Spectra! (Mattel Dolls 1987 Throwback) 🌟 Deep Dive & Restoration 

I think it's sweet that she was neglected for so many years and now she's probably in the best Barbie home anyone could imagine. She's sooo cute and of such high quality! 2023 Mattel is shook.

What a galactic beauty! I never heard or seen this doll before! I now have to read up on her history . She does remind me of C-3PO from Star Wars! I wonder if her designer was a massive Star Wars fan! Regardless, she is definitely a unique doll! 👍On google someone posted the backstory for this doll “ According to the backstory developed for the toys, the dolls represented alien beings from the planet Shimmeron who had come to Earth searching for teenage fun!” According to a blurry picture of the doll box, the Shimmerons are discovering on Earth skateboards, hot dogs, rock music, and shopping malls! ( I cringe, but if you were an alien that’s probably what you take away from Earth! Somewhere else I saw that the Shimmerons also discovered eating hamburgers! )

I get like android/robot vibes from her instead of alien vibes. But she is super cute and unique! Her hair is so sparkly!

I graduated High-school in 1987 and half the girls all looked like Spectra!! 🤣😂😂🤣

Mattel really needs to re-release the Spectra line. This is probably the first time I hear of them and I love sci-fi/alien themed stuffs. The chrome/metallic bodies looks so cool.

The Buffatron playset is pretty funny. It keeps Spectra's metal body shiny. 😂

Spectra is a very interesting and unique doll line. The person who runs the Toybox Philosopher blog also made a very in-depth review on one of the Spectra dolls that goes over their history. It's great to see one of these dolls get restored to their full glory, like the fascinating piece of doll history that they are.🖤💜

I absolutely LOVE the Spectra line. I wasn’t able to have one as a child, they were quite expensive and I was more of a budget Barbie kinda gal. 😂 I am fortunate enough to enjoy them as an adult and I finally found UltraViolet not too long ago to complete my collection! What a fun line! 💖

It was cool to see one of these dolls up close and made over. Nice face sculpt, cutesy outfit, but the metallic body was an interesting choice. It's like a cross between Jem dolls and C-3PO, like someone was headswapping their toys for laughs and it got made into a doll line. I like the lace though.

That Spectra fits in with your collection perfectly!!! I had the pink one when I was a kid but I remember not playing with her much cause she wasn’t like Barbie lol. I don’t think my Barbie clothes fit her good, but I can’t quite remember. That Skipper is very pretty too. Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

I love ❤your reaction when you opened those dolls, ❤I thought I saw a tear or two ❤those dolls were made for you ❤

I'm in Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA and I have had mine since they came out. My children got to play with them in the 90s. Their paint is an annodized chrome I think and stood up to the play of little boys 🙂

I have never heard of Spectra before ...Thank you💙💙💜 for showing us ! ❤🙏 she is soo beautiful woow I'm shocked 💚💚🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💞💞🌈 her hair is wow!

Hey Arjen! I was thrilled to see you appreciating Spectra! Before the pandemic, I thrifted a metallic gold doll with a pink fleshy head and peach hair (no tinsel). She has gold jewels in her eyes. I did my research and found out that Mattel's short-lived Spectra dolls were still copied by Tonka, which came out with Lustra dolls! I cleaned her up and gave her a nice hairstyle and covered her naked robot body with a gold and silver Fashion Ave drsss with a white fur collar. Now shes a glam and girly C3PO! Our girls can be international intergalactic friends! My Lustra DOES have articulated wrists and ankles, and a fancy ball-jointed neck.

So cute I totally remember those commercials but this line was out when I was in middle school and thought I was too cool for Barbies. I changed my mind in 11th grade and started collecting again. 😅

I was 8 years old when Spectra was released and I remember them but I never had any of the dolls. I always thought they were just alien Barbies! I thought they were very weird looking. I actually would love to own one to add to my 80s toy collection, to me they are so 1980s iconic and fun :) Your Spectra makeover came out great!

I had Spectra ❤ My favorite doll to play with. ❤❤❤❤

Thanks so much for featuring Spectra! I have such fond memories of the line from my childhood 💜

Styla Blue is one of my faves too. I have the whole set and a couple fashion packs. I do not, however, have her electronic dog.

