Recently, I’ve been taking inventory of my Skipper collection. I photographed the vast majority of my dolls and am now moving onto getting a clear idea of the ‘other’ items in my collection, like cases, coloring books and other Skipper branded items. The other day, I decided to look at my Skipper doll cases.

Produced by SPP, most of these cases are made of cardboard lined with a thin layer of vinyl. Because of this, it’s common to run into cases with splits, water damage or rust (to the clasps). If you stumble upon a case online that you’re thinking about buying, always ask about the condition. You may also run into cases that are very ‘musty’ on the inside, because, let’s face it, in many cases (pun intended), these doll cases haven’t been opened in years!

From 1964, the above case features Skipper in three different outfits: School Days, Red Sensation and Skipper’s Dress Coat. This case is pretty easy to find and comes in various colors, including beige, blue and yellow.

The Running on the Beach double case is one of my favorites. It has such an action packed graphic on the front, which features Skipper and Skooter running in the sand at the beach. They’re both dressed in their basic red and white striped outfit. This is also from around 1965 and comes in various colors.

Another favorite of mine is the European Travel Trunk from 1965, featuring Barbie, Francie and Skipper. Skipper wears Ship’s Ahoy, her sailor themed fashion. (One of my all time favorite Skipper outfits!) Another thing that makes this case stand out is Skipper’s super sassy side glance. It has more attitude than other promo graphics. This is also a more sturdy case than the others. And, of course, this comes in various color options.

This Barbie and Skipper Red Sensation case is a double case featuring Skipper in the popular Red Sensation outfit (featured in the School Days case, as well as the Purse Pal case). This case comes in multiple colors, including yellow, blue and beige.

This 1969 Mod Case showcases a Skipper drawn in a way that is very different from the other cases in this post. While less detailed, the design features Skipper with a head of full, bouncy blonde hair and a short, bright pink outfit. This case also was released in orange.

This double case includes portraits of Skipper and her pal, Skooter. This case is more simple than the others, but I love how big Skipper and Skooter’s faces are.

In this case, Skooter is seen modeling Platter Party and Sunny Pastel. This yellow case showcases a blonde and ginger haired Skooter. Like the rest, it comes in various colors.

The Purse Pal doll case is ‘unofficially’ a Skipper product. It was made by the company who produced the cases in this post, but not for Mattel.  It’s rare, because it features a doll that looks a lot like Skipper on the toy shelf, which isn’t something Mattel did with their cases. You’ll find this in both blue, like mine, or pink. Notice that Red Sensation is also used on this ‘super generic looking’ doll on the doll shelf, a popular look used on many of the ‘official’ Skipper cases.

I’m happy with the cases I have so far. For someone who is pretty picky about case quality, I have gathered quite a few! (I need the graphics to be top notch in order to spend money on a case!) Do you have any doll cases? Do you have a favorite among these? Share your thoughts in the comment area!

My Skipper collection has grown over the past few weeks! This Skipper Highlight Reel post covers three new custom dolls that just arrived! The first two Skippers were sent to me by my friend Arnaldo. He’s been working on Barbie customs for years and has even been featured in popular doll magazines! I met Arnaldo at a Kenvention a few years back. His customs were pretty awesome looking, but even more so, his personality was amazing. Because of this, I leapt at the chance to pick up a Skipper custom that went on sale recently on his Facebook page. The custom? A brown-eyed titian Skipper. I’ve always admired Arnaldo’s brown-eyed girls, because, as you probably know, vintage Skippers were never released with anything but blue eyes. Check the custom out below!

He was kind enough to send a surprise inside the box, as well! This Malibu Skipper has had her hair done up in a cute un-Skipper like ‘do.

The final Skipper in this post is one I commissioned. I hinted in a video a few months ago that I had purchased a Skipper doll for a special project. To make my idea a reality, I enlisted the help of Krista’s Doll Restoration. She’d done work for me in the past and I knew I could trust her skills to make my very special Skipper come to life. So, what was the project, you ask? Well, I commissioned a Skipper doll that mimicked the Skipper shown in the first ever Skipper commercial. In that commercial, Skipper didn’t have a side glance; she looked straight ahead. You can see it in the video below.

Because the reality of one of the Skipper dolls seen in the commercial popping up on eBay, let alone at a price I could afford, is a pipe dream, I figured why not create one, or ask a talented friend to make one for me! Below is the outcome and I’m very, very pleased with the results.

To compare, here’s a normal Skipper standing next to Krista’s fantastic custom prototype Skipper inspired by the original Skipper commercial.

I did have one slight hiccup in making this custom Skipper a reality. The doll I originally bought for this project is not the one you see in the pictures. I had first thought of going to a different person to create this custom, but after sending my doll off, the person dropped off the face of the earth. After a few months of zero communication, I decided that I needed to go elsewhere. I don’t think I’ll be seeing that doll again, but thankfully no money was exchanged.

I should have gone to Krista in the first place. She was kind enough to sell me a doll at a good price. Krista did an amazing job on Skipper and did it very quickly, too! (To learn more about Krista, visit her website!) I’m very pleased with how this straight gaze Skipper doll turned out!

Read more Skipper Highlight Reel posts here. What do you think of these three customs? What do you think of my special project? Have you commissioned a custom recently? Share your thoughts in the comment area!

This past weekend, my mother, YouTuber Barbee0913, and I attended the Chicago Toy Show at the Kane County Fairgrounds. Going on 44 years, this show is a staple for the Illinois based toy collecting community. This year, the show revamped its room set up, which was a little disconcerting to many of the long time doll buyers and sellers. Instead of housing the dolls in the ‘Dollhouse’, aka the Robinson building, dolls were housed in the atrium/cafe area’s of two different buildings. I estimate each room had 20-30 vendors. Why the change? Apparently, the “boys toys” are outgrowing their space and, alas, the poor doll vendors paid the price. Admittedly, the ‘Dollhouse’ has shrunk over the years, so we should have seen this coming, but still, I don’t quite understand why the doll vendors couldn’t just be in one room, sharing space with general toy vendors.

Despite the changes, we ended up finding some great dolly deals. Here’s some of the goodies that came home with us from the show. This post doesn’t feature all the items we purchased, just a handful of highlights. To see everything, check out the video below.

Barbee0913 is a fan of Madame Alexander Victoria dolls. She received one when her brother was born. Passing down that tradition, I received one when my brother was born, as did my younger cousins when they first gained a sibling. It’s a fun tradition that I hope to continue on into the future. We rarely see Victoria’s at the toy show, but this year, to our surprise, we spotted two! Barbee0913 got a mini and large Madame Alexander for an amazing price. The vendor was selling her mother’s Madame Alexander collection. Her mother, who had passed, had loved Madame Alexanders. Her collection seemed to be an ‘in box’ collection, as my mom noticed that the Victoria dolls were very minty fresh!

From the same vendor, Barbee0913 picked up this adorable Alexanderkin. We haven’t been able to really identify it, but it’s just too cute. The body has a textured feel to it, like real skin, which feels really neat. But this face? How cute is that!

As some of you know, something I like to collect are Jem dolls. The Jem dolls at the show were insanely expensive, so I didn’t end up with any of those. However, I did end up with this amazing play set, Jem’s Rock Backstage/Speaker! This play set is compact, has some amazing fluorescent shelving and interior pieces and, believe it or not, the speaker function still works!

