Thoughts on 2013 Barbie Dolls of the World Philippines

Before reading my thoughts on the 2013 Barbie Dolls of the World Philippines, one should understand that being a Filipino, I have long wanted a doll like that. (Heck, I'm breaking my own rule on blogging about new dolls because of it.) I wanted it so bad that I have made a number of Filipino costumes and let my dolls wear them. Other Filipino collectors have done the same. Having seen a number of Filipino clothes on dolls, all I can say about the costume is that I'm not impressed. It doesn't mean I'm disappointed. It's just that I've seen better.

 

example of an impressive Filipino attire on a doll

Having said that, the next question would be, "Will I buy it?" I'm still undecided. I'm thinking maybe I should let other collectors buy it especially those who can't customize dolls to look like they're from the Philippines. Aside from the not-bad costume, the doll itself already looks like OR can be made to look like my other dolls, specifically the other south-east Asian DOTW's. This is not a bad thing since there is some resemblance between Filipinos and their south-east Asian neighbors. The mold has been used on dolls with wide range of ethnicities and the over use of the mold can make the demand for it very low. It just makes the doll  fall under the category of one-of-those or close to ordinary.

I don't know if Mattel still has the time to do something to make the doll more appealing to someone like me but I'm still gonna share my idea. If the doll uses a Kira/Oriental mold, with less cartoonish face paint, I think the doll would be a bigger hit. That mold has been missed a lot and not by me alone. When the Barbie Basics came out, people were excited with the diversity but after a while some people were looking forward to see the older molds. Just try asking around.

  

Kira/Oriental face mold

But then again, the doll is already getting positive reviews so Mattel may not want to change anything about the doll. Plus, there's a rumor that the Oriental face mold have been destroyed making the dolls having those molds extra special now.

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