There are as many thoughts, likes and dislikes on the variations of body types over the years, as there are body changes. Vintage collectors of course prefers the old body with big boobs, narrow hips and calves. Others prefer the successor, T'nT with twist waist and wider hips. The SuperStar body comes next and the biggest issue people have with that body, is what arms are used. Some prefers the Shani body, that is narrower, like the vintage body and slightly smaller breasts. Some loves the Belly Button, even if the number decreases - unless that belly button is on a Fashionistas articular body. That body has wider hips, a flat tummy with a belly button and small boobs high up on the torso. Most hateful is the hobbit, same belly button torso but narrower hips - the legs is what gives the width. Next change came with the Model Muse body. Tall, thin model bodies, made for the catwalk - or as store window mannequins with loooong legs! Some hate them, others loves them! This comes with a variation in the pivotal body which at least gives some sort of life to the statuettes.
More will follow as I receive others and the new different body types from 2016, Petite, Curvy and Tall.

These are the main body types. Then there are a lot of variations and gimmicks to them. The worst part in my eyes are the fact that, with the big alterations and changes, clothes never fits new versions. The MM body can use almost any garment but with the need to pin down here and there. Pants might be on the short side as they are legs, legs and legs! Miles of them. The BB can't wear anything other than the fashions made for them - with the exception of tops that aren't form fitted to older body types. No pants or skirts, if not made by soft, stretchy materials. Don't even get me started on the kids' department!

Then we have the issue of shoes. The flat gymnast feet and the ugly beach feet rarely have anything suitable to wear. Sandals and sneakers. And the occasional ballerinas or Mary Janes. Sandals for the beach feet. Variation is good but not to the cost of lost fashion senses and playtime with that. The new Tall and Curvy dolls have bigger/longer feet than the 'Original' Belly Button and the Petite.

 

Different body types through the years

1966 original T'nT body (T'nT Christie)
1966 Superstar straight waist body, with PTR arms (nn Style Barbie)
1999 Belly Button body (My Scene Madison)
2005 Hobbit/Shorty body, with flat beach feet (Beach Glam Nikki)
2010 Swapping Head Fashionistas body (F Barbie w pet)
2003 Model Muse body (Pop Icon Barbie)

1966 straight-waist superstar body with Shani arms (Bead Blast Barbie)
1991 Shani body (Destiny's Child Kelly)
1966 straight-waist superstar body with Shani legs (Hip-to-be-Square B)


2003 Model Muse (Alice in Wonderland)
1999 Belly Button (My Scene Delancey)

1958 original Barbie body (Bubble Cut Barbie)
1966 Superstar, straight-waist body, with PTR arms (Glitter Beach Teresa)
1991 Shani body? with no-twist waist (Very Velvet Kira)
1999 Belly Button body (Style Teresa)

2005 Hobbit/Shorty body (Fashion Fever Summer)
1995 Teen Skipper (Rio Skipper)
196 Francie T'nT (German Francie)

 

continued...

A mix of body types of all eras with different arms and legs and torsos.

1966 straight waist superstar bodies:
- superstar 90º arms (nn Superstar era Barbie)
- PTR arms (nn Chic Barbie)
- Shani arms (Bead Blast Barbie)
- Shani legs and new type of arms (Hip-to-be-Square Barbie)

1966 PTR (nn Chic Barbie)
2009 Fashionistas (Glam Style Barbie)
2013 Fashionistas (Beach Glam Barbie)
2006 Hobbit/Shorty (Fashion Fever Teresa?)

1999 Belly Button (Chic Barbie)
2006 Hobbit/Shorty (Fashion Fever Teresa?)
1999 Belly Button with articulated legs (Twilight Bella)
 

 

Bigger bodies

Mattel has made a few big size bodies and I have two different versions. The first plus size doll was Rosie O'Donnell. Her feet are the same as Barbie's but her legs are thicker, belly is completely differently built and her twist waist too.
Midge's Mom in the Happy Family Neighborhood had an all grown body too, with wider hips, rounder belly and thicker over arms. He has flatter feet too. Than Barbie that is.

