January has been a very ‘groovy’ month with three new Pullips arriving at my doorstep!  Tomeo Mami, I reviewed earlier.  Up for review today is Victorique de Blois from the popular anime ‘Gosick’.

Gosick’s Victorique

I haven’t seen ‘Gosick’, so I don’t have any experience with the character. This isn’t the first doll we’ve seen of Victorique, though.  Volks created a super dollfie of her back in 2011 for one of their doll parties and sold her for over $1,000!  (Needless to say, I will probably never be able to afford a Volks!)

Gosick Victorique

But let’s talk about Pullips 12″ Victorique de Blois.  Like all Pullips, Victorique is wigged.  Her dirty blonde hair is super long.   In the box, it’s held in two pig tail strands, but don’t let that fool you, her hair is meant to be down.  There is a slight curl at the ends.

Victorique

Victorique has smooth, silky hair.  It has a different texture than what I saw on Tomeo Mami.  Her bangs start high on her forehead.  I like the fact that they kept the ends of her side bangs longer than the rest.

Victorique

Victorique is on your typical Pullip body.  As I’ve mentioned before, I am not a huge fan of the factory body on Pullips.  I think they should have better joints on them if we’re going to pay the prices we pay.

Victorique with Nano Freya

Victorique

In terms of posing, Victorique follows suit with other Pullip dolls.  She has joints on her shoulders, elbows, wrists, thighs, knees and ankles.  She also has a joint under her bust that allows her a little more room for posing.  Her neck joint allows her head to turn left and right, but not tilt.  Since many people have had success with re-bodying their Pullips on more poseable obitsu bodies, there is an easy fix, it seems, for this issue!

Victorique

I really like this girl’s face.  The dark green eyes Victorique has are quite piercing alongside her mauve colored cheeks and lips. Her skin is a very light peach.  I like the combination of the green and mauve.  Because Victorique’s hair isn’t very vibrant in color, her face really stands out.  She has an intriguing, inquisitive look to her, especially when she side glances!  Victorique has ‘real’ eyelashes attached to the base of her lids and painted eyelashes lining the eye.

Of course, like most Pullips, Victorique has the ability to blink and/or wink.

Eye Mechanism

There are three different knobs in the back of a Pullips heads. The center knob moves the Pullips eyes left to right. The knobs on either side allow the eye lids to open and shut.  The eye mechanism on Victorique works fine and isn’t sticky at all!

Victorique

Victorique wears a black Victorian style dress that goes down to the floor.  It is accented with light grey elements, like the thin grey apron on the skirt, and more delicate lace like elements, like the lacy edges of the three quarter sleeves. Victorique has a lace like under skirt to add a bit of life to her dress.

Victorique

Victorique

Victorique wears black boots over white tights.  You can’t actually see these, because her skirt is so long.  I really like the boots, though.  They may be simple, but the style is pretty great.

Victorique

Victorique doesn’t come with a second outfit, like many Pullips do, but she does come with a black bonnet.  You fasten this like you would any old bonnet, by tying it under her neck.

My final thought? I’m the first one to admit that dolls with hair to the floor aren’t exactly my cup of tea.  It’s manageable and pretty when you first take them out of the box, but after awhile, it gets tangled or loses its styling or just gets staticky.  I think Victorique looks great with the long hair, but my personal preference would be to have made it shorter.  Granted, as she is based on an animated character, Groove didn’t have much choice in that matter.

Victorique

I like the fashion on her, too, but think she might have to take a break from it every now and then.  Her pale skin and the dark fabric makes her a bit hard to photograph.  I wouldn’t mind introducing some color into this dolls attire!

Victorique

Victorique is a doll with character.  Yes, I may not be a fan of the length of her hair and she may be dressed in something that covers a lot of skin, but her face is pretty striking!

Victorique

I love the color pallet Pullip chose for her features.  Overall, they did a really great job taking this anime character and turning her into a Pullip!

Victorique

Victorique is available wherever Pullips are sold, including The Junky Spot!  The Junky Spot is my favorite BJD shop and has some pretty awesome prices on Pullips.  Definitely check it out, especially if you’re in the States!

Here’s a video review for Victorique.

What do you think of Victorique?  Do you think she measures up to her animated counterpart?  Share your thoughts below!

My mom and I went to our usual haunts looking for the new Monster High Frankie/Jackson 2 Pack and Slowmo.  We didn’t find either of those sets, but while shopping, I whipped out my phone to grab a few pictures of what’s currently in the toy aisles.

Look it’s Tommy, or rather Darrin.

Looks like Chelsea, Barbie’s little sister, is now friends with a Tommy clone named Darrin. I’m all for keeping the line fresh, but I would have preferred if Mattel had introduced a boy character that wasn’t a duplicate of Tommy.  The least they could have done was make him a burnette or red head or something like that!

Skipper with Tent

I’ve been looking all over for Safari Skipper’s.  Finally, I found one!  Now, I imagine this is just one of two Skipper releases in this Safari line, as the back of the box showcases a doll that isn’t in her pajamas.  This one is super cute, though!  Needless to say, I picked this girl up for myself.  (Check back later for the review!)

Bedtime Barbie

Bedtime Barbie’s aren’t new, but this one has a unique body.  Instead of having plush limbs, Barbie has a soft torso.  It’s actually pretty neat.

Style Barbie

Isn’t Style Barbie cute?  There’s a blonde, but of the two, I thought this brunette was far prettier!  Her outfit is pretty great and her shoes?  Love them!

Molded Hair Ken

Look who’s got molded hair!  Yep, Ken and Ryan!  A lot of the rooted Ken’s have had some pretty sketchy hair, so this change is A-OK with me.  I must say, I really like Ryan! Now, we need to get him in the Life in the Dreamhouse line!!!

Tinkerbell dolls

Disney Pirate Fairies

I don’t know about you, but I love the Tinkerbell movies.  Here are four of the new affordable Disney Fairy dolls, Tink, Rosetta and new character Zarina, decked out in fashions from ‘The Pirate Fairy’.  Disney recently released photos of their special limited release dolls of Tink and Zarina, costing over $60.00.  For me, those a bit pricey and these wide release, less expensive dolls, priced around $20.00, are more than enough!

Woodzeez

These are Woodzeez.  They look to be close to 5″ or so and are sold at Target.  The reason I took a picture these guys was mostly because of the accessory below.

Woodzeez General Store Playset

Woodzeez Bakery Playset

I love these playsets!!!!  They look to be a great size for Nano Freya’s or even Pinky St’s.  I hope this line does well because these little rooms look adorable.

Sofia the First- Amber

Sofia the First- Sofia

I love this 5″ rooted Princess Amber doll!  Her and the corresponding Sofia are adorable.  This is bigger than the plastic (Pinky St like) mini figures and smaller than the tall 10″ talking dolls.  It’s the perfect size for backpacks or purses.  Plus, I love the rooted hair!

Mini Hello Kitty

Mini Hello Kitty

These mini Hello Kitty’s seem like the perfect friends for the mini Lalaloopsy and new mini Mooshka’s.

Mini Mooshka

Different from the other mini dolls on the market, these look to be wooden.  They are a little bigger than Lala’s and the new Hello Kitty’s, but are so adorable!  I love how ‘classic’ they look!

Mooshka

From teeny tiny to humungous!  Mooshka seems to be expanding their line pretty quickly!  That makes me happy, as I love the simple aesthetic of this doll line.  These new super large, plush Mooshka’s look so huggable!

New Lalaloopsy Babies

Ahhhh!  How adorable are these new Lalaloopsy babies?! I especially like the one in the middle!

Birthday Barbie

Birthday Barbie

For the most part, I like where Mattel decided to go here.  However, what’s with this dolls face?!  In person, it looks a bit too small for her body.  Which is strange, as usually, I’m complaining about the oversized heads on the current Barbie line.

That’s it for this Walking the Toy Aisle!  What do you think of these dolls?  Have you seen any new releases out and about?  Share your thoughts below!!!!

After weeks of ‘being good’ and passing on this Ever After High two pack, featuring star crossed lovers Hunter and Ashlynn, I finally broke down and picked them up. Honesty, I love this two pack!  Why? Because it has within its packaging the first male Ever After High doll produced, Hunter Huntsman!

