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SisterKyoya

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Bea: "Yes ma'am. I only brought just a few suitcases..."

 

Dakota: *mutters under her breath* "A few? Ya nearly brought half a department store!"

 

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Bea: "Hey Shug, do ya'll have a glass or two of sweet tea hidin' in that little ol' kitchen? I'm feelin mighty partched after such a long journey."

 

Dakota: "I anin't too sure about that. Chances are Yuriko drank it. Never seen a girl manage to survive on sugar like she does. I have beer if ya want one while we mix up some more tea."

 

At long, long, long last Dakota's older sister is finished! I really would like to make her some custom resin eyes but itt might be a few months until I have time to get around to it. She is my DD/anime version of my favorite Barbie as a kid and the idea struck me about 4 years ago to make her into a DD. As a kid it made perfect sense to me that my Barbies were southern because they always seemed to be so elegant, refined, and everything a proper southern belle should be. So right of the bat I beg the southerners to forgive me butchering the dialect, it isn't intentional. I've lived in Washington State my entire life, growing up about as non-southern as can be. I've tried to do my research but it isn't the easiest thing to simply look up.

 

Bea has a very peculiar aspect to her: She's stuck in the 80s. Not in a reminicing way but very literally. My sister and I have already been having loads of fun thinking how to remake 80s stuff in DD scale. It's really a labor of love for us to rediscover so many of the wonderful and quirky things from our childhood. Bea's curent outfit isn't really 80s but an outfit I would have dressed one of my Barbies in. I'm looking forward to working on her 80s wardrobe over time and seeing how many of the Barbie outfits I used to love can be remade for Bea. I tried so hard to think of a name for her that wouldn't be the same as one of the Volks' head sculpts, but she would not allow me to name her somethng other than Beatrice even if she rarely goes by it but perfers Bea or Auntie Bea for the little kiddos. It shouldn't be hard to figure out why her name is Bea or why she really likes pink. On everything. Especially if it has glitter. Her favorite pastime is shopping and making her credit card smoke.

 

~Sister Kyoya


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Forum Blog: Badger Pocket Tales (Family story from the beginning) | { Old Family story reboot: Start Here! }

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Monty

I already said so on twitter but I really do think you nailed the look of the original Barbie, and I cant wait to see how those custom eyes turn out. I really like eyes with stars in them!

 

80s themed stuff sounds like so much fun. I'm an 80s kid technically, but it was very late 80s so I dont really remember it. However my clothes for almost the entire first half of the 90s were 80s hand-me-downs from older cousins so I have a nostalgic fondness for that style.

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MrFjmg03

That's why she reminds me of Barbie so much. You made her look that way. You did a fantastic job because everytime I see her I picture Barbie. The ones form the late 1980's and early 1990's I love that head mold so much. I have three of those LOL

 

 

Which Barbie was your favorite?

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Jossie

That trademark Barbie smile was instantly recognizable! I think you did a great job recreating your childhood friend. When I think of 80s fashion, I think of funky hairstyles and bright colors, so I think it'll be fun seeing a DD dressed up like that.

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Anna-neko

Big wide open eyes and pink cheerful smile, yawp it's a Barbie!

 

You're gonna need to start up a box for belts, fishnets & bangles!! And she definitely needs at least one small pink sparkly tiara

hmm, do they even make pink & white fishnet socks anymore....

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SisterKyoya

Oh man, not enough sleep makes working a bit more challenging. I was looking at the 1st pic of Bea last night and my eyes were completely blurry and suddenly I thought 'She looks like a chipmunk!' I am entirely delighted that so many people like her already. The staring quality she currently has bothers me a little but it's not as bad when you look at her instead of a photo. I'm currently working on designing the photos to have printed out to make her eyes, as well as 5-6 other custom eye sets for DD yet to be finished. And since she's Bea I'm also making so 80s inspired DD sized charge cards. The first thing she said to me once she was finished was "I wonder where I left my credit cards?" A girl's gotta have her priorities I guess. I've known for years that her favorite phrase is 'Goodbye money, hello happiness!' Strangely enough it never seems that those cards ever reach a limit... Man, I need one of those.