Toodles came home to join Barbee0913’s collection. Isn’t she cute? Toodles was made by American Character and has eyes that follow you. My mom has been looking for one of these for a few years now and finally found one that was priced right!

My big purchase of the day was an unmarked composition Shirley Temple lookalike. She stands around 20″ tall and is adorable! For being from the 1930’s, she has very little crazing and is in amazing shape. One nice thing about this vendor was that she wasn’t a doll re-seller. Due to downsizing, she was selling her own collection. On her table were pieces that she had loved and enjoyed, not just pieces she picked up to make a profit. This Shirley doll was clearly a piece she loved, as she seemed very remorseful as she started packing the doll up. Don’t worry, I’ll give your Shirley a good home!

What drew me to this girl was her adorable face, her clear tin eyes, her red dress and her amazing wig! I wish I knew more about her maker, but since she’s unmarked, all I can know for sure is that she is from the 30’s, since she’s composition and most likely, over 70 years old! (Think of the things this doll has ‘lived’ though— if dolls could talk!)

This is only half of what we picked up at the show. To see everything else and hear more of our thoughts on the show, check out the video, linked above. Overall, I’m happy with the items that came home with us. Usually, there’s a little bit of buyers remorse that comes along with shows like this, but not this time! Everything we picked up was priced really well and I have no regrets. Have you picked up something from a doll show or flea market recently? Share your thoughts in the comment area!

A month ago, I was sent a Wonder Crew doll for review. Wonder Crew is a line of 15″ dolls that come in a variety of skin tones, including Caucasian (Will), Asian (Erik), African-American (James) and Hispanic (Marco). Unlike most doll lines, the main players in this line are boys, not girls. The Wonder Crew website states that the line was “Inspired by boys but truly meant for any child, Wonder Crew builds emotional intelligence, imagination, confidence, and is 100% fun!”

Wonder Crew dolls come dressed as superheroes complete with a vibrant red cape and mask. These dolls are meant to inspire active play right out of the box and come with a matching child sized cape and mask. If you feel like switching up the fun, other outfits are sold separately. Like the basic doll, each outfit comes with a fun child sized accessory! For example, the Snuggler Adventure Pack, green pajama’s with a rocket ship theme, comes with a blanket that is the perfect size for a child and their Wonder Crew to snuggle with! See this outfit in the video review, linked below.

The body of Wonder Crew dolls is part vinyl and part cloth. With James, who is pictured in this post, his torso is stuffed, including his shoulders and hips. Three quarters of his arms and legs are vinyl, though. Posing isn’t really a trait these dolls have or need, as they are meant to be huggable playmates. And huggable they are. One thing I wish the Wonder Crew did better was sit. Unfortunately, they don’t sit well, unless propped up by something strong.

Also worth pointing out is this: the cloth body is made of a white fabric with a quilt’y sort of feel to it. With this particular doll, I would have gone with a fabric that matched his skin tone better, but you can always pretend that the white under his clothing is an undershirt.

As far as the sculpt is concerned, I think the Wonder Crew team did a great job on James. The doll, to me, looks like he stepped out of a comic book or cartoon. The molded hair has texture to it and the face is cute. The hands and feet are also sculpted well.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the outfits and extra child sized accessories. More care was put into them than I expected. They are put together well and made with quality fabric.

Overall, I think Play Monster’s Wonder Crew dolls are cute. They’re sculpted nicely and have some quality outfits. The extra child sized accessories don’t come off as an afterthought, either, which happens a lot in the industry. Learn more about Wonder Crew on their website. What do you think of Wonder Crew? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

Early April, ABC’s newest reality series, The Toy Box, hit the airwaves. Hosted by Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet and produced in collaboration with Mattel, this competition show gives toy creators the chance to pitch their idea in hopes of getting their toy produced by Mattel and sold at Toys R Us. In order to win the competition, toy creators need to first pitch their idea to three mentors: Dylan’s Candy Bar owner Dylan Lauren, toy guru Jim Silver and Pixar’s creative director of consumer products, Jen Tan. If the contestant can convince two of the three mentors that their idea is solid, creators then move onto four pint sized judges: Sophia Grace, Aalyrah, Toby and Noah. From the looks of it, the show will feature five aspiring creators, three going onto the four kid judges. Of those three, one is chosen to go to the finals, which will air at the end of the series.

Four weeks in and this is my opinion of the series so far. I’m not in love with the overall format of the show. As someone who’d tried to get a reality show about toy production off the ground, I found myself critiquing the production and format a little more than your casual TV viewer! “If I were producing this, I’d…” was definitely something I found myself thinking a few times while watching The Toy Box! The biggest head scratcher for me is to the point of the mentors. Since Mattel will be distributing this product, you would expect one of them to be a Mattel employee, right, like a VP of design or something? But none of them are attached to Mattel, as far as I can tell. Jim Silver, I can sort of understand, being the head of TTPM, a large toy review site, but the other two judges from Dylan’s Candy Bar and Pixar seem out of place. Besides their qualifications, I’m unsure as to if they are really necessary. Unlike Shark Tank, they don’t really seem like long lasting mentors. They are taking no stake in the toy at all. It seems like they’re only going to be in the toy creators life once (to pitch) and then that’s it. Moreover, unless production is cutting out a lot of the discussion between the mentors and the contestant, they don’t seem to be giving good, constructive advice.

I can’t say anything negative about the kid judges, though. They were quite entertaining. (Plus, they’re just kids!) One thing that entertains me is when the adult mentors will throw shade, so to speak, at a toys concept or construction, just to have the kids say that they love that particular element in the three toy face off.

There have been some interesting toy concepts put up for the competition, though so far, none of the dolls have been all that great. One bright note so far is the fact that My Ballerina Dolls, which competed in The Toy Box week 2, won a place in the finals.

At this point, there are many things I would change about The Toy Box. First, I would drop the adult mentors. They’re kind of useless, especially since none of them represent or work for Mattel. Second, I’d theme the weeks to specific types of toys: dolls, games, outdoor… It doesn’t seem like putting a doll against an outdoor water tag game against a parachute toy is fair to the toy inventors. I’d rather see five dolls battle it out and then, a week later, have five outdoor toys duke it out. At the very end of the series, the top toys in their categories could then go head to head in a battle royale. But, alas, they didn’t ask me.

Are you watching The Toy Box? What do you think of it? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

Hello amazing, fantastic readers! Confessions of a Doll Collectors Daughter’s World Doll Day Toy Drive (that’s a bit of a mouthful!) is now OPEN! Details are below.

In honor of World Doll Day, we’re hosting our first ever toy drive! This year, our toy drive is supporting the Marillac St. Vincent Christmas Store. Serving the Chicagoland area for over 60 years, the Marillac St. Vincent Christmas Store came into my life a few years ago, when my mom and I started donating toys in honor of a co-worker who passed away. Since then, it’s always been in the back of my mind that through this blog and its corresponding YouTube channel, we could probably make a difference, even if it’s only a small dent, in the holidays of many children in need.

