Halloween Dolls 

Since this time of the year is coming around, I thought it would be a great  idea to show some dolls that would fit right into the halloween theme ^^. Even though I am Dutch and halloween is not a big thing here like in America, I still love the idea of it.( Modern time halloween that is) I have always been a big fan of scary stories/movies and dress ups, so it is a perfect klick for me. And my birthday is just a few days after Halloween which makes it easy to combine them together.

Anyway back to the subject, Mattel actually released a doll last year for the halloween season. And this year they added another doll to make it a series. Below some pictures and discriptions of the dolls.
And here is the official site for the Barbie collectors : http://www.barbiecollector.com/
(Any new releases and former released dolls can be found there. Plus a whole lot of basic info if you're interested ^^)

This is the Haunted Beauty Ghost Barbie 2012

This doll was designed by Bill Greening and no more 5700 dolls were produced. Which makes this a gold label dol. Mattel introduced a label system in the early 00's and by that label you can detremine how many are produced and estimate their value.
And I am very happy to be a proud owner of one of the 5700 examples that were produced. The doll is really captivating with her very light hair and skin complexion. And she wears a long white gown which gives the impressions that she is is hovering in the air. Plus with the ruffled fabric and a set of chains she is a stereotypical image of a ghost. The only difference is that her radiance is much more beautiful and peaceful than most other ghosts you come across.

This is close up of her face. I just adore what they did with her facial painting. The darker eyeshadow  and lipcolour gives a striking contrast to her hair, skin and dress. Which, in my eyes, makes her all the more elegant ^^.

Haunted Beauty Vampire Barbie 2013

This is the recently released Haunted Beauty Vampire doll. Just like her sister she was desinged by Bill Greening and is also a gold label doll. As a vampire fanatic I just have to have this one, and I am very pleased that I will be able to pick up my new darling this sunday <3!
And I just love her ambiance, the jetblack hair with the vibrant red dress makes her quite a sight to see. I have only seen her in pictures like this so I can't wait how she looks in real life. I'll make sure to post a pictire of her.

And check out her facial features, as lovely as she is, she still carries this intimidating vampire aura. I think it is mainly because of the sharper shape of her eyebrows and the extra white accent in her pupils. And of course the fangs ^^, can't miss those. So far I presonally think that it is a job wel done on this new addition to the Haunted Beauty family, but sometimes dolls can vary slightly from the released pictures (though almost always they are exactly like the pictures) so I still have to wait until I see her in person.

If there are people who are not such fans of the creepy and spooky types of dolls, There are still other options to go for. How would about a super hero theme? They've got plenty ^^.

Like Supergirl or Batgirl? Personally I'm a huge Marvel and DC comics fan so I can imagine these could be quite a hit. Plus I love their costumes <3. Tehy also have a Catwoman and Black Canary version ^^.

Or maybe you fancy yourself some higher class company? Well what about the ancient gods, they have their fair share  of them as well ^^.

 From left to right: Aphrodite, Athena and Medusa. Medusa is one of my absolute favourites. You just have to check out her eyes o.o, they are absolutely amazing. They actually gave her snake like eyes! Together with her hair, which is really curly, wavy and twisted in ways to make it look like it is made out of snakes, it just gives her a really elegant yet powerful ambiance.

Well hopefully these girls will give a good representation of the halloween vibe. There are actually hundreds of dolls to choose from, so you can find all sorts of inspirations from them. Though I have to say these are my personal favourites, and I wish I could just show them all but there are simply too many. Currently I have over 300 dolls in my own personal collection, and I only collect the modern type ones. So imagine what the total number of dolls should be o.o.
But these girls make my world al that extra bit special and I am proud of each and every one of them ^^. They add some sparkle to my wonderland.

Hope you enjoyed!
Love Shizume Ryuu / 静夢　龍

Hajimemashite! Nice to meet you ^^

Ok first post, let's use it to give a little introduction about me and what I plan to do with this blog ^^.

The main things that I will discuss are things that interest or inspire me. I will list some of them in here later.

I just want to share the things that add some magic sparkle to my life and hope to inform others about them.

So here is a list of things which I love to do ^_^.

1 Collecting Barbie dolls

Now I can already hear you say Barbie dolls? (With an extra big question mark appearing above your head) Cause I can imagine that it is not something you hear every day (trust me I've heard that one every time I mention it). And what makes this hobby so great? Well I only collect the collector dolls, which means they are designed and produced purely for collecting. Yes those dolls exist! So they are definitely not like any average play line doll you see in regular toy stores. These dolls have clothes designed by designers (even large brands have their own specimen), their hair is done by hairdressers (no kidding!), and they all have their own moulds and facial paintings. So each and every one is unique, and that is why I love to collect them.

