Barbie Basic "Model #10" Afro - American (Black) NRFB (Historical & Rare).

Description: I. History: a. Black Barbie: Mattel introduced the first Barbie in 1959. The Doll had a low price point, was made of plastic, and was revolutionary. The Doll was designed as a fashion model doll, a leap forward from the full-size infant doll, which was full size and made by Doll makers at a high price point. The Doll's success led to several variations and adult collector lines. In 1968 Mattel wanted to expand into the United States Black community. Given the injection molding and the plastics of the day, the first attempt met with limited success. The first black Doll, "Christie," made her appearance. Though "Francie" was released the year before as the first dark completion in the Mattel line, Christie was the first Barbie with "black" features. The Dolls shared the same body and could share her clothes as her Blonde counterpart. Only a year after Christie was created, the "Julia" doll appeared in 1969, based on Diahann Carroll's character from the TV show "Julia ." that wore a two-piece nurse uniform in the Twist' N Turn model. The Black Dolls were not well received. The plastic of the day mixed with darker pigment gave the Doll a shiny appearance that was unnatural. The selection of clothing was not in line with the fashions among Blacks in large cities such as Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The face molds and figures worked well on the Caucasian dolls but were out of place and sometimes even laughable in America's Black community. The Doll began to evolve, transitioning to darker, less shiny skin and afro hair in the later years before the mold was discontinued in 1978. The real breakthrough came in 1976 when Mattel hired the legendary designer Kitty Black Perkins as principal designer for a new line of Black Barbie dolls. Perkins began her fashion career designing children's clothes and sportswear at big retailers like Bloomingdales, J.C. Penney, and Sears. Mattel was pleased with Perkins's changes to the Doll, which included; a more realistic skin tone, short natural textured black hair, and a slim silhouette. However, Mattel balked at Perkins's fashions. The hand-sewed floral print voile jumpsuit with tiered legs, puff sleeves, and a matching wide-brimmed hat that Perkins originally designed was "too elaborate and expensive for mass production. Perkins and her team returned to the drawing board and completed the project in 1980, releasing Black Barbie. The results were groundbreaking and well received in America's Black community; it was well received nationwide. Finally, after 12 years of trial and error, Mattel had crafted a decent version of a Black doll. Since then other ethnicities have followed and improved since. b. Barbie Basic: The Barbie Basics is a line of Adult collector's edition Barbie dolls was officially released in the spring of 2010 and ran until 2014. The dolls are dressed in "basic" clothing that women generally have in their wardrobes. The debut collection 001 featured the go-to staple, the "little black dress." Later models would include; jeans and T-shirts, Red dresses, metallic-finish blouses, and earrings. In addition, several fashion packs were introduced during the Dolls ' run and an exclusive line for Target stores (series 001.5). The dolls included the ModelMuse body sculpt (thinner than most Barbie bodies with impressive details, including neck and collarbone sculpting. The entire series offers; differing head molds, skin tones, and ethnicities. The dolls are part of the Black Label collection. A total of 17 dolls were produced, ending in 2014 with Collection 003. c. Myth and controversy surrounding Basic "Model #10": A myth surrounding #10 is that the Doll was recalled from shelves. That is not true. Products are recalled when defective or pose a danger to the consumer. Neither is the case for #10. However, there was a controversy. Since Barbie's introduction in 1959, one group or another has had this or that complaint that lacks merit. But, these lames seldom know what they are talking about. In 1959, some mothers complained that the new Barbie Doll had too much sex appeal. Later on, various so-called Feminist groups complained that the Doll had unrealistic waist and bust measurements and was far from scale. And such a doll would lead to unrealistic goals for young girls. Hogwash! The Doll was groundbreaking in 1959 as it began to replace the cardboard doll with paper-cut cloths that were popular with children at the time. The Dolls scale measurements were never intended to be an actual woman's size but instead to fit in a child's hand and easily accommodate small hands. Such was the case with Basic #10. The controversy, in this case, revolved around her stock dress, with its V-neck and plunging neckline. Several uptight lame parents complained, and the matter was even covered by news and media. Despite the ignorant parents' demands for the removal of the Doll from the shelves, retailers responded, "get a life," and would continue to sell the Doll since the line is aimed toward adult collectors and not children. Since the incident, versions of Model No. 10's dress have borne a shorter v-neck or a completely round neckline. II. For sale: Barbie Basic "Model #10" Afro - American (Black) Mint (Historical & Rare).NOTE FINAL IMAGE SHOWS THE DOLL MODIFIED THE DOLL FOR SALE IS THE ORIGINAL OPEN MOUTH NO PONYTAIL. MINT NRFB ORIGINAL MATTEL SHIPPING CONTAINER. a. Model Overview: "Model No. 10" is an Afro-American doll with long black hair in Collection 001. Her head mold was first used for the annual 2002 Barbie (African-American version) and for several Afro-American dolls a few years later. It was officially named the Desiree (a.k.a. Adria) face sculpt after Barbie's friend of the same name in the Fashion Fever line in 2005. The head mold is currently used for African-American friends in the main line such as Artsy and Nikki. b. Model Features: Barbie Basics dolls used the Model Muse body, five points of articulation. Saran hair for easy styling. The dress is the original V-neck with a plunging neckline exposing a generous amount of cleavage. c. Model Finish:Distinctive Afro-American features include a broad nose, Brown eyes, heavy cheekbones, thick lips, and straight-styled black hair. Cosmetics are conservative and accent the doll's pretty face, consisting of a Fire engine Red lipstick and a matte green eye shadow. The rooted eyelashes are set off with dark eyeliner and penciled eyebrows. d. Opinion and Image notes: In my opinion, this Doll is a collector's dream. Its history in Barbie's product line makes that apparent. The Saran hair offers many options for the collector who enjoys custom work and hair restyling. Photographers will love her natural look and radiant sex appeal. For those that grew up in an era where ethnic dolls were in their early development, this does packs a wallop. The doll is very pretty, sexy, and a joy to look at. If I had any complaint, the Basic collector line had a more true-to-form scale than Barbie. So the feet are a bit larger than standard Barbie and require different shoes unique to the Basic series if one wanted to redress the doll. I am not a photographer other than the stock Mattel images, the photos do not do this doll justice. Last three images are out of box from prior sale. The images are intended to show back hair, feet toes, fingers, and nail polish. III. Box: Original unopened. Original Mattel Shipping Box. IV. Shipping: Free local pick up Seattle, WA area. Domestic: Free USPS Priority Mail. International shipping: Through eBay global shipping program only.

Price: 115 USD

Location: Seattle, Washington

End Time: 2025-01-28T20:26:49.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD