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

Public Service Announcement: Target currently has a set of "exclusive" Barbie dolls for US$9.99. If you've been eyeing them, you might want to hold out (or at least be prepared to take them in for a price adjustment if you can't resist) - they're most likely a repeat of last year's "reissued" "Fashion Fever™" dolls, which started out at $9.99 but were magically "discounted" to $5.00 after a few weeks and stayed that way until Christmas. Hopefully these dolls will end up being that price too...

The brunette version

The boxes don't have an identifying name of them. The shelf tags call them "Barbie Blitz", but I think that's a mistake - they're actually the same as the Barbie Glitz dolls that have been available outside the US this year. (Barbie Glitz is the current name for the long-running Accessories Galore series, which features basic dolls packaged with a bunch of doll-size accessories.)

Barbie® Glitz

The Target set includes the same three dolls as the foreign-market assortment - two blonds and one brunette (who's sometimes erroneously called "Teresa®"). However, Target's set also apparently adds a (legitimately-exclusive) fourth doll that's black. (Unfortunately that's the one I'm looking for and I haven't seen it at any stores yet. )

The Target dolls wear exactly the same outfits and come with the same accessories as their foreign counterparts (a purse, compact, "mystery bottle", cell phone, necklace, and bracelet). However, they have different model numbers, and although the boxes are similar, they're about an inch wider.

The dolls themselves are super-cheap, using the lowest-price, lightweight "Zombie" body with non-bending legs and PTR arms that don't move out from the sides, so there's no way they're going to stay at US$9.99 for long. US$5 would still be a very good price for them, although they're not nearly as good a deal as last year's "Fashion Fever reissues" (which had fancier outfits and the normal Secret Messages body type with bending legs).

I've heard from some people that these dolls are already on "sale" for US$4.99! So the search is on for the black one. (I want her head. ) And also the black 2009 ballerina, which disappeared from all the stores where I live....

Dana from Philly Collector posted pictures of the black Barbie Glitz doll! Check it out!

I forgot to mention - these dolls have been marked back up to $9.99.... Hopefully they'll be marked back down again before Christmas...