The Story of Barbie's Japanese Makeover

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This video is intended for adult, and young adult, collectors- NOT children!
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[@sinclair1674]

As an Asian-American, doll collector, and shojo manga fan, Takara Barbie and the Barbie/Reinas with the different screenings have always intrigued me. What a dream it would be to own some of them. Thanks for ironing out the complex history of these dolls!! 💕

[@finland4ever55]

I think it's weird that Japan wasn't into Barbie but since Nutcracker they've been dubbing everything...

[@Jhud69]

Barbie is considered somewhat expensive/a "luxury" doll here in Poland, at least used to be - you were lucky to get a pretty basic doll on Christmas, and even more so in the communist times when you had to have dollars to buy one (my sister lived during these times and apparently she threatened our grandma that she will steal one instead, so mom felt compelled to buy it for her, lol. I inherited the dolls!). Less fortunate people usually buy Steffi Love which is not bad for a Barbie knockoff but of course doesn't come with that many cool outfits. I love the Takara Barbie honestly, she really grew on me. I want one to be alongside my Licca chan collection.

[@claudiagomez5494]

I'm from south America and had the Steffi love too, I love them so much

[@toshiamiyumi2604]

the steffi loves look soooo normal. Barbie has very high fantasy concepts

[@claudiagomez5494]

@@toshiamiyumi2604 but Steffi has a resting bitc# face, it's fun

[@sammallory8099]

I’m American but I keep seeing steffi love dolls at cheaper retail places (Marshall’s mainly!)

[@nemunekosia]

ya im polish and barbie isnt really luxury here now but ofc the prices are higher than in america, but back then - yeah, only rich people could afford barbie

[@08andylee]

I got a Jenny Doll from the late '80's on Ebay in 2006. She was a really nice doll. You could tell who made her. She was just like Licca Chan in her construction.

[@iamsoverybored878]

I got two from the 90s, one in and one out of the box.

[@SlapstickGenius23]

@@iamsoverybored878 I have over a dozen Licca Chans and Jennies!

[@Oliver_Flower]

Great video!! Have you also looked into how MGA tried and failed to bring bratz into the japanese market? Its pretty interesting

[@roxassora2706]

"Show me what you've got" bangs

[@lalasarchive1]

Can't make it everywhere 🤷🏽‍♀️ is what it is lol

[@RoseWaltz]

one of the reasons Bratz took off so quickly in the US was that most of the dolls are BIPOC, and they used real modern fashion instead of the watered down safe-cute-pop Barbie was wearing they are very much rooted in American culture and i would love to see their history in Japan

[@texbex1468]

Would love a video on this pls❣️🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷

[@butterflyminder]

I'm sold. Could even be expanded into a more general video series on how various iconic American doll brands have been received in other markets?

[@Brianna-eo8nu]

I wonder if that cultural difference of Japanese society seeing adulthood as taking on more responsibilities rather than becoming more free and independent the same reason for stylistic quirks in shojo or shonen anime. Like how some characters, despite being stated in universe to be older teens or adults in the source material, look young.

[@rickylopez6633]

Fun fact ma-ba Barbie was sold in Korea and she very good. The company young toys got the molds in 1991, and they created Jouju, the 2nd successful fashion doll after Mimi 👌🏽 they are still competing on the market. 😂

[@SlapstickGenius23]

Jouju also has the Secret Jouju magical girl show. It’s actually a pretty decent spinoff!

[@jennifer386]

It's really funny how petty mattel has always been. I would expect this behavior from a real life person but an entire company is just hilarious 😂

[@Peajay007]

This is going to seem like an off comparison But this reminds me of Starbucks coming here to Australia and failing. We have our own coffee culture that Starbucks didn’t quite understand. So now they’re attempting to adapt to the Australian culture and life. Mattel took it further and overstepped the invisible line.

[@SlapstickGenius23]

I went to a Chippendale Starbucks and it’s often filled with coffee-drunk young adults, super sugary frappes and more. It’s a pretty mid place!

[@beaumainz]

I looove Licca & Jenny! While all of my Liccas are modern (including 2 Castle dolls) my Jennys are vintage. I think. I ended up paying a little too much for them on Etsy because I hadn't done my research yet, but they're still really beautiful dolls.

[@Eepop_stuffs]

This upload literally came right on time, I was looking for something to watch while washing some of my new thrifted dolls' hair lol

[@katblackwell]

Exactly the same here!! Was just about to wash & style the hair of my new dolls i got myself for christmas!

