Babs-olutely Fabulous

Two things Barbie could not get enough of in 1994? Gold and fur. Here is 1994, wrapped up like a present and trimmed like a tree (or, based on the front placket, trimmed a bit like a psychedelic gingerbread man.) The gold is fine. The fur is concerning. Maybe she was going for a classic Marilyn Monroe vibe with the skirt lifted in the back, but the effect comes off more like a furry pool noodle. Don’t even get me started about the two tribbles on her shoulders. Some year, and it’s looking like it probably won’t be in the 90s, Barbie will learn that “less is more” as far as shoulder adornments are concerned. An interesting addition to the 1994 Holiday Barbie family, is that there was a special Festival Edition. And she was brunette! In addition to the hair color change-up, this version sports what I feel is an improved bodice and a strategically-placed donut wreath that….you know what? I’m not even going to touch on that one. So in case you didn’t get enough g...

Once again, Barbie returns to a color scheme she’s seen before in 1993: It’s a bit more successful this year however. The addition of gold to the red scheme almost makes it so we can overlook the big crazy poinsettias on her shoulders. The skirt may still look like a cupcake wrapper, but the drop waist is definitely a move in the right direction. We’ll just pretend like the little flower adornment on her head doesn’t look suspiciously like 1992’s scrunchy disaster. Or that the bodice once again looks like a bit of a bedazzling nightmare. Look, she clearly spent all her time tying color-appropriate bows on her velvet-lined staircase and picking out the perfect drop earrings! Give the girl a break, OK? But the best part of 1993 is that we start to really delve into the Holiday Side-Hustle as Barbie capitalizes on the popularity of exclusives under any winter-themed moniker Mattel can come up with. First there is Winter Royale Barbie: Where Barbie tries to ...