I collect AA Avon Barbies. I also adore Play Line Barbie. The Secret Spells dolls and the early Fairytopia dolls are some of my favourites. I can't resist the AA Halloween dolls either. I have a few Kellys, and her friend, Melody, in my collection as well. There are some pretty handsome Kens in my collection. My Barbies love those Harley Davidson Kens. Although he's not Ken, I still have my little brother's GI Joe as well” she tells.

Sounds very much like a collector! Like many of us, she also has played Barbie when she was a girl. She still remembers what she played and which dolls she had:

“Barbie had great adventures... cruising in her Austin Healy sports car or travelling the world, but she also loved cooking in her Reading Kitchen and entertaining "guests". My father travelled a lot for business and when I went with him so did Barbie... and usually Francie and Twiggy as well. And of course their wardrobe for any fashion occasion. Barbie always loved Ken, but when my little brother played Barbies with me, his GI Joe was Ken's rival.”

Claudia’s “Holy Grail” Barbie is Bob Mackie s Neptune Barbie. She fell in love with her when she started collecting in the early 1990 s. At that time her price was about $1000. That doll still is absent from Claudia’s collection… We hope she’ll get that doll someday!

Her first Barbie dolls were the original Blonde and Brunette Swimsuit dolls. Her mom loved dolls and she enjoyed buying them for little Claudia – lucky her! But she thought she outgrew Barbie in the


late 1960’s and gave almost everything away to some neighbour girls. The only Barbie that survived her childhood was the Brunette Bubble Cut Barbie. Her all-time favourite doll from her childhood was Francie (who is actually Barbie's cousin).

How did she start selling Barbie dolls?

“My older daughter and I collected Barbie together. Our love for Barbie evolved into wanting to open a Barbie doll shop. At the time, the local economy in our small town could not support a doll shop so we set the idea aside. In the meantime, my daughter moved away... but easy access to the Internet came to town and that changed everything. My daughter came up with the name, and I opened Pink Ponytail in October 2003. The website, Pinkponytail.com launched in March 2004.”

She continues: “I have met some wonderful people who collect Barbie, and have made some very dear friends since I opened the shop. I am lucky to have such fabulous customers from all over the world.”

Claudia is also lucky to have a supportive husband who understands her love for dolls so well that he too shares the hobby and takes part in her business. His favourites are the Silkstone, vintage and mod Barbie, and he is also the one who lovingly wraps each parcel leaving the Pink Ponytail shop.

We were also curious to know if Claudia would have any wise words to say to anyone who wants to start a business in Barbie collecting. “I think almost any retail business is going through difficult times in the current economy, at least in the U.S. Some other countries are not experiencing the same situation. There used to be a saying that a small business needs to be able to expect and get through at least the first two years before they begin to see a profit. I think

many businesses cannot hang on through that initial two or more years...others succeed and flourish.” She also reminds us that you need a big enough clientele to support the business, and for selling Barbies, Sandra said she had to wait for the Internet before she could have an access to big enough clientele. For an internet business an inviting and easy to use -website is the key, she says. Then she quotes someone she can’t name: “Do what you love and Success will follow.”

Thank you Claudia!


Over the last few years Mattel has taken strides toward the perfect Barbie and Ken -dolls by making them more poseable, but why is it that they insist on making little mistakes on each one, especially when it comes to poor old Ken? While the little things are little, the very fact that they are little make them just that much more annoying. The Harley Davidson Giftset’s Ken is quite a nice doll, but the man doesn’t sit very well. As you can see from the image, although his knees bend a nice 90 degrees, his hips won’t go further than pointed out with the arrow. This would have been easily fixed by allowing a little more room for the thigh to move, but who knows for what reason the developers have decided not to allow more movement - maybe the joint would have been unattractive, who knows. Certainly it can’t be more unattractive than the joint of a Raider body, which still is my favourite body used on any Ken doll, but even though the Raider (Max Steel) body is hardly pretty, what it lacks in grace, it gains in poseablity and sheer fun of photographing the doll that is nearly unlimited in body language expression. While I would gladly take the Max Steel body technically as it is, would really appreciate a skin colour pant-section without the funny edges around it, as well as an added centimetre (and a half, maybe) to his legs and it would be perfect. Many fellow collectors would like to see less muscle as well and reduced hand size, but I personally don’t care, in fact I love both his muscles and his hands that can take a grip on almost anything - like Barbie’s arm! If there’s one thing to say about the Max Steel body, it’s definitely masculine, which is something most Ken bodies lack.

