Like Ryan Hall always says...

..."Don't be scared, be prepared!"  Of course when some poor town is about to get creamed by an EF4 tornado Ryan's not that chill (Mayfield), but the advice is still good.  Prepare for a catastrophe as best you can, and don't freak out unless it actually happens.  I can only presume that the New York State Department of Emergency Services is trying to get the attention of children in light of the Texas floods, but their campaign for catching girls' attention is...pretty darn clever.  They're using stock images of the various American Girls, and the items they'll need for various emergencies.  Nanea...I think this one's funny because Nanea is a historical, but Nanea is gearing up for a heatwave, kinda like the one we had in Missouri during Barbie Summer.

I dunno about y'all, but I think the best way to combat a heatwave is to stay inside as much as you can.  If you've got functioning AC, that is.  Also, what's that rubber duckie for?  I like rubber duckies, but do any of y'all know what that is?

JLY #112 is gearing up for a thunderstorm, something that we here in the Midwest have to do often.

She's got just about everything she needs, except for a can opener for that canned food.  Believe it or not, when I was in kindergarten I had a calendar from the Weather Channel that had the most epic tornado photographs you ever saw (yep, kindergarten!), and in the back they included some advice for putting together a survival kit for a storm or a tornado.  For the canned goods they included the advice "Don't forget the can opener!"  As long as #112 remembers to grab that she should be good to go.

Lila has her flood gear. 

This is a regular flood we're talking about, one that everyone could see coming like the one my neck of the woods had in 2011.  In a flash flood Lila's umbrella and boots sadly won't cut it.  Still, Lila is about as ready for excessive rain and the accompanying power outages as she'll ever be, except maybe for that cute little car.  Even then if there are roads that aren't flooded she can use that to evacuate, so it's all good.

Summer's disaster is an interesting one, one that I've only experienced once.  She's facing a power outage.

I'd include some caveats with this one.  If it's winter, add a heavy coat and some blankets.  If it's summer, add some of the stuff Nanea's got.  And if you live in a city, arm yourself!  Riots have been known to accompany power outages.

Lastly, one of my favorite Truly Me dolls, JLY #101, is making sure her critter is cared for.

Oh yes, I can relate to this one.  As I've stated before, Malden, Missouri is located on a very busy rail line, and downtown is a VERY sharp curve.  Trains have to slow way down to negotiate this curve, and...well, research Lac-Megantic, Quebec and you'll understand why I often give freight trains the side-eye.  As for pets, I've got six cats, two dogs, and a parakeet, and in the event of an evacuation the car's gonna be like Noah's ark on wheels.  But ANYWAY, #101 has what she needs, including medicine and toys, and that all-important ID.  Also note that Ms. Whiskers apparently pees in a heart-shaped puddle, LOL.

I don't know if New York State's efforts are gonna be successful at grabbing the attention of children, but dolly lovers of both genders will definitely take heed.  And let's be honest, lots of girls like dolls, so they'll likely take heed too.  So it looks like the state's emergency department is on the right track here.

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

YouTube speaks: twenty-four "weird" dolls of the sixties and seventies

This one is another post inspired by YouTube; I'm always on YouTube, so I may make this a series.  Anyway, during one of my nightly YouTube benders I found this video about twenty-four dolls from the sixyies and seventies that might be considered odd, either back then or now.  I thought it was interesting and decided to issue my opinions, because my opinions are SOOOOOOO important!  The video can be found here, and spoilers:  some of 'em aren't that weird in my book.  Kinda like...

ROCK FLOWERS

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1971-1973

Rock Flowers were kinda Mattel's answer to Dawn, small dollhouse-sized dolls that wore bright, trendy-for-the-era clothes, bent their arms and legs, and danced on record players.  The dolls were music-themed and came with their own records, but otherwise they look pretty innocent to me.  The narrator wasn't a big fan of how their doll smelled, and the doll wouldn't sit up for tea parties either.  Legit gripes, both of those.  One of my "scented" dolls stunk up her whole box, and I HATE it when I want my dolls to sit up and they won't.  The narrator also critiqued the Rock Flowers' staring eyes, and I think that critique IS dumb because all dolls stare.  Smart Dolls, Mumpy Terri Lee, Cabbage Patch Kids, American Girls, Barbie, they all stare.  

WEIRD FACTOR:  2 out of 10.  I don't really find these weird at all, in fact.  They're dated a bit, yes, but then so are many dolls of this era.  My review on Heather can be seen here.

DUSTY/SKYE

COMPANY:  Kenner
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1974

Dusty and her friend Skye were sports-themed dolls, apparently designed to get girls active.  The duo could ski, play golf, and play tennis.  The narrator says that when their friend's Dusty did ski she made a "nails on a chalkboard" noise.  They also weren't in love with the dolls' faces...or their hair, or their clothes.  Dusty and Skye apparently had nice sets of joints, but those joints cracked louder than my knees do when I'm struggling to stand.  I wouldn't have liked that as a kid; when a doll's joint cracked too loud I was immediately afraid that I'd broken something.