[@finland4ever55]

Could you talk about Barbie in Brazil? There were lots of modifications made to the dolls and their outfits and also how most of Barbie's friend group was completely replaced, and the Rockers had about FOUR different editions. It's also worth pointing out they had no non white dolls in Brazil other than Debora, a Latina who replaced Teresa in Hollywood Hair, and an exclusive Lights N Lace Kira, the only Kira doll in Brazil.

[@katie_and_her_dolls]

I love all of the Japanese exclusive Barbies! Thank you so much for covering this topic! I am a huge shoujo fan as well as collect Smart Doll and Dollfie Dream, so I'm a fan of the more kawaii style dolls. I also really like dolls of anime characters like Miracle Girls and Marmalade Boy. I love all of those dolls so much and I wish they were easier to obtain in America. If you want to collect Japanese exclusive dolls I recommend finding a reliable proxy service. I have gotten so many good deals that way.

[@TheChaoticAsexual]

I don't have any Japanese Barbies or Liccas (although I would love to get one of the latter someday) but I do have a Japanese Bandai fashion doll: specifically Mitsuri from Demon Slayer with the collab they did. The box was in Japanese even though I ordered it off of Amazon US but she's so pretty! She def has a face screening that reminds me of Licca-chan tho, and I hope that they make more anime fashion dolls!

[@eyesgalore2971]

i've been obsessed with takara barbie since this summer, nice to see you talk about her

[@thomasdykstra8325]

Love love love your videos. The way you bring well-executed video essays into the doll community is just perfection. I don’t think I’ll end up collecting vintage Barbies from the Japanese market, but Jenny does are so cute and so well done and I’d love to own one someday.

[@TBCaine]

"our good old friend Bandai" *screams of terror from any international fan of a Japanese IP*

[@usainengland]

I loved your story about your lovely hosts! So glad that you could share with them. Really communicating with all types of folks makes humanity better educated and just plain better. I have an appointment about immigration today and needed your good vibes.

[@chu-chuns]

princess jellyfish and anime idols?! sounds like a dream 🤩🥰

[@theresaj9846]

You saying that younger looking dolls are more popular in Japan, it makes me wonder if a doll like American Girl would do well there? Mattel has barely tried to branch out of the US with AG, probably because of the name, but I don't see why AG couldn't do well somewhere like Japan with just maybe a slight name change for international audiences, and a few more Asia dolls.

[@zqyan7825]

Tbh, I don't think it's about the dolls looking younger but more that dolls with a more anime/manga look are more popular there.

[@andreibenedictmendiola1553]

i love the 2000s japanese screening, especially with the mackie sculpt! the pale skin, big brown eyes, and strawberry blonde hair are so pretty. interestingly, some of these dolls were sold in the philippines and other asian countries too lol

[@SlapstickGenius23]

Gee I didn’t know the somewhat hard-rebooted 2000s line was that popular outside of Japan. I have a bunch of Jennies too in the closet downstairs.

[@marisadaniela6]

This was so interesting. I can just imagine the drama playing out in those offices and board rooms at Mattel headquarters. Honestly i have always wanted a Licca chan doll, but I kind of love the Takara Barbie. Also I sometimes see the 90s barbies that were only released on Japan for sale secondhand on etsy (90s superstar barbies are my favorite).

[@Animefruba]

I saw your post I'm glad you went to the trouble of redoing it very interested in the time you spend in Japan hope you still keep in touch with the family you was living with

[@yokhawanha]

Barbie presence still the same in Japan, the thing is japan has a lot of doll company and line and its quite popular, I think if in today market if they want to have a presence in Japan doll hobbyists they need to do a collaboration with a doll company that has big name in Japan, like licca, azone, obitsu, volks, etc.

[@Cottenkitty123]

Barbie products were so expensive in Tokyo. One shop sold the cutie reveals for $80 aud when in Australia they cost between 25-30

[@sonyakinsey4376]

Nice video. Licca-chan has such nice clothes. You could also look into Steffi Love. She's the "Barbie" most of my German friends grew up with.

[@SlapstickGenius23]

I used to have a bunch of Steffi and fellow Barbie competitor dolls. They’re rather unattractive looking to my eyes. Most of my childhood barbies were also of a rather crap quality, so I’m better off with my other barbies now. I also have Licca Chans and Jennies in the hideaway closet downstairs.

[@dulcierobertson7828]

Omg Licca looks so much like the UK's Sindy dolls from the 60s! Similar story as well - they were more popular than Barbie bc they looked cuter and dressed like London mods!

