Charles's Pages about Doll Stuff - www.dollstuff.net

This could be a
thing of the past!
(Yeah, not likely.)

I found mentions of two more upcoming Barbie® products recently.

First is the Barbie® Bye Bye Bad Hair™ Detangler Kit, which includes a spray solution that (allegedly) helps detangle Barbie's hair. A product like that would answer the prayers of lots of kids and parents - not to mention adult collectors who like to "rescue" played-with dolls - but I'd like to see what it's made out of first. (It's probably some sort of lubricant. Saran fiber is relatively easy to detangle if you grease it up really well before you start brushing it. I'd be amazed if it worked on Kanekalon - once that stuff becomes tangled, there's virtually no way of fixing it. )

(Side note: Unless this stuff is some kind of chemical breakthrough, it won't work on tangled My Little Pony's, vintage Cornsilk Cabbage Patch Kids, Jem dolls, or any other toy that had the misfortune of being rooted with nylon hair. The only solution to hopelessly ratted nylon hair is for people to just stop using it on toys whose hair will be brushed a lot. That's just the way nylon is.)

For the record, this is what the doll in that other picture looks like now.
Nope, it wasn't easy.

Second is a doll with the working title of Barbie® FAB Girl™. The concept sounds sort of like 1984's Day-to-Night™ Barbie doll - it's a work-themed doll that also has clothes for her non-work life. Day-to-Night Barbie has already been re-issued once as Working Woman® Barbie® in 1999. However, the new doll incorporates some sort of online aspect (maybe a multiplayer roleplaying game similar to Barbie Girls but with an "adult" work-world theme).

It's interesting to note that, whereas Working Woman Barbie was a CEO, FAB Girl Barbie is described as being "an intern". (She seems to have slipped quite a ways back down the ladder of success. )