Sparkle Girlz Clothes

After reading about the new Sparkle Girlz fashions on several blogs, I went to Walmart in search of cute cheap clothing for my teen dolls.  Someone had already cleared out all of the single $1.97 fashions, but there were still some Fashion Boutique packs left.  I picked up 3 of them for $8.88 each, and the ones that I purchased are pictured below.

Several Sparkle Girlz dolls were on display, both full-sized and mini.  I was almost tempted to purchase a doll.  Almost.  The Sparkle Girlz even have a cute little inexpensive car now.  I did not get a photo of that, but I did take a quick photo of some of the dolls below.

When I got home, I opened one of the packs and tried the clothes on some of my dolls, and the dolls are modeling the clothing in the photo below.  The dolls are from left to right:  HSM Sharpay, Juku Couture Kana, Calista on Super Model Bel body, Hispanic everGirl, and Flavas Kiyoni Brown.  Most of the clothes are too big for Kana, but she fits the outfit below really well.  Sharpay, Kana, and Calista can all put the Sparkle Girlz shoes on, but Sharpay can not stand in them.  The shoes are really flimsy, though, so it would be easy to cut the heels to make the shoes fit Sharpay better.  These young ladies are ready to head back to school in style!

I also got a little something for Ken.  He will have to model his some other time.

Calista's Diary Entry - Snow Day

Dear Diary,

There was a bad winter storm here, so school was closed today.  Yay!  I spent time hanging out with friends from school.

Kana and Briana Joy tried to make a snowman, but the snow wouldn't pack very well.  Their snowman looked pretty sad.

Dominique threw ill-formed snowballs at people.  Skipper was not amused.  Eventually, we all ganged up on her and threw snowballs that mostly fell apart before they hit her.

There was a layer of ice under the snow, so we had to be very careful when walking around.  Kiara nearly slipped and fell.  That would've been embarrassing for her (but funny for us).

The best part was that I got to spend time with Bob.  We spent some time just walking and looking around.  Everything was really beautiful with the layer of snow.

We made snow angels.  :) 

Today was a really great day.  Don't get me wrong, I like school, but I have to say that getting an unexpected day off was great.

Calista's Diary Entry - We've Got Spirit

Dear Diary,

I remember when I first made the Junior Spirit Squad, I was so excited.  Back then, I really worked hard to be the best that I could be on the squad, because I almost didn't make it.  I felt like I had something to prove.  I have gotten so much better and I am so proud of myself.  But as time has gone on, I have started to have mixed feelings.

My body is changing so fast, and I really have started to feel self-conscious wearing my uniform in front of everyone.  We have to wear our uniforms to school on game day, and we sometimes perform at pep assemblies in front of the whole school, as well as at the games.  My uniform seems to have gotten tighter and shorter

When I'm performing, it's like I can feel the boys staring at me.  I don't feel comfortable with that at all.  I heard one of the boys say that I have "more bounce to the ounce."

Plus, I am so much taller now.  I don't look like I belong on the Junior squad.  I feel like I look much older than the other girls now.

A while back, I told my mother that I wanted to quit the squad.  She asked me why, and I told her that I just do.  I did not feel comfortable with telling her all of my reasons.  She told me that I can't quit.  She told me that I had agreed to something, and that I needed to stand by that agreement.  She told me that she and my dad had made an investment in me with this activity by purchasing everything that I need, and that I have an obligation to them to see this through.  She told me that I also have an obligation to the other girls.  She asked me what they would do if I suddenly quit the squad.  I shrugged my shoulders.

She told me that the others are depending on me.  She told me that I am part of a team, and that sometimes I may have to do things that I don't want to do for the sake of the team, in order to make us stronger.  She told me that I also have an obligation to myself.  She said that I have put in a lot of hours and a lot of hard work, and that I owe it to myself most of all to see this through.  She told me that if I choose not to try out for next season, then that's my choice.  But she said that I definitely need to finish this season.

At first I was upset with my mom for not letting me quit, but then I really thought about what she said.  My mom is right.  I gave my word, and the other girls do depend on me.  And I depend on them.  I remembered how excited I was when I found out that I had made the team, and I tried to feel that way again.  The other girls have helped me so much, and we have all worked so hard.  I won't let them down.