The newly jointed Fashionistas Ken has hit the shops in USA, but are yet to reach our part of the world so unfortunately there won’t be very good photos. You can look one up on Flickr or Man Behind the Doll though, I’m sure you can find them if you haven’t seen them already. Anyway, the trouble with these Kens is that a) now they’ve gone and made Ken’s head bigger too! Why oh why oh why... B) Apparently, his legs won’t spread apart, which is silly, since men need to spread their legs on an occasion to stand firmly on the ground doing manly stuff! If Ken is supposed to be Barbie’s ultimate boyfriend, why do they INSIST on making him act and look gay? (We don’t have anything against gay people *kiss kiss* of course, but as I said, he’s supposed to be Barbie’s boyfriend after all, and hopefully not Barbie’s boyfriend that is still in the closet!) While the head size is not exactly a body issue, it has a role to play in all this. Neck joints are an important part of Ken, as there’s two type. One that is articulated, one that is not. The Max Steel and Harley are both articulated, but the vast majority of the modern (less smiley) Ken dolls are not. That makes it near impossible to find another head for the jointed bodies, when you want to create another character or simply kitbash things more to your liking. Mattel is also releasing 3 very hunky (and reasonably hetero sexual looking) Basic Kens, which unfortunately are in the male model muse body, which is very much not playable body. Now, here’s what’s the good news: It LOOKS LIKE these Basic Ken heads might fit the new jointed Fashionistas Ken necks. If

that’s the case, the Fashionistas Ken might have a place in adult collectors shelves after all, as I doubt many of us would go out and buy extra Harley Davidson gift sets just to get that body on the Basics Ken. Playline bodies, even though not quite as refined, offer a cheaper replacement for unusable model muse doll, very much so when talking about Barbie - and maybe now, Ken too.

Ken Kitbashing woes Harley Davidson Ken doesn’t sit very well.

The Max Steel body might not be pretty, but it’s as fun as a barrel of mon-keys.


Would you buy a doll just for her jewellery? I ask, because as you know, those precious 80’s Barbies are often found without the diamond jewellery they used to have. Now, although the new Superstar Barbie 2010 is not an expensive doll, 15 dollars for just the jewellery seems a bit much, doesn’t it? Yet, I’ve held her on numerous occasions trying to justify the money spent on her... Just for the jewellery. I wish Mattel would not only create reproduction dolls, but make a few replacement accessory packs for the 80’s beauties. Earrings, shoes, brushes, the little knickknacks that came in the boxes but were so easily lost in the horrible tube of the vacuum cleaner. Ironically, I would probably pay 15 dollars of a package containing nothing but the jewellery... Oh well, maybe not in all honesty. 5 dollars though without blinking.

Catch Me If You Ken -event Promoting the up-coming 50th anniver-sary of the Ken doll, a truck was loaded up with 6 hunky guys dressed up as Ken-dolls. You BETCHA they caught some attention! The models themselves were overwhelmed by the attention, after thinking this gig is not exactly big, you know, pretend to be a toy... Bleh, but the surprise was that much bigger when even the big girls wanted to be photographed with a genuine Ken-man. I wish I could have been there too. Love you, Ken. Check out: Facebook.com/officialKen Twitter.com/officialKen

I went to the mall recently to visit a wonderful nail salon called Toe Heaven. I was finally using the gift certificate that my husband gave me for our wedding anniversary. I asked for a basic mani & pedi, and the person asked me to pick out whatever polish I wanted to be used. That’s where it all began. I brought a dark pink polish from MAC with me called, “Steamy” which I had gotten during the Barbie Loves MAC offer, just in case I didn’t see the shade of dark pink that I wanted, but I had no idea that Barbie was discretely following me. I sat down in the comfortable massaging chair and soaked my feet, when suddenly, out of nowhere, came this doll in a bikini jumping in what she claimed to be a “pedi pool” or “Jacuzzi”, screaming with excitement. Water was everywhere. I had to use the polish that I brought along because, well, Barbie made me. I really thought mall security was going to come. I have to hand it to that doll. She acted like a crazed maniac though out the pedi and then the mani, but no one saw her. We had a blast. I hope she follows me everywhere I go. Hopefully, I won’t look like a complete lunatic (yet)!! Catherine Roccaforte-Probasco, IL, USA

