World of dolls

Barbie opened up a whole new world to me. My online search for Barbie led me to entire websites devoted to reviewing dolls, posting comments, and engaging in discussions on all topics doll-related. There were also sites that were primarily galleries of pictures. Photography sites, blogs, Facebook, and YouTube were places where I found other doll admirers. I noticed that relationships had developed among the people posting online. I discovered that there was a huge online community of doll lovers. Wow, there were others like me!

In the beginning, I mainly focused on the pictures online. I found that I didn't understand a lot of what was being discussed. Certain words and terms were being tossed back and forth in the online banter. Articulation, face molds, play scale, Integrity, Fashion Royalty, and Poppy Parker were some of the terms that showed up a lot. I had no idea what was being talked about. There was a whole new language out there that I didn't know. 

One of the first words that kept being used was "articulation". Someone posted a comment expressing dissatisfaction at the lack of articulation with certain dolls. I guessed that articulation meant facial expression. I was confused. How many facial expressions could a doll have? Then I came across an advertisement on the Toys R Us website for a set of Barbie and Ken dolls that were snowboarders. These dolls were described as having seven points of articulation. Hmmm. I did some more online research on these dolls and found some comments that expressed excitement at the posing possibilities for these dolls. Huh. Articulation ... seven points ... posing ...  two knees, two elbows, two wrists, and the neck. Seven points of articulation! Articulation was the term used to indicate the ability to bend and move at the joints. 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Toys R Us Facebook page.
 

 

One of the first doll blogs with amazing doll photography to catch my attention was "Inside the Fashion Doll Studio. Barbie for big girls"   http://insidethefashiondollstudio.com . I spent hours gazing at the scenes that were created in the pictures. The dolls featured were fashion dolls who wore sophisticated clothing. When I say “sophisticated”, I don’t necessarily mean fancy style of dress but that the clothing had such realistic detail. If photos of these items of clothing were displayed in a photo while not being worn by a doll, one might think it was clothing for an actual human being. In the dioramas, the props such as furniture and food were what provided the finishing touches. What I really loved was the miniature food! I had never seen such realism in a doll's world before. This was no longer Barbie. This was Barbie brought to a whole new level.