I have the purple one with the yellow dress from my childhood and I couldn't remember who she was until I saw this video. Yes, we all wanted to be astronauts in the 80's and marine biologists in the 90's! ☺️

The girls body is from mattels young sweethearts dolls. Tom comet uses the boys body from the young sweethearts .they came out in1975. I believe the Mattel Starr dolls uses those body molds as well.there was a book out in 1998 showcasing thirty years of mattels toys by Michael augustyniak. He showcases spectra and her fashions as well.

i got the Spectra and Spark 2 pack for a gift exchange at school like the year after she came out, probably a clearance item, lol. But that didn't matter, she was one of my favorite dolls i had as a kid! I was OBSESSED with her metallic skin, and lace outfit. When i started collecting dolls as an adult, Spectra (and Tommy Comet) were some of the very first dolls i purchased off eBay. I always imagined that she was a robot or android of some type, and she just was like Barbie's robot friend (or sometimes enemy😅) You are a wizard, that tinsel turned out so good! BRAVO! Tinsel is such a nightmare, and so easy to ruin. She looks so good!

Spectra is one of my dream dolls(:

I'm so happy you featured a Spectra doll! I love my pink one. I just discovered them a couple of years ago. Looking forward to getting all three and the dog eventually.

I never knew about this line, what a precious one!. It kinda reminds me of Star Light Adventure Barbie's, not like 100% ofc, but I wonder if they tried to mimic in modern times this concept with them(in a way more basic approach must be said). 80 and 90's Barbies are always so pretty... I miss this quality in the playline.

Core doll memory UNLOCKED!!! I had the Spectra doll StylaBlue when I was 5 years old in 1987. She looks amazing!!! You’ve just gained a new subscriber 🩷

Oh and that Captain EO thing with Michael Jackson was a Disneyland Movie. I remember watching it at Disneyland and thinking it was super cool.

I also have a Spectra Doll! I keep her in her box at the shelf because of else she would have broken like twenty years ago. Would love them all. Especially Tom Comet!!!

The poodle!! I adore Styla Blue and really want one of these girls someday. The Math Is Hard joke was so funny! Your mini me is so cute. I can’t wait to find a doll that is mine.

very cute and fits your aesthetic! i believe the original hair is saran

Так забавно люди из прошлого соединили стиль конца 80- х и космическую тему в образе куклы) Сейчас такие образы заставляют улыбаться.Иногда на себя смотришь на старых фотках и думаешь: " Нет,как я могла вообще такое на себя надеть?!" Как я ходила с такой причёской??!!"

I did not know this doll existed! 😮🤩❤️

Thank you so much for this video!! i ADORE Spektra I have them all from my childhood, and now have them all in their original boxes, I loved this video, and love your content. xoxo🥰🥰🥰 And that is Fergie in the commercials just in case you didn't know 😀😀

I had never heard of these dolls. They are so futuristic! It was nice to hear you speak Dutch! 😊!

Holy (BLEEP) I remember this doll! 😱 Fabulous video. I’m feeling all nostalgic now. 👴🏾🤣

Spectra was first, with the comb 💞 I did a short on my page to show my Spectra Doll AstraGold so I can show you! I show the box and such. I really need to start showing my collection more 🐼 Great work on the video! It made me happy! Thank you!

Wow, great job on that hair. 😊 would love to see her in some other clothing styles are well. 😊

I was born in 1982 and had one of these dolls. Spectra was supposed to be Mattel’s rip off of Synergy, a character from the Jem cartoon.

I 💖 the pink doll, after all pink is my favorite color! I’m surprised you don’t own any Ever After High dolls like Ashlynne Ella after all she is Cinderella’s daughter. I have have ashlynne along with Apple White… I just love how her outfits is giving Christmas/winter vibe and Ashlynne is spring vibe.

