Blinking Beauty EU (1987)

I thought that it would be good to have such a unique specimen in the herd, but (traditionally) I did not think it would be easy to get it. And then suddenly such a rarity appeared on our native advertising portal. After the initial evaluation, I made a decision that this specimen would join my herd - and it was a very good decision.

Meet the unique - Blinking Beauty, in Germany called the Blinking Star, that is - Zwinkerstern.

This white beauty arrived on March 31, 2022. Her condition was surprisingly good for her age, and she's almost complete tack - in addition - in perfect condition.

I took into account the fact that the filly is old and may have age-related defects - paint abrasions, discoloration, maybe her hair is in a residual condition, although it only looked matted, maybe some stains and scratches would be heavy or impossible to remove. As I took her out of the package I was able to partially assess her actual condition - the rest, as is said - came out in the washing.

It's time to undress the white lady. Its original equipment is almost complete, 5 horseshoes, a brush and a jumping obstacle - are missing.

Hmm ... this one horseshoe had to remain attached to the hoof at the time of capturing the accessories. As you can see in the photo above - the saddle pad had a few small spots, but it looked neither dusty nor extremely dirty. The ribbon ornament also seemed only a little yellowed due to its age - which is a rather natural feature of all white fabrics. The saddle and bridle looked like new.

Okay, now it's time for a fair Lady without clothes, right before the bath.

Ha, there is a horseshoe - as I wrote above.

This side was the dirtiest, I don't know what origin were the red scratches on hip and belly - I was afraid they might resist washing. There was also a scratch on the cheek, shoulder blade and wrist. In addition - similarly to the long unwashed bed linen lying in the wardrobe - yellow discoloration in the form of small spots of various sizes was visible.

You can see these yellow spots a bit better in the photo above.

At first glance, already in the poor photos from the advertisement, I judged that her hair was preserved in its original length. Although this will only be confirmed after washing and brushing, at this stage in my mind I kept my fingers crossed.

I don't know why, but after removing the accessories from her, I had associations with a swan - it's probably that white ...

Now it's time to reveal her secret - why is Blinking Beauty a unique model?

By the way, you can see that the quality control at Mattel seems to have fallen asleep - the right side of the mouth is painted differently than the left side, in addition, the shade of the paint also did not match - personally, it does not bother me, it adds a collector's value (+1 to uniqueness).

However, what should catch your attention in the photo above are - eyelashes! Yes! Blinking Beauty is the only one in the prancer mold (Arabic) and the first of two Barbie horses to have real eyelashes - unpainted. To be clear - the second horse with eyelashes is the articulated Brietta from 2005.

This is her first distinguishing feature in a row, but there is something else ...

Not only does she have beautiful eyelashes, but she can also close her eyes! And this is a feature in which there is no competition anymore. There is no other Barbie horse like this. Okay, but how does she do it? Efficient eyes will see that this beauty's mane is fixed differently, an element sticks out from her neck - and this is the key to closing her eyes. You just have to press this element against the withers and her eyes close.

Okay, but let's go back to the bath. My lady is old and very special, so I decided to use the softest detergent - a liquid for delicate fabrics and wool. Fortunately, it was enough to get rid of all the dirt. Below the filly before rinsing.

I have had all sorts of experiences with detangling manes and tails, so I didn't want to take any chances and before I put a comb into the tangles - I treated her hair generously with conditioner.

Fortunately, the fight wasn't hard, but it did require caution and a moment of patience (especially the mane) before the hair began to work against the comb. The take-offs weren't great - you can see them on a towel under her belly.

After rinsing thoroughly with water, the hair landed in the fabric conditioner. After drying with a towel, my dear could stand on hers own feet again.

And at this stage, I was able to confirm my original thesis that her hair survived with its original length. After drying, she presented herself in full splendor.

As you can see her hair is white with golden blonde highlights.

Once more this beautiful eyelashes and eyes

The plastic she is made of gives the impression of being solid, the finish is velvety matte - I like it very much. It is simillar to the Ski Fun in my opinion.

The painting of the legs is preserved in an almost perfect condition.

Well, it's time to dress up the white lady again. Accessories after refreshing:

The bridle and saddle are standard. Saddle pad is made of a material similar to the soft part of velcro, velor or fleece. The decoration, however, requires attention and discussion.

Horses like Dallas and Dixie only had a piece of ribbon that tied a bow on the tail. Sun Runner (Star of Texas) and Star Stepper - had ribbons, plastic medallions, and cloth rosettes to decorate the mane and tail. Sprint Horse (High Stepper), Blizzard (Snowdance), Champion, Butterfly, and Lila (as well as most of the others) had plastic clips in their hair.

In the case of Blinking Beauty, we are dealing with an ornament sewn (not glued!) from ribbons, and fastened with a velcro. The clever solution allows you to fasten the ornament anywhere - on the bridle, on the saddle pad or on the hair.

Time for a brief story. Blinking Beauty appeared in 1987. She was the first to have such a long mane and tail. She was also the last horse from the 80s with the most similar appearance to live horses, her equipment was also closer to the real one. Unfortunately, my beloved Western Fun with turquoise eyes, saddle and bridle - no longer fits this canon.

The specimen described by me is an example of the European version, the USA version differed in the color of hooves and eyelashes, and - as standard for the USA - had a raised tail.

Sets dedicated to Blinking Beauty were sold separately. One of them - tournament - included a tournament rug in navy blue, a red saddle pad, 4 red horseshoes, 4 red leg protectors, and a decorative bow in red, navy blue and white. The set also included clothes for the doll.

There was also a stable set with a run.