Barbie Shorties Watery Manicure


I had this doll dressed in a stretchy top at one of our meetups, and some of the guests asked how it was made. I decided to make this tutorial for the top, as it is very versatile and fits most fashion dolls with only simple adjustments. You will need: Thin, flowing fabric. Thread, rubber thread, some thin ribbon to make straps.


Measurements for the pieces, with seam allowance: top: 8x91 cm, bottom 12x30 cm. You can safely adjust both lenght and width of the bottom piece.

1. Cut pieces according to the above measurements. (Photo 1)

2. Trim the edges with narrow zigzag or an overlocker.

3. Sew two loose stitches on the top edge of the bottom piece with the longest stitch setting to create an even gatherings.

4. Make a 5 mm fold to top edge of the top piece, sew. (Photo 3)

5. Gather the bottom to match the top, stitch on and take out the loose stitching. (Photo 4)

6. Wind the bobbin with the rubber thread, but don’t stretch it! Load the bobbin normally.

1

2

3

4


8. Stitch the back seam. (7) 9. Hem the bottom edge. 10. Try on and fit the straps where you want them. You can also tie them behind the neck. Variations: - The hem can be made bell shaped, with added frills etc. - You can use the same method for a top only. - If you don’t want straps, and find the top will slip off, use a small piece of double sided sticky tape to ensure it stays on. - Johanna of theBdoll.com -

7. Stitch the top with rubber thread with the right side up according to the image A below. Finish the stitching by tying the rubber thread and the normal thread together on the wrong side. (Photos 5, 6 and form A)

5

6 7

8

A Make one long stitch!

Sew the rows 5-7 mm from each other, with 2,5-3 mm stitching


On the tenth of the tenth in twenty ten a small grou of Barbie collectors from Tampere got together in Adalia’s doll room in Lahti. Jennijee, Siáma and Tokkopahka brought, besides themselves, a bunch of doll guests to meet Adalia’s bunch. That created a bit of a buzz, naturally, and it was hard for us “handlers” to get away to sit for a sip of Coffee that Adalia’s attentive husband had prepared. So we thought we’d do some styling, and Adalia’s dolls were the beneficiaries of the endless resources of Tokkopahka, who is a second hand Barbie stuff seller. And in comes the designer Mitch Stitch, from JenniJee’s atelier. Mitch didn’t play any favourites, but entertained both the female models as well as the male models equally. Us handlers and photographers had a ball watching them! The day went by fast - as per usual - and the Tampere delegation had to head back home... Tired but chuffed to bits. (That’s British for really happy.) Adalia

Mini-report from a Mini-meetup

Project Runway designer Mitch Stitch


Next Issue

To send material to theBdoll Newsletter, please do the following: For articles: Send in email body, no formatting is required but can be helpful. There are no length restrictions; the newsletter is in e-form so it will be made to fit the content, not the other way around. I might edit the articles in order to streamline them a bit though. For photos: Send the original size file, if editing is needed (for cartoon-bubbles for example) please do that before resizing the photo for the web, and send the bigger version of the photo. I may do some additional editing to get the photo colours balanced and the like. If you are confident that your editing is spot on, please let me know and I won’t touch it! To become a team member: Send me your idea for your column, pages or whatever you want to call them in an email to [email protected] All materials should be sent by Friday 15.10. to [email protected]

News: Did you find a news article about Mattel or Barbie? Let Adalia know. Gossip: What are your dolls up to when the lights go out (or the cameras are flashing)? Email us! Off the forum: Did you read something funny or poignant on the forum? Introductions: Has one of the members tweaked your interest so that you’d like to learn more about them? PM Sebastyn Gallery: Did you find an unusually fabulous photo on the Gallery? Send the link to Sebby. (Shown below the photo, not on address bar.) Mail for Heart divided by Two? [email protected]

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