The Summer Of Barbie: 2023 (A Pop Culture Touchstones Post)

In July of 2023, the Barbie live-action movie was released in the United States. It became the highest-grossing film of 2023 and was nominated for eight Academy Awards. That summer was dubbed “The Summer Of Barbie”, and terms like “Barbiecore” and “Kenough” became buzzwords.

In the interest of full transparency, I’ll go on record to say that I rode the pipeline from playing with Barbies in my childhood, to ‘collecting’ Barbies in my teen and adult years. I loved Barbie when Barbie wasn’t cool, and I still have a soft spot in my heart for fashion dolls, even though my doll collecting hobby is currently on the back burner. Although fashion dolls aren’t as much of a priority in my life as they once were, knowing me I’ll probably go back to them eventually. I always do.

However, despite my enduring fondness for Barbie, I still haven’t brought myself to watch the live-action movie. I know how sensitive I can be, and I’m worried how I’ll react to a cherished icon from my formative years potentially being skewered or poked fun at for the sake of satire and social commentary, even if it is justified. My own childhood ideals of what Barbie is or isn’t are still so ingrained in me, that I worry it would wound me too deeply if they were challenged by an official source authorized by ‘the voice of corporate’.

But to get back on track with this post, the movie’s promotional campaign and its popularity resulted in the Barbiecore trend taking hold in both fashion and décor. Hot pink was the in color for that season, both to wear and for decorating. And it seemed like every retail store from Forever 21 to Five Below had displays of Barbie themed accessories for sale.

So, as a throwback to that now passed, pink-tinted summer, here’s a Barbiecore keychain.

I bought it on clearance at a liquidation store after all the hoopla was over. The keychain itself is made from metal and shaped like Barbie’s signature, with pink, script lettering. Fun fact, the color “Barbie pink”, a specific combination of pink and magenta, is actually trademarked by Mattel. This particular keychain was produced by Innovative Designs, LLC under license from Mattel.

I’m hoping to do more ‘Pop Culture Touchstones’ posts in the future, using my keychain collection to revisit past trends. So far, trying to research exactly when certain things were trendy has been a bit tricky for me, even with the internet. Does anyone remember what year those gecko keychains made from plastic ‘pony beads’ took the children’s crafting world by storm?

Signed, Treesa

'Throwback' Package From Heathersmoo: August 2021

I thought that I already blogged about this particular gift package when it arrived. But apparently, I hadn’t. At least, I can’t find a post about it here. This package was originally sent in August of 2021 by my keychain collecting email pen pal, Heathersmoo of Livejournal. Inside was a sweet note from Heather, along with two keychains, one for me and one for my “IRL thrift store Bff” (as Heather referred to my best friend/willing thrift store shopping buddy in the note). I'd already delivered my best friend’s keychain gift quite a while ago, which might explain why I thought I previously posted about Heather's package here on the blog.

According to Heather’s note, my keychain was “the fancy one with the plane”. The one for my best friend didn’t have an added jewelry charm. Both keychains were handmade by Heather herself, and her wire-wrapping skills definitely surpass mine. To be fair, I don’t really practice enough to develop a talent for wirework jewelry.

The red wire coils and blue beads give this keychain sort of a patriotic vibe, while the pink and red color combination of wires gives more of a Valentine’s Day feel. In my opinion, the fact that the keychain isn’t clearly one or the other gives the piece more versatility. While I do enjoy holiday themed items, in season, I’ve noticed that, with clothing for example, there are certain pieces that I don’t wear very much because they’re specifically holiday themed and feel inappropriate at other times of year. I can get away with wearing a snowflake patterned fleece jacket all winter, at least here in the northeastern United States. But characters in Santa hats or even holly and poinsettias are specifically associated with Christmas here in the U.S., and I'd feel too uncomfortable to wear them in January.

I'm sorry for going off topic there. The point is, this keychain was a very thoughtful and much appreciated gift, even though it took me a few years to post about it. So, thank you Heather. I hope that you and all of my readers are doing well. January can be a rather humdrum time of year, but spring comes eventually.

Signed, Treesa

Hit Clips Giveaway Results

It’s December 1^st, and time to announce the results of the Hit Clips song cartridge giveaway. Unfortunately, I didn’t receive any entries for this particular giveaway. So there’s not really anything to announce, except that the giveaway has officially ended. Hopefully, I can find some time in the midst of all my holiday preparations to post something more interesting in the near future.

