Life Perspective: Reviews & More

The latest Barbie dolll controversy involves the always controversial Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Sports Illustrated has made a fortune objectifying women in skimpy swimsuits and bikinis... and sometimes only paint. Now Mattel has partnered with Sports Illustrated to add Barbie to the Sports Illustrated 50th anniversary edition, and Barbie is getting her own SI cover. The controversy is not so much whether or not a child's toy needs to be in a men's girly magazine (she doesn't), but the fact some people believe both Barbie and the SI models promote an unrealistic body expectation among young girls You can read my take on it in these two articles: Barbie's 'Unapologetic' Sports Illustrated cover causes controversy February 13, 2014 Sports Illustrated is known for swimsuit issues with models who reveal a little too much. That is one reason the new 2014 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Barbie doll, who will a...

Ren Fest season is here! The Tennessee Renaissance Festival starts this weekend and runs every weekend in May, and there are other Ren Faires in Tennessee and across the country all spring, summer and fall. Here are some Ren Fest Resources to help you get ready to step back in time in style: Renaissance Marketplace - Best Renaissance Costumes Whether you are putting a costume together for a Christmas present, Ren fest, Halloween party, Renaissance wedding, historic reenactment, Pirate party, Lord of the Rings event, Comic-Con, Dragon-Con, or other costume event, this lens should give you ideas and options of what to buy to make your Renaissance costume a reality. Costumes at: Renaissance Marketplace - Best Renaissance Costumes Tennessee Renaissance Festival in Triune, TN   If you would like to travel back to 16th century England, you'll want to visit this historic annual family entertainment venue just outside of Nashville. The Tennessee Renaissance Fest...

The doll club I founded in 1997, the Belle Meade Plantation Belles Barbie Doll Club , celebrated our 15th anniversary on September 6 at Shoney's in Bellevue. Four of the women in the picture have been in the club all 15 years. It doesn't seem like very long ago I was contacting "Barbie Bazaar" magazine about finding out how to get a fan club started and then contacting Mattel to get the application. The club was originally founded as a Barbie fan club but grew over the years to include other fashion dolls. Now the club is 15 years old. They have been 15 fun years! Whether it's baseball cards, fishing, dancing or dolls, hobbies are a great way to socialize and blow off steam. I recommend them highly! Find out more about the club's anniversary at:  Belle Meade Plantation Belles Barbie Doll Club celebrates 15th anniversary - Nashville Doll Collecting Examiner

Interview Kathryn Darden: Collecting and Barbie in the News I just found this on Tumblr. I had forgotten all about doing this podcast about doll collecting, but if you click the link, you can hear the interview! Darden began writing for Barbie Bazaar in the 1990s and continues to freelance in her spare time. She has published articles in Miller's Fashion Dolls, Dolls In Print and Virtual Dolls to name a few. She frequently blogs for Examiner.com, in addition to maintaining her own blog. Read it and listen here: Kaitlyn Williams and Kathryn Darden: Collecting and Barbie in the News - dOLL'N AROUNd : 

, 15th anniversary of Pink Anger: Barbie fans vs. Mattel The Barbie doll reached the height of its collectibility in 1997 with even new dolls commanding staggering prices on the secondary market . In 1997, Barbie was responsible for 80% of sales in the doll segment of the billion dollar toy market. Then Mattel's legal department clamped down on Barbie dealers, blogs and websites, and sales of the pink plastic princess have never again climbed like they did in the 1990s. Read about one of the factors that caused a drop in popularity and sales for the Barbie doll. Article at: 15th anniversary of Pink Anger: Barbie fans vs. Mattel - National Barbie Collecting Examiner

Barbie Halloween Treat a 2011 Target exclusive with Halloween Chelsea dolls As reported in Barbie Halloween Party doll now haunting stores shelves for $9.99 , the new 2011 Halloween Party Barbie dolls has been haunting Nashville grocery store and drug store shelves since earlier in October. Another Halloween Barbie has been spooking up the place at Target, and this time she's not alone! Read more: Barbie Halloween Treat a 2011 Target exclusive with Halloween Chelsea dolls - National Barbie Collecting Examiner

Happy Labor Day Weekend from Barbie - A look at Barbie doll's careers The first Monday in September is set aside as a special holiday from work and has become the annual United States federal holiday we fondly call Labor Day. Who needs to celebrate Labor Day more than Barbie? Barbie has had more careers than anyone else in the known universe! Continue reading at: Happy Labor Day Weekend from Barbie - A look at Barbie doll's careers - National Barbie Collecting Examiner  

Meet Jem & The Holograms' Pizzazz -- Patricia Alice Albrecht As mentioned in Jem & The Holograms: Hasbro doll line & TV series , the Jem line of dolls was launched by Hasbro in 1985 and became a popular animated television series during the 1980s. The "Jem and the Holograms" TV program followed the adventures of Jem of The Holograms and her rival with the lime-green hair, Pizzazz of The Misfits. While the singing voice for Pizzazz was provided by Ellen Bernfield, the speaking voice of Pizzazz, as well as Ann, Deidre, and Terri in the show, was done by Middle Tennessee's Patricia Alice Albrecht.   Also see: These are some of the most colorful dolls in my collection! Jem & The Holograms: Hasbro doll line & TV series Jem and the Holograms is a colorful line of rock 'n roll dolls which began production in 1985 and which spawned a television cartoon series that ran from 1985 to 1988. The animated "Jem and th...

My Barbie doll was my most prized possession as a child. Elliot Handler, father of the Barbie doll, dead at 95 In 1945, a fledgling toy company was founded by Harold "Matt" Matson and Elliot Handler. Combining their names, they called their new business Mattel. The company went on to become the world's largest toy company based on revenue according to the 2008 Fortune 500 list , thanks in part to the success of Mattel's Barbie doll . Continue reading at: Elliot Handler, father of the Barbie doll, dead at 95 Irreverent Note: Just think -- if they had combined the 1st 2 letters of Harold Matson's name and the last 2 letters of Elliot Handler's name, they would have been the "HaHa Toy Company!" More Barbie  

Warning: Doll & toy packaging can be a safety hazard Barbie Doll vs. The Doctors : What does a June 1 airing of the TV show "The Doctors" have to do with a June 2 doll club meeting? They both occurred in June, but there is a more serious connection that involves the safety hazards of plastic packaging.   More at Warning: Doll & toy packaging can be a safety hazard - Nashville Doll Collecting Examiner More Barbie Fashionistas