Oh gosh she turned out soo good!! Love mini Arjen doing his hair magic on her!! So happy you like her, and Skipper!! They really belong in your room and that fills me with so much joy!!! I think the person I bought her from at the Barbie Convention got her from the US, they never hit the toystores here and now we collectors understand that, they are bizarre but really fun and that is all that matters!! Thank you for the sweet words ( ooh I squee when you fo the Dutch part!! 💜💜 ) and this awesome video, very helpful fot others who are dealing with tinsel overload!! 😂 Love xoxo

Thank you so much for this video. 💗🎀💗 It is so nice to see some love for this doll brand. Spectra is also on my wishlist for a while but I've never pulled the trigger to buy any of the dolls from the US. They really never come up for sale from Europe 😬 But it is possible that some european countries got a release of them 🤷🏼‍♀️ Did you know there was a competitor toyline called "Aurora" from toy company Tonka released also in 87. 😉 These dolls are very similar and also very pretty but don't have tinsel hair but gems in their eyes.🤩 Lots of love for the video💗💗💗

I forgot to say i also have a Pearl Beach Skipper. She had her modest bathing suit top on also, when i thrifted her. Those tall Skippers really confused me when I first became a doll collector!

It looks like artificial intelligence barbie from the 80,s very nice concept

Cool. So the Hula Hair Barbie body was used first for Spectra. Because it’s the same exact body ✨

What a coincident I too have a beach skipper and the same out fit the same year.

I needs more spectra content asap 😍💖💖💖 this was everything!!!!

Well I'm convinced I need at least one Spectra doll in my collection! They remind me of Silverhawks characters, which I'm assuming was part of the inspiration for them. 😍✨ I'm going to need to hunt one down for my collection and maybe I'll do a video of it too! 😁💜 You did a wonderful job of restoring her and thanks for the tips for getting that tinsel to cooperate. 😊

Great video 💖 I love her and I also want to collect Spectra dolla. They're so camp and over the top, I love them ✨ You need to google a doll line that came out a year later in 1987 called "Aurora". They were made by a company called Tonka to compete with Spectra. They're also very cute 💖

7:20 the body was reused for Becky, Gymnast Barbie, Maiko Barbie, and Spring Blossom Mulan

as someone who was born in 1987 i feel very attacked by the way in which "way back" is used to describe 87 hahahahaha jk love it!!!!!!

I love hearing you speak in Dutch! So beautiful. 🩷🩷🩷

I didn't know there was a guy in the lineup of Spectra, now i need him! Btw, Creatable World shoes are compatible with 90´s "hobbit feet" Barbies 😅

I LOVED my spectra doll. I still have her dress but for some reason can't find her in my box of childhood dolls...😢

I think space really was pretty big bacl then. Star Trek: The Next Generation made it’s debut in 1987 after the movies with the original Crew (Kirk, Spock, Bones…) had been pretty succesful. NASA dealt with the aftermaths of the Challenger disaster. Maybe Mattel was a tiny bit too late with Spectra.

This is an amazing difference from disheveled to immaculate style. The dolls are robot in appearance but the closer views is blended better. The seafoam color is so pretty. If Styla got her lips painted without the teeth visible her face will be sensible for the chrome body and the hair accessory is good to keep but the lace seems odd.

Nah cos that dress though 🫢 and skippers outfit 🙈🙈

Okay now I need this line!!! she looks Amazing GREAT job Arjen, thank you for sharing!!!!

Omg what a gorgeous girl. That hair, overall style, & dress is amazing. Can’t believe I’ve never heard of her before.

Omg i gotta go look for these dolls now i love galaxy and cosmic ooo i wonder if you can still find them in thrift stores you gave me a new doll to hunt for i absolutely love the concept i love galaxy things! beautiful job such a cute little look book with mini me!

its the young sweethearts melinda body from the mid 70s, but they removed the neck, ankle, and wrist articulation!

She was also the first Barbie to have a flat heel.

Spectra SLAYS.

What a great addition to your collection... simply awesome nyo!

