Getting Caught Up

Here are some dolls that I purchased last year that I photographed, but did not blog about. Most of these have remained in their boxes. I took a break from buying dolls for a few months, but I'm starting to add a few dolls to my collection again now. 

GFive Vanessa was on my wish list for years. I finally got her at a price that I was willing to pay.

These Bad Boys II action figures had also been on my wish list for a number of years. I had almost given up on getting this set.

I got this Tangerine Twist Barbie because I already had the Uptown Chic Barbie and thought it would be nice to own the entire Fashion Savvy collection. I thought that there were only 2, but found out there's another one. Maybe I'll add that one also one of these years.

I'm pretty sure that I've already opened this Ken outfit and given to one of the guys around here. I just don't remember which one.

Whenever I travel, I always try to get a doll from the place that I'm visiting. Last year we vacationed in Branson, Missouri, and I purchased this Barbie doll while there.

Here's a doll that I was really looking forward to last year, The Barbie Look articulated curvy doll. I will remove her from her box one of these days (probably).

I wanted this Ice Skater Barbie for her face. Her head is occupying a different body these days (I hope to post about that soon).

I liked the look of this athletic Made To Move Barbie soccer player.

I think this Tropi-Cutie Barbie was an impulse buy. I probably saw her on someone's blog and they probably put her on an articulated body and repainted her lips, and I thought that I would do the same. Maybe I will, one of these years. For now, she has remained in her package.

I purchased this Travel Friends Kenya doll strictly for her articulated body. I specifically had in mind re-bodying Pawla Wolf (see below) on this body. But when I saw Pawla's younger siblings, I decided to keep her on her original body.

Well, well, well! The Werewolf has been very busy! Meet Pawla, younger sister of Clawdeen, Clawdia, Clawd, and Howleen. I was not pleased with Pawla's little wolf body. Apparently in the Wolf family, the younger you are, the more you look like an actual wolf. I was on the fence about purchasing Pawla, but her older siblings urged me to add her to the collection. So here she is.

Soon after finding out about Pawla, I found out about little Barker and Weredith. How could I add Pawla and not add the two youngest members of the Wolf family? I couldn't, I tell you. I was confused when this item arrived. I kept thinking that the little wolf thing was some sort of toy for Barker, but no. That's little Weredith. That's the youngest member of the Wolf family. Oh my. I didn't need another Clawdeen, but one of these days I'll probably practice head shrinking on this one.

Maybe I was just in the mood to purchase Wolf dolls. I decided to also pick up this Clawdeen and Clawd set. This Clawd appears to be a little taller and more buff than the original Clawd. I will no doubt attempt some type of body swap on him at some point.

I thought that the little Monster High children could use a Monster High doll of their very own, so I purchased this mini. I didn't know which doll would be inside, but had hoped that it would be a mini Clawdeen.

Nope, not Clawdeen. 

I don't know who this is, but I'm sure that the Wolf children will enjoy playing with her.

I figured that since I was in the market to buy dolls for dolls, I'd go ahead and pick up this American Girl mini (or would this be a micro) for my AG minis.

 I still have some catching up to do. I have a few projects that I photographed, but did not blog about. Things have been hectic for me lately, but I'm going to try to find some time for dolls and blogging here and there.

Pretty Lacy Frilly Things

Sometimes when shopping for one, the group benefits.  

When Janay arrived, she had a list of demands.  I will not comply with all (right away), but I thought that I could at least look around and see if I could find some pretty lacy frilly things for her.  I found the items below on eBay for $7.99.  That's $7.99 for all 6 ensembles!  Free shipping!

The seller describes these as handmade and 100% new.  The quality on these is good.  There are a few flaws here and there, but nothing substantial.  These fit normal sized fashion dolls really well, and are stretchy enough that Pregnant Midge can wear them, as demonstrated in my previous post.

The models are from left to right:  Dance 'n Flex Christie, Fashion Royalty Adele, Artsy Fashionista Barbie, Kenya body with Milan Barbie head, Jam 'n Glam Christie, and Janay.

All items have velcro closures in the back.

So I couldn't leave out my curvier ladies.  Previously, I did not have a bra that would fit my action figure ladies, so when I was shopping for a suit (that Zalika wore in a previous episode of Grown Folks Business), I chose one that came with a bra.

I bought some panties for my curvier ladies as well.  The suit came with stockings, also.

The suit has splits up both sides which expose the thigh, so the stockings above didn't look right with the suit.  I bought a different pair of stockings, but they don't fit quite right.  They look okay under a suit, though.

The ladies are all prepared to look cute under their clothes, sleep well in comfortable sleepwear, or whatever.

Happy Labor Day - Fashions to Show

Curtis is a new arrival and he is spending his first Labor Day here.  Well, his head is a new arrival, but his body has been here for a while.  He is thrilled with his body, but he is extremely irritated at me for dressing him in this Ken fashion. 

Maybe it's because the clothes and shoes do not fit quite right.  I could barely get the velcro to close on his shorts, and his shoes are too small.

He seemed a little bit more mellow with his shades on.