Ashlynn and Hunter

Born to Snow White’s Huntsman, Hunter’s story is intertwined with Apple White’s.  (If her story follows Snow White’s, then he would save Apple White by not cutting out her heart, only to face the wrath of the evil queen. Lovely, right?)  However, Hunter has a secret that puts him clearly on the side of the rebel’s– he’s in love with Ashlynn Ella, Royal and daughter of Cinderella.  As luck would have it, the Ever After High web series is showcasing this Romeo and Juliet romance, so there is no better time to review the fantastic Hunter and Ashlynn two pack!

This post is very picture heavy, so it may take a minute for slower internet speeds to load!

Hunter

Let’s start with Hunter.  Spoiler alert– I adore him.  Slightly taller than the Ever After girls, he is a much needed addition to the Ever After line!  Starting from the top, he has a head of dark brown hair.  Similar to Monster High’s Venus, half of his head is flocked.

Hunter

He has some rooted hair that falls to one side of his head.  The rooted hair is very sprayed down.  It looks fine, but I’m very tempted to give him a wash to get some of the gel out and loosen his ‘do up a bit. (Thankfully, he looks nothing like Jem’s Techrat!)

Hunter

Hunter’s face mold is similar to the girls in terms of the ‘flat’ aesthetic.  However, it has a more angular look to it, as opposed to the round faces we’ve seen on the female students.  I really like it, myself.  Mattel managed to make this doll look masculine, which I appreciate.

Hunter

Hunter has a simple, but well thought out face.  His eyes are a chocolate brown.  His lips are neutral.

Hunter

Hunter is jointed in all the usual places.  His head moves smoothly (left, right, tilt).  He has jointed shoulders, elbows and wrists.  His wrists are a bit of a let down.  While they turn, they don’t tilt up or down as much as the girl’s.  (Edit: Apparently, my doll has super tight wrists and they should tilt fine, once worked in!) Hunter has thigh, knee and ankle joints, as well.  Slightly disappointing, is that Hunter has no joint in his torso area.  I would have loved if he had a joint in his torso to add a bit more tilt.

Hunter

Hunter’s body is surprisingly fit, for a doll!  There’s some nicely defined arm muscles and a hint of abs under his shirt.  One thing that I really love about Hunter is that he stands really well.  I didn’t have to use a stand at all while taking photos of him.  Not only that, but he even stands well while posing with another doll.

Hunter

Speaking of his shirt, the costume designers deserve an A+ for his fashion.  Don’t be fooled– this isn’t a four piece fashion, it’s three!  The forest green three quarter sleeve shirt is a one piece with the brown vest.  Under that, is a green sleeveless shirt.  And of course, he has straight leg jeans.  The look is pretty awesome and all the pieces work really well together.

Hunter

I love the color scheme on Hunter and the small details, like the treated leather look on his hood.  On that topic, he has a real hood!

Hunter

Not a ‘too small to put over the dolls head’ hood, but a real hood that you can actually put over his head!  Good one, Mattel!

Hunter

To complete his look, Hunter is decked out in some awesome boots.  Brown with black accents (ie: dirt), these look lived in.  I love them!  He also wears a pretty neat brown cuff bracelet.

Hunter

Hunter

Hunter comes with his bookmark, a stand and a super awesome messenger bag.  It opens and has enough space to actually hold something, which isn’t always the case!

Ashlynn

Onto Ashlynn, there are many nods to Cinderella in Ashlynn’s design.  I give Mattel credit for doing a great job on her hairstyling.  There’s clearly a lot of work put into getting Ashlynn’s waist length golden blonde hair to do what it does.

Ashlynn

Little details include a braid that starts on one side of her head and travels across, like a headband.  Because of her styling, there are a few lightly rooted spots towards the front of her head, but the fact that the big bufont style in this hair design looks nice trumps that minor issue.

Ashlynn

Ashlynn has a pretty face.  Following suit with her friends, her face mold is flat and her dark green eyes are large.  She has light pink lips and light blushing.

Ashlynn

I like this look in general, so I can’t complain about the face design. Ashlynn’s not my favorite Ever After High girl, but she’s not my least favorite, either.  (That would probably go to Blondie…)

Ashlynn

Ashlynn

Like the other Ever After High girls we’ve seen, she has joints at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, thighs and knees.  Her head moves fluidly.

Ashlynn

The one downfall of Ashlynn is her outfit.  It’s a blue and pink dress with a pencil skirt.  Now, here’s the thing, it looks pretty enough, but it isn’t very functional if you like to pose your dolls for photo’s.  The skirt limits the dolls thigh movement a lot.

Ashlynn

The poor girl can’t even sit down.  The most she can do is move her legs apart a twinge.  I would have loved if Ashlynn had been put in a looser skirt, to give her a little more movement.

Ashlynn

Similar to glass slippers, Ashlynn wears translucent blue shoes that move up her legs like vines.  They’re a very pretty blue and they stay on quite well!  I like how Mattel played off the glass slipper theme, but didn’t take it literally.

Ashlynn

Ashlynn comes with a clock themed purse, comb, bookmark and stand.  She wears the usual two finger ring, shaped like a bird, a bracelet, a necklace and shoe themed earrings.

Bird Ring

Of the two dolls in this set, Hunter is the one I’m most excited to have in my collection.  He’s a pretty awesome doll, that’s for sure.  I can’t wait to do a larger photo shoot and get him paired up with the rest of the gang.  I’m looking forward to more male doll releases, especially Sparrow Hood!

Now that I’ve talked about the two dolls, here are a few photo’s of the two together that I just had to share!  I had far too much fun taking these!

Hunter, watching Ashlynn

Hunter and Ashlynn

Hunter and Ashlynn

Ashlynn and Hunter

Ashlynn and Hunter

Hunter and Ashlynn

Hunter and Ashlynn Dance

Hunter and Ashlynn

Ashlynn and Hunter

Ashlynn and Hunter

Hunter and Ashlynn

I did a video review on each of these dolls. The links are below!

What do you think of this awesome Ever After High two pack? Share your thoughts below!

At the last Kane County Doll and Toy Show we attended, my mom picked up two sweet Little Miss No Name‘s.  Both needed a little bit of work done in the hair department.  Recently, I finished the first of the two.  Since this Little Miss No Name came with her original tear, my mom wanted her hair color to be pretty similar to the factory color, meaning no chocolate hues or orange tints.

Original Head

We searched Dolly Hair for a good color and decided upon White Chocolate.  White Chocolate is a very white blonde.  It’s a little lighter and fresher than what most factory Little Miss No Name’s wear today.  I used the same white blonde on my Young Delancy re-root a while back.

New Little Miss No Name

Little Miss No Name took roughly 5 hanks of hair, cut long for Barbie.  We only gave her hair a slight trim.  My mom, dolly stylist, decided on a simple hair style for this girl.

Comparison- reroot vs factory

I really love how this Little Miss No Name turned out!  She looks so sweet with the long white blonde hair.  I know there are purists out there who probably think cleaning these up and giving them new life is a travesty, but I don’t agree with that at all!  These Little Miss No Name’s get a bad rap because of the poor shape many are in. But with a bit of TLC, they can be so beautiful!

A tear of joy!

Have you done a dolly re-root recently?  What do you think of this re-root?  Share your thoughts below!

Two weeks ago, I ordered a Makie.  And today?  She arrived!  Now, don’t get too excited yet.  This isn’t a full review.  This is a box opening post!  Almost immediately after getting home from work, I sat down in front of the camera to record a box opening video.  Watch it below!

This is Siena, my Makie.  As I’ve only had her for a few short hours, I haven’t had time to take many photos. Rest assured, it’s on my to do list!!!  For now, enjoy this little sneak peek of Siena!

Siena, real vs computer image

First impressions?  I like her a lot!  I think she looks great and very similar to my original computer image. Because Makie is a new doll line, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect.  I’m very pleased with the face up and with the body coloring.

Siena

Expect more on Siena in coming weeks!  For now, though, feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions about this Makie or Makies in general!

Hujoo is on a roll.  New to the Hujoo 12 cm family is Nano Rabi, an anthro bunny!  I’ve been asking for some variety in their anthro line and this definitely fits the bill!

Nano Rabi

Nano Rabi is a 12 cm rabbit. While I’m not sure what wigs will fit this little rabbit, she wears 12 mm eyes.  Nano Rabi currently comes in three colors- white, light grey and pink.

Photo from The Junky Spot featuring all three color choices.

As usual, Nano Rabi is made of strung ABS plastic.  She’s sold without a face up, eyes or wig.