WEIRD FACTOR:  6 out of 10.  I can only presume that Dusty and Skye were created to attract boys and tomboys...kids that don't usually play with dolls, period, even if the doll in question is sports-themed.  If my presumption is correct then the gimmick fell flat right out of the gate.  I personally also find the duo homely, and I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.  Tomboys aren't always plain of face, though they are often depicted as such.  Tam discusses Dusty here and Skye here.

JODY

COMPANY:  Ideal
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1975

Copper topped Jody, also called Jody the Country Girl, this doll represented country life in the Victorian era.  Kinda fitting, since Little House on the Prairie was big back then.  Once again, the narrator said their Jody smelled funny, had stiff hair, and stared.  She also could apparently look pretty menacing when wielding a pitchfork.  I personally love her period-accurate accessories,  though, especially her old-timey wall-mount telephone.  

WEIRD FACTOR:  3 out of 10.  Country living was kinda a thing in the seventies, and it still is to some extent today.  The only thing I don't really like about Jody is her skirt, which is impractically long for country life.  But then again, she does represent an era where skirts WERE that long.  Like the Rock Flowers, Jody is a hair dated, but that's all.  Tam also has featured this doll on her blog.

SMARTY PANTS

COMPANY:  Topper
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1971

This one is one I wasn't familiar with, and I'm already not in love with the name.  "Smarty pants" is usually thrown around in a derogatory manner.  I'd have liked the trivia factor, though.  Yes, Smarty asked trivia questions, and if you got it right she'd congratulate you.  The narrator called her "bossy" and stated that Smarty was not the most cuddly thing.  Worse, she asked multiplication questions, so that wouldn't have pleased me as a kid.  Multiplication was the bane of my existence when I was Smarty's target age.  Smarty also wore glasses that could throw light wrong, and she wasn't dressed very stylish like.  As a result, the narrator said she looked like a "mean teacher."  Oh, and guess where Smarty's batteries go???  Right up her butt!

WEIRD FACTOR:  5 out of 10.  She's cute, but who wants to be asked questions when they're trying to relax and play?  I don't, even if I do like trivia!  I had a laugh at the battery placement, though.

SWINGY

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1968

Our resident Paul Revere and the Raiders fan!  Swingy is a little go-go dancer, styled for the era, and I freaking love her.  The poor love is quite noisy when she moves, though, and apparently her hair would get caught in her joints too.  And guess what else?  The narrator reported that Swingy smelled funny.  Hell's bells, my mama's old Barbie smells funny too, kinda like crayons.  I think that was the norm for dolls of the era, because that's how plastic was and still is.

WEIRD FACTOR:  1 out of 10.  I don't find Swingy weird at all, but then I'm a bit biased because I like her.

CRISSY

COMPANY:  Ideal
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1969-1974

Ah, Crissy, of whom I'm very fond.  Crissy and company had hair that grew and could retract again, and if you were good with styling you could give her curls or updos or what-have-you.  Unfortunately, Narrator reports that in addition to feeling nasty right out of the package, their Crissy's hair would break and they'd be left holding shanks of hair.  Funny, I've not had that issue with my dolls' hair, but then I usually just braid it to avoid tangles.  I wonder if Narrator's doll was one of the first issue dolls; Crissy and Beth says that that hair was different from the hair of later dolls.  I've also gotta admit that pulling a doll's hair to make it grow sounds excruciating, but I can't think of any better way to get the hair out.  Hardcore readers of my blog will remember my main gripe with Crissy:  her eyes are ridiculously dark, darker even than the darkest American Girl eyes.  Mia, one of Velvet's friends, has the exact opposite effect; her eyes are a smidge bright.  And yet Mia is one of my favorites of the bunch due to her exuberant smile.

WEIRD FACTOR:  Mmmm...4 out of 10, mostly for the eyes.  Crissy's eyes are WAAAAY too dark.  I might bump the Look Around variants up to 6 out of 10, as the "look around" feature is kinda creepy.  Y'all can read my review of Crissy here; I also own two Velvets and a Cinnamon, and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for Tara.  Tam has a few of these dolls too; indeed, one of my Velvets belonged to her!  

THIRSTEE WALKER

COMPANY:  Horsman
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1964

Yes, that is a screenshot, LOL.  Several of these images are.  Thirstee Walker walked, drank, and cried, which is admittedly an unusual combo of gimmicks.  None of my walkers drink, for example.  The water proved problematic, as it sloshed around, leaked from the doll in various unusual places, smelled stale, and undoubtedly caused the doll to mildew.  I'd have kept water a million miles away from this gal.

WEIRD FACTOR:  6 out of 10.  She looks innocent enuff, but why make a doll drink when she can't pee it back out???

