Esmeralda after a bath.

A few weeks ago, I got the chance to see the Disney movie again. It's one of those awkward things where I think the individual components are worth more individually than as a whole. Lovely backgrounds and animation, nice music, some genuinely terribad dialogue, and several serious gaps in logic.

And poor Esmeralda's dancing dress is only slightly more attractive in film.

























Her gimmick is that she has less poseability than a pair of Fiskars, which helps her dance, in theory.

The Little Mermaids, Belle, Jasmine, and Pocahontas all have their matched menfolk. I would grab a manfriend for Esmeralda, but somehow Mattel forgot to produce the most important character. Quasimodo and Phoebus just don't cut it for me.

The last doll anybody ever gave me for Christmas

Christmas 1996 was the last year there was a doll under the Christmas tree for me. The year before, I only wanted to continue my collection of Disney dolls, even though Pocahontas convinced me that the Disney company had a screw loose.

And then Disney released The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I had already read the book, expecting it to be like Poe, and it went over my head, big time. To innocent me, it was the most bafflingly awful, pointless, drawn-out, horrible thing I had ever read. I didn't want to see the Disney movie, I didn't want the dolls, Disney and I had officially parted ways.

Some relative, I can't remember who, bought this without asking, just presuming I would want it. This might count as one of the least-loved gifts of all time. It doesn't help that her gimmicks suck, her dress is hideous, and her thumb broke off before I could free her from the twisty ties.

Dance, la Esmeralda, dance!




























One year, a teacher decided to show it last period before spring break. The class found it hilarious for all the wrong reasons, and it was pretty forgettable.

The plot twist is that I read the novel as an adult, and ended up enjoying it more than a person really should.

Native American DOTW

I packed her away with Pocahontas, obviously so she wouldn't be lonely. I think she'll be fine, once I round up some replacement clear bands for her hair.

She was a gift from my dad, whose first career choice was archeology, specializing in Native Americans, though he had to give it up after a few years. The math involved was too much.

The dirt goes on.

I already posted about John Smith a few weeks ago. Despite never being played with, and escaping most of the outright filth, time wasn't kind to their costumes. The foil coated faux suede fared worst of all.

These were the last dolls I ever actively wanted for Christmas. On past Christmases, I got Snow White and Cinderella, then several Little Mermaids, Beauty and her beast, Aladdin and Jasmine, and then the Lion King broke my doll collecting streak. Even as a tween, I realized the Disney Pocahontas movie was an awkward treatment of history, but the dolls were too pretty to pass up. Maybe there was an element of complete-ism, too.

Nobody could ever find me a Colors of the Wind Nakoma, and we looked in three different states. I guess I could buy her now. Or not.

Thoughts on Dolls

So far, my dolls, though not their fashions, are much better off than I had expected. Jasmine, who went on many adventures, had no split ends. A few applications of acne cream should brighten her face back up.

I'm so used to seeing utterly trashed dolls at thrift stores and eBay. The fact that mine aren't trashed surprised me.

I never had a lot of dolls as a kid. When you look at inflation, dolls today are so cheap. In some ways, girls now are lucky, in terms of quantity. I got two or three dolls every Christmas, and that was it. Today, a new Barbie costs less than lunch at Burger King. The quality has really suffered, I'm not sure it's a good trade-off.

Dirty Jasmine

My last filthy doll entry for the night. Poor Jasmine's hair has stained her face a grayish tone. Like all the others, all the elastic is ruined by time.

I just want to get these cleaned, so I can store them with my regular dolls, and not have a filth bomb dripping dirt everywhere.

Dolls of Christmases Past

Here's another goody from the box o' filth. I never really played with her, she sat atop a carousel pony music box for years. The pants fabric seems to self destruct if anything touches it.

Gymnast Barbie from 1993. eBay says 1993, but I know I got it way after that.

More Dirty Dolls: Tyco Arista

In my memory, she was one of the most beautiful dolls I had as a child. If Tyco had made the other five mermaid sisters, I would have been the happiest kid on the planet.