Signed, Treesa

Hit Clips by Tiger Electronics (A Review and a Giveaway)

The Hit Clips brand was launched by Tiger Electronics at the start of the New Millennium. This line of digital music players and song cartridges was meant to be an alternative to the bulky MP3 players of the day. Hit Clips were specifically geared towards kids and teens, and they became extremely popular for a time. However, the line was also short lived due to rapidly improving technology in the field of digital music players. The release of Apple’s iPod, with its sleek design and superior hard drive in comparison to its competitors, is credited as being the death blow to the Hit Clips craze.

I was aware of Hit Clips when they were at their peak of popularity. The line sort of reminded me of the Pocket Rockers mini cassette players that Fisher-Price put out in the late 1980s. However, I bought my Hit Clips player secondhand, after the initial fad had passed but before the nostalgia factor could kick in. My particular music player has the Boombox shape, but Hit Clips also produced an MP3 player shape. Some of the song cartridges that I own came bagged with the Boombox player when I bought it, while others came from a second bag lot that I picked up from a flea market.

At least one of the past owners of these cartridges must’ve been a big fan of boy bands, because one of the lots contained a Backstreet Boys song cartridge, a song cartridge by O-Town, and four NSYNC cartridges. I also ended up with two Britney Spears song cartridges, because odds are that any early 2000s music collection will include some songs by Britney Spears. In addition, I later bought a sealed “Madonna Hit Pack” from the thrift store that contained a set of three cartridges. What can I say, I’m a bit of an 80s girl.

What I find really fun about these song cartridges is that each one features miniature album cover art on the front. Plus, each cartridge comes with a metal clip very similar to the ones that Basic Fun Inc. used for their later keychains. So technically, each song cartridge could sort of qualify as a keychain.

Since I own an actual Hit Clips music player along with the song cartridges, I thought it would be fun to take a little trip down music memory lane by testing out the cartridges and player. I’ll start by sharing some general observations I made about the Hit Clips technology and how it worked. Then I’ll move on to some short, personal notes that I made about each of the songs.

Hit Clips Music Player and Cartridges:

My particular Hit Clips player required 3 triple A batteries to run, and the back panel had to be unscrewed to put the batteries in. I did have a little trouble getting some of the song cartridges to play. Odds are that either the batteries I put in weren’t as fresh as I thought, or that the contacts inside the player or on some of the cartridges need cleaning. The volume on the player wasn’t adjustable, but it was factory set to a decent level. However, the tracks did have a fuzzy sound quality, some more so than others. Maybe the cartridges haven’t aged well, materials-wise. Or maybe, as I suggested before, the contact points need to be cleaned.

The Songs:

This I Promise You by NSYNC:

The song sampling used for this track came across as a decent length, but very repetitive. As an aside, any differences that I noted in the lengths of the tracks turned out to be solely a matter of perception, since all of the Hit Clips song cartridges were produced to be one minute long.

Its Gonna Be Me by NSYNC:

I personally felt that this track had a more fun tempo going for it than the previous one.

Girlfriend by NSYNC:

The song clip selection used for this one gives listeners more of a full play experience, in my opinion.

Bringin’ Da Noise by NSYNC:

In Hit Clips format, the background instrumentation on this track seemed to blend together into an indistinct, hissy drone.

Larger Than Life by Backstreet Boys:

This song still has an infectious beat after all these years. I couldn’t help bobbing my head along to the music.

All Or Nothing by O-Town:

This particular track seemed to have a clearer sound quality than the previous ones. Maybe the actual cartridge just aged better.

I’m a Believer by Smash Mouth:

In my opinion, the fuzziness of the sound quality was compensated for by the strength of Smash Mouth’s rendition on the song. There’s a reason why this cover was such a big hit back in the day. However, the Hit Clips version did feature some odd editing towards the end of the track.

Mirror/Mirror by M2M:

I’ll admit, I wasn’t at all familiar with M2M before preparing for this post idea. Apparently, they were or are a Norwegian, two person pop group. However, when I listened to the song cartridge for Mirror/Mirror I thought it sounded ‘very Radio Disney’, with a stereotypical pre-teen pop sound. As it turned out, M2M did perform the song for a concert at Epcot in Walt Disney World, so I guess I wasn’t too far off. The group also performed the song on television episodes for the Nickelodeon channel.

Overprotected, Darkchild Remix by Britney Spears:

Coming to this song from an outside perspective, as someone who didn't remember it from back in the day, I found the subheading of “Darkchild” appropriate. The track comes across as very angry sounding, especially the opening. However, the overall presentation still has a touch of what I’d call ‘a Disney Channel hangover’, which does make some sense when considering that Britney Spears was a cast member on the early 1990s reboot of The Mickey Mouse Club.

