Holiday Barbie 1996 - Jane Austen and Puppies

 Ah, 1996 is here. It’s the time of Pokemon, the time of Michael Jordan (again), the time of Bill Clinton (again), the time of Dolly the cloned sheep, and……oh my god, that sheep is on 1996 Holiday Barbie’s head!


We are 9 years in to the Holiday Barbie run so I can no longer blame them much for borrowing from past ideas. She has some similarities to 1994, just two years earlier (the gilded golden look, the fur, THE FUR!), but I like this offering better. No she doesn’t have an original or modern look, more like a Jane Austin character. (Not a fun one like Elizabeth Bennet, probably her older sister who ran off to visit some dude and then was like “Oh! I’m sick *cough, cough* I guess I have to stay here until I convince you to marry me!") But the burgundy velvet, the silhouette, the gold braiding….it’s all quite classy. The hat however? That may be For British Eyes Only:


As for the rest of 1996 exclusives? They were once again big fans of the fur. Less big fans of the hat.


Avon’s Winter Rhapsody hoped the fur would take the attention away from how low-rent the rest of her design is. And just so we’re clear… what exactly happens if you take that ribbon off her neck? 

Hallmark Holiday Barbie recognized that dark velvet is the classier way to go:

As well as the bats on her skirt.

 

Jewel Princess Barbie was obviously a 14-year-old hoping no one had noticed she was dressing up in an adult’s clothes:

In case you couldn’t tell by the oversized folds of fabric swarming her, check out the accompanying photo image. That’s obviously the kid screaming we needed to “Leave Britney alone” right?

And finally we have Holiday Caroler Barbie:


It’s another porcelain Barbie so you know she’s going to at least attempt to be higher class than the others right? Once again with the fitted bodice, the deeper, muted shades as a color palette, and the crimson lipstick. But still with the hat? At least this girl decided to kill a Yorkie rather than a Westie to adorn her outfit. Progress, my friends!

 

Oh! And almost forgot, there was also 1996 Winter Renaissance Barbie:


Could any scholars enlighten me as to which part of the Renaissance embraced a neon aqua 10 inch diamond print??


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