Were my predictions about Mattel right?

In August 2018, I wrote a post titled 8 Things I Want to See from Mattel in 2019 . In the post, I created a wishlist that myself and other Barbie collectors wanted to turn off. It's April 2021, so I think it's only fair to look back and see if Mattel has taken anything off the list.

I just wanted to point out that I started writing this post before the Monster High reboot was announced , so I left it as a draft and started working on the post. Then I forgot about it for a few weeks, and since I had no other plans for this blog, I thought it was time to end it now.

The original text of the message is in italics. I left out some parts that are not very important, but you can always go back to the original post and read the whole text. But let's stop screaming and start writing. 

Made to move Ken with rooted hair and at least 4 different skin tones. (...) Of course, I would like to see Ken's wide, slender body in the MTM version, but we'll leave that for 2020.

Yes, we have a Ken's Made To Move doll, but 2020. Unfortunately, the doll is part of a collectible line (BMR 1959) and not playable, which means it is more expensive. They have rooted hair, at least 2 of them, while others have loose hair. We haven't had a free or skinny Ken Made To Move yet, and to be honest, I don't think it ever will. And if so, then most likely collectible and very expensive.

Small and tall Made to move the body . It's time for Mattel! Yes, I know of the new bodies, great bodies seem to be the most popular, but our tall doll needs working elbows. But please don't make it hard to find and archive them.

Well, it happened. Unfortunately, Mattel has made some questionable decisions here. They come with long puppets (basketball players) designed for movement that don't have a very normal skin tone. Then, apparently, the line of Made To Move dolls disappeared for several years, only to return as collectors (BMR1959 dolls). They made a long doll (long hair with a pink cape) and a tiny doll (orange dress with dog teeth jacket). A new line of MTM dolls has been announced, but they don't look long or thin.

Here's my problem with this: making a new body type is quite an investment, as you have to 3D model and create a new composition so you can fabricate it. Doing all this work to produce one doll with such a physique doesn't seem very sensible. Maybe I'm crazy, but if they sell more dolls with this body type, they will recoup their investment faster. This is what people want to buy, Mattel doesn't want to...make money?

All curvy, made to move with 3 or 4 different builds. Since they are the most popular of the new bodies, I am sure they will be a hit.

That did not happen. I believe there are 4 great MTM bodies: dancer, floral yoga pants, BMR1959 and one on the wave of a new line of play. And while that's not bad, I think they could do more. I'm sure if they released more twisted MTM dolls they would sell out.

Fashionista Deluxe model with articulated bodies and quality fashion wear. They can also make a splash on topics such as "Spring", "Back to School", "Night" ... (...)

Well, it happened, but not in the way I expected or expected. I think the new Barbie Xtra doll can be considered a kind of "Fancy Fashionista". They have fun and colorful outfits, but I can't speak to the quality because they aren't. They're not exactly my style or close to what I thought they were, but they're definitely a step in the right direction. Hopefully Mattel will continue to expand this line and add similar ones instead of having one or two successful launches and then canceling them.

Restore the mod! Remember the Fashion Avenue era? It was amazing! The quality is good and sometimes they have a theme. There was also a dress for Chelsea (later Kelly). They can even be customized with the current themes from the Fashionista series I mentioned above.

Honey! If anything, fashion has only gotten worse! Most of the models I've seen are shapeless and loose with no pressure on the back. They have made some cute fashion packages like the Puma or now the Billabong collection but these are the exceptions and they are still not as good as they used to be. More than what I saw, most of them were no longer wearing shoes, which in my opinion made the packaging less valuable.

Stop "One size fits all"! because it's actually more like "one size fits all". I really wanted to see a unique design for each body type. They could always make a small line to test the water, and if it worked, increase it.

It's been hot times since I bought the Barbie Fashion Pack, but I feel like they still make clothes that don't suit me. I haven't seen a trendy body-fitting dress in years, and I don't think Mattel will ever make one. The only hope I have is if they make a line with different characters having different body types and create a fashion pack for those characters (like they did with Generation Girls ).

In general , a more complex design . I'm sure Mattel has the potential to bring us in, but sometimes they play it safe. The landscape of the 90s was magnificent and it seemed like there was nothing to do here. There is even a set of mail games!

Over the past few years, Mattel has been doing amazing things that could be considered "complicated" or at least interesting. Well, I thought the 1959 BMR track was pretty tough, but it's not what I imagined. The variety in the line of fashionistas is great, with vitiligo dolls, prosthetic legs, etc. which might be interesting. However, despite the fantastic dolls, most of the dolls in the line look like "dolls". Also, I haven't seen a game set lately that fascinates me. I would say that this has been achieved, but only half. They have done some good work, but there is still room for improvement. 

Start listening to your fans. There are many bloggers and collectors who will be happy to offer their honest opinions and suggestions. And to be honest, most collectors are asking for pretty simple things like decent quality of their products and lighter dolls.

The problem with Mattel is that they listen for a while and give consumers what they want, but then they take two steps back, which confuses consumers. Since vitiligo is being praised so much by the mods, they decided to introduce the latter, which may mean they are listening. On the other hand, customers have been asking for more Made to Move dolls and have decided not to release them for over a year. When they finally returned, they were collectors. I could be wrong, but I think this could be a smart move to give my clients what they really want. I'm crazy?

Hope you enjoy this post. This is a bit different from my usual posts, but it's interesting to see what I can expect from Mattel in 2018. My next post will be out in early May and will be a selection of photos. Lately, I've been very busy with two blogs trying to take photos for Instagram, as well as real things like job hunting and courses until I found a job. I want to write to this blog all the time, but I also don't want to force myself to write so often that it takes my breath away. But you can wait at least one job a month until I get a job or life gets in the way.

I also need to inform everyone who subscribes to this blog that you will stop receiving such emails in July 2021. This is out of my control, but Feedburner has decided to stop providing this service. I'm trying to figure out how to get all the contacts that come in via email without success. I don't think I have many email subscribers, maybe 1 or 2 (if I have any), but I thought I should tell you. In the meantime, if you want to follow this blog, you can start using any blogger or RSS feed.

What do you think of my predictions? What would you like to see from Mattel?

See you later

Create monsters.

PS: I've started using a larger font in my posts, so let me know if you can read better or if you prefer a smaller font.