Kira: The History of Barbie's East Asian Friend!

[@jacqueline5625]

Nguyen is a common Vietnamese surname, hence why people believe that Kira is Vietnamese. The fact that she could be either - Vietnamese, Japanese (as per the book you cited), or just "vaguely Oriental" indicates where Western society was at the time with regards to understanding and recognizing nuances and diversity within Asian cultures! I had both Kira and Nia, and they were among my top three favourite Barbies that I ever owned. I especially loved Nia because of her outfit and earrings. I always wondered if Nia was supposed to be Native American.

[@Misslou2425]

Kira was my first Barbie. I left her outside one day...the day before Hurricane Gilbert hit my island in 1988, Sept 12. She washed away. This video reminds me....l must repurchase her.❤

[@fire34fly]

I had to go back to the beginning of the video to make sure I wasn't going insane cause I remember you did do a video on Kira a bit ago, I thought I was turning into Madam web for a second

[@nicole4c475]

I saw this video a while ago. So you're not crazy

[@THEKINGSKAB]

id love a video touching on every single friend barbie has ever had

[@kearosene]

Hi Joey! I love these videos and what they represent to me. I am actually Southeast Asian but I had a few Kira dolls, and I love them all. It made me feel seen in a way, also Nguyen is pronounced "Wen" :)

[@dameneko]

My Scene Nolee! She was my girl, along with Jade from Bratz. I was bummed that Mattel had to discontinue the My Scene line.

[@JuLayLeeBee]

It’s coming back this year!

[@dannyphillips6694]

Kira/marina was allways my fave as a kid.

[@dolljunk]

Ng is actually a distinctive sound in Vietnamese, similar to Th or Ch in English. Nguyen is broken into Ngu and Yen in Vietnamese. Since it is hard to have Vietnamese sounds in English I prefer to say Noo-en for myself as people can wrap their heads around the word, though some people say Win (as Ng can sorta be said with a W sound ) depending on which english speaking country you're in and it suits an American accent more than a British or Australian accent I find.

[@franzlim]

I would love to see you make a video dedicated to fashion Fever line and all the dolls in that line 😭❤️

[@clos4824]

Great video! Even though Christie and Teresa are my favorite Barbie friends, Kira is the one that rounds out the group real well. I would love to see a video on Steffie, her history in the Barbie world and how her face mold has been used by so many different Barbie characters (Teresa, Midge and Christie).

[@dameneko]

I appreciate the care you take with these videos. It's clear you are truly passionate about what you do. I've seen other comments mentioning this, but I'd love for you to do a video about PJ! My older cousins had this doll. I think she was Barbie's cousin. She was a bit before your time and mine, but she's just lovely.

[@finland4ever55]

Francie was Barbie's cousin. PJ replaced Midge in the late 60s and 70s.

[@AmberBrooklyn24]

Oh I loved Kira! Growing up, besides the regular white and black Barbie, Theresa and Kira were my absolute favorites ❤

[@sanspie029]

I wonder why Kira never had her own Asian Ken. Christie has Steven and I think there is a Hispanic Ken for Teresa. I wondered what could have been?

[@sakuragyoza]

Very Velvet Barbie! Felt that one deep in my soul. Sun Jewel Kira was my first "This one is special" doll, and Kira still remains my favorite! 💜

[@Lulaa_the_human]

Nguyen is the last name of the character Diane from Bojack Horseman. She is Vietnamese, so I assume that is why many Barbie fans say that Kira is Vietnamese.

[@atrapforfools]

You are right but Nguyen is just a very common viet surname, most ppl know shes viet bc of that, not so much because of diane

[@MK_1Ultra]

Also she was given that last name by fans. Never officially release by Matell or Barbie tm

[@retsiko]

BOJACK HORSEMAN MENTION

[@Beautyymark]

@@atrapforfools 😂

[@lothelibra5606]

Is it pronounced “nwen” ? First time i said “n-gu-yen” and i received nothing but laughs 😭

[@Elizabeth-wq3ig]

I bought that soccer Kira a couple years ago just for her face. She’s got beautiful violet eyes and a lovely coral lip color.

