Is Barbie Headed in the Right Direction? From Playline to Adult Collector: A Discussion 

The Barbie Looks dolls seem like play line dolls to me? Although I appreciate the new face sculpts I liked the Barbie Basics dolls they did wearing all black years back more. I wish Mattel could produce an elevated adult collection of Barbie that’s not as cartoonish as the Barbie Extra dolls, but more fashion forward than the Barbie Looks dolls. Also, the white Barbie Looks wardrobe they did a few years back was amazing and sold out!! I wish they could do more modern looking furniture or an amazing sleek makeup vanity for the adult collector. It’s fun to display dolls with realistic props and I think this could be cool! Thanks for another great video!

Loved this conversation boys, thanks for the video. To me, Barbie’s hayday is long behind her. I miss the older Silkstones, and although I loved the articulated body update, the FMC definitely tapered off in quality towards the end. I think if Barbie wants to continue with adult collectors at all, they should either take notes from Integrity and boost detail + prices, or just lower the prices of these slightly elevated playline dolls if they’d rather not go that route.

Hi guys!❤👋🏼I love your videos and look forward to everything Integrity/Barbie related that you guys put out! I really hope Barbie doesn't completely disregard it's adult collectors, but as a collector who loves to unbox and re-dress, I think the Barbie Looks dolls are the best thing Barbie has offered in a while. They have a fresh look, offer diversity, articulation and the price point is very accessible. They are the best of both worlds in my opinion.

Hi, I just got back into collecting during the pandemic. I love the Looks dolls. The style and faces are fantastic. I also liked the BMR line and the first wave of Barbie Extra. The following waves are a little too extra for me. Rainbow High has hooked me with their quality, pretty faces and THE CLOTHES! Real working clasps and zippers like Barbie days of old. 💕

both of yall look great! i love the shirts and you guys have GLOWING skin! (were this not a doll channel, id ask for a skincare routine video lol)

Guys love this overview format for the video, you are always so thorough with industry news, etc in your particular product reviews, but as a collector this is so helpful in understanding where the companies priorities are, where they’re putting the most effort, and what options there are for me. It would be amazing to see you do one of these for other companies - MGA are making interesting choices with the younger Rainbow High Dolls and Mermaze, Integrity and their diminishing male dolls 🥺, price changes, booming customer base vs limited numbers, etc - and I don’t know anything about Mizzi dolls so anything on them would be fascinating! And yes a pricing video 😬please. Your insights are always spot on and useful, keep on making some of the best doll collector content out there - thank you!!

Love your videos and love you guys, you always keep me company. The Looks dolls have names if you go to the Barbie Signature site you will find them there. The blonde Ken is Sean, blonde pixie cut is Andra, curly red hair is Tamika and the brunette pixie cut is Kit. Loads of love from the UK 🥰

I have a few recent collector barbies, but rainbow high blow them out of the water at practically any price point. I do like some of the Barbie extra and looks lines. For Barbie though i tend to go towards 90s and early 2000s dolls rather than most of the new ones. A lot of those are really nice.

The Barbie looks dolls do all have new sculpts, but they also have names. From my memory, the curvy brunette is Elle, the short blonde hair girl is Andra, the tall long hair blonde is Victoria, the blonde male is Sean, the long haired brunette male is Cam, the black male is Jon…

Barbie Looks are great. I still miss the quality of the old Barbie Basics they are compared to, but I like the new sculpts and the maturity of the overall presentation. I generally prefer them to the Extra line, although I am collecting select Extras too. In Canada, the Looks are only available on Amazon, and they range from $30 for some on sale to $39 for the newer ones. That price is high for a simple doll when compared to the Extras, which are often on sale for under $35. It has kept me from collecting all of them and getting doubles of my favourites like people do in the US.

