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The mod Mattel gang with collectors |
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Another fun day at the convention has come and gone! And what an amazing time it's been. Today we enjoyed viewing the Competition Room and seeing who won in each category, checking out all the groovy Rocky Mountain ModSM souvenirs, and attending the Summer of Love Dinner Dance. What a shagadelic time it's been!
Competition
For those of you who aren't familiar with the convention competition, collectors from around the world submit their dolls in various categories, in hopes of winning 1st prize. It's an exciting element of the convention, and a wonderful chance for convention attendees to see rare vintage dolls and the creativity of fellow Barbie collectors. This year, with the mod theme, we got to see lots of marvelous mod dolls and dioramas! Here are some highlights:
"Twist N Turn Dressed Common" Category |
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Collector Darla Williams won 1st place in the Standard TNT Dressed Common category for her magnificent Maxi 'N Mini Barbie®. |
Nancy Parsons won 1st place for Common Fashion with Francie dressed in Pleat-Neat from 1967. And 1st place for Rare Fashion went to Cheryl Nelson for her Francie doll dressed in 1967's Groovy Get-Up. |
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"Black Francie Dressed Rare/Common" Category |
"Ken Dressed Rare/Common" Category |
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Sandra Price won 1st place with her Talking Busy Ken. And Angie Howard of Texas won 1st place for Rare Fashion for her Ken wearing Ken A Go Go #1423. |
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David Howard's Warhol-winning diorama |
Congrats to David Howard whose Warhol-inspired diorama fetched 1st place! And speaking of David Howard and Andy Warhol, we want to give a special thanks to David for his Warhol-inspired design of the convention souvenir t-shirt! From his 1st place winning diorama to the souvenir t-shirt to the original acrylic painting David created for the t-shirt, the four-color images of Barbie definitely derive inspiration from Mr. Warhol himself. David explained, "I love Warhol's pop art, and the period just fell in with the Mod era, so it made sense." The painting David created will be auctioned in the silent auction on the last night of the convention. All proceeds go to Angels Unaware. David is a wonderful person to know, and we applaud his efforts!
Summer of Love Dinner Dance |
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More fun was in store for us in the evening at the Summer of Love dinner dance. Once again, when we made our way to our table, we found tons of gifts waiting for us, mostly from tablemates, but we also received Grand Entrance™ Barbie® courtesy of KB Toys. While we ate dinner, John Reilly from KB Toys took to the stage, dressed in funky mod attire! He looked great, and was so supportive in his praise of Barbie collectors, the convention, and sharing his love of Barbie with his two young daughters. Thanks for being so awesome, John! Before he was done, John asked everyone to look under the table for a surprise. And to our delight, one of our tablemates, Deborah Singo, had the winning coupon good for a $250 shopping spree at KB taped under her seat! Isn't that fantastic? Congrats, Deborah!
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Joe Blitman's wonderful slide show |
Next on the program was a wonderfully informative and entertaining presentation by Joe Blitman about the mod era of Barbie and friends. Included in the presentation was a brief slideshow of Mod dolls, as well as some hilarious short videos showcasing the best of Barbie doll's Mod era. Everyone really seemed to enjoy this part of the evening, so we thank you, Joe!
We were then honored when former Mattel designer and all-around Barbie Queen Carol Spencer took to the stage to present the Barbie Friend Award to Jim Faraone. This was the 14th time the award has been given out, and we can't think of a more deserving recipient! Jim is considered an expert in the field of doll makeovers, and has written several books on the subject. He has also been involved with the Barbie convention since the late 1980s. Not only is he talented and deserving of this honor, he's also a real sweetie! Congratulations, Jim!
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John Reilly from KB Toys boogies with a mod friend |
After the award presentation, we were then invited to dance the night away at one of the local hot spots, the Supreme Court Lounge. What a blast that was, mingling with regular folk while dressed in our Mod costumes and wigs. We may have scared a few people away, but had a great time dancing the night away with our fellow collectors! I know we'll all take away amazing memories from this fab-a-delic convention!
Great costumes ladies! |
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Tomorrow is the last day of the convention. Can you believe it's already here? I can't! We're just having so much fun seeing friends, attending events, and getting dressed in our finest mod fashions! Guess we'll have to make the most of tomorrow, shopping, hanging with collectors, and taking part in tomorrow night's closing event, a dinner and live auction. Groovy, man! |
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