Have you ever heard of the Estrela Barbies? After a fan from Brazil named Debora left a lengthy comment about them on one of my blog posts, I contacted her to find out more about these rare and highly collectible Barbie dolls.
Today’s blog post will give you the details, as they were explained to me by Debora, in my online interview with her.
Before we dive into this topic, I need to make my required disclaimer statement: My website is funded, in part, via affiliate marketing. Links to eBay may be affiliate links. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how affiliate marketing works on my website, please go to the Privacy Policy page. Thank you!
According to Debora, “The Estrela Barbies were unfortunately not dolls that any girl could own, especially in Brazil, where there are so many poor families.” Brazil experienced major economic problems in the early 1980’s, and as a result, they had to put restrictions on items exported from foreign countries, like the Barbies that were available from American toy company, Mattel.
Debora explains it like this: “At the time I started playing with Barbies, Mattel licensed them (and Ken) to a Brazilian toy manufacturer called Brinquedos Estrela (Star Toys).”
She went on to explain that “Estrela’s Barbies had the same articulation as Mattel’s, by comparing mine and an imported one a friend of mine had, but some of them could have wrist articulation, and click-and-bend elbows.”
Because they were not affordable for most Brazilian families, the Estrela Barbies are considered rare items in today’s market, but you can find them on eBay here in the States.
The top notch eBay seller that I was able to find was MMMdoll, with 100% positive feedback from her buyers. (Special thanks to Mônica from MMMdoll for providing these wonderful images of the Estrela Barbies that she currently has for sale in her store.)
If you look at the close-ups of the images provided here by Mônica from MMMdoll you’ll see the wrist articulation that Debora was talking about.
And the back of the boxes show that these dolls could also bend at the elbow.
Don’t you just love the circle skirts on Estrela Barbie and Estrela Viky in these photos? Does anyone in the US remember having doll clothes that looked like these? Please leave a comment if you do.
I’m asking because, according to Debora, ” Estrela more or less followed Mattel Barbie’s trends from the same time. At the time of the Peaches and Cream Barbie, for example, Estrela released Babados Que Dançam (something like Dancing Ruffles), with a beautiful dress, of course, peach-colored. At the time of that [pull-the-string Barbie,] Estrela launched theirs too, speaking the same phrases, like: ‘Let’s go shopping!’ and ‘Math is tough!’ but in Portuguese. She was equally criticized for being quite clueless.”
I totally remember that! But it hadn’t occurred to me that you could find pull-the-string Barbies that said the same phrases in other languages. If any of you have one of these in your collection, be sure to leave a comment telling us about it. What language is it in? And are the phrases the same or different?
Of all the Estrela Barbies for sale on eBay right now, my favorite is the Alta Costura Estrela Barbie. A good friend of mine, Grace Silva (yes, Dodi, I’m talking about your husband’s cousin here), helped me translate the text on the back of the Alta Costura Estrela Barbie’s box, and this is what it says:
“Sophisticated fashion, perfect, so beautiful. Barbie surprises and fascinates with each design. Lia is super chic and Ken models class! Haute couture – a dream catwalk for you.”
I believe this Estrela Barbie is supposed to work in the fashion industry, and I love how the back of the box shows a pair of sewing scissors cutting through small-print fabric. The fashion designer drawings inspire me!
But also, check out the details on the pocket of the jacket she’s wearing:
It’s a round pocket with a pleat at the top, to add extra volume, so your little Estrela Barbie can carry all kinds of accessories right there in her little pocket! I love that!
I want to extend a very special thank-you to both Debora, for the extensive interview, and Mônica from MMMdoll on eBay for providing these wonderful photos. Thanks, as well, to my friend Grace, for her careful translation.
You may be wondering why I didn’t use photos of Debora’s Estrela Barbies for this blog post. Generous soul that she is, Debora gave hers to a foster home, so another child in Brazil could enjoy it. 😇 In describing her Estrela Barbie, she said, “She wasn’t in the best condition, but could still be played with, and I felt bad about keeping her, knowing that so many children didn’t have toys at all. I wanted someone else to have as much fun with her as I did.”
God bless you for your generosity, dear Debora! And thank you again for the interview.
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And if you haven’t done it yet, you should really use one of my links to go see these rare and beautiful Estrela Barbies on eBay. They are truly a sight to see! And I’ve only shown you a smattering of them in today’s blog post. Others are available on eBay as well.
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*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, JoAnn Fabric, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.
Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.