Curvy BMR1959 Review

I asked on various social media sites which of the BMR1959 dolls I ordered should be introduced first – you let me know you wanted to meet the curvy, brunette first (yes, I’m counting both Instagram and Facebook votes in this). Don’t worry, the other reviews aren’t far behind.

The last couple of years have been extremely exciting for fans of the playline of Barbie dolls (like yours truly). Way back in December of 2017, Mattel was teasing us with curvy, articulated dolls. They had Madam Lavinia and the Night Time Glamour dolls, sure – but these dolls had fashionista articulation, not that of made to move dolls. In January of 2018, we were given a 22-point articulated, curvy, made to move Barbie with pink hair. Then, in late April of 2018 the doll that would eventually become Moira was released.

On October 29th, Mattel released another made-to-move curvy doll. And here she is, in all her glory:

One word:  WOW!

According to Mattel’s official site, this collection of dolls is intended to showcase current trends influencing the Barbie brand with these fabulous, bold, posable dolls. I, for one, love that the company seems to be embracing the need for diversity and inclusion in their dolls. First the Creatable World line (which I’ll be reviewing in the near future, they just arrived), and now these - progress is progress. Well done, Mattel. Keep it up, we love the new dolls.

First, let’s start with what Mattel has called “re-imagined ‘90’s gear” accompanying this curvy goddess. Maybe they’re talking about runway fashion and trends of the 90’s; I was 9 years old when 1990 rolled around (yes, I’m ancient), which meant I went through both my tweens and my teens in the 90’s – I never saw anyone wearing anything that looked like what this, or any of the other dolls from this collection for that matter, are sporting. I think it’s safe to say they got very creative with their interpretations; that, or I was just in a grunge/flannel/boho bubble (entirely possible).

We’re going to start with accessories. First up: shoes. Or, in this case of this beauty, boots.

Bold, golden boots. Cringe. I’m not a big fan of the solid-colored shoes, where the laces seem to “merge” with the boot itself. As you can see, though, there’s actually quite a bit of detail on the boots themselves. Areas where it looks like the leather is stitched together, and the laces are clearly visible. For those so inclined, they could make for a great DIY project if you’re interested in other colors.

Next up, the earrings.

These are, like most Barbie earrings, plastic and delicate – I was actually worried about removing them from the doll without breaking them, so for now they’re staying put. I personally think the dangling earrings look great on this doll, but they’re branded with the “1959” that makes them less appealing for me. That said, they’re being true to their branding and I can’t fault them for wanting to.

The sunglasses are a bright, neon yellow and they look like something out of the version of 2019 in “Blade Runner”.

I’m on the fence about whether or not I personally like them. That said, they look pretty great on this doll – then again, I’m not sure what wouldn’t, as she’s gorgeous. To place them on her face, you’re going to have to remove some black thread holding them fast to her head (you can see the thread in the first sunglasses picture).

The coat looks like another piece from “Blade Runner”, I seem to recall clear raincoats being a big thing in that film.

Again, it’s branded with “BMR1959” writing all over it. I’ve never been a big fan of wearing clothes with logos, so I’m not sure whether I like it or not. I think it’s an interesting piece, but I would have liked something more subtle, with a solid outside, and patterned lining similar to what the green-haired doll sports (more on that in the next review). It’s well made and the plastic is on the thicker side so it’s not going to tear easily which is a bonus. So, if you love logo-covered raincoats, this is right up your alley and very much on-brand for these pieces.

The dress is the most “90’s” thing about this outfit, I seem to recall a few pieces similar to this appearing in Tween-ish TV show’s from the 90’s.

The colors are bright and fun, the pattern is loud, and the style isn’t sure if it wants to be a short dress or a hoodie. Now that I’ve looked at it in-person, I actually think I like it. That being said, as with so many other Barbie clothes, it’s not lined, which will occasionally be shown for those wanting to take photos of a doll wearing it.

However, the piece is really well-made and feels sturdy despite the thin-ish fabric. If you have this doll and you’d like to remove this piece, you’ll want to pull this up and over her head. There is no clasp or velcro anywhere.

The face on this doll is just stunning.

She has a beautiful face; lovey features, high cheekbones, and a wonderful arch to her perfectly-shaped brows. The eyes are especially captivating, I love the way they created depth to her brown eyes with the shading.

The makeup is tasteful, really highlighting her eyes nicely, and her blush is subtle. I’m not in love with the lip color, though I do love that it’s got shine and gloss to it and I’m happy to see Mattel moving away from the bright pink lips they’ve used for their other, darker skinned dolls.

As I said before, I think this doll is gorgeous. At her price point, I feel like she’s probably one of the most beautiful dolls that Mattel has come out with, she’s on the same level with Audrey and Grace.

She has long, luxurious black hair:

As you can see she has a series of tiny hairs drawn along the top of her forehead. Personally, I like this, it’s a neat little touch and I’d love to see Mattel do this more frequently with their dolls.

Normally, I’d take her hair down to show off how long it is, but I really like the style, and I’d like to get a few more pictures of her with it up before I change anything – I’m not very good at styling doll hair, so when it looks this good, I’m loathe to touch it.

As for her body, it’s the same as the other made to move curvy barbies, complete with standard-issue, built-on underwear. How much would that suck, having underwear under your skin? Esh. Anyway…

As you can see, she’s got the same flexibility as the curvy, made to move doll.

I’m curious about her elbows, though, as this is something I noticed with Moira, too. As I recall, the made-to-move standard line of barbies are able to bend their elbows back much further than these dolls, so they can touch their chests/neck area, this doll doesn’t seem to be able to do that. Perhaps it’s because of the size of the upper arm being larger, thus limiting movement. I’ll have to investigate this further.

Lastly, and I almost forgot to mention this: she has a manicure:

It’s not the first time that I’ve seen this sort of thing with Barbie dolls in the playline - several fashionistas have sported various colored fingernails - and I'm very pleased Mattel is doing this. I’d love to see “hand replacements” for these dolls with other colors/no colors and different hand-poses. But this is a good place to start.

Now, I know I might get some flak for showing a nude doll, but frankly…I don’t care. Every one of us had a body and they’re nothing to be ashamed of; we come in different shapes, sizes, and colors, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Furthermore, Barbie dolls have no genitalia unless they’re altered to have it – they even have built in underwear. Try to relax. Children will see their dolls nude - they change their clothes, and, unlike some adults, they’re not thinking that it’s dirty or wrong unless they’ve been taught to think as much.

Thanks for stopping in. I hope you enjoyed this review.

I’ll be reviewing the other two dolls in the coming days, so be sure to stop by again :)