So what if I'm showing more skin than I used to.  So what if there's more jiggle when I wiggle.  I'm going to do these moves and do them well!

And I have to remember all of the ways that being on the squad has been beneficial to me.  I've learned to dance and move in ways that I never knew before.  I have become physically stronger and more fit.

I have become more flexible.  I have become more confident and less shy.

 But the best part is that I have had the opportunity to be involved in an activity with my best friends.  We have spent so much time together, and we have had so much fun doing this.

For a while I thought that I would just do this until the end of the season, and then I would not try out again.  I've really thought long and hard about this.  Tryouts are coming up, so I needed to make a final decision.  I've decided to try out again.  Really, tryouts are just a formality.  The Varsity squad had their tryouts recently and all of the same girls are on the squad, except for the ones who are graduating.  I expect that me, Briana Joy, and Kana will all be on the Junior Spirit Squad again, and I'm looking forward to it.

Calista's Diary Entry - Kiss and Tell

Dear Diary,

Big Janet and Dylan are clearly a couple now.  Me and Kana and Briana Joy had been trying to ask her about what happened at the Halloween Carnival, but whenever we saw her at school she would say "Not here!  Not now!".  It seems like she's been too busy to hang out with us after school.  It seems like any time we see her outside of school now, she's hugging or holding hands with Dylan.  We were finally able to catch up with her today, though, and we hung out at my house.  Needless to say, we had a lot of questions!

Kana:  Ok, you'd better spill it.
Big Janet:  What?
Kana:  Let's start with what the heck happened at the Halloween Carnival, inside the haunted house, to be specific.
Briana Joy:  And don't hold anything back, either.  We want the details.
Big Janet:  Ok, the ride started and we went through a big set of double doors.  It was pitch black inside.  Then all of a sudden this bright spotlight came on and we saw a coffin, which opened and...
Me:  Did he kiss you?
Big Janet (blushing):  Yes.
Me, Kana, and Briana Joy:  Ooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Big Janet (giggling):  I don't know why you're surprised!  We've kind of been flirting with each other for a while.  Remember the Valentine's Day party?  I almost kissed him back then!

Briana Joy:  But he's older!
Big Janet:  He's not that much older than me.
Kana:  Ok, finish telling the story!  I still want the details.

Big Janet told us that after her first big fright inside the Haunted House, she had screamed, and Dylan put his arm her and she moved over closer to him.  At one point, she closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder, not wanting to see what was coming next.  She could tell that he was moving his head closer to hers, and when she raised her head, he kissed her right on the lips.  Well, he missed at first, but then he kissed her and she kissed him back and they kept kissing for the rest of the ride.  After the carnival, Dylan had sent her a text message that said "So you're my girl, right?" and Big Janet texted him back saying "Yes."

Big Janet is the first one out of the four of us who has ever kissed a boy, so she had to deal with a lot of questions from us.  "Was it wet?"  "Was it gross?"  "How did it feel?" etc.  She answered all of our questions and gave us as many details as we wanted.

After the girls left, I stayed in my room for a while just thinking about things.  I can't believe that Big Janet is the first one out of our group of friends to have a boyfriend.  I'm not saying that in a mean way.  It's just that I always kind of thought that it would be me. 

Calista's Diary Entry - Growth Spurt

Dear Diary,

My clothes are tight, my shoes are too small, and people always comment about how much I've grown.  They say that I've hit a growth spurt.  I look different on the outside, but I feel the same on the inside.

I'm about the same height as Skipper now. She hasn't changed much.

Some of Skipper's friends have changed a lot though.  The twins Hadley and Isla, and her friend Taylor have all gotten so tall!

Kana and Briana Joy haven't changed much.  Kana's hair isn't purple anymore - that's the biggest change with her.

I'm a little bit taller than Bob now.  I wonder if he's noticed?  I wonder if it matters to him?  It doesn't really matter to me.  Maybe he'll hit a growth spurt of his own pretty soon.

Maybe I'm just imagining things, but I could've sworn that Kiara used to be taller.  Maybe she just seems short to me now because I'm taller?  I don't know.  She's been hanging out with the new girl Jenna a lot.  I don't know Jenna well, but she seems okay.  I heard someone say that she is cute until she opens her mouth.  I don't know what they mean by that.