Hujoo Nano Rabi

For some of us, hearing ‘no face up’ is a bit scary sounding, but here’s the thing– Hujoo’s are pretty easy to customize.  If I can do it, you can do it!

Nano Rabi, face up by my mom

Nani Rabi, face up by me

Nano Rabi’s body is the same body used for the Nano Freya, right down to the clawed hands and feet.

Nano Hujoos- Rabi, Freya, Baby, Rabi

She’s strung tightly and holds poses well.  Nano Rabi has joints at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, thighs, knees, ankles and chest.  Of course, the head tilts up, down, left and right, allowing for lots of movement!

Nano Rabi, pink with face up by me

The thing that I think is most important to talk about regarding Nano Rabi is the unique face mold created for this ball jointed doll.  Nano Rabi has an egg shaped sort of head with short pointy bunny ears.  The head cap, that has in the past been complicated to take off/put on, works fine.  Instead of having two pegs inside the head, there is just one.  It’s pretty easy to twist Nano Rabi’s head cap off.

Nano Rabi, white with face up done by my mom

The eye holes are round, not almond shaped like most bjd’s I’ve seen.  That worried me a bit, as I wasn’t sure if that meant we would need different eyes for this anthro.

Nano Rabi with face up by me

Thankfully, though, my worries were in vain.  Nano Rabi takes regular 12mm eyes.  They look, to me, very different inside a Nano Rabi head than a traditional almond shaped eye- much more animal like.  I really like the effect!

One very important thing to note is that unlike the large Hujoo’s, you will need putty to hold your eyes in.  Nano Rabi doesn’t come with eye attachments.  It is a little tough putting the eyes into these guys, because their head is so tiny, but hang in there and you’ll get it!

Nano Rabi with face up by me

Nano Rabi with face ups by my mom and myself

Nano Rabi in MiWorld with face up by my mom

While I would have preferred more floppy ears,  I understand that may have been a little difficult to do.  I’m very happy with how these guys photograph and am loving that they are pretty much to scale for MiWorld and AG Mini rooms.

Nano Rabi

Overall, I think Nano Rabi is super cute.  The 12 cm size is perfect for a pocket or purse doll, easy to customize, and most importantly, affordable!  Nano Rabi is available at The Junky Spot or wherever else Hujoo‘s are sold.

Hujoo Nano Rabi

Nano Rabi

I posted a video review of these cuties on YouTube.  Watch it below!

I also recorded footage of the face up process, in hopes of turning it into a video!  Stay tuned for that!

What do you think of Nano Rabi?  Share your thoughts below!

I am very bad a wig making.  I tried my hand at it last year and failed miserably. (Much fun fur was lost in this quest!)  Needless to say, I’ve retired from wig making! (And the fun fur rejoiced!)  My mom, however, found a really great tutorial for making a yarn wig on Flickr the other day.  With nothing better to do, she decided to try it out and the results were fantastic! This TARDIS blue wig is being modeled on a MSD Bobobie Pixie.

Wig created using online tutorial

Wig created using online tutorial

The tutorial was put together by Flickr user ghilie01.  It’s a photo album tutorial (ie: click the image and the instructions are on the right for that step).  If you are handy with a crochet hook and latch hook, this should be a pretty easy tutorial to follow!  For the wig pictured above, we followed all the steps, but one. As we don’t have a sewing machine, we didn’t ‘stitch’ a part into this wig.  For a first attempt, I think this turned out pretty awesome!  Awesome enough for me to want to share this with you, readers!

So next time you’re bored, why not try making your ball jointed doll a new wig? And then stop by and share the experience down below in the comment area!

In Skipper’s 50 years, she’s had a lot of high moments.  One of those moments came in 1992 when she and her best friend Courtney were part of one of the best-selling Barbie lines of all time– Totally Hair. Topping top toy lists in 1992, Totally Hair Barbie was, for most, the stand out Barbie of the line. Over her run from 1992-1995, Barbie sold over 10 million units and became Mattel’s highest grossing Barbie to date!

Totally Hair Skipper and Courtney were both Toys R Us exclusives.  Boxed with a small tube of Dep, this popular doll line featured Barbie (blonde and brunette), Ken, Skipper and Courtney with ultra long hair and neon colored outfits . Those in the UK, where the line was renamed ‘Ultra Hair’, were treated to an exclusive Whitney.

Totally Hair Courtney (left) and Skipper (right)

I’m sure I received Totally Hair Skipper for either my birthday or Christmas in the winter of 1992.  I was 9, the perfect age for Skipper, especially a Skipper with super long crimped hair and a neon outfit! For me, Totally Hair Skipper is one of the cutest Skippers released in the 90′s.  She reminds me of my youth because, let’s be honest, most anyone who ‘grew up’ in the 90′s had a closet of neon colored outfits, a plastic clip that cinched baggy shirts at the waist and most likely crimped their hair a few times over the decade!

Totally Hair Skipper

Skipper has her token blonde hair, long and crimped.  Her bangs are curly and a bit wild.  Her half pony tail is held with a big, bright hair band.  Her outfit is a shirt dress with short leggings that feature a pink, blue and purple swirling pattern.

Totally Hair Skipper

Her eyes are blue and her lips are a bright pink.  Skipper has light blushing on her cheeks and a hint of eye shadow.  Other than that, her face is relativity clean of make up (assuming mine hasn’t faded a lot, which I don’t think it has).

Totally Hair Courtney

Courtney is a more recent addition to my collection. I purchased her a few years ago off of eBay.  This Courtney has a bit of a strange look to her.  Her skin looks tanner than normal and her eyes are an amber sort of brown.  I examined my Courtney’s and noticed her eye color bounced around a lot between blue, brown and green back in the 90′s.  This isn’t my favorite eye color for her, but it’s different!

Totally Hair Courtney

Her outfit is a mixture of neon blue, green, pink and purple.  Courtney wears a longer dress than Skipper with no leggings.  Like Skipper, her dark brown hair is long and crimped.  Her bangs are curly and her half pony tail is held in with a big, neon green hair band.

Totally Hair Courtney

These dolls might not have broken records like Totally Hair Barbie, but they are two dolls that really stand out in Skipper’s 50 year run.  Not only do collectors remember them, but non collectors do to, which says a lot about how perfectly this Skipper and Courtney were designed.

Totally Hair Courtney (left) and Skipper (right)

Totally Hair Skipper (left) and Courtney (right)

As always, here’s the video post!

Did you have Totally Hair Skipper or Courtney?  Why do you think this line was so popular?  Any favorite memories of this line? Share your thoughts below!

Do you want to build a snowman?  If it’s with this adorable Anna toddler doll sold at The Disney Store, then yes!  Disney films are things that I don’t think anyone truly grows out of.  Frozen is a perfect example. The animation is fantastic, the songs are superb and the story, while simple, is entertaining for those of all ages.  If you haven’t seen Frozen yet, then you should really give it a go!

Frozen’s Anna

Now, onto the dolly review!  Like many, I fell in love with the toddler dolls for Disney’s Frozen before even seeing the movie.

Frozen’s Anna

Frozen’s Anna

Interestingly enough, while Kristoff is packaged in a Disney Animators Collection box, Anna and Elsa are not.  They’re in a box that is more reminiscent of the standard toddler dolls.  Packaging aside, they look like they belong with the Disney Animators Dolls.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw these two reboxed in the coming months in Disney Animators Collection boxes.

Frozen’s Anna

I’m crazy about this 16″ toddler Anna doll!  She’s adorable.  Let’s start at the top.  Anna has rooted ginger pig tails and wispy bangs.  I have a feeling the head is loosely rooted, but if you keep the hair in her original style, it looks great.  Very cute and innocent.  I love pig tails, in general, and these look great on Anna’s large head.

Frozen’s Anna

Frozen’s Anna

Similar to the Disney Animators Collection, Anna has large, side glancing green eyes.  There is a small bit of eye shadow above her eye.  Not too much for a toddler doll, though.

Frozen’s Anna

Anna’s round cheeks are lightly freckled.  I give Disney a ton of credit for making her freckles asymmetrical.  (Because, I’ve never known anyone to have symmetrical freckles.  I sure don’t!)  Just below the freckles, is an adorable button nose and pink lips in a closed smile.

Disney Animator’s Collection Belle vs Frozen’s Anna

Anna has the same body as the Disney Animators dolls. Anna’s head tilts up, down, left and right and is super easy to pose.  Her arms have more movement than the Disney toddler dolls you see in the large retail stores, like Toys R Us.  Anna’s arms move up, down, left and right.  Her legs, however, only move up and down (not to the side at all).  She has painted on undies.