Oh this is going to be good! 👾

She turned out beautiful and i was just a baby in 1987

Wow I don't recall those dolls but then again I was a kiddo myself, but they are a very interesting concept, minus the hobbit Flaaaaaaaaat Feeeeeeeeeeet ewwwwwwww! 😂 first time I encountered doll hair tinsel was on Mermaid baby, its a pain, when I rerooted mine I skipped the tinsel, her original hair was a nightmare 😂. But you tamed it and she looks like a metallic, tinsel, robotic dancing Queen! Teen Skipper gorgeous. Shout out to Tyna! ✌😊💙✌🤗

Hi Arjan, I guess you must of missed by comment two years ago where I suggested the Spectra line of dolls for you. It's too bad, you could have been enjoying all of that lacey, spacey greatness that much sooner. LOL The comment is under your video, "Cleaning 90s Barbie Mermaid Legends!" I was pretty sure you'd like them, which is why I suggested them, and I'm so glad you do. I have all of them because I just love them, and I'm not even sure why. LOL They're just unique, sweet and pretty dolls. But yeah, they're also weird. If they were Barbies, they'd be hanging out at weird Barbie's house with the rest of the oddballs. Like I said in that now old comment, "Since you're European, I've read that in France they were called "Chromatics" in case you're interested in looking them up." So perhaps you might find them under that name there? The doll's body you were talking about, predates those dolls. If you think 1987 is a long time ago. Their bodies were originally used for a Mattel doll line from 1975 called "Young Sweethearts." They were two dolls that also weren't a part of the Barbie universe (though in my doll collection Barbie is friends with them all.) I also love those dolls, they're very of the time period, and very sweet and romantic. They were named Michael and Melinda. Of course Melinda's body was used for the girl Spectra dolls. And the Michael body was used for the Tom Comet doll in the Spectra line. Those original dolls DO have articulation at the ankles and wrists. I don't know why they fused those areas for the Spectra line? It may have been what you thought, to avoid chipping the chrome finish? This was a great video. I really enjoyed it, because you showed all of the packaging, promo pics and sweet/fun commercials for these special dolls. I truly hope you get some more of the line and do videos for them too. ✨🌠💫

Very unique doll. She is adorable! Thanks Tyna!

This video is so darn creative! You outdid yourself, Arjen. ❤

There's also a doll line from Tonka toys I think called Aurora again I think

OK Arjen , you may do a Jem or band member for us now .any of the cartoon characters ❤ that was excellent. .

love the doll so 1980s my childhood

This doll would have been better if her head was the same color as her body. It would have been cool looking.

Wow my daughter was born that year so 36 years old 😲

Wow it would be nice if they would reboot these Dolls

This Specrta doll is amazing!😍 So beautufull! 💖💙Stunning!❤

Good job!! So calming.

PLEASE DO LADY LOVELY LOCKS ENCHANTED ISLAND LINE NEXT🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Love ur content!!! 🌟💞💞🌈

The Spectra dolls have never been released in Germany. I am also sure, they came only out in the US, like you already said.

the body says 1975 not sure if it was ever used other than this line will have to research I got one for super cheap love it

Did Spectra have a cartoon series? It's been so long since then that I can't remember.

She's so pretty, loving the colors 💜💜

I love what you did with her hair and where you placed her in your collection. The Arjen doll is my absolute favorite now! How did you get a doll of your likeness?

Spectra looks like a combination of 80's popular trends. Around 1987, you had Silverhawks a popular cartoon show that ran in the late 1986, in the sphere of Thundercats. You also have Rainbow Brite and Lisa Frank. Especially, Lisa Frank, Rainbow and Lace and Fun was all Lisa Frank! I love these Spectra dolls. 💝💖💝💖

Flight of the Navigator released in 86. Transformers animated series 84-91.

I do not remember these dolls at all. I was born and raised in Texas U.S.A. 😮😮😮 and I am very much a Barbie girl who was in her late teens in 1987. 😊😊😊

The outfits held up because my sons didn't care to dress them.🤪

Dit is baie mooi om te hoor hoe jy Nederlands praat😊 Ek is Afrikaans en ek het alles verstaan wat jy gese het 😊

É o ano do meu nascimento, 1987. Nunca tinha ouvido falar dessa boneca robô do espaço. Que viagem é essa da Mattel. Pegada meio Jetsons.

Born in 1982 ... we know ☺️😉

I have skipper in one of my you tube video ,dancing skipper.

Thanks for this cute video 🌟

🤗🔥🎈🧚🏻‍♀️🧚🏿🧚🏿‍♂️

U mean the Clara's Nutcracker body is The Spectra body

She is giving me Beyoncé RENAISSANCE TOUR!! 💙🩵🤍🩵💙

Спектра очень похожа на фею с голубыми волосами из "Пиноккио"