Darci Doll by Kenner (1979 - 1981) Eddi’s Collection + Unboxing & Review!

[@carolynholody9281]

I had a blonde Darci- I loved her! I wish that I still had her! You have a beautiful collection, Eddi!

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Thanks so much!

[@sicsadw0rld]

so I sent a comment with lots of typos but.I meant to say I.was glad you have done videosof Tuesday Taylor ad the Darci line of dolls. I absolutely loved these dolls but have heard very little about them since I was a child. Thank you for these videos you are awesome

[@DeanReen]

Thank you ❤️ I am glad you like our videos. I love Tuesday Taylor but never knew her growing up which is strange because she was apparently very popular here. Darci is more Eddi's cup of tea though 😊 Sorry for the late reply ❤️

[@sandramiller5652]

She was my favorite 💗💗💗

[@mariettaward4473]

Thank you. My great Aunt and uncle sold toys and. But they were produced through 1981. I was only 2 1/2 yrs old but they gave me the dolls with out the small parts. They were still on shelves thru Thanksgiving of 1982 I do remember they were on new shelves (Kmart & GrandPa Pigeons)when I can barely first remember at 3 1/2. Thanks so much....💕

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Interesting to know!!! (I wish Kenner had produced fashions for her throughout the early 80's... imagine how great they would be!) Thanks for commenting.

[@mendyhyde7874]

Loved watching this! I still have my Darci dolls from my childhood. I do have both of the mail away sets (beach vacation & cooking set) and that red dress you mentioned. If you let me know your email, I’d love to send you some photos of those and my collection. I had forgotten about how much I loved Darci dolls until watching your video - then I had to go dig mine out!

[@DeanReen]

Thank you ❤️ So glad you liked it 😊 Oh wow! That is so cool! What was it like owning her back then? Do you have Instagram of Flickr?

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Oooohhhh you are so lucky to have the mail-away sets!!! Still hunting for those! 😜

[@dilhermandoalves5549]

Wonderful review, dear friend!!! Thank you Eddi for joining the fun!!! It's wonderful to know more about Darci! Eddi's got a fabulous collection!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I got one from my dear friend Elaine! She's really beautiful, sturdy and got a perfect figure! Darci may not wear Barbie's clothes, but she got the same bust, so Superstar era dresses with gathered skirts fits her perfectly. Now I need to find another Darci after this eye candy review!!! 🤩🤩🤩

[@DeanReen]

Thanks Di! Eddi has an amazing collection. You should see it in person, he could open a museum!! I remember your one from Elaine. So sweet of Elaine to gift her to you. Ahh, really? I was going to make a bodice from scratch for her, but I might try a barbie pattern first. Thank you! ❤️❤️❤️

[@lizmarin9568]

I grew up in Connecticut, on the East Coast of the US. I got an Erica doll from my sister one year for Christmas! I wish I had kept her, I don't know what happened to her. 😣

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Looking back at this video ages later, I meant to say that Erica was available on the EAST coast, not the West as I said in the video. Some say that she was a Philadelphia department store exclusive, but I don't know about that.

[@michaelbearz]

i love these dolls so much, the details that go into the stories and clothes are unmatched to todays playline dolls! this is such a wonderful collection

[@DeanReen]

Definitely! But I feel like things went a bit slower back then and dolls were more of an investment. Doll are made to be used and discarded just like everything else these days 😔

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Thank you! It's all sadly packed away now but hopefully I will get it out again someday! 😉

[@BlakeGildaphish76]

Those fashions and backdrops are out of sight! So much play value that really lends to the imagination! To me, this was such a golden era for fashion dolls. i may be biased because i LOVE disco so much. And those commercials. .. oh my gosh! Thank you, Dean and Eddi! This was a treat!

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Thanks Blake. You are very welcome! I totally agree with you there... That era truly was a golden age for fashion dolls. Even here in 'downunder' Australia, we had so much choice back then. Barbie, Sindy, Tuesday Taylor and about a million clones! LOL

[@BlakeGildaphish76]

@@fashiondolldreamer That sounds like an ideal time to be a doll lover. Of course, it's great now because we have diversity. .. but it seems like the quality had to die for that to happen. You just can't have everything, i suppose. Then again, you CAN have everything today. You'll just have to pay through the nose via eBay. LOL

[@fashiondolldreamer]

@@BlakeGildaphish76: LOL Too true!!!

