Full of surprises and delights: Barbie's first premium Christmas calendar

It's starting to look a lot like the holiday season at Barbie Signature. They've already introduced this year's Christmas Barbie dolls and now they're adding something new to the celebration, something they've never done before.

It's the 12 Days of Christmas Barbie doll and accessories, and members get early access to the store starting 10/3 at 9am ET. m. (Pacific time). It retails for $160, with a purchase limit of two per person. Get one as a gift for your favorite Barbie fan, and don't forget to treat yourself too! (If we don't sell them, they will be available to the public starting 8/10).

Barbie Signature lead designer Bill Greening revealed to us that this project had an unusual origin story, compared to other premium Barbie offerings. “This really came from brainstorming from the package team. Vicky Gevorkyan [lead key packaging designer] had the idea to make a premium Christmas package based on some other luxury items she saw during the holidays. The idea was shared with me when it was decided that the doll should have a very classic, retro and old-fashioned festive atmosphere. Which is definitely up my alley – I love nostalgia!

Because the doll has that vintage-inspired sensibility, Vicky created a matching packaging design. “The packaging follows the retro vintage look of the doll with a classic Christmas celebration theme to complement the doll and further evoke the retro vintage Christmas feel,” says Vicky. “The packaging has a gold foil logo, is structured with game board material, and has a sleeve that opens to reveal the 12 boxes you can open from day 1 to day 12.”

“The box is amazing!” Bill adds. “It feels so premium, soft to the touch and the graphics are beautiful. It's very sturdy and will definitely be a great way to store everything after the holidays are over. Inside all these little drawers that you open are beautiful miniatures for Barbie while you countdown to Christmas. I think collectors who love displaying and making Barbie vignettes will love these little accessories.”

The set is designed around the theme of Barbie hosting a Christmas party for family and friends, and the accessories are meant to be items she wants to have on hand to make it memorable. "I thought a lot about my childhood Christmas and the items my mom might have used to entertain and decorate the house," Bill says of the items you'll find, which include a miniature tree, a classic Christmas vinyl record, a plate of frozen cookies and more.

As for the hostess herself, this is a vintage-style Barbie doll that comes with a spiked stand, just like the original Barbie doll. Her jet black hair is styled with rolled bangs and a classic ponytail, accented with a red bow. Her emerald green eyes are highlighted by a bold cat eye with shimmery gold eyeshadow, and a cherry lip completes her look.

But what will she wear? Luckily, she'll have options: Bill created two new models especially for this outfit, one fun and one stylish. “The fashion she's wearing when you unpack her has a very 'Mrs. Claus kind of vibe,” Bill says. “The actual embroidery on the hem of the skirt reminds me of a vintage Christmas tree skirt. I love that we get to do real embroidery! There is white fur trim on the cuffs and neckline. We even have a white tulle petticoat under her dress, very much in the style of the late 50s and early 60s.”

As for the second, more formal fashion included in the ensemble, it's a gold and silver brocade cocktail dress that "any fashionable woman could have worn to entertain at home or to an elegant party," says Bill, adding which is based on a model from the early 1960s. Barbie design.