CHEERFUL TEARFUL

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1965

Cheerful's name says it all:  she could be happy or sad depending on how her arm was positioned.  She could cry real tears like Thirstee Walker, but she had a pee hole so the water wouldn't build up inside and get icky.  Like Dusty, Cheerful made a racket when her arm was moved, and sometimes she'd get stuck between happy and sad.  The smaller variant, Tiny Cheerful Tearful, had sunken eyes that attract dust, throw funny shadows, and make the doll look sick.  I'd know, because I own her!  My review of Tiny Cheerful Tearful can be found here, and if you watch the video, you may notice that one of the pictures of Tiny looks familiar. 

WEIRD FACTOR:  6 out of 10.  That shifting face is admittedly a little freaky.  Tiny Cheerful Tearful also looks a little ill with those hollow eyes.

BABY FIRST STEP

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1964

Another walker, though this young lady walks the same way Swingy dances:  by shuffling her feet and swinging her arms.  Like Swingy she's noisy when she walks, and the narrator claimed that this doll could spontaneously walk by herself.  Knowing mechanical items like I do, there's probably some truth to that.

WEIRD FACTOR:  1 out of 10, just like Swingy.  The two could be sisters, except that they don't look the same in the face.  Tam has discussed this doll on her blog.

CHATTY CATHY 

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1959-1965

Chatty Cathy?  MY Chatty Cathy, weird?  Well...if you ask my sister then she's worse than weird.  Most doll fans are at least vaguely familiar with this doll, either because they lived in the era, because they saw the GEICO commercial, or because they like The Twilight Zone.  As for weird...well, Cathy doesn't blink when she talks (most dolls don't), her mech made an ominous grinding sound when activated, and...yeah, I can see why some folks would be a bit weirded out by Chatty Cathy.  Nonetheless, to date she is Mattel's second most popular doll, behind only Barbie.

WEIRD FACTOR:  I'll give her a 5 out of 10.  I've gotta admit that it's freaky how she stares and talks without blinking.  To be fair, I don't like that about Amazing Maddie or my other talking dolls either.  Furthermore, I always thought it was odd that some of these dolls declared "I hurt myself!"  Another of my chatterboxes, Teenie Talk, says something similar, but she then asks me to kiss it, so it makes a bit more sense.  Big surprise, Tam also has a few of these, and two of 'em have pigtails.  I think the ones with pigtails are cute.

CHARMIN' CHATTY

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1963-1964

Chatty Cathy's sister of sorts, Charmin' relied on records to speak, and that right there is a smidge problematic.  Fans of old vinyls know how records can get scratched, and when that happens they skip or repeat.  This sometimes happened to Charmin' Chatty!  She also was a little goofy in the face, to the point that some folks think she's ugly (I think she's hilarious).  I will say that Charmin' isn't as quiz-kid as Smarty Pants is; one of her records has her making animal sounds, which kids love to do.  So Charmin' had a goofy side.

WEIRD FACTOR:  I'll give her a 4 out of 10, a little lower than Chatty Cathy.  She doesn't blink when she talks either, but as I said above few dolls can do that.  The skipping records are my main reason for her landing a 4.  Once again, please take a look at Tam's doll.  She's missing her glasses, but she's still cute.

TINY TEARS

COMPANY:  American Character
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1950-1965

One of the more well-known vintage dolls, Tiny Tears is a crier and could wet her diapers as well.  Narrator says that this doll's voice sounded too realistic at times (so do Cry Babies!) and that she'd go off at random sometimes.  If not properly dried her tears would gather dust and make the poor poppet look unwell.  Hmmm...I never had that problem with the handful of criers that I played with.  She apparently also reeked after being fed.

WEIRD FACTOR:  2 out of 10.  She's a crier, no worse than the Cry Babies of today, though as with Thirstee Walker I'd be concerned with mildew over time.  Thus why I keep water away from Ayla and Kathy Cry Baby, even though they were meant to have water inside them.  Tam has this one too, and hers is really cute.

BETSY WETSY

COMPANY:  Ideal
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1937-1983, give or take

Killecrankie, I had no idea that Betsy Wetsy had been around that long!  Narrator says that this doll retained water like Thirstee Walker (and probably Tiny Tears) did, and predictably that started to smell after awhile.  Her hair could also turn green from the chlorine in the water.  Interesting, I knew that could happen to polar bears, but apparently it can happen to dolls too!  Narrator didn't add that unlike Tiny Tears, Betsy's nose runs when she cries, adding another orifice to be cleaned. 

WEIRD FACTOR:  4 out of 10.  She's a crier like Tiny Tears, but the runny nose bumps the weird factor up a bit.  Yeah, we've all had a runny nose from time to time, but it's not a common feature on our dolls unless they're little sickies, which Betsy is not.