[@DeanReen]

I know right! I just love those backdrops! And for a doll that wasn't around very long she has an amazing wardrobe! I agree, the 70s were the best for fashion dolls. My favourite is Tuesday personally. Such high quality and a great figure. But yes, diversity wasn't great. A lot of the dolls that were black used the same sculpts as the white dolls. And I can't think of a single asian fashion doll before Oriental Barbie. Some doll lines were better at it than others though. I am glad you enjoyed our video! It is always fun filming with Eddi. I am afraid my next few videos will be quite dull in comparison.

[@Scotty-Z70]

@@fashiondolldreamer i had the Darci Disco, too! loved it.

[@jaedevine3714]

What a great unboxing and exploratory tour of the Darci line! I enjoyed every minute of it! I hope you like your first Darci! It only takes one to get hooked!=)

[@DeanReen]

Hi Jae! There was actually a lot to go through. I couldn't fit it all in and stay under 20 minutes. Oh, I am sure I am hooked. I really want Erica 😂 I need to make some clothes for her now 😋

[@fashiondolldreamer]

'It only takes one to get hooked'.... I tell Dean that all the time!!! LOL :P

[@jaedevine3714]

@@fashiondolldreamer Oh dear! I thought we were talking about Dolls here..LOL

[@mariadelioncourt]

So happy I found your channel! 💜💜I am binge-watching everything from the start! I loved this video and all the information in it!!

[@DeanReen]

Aww, thank you! ❤️ I am so glad you like my channel.

[@middle-aged-mom-discoversstuff]

I LOVE my Darcis! I collected them for a few years in the 1990s and I a blonde, some red heads, and some brunettes. I also have quite a few of the outfits behind you in the video. These were lovely dolls! They had gorgeous faces, GREAT hair, and fun poseability. One of my redheads does have a greenish face now, but the others are good. I LOVED the shoes and bracelets.

[@DeanReen]

Yes! I have noticed some go pale, such a shame! I guess it happens with a lot of dolls though. It seems I am late to the party, everyone seems to have and love Darci. I really want Erica and a fashion called Fancy Dancer. I can't afford any of it though so I will just make my own clothes for my brunette Darci 😊

[@dee9751]

♥️it. So good! Enjoyed watching. Good job 👌

[@DeanReen]

Thank you! ❤️ I am so glad you enjoyed it.

[@ladystrange7791]

I never owned one of these, probably because I was a toddler when they were in production. But they are gorgeous, I would love to own one (I'm lying..all) after seeing this. I love the portfolio concept, & the backdrops because I really love the "fashion" of fashion dolls. Barbie can be anything, but in my house she was limited to a fashion model or a rocker. Sorry Barbie. I know these fashions are dated, but they are still beautiful & those shiny pumps 😍😍😍!!! I love everything about the disco set, including Darci's shiny outfit as well as the beautiful red/blue one Erica is wearing. This was a really great source of info on Darci, very informative & enjoyable to watch. Darci & friends will be going on my wish list. Thanks!

[@DeanReen]

I know right!? I need all 3 characters. Erica is not easy to find, and not affordable either though 😭 Yeah, it is cool isn't it. It is strange no other doll had really focused on the whole modelling aspect before. Barbie touched on it briefly a few times but nothing major. Dolls were always fashion models to me too! The shoes are SO cool! The great thing is, Darci can share accessories and clothes with Hasbro Jem too. I made the red and blue outfit for Eddi a while back. I will have to share it in a future video. I'm so glad you enjoyed our video! Thank you! ❤️

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Yes, Rainbow Brite77, you need to get some Darci! You will have tons of fun with her!!! :)

[@PandoraBoxPanda]

Hi Dean, I have never seen this doll before now. And that articulation back then wow, great review thanks for sharing. PS your hair you look so different I hope you kept it in. Ponytail.

[@DeanReen]

Hi Pandora! I am surprised she didn't do better. She is so pretty too. Her face is so subtle. I got sick of my mullet so I had my fiancé shave it all off. I am relieved it is gone, but this is a bit too short for my liking 😂 Luckily my hair grows fast.

[@PandoraBoxPanda]

@@DeanReen my hair is just past my waist and I’ve been contemplating getting my hair cut, just trying to get the courage. My husband would do it in a Flash hehehe

[@DeanReen]

@@PandoraBoxPanda Like a trim? Or a full cut? I think a trim would be fine. He would cut your hair or get his cut in a flash? 😂

[@aloha2orangeneko]

I had an Erica that was bought in NYC. We never found the black doll. The van never came out. I was voracious for the dolls, all accessories and things like the disco and photo studio. If the van ever came out, my mom would have rushed to get it for me.