Stronger by Britney Spears:

Aside from the music having a slightly brighter mood, this track was a little hard for me to distinguish from the previous Britney Spears song. The Hit Clips rendition of Stronger also suffered from repetitive editing.

Material Girl by Madonna

This song is a straight-up classic by this point, and the Hit Clips format mostly did it justice. However, the fuzziness of the sound quality seemed harder to ignore on this track, possibly because the song itself is so iconic.

Cherish by Madonna

I was already familiar with this song, although it had been a while since I’d heard it. But I don’t remember the opening sounding like some sitcom theme song the way it does here.

Lucky Star by Madonna

The opening notes sort of sound like classic Whitney Houston or Gloria Estefan to my ears. Whether that’s a good or a bad thing is a matter of personal preference.

I will conclude my Hit Clips review as follows.

Good Points:

Hit Clips are a true product of their time. And despite the technology being outdated, the music selection, product designs, and even just the concept in general dial the nostalgia factor up to 11. Also, the song cartridges, with their clear CD jewel case look and small-scaled album covers, will have a lot of appeal for fans of doll-sized miniatures.

Bad Points:

The sound quality is not the greatest, though whether this is due to an inherent flaw in the technology or aging of the components I’m not sure. I also find it a bit inconvenient that the player requires 3 batteries, when most handheld electronics I’ve encountered use only 2 batteries at the most.

Final Verdict:

Since the player and the song cartridges are going into my keychain collection, I probably won’t be using them to play music that frequently. So, the fact that the technology is a bit sub-par by today’s standards shouldn’t be as much of an issue. And I just love the look of these products, from both a nostalgia standpoint and as someone who appreciates detailed miniatures.

The Giveaway:

Now comes the fun part. I happen to have an extra Hit Clips song cartridge of NSYNC’s Bringin’ Da Noise. Heathersmoo on Livejournal suggested having a giveaway here on the blog. And since November 3^rd marks the 6th blogiversary for Grab The Brass Keyring, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. If you don’t happen to have a Hit Clips digital music player of your own, the cartridge can also be used as a keychain or purse charm, or hung on your Christmas tree. Or the clip and the strap can be removed and the cartridge can be used as a fashion doll-sized CD case. You could even put the cartridge on a necklace as a nostalgic, or ironic, fashion accessory. The possibilities are out there.

Here are the rules for the giveaway. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this blog post with whatever name you would like to be publicly known as if you win, as well as an email address where I can contact you if you are chosen as the winner. All of the comments on this blog are sent to me for approval, rather than being automatically posted, so no one but me will see your contact information. The entry period extends through the month of November, beginning now and ending on November 30^th, a Thursday. One the following Friday, December 1^st, I will randomly choose a winner. The winner’s entry name will be posted on the blog, and I will also personally contact them using the email address that they provided with their giveaway entry. The winner will then have 2 weeks to email me with arrangements to send me a mailing address, so that I can mail them their prize. If I receive no contact from the winner after 2 weeks, another winner will be chosen.

Feel free to spread the word about this giveaway to anyone that you think might be interested. I look forward to receiving your entries.

Signed, Treesa

It's Witchcraft (Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them Keychains)

Since I uploaded a post on Harry Potter keychains around this time last year, I decided now would be a good opportunity to share a couple Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them keychains. ‘Fantastic Beasts’ was a companion, prequel series to the Harry Potter franchise.

First, we have this Niffler Pocket Pop Keychain by Funko. Nifflers are furry, magical ‘beasts’ that are attracted to shiny objects. A Niffler named Teddy appeared prominently in the Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them films.

I also have a keychain featuring the “Stupefy” spell, with Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them branding on the tag. Stupefy, the Stunning Spell, causes a person hit with it to become unconscious, according to the online resources I found. The keychain itself was made by Bioworld.

That’s all for now. Apparently, I have a lot more regular Harry Potter keychains than I have keychains for ‘Fantastic Beasts’, although there could be a few more lying around the house here and there. I’m not always the most organized person.

Even though this was a very short post, I'm hoping you enjoyed it regardless.

