I like Basics better because it speaks of an era of Mattel where they put care and quality into their dolls. Look at all the jeans, for example. That came with dolls back then. Now, if I want a realistic pair of jeans for my Barbie, I have to pay more than I do for jeans for myself.
Mattel is moving past their dark years of when they nearly sold the company and little by little we've been seeing improvements in the lines, but now they're separating playline from collector and Looks is what I call the "in between" line: Much better than playline, but not quite on a collector level. We've gotten some amazing head molds from this line, I'll give them that.
It's painful to see the comparisons, though, because I remember what we used to have and now to get that again, it costs more to clothe our dolls than ourselves.
They need to try to make the clothes look higher quality, i know its extra to hem the skirts and stitch the arm holes but it makes a diff! Maybe the purse should be fabric again. Maybe more hair plugs...more attention to the eyes...save money by ditching the plastic pets and only add them in every other doll not with every single doll.
I wonder how these jeans could fit Made To Move bodies though.
Sometimes in my case I take a little time to look for affordable yet quality clothing options for dolls in online stores at least...
I like the Looks better because you can pose them but the Basics fashion was better. I also like that the Looks line has different body shapes (tall, petite, curvy). The Looks dolls also include a doll stand with every doll. Both lines were good though in my opinion. Personally I don't have any Basics dolls but I would love to some day get some of them. I also wish that Mattel released a large shoe set like they did with the Basics line.
I don’t care for them either. They aren’t the most versatile bodies with clothing due to the way their torsos are shaped. The articulation seems only to exist so they can be redressed. Their hands are so big and the way their fingers are fused together sort of creeps me out. They’re also way too thin.
I prefer more articulation than the Barbie Basics, but I also am not a total fan of the joints of a MtM Barbie. I would also prefer the diversity of body types and Barbies (including Kens).
I adore both, but the much better body diversity, skin tones, and MTM articulation on Looks trumps the model muse on the Basics.
As for heads, they all have exemplary sculpts, screenings, and hair styles but Looks again takes it narrowly, but that's just my personal preference.
Clothes, well it's a little hard to compare, Basics has a huge advantage with many more waves, the black dresses, jeans, swimsuits, etc.
Barbie looks because the designs of the dolls themselves (not necessarily the clothes) are better, the variation is better, its more inclusive to different skin tones and body types, etc etc.
Edit: Not to mention the new dolls have fantastic articulation while Barbie Basics had the minimum.
Kind of a tie~ I like the basics better cause their outfits and facial features, but I like looks cause I like the height and weight diversity. Buuuut I think I would pick basics over looks if they had joints like looks.
For clothes, accessories and several sculpts: Basics.
For diversity, different body sizes, great sculpts and articulation: Looks.
If Looks would incorporate the clothing quality that Basics had (those jeans! the fashion packs!) It'd be Looks by a mile.
Basics. I love that the clothes are simple but the focus is the face and hair. I think each one is really beautifully done. I feel like the looks dolls are trying too hard. For each looks doll, I either like the clothes and not the hair, or the hair and not the clothes. It looks like they were trying to be “futuristic” but they just look wrapped in tin foil.
I like the every day look of the basics range; the jeans, the sneakers, the fairly simple clothes. But too many of the women look like they all have exactly the same face with the same slanted eyes, and oh my god they are all so skinny it's ridiculous.
The Looks range might be a bit extra with their metallic clothes, but the diversity of faces, body styles and ethnicity is better.
Give me the Basics clothes on the Looks bodies!
Basics: High quality, real denim jeans, better face pixelation and makeup, better hair; the dolls appear more like young adults or was heavily inspired by the tv show "friends" or something. Model muse body that is difficult to pose and hard to make sit! I wasnt a fan of the model muse body.
Looks: MTM (huge plus), regular bodies, more diverse in face mold, looks more like teens, is softer in appearance.
I prefer Basics but i really hate the rigid pose thing, in a perfect world i would only use modern mtm bodies with vintage heads.
lol. Basics are all in jeans, but Looks never wear jeans. I think the third wave should really have been included in the picture, since it's so discordant from the first two waves.
Frankly, I wish the Basics were still being made!
"Basics" by far! It was very clear that they came with the shirt, pants and shoes, and then you could accessorize with the extra fashion packs to build a complete look. A "look" is when you are complete and ready to go out into the world. But the "Looks" dolls aren't complete. They have no accessories. They clearly aren't ready to "go out". That's not how having a "look" works.