And here she is, dirty, with frazzled hair and a deteriorating costume. I'm not upset. I have some sentimental attachment to a few dolls, this is not one.

Target Dolls of the World from the mid-late 1990s

Eew. If you're a teen, it's a bad idea to pack your dolls away in the attic, and never look back for 10+ years. They turn into a filthy, nasty mess. I've got a whole box of dolls in disgusting shape. I won't be too heartbroken if these don't survive cleaning well, but I was once very fond of them.

These are big gals, about 12 inches I think. Now, where did I leave my Oxyclean?

ETA: Don't think that faded red polyester won't bleed all over the place. It bleeds like crazy.

Italy
England
Holland
Ireland
Russia

Momoko

It's honestly too cold out to take pictures, my fingers froze up almost instantly. Maybe I will be braver tomorrow.

Dolls bought just for their accessories

The best part of this set is the dress form. I hope it makes appearances in future playsets.

A guy friend for the Liv dolls

Here's a pic.

I'm interested in what kind of clothes he'll get. There's also a pic of some new fashions as well. I'm so glad Liv focuses on real fashions in real colors.

It's not even vaguely doll related, but check out this great little clip from 1972.

It's too bad they couldn't afford more frames per second. Imagine how jerky the show must have been. I love the backgrounds, and of course the fashions.

Short thought on photogenic dolls

These are two of the deluxe PiNK dolls, or whatever they called them, "Pinkachino" and the one that looks like Rock n' Romance Jem. I think it's a bit interesting that dolls can look a lot better in photos than they do in real life.

Mattel should have offered AA versions of these sets.

My Favorite Barbie Rockers

MFB Barbie and the Rockers waited under my bed for a long time. I honestly don't think she's as attractive as the original, which isn't expensive to buy on its own. She's now on my pile of nudes, awaiting eBay.























I do wish I could have taken a comparison pic next to my originals, but they're both missing somehow.

Happy Carl Sagan day (one month late)!

Shot over a deck of lovely vintage astronomy flashcards from 1960.

Sparkling Pink Gist Set doll

Speaking of dolls headed towards eBay, here's the Sparkling Pink bubblecut. I like the color scheme. I don't think vintage Barbie ever had this eye color, but it is a nice change. Still, I look at the doll and feel no emotional attachment. The clothes will stay, the doll will go.

You know you're on a roll when something like this doesn't slow you down.

But this might seal the fate of Elvis's tuxedo. The fabric is great, too bad it's stainy.

Finally got her!

Elvis and Priscilla wedding set!























Elvis is headed to eBay, maybe nude, maybe not. Priscilla is the star of this set. I don't usually like celebrity dolls, but this one is gorgeous.

There used to be a thread on bc.com just for pics of Priscilla redressed. She's a perfect sixties doll.

"Art Nouveau-esque Barbie® Doll"

Check her out at Charitybuzz.

I think something like that would sell really well as a regular release. I don't enjoy big huge fantasy dresses, but a lot of people seem to. They must be pretty disappointed, because Mattel has moved away from that kind of dress over the past few years.

Happy Thanksgiving from Feather

Feather is the most thankful kitty I know. Her owners apparently abandoned her when they moved, and she went down the street begging desperately until she found someone stupid enough to take her in.

Maybe there is a Santa Claus after all.

This afternoon I went to Wal-Mart, expecting to possibly buy their Big Ben. It's not something I really want to do, but I feel like I might as well. To my surprise, all the collector dolls had gone into hiding, except for the Basics display.

And that's when I saw her, completely perfect.














































I tried to talk myself out of it, but this is the only No. 5 I have seen with even eye paint. Once I had her in my hands, there was no turning back.

Fashion Fever Styles for 2

I've been trying to simmer down my 1/6th collection, it's far too bulky. I finally deboxed a Fashion Fever that had a box big enough for three dolls.

My Gmarket experience.