[@MichelleW]

A few months ago I was at a doll show called Queens of The Doll Isle and I picked up a VHS that was two dollars. Apparently it’s a tape of a Barbie auction in Japan! I’m pretty sure I saved it from a dumpster! I need to convert it. When I do, would you be interested in seeing it? How can I get it to the people who would care about it? I’m pretty sure it’s from 1994!

[@Chariots1981]

Living in Japan and have really fallen in love with Ricca-chan recently, although I grew up with Barbie and still love her. Really enjoyed your history of Barbie/Jenny/MaBa Barbie. Would love to get a Reina someday. As you mentioned, very few American Barbies in the toy stores here but they are readily available online, especially Amazon Japan.

[@andreibenedictmendiola1553]

it’s so fascinating to see how barbie has done in other countries! that barbie store in shanghai still gets mentioned in some of my business/marketing classes lol

[@JenKunoichi351]

Oh wow. I knew about Jenny but not the Ma Ba Barbies. They look absoluttely gorgeous.

[@SlapstickGenius23]

The Ma Ba Barbies must’ve inspired both Secret Jouju and the Sailor Moon manga too!

[@sailor-retrograde]

so sorry your first vid crashed but take two is delightful. Also, the cinnamoroll sweater is so cute omg

[@abreeanderson]

Omg the cosmos are nuts, I was just wanting to invest in “Barbie” but being a Bratz Fan through and through I wanted a “adjacent” version and I neeeeeed to get my hands on the ones from Takara or other brands

[@IDGAFBF]

I am not a fan of Takara's Barbie/Later Jenny's face screening, there is something there that bothers me slightly. However I absolutely LOVE Licca-Chan, I first heard of Licca too many years ago because there was a Licca-Chan Trivia Game on the ancient website Neopets 😂, but had I completely forgotten about her until almost 20 years into the present when I started following your channel and you remined me of her lovely existence with your unboxing video last year. I had started following your channel not too long before that, so thanks to you for reminding me, I am the proud owner of 2 Licca-Chan dolls, 4 fashion packs and 2 shoe packs.

[@dorianthekilljoy4092]

Okay so I'm really excited to talk about this. I have a Licca from some time during the 80's (you can tell from her arm joints) I don't have her original clothes but I have a 2009 I think school uniform. Her left shoulder joint is broken, and my own left shoulder dislocates all the time and we have matching blonde hair with a fringe and blue grey eyes so I call her mini me. I also have a recent san-x collaboration doll which I kinda took out the box, styled then put back. I also just got the 1987 Ana airlines doll with blonde hair and I'm so excited. I had to take her out the box because the rubber bands on her hair had perished. I'm so excited about her. Both mini me and Ana were a gift from my grandparents. (I live in the UK and my mum brought them on eBay for my grandparents) they're usually listed under Japanese doll or something really vague and inaccurate because people buy them as holiday gifts and don't know what they are. Sorry for the rant I'm just excited Edit: I also have a Japanese book on the history of Licca with all her family tree and the timeline of facemolds and bodys and generally some really cool pictures of her through the years. Kinda sad I can't read Japanese yet. Just gotta look at the pictures and numbers for now.

[@dirtyon65]

I have been a Barbie fan all my life and never knew any of this. Thanks for sharing and you have an amazing doll collection!

[@v.958]

I am subscribing in honor of my grandma, Ginny, who was a doll collector. Her spirit and I watch your videos and we think you are delightful ❤

[@hexgirlsgroupie]

would love to get my hands on a licca doll, especially the one in the school uniform. shes so cute 🥹 (also ur host “parents” slayed w/ stanning akiko higashimura & love live lol)

[@Lalaithlen]

I have chabbel, the spanish version of ricca from the 80's early 90's

[@kyliethelittlespider-mangirl94]

Just ordered like 5 Liccas (all from offers on EBay and ordered on separate days FYI) cuz damn it she’s adorable.

[@chloewojewoda5466]

so fascinating!! and you’re such a sweet earnest story teller. everything is so clear when you explain it!!

[@perfumedelight66]

Thanks for the video and happy new year to you! ❤

[@thebunnyfoofoo]

I’ve been meaning to get a Lucian or two for my niece. Especially the Cinnabon collaboration one.

[@Msbeeboper]

My aunt went to Tokyo when I was 7 and bought me a Jenny in a red furisode (kimono with super long sleeves) and it was my most prized doll for years! I accidentally burned off part of her hair with a straightener a while back and literally screamed, haha. I know better now. When I was in Japan myself earlier this year I bought a Licca doll sort of in honor of my original Jenny. If I’d have had more room in my suitcase maybe I would have bought 3 or 4 😅

[@perfumedelight66]

Thanks!