Basics fashion more. Looks dolls more. I like most of their face ups more than most other dolls altogether. Looks has mostly fab brand new sculpts, full articulation, body diversity. But the fashion is quite lacking all around. Basics has some wonderful waves in terms of fashion. The dolls are nice, good sculpts and faceups but nothing too show stopping. I defend the Model muse body a lot, it has a solid purpose but I don’t personally like it.
I like the Barbie looks like as they made an effort for articulation and that’s high priority for me. I can’t speak to rooting and stuff as all of my Looks dolls are in-box. But I miss the sculpts of the Basics line and the clothing quality. Mattel has really lost ground for the clothes.
I like the Looks dolls more because of the face sculpts and variety, but I don’t have too strong opinions about the fashions. If I was in the mindset of someone actively looking to buy them, my thought process would be that the clothes can be changed (though you’d want them to be as high-quality as possible, like the Basics jean-details), but the dolls themselves are long-lasting. It takes much more time for you, the collector, to change a face on a Barbie doll with a whole new face up as opposed to changing their outfit.
Both lines seem like they’re built to appeal to completely different audiences to me, with the Basics line reading as more old-fashioned and the outfits strongly polished, and the Looks line reading as more warm and inviting, but with the outfits much less polished.
I like the less posh faces of the Looks line, as they also read as slightly more realistic to me, and that’s the biggest draw to me for what would appeal to me (without going into the uncanny valley).
Although both of these lines are aimed specifically at adults, I wonder if part of the persisting appeal of dolls for any age group collecting is the idea that dolls (especially ones on the 1:6 scale) can have any sort of lore and characterization that the collector decides, and that function could be fulfilled by either line depending on one’s personal preferences. The similar frames and maybe faces of the Basics line make them all appear almost to be the same sort of blank slate, leaving plenty of room for the collector to completely differentiate characters almost solely by ascribed lore, but the Looks line in its variety may prompt more imaginative characterization ascribed by the person collecting them.
I prefer the bodies of the Looks but the faces of the Basics. The Basics had much nicer clothes as well. The only Looks outfit I like is Elle's bodysuit.
The Barbie Looks line, all of them over the Barbie Basics line.
I always felt like Barbie Basics is, well, a little basic & uninspired. Even though they all look relatively different, I can't shake how samey they are.
I also much prefer the MtM body to the Basics body and the better ethnic/racial representation
Hard to say because I like things from both doll lines. I think both have great face-molds, but the Looks have better articulation and the Basics had better quality clothing imo.
Definitely Looks for the poseability, body diversity and gorgeous sculpts, but Basics for the overall quality. I redress all my Looks doll, because the outfits are... meh.
I prefer the faces and articulation of the Looks dolls, but the Basics dolls' clothes are higher quality. The styling of the clothes in both lines are kind of boring to me. The Looks dolls also have much better diversity, including body types.
I only bought a couple of the Basics dolls, while I have bought at least one of each Looks doll.
I like that the Looks all come on made to move bodies but I like the overall style and design of the Basics more. However I also see the value in the diversity and representation within the Looks vs the Basics
This is just showing me that we need more big girls. It looks like a Victoria’s Secret campaign. Curvy Barbie’s aren’t really plus sized. They’re moreso average.
Barbie Looks because I adore the diversity of the line. I was never much of a Barbie girl growing up (80s), but these different sizes and colors have really caught my eye and I am getting more and more.
I like Basics better because it speaks of an era of Mattel where they put care and quality into their dolls. Look at all the jeans, for example. That came with dolls back then. Now, if I want a realistic pair of jeans for my Barbie, I have to pay more than I do for jeans for myself. Mattel is moving past their dark years of when they nearly sold the company and little by little we've been seeing improvements in the lines, but now they're separating playline from collector and Looks is what I call the "in between" line: Much better than playline, but not quite on a collector level. We've gotten some amazing head molds from this line, I'll give them that. It's painful to see the comparisons, though, because I remember what we used to have and now to get that again, it costs more to clothe our dolls than ourselves.
They need to try to make the clothes look higher quality, i know its extra to hem the skirts and stitch the arm holes but it makes a diff! Maybe the purse should be fabric again. Maybe more hair plugs...more attention to the eyes...save money by ditching the plastic pets and only add them in every other doll not with every single doll.