BABY ALIVE 

COMPANY:  Kenner
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1973-present day (sort of)

We're talking the original one here!  Baby Alive is still very much alive in the present day, but boy howdy, has she changed!  Y'all have seen my little trio, and they look nothing like the doll of the seventies.

The original Baby Alive ate more-or-less real baby food, and she could drink from her bottle as well.  Our narrator hero states that feeding the doll AND changing her diaper were jobs for a biohazard team, and her chewing and sucking mechanisms made ominous grinding noises.  Having seen the food, I have to agree that it doesn't look the most appetizing in the world, and I wouldn't want to change that diaper either.

WEIRD FACTOR:  6 out of 10 for a doll that eats colored sludge and calls it food.  Even Snackin' Sara's Play-Doh turdlets looked more like something a doll could eat.

FLATSIES

COMPANY:  Ideal
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1969-1973

Flatsies, Flatsies, they're flat and that's that!  I thought that these dolls were...well, flat, but it turns out that there's more to them than that.  Flatsies could apparently be inflated like little balloons, or little blow-up dolls, take your pick.  They didn't always inflate fully, and over time their air would leak out, which Narrator said was freaky because of the noise it made.  Hmmm...the Flatsies I'm familiar with don't inflate.  They just are...well, FLAT, with legs and arms that bend like Tutti and Todd dolls.  They live in picture frames and thus can double as a wall hanging, so that's something.  Score one for storage!

WEIRD FACTOR:  Ohhhhhh...5 out of 10.  They're cute, they're flexible, they've got rooted hair...and they're flat.  That's kinda strange, but not outrageously so.

BABY SECRET

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1965

Narrator's frequent comparisons of Baby Secret to a stupid spy didn't contribute to my enjoyment of this segment.  Baby Secret DOES whisper secrets, but they're innocent little messages that normally wouldn't give kids the all-overs.  Now granted, the whispering voice does freak me out a bit, and some of her phrases sound a mite R-rated to someone with a dirty mind (I admit it, LOL).  Baby Secret also has a mouth that moves, just like Teenie Talk and Baby See 'n' Say do.  Some find that disturbing, but I think it's cute.  The doll's eyes look ever so slightly pissed though, making Baby Secret look like she's about to whisper "Go jump off a cliff."

WEIRD FACTOR:  5 out of 10.  Talking dolls are nothing new, but the whisper sounds a mite sinister, and the doll looks like she might be a biter.  Kinda like Teenie Talk, the same one who asks me to kiss her finger.

I love Teenie, but I never have fully trusted her.  She looks like she'd like to bite a plug outta my arm.  Hmmm, I need to give that dress a bath.

SPORT AND SHAVE KEN

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1980

Ken had already had facial hair by the time this guy came around; Now Look Ken had fuzzy stickers that allowed him to wear a mustache, sideburns, or channel his inner Barry Gibb.  Whatever you wanted; I thought it was a riot, by the way, that Now Look Ken's commercial equated a mustache with a villain.  But we're talking about Sport and Shave Ken, whose beard came from this gommy black marker.  You drew on his face and then shaved it off with a razor that didn't actually cut anything.  Now, if you had a man in your life that wore a beard (like I did), then you knew that beards require a fair amount of maintenance, just like the hair on our heads, and you knew what razors were for.  So a Ken with a razor doesn't weird me out much, but the gloppy paint that made this particular doll's beard was kinda gross.  The narrator agreed.

WEIRD FACTOR:  4 out of 10.  The marker looked weird when it was in place.  Indeed, this is the only Ken I've seen with facial hair that looked better without.  Shaving Fun Ken looks amazing with a beard...drat it, I miss being able to take my dolls outside like Tam and Miss Emily do!!!  As an aside, Jenjoy notes that this Ken was the only one with his particular head mold.  Kinda cool!

SALLY SECRETS 

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1992-1994

Sally is a glitzy toddler doll from the nineties...wait a minute, I thought we were doing the seventies and earlier.  But as I've stated in the past Sally has a number of artsy little items that were trendy in the nineties, and she carries them on various parts of her body.  Her shoes and earrings hide little stamps, and stickers come out of...wait a minute, her body???  Yep.  I gotta admit that that's kinda weird.  Sally's sister/friend (I'm not sure which) Penni Secrets carries her stickers in her hair bow, which makes a tiny bit more sense.  I bet Penni's bow would be a heavy one though, and I know of old that heavy hair bows are extremely uncomfortable.

WEIRD FACTOR:  6 out of 10.  The child does have stickers coming out of her chest, after all.  I love this doll, though!

MY PRETTY BALLERINA 

COMPANY:  Tyco
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:

Also not an oldie, but she is highly similar to Dancerina and Dancerella, who ARE products of the Me Decade.  My Pretty Ballerina sometimes appears on lists of glitzy toddler dolls, and...I guess she could count as such.  Narrator states that this doll danced semi-on her own, and she'd continue to do so after her music stopped, which they found kinda disturbing.  I'll add in my two cents and say that the doll looks a smidge stoned.  Since she's a doll My Pretty Ballerina also looks robotic when she moves, but...well, she's a doll!  They don't move exactly like we do.