 

Torino- If we are getting technical, I'm a child of the 70s... Ugh, even after all these years it still makes me cringe. I was born in '78 so it's not like I remember it or anything, but still! LOL! I've thought a lot about Bea's past and even though she's an 80s woman I can still pull stuff from the 70s. She probably still remembers her first 8-track. With her 'unique' perspective on life it makes for some interesting and fun conversations with the other kiddos, especially when it comes to modern technology. She definitely is going to come across as the 'weird Aunt' that gives some really strange gifts, but they love her quirkiness all the same. Especially Ralph and Rainie. He talks like Bill & Ted, and Rainie is an unashamedly 80s girl (she's the MOST like me as a kid out of our DD, sans the whole spy network thing.)

 

MrFjmg03- After all the years I've thought about her I never could imagine what she would look like when she was finished. Converting her into an 04 head was not easy when it came to the eyes because Barbie's eyes are really wide, while the 04 are rather tall. So this is why it especially makes me happy that others see her as 'Barbie' as well.

 

Hands down my favorite Barbie was Superstar Barbie, and who Bea is modeled after.

 

5671928685_2d36e3cbe2_z.jpgBarbie Superstar by Freddycat1, on Flickr

 

LOL! I forgot about that massive ring.

 

In her box & a better pic of her outfit

 

6990339381_608315303e_z.jpgSuperstar Barbie by Barbie Creations, on Flickr

 

I have a very distinct memory when I got her because I was at the store with my mom and one of her friends. I had quite a few Barbies at the time but even so I think she was the first one I entirely fell in love with at first sight. Right after that came the heartache of knowing I'd never be able to have her, since mom was in college and a single mom with four kids. I probably stood there a good five minutes just staring at her box pouring over every last detail. I wanted her so bad it hurt. Very, very reluctantly I put her back when mom said we had to go. I wanted to cry. Then out of the blue mom's friend said she would buy me whatever Barbie I wanted. I was in total shock! It felt like one of those things that only happened in really cheezy 80s Christmas movies, and only if you were a spoiled rich kid. Of course mom did the normal social pleasantries of 'Oh well you don't have to do that...' etc. and I was screaming in my head "Mom don't say that!!!" as any 10 year old would. I was BEAMING as we walked out the store. Being 'Rainie level' excited I'm surprised that I was able to wait until we got home to open her, mostly because I didn't want to loose anything.

 

Her outfit was really fun because there were a lot more pieces to it than most Barbie outfits: the top, miniskirt, the 'star' skirt, regular pink chiffon(?) skirt (it's like tulle but finer weave and a lot softer), and the fur 'boa' sewn in a circle. There were all sorts of ways to put the outfit together, and I did. I remember trying to put the boa in her hair like a scrunchie but it was too bulky to work. LOL!

 

One of the reasons why I put off her DD version for so long was because I wanted this to be her 'default'/starter outfit but I was having loads of trouble with the stars. The only thing comparable I could find was to order some star sequins online, but with something that I need a very specific size with I didn't want to invest the money and have it still be wrong. Completely on accident one time my sister and I were wandering through Hobby Lobby and I found a package with 2 glass bottles in it. I stared at it in astonishment because one of them had EXACTLY what I needed! I almost didn't see it because it was on a lower shelf in the scrapbooking section! I still need to locate the skirt fabrics and the fake fur in the right colors before I can make the DD version, but surprisingly the silver trim is the easy part because I already have some fabric like that! Oh and I can't forget the classic 'Barbie pink' high heeled shoes.

 

I'm getting more than a little antsy to see what boys Danny's working on right now, especially if it goes with the muscular body. I knew if I had Bea that 'Kenneth' would be in the works at some point even if he needed to be a resin. Along with him also brings my favorite version of Skipper (often called the 'anime' Skipper and wasn't well received... WTF??) but she will need Erica Fontaine's head sculpt.