What is the Christmas Store, you ask? Every year Marillac St. Vincent Family Services invites parents, grandparents, and child guardians that they serve throughout the year, to sign up for the Christmas Store. On the Saturday before Christmas, registered families get to “shop” for toys, stocking stuffers, books, games, clothes, and stuffed animals for each of their children, have their gifts wrapped, and finally, leave with a full bag of food – enough to make a big meal on Christmas day, complete with a turkey!

The Christmas Store is a fun shopping experience for parents and grandparents, giving them agency to choose the toys that best suit their children’s interests. Their Christmas store serves over 250 families, which accounts for 800-1100 children, who may not have received holiday presents otherwise.

What I like about this cause is that children, because their caregiver is handpicking their presents, will receive a truly personalized gift, as opposed to one that they may not care for. With this set up, Marillac St. Vincent’s Christmas Store puts the power of choice in the parents, grandparents or caregivers hands, which is far more empowering than receiving a generic donation, in my opinion!

What is Marillac St. Vincent’s looking for? New, in box dolls and toys for ages 0-12. Per their request, they’d prefer not to receive weapon type toys, but everything else is fair game. They’ve set up an Amazon wishlist, which will give you an idea of the sorts of things they like. However, as this is a doll blog and done to celebrate World Doll Day, I imagine many of you will choose to go that route! The toy drive window is two months long, to give you a chance to search for deals. For example, my mom and I picked up a $3.00 Tween Scene doll on clearance recently to save for this event. So, search those clearance aisles! Remember, though, this is for new or inbox toys only. (There are probably exceptions to the rule, like if you have a like new American Girl or something you’d like to donate. If you do, just e-mail me and we can discuss if it would be right for this drive!)

How can you donate? I’ve opened up a special mailbox. This isn’t a PO box, so you’re not limited to certain mail carriers. The shipping address is:

Dolly Confessions
2413 W. Algonquin Rd
Ste 110
Algonquin, IL 60102-9402
United States

I realize shipping can be pricey, especially if you’re located outside of the US. If you’re interested in helping with the drive, but can’t support it with a physical doll or toy, consider sending a gift card to Amazon or Toys R Us. You can send a virtual gift card to taps1223(AT)sbcglobal(DOT)net. Please, title your e-mail with TOY DRIVE DONATION. Of course, you can also send a gift card via snail mail to the special donation mailbox. Please put your mailing address inside the package, envelope or e-mail, so I can send a thank you card to you!

I hesitate to set a ‘donation goal’, because anything will be appreciated, but if we, together, can make fifty kids happy this holiday season, I think we’ll have done a wonderful thing. And I’d like to think that this sort of wonderful thing is just what Mildred Seeley had in mind when starting World Doll Day.

This snail mail box also will double as a ‘fan mail’ address, for the next three months, at least! Feel free to send non donation correspondences there, too! Questions? Just ask! And please, share this with your doll clubs, groups, etc so we can get the maximum amount of toys to donate to this great cause!

I received my first two Sasha dolls a few years ago for Christmas: Caleb, a dark skinned boy, and Gregor, a tan brunette boy. Since then, I’ve gathered five more (two babies, two girls, and a bald Gregor). Seven Sasha’s sounds like a lot, until you see my mother’s collection. She has, at least, double the amount of dolls I have. Sasha dolls have been a favorite of hers since she was young and found her first one, a Gregor, for under $20.00, at a store that was going out of business.  Both collections together make for quite a few Sasha dolls!

Sasha dolls, produced from the 1940’s through 1986 (with a re-launch in the mid 1990’s) are unique looking when compared to other doll lines. Most noticeable are their unique faces. It was important to creator Sasha Morgenthaler that her dolls have a neutral expression. According to reference book “Sasha Dolls: A History“, Sasha, who lived in Switzerland during World War II, Sasha thought that “No grotesque caricature can awaken a child’s true feelings. A piece of wood, barely carved, is far superior to a conventional doll with an exaggerated smile.” It makes sense in the context of the times. Children going through Switzerland during the war may not have wanted a doll that was always smiling, always happy.

Interesting, as well, are that Sasha dolls are asymmetric. Arms and legs are not one uniformed length. Their eyes are also not completely even. She designed her dolls this way, because we ourselves are not symmetrical. This asymmetry also helps the dolls do something not all doll lines can– stand on their head! If strung properly, these boys and girls should be able to stand on their heads without falling. It’s neat to see.

Sasha Morgenthaler, as a person, was kind of incredible. While reading about her in “Sasha Dolls: A History”, it’s clear that she was powerful in spirit. I’m not going to go into her entire history in his post, but I encourage you to read the book mentioned above. Sasha wore many different hats in life, including wife, mother, midwife and artist. At one point during World War II, she even started a woman’s auxiliary group that taught woman how to help the men coming back from the war.

One of Sasha’s dreams was to create an affordable, durable doll. It took many experiments with different materials before she found one that fit her criteria. For that reason, you may see Sasha dolls made of various materials. The early dolls are harder to find, because the material Sasha used was more fragile than the vinyl she eventually created and used for the doll line.

Many different companies made Sasha dolls, including Gotz and Trendon. The history of Sasha doll production is complicated and filled with legal drama. The book, “Sasha Dolls: A History” goes through all of this. The dolls in this post are all from the England base company, Trendon.

Sasha dolls can vary in size. They started at 15″ and grew as the molds outstretched to be 16″ or 17″ tall towards the end of the run. You can see that in the picture below, where Caleb (right) looks smaller than Gregor (left).

For those who like video presentations, below is a video Barbee0913 and I shot talking about Sasha dolls. In the video, my mom shares a few other facts about Sasha and her dolls. There’s also a bunch of great links in the video description to books and websites that will help you learn more about this unique line.

Do you have any Sasha dolls? What do you think of them? Let me know in the comment area!

They’re at it again! A Girl for All Time started a new crowdfunding campaign this week to bring to life two brand new dolls. Already over 70% funded in only two days, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company reached their $20,000 goal within well within the month. Up for pre-order is new contemporary girl, Bex, who you learned about earlier here on the blog, and new historical girl, Elinor. Elinor, sixth in the historical doll line, was inspired by the Elizabethan era, 1558–1603. I’m no expert on British history, so through Google, I learned that the Elizabethan era was dubbed so in honor of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. A renaissance of sorts, the Elizabethan era saw the arts, like poetry, music and theater, grow and flourish.

Photo Credit: A Girl For All Time

Both dolls being introduced through this crowdfunding effort are 16″ tall and have nine points of articulation. They’re made of quality vinyl and wear high quality (and well designed) outfits. The dolls are priced a little lower than they will be later, when they eventually make their way to the A Girl for All Time website. So, if you’re looking to save a few bucks and help out this fantastic company at the same time, consider ordering through this crowdfunding campaign.

Will you be picking up Bex or Elinor (or both)? Share your thoughts in the comment area!

2017 marks our fourth year attending the Pullip and Dal Doll Lovers Event, also known simply as PUDDLE. PUDDLE is a large fan gathering held in Elk Grove Village. This year marked its 10th anniversary. With record attendance numbers, PUDDLE’s demographics are very diverse. Unlike past years (or maybe just more so this year), PUDDLE had a vast age range attend. There were solo collectors, mother/daughter duo’s and even full family units in attendance. It was amazing to see the interactions between long time collectors and younger collectors, just starting out on their Pullip adventure.

