It’s so weird to me that Allan is always portrayed as the “ugly friend” or the red-headed stepchild. But then he’s cuter than the OG Ken and still one of the most adorable male doll sculpts from Mattel/Barbie.
The vintage original Allan doll you have is absolutely gorgeous! I prefer him to the silkstone reproduction! No two dolls ever look exactly alike, there are always subtle differences! Many collectors miss the thrill of choosing the perfect doll in stores!
I fully agree that they need outer shell packaging... Amazon keeps doing that to me too they sent me a cave club doll with the shipping sticker directly on the doll box... Like it get that it's a box but I don't need everyone and their mom seeing and touching my stuff
I agree with you whole heartedly I don’t won’t other people to know what I ordered unless I show it to them myself so you’re not the only one that thinks like that. Great review and welcome to the Silkstone family.
I like Allen! I actually like him better than Ken from the same year. The vinyl that they use for the heads from some of the older dolls can shrink over time, So that could possibly account for a little difference. But also, whenever they do reproductions, there can be variations. I don't often see reproductions being 100% faithful to the original just because they're not using the original screening process, or they may have had to remake the mold or the plates to use for the screening, etc.
Allan was not discontinued until the original vintage clothes were no longer made (1968). They probably chose orange for the primary color of the 60th anniversary reproduction box because that color featured prominently on his original 1964 box. The reproduction face is wider because of the new head mold they had to use. It makes him look younger than the vintage doll. You have a vintage Allan in the red beach jacket. That red beach jacket belongs to the bend leg Allan doll.
I got mine too. The thing I don't like about the silstones is that they are soo heavy. I'm afraid if he were to tip over, the weight might cause damage and not sure if the material will shatter at the joints. While I was glad to get an Allan, I would have preferred a regular repro with some clothes.
You're right, repro Allan is definitely a bit wider in the face. I like the looks of the vintage ones better for sure, but the Silkstone bodies are great. I have the two Mad Men Barbies and they are awesome. You should check them out if you haven't. Vintage looking Silkstone dolls in suits! It doesn't get better than that! :)
Thanks a lot for the review - he is a handsome doll. He is not a 100% reproduction but neither was the Silkstone repro Ken from a few years ago. I may or may not get this Allan from Mattel because for some reason they do not send this dolll outisde the US anymore. The order has not been cancelled yet so there still is hope. Enjoy the doll (and get the Ken Silkstone repro).👍
Great video! I enjoy watching your content. 😁 I also thought that the new reproduction looks noticeably different. I have an original Allan as well as one of the previous reproductions of him. Between those two plus this latest repro, I’d say all 3 look quite different from eachother. They look like brothers but not triplets. lol The previous repro is the most unlike the other two. He looks cheaper somehow..
Allan will be my first silkstone doll too! I hope to get him ASAP, but Mattel does not accept international orders after my ordering which may affect the delivery, I think.
Same here why I wonder if I have to look for a different source, eventually. The order has not been cancelled yet so there is still hope I get the doll I ordered.
@thee_junkdrawer I would love to give an update. I finally received my Allan doll yesterday, a day before my birthday. I think he is very special to me now, as I ordered him on Valentine's Day, and unboxed him on birthday. And he will be probably my last item ordered from Mattel Creations unless they support international shipping to Hong Kong again.
My husband made a joke that Allan is so hefty that we should keep him in the nightstand in case anyone tries breaking in 😂 i noticed the same things as you: they almost definitely changed the head mold to be a little wider. I’m also not sure if the skin tone is paler because they went for a lighter color or if the vintage one is darker because that’s how the plastic is aged? I’m just gonna say the vintage one got a tan lol I’ll send a couple pics of mine for comparison- something interesting is the difference in stripes on the shirt!
Can we talk about how Allan has always been portrayed as Ken's ugly friend, and actually his doll and box art are much cuter and more attractive than Ken??