 

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She's one of 3 barbies I still have around here and has been entirely claimed by Isabella as her 'best friend'.

 

Jossie- I've never painted teeth before so there was a LOT of trial and error in getting her mouth right, mostly because it's such a tiny space to paint that I easily kept going ever so slightly too far... At least the extra paint gives her more dimension to her lips!

 

In the 80s big hair lived! Even if their hair was short, women had big hair. Southern women most definitely had big hair, enough to give everyone else hair envy. Men had big hair. My oldest sister (Sis J) would hog the bathroom every morning 'ratting' her hair. Even little girls wanted a crimper, and if it had a heart or star shape it just made it more rad! Women with big hair and poodles with equally big hair were frequent enough in advertising that I strongly remember that association. Not sure if I should be frightened. LOL! My sister (Sis E) has pointed out the severe lack of Bea's big hair. Let's just call this her 'straight out of the shower' look and not ponder it any further. I seriously love the fact that Sheryl's wigs have a little bit of 'blondish pink' in them but at the same time I'm already trying to figure out how to find the right hair fibers to make her some properly 80s hair. Thanks to Sheryl, Bea doesn't have the problem of having to wait for her hair. LOL!

 

The colors, patterns, and the wild combo of the two is something I severely miss from the 80s. Looking online there are always these BuzzFeed type lists citing the 'horrendous' things that were popular then, and all I can think of is how boring their life must be! I'll agree that mullets would never even be a thing if it was up to me. Living in a cattle ranching town until I was 14, I saw more of them than I'd ever care to remember. I have multiple boards on Pinterest for inspiration and research for Bea, even my favorites on Flickr are at least 1/3 filled with old Barbies and outfits I want to remake.

 

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I totally need to see if I can make Bea dress up Ralph's sweater into a dress. I'll need to add shoulder pads. A sweater without shoulder pads? Inconceivable! Maybe stick a huge bow on her butt while I'm at it... Seriously though, I already know that she has to have at least one sweater with leg of mutton sleeves.

 

Chise- You forgot the huge earrings! (Side note: I am not going to make Superstar Barbies earrings, even as a kid I thought they were horrendous. ) She is already dropping hints that she needs to find her pearls soon because she feels naked without them. I've got the beads to do it with, I just need to remember to take the 15 minutes to do it. I was so happy that Sheryl came with the gold bracelets. Bea snatched them up right away! Small tiara?

 

Bea: "Honey pie, small is relative. It needs to be big enough not to get lost in your hair!"

 

As for the fishnet, I think the closest to scale would be netting (it's like thick/course tulle and really stiff) but isn't really stretchy enough to use for removable stockings. They could be made once and then just sewn on, but would have to be cut off. 2nd best option: Long live spandex!

 

~Sister Kyoya


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Forum Blog: Badger Pocket Tales (Family story from the beginning) | { Old Family story reboot: Start Here! }

Follow me on Twitter, Flickr & Instagram

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Anna-neko
If we are getting technical, I'm a child of the 70s... Ugh, even after all these years it still makes me cringe. I was born in '78 so it's not like I remember it or anything, but still! LOL!

 

weeeeeell, to get even more technical, the era you grow up in is the one that counts. So you are def an 80s child. At least you were born late enuff to miss disco, but not... eh.... *rakes brain*.. hmm.. can't think of early-80s stuff, not familiar enuff

I was born in the 80s, but it's the 90s that were formative to my entire everything, so I'm a 90s kid <_<;

 

She definitely is going to come across as the 'weird Aunt' that gives some really strange gifts, but they love her quirkiness all the same.

or more like the auntie giving perfect vintage retro gifts to all the hipster kids!!

 

Is it sad I already wanna gift her a lil rubics cube to keep her occupied until you get her cards & shopping sorted out?

 

And just random thought - all this Superstar Barbie talk is giving me a serious nostalgia for... JEM!

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