I haven't posted a blog entry in a while, but something has come up that has woken me from my Barbie coma. It's been months, and I apologize for not keeping the blog updated, but in my defense, I have been ill for some time. Also, as I've discovered, I go through periods of time when I simply lose enthusiasm and energy for my dolls and doll-related endeavors. Not that I'll ever stop collecting and being a huge fan of Barbie®, but sometimes a break is necessary.
Anyway, here's why I'm back in Barbie® blog world. It has been officially announced that to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the tokidoki® brand, they are once again teaming up with The Barbie Collection (or Barbie Collector - whatever they're calling themselves now) to produce two new dolls: a Black Label® version with pink hair, donut headband, etc., and a Platinum Label® version with purple and black hair and a black cactus headband among other variations. The Black Label® version will be easy to find, by their own admission, but of course the Platinum label® (fewer than 1,000 units) will be hunted down by collectors and resellers.
Every time a Platinum doll is released, the collecting community goes gaga. Everyone seems to forget that Platinum sales are a gimmick. It would be so easy and probably more cost effective for Mattel to produce a few thousand extra units, but they choose not to. We hear the same complaints from collectors--it's "unfair" and a "hassle". People get frustrated and disappointed. And that's the whole point! They want us wailing, ranting, and at each others' throats over these dolls, because it generates buzz.
When the Platinum dolls were simply being sold online on a first-logged-on-first-served basis, we heard complaints about households with multiple accounts and multiple computers. Well, I say, that's just tough. Now, with the "treasure hunt", the process will be a bit less predictable, giving the so-called "real collectors" a better shot, but that won't end the misery. Now, we're going to hear complaints about how unnecessarily complicated this "hunt" is, and of course, we will hear whining about "scalpers" and "evilBayers" trying to fleece "real collectors" online. To those people, I say, "I feel your pain".
I was disappointed when I missed out on the Karl Lagerfeld Barbie®, despite my best efforts at securing it with multiple computers and accounts. And that's when I gave up on the Platinum brouhaha. I have so many wonderful dolls in my collection, so why should I cry over a doll that I may as well have won in a lottery? Besides, it's all just supply and demand isn't it? The dolls are limited, and if the demand is there, we'll see some very high secondary market prices. That's because not only are there sellers willing to part with their Platinum tokidoki Barbie dolls, but there are buyers willing to pay those prices. I'm not even going to use inflammatory adjectives to describe how high those prices can get. I simply want to remind everyone that the secondary market is made up of BUYERS as much as sellers, so there's no need to demonize people who see an easy way to make a buck.
Good luck to everyone who'll be joining the hunt!
Anyway, here's why I'm back in Barbie® blog world. It has been officially announced that to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the tokidoki® brand, they are once again teaming up with The Barbie Collection (or Barbie Collector - whatever they're calling themselves now) to produce two new dolls: a Black Label® version with pink hair, donut headband, etc., and a Platinum Label® version with purple and black hair and a black cactus headband among other variations. The Black Label® version will be easy to find, by their own admission, but of course the Platinum label® (fewer than 1,000 units) will be hunted down by collectors and resellers.
Every time a Platinum doll is released, the collecting community goes gaga. Everyone seems to forget that Platinum sales are a gimmick. It would be so easy and probably more cost effective for Mattel to produce a few thousand extra units, but they choose not to. We hear the same complaints from collectors--it's "unfair" and a "hassle". People get frustrated and disappointed. And that's the whole point! They want us wailing, ranting, and at each others' throats over these dolls, because it generates buzz.
When the Platinum dolls were simply being sold online on a first-logged-on-first-served basis, we heard complaints about households with multiple accounts and multiple computers. Well, I say, that's just tough. Now, with the "treasure hunt", the process will be a bit less predictable, giving the so-called "real collectors" a better shot, but that won't end the misery. Now, we're going to hear complaints about how unnecessarily complicated this "hunt" is, and of course, we will hear whining about "scalpers" and "evilBayers" trying to fleece "real collectors" online. To those people, I say, "I feel your pain".
I was disappointed when I missed out on the Karl Lagerfeld Barbie®, despite my best efforts at securing it with multiple computers and accounts. And that's when I gave up on the Platinum brouhaha. I have so many wonderful dolls in my collection, so why should I cry over a doll that I may as well have won in a lottery? Besides, it's all just supply and demand isn't it? The dolls are limited, and if the demand is there, we'll see some very high secondary market prices. That's because not only are there sellers willing to part with their Platinum tokidoki Barbie dolls, but there are buyers willing to pay those prices. I'm not even going to use inflammatory adjectives to describe how high those prices can get. I simply want to remind everyone that the secondary market is made up of BUYERS as much as sellers, so there's no need to demonize people who see an easy way to make a buck.
Good luck to everyone who'll be joining the hunt!
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