Venezuelan Rotoplast Barbies from the 80's and 90's

Recently, I found a few bags of 80's and 90's Barbies at my local thrift store. When I see Barbies from this era with their complete gowns, I just can't pass them up! I was a little concerned because the Barbies had weird marks on their necks, but I bought them anyway. When I got them home and started undressing them, I realized I had something very special.

Wait a second...Barbies are made in Venezuela??

They were all Venezuelan Barbies. Well now, what about all those weird markings on their necks?

Detail of mold markings, shown on Mama Corazon

I won't lie. I actually said to my husband, "Well, some sadist kid probably heated up a knife and melted the necks on all the Barbies." Ha! After a quick search of Venezuelan Barbies on the webz, I discovered the story of Rotoplast. Rotoplast had a license to create Barbies in Venezuela from the early 70's up until 1993, when Mattel officially expanded its operations in Venezuela. One of the hallmarks of Rotoplast is the messy mold marks on the Barbies. This is especially prevalent on their necks, but I also saw marks on the torsos and chests of the Barbies I found.

     Cristal Barbie, notice the circular                      Some, uh, mold "seepage" 

     mark on her shoulder

Rotoplast made most of their Barbies based upon Barbies released in the States, with minor changes in makeup or costuming. All together I ended up with: Barbie Melocotón (Peaches and Cream), Mama and Papa Corazón (Heart Family), Cristal Barbie (Crystal Barbie), Disfraces Barbie (Costume Ball Barbie), Barbie  and Ken Sueños de Estrellas (Dream Glow Barbie), Feliz Cumpleaños Barbie (Happy Birthday Barbie), and last but not least, Barbie Magia Azul, which was a Venezuelan only Barbie who was not based on a counterpart from the States. Because of her uniqueness, she is the only one I kept for my personal collection. As you know from my other posts, I love my dolls from other countries. 

Oh, and just for fun, here's what the shoes and clothing tags look like:

I was very glad I found these Barbies and could pass them along to collectors who appreciate them. I was definitely in the right place at the right time!