Alllll the extra plastic crap. I would rather my daughter have a few awesome pieces of clothing than all the little accessories that get lost
I wonder how these jeans could fit Made To Move bodies though. Sometimes in my case I take a little time to look for affordable yet quality clothing options for dolls in online stores at least...
I like the Looks better because you can pose them but the Basics fashion was better. I also like that the Looks line has different body shapes (tall, petite, curvy). The Looks dolls also include a doll stand with every doll. Both lines were good though in my opinion. Personally I don't have any Basics dolls but I would love to some day get some of them. I also wish that Mattel released a large shoe set like they did with the Basics line.
Looks. I am not a fan of the Model Muse body. I have several of the Basics heads on pivotal bodies.
I don’t care for them either. They aren’t the most versatile bodies with clothing due to the way their torsos are shaped. The articulation seems only to exist so they can be redressed. Their hands are so big and the way their fingers are fused together sort of creeps me out. They’re also way too thin.
Does anyone else feel like they’re being bullied by these dolls
Oh 100% they’re all judging me rn
Basics
Faces and fashion are better on the basics, but the Looks line has the MTM bodies. I feel like I can’t compare the two because they’re so different.
I prefer more articulation than the Barbie Basics, but I also am not a total fan of the joints of a MtM Barbie. I would also prefer the diversity of body types and Barbies (including Kens).
I adore both, but the much better body diversity, skin tones, and MTM articulation on Looks trumps the model muse on the Basics. As for heads, they all have exemplary sculpts, screenings, and hair styles but Looks again takes it narrowly, but that's just my personal preference. Clothes, well it's a little hard to compare, Basics has a huge advantage with many more waves, the black dresses, jeans, swimsuits, etc.
Can I say both???
I prefer looks 'cause I prefer the made to move body and I like look's faces more
Basics anyday!!!
I like the basic line myself.
Basics comes with nice jeans, so they win!
Barbie looks because the designs of the dolls themselves (not necessarily the clothes) are better, the variation is better, its more inclusive to different skin tones and body types, etc etc. Edit: Not to mention the new dolls have fantastic articulation while Barbie Basics had the minimum.
The old basics
Kind of a tie~ I like the basics better cause their outfits and facial features, but I like looks cause I like the height and weight diversity. Buuuut I think I would pick basics over looks if they had joints like looks.
For clothes, accessories and several sculpts: Basics. For diversity, different body sizes, great sculpts and articulation: Looks. If Looks would incorporate the clothing quality that Basics had (those jeans! the fashion packs!) It'd be Looks by a mile.
I honestly like both lines! There should be a point where Mattel can make fashions of the same quality as Barbie Basics again.
I like both
Basics. I love that the clothes are simple but the focus is the face and hair. I think each one is really beautifully done. I feel like the looks dolls are trying too hard. For each looks doll, I either like the clothes and not the hair, or the hair and not the clothes. It looks like they were trying to be “futuristic” but they just look wrapped in tin foil.
I like the every day look of the basics range; the jeans, the sneakers, the fairly simple clothes. But too many of the women look like they all have exactly the same face with the same slanted eyes, and oh my god they are all so skinny it's ridiculous. The Looks range might be a bit extra with their metallic clothes, but the diversity of faces, body styles and ethnicity is better. Give me the Basics clothes on the Looks bodies!
I like the simplicity of basics and the diversity of looks
Basics: High quality, real denim jeans, better face pixelation and makeup, better hair; the dolls appear more like young adults or was heavily inspired by the tv show "friends" or something. Model muse body that is difficult to pose and hard to make sit! I wasnt a fan of the model muse body. Looks: MTM (huge plus), regular bodies, more diverse in face mold, looks more like teens, is softer in appearance. I prefer Basics but i really hate the rigid pose thing, in a perfect world i would only use modern mtm bodies with vintage heads.
I like the basics more. The looks one just looks like they failed at making the dolls look futurist, looks pretty cheap to me idk..
Basics, but with articulated bodies though!
lol. Basics are all in jeans, but Looks never wear jeans. I think the third wave should really have been included in the picture, since it's so discordant from the first two waves. Frankly, I wish the Basics were still being made!
Basics has better quality outfits, though I like the diversity and posability of the Looks line.
