They're both so beautiful !

Current Mood : Slightly mournful relief.

Was reading a message board today, about a doll show. I’ve been to exactly one of those, and was surprised at the $4. entrance fee. It was at the height of Barbie Investment Insanity, about ’95 or ’96, when darn near anyone was scrambling to snag every Barbie doll they could, in hopes of storing 'em for a few years and raking in incredible profit. Mattel never encouraged this, but the breathless salesmen on shopping channels and stunned-sounding authors of money-management articles spawned the idea that a $10. investment in any doll today would reap $50. to $100. in a few years, due to rabid collectors and ‘buy back your childhood’ young adults with money. As a result, dolls – especially the big-dress Holiday ones – were often scarce, and bought by people who had zero interest in them, save for a near-guaranteed profit.

Except it didn’t happen. Even with the burgeoning internet and eBay, there were just too darn many dolls, and when the buyers became sellers, they found that they were more boxed in than the boxed-up figures. Very few people got back what they spent, and many of them merely sold early to other speculators. Barbie sold and sold, people stored and hoped, and when it was time to take the dolls out of the attic, they were often damaged or just plain unwanted at any price. And Brittianyye and Kaitlynne didn’t want that stuff, they demand the latest, the greatest, what they saw on TV that morning.  About then, the whole thing started all over again with Beanie Babies, but I can’t help but think Barbie is still suffering from her success.

Like I said, I still remember mine, at the Fairgrounds, during the high times. A dozen tables, each piled high with yesterday’s $10. dolls marked to $25. – some of which were still on the Pink Aisle shelves at TRU down the street. No vintage, no box of doll clothes and tiny props to dig through. Just TRU and Mal-Wart, remixed and price-amped, with a few foreign rarities tossed in for spice. The idiot I was dating at the time (although I think I was the dimmer bulb for dragging him and the relationship along as long as I did) made the repeated mistake of grabbing up a boxed doll, examining it closely, stating loudly, “I don’t know why this is worth $50., this is ridiculous” before dropping it with a slam to the sales table. After I asked him to stop handling what he wasn’t gonna buy (Dearest Son already has that notion down) numerous times to no avail, he just got louder, I noticed the glares directed at me and a strolling uniformed member of Raleigh’s finest eyeing us dubiously, and I rushed us out of there. I got to spend maybe 20 minutes at the show, never got to buy or even really look at anything (not that there was much else to see but boxed dolls I mostly knew from Barbie Bazaar), and it was my $8. that got us in. Yes, my onetime Prince Terrible established early that, if he wasn’t interested, he wasn’t paying, and I’d have to if I wanted his company. Of course, this later expanded to ‘if we do anything at all, you’re paying’, because Heavens help me, I really was an idiot.

While you re-evaluate my intelligence, I’m gonna keep going. The doll show attendee today remarked that mostly she saw what I did in ’95, boxed dolls that the sellers can’t unload at any price, much less what they were hoping for, and it was probably due to gas prices, internet sales, and the bad economy. I don’t think that’s it, really. It was pretty much the same story then. There were only a few shoppers – which made us really stand out – and I didn’t see anyone buying. I can’t help but think a lotta people got burned, possibly an equal number are still stuck, and both groups can’t help but wish they’d never seen a fashion doll, thanks to all the money ‘wasted’, and as a result, even though it wasn’t Mattel or Barbie’s fault, they both got blamed.

Frankly (and I hope I don’t hurt anyone’s feelings here), I’ve always thought that anyone who’s buying any sort of consumer goods (especially toys) they care nothing about, merely for investment potential,  needs to do their homework beyond QVC and jacked-up eBay sales. Otherwise, he or she is just choosing which ditch they throw their hard-earned into. Just giving it plain, rational thought for ten minutes would have kept anyone from sinking big bucks into brand-new Barbie, unless they love her and really wanted it for themselves, and no one else. If there’s no intrinsic value – like gold – any investment will go one way, and it only rarely up. And even the super-rare ‘up’ is usually very short-term. Yeah, it’s a shame we all didn’t encourage our mothers or ourselves to buy up those #1 Barbies when they were $3. on every drugstore shelf. But it’s ridiculous trying to expect the same result ($3. in 1959, $6000. now) from a grocery store shelf find in 1992. But a lot of people did, and I think there’s quite a bit of bitterness out there.  

Barbies are still sold, just like Beanie Babies can still be found at Hallmark and other mall-based card stores nationwide, and they’ll always have their die-hard fans. But I don’t think either will ever be as popular and sought-after as they once were. Sure, gas prices and the economy weigh in, but it doesn’t explain why variations of those same toys can’t be kept on the shelves while others gather dust. And manufacturers, staring at products better or unchanged from the beloved standard, know that even fewer will sell this year than last. It can be argued that Mattel never really sold to speculators, but perhaps put too much focus on the more lucrative collector market over playline until fairly recently, but the backlash is probably still there, and products untouched by the fiscal frustration use it get a foothold – like Bratz or even Monster High. It still astounds me when I see the same Barbie dolls and accessories on shelves for months, while MH stuff is either all-new every store visit, or completely sold out. Maybe now that the Barbie fervor has definitely passed, that’s part of the appeal. MH fans have to grab what they see when they see it, most of the time, but you can wait a few weeks, see if Katniss Barbie goes on markdown.

I kind of see it a little with MH. Every time a fan sells his or her collection, I wonder – is it bills or burnout ? Or both ? I confess, some of the fandom and frequent releases left me deciding between ‘withdraw for a while’ or ‘dump it all while you can’ not very long ago, so I can understand. I’m glad I chose to back off, but my former fervor is gone, and there’s darn few dolls I want. Standard characters in new outfits just aren’t doing it for me anymore. Even when I find a new character to want, I’ll usually wait ‘til they’re MSRP on Amazon – I don’t need the latest and greatest the minute it’s out and in the hands of scalpers. I’m out of the race. With two notable exceptions, both guys and ghouls all share the same bodies, so it’s not like I desperately need a new doll to sew for. I already have 42 models, not counting the knockoffs ! (grin) Can’t afford to pay $50. for a $15. doll (plus shipping) anyway. Yeah, I’ve seen the ‘Dance’ line of dolls, but there’s none that I really *have* to have. I like Lagoona the best, but I already have four of her dolls. May snag her dress online later, though.

One thing I know, I won’t be trawling TRU for a while. We’re listing Starlight for sale, and once she’s found a new home, we’re gonna trade Venus-diesel in for a small, fuel-efficient used sedan, or whatever car can carry the three of us and a few groceries. We’ll be a one-car family again, which has needed to happen for quite some time. While it limits my mobility for a while, I’m OK with fewer bills and maintenance. Once the vehicle situation is stable, I’ll still get some ‘me’ time every week, or whenever I need it. I’ll miss ‘my’ Starlight, but part of me is glad we’re getting it done, finally.

Got to spend some time playing, and before I knew it, Twilight Sparkle and Spectra Vondergeist had bonded. Who knew Spectra was into ponies – or Twilight was into monsters ?