I will make sure to post pictures of my collection to give you a better idea. Also I would also like to discuss new dolls that will be released in the future (or ones that I simply want to have XD).

2 Books & Manga

I have loved reading ever since the day they taught me how ^^. So I have read countless of books and that number increases yearly. And since my teens after having been introduced to Japanese comics Manga were also added to that list. I just love the feeling of losing myself to a good story. Some of my favourite genres are; fantasy, mystery, horror, adventure and occult. (Although I also read other genres from time to time if the plot interests me.) Some of my all-time favourites are; Harry Potter (of course :P), Dracula (Had a vampire fascination since I was 5 ^^;) Twilight, A Discovery of Witches, The secret garden, Memoirs of a Geisha just to name a few. For Manga (just the English names); Alice in the land of hearts , Sugar Sugar Rune, Vampire Knight, Shugo Chara, Rose of versailles and Pandora Hearts.

3 Films, series and Anime

Of course the counter part of the books and comics as also part of my world. The genres are pretty much the same though. Even though I do prefer books I always go and see the films. I learned at a young age that the film industry as not able to match my imagination yet ^^;. But nevertheless I still love them. Also I'm a huge Disney fan, I grew up with Disney and just like Barbie it stuck with me even until now.Got to say I really loved the Pirates series, and of course the all-time classics of The little mermaid and Beauty and the Beast etc. I also admire the works of the director Tim Burton, I just love his vision. (His version of Alice was great :D, not to mention nightmare before Chistmas ^^) And ofcourse Ghibli films! You can't say you love anime and not mention Ghibli. 

4 Theatre

It is probably because I like to sing (just as a hobby though^^) but I really love musicals. I have also been to dance performances and such but I just really love the feeling of musicals. In my opinion they have a bit over everything brought together, acting, singing and dancing. And as added bonus you can get to sing along as well (at home that is, I wouldn't advise you to do it in the theatre). And of course some of my favourites are Disney musicals (The lion king, Beauty and the Beast etc.) I mean for me that is like the ultimate combo. But next to that I also liked tons of other musicals like Elizabeth, Wicked (which was really awesome!) and Romeo&Julliete. 

And a few years ago a friend of mine also got me hooked to Takarazuka (I promised I would explain for the people who have no clue what it means). The Takarazuka Revue is a Japanese theatre company which works with females only (in the cast that is, backstage personnel is mixed). And even with all female actresses they are able to create a dream world on stage. I also love their costumes <3, though sometimes you wonder how they came up with certain creations XD. And Takarazuka does not only perform Japanese plays, but also western muscials like the Scarlet Pimpernel, The Phantom etc. So they have their own written plays (they also have a Rose of Versailles Musical ^_^) and works of famous foreign works, and next to that they also have concerts and dinner shows.

5 Japan

And since I am a graduate of Japanese studies I could not leave this one out. (So this also answers any questions why I can watch and understand Japanese plays ^^) I have been fascinated by cultures all over the world from a young age. Though I have to say Asia somehow captivated my interest a bit more, and in particular Japan. The reason why is probably because it is so different from what I am used to. (For your information I'm Dutch, just in case anyone liked to know) And I am very glad that I got the change to study Japan's culture and language. I also went on a study exchange to Japan in my third year for about 6 months, which was really awesome btw. And during that time I got to experience everything I was taught about or just read or saw in articles or TV shows that I saw. And I have to say it was probably one of the best experiences of my live. Plus I love their food; ok once you're there for a long time you'll probably miss a normal slice of bread (they only have bread with sweets stuff in it or meat or pizza bread etc.) but the rest makes up for it. If I have to give any recommendations: Ramen, okonimiyaki (savoury like pancake), takoyaki (baked dough balls with octopus in it) are some of the things you really should try ^^.

Ok so this was a really long first post XD. But I thought it was needed as a first introduction. From now on I'll post anything new that I find interesting, important developments or just some extra background info where needed. (Since I'm sure there also might be people who don't have a connection to all of the above but just one or two ^^)

Also feel free to react or request information about any of the above interest and I'll see what I can write about it, or just share my experience.

Thank you for reading! 

Love  Shizumu Ryuu / 静夢　龍