Mikey has not changed a bit.  He is just as obnoxious as ever!  His nickname for me now is Medusa.  I guess he's trying to be funny about the twists that I wear in my hair.  Layla has always worn twists, so why doesn't he call her Medusa?  He was calling me Bigfoot Knight for a while.  I don't know which name I hate worse.  I keep ignoring him and hoping that he'll eventually just leave me alone.

I guess that a lot of things are changing, but a lot of things have remained the same.  I'm just glad to have my family and my friends.  I feel that with their support, I can face any changes that come my way.

Doll Head Removal

I have had several people ask me about head removal and head swapping for various dolls, so I will share what has worked for me (and what has gone wrong for me).

The Heat Is On

Plan on using heat to make it easier to remove the head.  Applying heat to the head prior to removal softens the plastic and makes it easier to manipulate.  Methods that I have used include:

• Use a handheld hairdryer pointed towards the lower part of the doll's head and the upper neck.  Heat from this source will damage a doll's hair, so be sure to cover the hair while the dryer is in use.  Heat for approximately 60 seconds.

Or

• Place the doll head first into a plastic baggie that can withstand heat (like a freezer bag).  Submerge the doll's head and shoulders into boiling hot water.  For dolls with hard vinyl heads like Fashion Royalty, submerge for approximately 5 minutes.  Make sure that water does not get into the baggie.

Tools

There are some tools that will come in handy with certain head removals.  I have a set of small screwdrivers that I frequently use.  I also have a set of crochet needles - the smallest of which I find very useful.

Barbie and Friends

Barbie's neck post consists of a small plastic disk with 2 prongs just above that.  After heating the head, tug the head gently until the plastic disk is exposed, as in the photo below.

That was the easy part.  It can be a little tricky getting the prongs out, so use care.  Position one of the prongs so that it is pointed towards the doll's chin.  Squeeze the head to elongate the neck hole, and maneuver that side of the prong out of the neck hole.  Once one side of the prong is out, the other side will come out easily.  If you have trouble getting the prong out, use a tool like the ones mentioned above to help you to guide one side of the prong out of the doll's neck hole.

Once the doll's head has been removed, you can use a set of toenail clippers to cut the prongs off so that it will be easier to remove the head next time.  I usually do not remove the prongs, which is why this happened:

The small plastic rod that held the neck post firmly in place snapped, and the entire neck post came out.  I put the neck post back inside the neck, and put the doll's head back on.  You can't tell by looking at her or posing her, but she is damaged goods, which will be an issue if I ever decide to do another head swap with this particular doll.

Mixis

The Mixis dolls are unique.  There is a thick elastic band that extends from the neck and goes through a hole in a flat plastic disk, and the band is tied in a knot on top of the disk.  The disk holds the doll's head in place.  To remove this head, I used my smallest crochet needle.  After heating the doll's head, tug slightly to reveal the elastic band.

Barbie head being removed from Mixis body

Insert the crochet needle into the doll's head through the neck opening, and turn the plastic disk to the side.  Then, grab the opposite side of the disk with the hook, squeeze the doll's head so that the neck hole is elongated, and slide the disk out.

Kenya

Kenya doll heads are very difficult to remove, so use extreme caution if you do not want to do damage to the head or the body.  The Kenya neck post is a set of double prongs that extend like hooks (see photo in the table below).  After heating the doll head, use the smallest size screwdriver (like the size for watch screws) and insert that into the doll head at the neck opening.  Find one side of a bottom prong and carefully guide the doll's head over it.  Do the same with the other side.  Then do the same for the second set of prongs.

What to Expect

For me, one cause of apprehension comes from not knowing what type of neck post to expect when I make the decision to remove a doll's head.  Here are some of the neck posts that I've encountered so far:

