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7 The Chariot Secret Hearts and Earring Magic Ken
The card of the journey is often illustrated by a cart being pulled in two different directions or by two different animals, representing willfulness and turmoil as well as resolve and determination. These two Kens have appropriated one of Barbie's cars and are off on their own journey. It would be remiss of me not to note that Earring Magic Ken is affectionately known among Barbie aficionados as "Cock Ring Ken" due to the silver loop on his necklace, and that this image is from a postcard licensed by Mattel and sold at FAO Schwartz. (Rider-Waite)
8 Strength Wonder Woman from Barbie Loves Pop Culture
This heroic card quite often features a woman prying open a lion's jaws or sitting in the midst of wild animals. It stands for courage and righteousness as much as physical force, though reversed it can mean impetuousness, arrogance or petty tyranny. Like most superheroes, Wonder Woman is capable of all of the above. (Rider-Waite)
9 The Hermit Paul Frank Barbie from the Designer Series
An image of self-sufficiency, The Hermit can emulate the virtues of patience, meditation and inner counsel or the vices of immaturity, antisocial behavior and selfishness. This Barbie is hanging out in her pyjamas, hoarding her shopping loot, preparing for a nice relaxing evening, but what will she do if Skipper calls needing advice? (Rider-Waite)
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10 The Wheel of Fortune Fantasy Goddess of Africa from the Bob Mackie Series
Representing both the cycle of an individual's life and the prosperity or downfall of entire cultures, the Wheel is concerned with destiny, fate and the inevitability of change. This Barbie stands against lush greenery at what appears to be the peak of the fertile season, wearing a beautifully beaded, embroidered gown that suggests prosperity, yet her blazing headpiece and the red soil in which she stands put me in mind of the inevitable extremes of the cycles of the seasons. (Rider-Waite)
11 Justice Fashion Editor from the Fashion Model Collection
The traditional image is of a blindfolded woman holding the scales, balancing fairness and virtue against a lack of consideration and rigid intolerance. Fashion Editor Barbie may not be dressed like the other models in the collection, but she's planning to be the arbiter of style long after this year's clothes have been discarded. She's also going to be wise about balancing her checkbook with her wish list. (Rider-Waite)
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12 The Hanging Girl Classic Grace from the Prima Ballerina Collection
A card of willing suspension, surrender and readjustment, its flip side is pointless sacrifice and inappropriate passivity. This ballerina is in a position that no Barbie doll can actually achieve on her own; the absurd, unreal proportions of the doll combined with the limitations of her shoes and clothing mean that none of the ballerinas can actually take on ballet poses. And really, neither can real women without a great deal of starvation, body modification and hard work, can they? (Rider-Waite)
13 Death Sterling Silver Rose from the Bob Mackie Series
This is a symbol of summation, transformation and release far more than mortality. In fact its most negative meanings are stagnation and inability to move on, not literal death. This Barbie's hair color is clearly not natural; she has remade herself as a brittle silver goddess. Is she growing up or clinging to lost youth? (Rider-Waite)