Great review and very interesting discussion about the current state of the Barbie brand I feel Mattel, as they've been before, is in a transition and the reason for this may be many things for many reason's, but in the end if you follow the bread crumbs, so to speak, it all leads to the bottom line; PROFIT! A large toy corporation, especially one that's public like Mattel, have to answer to stock holders as well as keep a sharp eye on the competition and of course that's MGA. I think they are maintaining their status as best as they can under the circumstances. I will say they are top of the line when it comes to variety of facial and head sculpts. No other toy company has an archive of past and present characters in facial design like Mattel. I do think they are directionless in who barbie is today and where she's going. Her identity has always been a concept of "she can be what ever you want her to be", but there was always an element of the public knowing "now that's Barbie". Now she seems to be everyone and yet no one. This may be completely necessary in the current sociology of today. Our entire pop culture is shrugging it's shoulders about what it is, so barbie is reflecting that and it's what Mattel has to do for her to survive. By the way, I love the barbie extra minis. I just dont think they should be called Barbie extra minis. They could be a completely new line with a new name, but Mattel goes for what is most economical and ride the wave of what's hot. And I agree that they are competing with MGAs OMG tweens, which are also FANTASTIC! As always, great review guys. Fascinating subject and I hope the competition continues. It ends up giving us some really cool dolls!

Well, I just watched the video on the conversation about Barbie playline. I do like the Barbie Looks line. I like the diversity, different body types. This is cheaper than buying a fashionista and a made to move body. I think people need to remember that Barbie will be celebrating her 63 anniversary/birthday. I have seen many play lines come and go. As far as fashions, I order from various shops to get want I want. To me it is about what I like, the tiny extra dolls?? I may use those to rebody a Chelsea doll. I just started buying IT, this channel and two others I watched and rewatched the videos on price, is it worth it to be in the W club. I knew going in what the cost will be. Some people don't do the homework.

Loved your review of Barbie Looks. I’m loving this line! One of the features I notice and prefer is they are all closed mouth!No teeth are showing!Has me consider them more appealing to adult collector. Attitude.Cool.

LOL!!@ "Hey Arnold!" 🤣🤣🤣

The pink collection face sculpt is actually Daya, she is used a lot in playline dolls. Maybe she is “new” to collector. But she is Daya. I would actually like to see silk stones use a new sculpt like the looks do. Because as much as I love her I have a few dolls that look like her and the silk stone body as precious as it is, is something I don’t want to get as it’s so fragile. But I want her dress and the new Neysa pink collection coming out. I love her dress too. The looks dolls are amazing, they are in store in Australia at Myer but they are marked up quite a lot so it’s not something I buy many of (for body swapping etc) because $60aud is a lot when we got yoga mtm for $24 aud.

I'm one of those collectors who prefer to unbox my dolls, dress them up in different outfits and do photos of them. So, I'm not sure how to feel about playline vs. collecting. My issue with playline is the lack of articulation, the painted on outfits, and the permanent ear rings. I love some of the hi-end dolls with good face sculpts, but unless I feel that the doll is playable, I won't pay the high price for them. I just can't justify spending more than $40 on one doll, although I am tempted to splurge for a couple of integrity dolls that I've seen and would love to have.

I have been thinking recently about where I want to spend my limited money when it comes to higher-end dolls. I recently got my first Integrity Toys doll, and I have a few more on pre-order. After seeing the IT doll, I am leaning more towards fewer, more luxe dolls. However, the Integrity dolls end up costing around $300 in Canada (with shipping, exchange, and duty), and factory flaws at that price point are more upsetting. One advantage of Barbies is that they might go on sale (I got Dia de Muertos and BarbieStyle #2 on sale from Amazon), and the shipping is less for international collectors than from Integrity. Also, they can be more easily returned if there is a flaw. So, it's not always clear-cut.

I think articulation is so important. Don't know why Mattel is not doing a MTM version of the Model Muse body. Sang's Poppy in the BC Magenta dress gives it "life." Looking at the original and your redressing, it is like Night and Day. By the way, those shoes with bent heels--drop them in a cup of boiling water and they will go back to their original shape. I actually prefer the plastic heels rather than he IT "handmade" shoes.

