L.A. Speak : Barbie Babble

convention doll n. a hard-to-find doll produced in small quantities for a yearly convention of Barbie doll collectors.

department store special n . a doll manufactured for and sold exclusively by one chain.

doll newbie n. An owner who believes a doll dates from 1966 because of the marking on its rear. The figure actually refers to when the patent was issued.

loose adj . out of the box. “The only Barbies you see at garage sales are loose and nude.”

prototype n . a rare doll made by the designer to get the manufacturer to approve production.

PWH abbreviation for Played With Hard. A doll that is missing toes, fingers, hair.

variation. n . a doll that is noticeably different from the rest of the line; its clothes, for instance, may be different because the factory ran out of a fabric. Not as rare as a prototype.

mean greenies n . deterioration of a doll’s skin, usually around the ears where metal earrings can turn lobes green. “My prototype Barbie is getting a bad case of the mean greenies. “

shelf rapist n . a collector or dealer who buys out a store’s supply of a specific Barbie for immediate resale at an escalated price.

wheeler dealer n . pejorative for a dealer who has jumped on the Barbie bandwagon. Refers to dealers of Hot Wheels, the collectible miniature cars manufactured by Mattel.