An Open Letter to Mattel

[Danny Carrington]

 Dear Mattel,

  I just learned Doll Genie is cancelling existing orders for "Classic Black Dress" Barbie doll, this is in response to numerous customer complaints regarding the poor quality of the doll. This does not surprise me. I have seen several photos on this site and elsewhere as well as an online video critique of the doll. Even collectors who are pleased overall with doll and plan to keep her admit she is not without flaws. I read posts about sanding or filing the doll's rough seams! Should this even be a consideration? Shouldn't the doll we receive be a finished product?

  Robert Best said Mattel "hit the nail on the head" when they created the articulated silkstone body. The article which is the source of Robert's quote led me to believe a great deal of time, energy and - most importantly - thought, went into the creation of the "new" body. Now that I've seen the doll, I can tell that this "new" body is nothing more than the existing "Pivotal" body produced in silkstone instead of vinyl. This is a serious let-down.

  In the same article, Robert says the new dolls can wear the same fashions as previous BFMC Barbies, this is not true. The new doll has a smaller bust and her shoulder and hip contours are very different. Pants from previous BFMC fashions will not fit the new doll. Dresses are very loose on the doll. "Classic Black Dress" is part of the Barbie Fashion Model Collection, she is not part of a new line. As part of an existing line I would expect the new doll to have approximately the same dimensions as the previous dolls. 

 I have been collecting BFMC dolls since the very beginning; there are very few dolls in the line which I don't own (and those are rare convention dolls). I have stuck with Mattel through some rough patches such as the yellowing heads a few years ago and "Beautiful Boucle's" face paint issues (both of which you addressed) as well as leg-splay, enlarged heads and "Nicolai's" blackened forehead (which you did not address). Mattel has responded quickly to concerns from non-collectors who were offended by the notion of dolls dressed in lingerie or a colorfully dressed Ken taking his dog for a walk. I wish you were as responsive to the needs and wants of actual doll collectors - the people who put money in your wallets.

  It's time to go back to the "drawing board", you can't simply smooth the rough edges on this doll, even out her finish (shiny vs. matte) and consider the problem solved. A Band-Aid isn't going to fix this. You need to develop a new articulated body which has the same dimensions and contours as the original BFMC Barbie body. Give it articulated arms and legs. Barbie should be able to put her hand on her hip (you would be surprised how big a deal this is to us). Removable hands would be nice. We can do without the torso joint, it doesn't offer the doll much mobility and would look awkward with a plunging neckline or cut-out back (yes, you can produce dresses with plunging necklines - you're here to satifsy us, not  the dozen or so members of "One Million Moms").

  You might also want to reconsider going "all articulation, all the time". I know you can't be "all things to all people" but you would probably keep a lot of collectors happy if some dolls were articulated (especially those wearing long sleeves, long skirts, pants, leggings, etc.) and some (wearing strapless gowns and sundresses) had the original body.

 Please, fix this.

Dan Maher