Lingerie Barbie

I'll open the first week of DeLorean Travels with a Barbie theme. Granted, Barbie was originally a 1960s phenomenon, but Mattel manufactured some pretty sweet Barbie dolls in the 80s and 90s, so I figured I'd take a look at the few Barbies that survived beyond my childhood. My sister and I probably owned close to a hundred Barbies at some point in time, but in the great playroom cleanout of the late 90s, we were instructed to trash all but about 10 of them, so this week we'll take a look at the survivors.

Today's highlight: LINGERIE BARBIE

So I received this doll as a gift in kindergarten. I'm pretty sure it was a Christmas gift at school. Maybe a Secret Santa or maybe one of those games that involve the participants trading around gifts until the last box is opened. Regardless of how I got this doll, I was pretty pumped to receive her. She was waaaaayy cooler than some of the other gifts other kids were receiving. She came in the classic 1989 shiny hot pink Barbie box that every girl was really excited to see. I loved her blue eyes and her pink "bathing suit". She instantly became my favorite Barbie.

Now, however, as I look at her through the eyes of a 26 year old, I'm pretty sure her bathing suit is, in fact, lingerie. The sparkly lace is pretty much a dead giveaway, not to mention the fact that her "bathing suit" is made out of a silky material. I wonder where Mattel was going with this one. I also wonder what the Malaysians who made this doll thought of her. At least she made it out of the 1990s clothed, which is more than I can say for her near-twin sister, a doll I found next to her in the storage bag.