Frozen’s Anna

Anna stands really well.  I love how easy it is to get these guys in poses.  She sits well, too.

Frozen’s Anna

Frozen’s Anna

Frozen’s Anna

The only disappointing thing I really found with this doll was the outfit. In terms of design, it’s a green smock dress with light green stockings and black shoes.

Frozen’s Anna

The thing that disappoints me, though, is the craftsmanship.  There are strings hanging from the outfit, like it was cut poorly.  However, the outfit is removable.

Frozen’s Anna

Without a doubt, Anna is an adorable toddler doll.  She fits in perfectly with my other Disney Animators doll.  I’m very happy this new addition to the toddler line!

Check out the video review below!

What do you think of Anna?  Share your thoughts below.

I don’t know about you, but I love learning about fellow collectors!  In the past few years, I’ve heard from a lot of you regarding your collections and your interests.  Recently, I put out the call for collectors to answer questions and send me photo’s for a chance to be featured in their own Collector Spotlight post.  The previous posts can be found here and here.

I am very happy to introduce you to Courtney, doll collector and blogger.  I gave Courtney a few (well, more than a few) questions to answer regarding herself and her collection.  Here are her responses!

Meet Courtney!

Question: Tell us a bit about yourself…

Answer:  My name is Courtney. I’m 32 and from Colorado. I just love collecting dolls. All kinds of dolls. I love making clothes for my dolls and just sewing in general. I suppose I also have a particular love for blue haired dolls.

Look at all that blue!

Question: How long have you collected?  How did you catch the collecting bug?

Answer: I have collected dolls since I was a little girl. I always loved Barbie, and of course like many people, that’s where my collecting started.

Little Courtney with Strawberry Shortcake and Pumuckl

Question: What do you collect?

Answer: Mostly these days I’m only getting Monster High and Ever After High, but that’s only a small portion of the whole hoard. I have at least 1 of every character of the Monster High dolls, well except the pink haired gorgon.  I haven’t found her yet! I have 4 American Girl dolls – Samantha is my favorite doll, always has been, and always will be. I got a Felicity but all her hair was removed, so I bought a Blythe wig and renamed her Temperance! I love making clothes for my AG dolls – it’s very easy!

BJD’s Mina and Juste

I also have 2 1/4th size Asian BJDs – an Angel Region(his name is Juste) and an Angel of Dream (her name is Wilhelmina, or just Mina). I absolutely adore them. I even learned to make wigs just for Mina!

Littlest Pet Shop and Blythe

I have several mini Blythe dolls that came with my Littlest Pet Shop pets (I’ve got over 1000 pets!), I have the full collection of Little Apple Dolls. Mentis is the only one who ever escaped her box, but as much trouble as she is, that’s probably a good thing!

My Scene Bins

I collected every single My Scene barbie until I couldn’t find them in the country anymore. I have 5 tubs full of them – even got extra bodies for the ones with interchangeable heads! I have a whole tub of Halloween barbies and another tub full of fairies and mermaids. Dolls have taken over my house!!

Question: Do you share this hobby with anyone?  Did anyone inspire you to to collect?

Answer: I share this hobby with my mom for sure. My mom and I just love dolls. It’s fun to know someone else doesn’t think you’re to old to play with dolls.

American Girl Samantha in a homemade Hanfu

Question: What are your ‘grail’ items?  Have you found any of them yet? Why are they your ‘grail’ items?

Answer: Samantha was my ‘grail’ item. I got Samantha from my best friend for Christmas one year – she bought the best friends set, Samantha & Nellie. I had wanted Samantha since I was 7 years old, but we never could afford her when I was young. I waited 15 years to get that doll. I made my best friend a quilt that year for Christmas. I can easily say we have never been able to top that Christmas

Doll Shelf

Question: Spotlight a few of your favorite pieces in your collection.  What are they? When did you find them?  What makes them your favorites?  Tell us their story.

Answer:  Well there’s Samantha, but you already know that. There’s Laurel – Stardust Classic. She’s not made anymore and I scored her in her box, off of eBay for $40. It was a mega squee moment, I had never seen her go for under $100 ever. $100 was her price brand new!

Juste and Mina are favorites, how can my only 2 BJD’s not be? Juste was bought for me by my mom, and I wanted Juste’s sister(Angel Region Cosette) but she cost too much. Mina, however was a manageable price, and I just loved her face.

My Ellowyne Wilde(A Case of the Blues) is also one of my big favorites. She is probably the prettiest doll I’ve ever seen. She also never takes a bad picture.

Question: Do you collect in box or out of box?  Why?

Answer: I’m don’t have a preference really. I keep a few in the box, like my Little Apple Dolls, I just love how they are in the box. Several of my monster high dolls are still in their boxes, but mostly they sit around on shelves in the open.

Mina in handmade outfit

I like to play with them :)  I have kept the boxes for most of my more pricy dolls even though they aren’t in them.

Homemade doll, Violet (cloth with yarn hair)

Question: What is the most fun aspect of collecting?

Answer: I just love playing with them and making their clothes. I’m very touchy feely with my dolls.

Homemade (and a few purchased) doll outfits

Question: Do you have any personal stories you’d like to share that deal with your doll collecting?
Answer: This is about how I learned Little Apple Dolls weren’t what I thought. When my boyfriend bought me the first three Little Apple Dolls, I thought they were porcelain. Looking at them in the box, they looked porcelain. I didn’t take them out. I didn’t want to take them out really. I love the boxes, the whole look.

Little Apple Doll Mentis

When the second series came out, I ordered them online. I was so excited to open the box and see them and what did I see? Mentis, in her box, with her head in the bottom of it!!!! I freaked! So for the first time I took one of these dolls out of her box.

Turns out, Mentis was plastic. I forced that head right back on that doll. She never wanted back in her box either. (Also all the LADs come with a story book, an apple, and pins, but they were missing from her box.) I ended up buying another Mentis to stay in the box, but the first one has free reign. It’s honestly pretty funny to think about Mentis missing her head, as her story was a girl who heard voices.

Little Apple Dolls- Courtney owns 22!

Question: What advice would you give new collectors out there that feel they need to ‘hide’ their hobby?

Answer: No one should have to hide their doll collections! I’ve known several guys who collected also. You are you and this is what you do. There is certainly someone out there who can connect with you about your hobby.

My Child dolls

Question: Give me 3 tips (in general) on how to cultivate a great doll collection.

Answer: Tip #1 – Check yard sales. You can find some awesome things! -

Tip #2 – Don’t feel bad waiting for a clearance sale. I have got half my stuff that way!
Tip #3 – Be picky. You don’t want to be stuck with stuff you hate.

Question: What kind of future do you see for this hobby?

Answer: I don’t ever see dolls going away. I would have loved dolls like Monster High when I was a kid – awesome stuff is always coming out.

—————————————

I want to give a big THANK YOU to Courtney for sharing her collection with us! I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about Courtney in this Collector Spotlight.  I know I’m completely jealous of her My Scene collection! That amazing homemade Hanfu totally brought me back to my Fushigi Yugi days!  And these Little Apple Dolls, I need to look into them more!

Be sure to check out her blog, Jupiter’s Closet! If you would like to be featured, send me an e-mail with the answers to these questions.  Photo’s, too!  (Questions can be reworked or skipped– whatever is comfortable for you!)

I invite you to leave kudo’s to Courtney in the comment area!  Of course, feel free to leave questions, too!

I was awarded the Liebster Blogger Award from April, blogger for ‘Of Dolls‘!  The award rules are simple.  I answer 11 questions thought up by April, write my own 11 questions and then award up to 11 bloggers the Liebster Blogger Award.  Their job?  To answer MY 11 questions!

Ta Da!

Below are the questions April asked!

Question: Which doll in your collection have you owned the longest?
Answer: Stitches.  He’s a stuffed bear that was in my crib upon my arrival home from the hospital.

Stitches

Question: Do you have a specific style/type of doll that you enjoy collecting most?
Answer: Skipper, Barbie’s Little Sister, of course!

Skipper, Barbie’s Little Sister

Question: If you could have any doll ever made, cost not an option, what would it be?

Answer: Oh my goodness.  This is a hard question!!!!  Any doll?  There are SO many dream dolls.  Do I choose a complete set of baby Dionne Quints from Madame Alexander? Or a pristine vintage Patti Playpal?  A number one Barbie?  Seriously, this is a HARD question!