American Champions - Barbie heads will fit on this body, and vice versa
Barbie - See instructions for Barbie and Friends above.
BFC, Ink - The neck post on this doll is nearly the same as Bratz dolls.
Blythe - Barbie heads will fit on a Blythe body.
Bratz - Bratz heads fit BFC, Ink dolls, and vice versa.
Bratz Kidz - Bratz Kidz heads fit on Sparkle Girlz bodies, and vice versa.
Disney Descendants - Barbie heads will fit on this body, and vice versa
Holly Hobbie & Friends - Mattel - The same as Barbie. Barbie heads will fit on this body, and vice versa
Integrity Toys - Barbie heads will fit on this body, and vice versa
Jakks Pacific - Other doll heads will fit on this body, but may sit a bit high on the neck.
Juku Couture - The head can be difficult to remove because of the small neck hole and the hard vinyl of the doll's head.
Kenya - See instructions for Kenya above.  Barbie heads will fit on Kenya, and vice versa.
Keyshia - Similar to Mattel's Janet, Todd, and Stacy
Liv - Slightly smaller neck post than Barbie.  Perfect fit for Skipper-sized dolls and HSM dolls.
Mattel High School Musical, Hadley and Isla - See instructions for Barbie and Friends above.  The HSM neck post is slightly larger than the other 2.  Hadley and Isla have the same size neck post as Janet (Stacy) and Todd.	From left to right: HSM, Isla, Hadley
Mattel Mermaid (small) - The head of this doll will fit loosely on the Juku Couture body, but Juku Couture heads will not fit on this body without modification.
Mattel Todd and Janet (Stacy) - May or may not have a pronged neck post (see instructions for Barbie and Friends above).
Mixis - See instructions for Mixis above.  Do not perform too many head removals with these, as the elastic band will fray over time.
Monster High - The tall neck post makes the head even more difficult to remove (see instructions for Barbie and Friends above).
Only Hearts Club - Be careful of the doll's eyes when you are removing the head.
Sparkle Girlz - Sparkle Girlz heads will fit on Bratz Kidz bodies, and vice versa.
Wee Three Friends - See instructions for Barbie and Friends above.  The neck post is about the same size as Barbie's.
Doll Heads – From left to right:  Monster High, Only Hearts Club, Barbie, Juku Couture, and Wee Three Friends.

Head Swapping Doll Heads to Action Figure Bodies

Here are some items that may come in handy if you want to use a doll head with an action figure body, but you do not want to make permanent modifications:

• Small plastic grapes from the Arts and Crafts store
• Flat washers from a tub and shower repair kit

I learned the plastic grape method from Seneschal of Avalon.  It is the method that I used when I put Opal's head on an action figure body.  The action figure body that I used has a cone-shaped neck post, and Opal's head would not stay on.  Use a small (1/2 inch diameter) plastic grape over the neck post.

Once I placed the small plastic grape over the neck post, Opal's head fit perfectly and it has full range of motion.

I used the same method for Tariq when I moved his head to an action figure body.  But in his case, the head was still a bit wobbly after attaching the small plastic grape.  I used a flat washer along with the grape, and the wobble is gone (at least I think that this is a flat washer - someone correct me if I'm wrong).

Tariq after the procedure

Have you found other common household items useful when rebodying dolls?  Tell me what you've used!

Swapping Female Hot Toys Head to Other Action Figure

Hot Toys female figures come with a ball and socket neck attachment, so they are different than other action figures with the cone-shaped neck post. The plastic grape method will not work.

Neck post for a Triad Alpha body

 Triad Alpha head on the left, Hot Toys head on the right

 I asked for help from fellow collector Codename Silent G and he told me about this method. I purchased some vinyl shelf caps from Home Depot. I purchased a pack with large and small caps because that's all they had, but I only needed the small ones.

I gathered the items that I would need:  a vinyl shelf cap, a ruler, scissors, something sharp and sturdy enough to cut through hard plastic (I used garden shears, but wire cutters will also work), and a metal nail file (sandpaper would probably work better).

I cut off the bottom 1/16" of one of the shelf caps with scissors. Then I cut off the top 1/16" of the neck knob of the Alpha body with the garden shears. I used the metal nail file to smooth out the neck knob after I had cut off the tip.

I submerged the shelf cap in boiling hot water for 1 minute, and then I pushed it down on the Alpha neck post as far as it would go. This turned the neck post into a vinyl ball that would grip the inside socket of the Hot Toys head. Then I attached the head, and it is now securely attached and has full range of motion.

Hot Toys Sheva Alomar head on Triad Alpha body

Important:  I am not an expert.  If you choose to remove your doll's head, you risk doing permanent and irreparable damage to your doll, like I did to my Hottiez Kiara doll below: