Sports Talk and Dolls

On January 21, I participated on the panel of Moohead Radio's YouTube Channel and shared some of my sports dolls and action figures.

Can you name all of the figures pictured above? The participants on the show were asked to identify these figures.

Later in the show, Mandy and Booty Babe made brief appearances.

Here is a link to the show. References to my dolls began at the 24:42 mark. Please note: if you are easily offended, do not watch this.

Kara and Kianna

What do you do when you want to create a new blog post, but you don't want to take photos, etc.? You look at your saved drafts and pick one! I have no idea why I've had this saved as a draft for so long because I took these photos years ago. At any rate, here are my Barbie So In Style (S.I.S.) Kara and Kianna dolls.

This set spoke to my heart because of the musical aspect. So this was an easy choice over the other sets that were released at the same time (pictured on the back of the box above).

The set comes with a Kara doll, a Kianna doll, a violin, a flute, a karaoke machine with two permanently attached mics, a carrying case, a CD, and sheet music.

Kara has cute musical accessories - violin earrings and a treble clef necklace.

The dolls are dressed somewhat alike and are super cute together!

Kara has arms that are articulated at the elbow, so she can handle the instruments more easily. It is a challenge for Kianna to play the instruments, but she is learning.

It would have been nice if the mics on the karaoke machine were detachable. But, I have another karaoke machine that came with another set and a bunch of mics around here. Hmmmm, I may have to host a doll karaoke party one of these days...

I read in the description that both Kara and Kianna also love math, and that also speaks to my heart since I am a STEM chick (science, technology, engineering and math) and have been asked to mentor young ladies and try to inspire more of them to take an interest in STEM professions, since women tend to be underrepresented in these professions. Did you know that studies show a correlation between music and mathematical abilities?

But let's face it, the music is just more fun. I can't really see myself having these dolls doing calculus. I can see them having fun playing with their instruments, though!

My overall impression is that I love this set! It is good for collectors as well as children. The set displays beautifully in the box, and is also fun to play with. It does come with tiny pieces, so it is not appropriate for very small children. I love the mentorship theme of these dolls, and love that there is a focus on both music and math with these particular dolls. One of the reasons that I've been asked to consider mentoring young ladies is so that other young ladies (Black young ladies in particular) will see the STEM professions as a possibility for themselves. I hope that seeing these Black math-loving dolls has inspired girls worldwide. Even if math is not the primary focus, maybe it sank in subliminally.

Fresh Dolls Lynette

Fresh Dolls is a new line of multicultural dolls that is part of the Positively Perfect doll family. These dolls are for sale at Target and Walmart. I purchased mine from Target.com and had it delivered to my local store.

Several of the dolls caught my eye. I decided to purchase Lynette.

Here is my video review of Lynette.

Here's a look at the back of the box.

Lynette is a very cute doll. There are a couple of quality control issues with mine. There are marks underneath her right eye, and the center front of her blouse is not sewn correctly. I was planning on redressing her anyway because I'm not crazy about this outfit. Other than that, I'm very pleased with her. She has on earrings, a short floral top, skirt, and blue shoes. With a little effort, Lynette can stand unassisted in her shoes. Her head will move side to side, but not up and down. Lynette's head is a little on the large side, but not to the point of distraction.

Lynette has on molded panties. She has articulation at her elbows and knees. She is curvier than a standard size Barbie doll, but not as curvy as a curvy Barbie. Her feet are the same size as a standard Barbie.

Here she is compared to a belly button Barbie doll. Lynette has a shorter neck, and she is thicker at the arms, waist, legs, and butt.

Here she is compared to a curvy Barbie. Lynette is not as thick at the arms and legs. The waist and butt are debatable. She is not as wide at the hips.

Here she is compared to a Fashion Madness Kenya body (with a Barbie head). Lynette's neck is shorter than Kenya's. Lynette is thicker at the arms, torso, legs, and butt.

I took Lynette's hair down so that I could check out her rooting. Lynette's hair is thick and curly and appears to be well rooted. It is not very soft.

I did not get Lynette's hair back exactly the way that it was before. I'll have to work on that. Here she is in a seated position. She can cross her legs at the ankles.

She's already making new friends. 