The Looks Dolls remind me of the old Barbie fashionistas from like the early 2010’s and late 2000’s

Oh, so many things to say! LOL I think the big word to remember with Barbara is 'inclusivity'. All of MGAE's brands as well as Integrity's get to be niche and only cater to one demographic vs. Barbie being expected to cater to everyone. And, arguably a lot of the success for MGAE particularly has been about being the 'anti' barbie for better or worse. Another thing to consider is that Barbies sell and are produced at a volume that seemingly no other doll line out has to do and with so many *different* options. There's definitely an argument about streamline but then it becomes 'what' 'how' and 'why', especially since sales only seem to increase for her each year and stay strong. Why abandon their young child audience when it goes well for them? Why not be an option for parents who, for whatever reason, don't like the bolder brands? Ultimately I think you hit the nail on the head especially near the end of the video in saying that the brand caters to a lot of people and that adults sometimes need to remember that - of course the gimmicky color reveals aren't as good as the collector dolls - they're not *for* us! Which isn't to say that things like the facial screening complaints and fabric choices are wrong but we've seen designers on insta and other places talk about their design process and how their original visions had to be changed for mass production. They have a lot more people to please than an Integrity Brand - which even then doesn't always hit well with collectors for varied reasons (see - Adrenaline Rush Dominique) - and they have a lot more playline options in the pipe than other brands do too. They're so big that by very nature of existing at the size they do there has to be compromises and concessions. Honestly I think they need to work more on packaging & how that changes perceived value and perhaps try to carve out a space for Barbie looks esque lines more often - as well as adding in a cousin or something to be the familial face of that older demo styled looks line - but their playline is selling like hot cakes still so why change it. In general I think people need to accept that Barbie isn't 'cool' or, rather, isn't going to be successful by trying to chase or integrate trends the way an MGAE might and realize that it's ok they don't. Barbie is Barbie, she created the very market that playline dolls exist in so she's always going to be around so I encourage her to be even more of herself at all times instead of trying to keep up with everyone else.

Just when I was ready to stop buying Barbies and only do high end like IT, Mattel comes out with these awesome Barbie Looks dolls. I got all 4 of these and 2 from the other wave. But they’re all still in the boxes because my IT dolls are still more appealing! Maybe I’ll open them on a rainy day for some Barbie fashion play.

I always apreciate your reviews and opinions and most of the time completely agree. I am a long time Barbie collector, deboxer cause I love to play or display them out of box. I am not a fan of the model muse body which is too stiff and limited and only for display. So i do prefer more poseable body but like you already mentioned in the video I don't like the joints of the made to move body that much especuialy with short skirts and trousers where you clearly can see it. I think IT dolls have to right balance between great looking body's and joints for poseability. I haven't collected a lot of Barbie's last 5 years just becuase the direction they were going was not my taste and the quality was bad. I think they still make great face molds and the diversity in the Fashionistas I like and that is why I am very happy with the Barbie Looks line that are affordable diverse dolls with great looks and poseable body's. For the Collector dolls I do feel Barbie Collector are bit overpriced especially for what you are getting if you compare to other dolls. I love IT and collected them since the beginning. But also IT have gotten very expensive and so hard to get the doll you want especially outside the US. And to find the IT doll on secondary market the prices are insane that I stopped trying. I do hope Barbie continues to make dolls with collectors in mind because they haver such a big history and canon of great dolls.

I've seen the Barbie Looks dolls for 19.99 on Target but omg they sell out as soon as posted. Betting its scalpers.

I think Platinum Label can now be 5000 or less. My Chewbacca and Black Widow (white outfit) are packed away right now so I can't check, but they were both Platinum and I thought it said 5000 on the box. Of course some dolls do have a more limited run of 1000 or less.

The purple outfit is actually 2 pieces.☺️ I love your videos.

Not a Barbie person, but very much a doll collector. I havent been excited about Barbie for a very long time. Hope they improve with their new deal with Disney.