[@DeanReen]

So cool! I bet that was a lot of fun to play with! so disco! 💖

[@aloha2orangeneko]

@@DeanReenIt was way better than Barbie. It never caught on like it should have, though. I got a collectors book on it about a decade ago, and I knew all the photos like the back of my hand. I still am sad for the few outfits I never had! My mom always brought new outfits for me each week, and I would tell here which to look out for based on the booklets. A few we never found anywhere. The disco was very cool. The photo studio a bit more basic, but cool. Darci was pretty much life!!

[@DeanReen]

@@aloha2orangeneko Things never change. It's all a popularity contest. Barbie has the reputation, the history etc.

[@heidimountain606]

Darci came out the year I was born, 1979. I don't have any Darci dolls in my collection, but I do collect the Kenner Strawberry Shortcake dolls and playsets along with Barbie. I'm currently collecting Barbie furniture, play packs, and fashion packs that I redress thrifted dolls in.

[@DeanReen]

My sisters collected Strawberry Shortcake as kids. Along with Cabbage Patch dolls 😂 Oh, I would love to get furniture and play packs. I am finding I get bored with my dolls just standing on a shelf! That sounds so fun!

[@08andylee]

Hi Dean, Eddi, I have been waiting for this! =-D Darci also looks like Kenner's Princess Leia 12 inch action figure. That flower that ties at her neck always struck me as being out of scale so I would make one myself usually out of a big ribbon and thread, making my own flower. The red head or titan was usually my favorite. The blond was fun and used to be very easy to find though so she was my second favorite. A lot of people mistook her for Jem or Jerrica Benton by Hasbro back in the day (mid eighties). I never knew about her fashions though I bet I had a few. "Why is this Barbie dress so big on her?"(Barbie). I could see that. I didn't see anything I recognized though. So I enjoyed this, Thanks Geo~

[@08andylee]

Kenner also had the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman lines.

[@DeanReen]

Hello Geo! ❤️ I know, sorry it took so long! Yes, she does a bit! I have a Leia I started rerooting years ago. I really must finish her. The flower is a little large, I have actually put it in her hair now 😂 Ahh! I remember doll clothes not fitting because they were made for other dolls 😂😂 I love brunettes, you know me. But the redhead is also beautiful. I need Erica though. Yeah, the Bionic woman doll is so cool. I don't think I have seen the Six Million Dollar Man though, I will have to look him up.

[@08andylee]

@@DeanReen Don't be sorry, was worth the wait.

[@fashiondolldreamer]

@@08andylee: I think the 12 inch Star Wars dolls and Darci were sculpted by the same sculptor at Kenner, so that would make sense. I forget the name, but I think it's in that Darci ID guide book. I used to have the Six Million Dollar Man doll as a kid and LOVED him. Played with him till he fell apart! LOL

[@08andylee]

Hey @@fashiondolldreamer I remember his crazy eye from once when I was looking him over as a kid.

[@paulmartinez7150]

Hi there love your video i love Darci i have and her friends.As well they did make Fur Fantasy outfit i have it.Thats the only one outfit made from that line.Take care

[@DeanReen]

Thank you ❤️😊 And thanks so much for letting us know!

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Yes, you are right about Fur Fantasy (as you can see it in my collection, too!) But that's because it was also part of the earlier 'Lifestyle' fashions collection that was produced the year before.

[@robertgibson1036]

Did they reach the shore's of England and Ireland I never came across at bootsales or thrift store's I love the black friend and the fashions were outstanding and the possibility I love articulated fashion dolls

[@DeanReen]

I really can't say. Maybe Eddi might know? You can message him on IG: @fashiondolldreamer Thanks for watching ❤️

[@renebmoreira]

💜

[@melanieblair3033]

Hey dean , I remember the doll Darci. I had one, my grandfather bought me one. He bought it from a store called western auto. Does anybody remember that store. I think I got the name right. Love your videos. By the way I finally got me an African American Malibu Ken doll.

[@DeanReen]

I don't know that store, but I am not American 😋 I wonder if anyone remembers it. It is sad how certain stores come and go. A lot of the stores I got toys from as a kid are now gone. Thank you! I am glad you enjoy them. Oh yay!!! Congrats! He is lovely!