1998 Rosie O'Donnell
2003 Happy Family Grandma
1998 Fashionistas Swapping Head body (Fashionistas Artsy)
1966 SuperStar (?) with Shani arms (Sleeping Beauty Barbie AA)


Rosie


Happy Family Grandma

 

Body comparison - articulations

Below is a compare of later years' articulated bodies, ea Fashionistas and (Model Muse) Pivotal. There are more versions and variations of the fashionistas bodies than what are represented here, but it is what I had on hand at the time of the photo session.

From left:
Belly Button with bendable legs and jointed arms/wrists
Model Muse Pivotal
Fashionistas with jointed equestrienne legs, jointed arms/wrists and moveable torso
Fashionistas with jointed legs, jointed arms/wrists and swap torso/head

 

In 2016 we saw a brand new body, called Made to Move. It had 22 points of movement and made posing a lot of fun. The body below has gotten the head of my Travel Doll Ester (not a match, as my bratty niece would say). It used to be the blonde Barbie.
Compared below to a Fashionistas with pivotal torso - there are a lot of differences!

Trying to pose:

 

Stamp of the 1999 Belly Button body

The only articulation this body has are the arms and wrists. Legs are the old rubbery plastic legs with the "three-click", hidden, bending knees mechanism. 

 

Speaking of legs...

My friend Beatrice had a doll with icky sticky legs and got curious to see what was under the skin. She cut and peeled off all the sticky vinyl and revealed a plastic skeletton. This is what the 80's-90's dolls looks like under all the vinyl. "Who needs the new prosthetic leg doll, when one can make one?"

Doll belongs to and photos taken by Beatrice Victor and used with permission.

 

The two Fashionistas:

A clear view of the torso of an Artsy doll/swapping head.

Left doll has the first generation (100 Poses) body and the right doll has a swap torso.

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The 100 Poses body is marked 2009
and the Swapping Torso is marked 2010

The button on the back is used to snap loose the upper torso with the head.

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A closer look at the knee joints of the two body types:

The old leg type (same as Equestrienne/Horse Riding Barbie had in the mid 90's) to the left and the new more articulated to the right. Legs are made of hard and hollow plastic. 

 

Model Muse Pivotal body:

Just like the Model Muse body, the Pivotal is narrower over the hips than the Fashionistas/play Barbie. She is slimmer, taller and has longer legs. There is a distinct right and left foot and the knee joint is slightly different than on the newer Fashionistas. Not as "pointy".

The Pivotal is marked 2006

 

New Fashionistas/Style

Years ago the Style dolls were the "cheap" narrow box version of Barbie. Now they are the follow-up of Fashionistas and they have gone down in quality and/or at least articulation. Fashionistas today are statuettes, very much like the Muse dolls. While people love the Muses they most often despise the F Statuettes/PLM (Play Line Model). This started with the boys, but also the girls were given these new body types with a hip stance and stiff, hollow, with one slightly bent, legs.

2003 Model Muse (Egyptian Princess head on Muse body)
2009 Straight leg fairy* BB (So in Style Kara)
2013 PLM/Stiff Fashionistas/Style (So in Style Grace)

1999 Belly Button with flat feet (Cali Girl Summer)
(+ Kara and Grace again)

Can't see what caused the date change on the new torso. A simpel change of "panties" pattern doesn't render a new date. At least it didn't use to. Could be the leg joint, maybe. 2009 on the left and 1999 to the right.


2009 Stiff leg Belly Button


2013 Stiff leg Fashionistas/Style

* I dubbed it fairy because that is the only thing I can see differs from the old belly button body, besides the pattern on the molded panties.

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Another look at these, with a mirrored model

The "longer side leg" is the same one as on the straight torso body. The "shorter side leg" differs between the body types.

This is how close together, the legs come.

Angle of the short side legs.

 

Tall/Curvy/Petite

In 2016 Barbie got a total makeover with three new body types - and a new date on the "old" Belly Button. Barbie is Petite. Barbie is Curvy. Barbie is Tall. And Barbie has her "original" body. Sort of.