PUDDLE is more of a fan gathering than a convention. Everything from the vendors table, to the contest area, to attendee seating takes place in one big room. This year, there were many great vendors selling their goods, including: doll vendors Shifty Lizard and Denise’s Dolls, Etsy sellers Quaint Quintessence, Mota de Algodón, EmmerzApparel, Darling Clover, KaleidoscopeBJDWear, KuddlePussKustoms, The Little Iron Bed, Pullip Party, Doll Angel Exclusives, and web store Sakura’s Blossoms.

There are no panels at PUDDLE, but besides socializing (which makes up much of the day), there are some exciting events  for attendees to participate in. The day started off with the Dress Like Your Doll contest. Had I remembered I could have used any doll as my inspiration (not just Pullip and friends), I totally would have entered. However, I know I wouldn’t have won! There were so many amazing costumes on the stage that I’m surprised the judges could choose a winner.

One of the cool parts about PUDDLE is that Pullips are on display everywhere! Attendee tables have spots for people to display their favorite dolls of all shapes and sizes. After the mid-day break, the competition tables were cleared for all the customization contest entries, which made for even more Pullips on display.

My mom and I entered a few of the custom contests, as well as the Best in Theme diorama contest. My mom, Barbe0913 on YouTube, ended up winning 2nd place for her ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ Mini entry. Congrats, mom!

To see more of the Pullips on display at PUDDLE this year, check out the flickr album! Each year, PUDDLE has a craft corner. This year’s craft corner was really fun. We made Kate Middleton inspired hats out of felt, tulle and other accessories. The basic hat shape was super easy, too! Joan, who ran the table, was kind enough to have pre-made some felt flowers, which I used on the hat below.

Shopping is a huge reason we go to PUDDLE, besides seeing all the awesome collectors, of course. My goal this time around was to outfit my newest Make It Own Taeyang. He arrived at PUDDLE looking super dorky. He was also bald. He left PUDDLE looking like a stud in a Kaleidoscope jacket, long sleeve shirt and jeans (shirt/jeans from Mota). I nearly left without a wig, but at the last minute, I found a (slightly too big) ginger male cut wig that seemed to match him perfectly. Eventually, he even found himself with shoes, thanks to our consolation prize in the Best in Theme contest.

The outfit below is sized for Pullip, but since my Pullips are all in permanent outfits, it ended up on my Dal. I think the colors in the shorts match my girls face up really well. And the headband is so cute! This is from Mota.

My mom ended up getting a doll at PUDDLE. Not a Pullip, but a Tangkou. Emily, a vendor who makes super cute outfits, did the face up. Tangkou’s are kind of a Pullip/Blythe hybrid. They have an eye mech similar to a Blythe, which allows their eyes to change color. Prior to seeing this one, I hadn’t thought much about Tangkou’s. This pretty one makes me think I may have misjudged them!

For more PUDDLE coverage, check out the video below. My mom and I talk about the show and show off a few other items we picked up.

For more information on PUDDLE, keep an eye on their website and Facebook page. To everyone who said hello to us during the show, it was great meeting you! Hope to see you again next year! Did you attend PUDDLE or another doll show recently? Share your thoughts below!

World Doll Day has come and gone, but there’s still a few weeks left to donate a doll or toy for our toy drive! (Yes, this isn’t my toy drive, it’s all of ours!) You can read more about it here. At PUDDLE this year, one of the activities I coordinated was the World Doll Day Doll and Toy Drive, with donations going to the Marillac St. Vincent Family Services Christmas Store. PUDDLE attendees came prepared to give, adding over 30 toys to the 20 or so we received during the drive through reader donations, pushing our total donations to over 50 dolls!

I’m incredibly pleased with the enthusiasm you all showed me during this doll/toy drive. I went into it a bit leery, not sure how it would work or if we’d get anything, but your donations helped us ensure that 50 children will feel some holiday cheer come December. Thank you SO much for your donations. If you’d like to send in a last minute doll/toy/gift card, feel free. I won’t be dropping these off till early July, so you have until the end of this month. Details on the PO Box are in the announcement post.

I suppose I should end this with a question, because that’s proper blog etiquette. How did you celebrate World Doll Day? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

Mattel announced today that Ken was getting a little makeover. Joining the female Fashionista dolls, who were given unique body types over the past few years, as well as new and exciting hairstyles and skin tones, is Ken, who was just given two new body types! Ken is now available in three different body types: Original, Broad and Slim.

There will also be more variety in hairstyles, faces and skin tones, as you can see in the promo pic above.

In total, we’ll be seeing 15 new Ken dolls. 10 are apparently available now, with five more coming later. While I’m glad they are expanding on the Ken brand, I am a little disappointed that they have yet to release a Made to Move Ken. I want some articulation in my Ken dolls. (Or some bodies for some Taeyangs, assuming they would be as interchangeable as the Made to Move Barbie bodies are with Pullips!)

According to the GQ article linked in the first paragraph, the Ken packaging won’t be marked Broad, Slim or Original, so you’ll have to guess when browsing the toy aisles. Hopefully, the differences of each are more visible in person. I personally don’t see much difference (based on the photos) between Original or Broad. Online, you’ll see dolls listed by their body type.

For more details on how to pre-order the new Ken, check out the Barbie website! What do you think of the update to Ken? Leave your thoughts below!

I picked up my first Pinky Street (or Pinky ST, as I’ll refer to them from here on) figure at Anime Central, sometime in the early 2000’s. Pinky ST figures, roughly 4″ tall and made of PET plastic, were invented by BABYSue and produced by the VANCE PROJECT. They’re 1:18th in scale.

Pinky ST’s made their debut in 2003 with three figures: Yoshiko, Sue and Tamae. Each were designed with interchangeable outfits in mind. For example, the head, hair pieces (like pony tails), tops and bottoms of Pinky’s come off so you can mix and match the different character’s looks.

My first Pinky ST was Moe, from series 2 (below), which was released in 2003. Moe came dressed in her schoolgirl outfit and an extra cheerleader outfit. I liked her long brown hair and purple eyes. For years after, I made it my goal to find a new Pinky ST at every anime con I went to and for a while, it was pretty easy to do.

There were a number of different Pinky ST releases over the years, including anime collaborations. Pinky:cos releases covered a wide selection of anime titles, including: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, Gunslinger Girl, Monster Hunter, Kobato, Summer Wars, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Sky Crawlers and my personal favorite, Fruits Basket.

There were other anime releases besides those mentioned, as well, but I can’t find a good reference guide for Pinky ST releases, at the moment. Besides basic figures, they also released Pinky ST’s that came equipped with their very own car or scooter.

Pinky ST’s were produced pretty steadily until their eventual demise, coming in batches of two or three, with limited releases here and there. The later series, series 8 through 11, saw some changes. The packaging was changed to smaller, rounder blister packs and the girls were packaged without a second body.

Pinky St figures stopped production around 2011. They went out with little more than a whimper. News on releases slowed to a halt and the company just continued on. As far as I know, there wasn’t a formal announcement; the line just sort of died. Up until earlier this year, the Pinky Street Forum was a great place for people to find out about the line, but, alas, it seems to have closed up shop as of Feb 2017.