[@fashiondolldreamer]

I think I saw some Western Auto catalogs of some vintage and Mod era Barbies a while back... they were soooo cool!

[@sandramiller5652]

I really want to buy another Darci doll 💗💋 Where and how can I buy one ? And how much ? Thank you 😊

[@DeanReen]

Oh, they are amazing. Eddi bought me Erica for my birthday and I love her so much. Eddi and I usually buy our dolls on eBay, Etsy, or Ruby Lane. You could also try FaceBook Marketplace. I have never used it but many people tell me it is worth trying.

[@krystajustice1608]

The girl looked like Tracy Gold from Benson TV show

[@BlakeGildaphish76]

i love the "Darci" jingle!!

[@myloveylove123]

These are very similar to Jem and the holograms. I do know Jem was manufactured from another doll line.was it Darci?

[@DeanReen]

It was indeed! Same body different sculpts 😊❤️

[@BlytheWorld1972]

Well you forgot to mention her plastic joints are brittle especial the later ones .. i do collect her i have around 35 of them i love the size & her fashions .

[@fashiondolldreamer]

Are they? I've seen the joints break on the later Fashion Fragrance Darcis, and on some of the later Jems but all my gals (I have over a dozen or so) have no problems whatsoever. And I am quite brutal with posing them for pics! LOL Just a few random spots of green here and there on some. Though a hand DID come off one of my Danas that I had to glue back on as it wouldn't stay on otherwise. I've also heard of melting on these gals, but nope. None anywhere on mine. Though I do have some earlier Kenner Dustys that melt a lot.

[@BlytheWorld1972]

@@fashiondolldreamer Sadly its true :( i dropped one from my knee i was styling the hair and it fell onto the ground the hip joints basically crumbled i was in shock i now handle mine with care.. REMEMBER DIFFERENT DOLLS WILL HAVE BEEN MADE AT DIFFERENT PLANTS So different plastic used & also 40 + years old i do adore the dolls though . dusty yes lol dont get me started on poor old dusty or the dreaded mego melts! i do love my vintage girls.

[@fashiondolldreamer]

@@BlytheWorld1972: I had a Fashion Photo Barbie NRFB whose arm actually BROKE OFF at the bicep area when she fell on the floor, and not from a great height either. And I have noticed hairline fractures and fading in the arms of other Fashion Photo dolls. After all, they were made just as toys with the intention of being played with for a few years and then mostly discarded, so it's amazing when they DO survive this long!

[@DeanReen]

Hi! Thanks! ❤️ I am not experienced with Darci myself, but I DID have a lot of Jem dolls. They seemed fine but now that you mention it, I did have one that had soft and brittle leg joints. Raya I think it was. Her leg ended up falling off. I didn't know that Darci was the same. I will have to be careful 😋

[@08andylee]

I just remembered this. 1980 was not a good year for Darci to be coming out with a Disco playset. Disco crashed and burned here in the States at Disco Demolition Night -Wikipedia

[@08andylee]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_Demolition_Night

[@DeanReen]

That's funny. I think Disco survived here in Australia much longer. My parents met and married in 1983 and they would talk about going to discos together. I wonder if Darci was sold in other countries and maybe sold better in those countries? I just read about that Disco Demolition Night. It is so strange that people got so worked up over music. And that such an event could have an such an impact.

[@krystajustice1608]

Hu Dean hi Eddie

[@lamosananajimitworealoffic8053]

You cute your hair you look much better and please unbox to jail hair merade barbie please 😭

[@DeanReen]

Aww, thank you! I was worried everyone would hate my hair 😋 Oooh, expensive taste! I will have to see if I could afford one first 😂 ❤️

[@lamosananajimitworealoffic8053]

Please unboxing jule hair mermaid barbie :D

[@DeanReen]

@@lamosananajimitworealoffic8053 I'll see what I can do, stay tuned 😊

[@lamosananajimitworealoffic8053]

Yay

[@AnoniMousen-s6k]

I like literally got to stop tormenting myself with doll clones, I just love wonderfully wacky world of barbie clones. I mean dont get me wrong barbie is queen, but the clones are interesting in their own right and gimmicky.

[@DeanReen]

I'm going to be honest here, I actually prefer clones! Not all of them but when you get a really REALLY good one it is usually better than Barbie. I often use Barbie bodies for my clones though unless the body is really unique.