WEIRD FACTOR: 2 out of 10.  I think she's cool.

HUGO, MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES

COMPANY:
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:

Okay, now THIS one made me raise an eyebrow.  Hugo is actually a puppet and is geared towards little boys, and he has facial features that one can attach to make him look like someone/something else.  He's even got SCARS!!!  I love the concept, but Narrator says that it was hard to get the pieces on straight, and they left a sticky residue.  I wonder if that sticky stuff didn't wear off after awhile, and I know darn good and well that the sticky stuff gathered debris with time.  All sticky stuff does.  Narrator also notes that Hugo is weird-looking even without his extra features, with them big ol' eyes that stare.  

WEIRD FACTOR:  8 out of 10.  Hugo is a very interesting concept, but he's still pretty odd to look at.

BABY SOFT SOUNDS

COMPANY:  Fisher-Price
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1979

According to Narrator this doll recorded your voice, but the playback wasn't great.  She oddly could pick up on conversations while one thought she was off, and she also smelled like "old batteries," as the video put it.  Now the dolls that I've seen make no mention of an internal recording device, but they were out-of-box so I have no way of knowing for sure.

WEIRD FACTOR:  Mmmm...3 out of 10.  To me she's no weirder than Little Miss Echo.

BLESS YOU BABY TENDER LOVE 

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1975

Bless You Baby Tender Love.  She looks pretty innocent, if a little orange.  Bless You Baby Tender Love sneezes when her belly is squeezed, and because she takes a bottle her sneezes are realistically wet.  Narrator stated that they owned this doll, and in addition to sneezing the little doll sounds like she's wheezing too (which she does).  They felt bad for this doll because she was always sick and couldn't be made better.

WEIRD FACTOR:  7 out of 10.  Sick dolls are nothing new, but usually they show some other symptom besides the sneeze, and a lot of 'em alternate between periods of illness and periods of wellness.  Tam thinks this one is weird too, by the way, and...well, obviously I think she's kinda weird, or I wouldn't have given her a 7 out of 10!  I intend to review this doll eventually, but life keeps getting in the way.

GROWING UP SKIPPER

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1975

The infamous Growing Up Skipper, the doll who goes through puberty with a twist of her arm.  Skip and her friend Ginger were both in on it, and the backlash against these dolls was so great that Ginger never appeared again.  Anyway, Narrator notes that like several of these other dolls Skip smelled funny, and I think she clicked, and sometimes she'd get stuck between her short/child self and her tall/teenage self.  Poor child, sounds like she was the type who got tall and awkward as she grew.  I don't know which is worse, being chubby during the gawky stage or being tall with big klutzy feet.  I was chubby, my best friend got tall and gangly, and we both HATED it.

WEIRD FACTOR:  7 out of 10.  Puberty is a natural, normal part of life, but I'll admit that a doll that goes through it is kinda odd.  Oh, and by the way, My Scene revisited the growing up gimmick with the Growing Up Glam line.  I'd rank them the same, 7 out of 10 on the weird scale. 

TUB AND TOOT 

COMPANY:  Toys R Us
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2014

This doll is modern, not a seventies thing, but otherwise she belongs on this list.  Why???  Because she FARTS IN HER BATHTUB!!!  Let's be real, we've all farted in the bathtub at some point, and the racket it makes is hilarious.  But...is it really worth it to make a doll that does it?  I mean, this doll is completely innocent-looking, but press that button on her belly and...oh, not only does she make the noise, but she also apparently blows bubbles with her butt.  Sigh...I have no other words.

WEIRD FACTOR:  9 out of 10.  What the actual heck???  A farting doll???  Miss Emily discussed this one once, and she too was pretty weirded out.

I'm surprised that Saucy wasn't on the list!  Blythe isn't either, and she was so weird that peeps didn't buy her.  Neither of them are as weird as Hugo with his funny faces, and even he's not as weird as Tub and Toot, but still...I'd rank Saucy a 7 out of 10 and Blythe an 8 out of 10.  Keep in mind that I'm big fans of both dolls.

Other good candidates for the list would've been Susie Sad-Eyes, Emerald the Enchanting Witch, Little Miss No-Name, and Joey Stivic, the last of whom was...don't quote me, but I think he was one of the first mass-produced anatomically correct boy dolls.  His commercial made a big deal of this aspect.  Furthermore, I don't think All In the Family was geared towards kids, not with the language Archie Bunker used!  I think All In the Family is a riot myself, but then I'm 37 and won't be confused or horrified by the situations on the show.  Thus I think the Joey Stivic doll probably was way over the heads of seventies kids.  Now, disclaimer: I mean no shade towards ANY of these dolls, not even Tub and Toot.  Indeed, Little Miss No-Name is very high on my wish list, and I own several of the others already.  But y'all gotta admit, they're not your average dolls.