[@gingerbreadpop7068]

LETS GOO I WAS LOOKING FOR A VID TO CLEAN MY ROOM TO AND THEN YOU POSTED!!!

[@Camille_Morin]

Very educational and well-documented. Thank you, I always enjoy watching your videos

[@SlapstickGenius23]

The South Korean doll line Jouju was a rebadged Bandai Barbie until it became its own magical girl thing. It’s a competitor to the Mimi doll line by Mimi World.

[@TitanicSurvivor666]

I love every time you upload a new video

[@bloomjuliaeslavin525]

If you haven’t done a video barrier already, I’d be interested in a video about the Winx club Fashion dolls, especially in the Bloom ones

[@terrysilva6430]

Great video. I had no idea this collaboration happened between mattel and Japan doll companies. Pretty interesting and they were adorable

[@rachelcoleman9959]

I love your videos! I wish I could like it twice !

[@Valerie.Moonnie]

Cool! I can see you've got new LOL OMG, Wildflower and Pose!

[@nevernadeshiko164]

MaBa Barbies design ultimately led to a Korea JouJou doll line

[@necrotoxin7366]

I have that same sweater!

[@peanutbutterex]

As both a barbie and shoujo manga/anime fan, i absolutely love takara barbie/jenny, and this video inspired me to impulse buy a jenny doll at 2 am, so thank you for that

[@RoseWaltz]

i've got a small collection of JeNnYs, and an Okinawa Licca i also have her boyfriend Tom, the Black version, whiiiiich i let a friend rename to Duane i've always wanted a MaBa Barbie, but it hasn't happened and i don't collect so much anymore

[@AllDolls]

Really interesting stuff, thanks for sharing

[@kylakemp9000]

i love the playsets you can get from Licca chan and the other members of her family are sweet. ❤

[@abigailcummings965]

Licca Chan is the primary doll I collect and I love her so much!

[@Chilakkuma]

I love this subject, it's so interesting! One of my grails is that insanely expensive Japanese Malibu Skipper, which I will never own, but seeing as I already own various Japanese dolls AND Barbie, it's time I combined the two.

[@texbex1468]

I adore your videos❣️ Hoping to be spoiled with many more in 2024❣️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🩷

[@marzettik]

Cool video. I enjoyed a good deep dive. ❤

[@DaisZX]

I'm an action figure collector and know nothing of dolls. Once in a while I like to check out what's going on in the other aisles. Really cool to see the transformers history linked. Takara is also the company that adapted G.I.Joe into Microman, so their designers had a lot of talent for that in those years.

[@julienicol9202]

I really really want a Licca chan one day and a Jenny. I also want to take a trip to Japan one day and go to at least one of the Licca chan castles. I hear that Jenny/Takara Barbie is taller than Licca chan, and she’s often called Licca’s big sister because of it. I want both so I can compare them with each other and to some of my old Matel Barbies!

[@greencoloredstar]

I have a Jenny doll from the early 2000s and I love her! She's gorgeous. ❤️

[@megdelaney3677]

Thanks for all the info! Love the school uniform Barbies, but probably out of my price range. 😊

[@blackroseknight77]

I have a lecca chan haruto, I got a very long time ago on Amazon

[@Razz_Dazz1]

I'm actually heading to Japan later in 2024 and am 100% planning on buying at least 1 Licca Chan doll there.

[@Nermadethis]

My whole doll collecting fixation started because I found a Jenny doll from the 90s(?), in an Ohio Goodwill in 2016. No idea how she got there. Was never interested in dolls before, but I couldn't NOT take her home. A wild compulsion. Never been able to identify the exact doll I found. She has floor length dark brown hair swooped to the side that turns hot pink with warm water. Her face is default Jenny, wearing hot pink lipstick and a thin line of white eyeshadow. She wore a cream princess dress with gold details, but I don't think the dress would have been her original outfit. On a mission to find her a good boyfriend one day y.y

[@OriginalSabZero]

I recently bought the Licca wants to be an astronaut doll. She was on sale fortunately, because her accessories were pretty lacking.