I managed to match up the hangul characters in the drop down menu, and ordered two Mimis from this seller page. They offered free shipping within Korea, and promptly mailed my package to the Gmarket re-shipping address. With the initial payment to Gmarket, I had to include roughly $20 for the estimated EMS international shipping.

The only problem with Gmarket's re-shipping service is that they don't re-pack. They toss your box(es) into a larger box and mail that. After they had boxed my box, I had to pay an extra $5~ish, because the initial EMS estimate was too low.

Still, everything came quickly. Here is a basic search for 미미 (Mimi) on Gmarket. You can refine it by navigating through the categories.

Dolls of the World Big Ben pics

I'm not sure what to do, she came with a lazy eye. It's coming to the point where every new Barbie purchase is disappointing. At least it looks good in photos, but I don't live in a photograph. The dress is asymmetrically sewn, a polyester hot mess.

Briti Punk Mimi by Sonokong

I've been meaning to write about her, but there's always a delay. This is a Mimi World doll by Sonokong. I'm not sure how long this face has been in use. Not all the dolls have it, most are less attractive Jenny replicas.



















In quality, I think the doll is roughly the same as the Roomwear Jenny. It's not what older Jennys have, but higher than current playline Barbie standards. Clothing is another issue entirely.
























I'll have more pics and info once I figure out where I moved the files.

Roomwear Jenny is now mine.

I managed to get a really good deal on eBay. She finally came in the mail yesterday.
























She is adorable, but the quality of the paint job is lower than I had expected. She has some paint flecks on her cheeks.

When did Mattel lose the good head sculptor(s)?

I loved my Disney dolls when I was a young teen, but they eventually lost my interest. I was repacking junk a few months ago when I realized that the first issue John Smith is really quite nice.
























Though the head is cartoonish, the understanding of facial anatomy is lightyears ahead of the 2009/2010 male heads. It looks fluid and lifelike from every angle.
























The profile is gorgeous.

Astronaut Barbie Repro

A few months ago I gave up the space I had for taking doll photos, so I could have a craft table. I'm king of regretting that now.

This was my latest Barbie purchase. It was a let down. The doll looks good in photos, but very frog-eyed in person. I really like the box art. I wish Mattel would make reusable boxes.

Happy Halloween from Feather!

New 2011 Sailor Moon dolls announced for Italy

You can read all about it here.

To me, they look like dollar store knockoffs. It's like things have come full circle. The 1994 Erwin Sailor Moon dolls were a terrible merger of anime and Barbie, and now the 2010 GP dolls are a terrible merger of 1992 anime and Bratz.

More late night messing around.

HLJ has permanently lowered the price on Sekiguchi products by 20%. Find out more here.

BiC usually has lower prices, but it's nice to have options.

Here are some real photos of Jenny Friend Jessica.
Here are some real photos of Blue Leotard Jenny.
Here are some shots of the dolls in a store. Here's another store report.
A review of Extension Change Jenny
New Jenny with older Jennys
New clothes modeled by older dolls, check out that great Ellie!
more new clothes

Apparently the new ITBEs are arriving at dealers. I'm going to wait until real photos are published. The 2009 dolls can't even move at $12 each, that really says something.

And RestoreDoll.com is closing. :(

Random Doll links with lots of pics

I'm just sitting here, waiting for my allergy medication to kick in. Now's a great time for links.

Light Room
Have you ever seen a Momoko with rooted eyelashes? Now you can!

Doll Show 29
Tokyo Doll Show 29
I went to Doll Show 29. 1st Part 1st half personal dealers.
2nd Part 2nd half personal dealers
3rd Part Azone and private owners
Doll Show 29 Autumn Report 10
Doll Show 29 #1
Doll Show 29 #2
These are from September, but better late than never. It looks like Dollfie Dream and the pre-made Azone 1/6 tween girls have really taken over. These dolls are not my preference, but I'm glad to see something different.

My Scene Roller Girls fashion

Picked up at a Big Lots sale. I mostly wanted that green purse.

Fahionistas Swappin' Styles

I like the skirt fabric and the shoes. I might buy it if there's a good sale.