Mattel 2013 Halloween Barbie - Bewitched and Bejeweled

So a couple of days ago I was blog hopping, in my attempt to get back into the doll community and reconnect with people I loved to watch, and I popped into "A Bit of Aubrey's Mind". The recent blog post at that time was about the Mattel 2015 Halloween Barbie - Moonlight Halloween. I'd been considering picking this one up for myself, but knowing how Mattel doesn't like to continue fabric designs around the back of the outfits, I wasn't sure if I wanted to get her any more. The blog post helped me make up my mind, I won't get her unless I can get her on super discount like I did the 2013 Halloween Barbie. However, the 2015 Barbie is super cute and if you are considering getting her, be sure to check out the blog post here to read a really informative review on her. She's a cute doll, but I just want the design front and back...yeah...I'm spoiled. ;-)

ETA: So this post has been written for a while, but I hadn't published it yet for some reason. Perhaps this was the reason why. I saw that The Dude With Dolls posted a video about the Target exclusive 2015 Halloween Barbie doll. Her dress is a orange color instead of purple. The box has a different look that focuses more on pumpkins and there is no maze on the back for Blissa to romp through. Also, this girl has orange streaks instead of purple. She also doesn't have a broom with her, I know, upsetting. The design still doesn't go around the back, so she is a nope for me too, but it was fun see a different look for her. I so have to design some cat fabric like that one day. :-) Take a look at the video below to see this pretty girl.


So this made me think of the pictures I took about two years ago of the 2013 doll that I got for around 5

dollars at the time. I thought the dress and color combos were pretty and thought it would make for a cute Halloween outfit for my 27cm Bobobie doll, so I ordered her and waited for her to show up.

When she showed up, I was first excited by the box art, so magical. This doll really made me think of the show Bewitched, especially the theme song. The little witch riding on her broom leaving a sparkly trail in her wake especially brought that tingly jingle to mind. Don't believe me? Here, have a looksie.


See what I mean now? I so love Bewitched, and after searching for the theme song, it lead me to Amazon,

and now I so want the complete series on dvd along with "I Dream of Jeanie", but I digress. Back on track, this doll seems to be highly based on Samantha's version of a witch, which (see what I did there? ah? ah? anyone?) I'm not really seeing besides the box art. On the back of the box you can see they kept up with the sparkly theme, and even that cat gives me a feel of Bewitched because Samantha turns into one during the theme song. Yes, I know, it's reaching, but hey, is it really that far off? There's a little game for you to play, helping Blissa through the maze. And this just donned on me, I just not noticed that Blissa's name has one cursive "S" and one print "S", just like it was on 2015 doll's box. Also, it seems Blissa likes to get lost around Halloween time, because she went through a maze in 2013 and 2015. Interesting. Feel free to try to get Blissa home.

Couldn't figure it out? I've helped you out with that. You're welcome. ;-)

Opening the box and taking her out, you can see the awesome background behind her. I almost didn't want

to take her out because I liked the background so much. It's very Bewitched meets It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, but alas, she had to come out. I wanted that dress. As you can see here, the only thing "extra" you get with this doll is a cardboard broom. How nice of Mattel to give her that. ;-) What can you expect with a pretty basic doll?

I took her out of the box with her broom and ummm, that broom is not really in scale here. I mean, granted, she is suppose to ride on that sucker, and I'd rather have a lot of sitting room rather than just barely enough room to sit, especially flying high in the sky. So, on to the outfit, I love the pattern on the skirt part of the dress, but I really wish that the trademark Barbie head had been left out. I know, it's the logo, but still. There are also cute bats in the pattern, so I guess that makes up for it. The glitter top part of the dress is a pretty purple-pink, with a small black ribbon in the center of the dress to act as a belt. A black boa/wrap that easily slides up and down her arms is a nice addition to the outfit. To complete the outfit you get black thigh high boots that were also a thing in 2012 and 2014 but lost out for the 2015 doll, a black necklace, and black hat all made from the same shiney plastic it seems. And that's it when it comes to the outfit.

Barbie's face is pretty generic with her smiley face, blue eyes, and

blonde hair. The nice thing about her hair are the purple streaks in them that go great with the purple in her outfit. It's only in the front of her head, but it's still a nice touch to give her a different look from just your average Barbie doll. It's interesting to note that the 2015 doll also has a generic smiley face, blue eyes, and purple streaks in her hair, though it seems to be of a slightly darker tone. So it looks like 2013 and 2015 were a slight rinse and repeat design, much like 2012 and 2014 were a rinse and repeat on the pink theme. You can also see that her buckle on her hat has an expected Barbie "B" on it. The necklace is in kind of a spiderweb shape which helps add on to the Halloween theme, I thought that was creative.

Here's some picspam of this lovely girl.

 

Like I said, I wanted this doll to steal the dress for my 27cm for my Bobobie girl Leia. I thought it would be perfect for her for Halloween. The dress is really cute on her, but it doesn't fit her perfectly because she's a flat bust doll, however the rest of the fit is nice on her.

I think this will look really cute as a Halloween outfit, but I am

wondering if i will have to unpick the breast area and resew it to be a little less defined for breasts. Or do I try to sew something up to stuff the chest area? I'm not sure. It just is a little off for me.

As you can see here, there is a bit of gap in between her body and the fabric. So I am thinking on how to adjust that. I really think just unpicking the thread and resewing it a little less defined would work for me, but it might leave more of  gap, which I might be able to live with. Not sure. I'll try to make it happen before Halloween this year so I can share my results with you all.

But there you have it, 2013's Halloween Barbie doll. She's a cutie if you want her for the doll. She truly is, in my eyes, a basic doll. I don't have her here with me right now, but if my mind serves me right, she has hard legs with no joints, so she's limited on positions and poses. I think this doll was mostly made for her dress really. They tried to make her look less generic with the purple streaks in her hair, but she truly is just more of a display for the outfit. If you want to collect Halloween Barbies to display in their boxes, then I highly recommend her. If you want to get her for a child to play with, she's perfect for that too, kids will work around the lack of bendy knees. If you want her for photostories and or any kind of cool posing, I'd give her a pass. She's just not really made for that.

She's currently around 13 bucks on Amazon, but keep watching or surf around and you might be able to find her cheaper. I know this will sound snobby, but when you can get an articulated doll for the same or cheaper, I'm very picky when it comes to a doll with generic articulation and will only purchase if they are nicely priced and have a cute outfit and accessories. I got this girl at an awesome price, but I don't know if I would have if she were higher priced. My collecting habits have changed over the years and now I prefer a certain body before I will consider bringing a doll home. I only buy display dolls if they have the "complete package" for me, awesome doll with awesome box art. I have a lot of dolls like that and I plan to get some more in the future but not many because I feel I can't truly enjoy them behind their plastic windows, but that's just me.

If you like the less articulation for a more pleasing look, then go for this girl. I like dolls like that too, and if I was more into keeping them mint in box for displaying, I would have more of them, but I'm now to the point that I want to play and tinker, so it'll be a special doll or outfit that gets past my pickiness and makes it home with less articulation. It's funny how our likes and dislikes change over time. Guess that's how we grow as people and collectors. :-)

And on that weird and derpy note, I will talk to you lovelies later. I hope all is well with you, and that you find that treasured doll, no matter how much articulation they have, on your next shopping trip. ;-) Talk to you all in the next post. Be good until then. Bye for now.

Love always,
Michelle