[@qryptid]

You got to play an actual PriPara machine 🤩🤩🤩 I have a collection of the cards you would use to change the characters outfits that you could slot into the machine. The only doll that exists from the series is a Licca-chan of Lala Hiyama (the main character with lavender hair) and i missed a shot to get her earlier this year. The only Licca-chan I've ever wanted, though she does seem lovely and high quality, i just prefer more articulation and have started collecting a lot of 1/12 scale bjds and jointed dolls because who doesnt love a kawaii face 🥰🥰🥰 so cool to hear about your experiences in addition to your incredibly thorough research! ❤

[@Cottenkitty123]

Oh I did buy the super brother Mario mica doll lol

[@imbored5095]

Who is your favorite Love live character?

[@francisfishing4913]

I want that mink coat barbie so bad

[@PristinePanda]

i see you pripara machine

[@Kitty-the-Bunny]

I have a couple Licca-chans and I love them! I would love to get more of them and some Jennys, and I really want Reina and also, not mentioned in this video but *especially* the Japanese Hello Kitty Barbie. I'm a very big fan of the "cuter" look Japanese fashion dolls tend to go for ^^

[@hellomanul]

Drop the love love and idolmaster bias!!

[@DarlingDollz]

Nico and Iori are my girls!!

[@wizzwamf]

love licca chan her playsets are very realistic , and jenny shes aorable , ma ba barbies are cute too

[@Ilsezwarts]

I thought I owned a Licca chan, but after this video I think its a Jenny! My dad bought it for me in the early 2000s

[@retropockystick]

thank you for this! i feel so much more educated on Barbie and Licca-chan now. Also, I'm sure you've heard about Rainbow High? 😭 Cant wait to hear your thoughts?

[@carolinepring8566]

What do you even mean by this lol darling has several videos on RH and they're prominently displayed in the background

[@mirandapodoserpula]

Seeing jellyfish princess mentioned took me back! That was such a huge influence in getting comfortable with my gender expression! Not the point of the video, I know, but a little detail I appreciated hearing about.

[@MystWonka]

Omg you said you cut yourself I thought that was a part of your skin on your jaw rather than a band-aid 😭

[@sarahgoetz1170]

Whoa let's pause... You can study doll esthetics at university in Japan?!? What a truly fantastic course that would be to take

[@BloodyBraces]

Imagine if there ever was a Barbie and Licca-chan collab

[@candicemacklin6901]

Hi darling dollz can't you doing reviews the new Disney liy 4 every dolls

[@skycotl]

yey a videoo

[@carseat2271]

Does anyone else think the ma-ba barbie is very beautiful and wants one now

[@agaycrow2520]

the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics Licca doll was my #1 dream doll for a long time, shes wearing this pink yukata and is sooooo cute. unfortunately being in Canada there wasn't an easy way to get her. Eventually I found a website (verygoods i believe it was called) that shipped to Canada, albeit at a high price, abt $50 CAD so I got a bunch of friends in on the order mostly w pokemon merch so i could justify getting her lmao I was so excited when she arrived! I would absolutely love to own more, but it'll be a while before i can justify another order

[@Ashimuro]

My life for the last 5 months have been the Little Factory/licca castle dolls and it's looking more like my focus will be on them with the stare of Rainbow High and LOL OMG potentially going down the drain. We shall see

[@xcar0982]

I'm a very casual doll collector, but I'm really interested in to get a Licca-chan.

[@OctoberPoppets]

THis only made me sadder aout how bad the Sailor Moon dolls were

[@TheBeatlesPkmnFan42]

I don't own any Takara Barbies or Jenny dolls yet. I do own three Licca-chan dolls however, I love them very much, and definitely want to get more.

[@kenziehurlock]

It's really fascinating that in the 1960s, which wasn't even that long ago in the grand scheme of time, Japanese households didn't even have fridges. But today, Japan is far more advanced than America can imagine. In 60 years, Japan has skyrocketed in technological advancements when America has fallen dead in its tracks.

[@v0mit_gurl939]

Idk why but whenever you've talked abt your host parents in the past I'd always pictured them as geriatric lol

[@Junebug6969]

forgive me if youve done a video on this already, but id love to see you do a video on mainline licca chan (not jenny or hashtag licca) thanks to an online friend i learned about licca chan and fell in love with her mainline dolls. ive showed my grandparents her and they adore her too! i want more foreigners to know about her.

[@spaghetticore]

awesome video I like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@chelseashamim9148]

❤

[@iamsoverybored878]

Odd my boxed Jenny says she's from San Francisco not LA.

[@jenmb.]

You must have been so annoyed about the crash x

[@Josh_koolkeri4537.]

Unpopular opinion I prefer the Japanese anime Barbie😬😬