I wish i found rare items more often, but then they wouldn't be rare!

About once every five years I will find a rare Barbie or family item for just a few bucks.  Sometimes it is mixed in with a bag or case of a bunch of other stuff.  Yesterday I found the 1967 #1818 Barbie Velveteens jacket in with a bag of other clothing items at the Lawrenceburg antique show.  I am listing it for $100 on etsy.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1758985069/rare-barbie-1967-1818-velveteens-red-or?click_key=7c26587c3303face9a54899f32408cc043f138cf%3A1758985069&click_sum=457c6447&ref=shop_home_active_1

I hope it sells quickly!  I have to get a cavity filled on Wednesday and I don't have dental insurance.  Even if it takes a little while to sell, it will help with the bill.

Tote bag found in the attic

 

This valise/suitcase belonged to my father, who was stationed in Germany in the 1950s.  He died in 1974.  My mother died in 2023.  She insisted for years that there was nothing in the attic.  Last year, I went through her dresser and chest of drawers, her closets, her cabinets, boxes, the basement and the garage, but I was unable to get into the attic.

I had someone go up there in 2024, mainly to see if there were any holes in the roof or siding.  He found this case, which I do not remember at all.  I have no idea how long it was in there.  All that it contained were those springs, which I believe are for a garage door opener track.  The valise leather was very hard and ripped and the zipper was broken, so there was no value to it and I eventually put it out for the trash.  There was nothing valuable inside, such as money or jewelry or stock certificates like you see in the movies.  We looked!  We even felt through the lining!

The luggage freaked me out, because I never knew it existed and there is no one left on my father's side of the family to ask about this.  I felt like I'd seen a ghost!

Colorful, frilly dress common native outfit in Brazil

"Lembrança do Rio" is Portuguese for "Memory of the River."

My mother wasn't fond of my doll collecting, but in the 1980s a friend of hers brought her a small souvenir doll from when he visited Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  The doll is what is known as a dress-me doll.  Mom's little 6-inch-tall doll would probably be considered stereotypical and politically incorrect today, but she is still very pretty and colorful.

All that is on her feet is a pair of burgundy straps, while the soles are glued to a wooden stand.  She wears lacy underpants and there is a stiff net slip under her skirt.  The main problem is her arms, which are attached to her shoulders by a rubber band running through the top of her torso.  The arms come loose very easily.  There are no markings on what I can see of her body.

 

Instead of pantaloons like most souvenir dolls,
she wears lacy underpants.

The tag on the bottom of the stand simply says, "No 8."
I don't know if that is the model number of the doll or the price in cruzados.

Her clothes are glued onto her rather than sewn.

My collection started with a Korea souvenir

The back of her hair and her dress
are just as elaborate as the front.

My doll wears the hanbok,
a gown worn at festivals in Korea.

We went to the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN, during summer 1982.  I don't remember much of it, except that I bought a souvenir charm the shape of a flame and a souvenir glass, both of which I still own.

I also still own a souvenir doll from the Korea exhibit.  She was the first doll I bought as an adult collector, a year or two before I started buying Barbies.

My doll is 9 inches tall and is made of papier-mache or a heavy fabric.  She is posed on a wooden stand.  There is nothing written on the stand.  I don't know if there are any markings on her, as her clothes are sewn and glued onto her.

Every souvenir doll from Korea wears a shawl or a shirt with the same multicolored stripes and a gown called a hanbok.  I wrote about her in a previous column, which you can read here:  https://skippercollector.blogspot.com/2014/07/my-korea-souvenir-doll_12.html

Tiny doll brought from France in 1980 or 1981

My Barbies are jealous of her feather boa.

Her tiny hatbox does not open.

This doll is smaller than she looks.  From the top of her hat to the hem of her skirt, it looks like she is 8 inches tall.  However, when you look under her skirt, you will see that her legs are much shorter.  From her scalp to her toes, she is actually 5 1/4 inches tall, smaller than a Dawn doll.

A friend went to France in 1980 or 1981 and brought me back this doll.  She has no name.  I don't know if there are any markings on her because her gown is sewn to her body.  She came with a little white hat box that says, "PARIS."

For such a tiny doll, it is unusual in that she has sleep eyes.  She is all hard plastic.

There's no way this doll could ever can-can!

My Maria doll is from the 1990s

 

Maria dolls are abundant but each one is unique.
I named mine Pilar.

My sister brought me a Maria doll
from Mexico in the 1990s.

2023 Sunny Days Barbie tent with deceptive pool

I think that only toddlers
could actually fit
inside the Sunny Days Dream House tent and ball pit.

This ad for the Barbie Dream House Pop Up Tent by Sunny Days Entertainment was in the 2023 Hammacher-Schlemmer catalogue.  The indoor tent is meant for little girls, not dolls.  The house is too oversized for an 11 1/2 inch doll and too undersized for the new 28-inch Barbie doll.  It's probably the right size for an 18-inch SuperSize doll.

What initially threw me in this ad is what I thought was a swimming pool.  It is the correct size for a regular fashion doll and would be perfect for 11 1/2 inch dolls to swim in.  However, it is a ball pit, which I didn't realize until I saw other listings for this tent on the Internet.  Even as a ball pit, it would be a disappointment for children, though, as there are only 20 balls, not nearly enough to surround oneself in.

I wish Mattel would make a swimming pool this size for Barbie that could actually hold water.

I've not looked for any of these tents in person so I don't know how sturdy they are.  They sure are eye-catching, though!