The forum was pretty active during the Pinky ST heyday, but, like many forums that lost their doll/toy line, fizzled out towards the end. While it was popular, the forum was a great place for information, photos and buying/selling. I wish it had stayed up, for the information alone, but I’m sure it was costing someone money and understand why they’d let it go.

Like other dolls and figures, there’s some amazingly adorable customs floating around the web, like these Monster High inspired Pinky ST’s or these My Little Pony Pinky’s!

One word of warning. Pinky ST’s have a tendency to fall over. Over the years, the torso’s have a habit of tipping backwards. If you don’t care to change their look, you may want to consider gluing them together or putting putty inside the torso and leg connector. I, personally, haven’t tried this, but I don’t see why this wouldn’t work. You’ll find this also happens with the arms, hair pieces and heads of certain Pinky ST’s, as well. Some of my girls fall apart really easily, while others are still holding strong.

You can still find Pinky ST figures pretty easily on eBay, so if this post tempted you, go there to check out some of the other releases. It’s been years since I’ve seen them at an anime or comic on, so online is your best bet at finding these cuties. My collection is rather small compared to everything that was released over the 8 years they were produced. Do you own any Pinky ST’s? What are your thoughts on this line? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

A few weekends ago, we stopped by an antique mall. In one of the small rental booths, there were some pink box Barbie’s. One of those Barbie’s was the officially licensed POG Fun Barbie, released in 1994. For the readers who grew up in the 90’s, you know exactly what I’m talking about when I say POG. The younger crowd, however, may be scratching their heads. Here’s a quick rundown on the game that took over the nation (and the world) in the early 90’s.

The name POGs originated from a fruit beverage sold in Hawaii that contained three fruits: Passion Fruit, Orange and Guava. Keep the first letter of each fruit and you get POG. The drinks had bottle caps that people would use to play Milk Caps, a popular game that originated in Maui, Hawaii sometime in the 1920’s. The game was popular enough that it spawned milk cap collectors, but wasn’t a huge game outside of the island state.

Fast forward to 1991, when a school teacher in Oahu, Hawaii decided to use POGs to help her kids grasp math, as well as give them a non-violent recess activity. The game caught on quickly and gained popularity again in Hawaii, eventually spreading to the pacific coast of North America. From there, it took over the entire nation. Companies used POGs to advertise their businesses, movies and television shows made POGs for their characters, even events like the OJ Simpson trial warranted POGs with key phrases from the case and/or the murder weapons! You name it, there’s probably a POG for it.

Game play is simple. You stack POGs face down in a pile. From there, you take a slammer, a thicker, heavier POG shaped circle, and ‘slam’ it into the pile. Whatever POGs land face up are yours. The winner has the most POGs at the end of the game. And that’s it! That’s the game that swept the nation from 1992 to the late 90’s. It was, essentially, the Pokemon Go of the 90’s, though Pokemon Go’s popularity died down much quicker than the POG craze.

So, moving to Mattel, in 1994, they released the officially licensed POG Fun Barbie, under the approval of the World POG Federation. A pink box Barbie, she has all the markings of a doll made in the 90’s. Meaning, she has a nice quality body with solid (not hollow feeling) limbs, a soft head of nicely rooted (and crimped) blonde hair and a pretty, non-inflated face. I love pink box Barbie faces. They look animated, with large, round eyes. I like the make up choices they made here with POG Fun Barbie, too. It’s pretty basic, with blue mascara and shimmery pink eye shadow. Best of all, Barbie looks friendly, which can’t be said about all the current releases.

She wears a colorful crop top with alternating, brightly colored stripes. Of course, there’s a Barbie decal on her shirt. She wears a polka dot skirt/striped shorts combo and pink shoes. To complete the look, Mattel gave Barbie POG inspired earrings, a pink ring and a headband that matches her polka dot skirt. Barbie comes with one special slammer and five cardboard POGs. Her plastic purse holds these POGs perfectly!

I think POG Fun Barbie is a cute looking pink box doll. Do you have this Barbie? Did you get sucked into the POG craze? Share your thoughts below!

Since I skipped out on New York Toy Fair this year, I decided it was about time to go to Blogger Bash! I’ve known about this conference for a few years now, but between Toy Fair and other shows, I couldn’t afford to make the trip. Blogger Bash, like Toy Fair, is held in the Big Apple, otherwise known as New York City. It’s rather strange to me that I’ve ended up in New York City three years in a row (and over five times total in my lifetime). But, thankfully, it’s one of the easiest cities to get around, seeing as how you can easily find a taxi, take a subway or walk to where you need to go, if you’re in the city! (Not that I’m ever brave enough to try the subway!)

So, what will Blogger Bash entail? Essentially, Blogger Bash consists of a breakfast and three large expo events: Sweet Suite, Babypalooza and Stuff for Mom and Dad. The Sweet Suite is what I’m most looking forward to. Companies from all over set up shop to talk up their products to bloggers and vloggers. Best of all, we all get to leave with a goodie bag filled with things to sample on our sites and channels! (Call me greedy, but I love swag!) I’ll be covering the Babypalooza and Stuff For Mom and Dad expo’s, too, because why not? I like to get my money’s worth out of these shows, especially since I’m putting so much money into the hotel/airfare.

Since this is my first year attending, I’m not sure how exactly it will go, but I’m hopeful that it will be a fun event! For more information on what I’ll be doing during Blogger Bash, check out their website. I expect to be updating my instagram and will most likely post quick pictures to my facebook page. I may try to go live, though I’m not sure if it will be through Facebook or YouTube (or if the wifi will even be strong enough to do so).

Blogger Bash also coincides with something called “Manhattanhedge“, which sounds like a great photo opportunity. It was featured on an episode of “Younger”, for fans of that show. Essentially, the sun lines up with the city grid and looks pretty awesome. (There’s probably a much more technical way to explain it!) This may be rained out, but I’m hoping it isn’t!

So, that’s the plan for the next few days. I’ll try to update you on the show as soon as I get back. In the meantime, Barbee0913 and I uploaded quite a few new videos to our channels! Check them out below.

The video review of POG Fun Barbie!

The Skipper Electric Drawing set will get a written post after Blogger Bash. But here’s a look at how it works!

If you’re a New Yorker or have been in the past, I’d love suggestions on where to eat (around Time Square/Hell’s Kitchen/Chelsea Pier, that area). I never know where to eat when I’m in New York City. There are so many choices!!! Are you going to a show  soon? Have you been to a show recently? Let me know in the comment area!

On July 12, 2017, I attended Blogger Bash. Blogger Bash has been around for a few years now and is ever changing. Marking its fourth year in existence, Blogger Bash is a conference for Bloggers, Vloggers and other media outlets to rub shoulders with companies and their PR teams in the hopes of building relationships and starting partnerships. In english, Blogger Bash is essentially a way to make yourself (ie: you the blogger/vlogger/etc) known to people who might want to help you by either sending free products your way for reviews or work with you on paid promotions. (I’ve only done a handful of paid promotions and none of them were very lucrative. Mostly, I just ask for samples of the companies products.) It’s also recommended to mingle with fellow attendees. This year, Blogger Bash was held in Pier 60 at NYC’s Chelsea Pier.

