Monday 12 October 2015

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, from Pilgrim Barbie!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadians! Hope you're having a relaxing long weekend with lots of turkey and other delicious things!

As a little tie-in, I decided to take some pictures of a doll I've had in my possession for a few months now, but hadn't yet opened. Back in June for my birthday, my friend Maggie gifted me a few of her own Barbie's from the 90s, and one was Pilgrim Barbie, from the American Stories Collection. Now...this doesn't totally fit in with Canadian Thanksgiving for obvious reasons, but hey, close enough, right?



In addition to my usual review photos, Barbie came with me to Thanksgiving dinner and posed in a few places around my aunt's gorgeous house. So let's get to it!





It's super fun to see these vintage boxes, actually. This doll is from 1994, which is right when I was deep into Barbie's as a kid, so it's very nostalgic! I had a few collector dolls like this, but I never kept them in their boxes, so it's neat to be reminded of what they looked like. Of course, I didn't keep this doll in her box either, but at least I have photos!



And here she is, thankfully in very good shape despite being in that box for more than 20 years! The elastic that was holding the basket onto her arm had degraded and broken, but otherwise, she's great!


She has what I consider a very classic 80s/90s face, using what I think is the Superstar mold. I'm really bad at Barbie face molds, but I do know that this one is one that a ton of my childhood Barbie's had. I feel like maybe she's wearing more blue eyeliner and mascara than I would think a pilgrim would wear, but she really is very cute! Also, she has dark brown hair, which is always a fun change from the usual for Barbie.


The best thing about this doll (for me, anyways) is her little.basket of corn. I love corn to the point where my husband actually teases me about it, so this Barbie is perfect for me! This is the kind of thing I worry about with vintage dolls, that time will have degraded the vinyl, but it's still soft and flexible, without being sticky.


Her outfit is made up of a burgundy velvet dress with white cuffs, and a white apron over the top. The top of the apron has ruffles down the side and bows on the front, and it ties in the back. She's also wearing a large white collar which again features a red bow. It clasps in the front with a small snap, and is removable.


Her shoes are simple black flats, and are actually pretty awkward for her to actually wear. She has fashion feet, but the shoes are flat, and they just don't stay on well. Shoes with small heels probably would have worked better, but since this doll wasn't designed so much for play, these are fine. She does come with a saddle stand as well, which has "Pilgrim Barbie" printed on the front, and it works well enough. She gets a bit tippy, but once you have her standing how to like her, she stays easily.


Finally, she comes with a little miniature storybook, telling the story of her arriving in America. The illustrations are really nice for the size actually, and I can't help but wish more dolls came with little books these days!



As I mentioned, Barbie was a special guest at my Thanksgiving dinner this year, coming along to check out the table at my aunt's house. I think she likes the decorations!


And the chrysanthemums really bring out her blue eyes!


She even found a pumpkin that's just her size! Not going to lie, I almost pocketed this pumpkin...it's so cute and perfectly sized for my dolls!


The lighting on the mantle really flattered her, plus she loves the colour of those fall leaves.


Outside, not many of the leaves have actually started changing yet, but she did find one gorgeous maple tree with some lovely fall colours!




I'd almost forgotten how much fun it is to take photos of dolls outside, actually. I need to do it more often....you just can't beat the natural lighting!


Especially just as the sun is starting to go down, in a yard full of plants and trees. Doesn't she just look so at home?


Pilgrim Barbie wants to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian readers, and if you're not Canadian, I hope you had a lovely weekend anyways! If it's turning to fall where you live like it is here, I hope you're enjoying the change in seasons as much as I am. I'm definitely ready for sweaters and scarves and crunchy leaf piles!



And stay tuned for Christmas time, when I'll be bringing you another vintage Barbie review, thanks again to Maggie! I also found a store in town selling some still-boxed vintage Barbie dolls, so let me know if you'd like to see reviews of that kind of thing. I keep thinking about picking one or two up, and I could definitely take photos if people were interested! As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you back here soon!




7 comments:

  1. In spite of my dislike of 90s Barbies and the superstar sculpt, I find this one very cute! The collector Barbies of that time are generally more appealing than playline and they put a lot of imagination into the design (the corn! OMG!). To answer your question, I'd love to see more reviews of old dolls!

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    1. I generally love 90s Barbies, but that's definitely because I was a kid in the 90s, so those were my first introduction to the line and I'm definitely nostalgic for it. I would love to get my hands on some older ones someday though, and newer ones too. Every era has its share of great dolls!

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  2. She does look right at home on your photographs :-). I really like this Barbie, her outfit and her accessories. Cute doll!

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    1. She really is cute! As much as maybe initially I found the choice of the Superstar face odd, she is pretty adorable, and I'm in love with her corn. Plus, she's so different from the other Barbies I have!

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  3. She's adorable! I also remember this facemold as the primary one I grew up with so it will always have a special place in my heart. (Although mid-80s was probably more accurate for me, lol.) I think your Thanksgiving photos are fantastic...so colorful and really putting me in an Autumn mood. Happy Thanksgiving!!

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    1. I was hoping for more turning leaves and more colours, but it's still pretty green up here!

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    2. I know what you mean...I'm in upstate NY and it seems like the leaves are behind a little.

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