Hard Plastic Dionne Quints (Photo Credit)

Question: What is your favorite doll or toy that you have ever had?
Answer: Victoria. She was given to me when my brother was born.  My mom has the same doll and my cousins are given one when their siblings were born.

Madame Alexander Victoria

Question: Your favorite TV show (doesn’t have to be currently on)?
Answer:  Once Upon a Time!  I’m addicted to that show.  If you haven’t seen Once Upon a Time, Netflix it now!  It’s amazing!!!!  Doctor Who is equally fantastic, though I’m not 100% on board with Moffat’s style.

Once Upon a Time = Awesome TV

Question: What are your hobbies, outside of dolls?
Answer: Does watching TV count?  I have started writing fiction again (ie: scripts). That’s a lot of fun!  I read a lot, too.

Question: Where would you love to visit for your next vacation?
Answer: Wales, Ireland and Scotland.  I would LOVE to see those places within the next year or so.  Ever since I read The Dark is Rising, I’ve been dying to go to Wales.  (And of course, then Doctor Who came into my life and I wanted to go even more!)  I wouldn’t mind finding a man in Scotland or Ireland, either!  Maybe one like Colin O’Donoghue (also known as Captain Hook on Once Upon a Time)?

Question: Do you speak any languages besides English?
Answer: I wish.  I feel like I should understand Japanese or Korean, since I’ve watched a ton of anime and korean drama’s in my life.  Unfortunately, though, I have a horrible ear for language learning.

Question: What is your favorite food?

Answer: Pierogies!  Yum!

Pierogies

Question: Who would you want to play you in a movie about you?
Answer:  I’d want to play myself!  :)  If I could reverse this question, I have been told on multiple occasions I could play a young Sandra Bullock.
Question: Who is your favorite author?
Answer:  I don’t have a favorite author so much as favorite books.  My favorite book is “The Grey King” by Susan Cooper.  It’s a huge reason why I want to go to Wales (besides Doctor Who).  My other favorites include: “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer, “Immortal Beloved” by Cate Tiernan, “Keeper of the Lost Cities” by Shannon Messanger and “A Certain Slant of Light” by Laura Whitcomb.

The Grey King

So there you have it!  Thank you, April, for thinking of this little blog while filling out your questions!!!  Now to pick a few questions of my own.  First, the blogs.  I’d like to pass this onto:

Barbie Beauties

Once Upon a Doll Collection

Dolly Panic

Red Riding Hood

Never Grow Up

Of course, don’t forget to check out ‘Of Dolls‘, as they are the reason I’m writing this post!  (Honestly, I’m always so honored when people think of this little blog for these things!!!)

Now, to the five blogs mentioned above, here are the questions you should answer in your post.  Some are borrowed from April!

1- What’s one doll you didn’t get during your childhood that you loved enough to buy as an adult or are actively trying to buy currently?  (My answer: My Pet Monster WITH chains, still looking!)

2- If you could have a vacation home anywhere in the world, where would it be? (My Answer: Siena, Italy!)

3- Do you collect in box or out of box? (My answer: Out of box!)

4- What is your favorite TV program?  (See above!)

5- How long do you usually wait before buying a doll?  (ie: Do you jump on it the moment you see it or do you wait?) (My answer: It depends on the doll.  If it’s cheap, I jump.  If it’s expensive, I wait!)

6- What’s your favorite color? (My answer: Purple!)

7- What is the ideal doll collection to you? (My answer: My ideal doll collection is something displayed neatly in lots of glass cases! Very unlike my collections current state!)

8- Who is your celebrity look a like? (My answer: Sandra Bullock, apparently!)

9- What’s your opinion of ‘Reborns’?  (My answer: I think many of them are cute, though some are a little too realistic for my taste. I adore the Monkey’s!)

10- What’s your favorite book?  (My answer: See above.)

11-What is the biggest misconception about the doll collecting hobby? (My answer: That we’ve never ‘grown up’.  Who says you can’t be a grown up and still have dolls?!)

So, those I linked to this post, answer the questions and post the link here in the comment area!  Of course, I invite everyone to comment and answer whatever questions you’d like in the comment area, too!

Back in January, I ordered a Makie, the brainchild of MakieLab‘s.  Makies are the first 3D printed dolls that you can customize.  When my Makie arrived, I posted a box opening video and post, promising a real review when I had enough time to really play with her.  Here’s the promised review!

Makies Banner

Let’s talk a bit about Makies in general, before jumping into details about my Makie.  When ordering a Makie, you’re ordering a few things.  First, you’re ordering a custom made head (eyes included) that you create in a special web based app (or on your Apple device) on a jointed stock body.  Because no doll wants to arrive naked, you have the option of a handful of outfits (chosen in the app).  Last, but not least, you choose a wig.  Wigs are non-removable unless you write the company after you order and request the wig be removable.  I did that for my Makie, because I wanted to add that extra level of customization to her.  (We all like changing our hair every now and then, right?)

Screen Capture, Eyes

Creating my Makie, who I eventually named Siena after my favorite Italian city, was really easy.  The website application worked fine and it was relatively easy to see how you were manipulating the head mold.  It didn’t take long at all to create something I loved.

Communication after ordering was fantastic. I e-mailed them with a question and got a response very quickly.  They kept me informed as to what part of the process my Makie was at, too, via e-mail.  As promised, about two weeks later, a package from MakieLab’s arrived from London!  (Apparently, it made a stop in Germany, too!  Siena’s already been to more countries than myself!)

Various Makies

I’ll be honest– there are some Makies out there that I just don’t like.  But their owners?  They seem to love them! I guess that’s the nice thing about Makies– since you are the ‘designer’, there’s a good chance you’ll create something you think is aesthetically pleasing.

Siena, My Makie

That’s what happened with Siena.  There were things I knew I didn’t want.  I didn’t want a block-like, square face.  I, also, didn’t want very squinty eyes and I definitely didn’t want my Makie to be stark white or a light peach.  I’d seen images of Makies that were light skinned and I wasn’t won over by them.  Plus, I figured my collection needed a bit more diversity to it.

Siena, My Makie

Let’s talk about Siena. I’m sure the burning question on your mind is this: is she a good representation of the graphic I created when I ordered her?  Yes.  I believe Siena looks a lot like her virtual self.  The skin color is a slightly different shade than expected, but as these are hand dyed, I expected so much.

Siena, real vs computer image

Siena came with a light face up on her cocoa skin.  I chose to give Siena large eyes  (angled down slightly), round cheeks, a large mouth with defined lips and a button nose.  One of my favorite aspects of her design are her pointy ears!  There was no way she was going to have normal human ears!

Siena, My Makie

Her eye brows are shaded in with a dark brown.  I made my dolls eye brows pretty thick, so I’m happy the face up included those.  Directly above the eye is a thin line of black eyeliner, topped with an equally thin line of light pink.

Siena, My Makie

It looks like they used a watercolor pencil or something similar to that for the face up.  She doesn’t have drawn on eye lashes or ‘real’ eyelashes, though I have seen some Makie’s leaving London with what look like ‘real’ lashes. (Don’t quote me on that, though!)

Siena, My Makie

The eye make up is very simple.  If you’re looking for something more elaborate, you have to e-mail the company to see what options they might offer you or order the girl without a face up and do it yourself.  I don’t believe there is any blush on Siena’s cheeks, but she does have rosy lips, also done in what looks like some sort of watercolor pencil.

Siena, My Makie

I chose to give Siena bright green eyes.  They are roughly 16″ eyes.

Inside a Makie

The look inside Siena’s head is kind of interesting.  The head cap is super simple to take off.  (Just pinch the top and bottom of it and it’s off.)  Once open, you’ll expose a unique eye mechanism.  You’ll also notice the thing that draws this apart from most 1/6 bjd’s– the eyes.  Makies don’t use full round eyes, like you see in other dolls.  They use strange half eyes.  You can remove these eyes and put in eyes of your own, but know that the perfect balance these have might be compromised if you do that!  Also, the eye mech might not work very well, so you’ll probably need putty.  I don’t plan on changing Siena’s eyes because they look great as is, but you can change them if you’d like.

Hujoo vs Makie

Siena has a hollow sort of feeling to her body that makes her feel lighter than the similarly sized ABS plastic Hujoo.  I don’t feel there’s a great difference between Siena and a Hujoo, but of the two, Siena is a little lighter.