I went over the basics of Blogger Bash in an earlier post. For the most part, 2017’s Bash was centered around expo’s. I attended two of the three expo’s: Babypalooza and, the main attraction, Sweet Suite. In past years, it seems like they had panels, as well, but, as I said, this is an ever changing event. Personally, I would have preferred some panels, because they would have filled some of the down time. A panel would have been the perfect way to fill the gap between Babypalooza and Sweet Suite.

In this post, I’m mainly going to cover cool things I saw while walking around Sweet Suite. But, first, let me talk a little about the other events. The first event I attended was the Armitron Breakfast. Armitron is a watch company based in New York. Their watches are pretty classy looking! The breakfast featured a number of successful woman who have made an impact through media. It was an interesting discussion that featured some really thoughtful responses on how to build your brand and be successful. At the end of the discussion, they announced the names of the lucky folks who won free Yankee’s tickets and/or some watches. I went into the breakfast wanting the watches. (You can never have too many!) However, I instead left winning the Yankee’s tickets! Super exciting, right? Am I a baseball fan? Not really. Am I a New Yorker? Definitely not. But, it was fun to win them! (I’m still hoping they include a watch, though I don’t think that will happen!) I’ll figure out something to do with them.

After the breakfast was Babypalooza, an expo that featured baby-centric products. (Big shocker, right?) I was a bit surprised at how few companies participated in that expo, to be honest. There were around 24 tables total, featuring a variety of different baby products. It was a nice event. I’m sure mommy bloggers had a blast. For me, it was just a little light on exhibitors. One of the main problems I had with this Bash in general was timing. I did a loop around Babypalooza pretty quickly, leaving me with over 3 hours between leaving this expo and the start of Sweet Suite. The hotel was at least a 15 minute walk or $10 cab ride and neither option sounded appealing to me. It was too little time (and way too hot) to walk back and forth between Pier 60 and my hotel near Time Square multiple times during the day, but, also, too much time between events, so it seemed like for-ev-er until the next event was to begin.

So, let’s get to the Sweet Suite. Very similar to New York Toy Fair, the Sweet Suite featured lots of different companies and PR specialists sprawled across the room. The toys varied between techy to dolls to games to crafts. Here are some of my favorite toys from Blogger Bash.

Just Play’s Mal, Evie and Uma were, by far, the most exciting thing I saw in the Sweet Suite. Based on Descendants 2, they’re a whopping 28″ tall and are articulated (for the most part). You may not be able to tell, but all three have articulated shoulders, elbows and wrists. They come with wear and share accessories and sticker tattoo’s. The only downfall I see about these so far is that they don’t have knee joints. Also, they’re a bit pricey. Mal, Evie and Uma will retail for $49.00. You really have to admire the faces on these three girls from the Isle of the Lost.

Also from Just Play was the Singing Jojo Siwa doll. I’m a Dance Mom’s fan. I admit it. It’s a guilty pleasure of mine. I was really surprised to see Jojo merchandise in not just one Sweet Suite table, but multiple! For those who haven’t partaken in watching this reality TV show, Jojo was a dancer on Abby’s team for a few seasons. She eventually left the show. Now, apparently, she’s a tween superstar. She even has her own doll. The Jojo doll looks remarkably like the youngster and is 10″ tall. It sings Jojo’s hit song, “Boomerang!”. It’s out now and retails for $19.99.

Doll collectors will probably also take a liking to Just Play’s DreamWorks license, Spirit Riding Free. They are 11.5″ tall. Besides having cute faces and nice hair, they’re articulated! It seems like Just Play is really listening to consumers here. (Well, besides the whole ‘no knee joint in the tall Descendants line’.) They have a second series that is a bit smaller, but I prefer the line pictured in this post to that one.

Say hello to Our Generation’s boy doll! This is a first for their company. I, personally, think he’s cuter than other 18″ boy dolls on the market now. I’m going to reach out to see if I can get more information on him. Stay tuned!

Also on display was this super cool looking boat! If I had display space, I would totally pick this up.

You’ll be seeing a brand new line from Battat coming soon, Glitter Girls. They’re a new size, smaller than Our Generation. I’m not crazy about them. They have odd looking faces. But I am interested in seeing if their clothing options fit other doll lines.

Sticking to 18″ dolls, have you heard of My Sibling/My Pal dolls? They’re a line of 18″ boy dolls with rooted hair. There are two different lines. The My Sibling Dolls are meant to help you learn more about what it would be like to have a sibling with a disability. Creator, Loretta Boronat, seemed really passionate about her line. Both lines feature clothing made in the USA and are “outfitted and packaged by adults with disabilities at a local sheltered workshop in Montclair, NJ.”

My Pal dolls are similar in the fact that they were designed to all have an educational or socially relevant purpose in mind. For example, My Pal the Patriot represents a child who knows someone who has or is serving in the military.

Real Cooking had a new product on display, Princess Cakes! You don’t know how much I want to try these out. I’m sure whatever video I shot would be an epic fail video, but how cute are these cakes! Plus, once you have the molds, all you need to do to make them again is to buy the ingredients.

These have been on store shelves for a while, but here are some pictures of Sunny Days Entertainment’s Cupcake Surprise. I remember these from the 90’s. They stayed pretty true to the concept and size of the originals. I’m not sure what I think of the faces on these, but I still think the concept is pretty neat. They just need to switch up the face molds and make each girl look a little more unique. They come in two sizes. Both sizes are pictured below.

Wicked Cool Toys had their big properties out and about at Blogger Bash! I was excited to see Teddy Ruxpin. Originally created in the late 80’s by Worlds of Wonder. What I love about Wicked Cool Toys Teddy is that they are using stories from the original release. This teddy is smaller than the original one, but the fact that he’ll be speaking in Teddy’s voice and telling kids the same stories that I (many of us, I suspect) grew up with warms my heart! Teddy has an animatronic mouth, LCD animated eyes and touch sensors that control story choices and control. He’s super soft, too, and probably much lighter than the original teddy, since he doesn’t have a cassette deck inside of him. He works with an app and connects via Bluetooth, so you don’t need wifi to ask Teddy if he’d tell you a story. The books are animated through the app. If you buy the Target exclusive, Teddy will be wearing his classic vest! He will retail for $99.99.

If you recall, Wicked Cool Toys also makes Cabbage Patch Kids. At Blogger Bash, they showed off their new Little Sprouts line, a line of tiny Cabbage Patch Kids figures and playsets. These figures are small enough to keep in your pocket. There are 120 miniature Kids, Babies and animals to collect, including rare and ultra rare Sprouts. The playset pictured below is Babyland General.

Jakks Pacific brought a trio of Superfriends to Blogger Bash! The DC Toddler dolls are so cute! They’ll retail for $19.99 and be out sometime in August. The line features Batgirl, Supergirl and Wonder Woman. The paperwork doesn’t say their size, but I’d say they’re the same size as Jakk Pacific’s Disney Princess Toddler dolls.

That pretty much covers the dolls showcased in the Sweet Suite. If these aren’t out already, expect to see them sometime in Fall 2017. Below are some of the other non-dolly items on display. CandyLab makes cool wooden cars. They’re simple in design, but striking!

