Art of Advent Day 22

By Daphne Richard

Judy Choi and Barbie Design Team, 2013 Holiday Barbie, 2013, Plastic doll.

Image courtesy of Treasure Keeper Inc.

In 1988, Mattel debuted with their Happy Holidays Barbie. The quick sell-out and high resale value marked the beginning of a long-standing holiday tradition. Since that fateful release, Mattel has released a Holiday Celebration doll—along with various other holiday themed lines. While not necessarily as collectable as the company intended, Mattel began bringing in designers such as Rob Best as well as bringing in a large Bob Mackie influence.

In the 2000s, the line took a major shift in face moulds as they began to primarily use the ‘Mackie face.’ The mould, eponymously named after Bob Mackie, was created with Mattel in the 1990s for a separate line he designed. Since then, the mould has been used in the past seventeen out of the twenty-five years of this millennia. The moulds all sit upon an oval face; their almond eyes are small and poised with a closed mouth smile (a relatively new feature when this mould debuted).

Bob Mackie and Barbie Design Team, Mackie Face Sculpt, 1991.

Image courtesy of Felicity K.

The 2013 doll was always my favourite as it was the only one I personally owned. The rest of my family’s dolls having been victims of the 1990s collecting craze were shoved in various closets still held captive in their boxes. The 2013 doll features this ‘Mackie face’ while the dress was most likely designed by design manager Judi Choi. The artisanal team went with a silver theme to reference the 25th anniversary (aka the silver anniversary) of the line. The snowflakes lay atop the silver dress to signal back to the festivity of the collection.

​Barbie dolls, for some readers I am sure, were a staple of Christmases and the ‘Mackie face’ sculpt has absolutely made itself a staple in many a doll collectors’ holiday collection.

Bibliography

Brown, Evan Nicole. “Mattel Made Barbie Popular, but Bob Mackie Made her a Fashion Icon.” The Hollywood Reporter, July 15, 2023. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/style/barbie-designer-bob-mackie-fashion-icon-1235535506/#:~:text=Though%20Mattel%20has%20partnered%20with,Barbie%20brand%20historian%20at%20Mattel.