Siena, My Makie

She has a number of joints. Her head moves as you’d expect, up, down, left and right.  It takes more force to move it into position than you’d think.

Siena, My Makie

She has joints in her shoulders, elbows and wrists, as well.  There is no joint in her torso. Of course, she has joints at her thighs, knees and ankles.  Her limbs move more fluidly than her head does.

Siena, My Makie

As far as posing, I think she holds her own to other 1/6 bjd’s.  There are some limitations to her joints.  Her elbow joint is the most limited when compared to other bjd’s.  It doesn’t rotate left or right, just moves up and down. The knees are similar.  They don’t rotate left or right, either.

Notice the removable limb!

Because this doll was made with customizing in mind, most (not all) of the joints were made to be removable.  Her head, shoulder, wrist, thigh and ankle joints can be removed from the ball joint and then placed right back on.  The shoulder was a little tough for me to take off, but the other parts were easy.

Siena, My Makie

One surprising aspect of Siena’s body is her back.  There’s a huge battery compartment like square in her back.  Apparently, this is so you can ‘mod’ or ‘hack’ your Makie.  To be honest, adding wires to my dolls has never occurred to me, but I guess I can see how this could be a fun for the engineering types. Older style Makies had a hollow neck, so you could literally move wires from the ‘battery compartment’ into the head.   It looks like they have modified the neck mold to no longer allow wires to move up and into the head.

For those, like me, who have no interest in modding in any way that would need a battery compartment, note that you might want to limit the number of ‘low back’ tops or back photography you do with your Makie because the compartment goes relatively high on her back.

Besides the large rectangle on her back, I have to talk a bit about the shape of her torso.  It’s not as feminine as you’d expect.  It’s kind of blocky and her bust looks a little strange to me.  This probably has a lot to do with the hidden compartment on her back, though.

Fork like hands

While proportionate to her limbs, her hands do have a bit of a fork like look.  The fingers are very straight and pointy. I hope they improve on those one of these days.  I should have ordered an extra set of hands.

Makie’s Feet

I really like her feet, though!  They’re not too large or too small and they even have toe-nail imprints on them.

Now that we’ve gone over a bit about the body’s look, how does it feel?  And, because many of you asked, how does it compare to the ABS of a Hujoo? Siena’s body feels different, that’s for sure, from a resin or ABS plastic bjd.

Siena, My Makie

It’s textured, like wood grain.  You’ll see on the 3D printed limbs circular patterns that are reminiscent of the top of a tree stump.

Makie vs Hujoo

If you’re a Hujoo collector, you’ll notice a difference right away between the smooth, shiny plastic of the Hujoo and the wood grain like plastic of a Makie.

Siena, My Makie

Siena balances beautifully!!!  Seriously, I never have to worry about her.  MakieLab’s did a wonderful job on creating a doll that stands in various position on both legs or even one leg!  (Disclaimer- it did take me a few tries to get her to stand on one leg, but any doll that can do that at least once, earns a gold star in my book!) Because of the tight ball joints, she holds poses super well, too.

Hujoo Wings vs Makie

Siena, My Makie

As I mentioned in the beginning, Makies come with an outfit and a wig of your choosing.  This is where the company really needs to improve,  I think. I have a few different Makie outfits and they all look like hard work was put into them.  For that, they get kudo’s.  I’m not a huge fan of the construction of the outfits, though.

Makie dress

The outfit my Makie came in was a pretty purple dress.  The fabric was nice and the color worked really well on Siena, but, sadly, the fit was off in the torso.  It was just too big for her.

Siena, My Makie

Most of the separates I received as part of a special they were running were decent, but nothing to write home about.

Extras

I do love the little pink apron.  That has a lot of personality.  And the jeans are great!

Siena, My Makie

My favorite dress is actually the long, blue polka dotted dress.  It fits much better than the purple dress.  The fabric used on the top portion sticks a bit to the textured plastic, but it looks super cute on Siena!  Add the awesome 3D printed glasses and Siena is ready to go out!

Siena, My Makie, in My Scene

What else can Siena wear?  You’re probably safe with most outfits that fit 1/6 scale dolls.

Siena, My Makie, in My Scene outfit

I tried Siena in a handful of Mattel My Scene outfits and they fit well enough.

Siena, My Makie, in My Scene outfit

Siena, My Makie

For Siena, I chose a long blonde wig with a side part.  I chose the long wig because after seeing owner images of some of the shorter ones, I wasn’t sure about them. I feel like some of the wigs look much better in the creation app than they do in real life, especially the short wigs.

Siena, My Makie

Long was the safest choice, I thought.  (Again, this is such a subjective point– you guys might love the short wigs.)  I see now they have many more wigs to choose from when ordering.  The purple, blue and red wigs look pretty nice, actually.

Siena, My Makie

I’m pretty sure, if I were ordering now, my Makie would have a fantasy hair color!  The wig cap itself is a little loosely rooted, but it fits Siena’s head well enough and, with a little bit of styling, looks pretty cute on her!

I requested my wig be removable for Seina.  She seems to fit the same wigs my MSD bjd’s do.  Most of those are a size 6-7.

The fact that Makies are created with 3D printer technology still amazes me.  I think it’s so neat that this kind of tech is being introduced in the doll world. The staff at MakieLabs really do deserve a pat on the back for making so many strides and improvements upon their product.  Some of the early Makies are, let’s be honest, not the most adorable things around.  But with any product, there’s a learning curve and these guys aren’t afraid to make the necessary changes to improve on their designs, seen most recently with the introduction of the ‘Cutie’ style faces.

Siena, My Makie

I don’t think you can make a Makie and dislike it.  In the end, the doll was designed by you.  My Siena may look like some of the other dolls on the Makie site, but somewhere in the specs, there is a key difference, even if it’s something as subtle as the bridge of the nose or the angle of the ears.

Siena, My Makie

Makies aren’t the cheapest dolls around, but from what I can tell, a lot of time and effort is put into making the whole experience (from ordering to receiving) enjoyable.  The quality is there.  Makies are a solid doll from head to toe.  I’m very happy with my Makie.  Siena turned out just as adorable as I hoped she would.  I would highly consider adding a Makie to your personal collection!

As usual, I’ve put together a video review.  It’s super long, but I wanted to get as much in as possible!!!

Questions?  Comments?  Share them below!

Update: Sorry for the typo’s!!!  WP didn’t save any of my changes and of course, I noticed after posting!!!!

Did you miss out on the 50th Anniversary Skipper?  Good news!  She’s coming back later this year and in a new hair color!

She’s Back!

Mark your calendars! She’ll be back in August!  I’m loving this 2nd release way more than the original blonde release.  What about you? Share your thoughts below!

One of my favorite vintage Skipper’s is, as it so happens, one of the hardest to find, the elusive Japanese Skipper.  The Japanese Skipper hit store shelves in 1964 and was exclusive to the Japanese market.

Japanese Skipper

Like traditional Skipper’s, she had three hair colors– titan, brunette and blonde.  The Japanese Skipper is usually associated with ‘pink’ bodies, which means many are found with faded faces and limbs.

Japanese Skipper

This exclusive Skipper was sold as a basic doll, wearing her classic red bathing suit.  She was, also, sold wearing more elaborate fashions.

Traditional Skipper vs Japanese Skipper

One of the most interesting aspects of this Japanese Skipper are her eyes.  Traditional Skippers have side glancing blue eyes.  This Skipper, however, has large black side glancing eyes with painted lashes.  They look great in person.

Japanese Skipper

I couldn’t nail down any hard facts about how long this Skipper was out or why exactly Japan was the only country with such a drastic face paint change.  If you know, please share your info in the comment area!

Japanese Skippers are pricey on the second hand market, but for good reason.  They stand out in a crowd of sky blue eyes with their unique eye design.  For that reason, my brunette Japanese Skipper is one of my favorites.

Traditional Skipper vs Japanese Skipper (note: they’re the same size, but my stand is a bit too high for the Japanese Skipper.)

I’ve spotlighted this doll on my YouTube channel, too. The video is below!

What do you think of the Japanese Skipper?  Share your thoughts below! And stay tuned for another installment of the Skipper Highlight Reel next month (see last months)! And of course, if you have more info on this doll, please share it!