[@ismaelrodriguez6420]

She also went by Mikko at one time. With hair down to her ankles. Gorgeous doll!

[@coleXao]

I remember the kira from the 90s with the purple bikini,,,I also have the Kira Princess...iin my opinion the character Kira is one of the most beautiful molds done by mattel.

[@romonaelrod7870]

Hi Joey,your microphone is working well. I don't hear the rain. I love the Kira and the other asian dolls.

[@3veraj]

I'm loving this series of exploring the different Barbie characters! Would love to explore PJ, Summer, and Allan!

[@lars7282]

Am I in a timeloop? I could SWEAR to have seen this video befor, I have such a Dejavu right now 😳😳

[@MrRuceba]

Me tooooo

[@Nefrit13]

You didn't listen to the intro then 😁

[@lars7282]

Why wouldn’t I? I know it’s split. I’m talking about the video itself.

[@terrysilva6430]

I love Kira, I have a couple from the 90s. And the Nguyen name is pronounced gooyen, the N is silent. Anyway I love this series focusing on a specific doll. Im also british from Bermuda living in the US since I was 11. Hope you're doing well. Looking forward to your next video

[@milamcneal3428]

💖💖💖💖💖 I’ve never had a Kira she’s so beautiful

[@Spidrick]

Great video mate! I am a Kira stan and enjoyed the history lesson!

[@PurpleandWhiteStories]

Much better split up as two separate videos. I had Beach Blast Miko and Rollerblade Kira as a child. Still have the rollerblades and they still worked last I tested them. 😅 Thanks for showing how Kira's face mold is still around after all these years.

[@lizmorrison9393]

The blue is beautiful. Ur mike is good.

[@Girl2TheCity]

As a huge Kira fan, I love 💕 this series ❤ Nolee from My scene Kira is in the current Totally Hair doll line Our girl is still here❤

[@ImTasty1978]

Kira to me …… don’t get me wrong, I love Barbie but there is something to be said about having a Barbie friend that looks similar to you. I’m mixed so I really gravitate to Black Barbie/Christie AND Kira …. It being the 80s/90s this is what you had. 😊

[@muunprince1992]

Sit 'n Style and Picture Pocket Kira is my fave dolls of her too! Literally embodiment of the early 2000's. Wish they'd use Kira/Miko face mold to the Philippines dolls they produced in the 90's.

[@ImTasty1978]

NOO-win , Nguyen

[@jamesivanalcantara2663]

Kira Is One Of My Favorites Among Barbie's Friends! ❤❤❤❤ She Is So Gorgeous! 🥰

[@Nniikkolleta]

For my Kira, when I was 14, I've stolen money from my dad's metal box😝, to bay her. She was Unated Collors of Benneton Kira - Marina🥰

[@danniifan3115]

Did you ever pay him back?

[@Nniikkolleta]

@@danniifan3115 I didn't tell him😉 But I won't pay him, because ones he drow on face of my day to night 2008 barbie moustache 🧔wirh pen✍️ and destroy her, he told me that it was funny, but I was devastated 😭

[@alienovel]

Nguyen is a common vietnamese surname pronounced “New-en”

[@catherinesaris4255]

Whats interesting and amusing to me is that Kira was doing all kinds of sports in different Barbie doll lines but only in the early 90s she learnt how to walk and move with the Movin and Groovin line (???).

[@psychoDOLLogist]

Kira is a Japanese name, it only makes sense she would be Japanese originally 🫶

[@BeautyInsideABox]

I really don’t know why so many fan sites say she’s Vietnamese. I really wanna know where they got that idea from

[@Kent-cw9pl]

@@BeautyInsideABoxI think it may help to know where it was said her last name was Nguyen (pronounced "Winn"). That is a Vietnamese name so I believe that is where they are getting Vietnamese from.

[@myriaht8034]

There is a Avon disney Mulan barbie, I purchased it for my high school computer teacher she was a huge Barbie collector

[@emethborras6597]

:( i will miss u kira and hello lea lea is back!

[@BellaParkerPink]

This video is a reupload! You uploaded this before because I remember the thumbnail and I remember watching it!