What say y'all?  Do you know of any little weirdoes that belong on this list?

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

A little girl from Gainesville

Gainesville, Georgia, tornado town supreme.  This young lady came from there.  Meet Angel Cake, from the Denim Days line.  

Told y'all I was gonna get a Bandai Strawberry Shortcake doll!  This isn't the specific doll that goes with Vanilla Icing, but Angel doesn't act like she cares much.

Fall feels like it's a million years away right now, and yet July is mosying right along at a good clip so September will be here before I know it.  Angel is very clearly ready, scarf and all.

I wish she had a hat.  Hats weren't ubiquitous among Bandai Strawberry Shortcake dolls, not like they were with the Kenner bunch, but...well, I still think it would look cute.  Whatevs, I can always knit one.  If Angel's hair is as nasty as Blueberry Muffin's was, she'll need one!

Yeah, not loving the looks of that.  Neither of my Kenner dolls have a ton of hair either, but at least Orange Blossom and Lime Chiffon don't have a ton of frizz.

On the other hand, the original style is mostly intact.  I had to replace the rubber band, but that's all. 

Miss Emily's Bandai Blueberry also triggered her allergies a bit, so I wasn't looking forward to how Angel might smell.  Luckily the smell has faded for the most part, and the little whiff I did get was like coconut.  Didn't make my nose tickle at all, and that's saying some because my allergies have been giving it large this week.

I can't say that I like these Bandai dolls as much as I like the Playmates bunch, but I do like Angel.  Her face is all her own, and she's part of the lineup that I remember from my teenage years.  She'll fit in fine with my group of Strawberry clones, friends, and real-deals.  Maybe she can wear Moondreamer clothes???

Quick update on my health:  something very unusual came up on the ninth.  Apparently my MRI showed nothing screwy with my hip, but it DID find uterine fibroids.  I did a little reading and learned that said fibroids can cause hip pain if they're located just so and press on a nerve.  It's not common, but it does happen.  That would explain why my left leg is weaker than my right, why I have a very difficult time moving my toes on my left foot, and why this whole mess started with weakness in that leg.  However, fibroids do NOT explain that X-ray.  I saw it with my own eyes, the cartilage that should've been there and wasn't.  

Sooooo...my doctor is setting me up with a gynecologist, and at my age I need one anyway.  But get this:  I don't get to see them until SEPTEMBER 17TH!!!!!!!!  Don't worry, I won't go into nitty gritties about my visit to them, LOL!  But I just don't think that fibroids are the whole story.  Maybe I'm wrong, but with that X-ray I'm doubting it.  We'll see.

Sweet love, 

RagingMoon1987 

What should I do for Terri Lee?

Mumpy Terri Lee has her original wig, but it's not aging well.  It looks okay from the front...

...but it's losing hair badly on both sides.  The thin spot is close to her temple here.

I don't know if y'all can see it, but the back of her dress is covered in blonde fibers.

What should I do for her, y'all?  Do I leave her current wig alone and cover the bald spots with ribbon, or should I shoot for a new wig?  eBay has a couple'a options, but I don't think they look right for Terri Lee.  Hmmm...I think I just answered my own question.  But I'll ask y'all anyway:  if this was your doll would you leave the wig alone or look for a new one?

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Good things come from Pennsylvania!

Buckle up.  This intro's gonna be a long one.

Despite my chirpy post on Independence Day, my week has been kinda poopy.  As I said the other day, I took that fall Tuesday night and mangled the living daylights out of my ankle.  It's not broken, but y'all can see the lump on the side of it where the torn stuff swelled up.  Pardon my nasty ol' foot, LOL.

By last evening I was purple as well as swollen.  Real purdy.

It would've been just fine if I'd sprained my left ankle since I can barely walk on that leg anyway, but NOOOOOOOOO, I had to injure the right ankle!  It's healing nicely, thank God, but this mishap made gawking at fireworks all but impossible (it simply hurt too much to limp out of the house).  The bum ankle also made my trip to the hospital a lot more difficult than it would've been. 

Yes, the hospital.  I went on July 2nd, this past Wednesday.  Here's my bracelet, since I think stuff like this is interesting.  Y'all can see that I'm a 37-year-old female with a birthday in October. 

Seriously, I used to collect crap like these!  But anyway, if you've had an MRI done then you know you have to lie as flat as possible and keep still.  One problem:  it's excruciatingly painful for me to lie flat on my back.  Lying like that was...well, for you Whovians out there (particularly NuWho folks), y'all remember the look on the Tenth Doctor's face as he was regenerating?  That last glimpse we got of him before the Eleventh Doctor took over?