Many readers have asked for a closer look inside my collection.  Here’s the first spotlight on one of my sub-collections- Hard Plastic Madame Alexander dolls.  I didn’t set out to collect Madame Alexander’s.  In fact, the 14″ to 17″ hard plastic dolls stand out amongst the many fashion dolls in my collection. My passion for hard plastic Madame Alexanders was very much fueled by attending the Doll and Toy Show at the Kane County Fairgrounds.  While beautiful on the computer screen, some of these vintage dolls are just magnificent looking in person.  After seeing so many fantastic examples of hard plastic Madame Alexanders while walking the show floor, it was only a matter of time before I decided to take the plunge and buy one.

Before we go into my collection, here’s a brief history on Madame Alexander.  Madame Alexander was founded in 1923 by 28 year old Madame Beatrice Alexander Behrman.  Working in the doll industry was in her blood, as her father ran the first doll hospital recorded in the United States in New York City.

Part of my Collection

Still going strong in 2014, Madame Alexander was the first company to create dolls based on licensed literary and movie characters, the first to use ‘sleep eyes’, the first to create dolls based on living people and the first to create a line of US Armed Forces dolls during World War II.

On top of all that, they were, also, the first to use DuPont hard plastic on their products, which was a very smart decision, because their hard plastic dolls are quite possibly the most sought after dolls to come out of Madame Alexander.  During the hard plastic years, Madame Alexander was the recipient of the Fashion Academy Gold Medal Award four years in a row, 1951-1954.  For more information on the Fashion Academy Gold Medal Award and Madame Alexander, I highly recommend watching this video on the elusive Portrait dolls created by Madame Alexander at that time.  It’s a little long, but the dolls are gorgeous!

14″ Cinderella

My first Madame Alexander was this adorable early 1950′s 14″ Margaret face Cinderella. She’s the only Madame Alexander I purchased online. My first foray into this kind of doll, I didn’t feel the need to buy a really expensive, pristine looking doll.

14″ Cinderella

14″ Cinderella

Cinderella isn’t in the best shape, but she was a great starter doll.  Her face paint is a little light and her wig has seen better days, but I don’t regret purchasing her at all!  Her dress is a tagged original Madame Alexander garment.

17″ Lucy Bride

In 2011, I picked up a 1953 17″ Lucy Bride from the Kane County show. She was a total ‘love at first sight’ doll.  As this was the October show, my mom helped me out a bit for her. We called it part of my birthday gifts that year! Dressed in her original tagged wedding dress, this Lucy Bride is near perfect.  A collector herself was selling these dolls, which helped me a lot.  It seemed she wanted her dolls to go to a good home, rather than to go for a lot of money.  As a new collector, I was eternally grateful for that!

17″ Lucy Bride

This Lucy Bride was my first 17″ hard plastic doll and she pretty much sold me on that size.  While I like 14″ dolls, I love 17″ dolls!  This Lucy Bride is the first of two brides I currently own.

17″ Unknown Bride Doll

October of 2012, again at the Doll and Toy Show, brought me another Madame Alexander bride with a Margaret face.  This 17″ hard plastic doll is still a bit of a mystery to me.  She is clearly a Margaret face Madame Alexander and is wearing a tagged outfit, but for the life of me, I can’t place her as any specific doll.  Her dress can sometimes be seen on a Wendy Bride doll, but I have yet to find one that looks like my doll.

17″ unknown bride

17″ unknown bride

This bride has an adorable blonde mohair wig.  I love the mohair wigs on Madame Alexanders.  They seem to be much rarer than the floss or dynel hair wigs, though!  Her face paint is great for being over 50 years old!

17″ Maggie Walker

One of my favorite Madame Alexander face types is the Maggie face.  I just love the wide eyed expression she has.  It took a few years (and three Margaret faces) for me to get a Maggie face doll.  That doll is this adorable 17″ Maggie Walker.  Now, this doll isn’t as prestigious as some other Maggie’s out there, but I love her!  She came out sometime in the early 50′s.

17″ Maggie Walker

She is different from all my other Madame Alexanders in many ways.  First, she’s an adorable brunette with brown eyes.  Her face paint leaves a little to be desired, but for her age, I think it’s fine.  Second, this Maggie Walker still works!  If you move her legs, her arms go up and down and her head turns left and right.

17″ Maggie Walker

My Maggie Walker was purchased (again) at the Doll and Toy show.  She must have been a well loved doll, as she came with her own handmade wardrobe, complete with matching shoes and props, as well as a bright red travel trunk.  I always wonder about her previous owner– who she was, what the rest of her collection looked like, how she came about this doll…

14″ Little Women Amy

My most recent addition to my little collection is this 14″ Margaret face.  I purchased her under the assumption she was an Alice in Wonderland.  However, it turns out she’s a Little Women Amy, from the early 50′s.  Her outfit is a Madame Alexander outfit, but wasn’t meant for this particular doll.  (In fact, it’s a bit too small!)  However, it looks fine on her for now.

14″ Little Women Amy

Amy apparently had two different hairstyles that make it possible to ‘date’ the doll.  It depends on how the wig is styled.  Dolls made before 1951 have loop curls.  I don’t know what my doll’s curls looked like, since they are no longer in their original style.

14″ Little Women Amy

There you have it. Needless to say, I’ll most likely be adding another hard plastic Madame Alexander to my collection in 2014.  As always, I created a video to go with this post!  Check it out below.

My Collection

Do you have a favorite Madame Alexander?  Why do you think these dolls are so sought after?  Share your thoughts below!

Fans of Pinkie Cooper will want to complete their collection soon!  Sadly, the adorable anthro is discontinued as of this spring.  I confirmed this late March when a reader asked me to look into it, but completely forgot to post it here on the blog.  Sorry about that!

Confirmation

This is a such a shame!  I think Pinkie Cooper added a bit of pizzazz to the toy aisles.  What do you think?  Share your thoughts below!

Before I get to this review, I just wanted to apologize for missing one or two of the weekly updates!  March and April have been tough months for me, schedule wise.  It didn’t help that the toy aisles have been empty of new stock recently!  So, starting this week, I plan on getting back to my one post a week goal.  :)  Thanks for being awesome!

Cedar Woods

Cedar with Hunter

And now, the regularly scheduled doll review!  I’d like to introduce you to the newest Ever After High release, Cedar Wood!  Cedar Wood is the daughter of Pinocchio and falls into the ‘rebel’ category.  She hit store shelves officially April 1st, though I found her at Justice a few days before then.

Cedar’s Purse

Cedar’s Bracelet and Ring

As per usual, Cedar comes with a stand, comb and purse. She is decked out in earrings, a bracelet and the standard two-fingered ring.

Cedars Hair

Cedar has rooted brown hair.  It’s styled in loose curls.  These curls are sprayed down, so they should keep their style well.  While simple, I think this style suits her. What I really love about her hairstyle is the braided headband (of sorts).

Cedars braided headband style

In the small braid, you’ll notice she has lavender highlights. My doll is very light on highlights.  If it weren’t for the strands by her part, it would be easy to miss them.  I don’t mind that the highlights are lighter than we’ve seen on some dolls.  I feel like they needed to keep her hair simple for other elements of her design to stand out.  What other elements? We’ll get to that later.

Cedars face paint

Cedar has an adorable face!  Her eye make up is very earthy, with brown eye shadow surrounding her brown eyes.  Right above the brown eye shadow, there is a nice translucent white to lighten the look up a bit. Cedar’s long eyelashes really stand out on Cedar’s lightly done up face. Cedar has very light blush, light enough that it’s hard to notice at first.  The main focal point of her face has to be her lips. Like we’ve seen on Cupid before, her lip color is comprised of a dark red center surrounded by a light tan tone.  It took a while for me to get used to this lip design, to be completely honest.  But after owning her for a few weeks, I don’t mind it any more.  It’s grown on me!

Cedar’s Dress

Cedar is dressed in a cute purple dress with some pink and gold elements on the skirt.  It’s put together nicely and it seems to fit her character well.  I like the bodice and the peter pan neckline.  The thing I don’t love about this outfit?  It’s kind of blah.  There’s nothing super special about it.

Uneven Tights

Cedar wears knee high tights.  My doll’s knee high’s are way off.  The right knee high is much longer than the left one.  I can’t say I paid enough attention to the socks while buying her, so I don’t know if this is just mine or if it’s a styling choice made by Mattel, but the uneven tights are a bit annoying.

Cedar’s Shoes

As usual, I adore Cedar’s shoes!  They’re cute.  They’re not as elaborate as Ever After High or Monster High have been in the past, but I love the simplistic nature to them. They are a dark brown, bark like heel with pink straps holding them on.  I love these shoes!