The 3D Print Shop intrigues me. It’s not a real 3D printer. It’s more like a mold-o-rama. But, the interesting thing is this: You can make molds of your favorite things and replicate them. That feature makes me think you could easily make clones of doll accessories with this toy.

Alex’s Sweetlings are a cute, crafty toy that let you make creatures out of fake food items. You use the fake frosting (whipped clay tubes) and the frosting tips to decorate your cupcake, ice cream cone or doughnut base. Add a few details (like eyes, ears and mouths), let sit for a few hours and voilà– you’ve made yourself a (non-edible) little friend. Toys like this always get my attention. I love crafting cute food items.

So, that’s a look into Blogger Bash’s Sweet Suite. You’ll be seeing some of these toys on the blog and YouTube channel, I’m sure! Overall, I think Blogger Bash was a fun event. Do I think I’ll be going again? Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s a very expensive trip to get from Illinois to New York and I’m not sure if it is cost effective for me to attend this event year. I prefer Toy Fair, to be honest. It would have been different if Blogger Bash had had some educational panels or other events (not just a breakfast and three expo’s) to fill my time, but as it is, this year was just a little light on programming for me to be set on attending yearly. For a one off, though, it was fun. I met a lot of great PR reps, some that I’ve met before (and somehow remember little old me) and hopefully, we’ll be able to start and/or continue working together to keep this blog and my YouTube channel alive and relevant.

To see all my photos, visit my Flickr album.

Besides attending Blogger Bash, I did a few other touristy things while hanging out in New York City. I’ll share some of that with you in a later post. Also to come is the Sweet Suite box opening video, so stay tuned! Blogger Bash updates aren’t over yet. But now, it’s your turn! What’s your favorite doll/toy featured in this post? Do you have any questions about anything here? Let me know in the comment area!

In my last post, I talked about a few of the toys I saw while walking the exhibit hall of Blogger Bash’s Sweet Suite. This post will concentrate on the other fun things I did while I was in the Big Apple. In most past trips, I haven’t had any down time to explore anything other than Time Square. Blogger Bash, though, was very thin on programming, so I found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands. Instead of just hanging out in my hotel room and watching Netflix, I decided to go out and explore a bit more of the city, as well as take in some of New York Cities charms.

I arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and checked into my hotel, the Yotel. The Yotel is a great place to stay if you are traveling alone or don’t mind sharing tight quarters with your companion. It’s known for having cabin sized rooms, convertible couch/beds, tons of outlets to plug in and an open floor plan. One of my favorite parts of staying at the Yotel is their rain shower. Rain showers are amazing! Another thing that I love about the Yotel is their baggage robot. It’s huge and so cool to watch as it takes your baggage and stows it away, in case you are early for check in.

After I got myself situated, I decided to walk over to the Theater District, in the hopes of nabbing some affordable tickets to the Broadway version of Anastasia. I got the most affordable tickets they had (which weren’t very affordable, to be honest) and then headed across the street to Sardi’s.

Sardi’s is known for having celebrity caricatures on the wall. The restaurant has been around since 1927 and has seen its fair share of exciting customers. I’m not going to lie, it was a little uncomfortable dining alone there, but the ambiance helped to lighten that a bit. (Dining alone at a sit in restaurant where the waiters are dressed up in fancy suits is awkward.) The food was only okay, in my opinion, but I went there mostly so I could say I did. Plus, I was hungry!

After lunch, I wandered around Time Square for a bit. Time Square is always hopping. Even in the dead of winter, it’s filled with people. July was no different. It’s an assault on the eyes, but is 100% worth seeing in person at least once. Signs left and right, crowds everywhere, big gimmicky stores to shop through, it’s a cool sight. One huge downside of Time Square, though, is that it lacks toy stores. They used to have a massive FAO Schwartz and Toys R Us. Both of those are now gone.

They also used to have a Nintendo Store (which was called the Pokemon Center when I first visited NYC), too, as well as a Virgin Megastore. Alas, all the fun stores are closed. They do have an amazing Disney Store, though. If they ever want to get rid of their Disney Animator display, I’ll take it!

That evening, I ended up seeing Anastasia, the new Broadway musical. It was really entertaining. For those who don’t know, the animated musical (1997) was actually a remake of the original live action Anastasia (1956) starring Yul Brynner.

The story follows Anya, an orphan with no memory of her past, as she, along with two good-hearted con artists, travel to Paris to meet with the Dowager Empress in hopes that she’ll recognize Anya as her grandchild, Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. The Broadway musical is a good mash-up of the original live action film and the animated feature.  The songs, new additions and old classics, were fantastic. Those actors can sing! If you’re in New York City and are looking for a good musical, consider Anastasia!

The next day, Wednesday, was Blogger Bash day. I had a lot of down time between Babypalooza and Sweet Suite. The actual convention was at the Chelsea Piers, which also acts as a sports center with an ice skating rink, gymnastics gym and a bowling alley. I expected it to be more of a building, with seating area’s away from the sun, but it literally was a row of piers.

That made my plan of just waiting around the convention center not so much fun. I loitered around the Pier for a while, but got bored and eventually found the High Line. The High Line is an elevated train track that was decommissioned and made into a garden pathway. It was pretty cool.

My final full day in New York City, Thursday, was supposed to consist of the Moms and Dads Expo attached to Blogger Bash at 11AM. There were some YouTube events planned outside the show, too, but, alas, I wasn’t cool enough to make the guest list; So, I had all morning to myself.

By 9:40AM, I had eaten breakfast and was sitting on the red stairs in Time Square, just people watching. Instead of sitting in the hotel room, I decided to mosey on over to the Moms and Dads venue. When I got there, I was still an hour early. The venue was about a block or two away from the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Admission was a little much at $33, but it turned out to be totally worth it. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum was so cool, allowing you to walk through the amazing Aircraft Carrier Intrepid. The inside is not for the claustrophobic. There were also planes of all shapes and sizes on display.

The main attraction for me turned out to be seeing the Prototype Enterprise. The space shuttle was massive and it was amazing to be in the same room with it. I highly recommend checking this place out if you are in the city.

Full disclosure, I ended up skipping the Moms and Dads Expo. Instead, I signed up for one of those ‘Pay What You Want’ walking tours by Free Tours by Foot.  The tour guides are kind of like Avon reps. You pay to be a tour guide and then keep whatever tips you receive in thanks for giving the tour. My tour guide, Dan, was awesome!

I elected to take the SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown 2 hour walking tour. I had never been to those areas and preferred to explore them with someone who knew the area. Dan was a great tour guide. He showed us the historical streets of SoHo, which were saved from destruction due to the buildings being built with cast iron.  SoHo has the greatest collection of cast iron structures in the world, according to Wikipedia. Even the cobblestone streets were preserved! The streets look very similar to how they did all the way back to 1910 or earlier and they stand out among the streets that have been updated. Some of the architecture I saw could only be described as beautiful!

We also journeyed through Little Italy, which was kind of a sad place. It was filled with tacky decorations and ‘I Love New York’ stores. Only two places really stood the test of time in the area, the cheese shop Alleva and bakery Ferrara NYC. They’ve been locally owned since 1892! How amazing is that?