Curvy, Petite, 'Original' and Tall, all are marked 2015.


(the coloring is strange due to flash or no flash)

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Waiting for some new Fashionistas to compare them with flat feet vs heeled feet.

2013


2015/2013

 

Curvy

Curvy vs 'Original'. She has a lot more curves. Waiting to get a high heeled foot Curvy. I need to take a better shot - maybe use a stand? LOL!

Fashionistas

 

Tall

I put a Tall next to an Integrity and a Pivotal Muse to compare heights. Waiting to see a high heeled foot Tall and she might be as tall as the IT girl here.

IT Vanessa, Elvis Barbie, Fashionistas 30

 

Petite

 

Petite with heels vs flat feet

2015 Petite vs Skipper

Petite vs the latest Skipper body types

 

Curvy

I was working on a blog post when I found something odd that have passed me by. This Curvy Fashionistas 179 had another year mark than the one I have marked for Curvy; 2015. She was marked 2016. I took out the box of Curvy dolls I have nearby and looked them through. Most are marked ©2015, but some are marked ©2016 and some ©2017. What? I can't see anything that would call for that change. For years and years and years all Barbie bodies was marked ©1966, even if there was a change to the waistline or legs or neck joint etc. The torso had the same measures. Now we have three different years marks of a curvy body that I can't see anything different in? Some have flat feet, others high, some have straight arms, others have bent arms, but that is the same no matter the year mark. What caused this? Now I have to go through all my dolls as time allows, to see if there are other differences in any of the other body types, as I decided to put that info in my blog posts and never double checked. I just went, ."curvy, ok that's ehhh 2015", checking with my text file. Maybe it is the pattern in the undies? They are different and upon further investigation, the pattern follows the year marks in my dolls.

Can this be the cause? The pattern in the undies? It's the only semi logical explenation I can find.

 

Short Curvy

Fashionistas 208 (Down Syndrome Barbie) got a new body, marked ©2022. It is a curvy body - but short, like the Petite.
I have compared her to Fashionistas 202 that has a regular height curvy body.

 

 

Euro/Standard Barbie

These dolls have the vintage SL type of legs - or shape of legs, the plastic is hollow and pink. The torsos are built like the vintage bodies, some with twist waist, others not. The arms also differs from the vintage arms to strait PTRs, Francie or Mexico arms. There is a variation of head sculpts on these as well. Mostly you see them with the Steffie sculpt, but also with a slightly redheaded or blonde Stacey, or MOD/Twist'n Turn Barbie. The Steffie dolls have different hair colors, some affect the head color more than others and they can have a big difference in the shade from their pink body complexion. They were often sold in blister packs dressed in Best Buy fashions. Some came in a cardboard box with pink swimsuit. Others wore a yellow swimsuit. These dolls were sold in Europe, Canada and Australia. 

 

Model Muse body types

None of the dolls above has the "original" 2003 muse body! Well...

 

The Belk Barbie above has the original body (left in pic). Left leg bent, right arm bent and left arm straight with a slightly outwards pointing hand. The Holiday Barbie has a new arm sculpt that is pointing further out from the body and a slightly more detailed hand, otherwise it's the same.

Belk Barbie on the original 2003 muse body and Basics Lara with the 2003/2008 mirrored version.

The straight arms are angled differently. Left arms are the muse original.
Legs are exactly the same, it's just that Dallas leg has been bent in her box.

 

Same arm angle but different hands. The dolls' left arms are the original bent, only mirrored, while the right arms have a new sculpt of the hand with the thumb pointing upwards.

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Pivotals:

Pivotal vs straight (and hollow) leg Muse:

The straight leg muse is the only one that has the split function. The legs are hollow, vs the regular muses, that are (were) filled and heavy.

 

Another closeup look of the pivotals:

These are two different pivotals. At first glance they seem just alike but upon closer inspection differences appear.


Nails are more defined on the pale doll (Jazz Baby), hands are longer and more delicate.

The knee joints are different. One is less visible than the other when bent.

No difference in the toes.

 

 

2023-05-17