Common problems in Barbie
COMMON PROBLEMS AND PARTICULARITIES IN BARBIE
With so many models and accessories that there have been produced since Barbie was launched in 1959, it is not easy to list all the problems that Barbie can have. However, here are some of the most common that we can find sometimes.
-Green on vinyl: This problem is very common in Barbie dolls from the 60s and occurs due to the reaction of metal, in this case earrings, with vinyl. It is not an exclusive problem of the 60s, because reproductions, copies of the Fashion Model Collection and ultimately any doll that has been let over time with metallic earrings is susceptible to this illness. Peroxiben can be a remedy for this disease but it is not a certain science.
-Broken necks of the Superstar era: Classic ... who has not found cracked or broken necks? Because of the way dolls were made in the late 70s, this became a very common problem. The brittleness of the plastic on the neck and the ball-shaped connector that made that the head could move in any direction made the dolls die from this. The bad news is that this has not a good arrangement and whatever we do will remain that, an arrangement. The tolerance of this already depends on the degree of the fissure, where we set the quality line that we apply to our collection and the rarity.
-Plastic leakage: This occurs when the vinyl spits out the plasticizer and the figure becomes sticky and hard. There is no way to stop this, because the degradation of plastics is unstoppable and no effective remedy has yet been discovered and the solution you have, such as wiping it with a cotton ball with alcohol, is cosmetic because it will come out again with time.
- Bitten feet and hands: Very typical the fact that children bit this protruding part. Obviously, a doll with a little mark is not the same as another with a practically unrecognizable hand or foot. Again, everything will depend on the line of quality that we mark in our collection, our tolerance and the rarity of the specimen.
-Disintegration of the leatherette: Some Barbie clothes, especially from the 80s and 90s, were made of a material that imitated leatherette. Few garments made of this material have survived intact, as it is still a type of plastic that degrades over time.
-Impoverished hair and losen hairstyle: Since the importance of long hair for styling during the game was discovered, Barbie's hair did not stop growing and the girls did not stop combing it until, in many cases, they were left with less hair density and lost the factory hairstyle.
Sometimes you can notice this lack of density when you pick it up, but unless it is very obvious, it is often difficult to tell and you also have to be aware that not all models had the same amount of hair or the same fiber. In the end, it is to assess the appearance of the doll's hair in general, do we see a good amount of hair? Does it retain the hairstyle in a similar way to the original? If in both cases the answer is affirmative, it is probably a good display doll.
Of course, each collector can do the hairstyle they like the to their dolls if that's what they wish
-Problems derived from the composition of the vinyl: Very common in the legs of some specimens such as Midge California, some dolls of the 1986 Tropical line or dolls like some Jewel Secrets Whitneys that can present greenish round spots, visible on the legs. This is a manufacturing issue just like the discolored heads or green spots on the Malibu line.
-Mould: Apparently vinyl dolls are a great habitat for microscopic life that can lie dormant for years until it finds perfect environmental conditions and develops.
These can manifest in the form of different types of spots and in different degrees, from tiny to very severe. The best way to prevent this is to keep the collections in a place where there is no humidity.
-Defective body: Depending on the era of the specimen, limbs can be exchanged or not, but if the specimen is from the late 80s or early 90s, the whole body will probably have to be changed, as there is no way to separate the pieces, just the head.
Sure there are other common problems in certain models, but these are the most common problems and peculiarities that are, sometimes difficult to appreciate with just an image, others such as pen stains or cut hairs are more obvious and would be seen in a good photograph, but the more information we can have on what we are going to purchase the better.