I don't know if anyone else has said it or if you figured it out but the blonde mini actually does have a 2 piece. Look again☺I also put their jackets over the stands if they are bulky

enjoyed!

The second I saw the blond one, I thought Robyn!

I only collect Barbie and don't buy any other dolls. So I might be biased. 🤣 But I just love Mattel and think they are doing a good job at varying the dolls from play line to collector. Of course the quality has gone down since I was a kid in the 80s and 90s, but they do have some really great dolls that came out in the last couple of years. Would I like to see Integrity Toy-level dolls or something comparable to the Barbie Fashion Model Collection? Absolutely. I think that they need to do a bit better in that respect. I don't think Pink Collection doll #2 is worth that price at all, but she's also a beautiful doll. Anyway, I actually have seen the Barbie Looks dolls at my local toy stores, Toys R Us and FAO Schwarz. (The perks of living in the NYC area.) I really love them because they're simple, diverse, fun to dress, and have a great price point. I would say Mattel is doing well. Could be better, but they are my favorite.

Ugh the eBay prices on Integrity girls is insane! I plan on joining the W Club this year. But there’s a lot of already released dolls I want. I so far have two Integrity Girls and I paid like 270 and 300 for them 😿

Do the clothes fit other dolls?

Yes! I bought her, but the dress reminds me of a Prom dress!

I don't like the Barbie extra minis.. I get they will appeal to kids.. and probably they will but I find them like Kelly dolls trying too hard to be LOL, ergo Tweens.. The thing iI do have with barbie extra, is that they look very mismatched.. like not having a real direction.. At least with Minis, they look more cohesive... and the "looks" are quite good, But not loving the faces.. Now about Barbie Looks. They are really good dolls.The faces are gorgeous and diverse, and (while i do not like the MTM Mattel Bodies) the option is so good that I don't even care that the fashions were so basic.. They are great for the price-point. I really do wish they will do fashion sets for the looks dolls.. I think that will be awesome. Now About the Pink Signature barbie.. She looks great, love her face and gown.. And while I do like Model Muse barbie bodies, I prefer articulation when the price-point is higher than 100.. But That is just me. BTW Now that you pointed that out, WHY Mattel continue to give us the same old very basic barbie shoes for luxury lines like theGold, Black and Silver Labels, when they can do better (and still plastic) shoes? BTW Almost all siltstones/Signature clothes fit Poppy Parker.. and some even fit NuFace dolls..

These dolls are super adorable super cute 🥰 I love them I have them all except that 40 dollars I want her but I can’t I hope she goes on sale

I prefer fashion over variety of head sculpts and bodies. Variety of bodies is something I actually despise because it prevents switching clothes between doll. I prefer my same faced, cartoonish dolls with amazing fashion.

The main problem with Barbie playline for me is the lack of articulation. All their main competitors are articulated, but not them. A decade or two ago, they could at least bend their legs, but now they can't even do that. The quality is nearly the same as the Dollar store knockoff. I'm excited for the Barbie Looks because that's what the playline should be like but with more interesting fashion. If the Looks really are for adult collectors, I hope they produce fashion packs for the Looks, something that's more stylish rather than a Justice/ Limited Too look-a-like style that the Barbie Extras are dressed in.

I think Mattel is charging us too much for what they offer

The Barbie Extra Minis are cute, but not something I will be collecting. I do like the straight-haired brunette, though, so never say never. I like the faces, but I don't really like large-headed dolls anyway, and the quality of the fashions isn't collector-worthy for me. I am actually more on-board with Cave Club at this price point, even though they aren't a fashion doll.

Whoooooooo! This dolls not available in India 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Barbie Bmr1959 dolls toys and Barbie new looks dolls toys and Barbie fashionistas dolls toys they are the best better into dolls lines for now on, or I have a lot to say about Barbie Extra dolls those dolls are bad lucks it sucks?

some of the Best barbie collector line comes from 2005-2009.. i don't like the new barbie collector line now.

Barbie has been on a steady decline