PROFILEjourneyinterview
Designer, my skills and experience were unique as compared to the Collectibles Team and it followed that my role was unique, as well. My assignments required me to operate across departments Design, Development, Sculpture and Model shop.
The first hurdle for Mattel was, 'Who had the skills to create a portrait doll in her likeness?' Mattel wished to have Ms.Taylor's personal endorsement and indeed, this doll was to be the first she was to endorse. I remember vividly, the Senior Vice President of Barbie Collectibles Marketing coming by my office to congratulate me for being assigned the project. I was to be Project Leader and Designer. This was to be the highest profile doll created by Mattel, ever, with plans for the creation of six further vinyl production dolls based on her film roles. A meeting was held in the offices of her Beverly Hills lawyers between Mattel and Ms.Taylor's closest representatives. I was asked to create and present mood boards of six of her finest film roles, 'Cat On A Hot Tin Roof', 'Father of The Bride', 'National Velvet', 'Cleopatra', 'Giant', and 'A Place In The Sun'. My first response to the assignment was to quickly immerse myself in her films and books. I went off to Hollywood Boulevard to search through the bookstores for Studio shots. The 'mood boards', designed to give the impression of the design possibilities of a doll, immediately caught their imagination. I recall them handling them and studying every detail, as conversation quickly moved onto discussing the creation of a 'Dream Halloween' CAAF auction doll. Ms Taylor is acutely aware and protective of her image and had her own ideas about how she wanted to be portrayed. This project was to demand careful sensitivity on the designer's part.
To capture Ms Taylor, Mattel's sculpting department had retained a number of freelance sculptors periodically and none had succeeded. A sculptor had been commissioned to work with me on this assignment and I soon saw it wasn't going to work out. I had been impressed with the work of Frederick Jackson, Mattel's dedicated in-house Barbie Collectibles sculptor, when we had worked together on the Princess Diana prototypes and got him on board with me. Our work on Princess Diana had led Aldo Favilli (Director of Mattel Collectible Editions Sculpting Division), to describe our alliance as 'A vein of gold running through the Design Center'.
The Auction doll required a new head and body to be created. The one of a kind doll was to be cast in Epoxy resin. The doll was to capture Elizabeth Taylor as herself as opposed to a film role. The doll had to become the real woman,with her body shape,and body language. The first look Ms Taylor was to have of my proposal for the auction doll was my initial sketch of my vision for this doll. I was informed two hours prior to a scheduled meeting at her house that a sketch of the design for the doll was required! That is, dress, jewels, hair and accessories. So, very quickly, I had to consolidate all the research I had at that point and make design decisions. When she saw the sketch, she loved it, and immediately approved the doll.