Chinatown was much more authentic than Little Italy. Dan said the way you can tell if you’re in a neighborhood with true culture is if the stores that surround you would allow you to get all your basic necessities (groceries, drug store stuff, clothing, etc); one you could survive in without leaving. Little Italy wouldn’t have allowed one to do that, but Chinatown totally would. It was filled with a variety of shops, most with characters on their signs, as opposed to English. It definitely had culture to it. We ended our tour in a park that, if you didn’t know you were in New York City, you’d swear you were in China. Chinese singers were serenading a crowd of children and elderly in park benches. Older gentlemen were playing Checker like games with crowds around them. It was really surreal.

At Sweet Suite, I forgot to mention, they had amazing air brush artists on hand. I have forgotten their company name, but they did amazing work. I asked for a dream catcher and received this beautifully air brushed masterpiece! It rubbed off on day 3, but if I were to ever get a real tattoo, this would be what I’d get! (Which, by the way, will never happen! Temporary for me, please!)

So, my friends, that’s pretty much it! I’m pretty proud of myself for doing so many of these things while on my own! (As my mother, Barbee0913, can attest, I tend to hide out in my hotel room when traveling unless I’m with a companion!) To see all my photos, check out my Flickr album!

Have you done any traveling recently? What’s your favorite thing to do/place to visit while in New York City? Let me know in the comment area!

Brazilian doll company Estrela is celebrating 80 years in business. In honor of this great achievement, they’re releasing some of their classic toys. Included in their offerings is a reproduction Boneca Gui Gui (known as Giggles in the United States) doll!

Also on sale is a reproduction Tippy and Brazil’s version of the classic GI JOE.

If you’re a long time readers, you’ll know that Giggles has made a few appearances here on the blog. She also happens to be one of my mother’s favorite dolls (Barbee0913 on YouTube). That’s why, I’d really like your help! Are there any Brazilians out there who might be able to help me in bringing one of these dolls to the US? It seems you need a special citizen number to order from the Estrela site, which, clearly we don’t have. I’d really like to be able to add one of these to my mom’s Giggles collection and hope one of you can help! If you can, please e-mail me at taps1223(at)sbcglobal(dot)net, Subject: Giggles.

What do YOU think of this reproduction or the other two made in celebration of the companies 80 years? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

A huge perk of attending Blogger Bash‘s Sweet Suite is the swag box! 2017’s Sweet Suite Swag box was a whopping 24 pounds and filled with toys from a variety of exhibitors who were on the floor of the toy expo. While I may have wanted to see a few more filler programs to round out Blogger Bash in general, I can’t complain about Sweet Suite or how it was organized. The amazing staff shipped these, free of charge, to every attendee’s house within two days of the expo. For some, the box arrived the very next day. My box took a little longer to go halfway across the country and arrived four days after the big event.

Many bloggers and YouTubers have made this box out to be one of the best swag boxes around and I must say, after opening it, I totally agree. While it may not have had many dolls in it, this was the sweetest perk of any conference I’ve ever been to. The sponsors outdid themselves!

So, what was in the box, you ask? Take a peek for yourselves! My mother (Barbee0913 on YouTube) and I did a box opening video, embedded above! For those of you who aren’t into video’s, here’s a few pictorial highlights!

My Sibling/My Pal put a 18″ doll purse in the swag bag!

This is a tiny wind up robot from Aeromax Toys. It could make a cute pet for a doll!

This is just super cool and a much larger set than I expected in the swag box. K’nex put three different sets in the swag box.

I’m a fan of useful swag and these bpa free water bottles fit that bill perfectly.

The doll merchandise was light, but honestly, there weren’t a lot of dolls on display, so I expected this. Actually, though, I welcome the variety of toys. Some of them sound like fun! You’ll be seeing more of these on my YouTube channel, rather than here on the blog, so make sure to subscribe to my channel for updates on new video posts. And, of course, you can always ‘like’ me on Facebook, where I post new video links, as well.

What do you think of the toys in the Sweet Suite box? Do you have a favorite? Share your thoughts below!

Ever wanted a cute horse for your dolly photography? Well, Saddle Stars is a solid option for you. New and sold exclusively at Target, Saddle Stars is a line of 1/6 scale horse toys. So far, there is one horse in the line, Skye. A second horse is teased on their website as coming soon, Pixie.

Let’s talk about Skye. Skye is a 1/6th-ish scale horse made of hollow plastic, like most horse toys out today. She’s not articulated, unfortunately, but she stands well in her molded pose.

What drew me to this toy was the look. This is a very pretty horse! Her eyes are basic black with a dark grey above them and her snout is also accented with black. These elements look really good on her tan skin. She’s not flocked, by the way. Her body is, as I said, a hard plastic. (Check out the video review, linked below!)

One thing that would have been nice to have on this horse toy would have been lashes, since horses tend to have very prominent lashes, but Skye still has a very pretty face without them.

Her mane and tail feature soft, long blonde hair, which is easy to style.

Skye comes with a number accessories. They are: a turquoise/maroon plastic saddle, a bridle and reins, a brown saddle blanket, a saddle bag (which can attach to the saddle), a comb, four hair clips and two sets of colorful horse shoes.

The saddle bag is really nice. It’s molded plastic, but opens so you can store your extra horseshoes or hair clips inside. The fringe and braided shoulder strap are real faux suede.

The horseshoes are pretty neat. Skye’s foot is molded with indents that allow these colorful horseshoes to fit tight (for the most part) on the horse’s hoof. It’s a fun way to play with Skye that I don’t recall being in other horse lines.

Skye comes in a large box. The graphics on the box are beautiful. I love the artwork! This will definitely stand out on store shelves. The box has a flap that opens, which allows shoppers to see Skye, as well as learn more about her unique personality. Each horse has a journal entry and a list of likes that help you relate to the horse, more so than you might a toy without these little details.

As far as scaling goes, we tried a few dolls on top of this horse and think the 27cm BJD’s looked the best. This horse is too small for 18″ dolls, but should allow 1/6th scale dolls to pose relatively well, depending on their outfits.

I think Skye will come in handy during dolly photoshoots. She’s the cutest horse toy I’ve seen in a long time. Also, I love the accessories, especially the horseshoes. I look forward to seeing the other horses in the Saddle Stars line! You can follow the line via facebook or via their website!

What do you think of Saddle Stars Skye? Leave your thoughts in the comment area!

**This product was sent for review. All opinions are my own.

At Blogger Bash, I took a photo of the first Our Generation boy release. I didn’t expect much hoopla to come from it, so I didn’t ask any important questions. I’m not a big Our Generation (also known as OG Doll) girl, to be honest. However, the photo made quite a splash on Instagram and Facebook! After generating so much chatter between collectors, I reached out to the company to learn more about this new male doll and learned two things. First, his name is Rafael. Second, he’ll be out in August! Below is the promo image of Rafael.

Here’s his profile, as seen in my photo from Blogger Bash. I think he looks better than most 18″ male dolls out there. He has a cute face that looks pretty boy-like, unlike some of the other popular 18″ lines attempts at this.

Will you be picking up Rafael? How do you think he compares to 18″ male dolls? Let me know in the comment area!