2002 Mbili Barbie by Byron Lars
Mbili is a face sculpt patented in 2001 and introduced with the Byron Lars collector doll Mbili Barbie for the Treasures of Africa Collection.
Overview[]
For the second doll in the aforementioned collection, the Mbili Barbie got a brand new Afrocentric facemold made exclusively for her, which would go on to be used for several Byron Lars dolls afterwards. The sculpt was created initially for collector dolls only, and usually for AA dolls in the Barbie line. The sculpt would then enter the playline series when it became the official face for all of the characters in the So In Style doll line, being Grace, Trichelle, Kara, and Chandra's faces. Despite that, each doll is painted differently, still making them distinctive from each other despite using the same face.
The sculpt would prove to have longevity, as it has continued to see use for both playline and collector dolls ever since its debut, and has also shown to be versatile, as it has been used occasionally for Asian dolls and Hispanic / Latina dolls. In 2015, the sculpt would get a revised version specifically for playline dolls known as Mbili - Playline (Face Sculpt ©2011). The differences are so minor that they're barely noticeable so the best way to tell them apart is to look at the trademark on the back of the neck.
Trivia[]
- Mbili is the Swahili word for Two.