Yeah, that was me, minus the flames.  For the first few minutes I wanted to scream.  Then my muscles relaxed and it wasn't so bad after that.  The only complaint I have is that my procedure was done right as "Wheel in the Sky" was beginning to play.  My favorite Journey song...or one of 'em; I'm also pretty fond of "Girl Can't Help It" and "Feelin' That Way."  Oh yeah, they gave me music to listen to.  I requested Chicago and got them, plus several other bands from the seventies and eighties that I love.  So the MRI is over and done with.  I don't know the results, but I hope they can give me some final answers.

Despite my relatively positive experience at the hospital (I don't know the results yet) I got home in a fairly bad mood.  I was in pain of course, and Uncle Man-Child drives like a maniac, and I hadn't had lunch.  So getting a box from Treesa was a huge spirit booster.  Especially when I pulled out this little gal!

My very own Flower Magic Mary doll, compliments of Treesa and her sister A.  My exact words upon seeing her were "Noooooo, she didn't...she did!"  I don't remember ever saying that I wanted this doll...or maybe I did.  <pauses to look>  I did say I was very fond of Flower Magic Mary, and usually when I say "I like this doll" that translates to "I want this doll in my collection someday."  So Treesa hit this one right on the nose.  Mary does have her watering can and three flowers, by the way.  Like Alexis/Pretty Crazy Curls, Mary's shoes are molded to her feet like so.

Kinda cuts down on the versatility of a doll, but it also prevents dolls like Mary and Alexis from losing their shoes, which I positively hate.  Seriously, I hate it when a doll's shoes won't stay on, and Mary avoids that problem.  She's a really cute little doll, though.  Look at her eyes!

They've got flowers too!  I've got dolls with star eyes, eclipse eyes, nebula eyes, poison eyes, sunset eyes, and kaleidoscope eyes, and now I can add flowers to the list...oh wait, Lady Dooli has flower eyes too.  

How quickly I forget!  Come to think of it, I think I've got someone with heart eyes somewhere too.  Oh, and rhinestone eyes.  I do forget quickly!  As an aside, Treesa told me that these hats, oh so popular during the nineties, are called blossom hats.  They're basically bucket hats with the brim turned up, and sometimes embellished like Mary's is now.

I decided to put Li'l Miss Magic Jewels's gems on her dress too, since they work the same as Mary's flowers.  Now Mary will really sparkle!

Moving on, this teddy bear, one of Treesa's personal Build-a-Bears.  She has her paperwork and everything.

Treesa named her "Raina."  She's your classic teddy bear, made special by her cute fabric and by her nose, which has a rainbow on it.

I love these Build-a-Bears with decorated noses!  Summer Daisy has her namesake flower on her nose, and during the coronavirus mess I saw one with a leaf on its nose.  I just think it's cute.  Hmmm...<pauses to count>  Flaxie, Summer Daisy, Floppy Kitty, Peppermint Sloth, Glen Frog, and Raina Bear...that's six full-sized Build-a-Bears now, and a nice, diverse lot of them too, I must say!  I usually also count Boomer, my red panda from Vermont Teddy Bear in the mix.

Hmmm, next thing, next thing...oh yes, this box was at the very bottom, and the three dolls inside are well-wrapped, just like my Dawn dolls were.

The box belongs to this gal, a reproduction Malibu Barbie.  Treesa remembers that I'm fond of Malibu Barbie, and this young lady has everything!

Her hair is thankfully a lot softer than that of the real Malibu dolls.  Remember that I said P.J.'s hair had a mind of its own.  All of the vintage Malibu dolls that I've seen/owned have stiff hair.

Just for the heckuvit, here's a headshot.

What's not to like about Malibu Barbie?  As warm as the weather's been I'd love to take her outside, but for reasons stated above I can't.  Not right now, anyway. 

Tucked in with Barbie's towel were some cards that show the awesome things that were available for Barbie during the seventies. 

The beauty center caught my eye...

...because American Girl made that in miniature one time.  Julie Albright got it for Christmas. 

There was also a reproduction booklet, the kind that came with Barbie dolls of the era.

This picture drew my attention for two reasons.  One, the Skipper on the right is an obvious Pose 'n' Play Skipper.  Two, I own that yellow dress!  Fluff usually wears it.

The middle-sized doll is the one I was most excited about.  She's a vintage Francie, which I've been wanting, but she's also been customized...

...to have PINK HAIR!!!  I freaking love it!  There was, unfortunately, a bit of a disappointment that accompanied this doll, at least for Treesa.  She said there was another Francie that accompanied this doll, and she had lamb's wool or something of that stripe attached to her head.  No big deal, except that the wool came off, leaving naught but a poor bald Francie with rooting holes in her head.  What a shame.  For the record, I do have a couple'a scalped dolls myself, whom I keep covered with hats and scarves.  Treesa, if you've still got that doll, try that.  It's better than nothing.  As for my Francie, the poor love has a broken knee, but I can stabilize that with some tape.  It certainly hasn't stopped Francie from striking a pose!