Signed, Treesa

Barbie Shoes Keychains (A DIY Project Post)

 

The release of the Barbie live-action movie has made “Barbiecore” the ‘latest fashion craze’, to borrow lyrics from the song “The Barbie Touch”, which was featured in “The Magical World Of Barbie” live stage show performed at Epcot in Walt Disney World during 1994. Considering the current popularity of Barbie inspired fashion, I’ve decided to share a little keychain DIY project that I crafted a few years back. Are there Barbie shoes lying around your house that no longer have matches? If you are a parent with young children, then there’s a good chance that the answer is yes. So, why not put those shoes to good use by making yourself a keychain or bag clip? I’m a fashion doll collector as well as a keychain collector, so I’ve found my share of single Barbie shoes in bag lots of doll clothing I’ve purchased secondhand. They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and I originally came up with this keychain idea because I had a bag of mismatched Barbie shoes that I didn’t know what to do with.

To make a keychain similar to the one shown in the photo, you will need a short piece of chain with a split ring or some other type of keychain or clip finding at the top, to use as a base. You will also need some Barbie shoes, some jump rings to attach the shoes to the chain, and some jewelry pliers or other small pliers to open the jump rings.

The easiest way to get the shoes onto the chain is by using shoes that have straps, like the light pink, solid colored high heel used in the sample keychain. Just hang the shoe by the strap using a jump ring, and then attach the jump ring to one of the links of the chain. You can fasten all of the shoes to a single, larger jump ring at the bottom of the chain like I did. Or you can hang each shoe from a separate chain link, positioning the first shoe higher up on the chain and then alternating the placement of the other shoes on either side as you work your way down the chain.

If you would like to use a shoe that doesn’t have a strap, the transparent pink glittery high heel seen in the photo is a typical example, then you will need to find something to poke a hole through the shoe, near the top, for the jump ring. Something sharp but on the thinner side, like a thumbtack or a sturdy sewing needle, could work well for this, depending on the thickness of the plastic as well as the flexibility. Some of the plastics used to make Barbie shoes are somewhat rubbery, while others are firmer. In you are very careful, you could heat the end of a long, metal sewing needle with a candle flame before poking the hole, to make puncturing the plastic easier. I would not recommend letting children do any of the shoe piercing, even without the added element of heat.

Also, be careful with the placement of your hole. If you poke the hole too close to the top edge of the shoe, you might end up tearing the plastic, instead of making a hole. If you poke your hole too far down, you might have trouble finding a jump ring with a large enough diameter to attach the shoe to the chain. If the plastic shoe seems just too hard to pierce, I would recommend finding a different Barbie shoe for your project, unless you have sufficient experience with a craft drill. In any case, once you have a hole in the shoe that goes all the way through, you'll need to thread an open jump ring through the hole, so that the shoe can be suspended from the chain.

Here’s another example of a keychain made from a doll shoe.

This shoe is from the Monster High doll line. To make the keychain, I threaded some jewelry wire through a gap behind the heel of the shoe. I then used pliers to shape the wire into a wrapped loop before attaching the snake chain with snap end.

I hope that you enjoyed this post, and that my timing in posting it didn’t come across as too ‘click-baity’.

Signed, Treesa

Spirit Halloween Post-Season Clearance: 2022

Yes, you read that date in the title right. Last year, after the Halloween season was over, I went to Spirit Halloween and picked up a few keychains during their post-season clearance sale. But I kept misplacing the shopping bag with the keychains in it before I could get them photographed. I finally did get the pictures taken, and now I can share my finds with all of you, almost a year late. But hey, better late than never.

This keychain is shaped like one of those old hotel or motel key tags. Except the ‘hotel’ in this case is The Haunted Mansion attraction at the Disney parks. Longtime readers of this blog will already know about my fondness for Disney in general, and for the Disney theme parks in particular. I’m especially drawn to keychains promoting ‘classic’ Disney parks attractions, and The Haunted Mansion certainly qualifies there. According to the tag, this keychain was produced by Open Roads Brands LLC., for Spirit Halloween stores.

Speaking of The Haunted Mansion, pictured above are two Disney Haunted Mansion Figural Bag Clips. These bag clips were produced by Monogram International Inc and were sold in blind bags. I have here Hitchhiker #3, one of The Haunted Mansion’s famous “hitchhiking ghosts”. The character is also known as Phineas or The Traveler. The second blind bag contained the Foolish Mortal Badge bag clip, which is shaped like a Haunted Mansion candle sconce.

And that’s it for this post. I know that this wasn’t a large keychain haul by any means. But there really weren’t that many keychains left by the time the post-season discounts at Spirit Halloween kicked in. You have to be fast to nab the good deals at Spirit Halloween after the holiday is over, but before the stores shut down for the year. So, that’s your keychain shopping tip for the day.

Signed, Treesa