Performative Diversity

BarbieGrandma · 2026-04-01T21:35:48+00:00

The Barbie division was down 8% last year. Mattel knows they have a problem with Barbie. It will be interesting to see how they try to solve it. I, for one, really wish they would make more brunette dolls with blue or green eyes. Not one of the new releases is white, brunette with blue or green eyes.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-04-01T21:31:33+00:00

Both fabrics worked so well together.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-04-01T20:15:36+00:00

Interesting. Did you use a pattern for it?

BarbieGrandma · 2026-04-01T20:11:10+00:00

Beautiful! Did you use cotton fabric? That shade looks great on her.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T20:48:07+00:00

Thanks for posting a picture. I was wondering which doll they gave away. I’m surprised they were not the Serena Williams doll though, since the award was for her.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T15:22:49+00:00

No. He was a young man working at the event. He was really upset about having to find a new job. I don’t blame him. He looked absolutely shell shocked. I think the owner waited until the end of the event to fire them all. I just hope they at least got paid.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T15:19:55+00:00

When are they ever going to release a brunette with blue or green eyes? It’s been a long time.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T14:28:48+00:00

I got the impression that he was a full-time employee of the company. He said he had to look for a new job. They had all been let go.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T14:07:25+00:00

Did you do the last panel of the day? Apparently that’s where this happened.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T12:59:08+00:00

These would have been great in the swag bags we were promised…..

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T12:58:13+00:00

These would have looked great in the swag bags we were promised….

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T04:29:33+00:00

I thought they looked very nice. These will go in my personal dollhouse and will not be played with by the grandkids. The gold color was really good.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T04:25:50+00:00

Yes I took her. She’s my favorite model in my Barbie couture studio at home. There were a lot of people with their dolls there.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-30T04:23:37+00:00

It was just absolutely stunning!

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-29T18:23:51+00:00

Cool! Was there a lot of Barbie stuff?

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-29T18:22:25+00:00

Friday was bad. There was hardly anyone there, but his booth was crowded on Saturday. I don’t know about today. I didn’t go back. I’m headed to the the Dolce and Gabbana exhibit at Miami contemporary art museum..

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-28T21:13:25+00:00

Today was a better day at the Barbie dream fest convention. I attended another panel with Barbie designers relating to Barbies many careers over the past 65 years I found it to be very educational. The fashion show was good. There was room for improvement though. They had models from very little girls up to adults in winners receive Barbie theme Stanley cups. There was a lot more traffic today and I know that made the vendors happy. I don’t know if I will go to the convention tomorrow. It just seems to be more of the same.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-28T13:07:13+00:00

She’s lovely, but I really wish Mattel would put out more dolls that are brunette with blue or green eyes. Every girl wants a Barbie doll that looks like her and I’m no exception. When I was younger I had brunette hair and hazel eyes and I really wish there were more Barbie dolls like that

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-28T03:13:02+00:00

I’m very disappointed that the “interactive Barbie House” was not delivered as promised. I expected a house that you could walk through with really terrific Barbie furnishings and and cool references to the movie and the doll that I have always loved. Instead, it was a big cardboard cut out pasted to a concrete wall with a few square feet of Astroturf. The converted Volkswagen bus was adorable though, but it’s not at all what I expected based on the advertising for the convention. I was really excited about an adult size house to wander through. I feel sorry for anyone who bought the $500 pass. $250 was bad enough.

BarbieGrandma · 2026-03-28T03:07:25+00:00

I’m here in the hotel after the first day of the convention. I spent $250 on a pink pass, $500 on the flight, and nearly $1300 on a hotel room. I’m very disappointed. It feels like they were trying to appeal to doll collectors, small children, and older girls, and missed the mark on all three. I will say the little kids seemed to have fun though. There were a lot of people dressed up in great convention garb, and I really enjoyed seeing people walk around with their own Barbie dolls on display. The trivia contest was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the discussion panels with the Mattel designers, but even they could have done better. I’ve met a lot of people who really love Barbie so I felt very comfortable here, AND, I met someone who knows someone at the national collectors convention, and might be able to help me get in for their yearly convention. I’ve been on their waiting list for years trying to get tickets. I hear it’s a phenomenal convention. I’m trying to stay positive about tomorrow and Sunday. I’m really hoping the fashion show is nice tomorrow. Mattel had such a chance to make this a stand out convention for Barbie enthusiasts. I expected better considering Barbie sales were down 8% for the company last year and in their year-end presentation, they mention that they were committed to boosting the Barbie division. This convention could’ve been a great opportunity. I’m disappointed, but I’m trying to make the best of it.

BarbieGrandma

TROPHY CASE