Overall, I am pleased with this doll and with this line of dolls. I'm happy that these dolls represent multicultural beauty and that there are different skin tones, hairstyles, and fashions available. These dolls are very reasonably priced. I am thrilled that these dolls have articulation! I think that children and adult collectors alike will love these. I love the fact that these dolls are curvier than a standard Barbie doll. My doll is able to pose well and she can hold her poses. Her joints are not too stiff and not too loose. I do wish that the same face mold was not used for all of the dolls in this line. I will probably buy more of these and swap heads. I'm looking forward to seeing more from this line of dolls!

Martini Beach Monica

The newest doll in my collection is Martini Beach Monica, and she is truly a work of art.

She was created by artist Frantz Brent-Harris. This is a doll that I was truly excited to add to my collection.

Monica came with the outfit and shoes shown in this photo, a doll stand, a bikini, a choker necklace, and another pair of shoes. I was told by the artist that she can not stand on her own, but I just had to try it. She can stand in her shoes, but she really doesn't like to and threatened to fall down at any given moment. I will use her stand all of the time with her. She can share shoes with Monster High dolls.

Here she is showing off her gorgeous curves in her bikini. Her head and neck are attached by strong Earth magnets, so her head can be removed. This is to allow for interchangeability with heads. Hmmmmm, does this mean that there are more heads from this artist on the horizon? I can't wait to find out! Since her head is easily removed, I was able to get her necklace on easily. Her legs are also attached by magnets (to allow for interchangeability with legs that have flat feet).

Here is a closeup. Monica's hair is a wig that is permanently attached.

Here, Monica poses with other curvy dolls in my collection. They are from left to right: Lammily Photographer, American Teen Dominique, Mattel Madam LaVinia curvy Barbie, Monica, Big Beautiful Dolls Dasia, Singing Tracy Turnblad, and Gone With The Wind Mammy.

Here they are all dressed up.

My Booty Babe could not allow this gathering of curvy ladies to go on without her.

Monica has made many new friends here.

Overall, I am very impressed with this doll. I love the fact that this artist has depicted a facet of beauty that we do not often see in the doll world. Monica is a gorgeous doll. Of course, I would have liked to see some more articulation. Perhaps when Monica's flat footed legs come out, there will be some articulation at the knees (I can only hope). Monica is heavy and sturdy and high quality. She is a treasured doll in my collection.

Here is my video review of Monica.

Walking Barbie and Baby Krissy

Hello everyone! Today is a bit of a throwback. I'm showing you my Walking Barbie and New Baby Sister Krissy set - the African American version. This set was released in 1999 and I bought it brand new, so these dolls have been in my collection for about 18 years now. In fact, these are among the first dolls in my collection, and Krissy was the first baby in my collection.

These dolls are dressed in their original outfits. The set came with the dolls, the stroller, and the baby bag which contains a bottle, baby powder, a sippy cup, and a rattle. Walking Barbie really does walk when pushing the stroller, and Krissy makes adorable cooing, giggling, and singing sounds when she's laid in her stroller (it's actually the stroller making the sounds). All these years later, and Krissy is still cooing like a champ! Those must be some super duper batteries!

Since this Barbie was one of the earlier dolls in my collection, she has been subjected to more of my handling than my other dolls, and her outfit and hair shows it. She came with her hair in two braids, parted down the middle. Her arms are permanently bent and she looks like she's ready to do some Karate chops. Her legs are straight and do not bend.

This is not my photo

So about Krissy's adorable baby sounds... When you lay Krissy's head down, the sounds come from a speaker in the stroller. Awwwwwww! That cooing sound must be like the Wilhelm Scream of baby noises in movies and TV, because I've heard that exact same sound literally dozens of times over the years in movies and on TV shows. In fact, while taking these photos, I heard this cooing on a show that my husband was watching in the other room (The Musketeers series). I'm so impressed that the sounds still work after all these years, because I've never changed the battery!

Walking Barbie's arms attach to the stroller, and when you push the stroller she walks.

The basket detaches from the stroller and allows for Barbie to easily carry Krissy.

 Barbie is a great big sister, and takes such good care of Krissy!

 Krissy is such a happy and well cared for baby girl!

 

Here's my video of this set, where you can hear the cooing and see the walking in action.