[@Lizzy91Mcfly]

I always wanted to have Kira especially the sit n style I wanted all dolls from that collection but I couldn't in Mexico they never sold kira and christie and Teresa was so hard to get but I got Teresa as a gift in 2000 christmas she is my first Teresa but I wanted so much to collect all barbie's friends and to have barbies that look different and that come from different places, I love your videos of the origin of these amazing barbies

[@twilightom]

I think the MTM BMR 1959 Kira could be a great addition to this magnificent recount of all the Kiras. I love the Kira face mold and it’s a pity that Mattel doesn’t use it more frequently.

[@davidolivier1983]

I love Island fun Miko! That's when I started to follow this character. She was called Marina here in Europe. At that time, I was confused between Miko, Kira and Marina... there was no internet to do my research. Miko looks more Hawaiian than Asian. It's as from Kira's character that she started to look Asian.

[@Glitteringmoonstone2022]

Her job is just beach ⛱️

[@andyfirechild9823]

Kira is a Japanese name. I don't know if there's also other countries were Kira is a common name too. But the facemold was used for many different east and southeast Asian Barbies and I think it was meant to be ambiguous. It makes sense from a business standpoint to have a generic facemold that could be whatever Asian ethnicity the customer or Mattel wanted her to be. Super glad there's tons of different Asian facemolds now. But Kira does have a special spot in my heart. I love the 80's-90's the most for Barbie because she's so magical girl sparkly and cute. When I was little, I usually got the brunette white Barbies because there wasn't much of a selection of Asian dolls, but now as an adult collector, I love buying the pastel Kira dolls and redressing her in the pink outfits that 90's white Barbie got. Sad there weren't any east Asian Barbies in the Barbie movie. But at least we got an Asian Ken for the first time in sixty years. As another commenter expressed, I'm so curious what an Asian Ken might have looked like if they had made one long before the 2020's.

[@dakotabarnes6048]

I remember her. I had tropical Miko barbie and the sensations Becky

[@veen-a2092]

Raquelle full name is Raquelle Nia Lee Kim she’s said to be mix Hawaiian and Korean but she also used Raquelle Carson as her name as well so a little break up drama in the family I assumed?lol

[@danniifan3115]

Raquelle from the Barbie Diaries?!

[@veen-a2092]

@@danniifan3115 ???Life in the Dreamhouse

[@LaBellesGrace]

@@veen-a2092Raquelle was first introduced in the Barbie brand back in 2006 with The Barbie Diaries doll line and movie, which is why they asked :) I never knew she went by Raquelle Carson at one point. I’m going to guess it was during the early stages of her creation when she had blonde hair and green eyes right? Since Ken’s last name is Carson and he went back to blonde around that time? That’s interesting since she didn’t appear again since 2006, until 2010 in Barbie in a Fashion Fairytale. With Life In The Dreamhouse coming out less than two years later. 🤔 I think Joey needs to do a video on Raquelle next lol.

[@veen-a2092]

@@LaBellesGrace No I know that I don't talk about the movies because in the movies the dolls play characters not themselves as the doll itself the Raquelle in Barbie diaries don't have a sure name she's just Raquelle

[@LaBellesGrace]

@@veen-a2092 I think you could’ve written that a little clearer to understand tbh. The designers had confirmed back in the day that Life in the Dreamhouse Raquelle *is* the same Raquelle from The Barbie Diaries, Fashion Fairytale and A Fairy Secret. Just in alternate universes for obvious reasons because al the lines are “different dolls”. They’re overall the same exact character; which is why in all media she’s always antagonistic to Barbie and fighting to get the love interests’ attention.

[@serenasapphire8883]

I used to have wet and wild Kira and surf city Kira and Ocean friends Kira and Sapphire Splenda Kira, she was so precious to me! She looked JUST like me at the time and she had my name! I waited my whole Life for her! But unfortunately a fire burned down my house and whole town so I lost my Kira collection

[@callmethecommentcountess9329]

Can you do a grown-up skipper next?

[@krystajustice1608]

Hi Joey I love Kira

[@MK_1Ultra]

I love the fact that all the Viets named Kiras last name as Nguyen when she's been STATED in brand product as Japanese-American 😂😂😂

[@brenokisch]

would you do some ''friends of barbie around world''? i'm brazilian but i never found any brazilian friend of her lol

[@Carlos-ll7bz]

The only one I can think of is the Carnival Barbie in the 2000s!