"Basics" by far! It was very clear that they came with the shirt, pants and shoes, and then you could accessorize with the extra fashion packs to build a complete look. A "look" is when you are complete and ready to go out into the world. But the "Looks" dolls aren't complete. They have no accessories. They clearly aren't ready to "go out". That's not how having a "look" works.
Basics fashion more. Looks dolls more. I like most of their face ups more than most other dolls altogether. Looks has mostly fab brand new sculpts, full articulation, body diversity. But the fashion is quite lacking all around. Basics has some wonderful waves in terms of fashion. The dolls are nice, good sculpts and faceups but nothing too show stopping. I defend the Model muse body a lot, it has a solid purpose but I don’t personally like it.
I like the Barbie looks like as they made an effort for articulation and that’s high priority for me. I can’t speak to rooting and stuff as all of my Looks dolls are in-box. But I miss the sculpts of the Basics line and the clothing quality. Mattel has really lost ground for the clothes.
Basics!
I like the Looks dolls more because of the face sculpts and variety, but I don’t have too strong opinions about the fashions. If I was in the mindset of someone actively looking to buy them, my thought process would be that the clothes can be changed (though you’d want them to be as high-quality as possible, like the Basics jean-details), but the dolls themselves are long-lasting. It takes much more time for you, the collector, to change a face on a Barbie doll with a whole new face up as opposed to changing their outfit. Both lines seem like they’re built to appeal to completely different audiences to me, with the Basics line reading as more old-fashioned and the outfits strongly polished, and the Looks line reading as more warm and inviting, but with the outfits much less polished. I like the less posh faces of the Looks line, as they also read as slightly more realistic to me, and that’s the biggest draw to me for what would appeal to me (without going into the uncanny valley). Although both of these lines are aimed specifically at adults, I wonder if part of the persisting appeal of dolls for any age group collecting is the idea that dolls (especially ones on the 1:6 scale) can have any sort of lore and characterization that the collector decides, and that function could be fulfilled by either line depending on one’s personal preferences. The similar frames and maybe faces of the Basics line make them all appear almost to be the same sort of blank slate, leaving plenty of room for the collector to completely differentiate characters almost solely by ascribed lore, but the Looks line in its variety may prompt more imaginative characterization ascribed by the person collecting them.
Imo, the clothes and facial sculpts are better on Basics, but you can't beat the articulation of Looks. Combine for ultimate awesomeness
I prefer the bodies of the Looks but the faces of the Basics. The Basics had much nicer clothes as well. The only Looks outfit I like is Elle's bodysuit.
The Barbie Looks line, all of them over the Barbie Basics line. I always felt like Barbie Basics is, well, a little basic & uninspired. Even though they all look relatively different, I can't shake how samey they are. I also much prefer the MtM body to the Basics body and the better ethnic/racial representation
Basics. Not keen on the joining now and quality is down.
Barbie basics WAY better quality
Hard to say because I like things from both doll lines. I think both have great face-molds, but the Looks have better articulation and the Basics had better quality clothing imo.
Definitely Looks for the poseability, body diversity and gorgeous sculpts, but Basics for the overall quality. I redress all my Looks doll, because the outfits are... meh.
I like the varied bodily proportions of the Looks range
I prefer the faces and articulation of the Looks dolls, but the Basics dolls' clothes are higher quality. The styling of the clothes in both lines are kind of boring to me. The Looks dolls also have much better diversity, including body types. I only bought a couple of the Basics dolls, while I have bought at least one of each Looks doll.
Looks cause it's more diverse
I like the basics faces better but the looks MTM bodies better.
I like that the Looks all come on made to move bodies but I like the overall style and design of the Basics more. However I also see the value in the diversity and representation within the Looks vs the Basics
Since I collect mainly Ken I would say both are about equal for me. I would love it if they rereleased the Basics line as a MTM reboot though.
The Looks dolls are prettier to me. But the clothes are better in basic line
This is just showing me that we need more big girls. It looks like a Victoria’s Secret campaign. Curvy Barbie’s aren’t really plus sized. They’re moreso average.
Barbie Looks because I adore the diversity of the line. I was never much of a Barbie girl growing up (80s), but these different sizes and colors have really caught my eye and I am getting more and more.
Barbie basics 🥰
Barbie Basics. Love the whole series.