Barbie Parade by Angelo Bioletto

In the field of illustration in Barbie's world there is so little information. Often artists names didn't trascend, maybe because some of them were graphic art workers for Mattel and their names didn't sign their works but one of them who did trascend was Angelo "Nino" Bioletto.

Born in Torino in 1906, Nino Bioletto created different comics, first for La Stampa of his city but he was also known for Don Chisciotte, Topolino (Mickey Mouse) and to have participated briefly in the team of The Rose of Bagdad (The Singing Princess) of 1949, a delicious movie and the second European animated feature. The voice of the princess in the english version was given by the wonderful Julie Andrews and the movie was directed by Anton Gino Domeghini.

Eventually and, after returning to the journals for a period Angelo Bioletto dedicated to the illustration for children that he considered less tiresome and was then when, almost at the end of his life, he crossed paths with Barbie and in 1976 he illustrated the sticker album Barbie Parade. Eventually and, after returning to the journals for a period Angelo Bioletto dedicated to the illustration for children that he considered less tiresome and was then when, almost at the end of his life, he crossed paths with Barbie and in 1976 he illustrated the sticker album Barbie Parade. Although Barbie Superstar was sculpted in 1976 and presented a year later, Bioletto began to draw the album in 1976 to launch it in 1978 and that would explain why Barbie and her friends have the Malibu look, although she also presents different faces and many 70s real fashions. As a curiosity, we can see a sticker of Christie Superstar with the superstar facemold in the last pages... For Angelo Bioletto must not have been easy to do the job with so many facial changes.

It's a little frustrating that there is so little info about the artists who draw Barbie. From the firsts illustrations in the 60s through the psychedelic years until our beloved 80s and 90s, they did beautiful works of art and, in my opinion, they have not the credit they deserve.