Cedar in Pizza Hut playset

Cedar Wood

The coolest thing about Cedar for me is her body mold.  Cedar is Pinocchio’s daughter, so the wood carving theme was taken to a max while designing her arms, legs, torso and even her head mold.  Her body is decked out in ‘bark like’ carvings.

Notice the carvings on her arms

Cedar’s legs. Notice the carvings!

This was even brought into her face mold, from her neck to just around her lips and on the sides of her hair line.  Kudo’s to Mattel for going all the way and for keeping to her character’s aesthetic.

Those lines on are face are NOT shadows!

Cedar with Venus

The limbs creaked a bit when I first moved them, which did frighten me at first, but now that they’ve been worked in, I’m less worried about them!  She has the traditional jointing–  shoulder, elbow, wrist, thigh, and knee.  Her head rotates as it should.

Cedar with Hunter

For me, Cedar is a great addition to the Ever After High line.  She’s not 100% perfect, but she’s near perfect!  I wish her outfit was a little different from the cookie cutter styles we’ve seen so far and I really wish her tights weren’t so drastically uneven.  Of course, I think Mattel worked wonders with the tree like elements put into her body and head mold.

Cedar with Hunter (and look at the lines on the top of her hairline– those are NOT shadows!)

The video review is below:

What do you think of Cedar? Share your thoughts below!

Sadly, another toy line bites the dust.  La Dee Da dolls are officially discontinued.  Apparently, 2013 was not a good year for new toy lines, with new comers Pinkie Cooper also being discontinued.  Now is the time to pick these guys up!  Who knows how easy they’ll be to find when they’re no longer on toy shelves.

Sad News

I’m quite sad about this!  I loved the look of these dolls and thought they added color to the toy aisles.  What do you think of this news?  Share your thoughts below!

Back in 1994, Skipper celebrated her 30th birthday.  To mark the occasion, Mattel decided to release a special, limited edition porcelain reproduction Skipper.  I received this Skipper a few years ago as a present.  She is one of the standout pieces in my collection because she is so unique among the others.

30th Anniversary Skipper

Skipper retailed, according to the Barbie Collector site, at a whopping $198.00.  This reproduction Skipper came dressed in the 1965 Happy Birthday fashion, which we recently saw on the 50th Anniversary Skipper.  As this Skipper is made of porcelain, she is slightly more fragile than the traditional vinyl dolls and isn’t a doll that poses easily.  She is very much for display only.

30th Anniversary Skipper

One thing I love about this Skipper is her cute little face!  The paint really pops on her porcelain complexion. It’s amazing how, while porcelain, she’s a fitting representation of the original 1964 release.

30th Anniversary Skipper

I don’t know much as far as specifics on this doll.  I don’t know how limited she was.  I don’t know if she was hard to find.   I’d imagine she was a catalog exclusive (being that the internet was still ‘new’ then), but honestly, I don’t know for sure.  (Feel free to fill me in if you know!)

30th Anniversary Skipper

Seeing this release, you’ll probably understand why I wasn’t over the moon about the blonde 50th anniversary release.  It seemed like (and is) a complete rehash of this 30th anniversary doll.  (Now, the brunette? I need her!)

30th Anniversary Skipper

Don’t forget to watch the video review!

Do you have any fond memories of this Skipper you’d like to share?  Do you remember her release?  Was the 30th anniversary as underplayed as this 50th has been so far?  Share your thoughts below!

It’s that time again! New Monster High dolls are hitting store shelves!  This review is about the new Zombie Shake two pack featuring Venus and Rochelle.  Venus and Rochelle are two of my favorite Monster High characters.

Box Image

Box Image

These two renditions of the characters are definitely unique.  I’ve found that my Monster High tastes have moved towards really enjoying these ‘over the top’ lines versus the slightly more safe Monster High lines of the past.

Rochelle

Rochelle

Rochelle is a Monster High character that I feel can blend into the background a bit when included in doll lines.  This one, however, stands out.  She has a ‘dark’ sort of look to her styling that is fantastic.  Starting from the top, she has rooted curly baby pink, teal and black hair.  It’s pulled up into a high ponytail.  Her bangs have the same pink, black and teal highlights.

Rochelle

Rochelle

Long time readers will know that I’m not a fan of super messy hair on my Monster High dolls, or any doll for that matter.  I’m going to cut this Zombie Shake Rochelle some slack, as the messy curls that top her head do fit with the Zombie theme.

Rochelle

A small detail I really love is the easy to miss headband Rochelle wears.  It has a small blue brain on it.  There’s just something about it that I really like!

Rochelle

The teal in Rochelle’s hair is carried over onto her face.  Her pink eyes, which traditionally look larger than other Monster High dolls, are accentuated with a thick layer of black, long painted lashes and lots of teal eye shadow.  There’s also some grey shadow above the teal.  That’s lots of eye make up!  I think it works really well on this doll, due to the over the top nature of the design.  Her lips are a slightly different shade of teal.

Rochelle

Her face has some awesome ‘cracks’ painted into it.  It gives her a neat look!

Rochelle

Her body has ‘granite like’ coloring, complete with light and dark freckles on her face and limbs.  Just like the ‘cracks’ on her face, she has the same sort of painted cracks on her arms and legs. She comes with two removable wings.  My wings stay in pretty well, actually!

Rochelle

Under the black of Rochelle’s dress

Her outfit is fantastic.  I really, really like it!  Like many Monster High outfits, it is a little shorter than I’d like.  Other than that, however, I find it super cute.  It’s a short strapless black dress with hot pink designs going across it.  That is covered by a black, sparkly layer of tulle that starts at her neck and moves down to the bottom of the dress. She wears a plastic belt in a blue tone.  The belt sticks out a bit, to be honest, but it adds a bit of needed color, I guess.

Rochelle

Rochelle comes with a molded black purse with a teal pattern on the front.  I’m not too keen on it, as it seems too small for her and doesn’t open.

Rochelle

Rochelle

Rochelle’s shoes are black, just black.  They have a lot of detail on them that is easily missed because they’re only one color.  You’ll see little widows, columns and a gargoyle.

Venus

Zombie Shake Venus, in terms of design, is fantastic.  My doll, however, has a major body issue, which sours this two pack a bit.  Similar to Rochelle, Venus has a high side pony tail.  Her hair is, as usual, is 1/3rd flocked and 2/3rds rooted.  She has a handful of colors rooted in her head– two kinds of green, black and bright pink.

Venus

Her pony tail is curled at the end, again giving this look a bit of a ‘messy’ edge to it.  Her flocking is bright pink with green lines going through it.  She has green ‘vine’s shooting up from her pony tail.

Venus

Her face is awesome.  I love it!  She mostly has green embellishments on her face.  Her eyes are highlighted with green eye shadow and her lips are an earthy sort of green.  Her face has vine like elements painted asymmetrically on it.

Venus

Venus has (yet another) super skimpy outfit.  Mattel needs to start adding a little bit more fabric to these dresses.  Venus wears a short black and green dress covered by a layer of pink tulle.  She wears a plastic green belt.

Venus

Her accessories include vines that sit on her arms and legs, a green vine like necklace and bracelet and a super cool earring.  She also comes with a small green purse.

Venus

To be honest, I kind of feel like the purses in this line were an afterthought.  They don’t open and they seem just a bit too small for the dolls.

Venus

Her shoes a hot pink.  They have little teeth on them that remind me of a Venus Flytrap.  There’s not a lot going on with her footwear this time around, which is a surprise. Normally Monster High shoes are far more creative than these.

I mentioned earlier that my doll had a body issue that was surprising.  When the Monster High line first hit stores, limb problems were a common issue.  Over the past few years, though, Mattel has pretty much fixed that issue.  My Venus, however, has a limb problem that I haven’t seen for quite some time.  Her left elbow joint just plain doesn’t work.

Venus

Instead of bending like it should, it likes to pop out instead. I thought maybe it was just too tight, but even after I played with it for a while, it continued to not bend, but pop out instead. I definitely plan on asking Mattel for a new joint.

Rochelle and Venus

I wasn’t sure about these two from promo images, but seeing them in person, I like them a lot!  I wish a little more thought had gone into the messy hair design and that the dresses were a little longer, but overall, I find these dolls pretty cool!

I posted a video review for Venus late last week.  Rochelle’s is coming soon!

What do you think of this two pack?  Share your thoughts below!