Meanwhile, some of the ladies wanted to show off their new Sparkle Girlz fashions.  They are from left to right:  HSM Taylor head on Liv Alexis body, Bratzillaz Sashabella Paws, Sideshow Jinx, Hispanic Perfect Body, and Milan Barbie head on Kenya body.  The Sparkle Girlz shoes are a good fit for Kenya, but they are too small for the rest of these ladies.

I knew that Curtis would have no trouble making new friends here.  He will feel even better when I get around to dressing him in comfortable attire for him.

Happy Labor Day Everyone!

Special Day Keyshia

Of the dolls from my previous post, I decided to open Special Day Keyshia first (thanks to some good advice and quality concerns).

She came with no socks and no earrings (sigh).  Otherwise, she's in good condition.  Here's a close-up.

And here's a full shot.

Thanks to posts on I-Luv-Dolls and Black Doll Collecting blogs, I expected there to be differences between this Keyshia and my Weekend Fun Keyshia, and there are.  They are both cute, though.

Check out my Weekend Fun Keyshia post for a more detailed review of the Keyshia doll in general, and my Small Girl Dolls Comparisons post to check out how Keyshia's articulation compares to other dolls.

Here are Kenya (rebodied), TJ, and the two Keyshia's.

So guess what happens next?

That's right!  It's head swappin' time!  In today's head swap, AA Todd grows a bit, while Special Day Keyshia shrinks.  Todd's head fits well on Keyshia's body, but Keyshia's head is a little loose on Janet's body (yep, Todd was using Jane'ts articulated body prior to this).  I know that Keyshia's head is too big for this body, but she will have to deal with it until the next swap.  I like Todd's head better on this body than I did on his original stiff body or Janet's articulated body.

 Here's the new Todd compared to some of my other teen and tween boys. 

I'll have to give short Keyshia a new name.  I'm thinking about Keylee.  What do you think?  Here's Keylee and Janet becoming acquainted, Todd Brown and Todd White are about to play ball (although Todd Brown now has an unfair advantage), and others just hanging out.

Latest Arrivals

I hadn't expected to be gone so long.  There's a lot happening and a lot of other things that are demanding my attention.  But there's always time for dolls, right?  Here are my latest arrivals.  From left to right, they are Special Day Keyshia, S.I.S. Marisa, S.I.S. Chandra, Triad Alpha, S.I.S. Kara, and S.I.S. Grace.  I plan to open them all one day, but not today.

Which one should I open first?

Here's the back of one of the so in style babyphat boxes.

Small Girl Dolls Comparisons

I have a request on my Comparisons page to do an articulation comparison with some of my younger dolls.  The girls below will get us started.  They all have the ability to bend at the knees and elbows at the least, and they are the shortest girls that I have that have this ability.  They are from left to right:  Mattel Janet, Juku Couture Kana, Only Hearts Club Briana Joy, Kenya Fashion Madness Keyshia, Bratz doll with Hottiez Kiara head, and Winx Club Layla.  

I am posing them similarly to my previous figure comparisons.  Some of these young ladies have appeared in other comparisons, but they wanted to come back for comparisons with dolls their own size.  Janet, Kana, Keyshia, and Kiara can all stand on their own without assistance from a doll stand.  Briana Joy can stand with shoes and her feet can adjust to heel height, so she can stand in both flat and heeled shoes. 

Here they are showing their flexed arms.  Janet, Kana, Keyshia, and Kiara have jointed elbows.  Briana Joy has a cloth body over a wire armature.  Layla has vinyl over wire for her limbs.  Janet is able to flex her arm further and hold it in position better than the others

None of them are able to cross their arms completely, but Janet comes the closest.  Janet, Kana, Briana Joy, and Keyshia can share shoes.  Kiara's Bratz body has large feet (shoes) that can be removed.  Layla has heeled feet and can wear some of the larger Barbie shoes.  Janet and Kana have articulation at the ankle.

Here they are doing a side stretch.  Janet and Kana have lower torso articulation, while Kiara is articulated at the chest.  I think that Janet has the best range of motion here.

Here they are in the "walk like an Egyptian" pose.  Kana and Kiara have articulation at the wrist.  Briana Joy's feet can be flexed.  Kiara's removable feet can swivel.  I think that Kana does this move the best.  What do you think?

Here they are doing kneeling back bends.  Janet does this the best.

Here they are showing off their hands.  None of these dolls can grip objects (no big surprise there).  Janet's hands are my favorites from this group.

Here they are attempting to sit cross-legged on the floor.  Briana Joy does this the best.

 Here they are attempting to do middle splits.  Kiara does this the best.

 Here they are attempting to do front splits.  Keyshia does this the best.

 Here they are doing a leg lift.  Kana and Briana Joy do this the best.

 Here they are sitting down.  Kana's legs will not close while seated.  Layla has issues when it comes to siting down (she might do better on a higher surface.  Keyshia looks the most natural to me in her seated position.

Do you have a favorite among these dolls?  What makes that particular doll stand out for you?  Which ones pose the best?  Which ones look the best?  Which dolls are the most realistic?