[@julieletford5695]

I love Kira.

[@didoryan3537]

I got one Kira from princess and pop star 2012

[@PRINCESS8606]

Love these videos.❤

[@Florafioree]

Raquelle is a Korean American doll 🇰🇷

[@bassantzaki8239]

Hi Joey, I'm a follower from Egypt 🇪🇬 Would love to see you covering the middle eastern / north African representation of Barbie. As far as I know there's been couple of Barbies released with Moroccan traditional clothing and one ancient Egyptian. There's only one hijabi (veiled) Barbie which was made in honor of Ibtihaj Muhammad -the American fencer-. Growing up in the middle east in the 90s and early 2000s most of the Barbies that we had in the market were the white/caucasian ones which kept me wondering is it based on market research that girls would prefer to have white dolls? Oh and also in the early 2000s some Sheikhs -Muslim religious men- stated that Muslim girls shouldn't be playing with Barbies coz they'd be encouraged to wear revealing clothes and heavy make-up. Around the same time Fula -a replica of Barbie- was released wearing either veil and/or modest clothes. I think it'll be interesting to have this covered in your channel. Hope you see my comment. Much love and God bless 😊

[@LittlemisstoxicTfc]

Og lea was the doll i used for Jacob from Twilight 😭

[@LittlemisstoxicTfc]

I've been trying to figure out what doll it was for like 20 years

[@exoticfry1032]

luv ur vids, such a doll

[@garbageplanet7387]

Sun Sensation Kira is my all time favorite Barbie! As a kid I decided she was Hawaiian because she came in a bathing suit lol

[@sarahlaurent-zurawczak1110]

Christie and Kira, my two favorites ! Curiously, I found Barbie herself less pretty, with less personality than those two... I played with them more than I played with Skipper and Barbie... And I had quite a few.

[@haylieamygoth3407]

I have Surf city Kira, and Palm beach Lea

[@muunprince1992]

Wasn't Tropical Miko released in 1985?

[@Blaise86]

Ok but like I need a video on alllllll the Nicki’s

[@ReeceCie]

This is rly weird bc i seen this video up yesterday.. Am I going insane or something

[@spookyduck13]

I had a kira. She was so pretty. J believe she was a beach one

[@merrillyu-gi-ohfan01king]

Kira is pretty doll

[@syndyannsulla5367]

but old kira i got in 1999 ❤❤❤❤

[@jka1165]

Love the video 💖 But isn't Raquel Korean-American?

[@NikolasOlah-ee9ez]

I love yours videos 😍😍😍🥰❤❤❤❤

[@JavonLee-fr8ir]

I want a lot of Barbie dolls I like Nikki Barbie dolls and the another Barbie dolls

[@julieletford5695]

What about Mikko?

[@jeremygilmer]

What if he made a video about barbie's little sister stacy

[@laureencriss8220]

I'm not sure, if they hadn't mentioned asian on the box one time, that people would know it. I wouldn't. She's beautiful tho.

[@Sophie_idk_lol]

In my opinion Renee is supposed to be 𝐾𝑖𝑟𝑎

[@syndyannsulla5367]

i got dana and mico ❤❤❤

[@dionneking8]

Cool

[@veen-a2092]

Oooh Nguyen I think thats why Nguyen is a Vietamese surename I think there are some Thai people that have this sure-name as well?

[@britishchick09]

This video looks familiar... ;)

[@LittlemisstoxicTfc]

I'm sorry for clicking off i really want to see this one lol

[@EryVcToys]

Deja Vu 🤯

[@Vanessa-nh5es]

🤗♥️😍🔥🧚🎉🧜🏻‍♀️

[@NikolasOlah-ee9ez]

I love youuuu 😘😘🥰🥰😘❤❤😇

[@issyg.6174]

Any Doll news video?

[@AlyssaHo-ed4kp]

I’m Vietnamese my moms last name is Nguyen

[@daniedd]

✌🏻😊❤️❤️❤️

[@krystajustice1608]

Hi Joey I love Kira