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.