Francie's ensemble is worth noting because it's part vintage and part modern.  Her cape is vintage, but underneath she's wearing a Sparkle Girlz dress.

Oh, I miss the Sparkle Girlz!  I could grab ten outfits at once and not get a duplicate, and the dolls themselves were cute too.  Oh, and obviously some Barbie dolls could wear Sparkle Girlz clothes.  But regardless of what she's wearing this unique little Francie will be getting a place of honor in my collection.  I love that hair!

The smallest doll is a baby with a switchable head, kinda like what Hedda Get Bedda has.

This young lady is significantly smaller than Hedda, but her gimmick is exactly the same:  turn the knob on her head, and her face changes.  She laughs...

...she cries...

...and she sleeps.

The doll's body feels like hard plastic, and thus I suspect that this baby is a Hong Kong doll with no specific brand.  No biggie, I happen to love dolls like that; they're the kind that I likely would've played with as a little kid, because they were cheap and had a high entertainment factor.

Treesa also tucked some small odds and ends into Malibu Barbie's box, including this purse, intended for Draculaura...

...and this critter.  Her name is Vanilla Icing, and she belongs to Angel Cake from the Strawberry Shortcake line.

Yowza, Bandai!  I've been looking for an excuse to buy a Bandai Strawberry Shortcake doll.  I hear tell that the Bandai dolls are terrible about losing their hair with time, but y'all think that's gonna stop me???

Lastly, carefully wrapped up was a Collectibear pin.  I had no idea these even existed. 

I decorate a lot of my blouses with pins and buttons of various styles, so this is right up my alley.

Regarding other odds and ends, this item is my favorite.  It's a Wizard of Oz-themed jacket sized for eighteen-inch dolls; Amanda Faraday and Cindy Lou Who may have to fight over that.

These little frogs are awesome too.  Danica is my reptile enthusiast (she already owns a chameleon), so she'll be stoked about these.

Bet y'all didn't know that poison dart frogs can fit in the palm of your hand!  Naw, I'll bet some of y'all do know; y'all aren't dummies.  I freaking love poison dart frogs, though.  I'm so used to big critters being dangerous that it was a shock for me to learn that poison dart frogs are so tiny.  Strawberry poison dart frogs are my favorites, and I've seen green-and-black frogs available as pets.

There was a mini lunchbox with the G4 MLP squad on it.  I always like items like these because they make good props for my larger dolls.

Treesa likes to tuck smaller items into boxes like these, and this time was no exception.  The contents made me giggle.

They're sparky Barbie rollerblades, just like I talked about last winter!  I have no shortage of Barbie dolls that can use these.

In her e-mail Treesa asked if I had any dolls who rode horses, and when I said yes (Justine-Marie owns a horse) she included some small items for the horse.  There's a saddle pad and some very fat carrots.

I don't know of any horse worth its hide that doesn't like carrots.  Heck, I like 'em too, and I'm definitely NOT a horse.

Then there was a bag of miscellaneous stuff.  

Camille will like the sunglasses, and Denise will like those ballet slippers.  Ballerinas always need new shoes.  The doll will most likely go to Z Yang, since she's something of a doll collector herself. 

The doll is a thumb-sucker, just like I like. 

Lastly...or technically firstly, since it was at the top, Treesa sent me a lap blanket.  She says that these are popular in her neck of the woods when someone has or is going to have surgery, and since I like My Little Pony she knew I'd like this.  The outer side is made of brightly-colored patches and has cute heart buttons.

The underside is all MLP.  Treesa thinks these are G3 ponies, but they sure are cute!  Indeed, I liked some of the toys from the G3 era.

Truth be told, this blanket has come in handy already.  I wear short pajamas and have long legs, see, and when the AC is going Casa Pizarro gets a mite chilly.  So when I'm on the couch reading or working on the blog I cover my legs and feet with the blanket and I'm pretty comfy.  So while I love the heck out of my new-to-me dolls and accessories, this blanket has gotten the most mileage so far.

At the end of it all I'm reminded that even though I need help to walk and am in a fair amount of pain, I'm still incredibly blessed.  I have my family, my pets, food in my belly, clothes on my back, and a roof over my head.  I can get upright unassisted and I can move and feel all my extremities.  That's more than I can say for an ex-student of my mother's, who was in a serious diving accident this week and may be paralyzed from the waist down...or worse.  He went into surgery this morning and doctors aren't sure how much he'll recover.  That's more than I can say for some of the folks in Texas, who are reeling from a very deadly flash flood.  Last I heard the death toll was 51, including many children.  There's so much sadness in this world, sadness that isn't anyone's fault, and I feel fortunate to not have been affected.  I'm grateful for what I've got, and I'm grateful for friends like y'all who remember when I say I like or don't like something.  Not everyone remembers that kinda stuff, so it means a lot to me when y'all do.  I love y'all a lot, and as usual, I thank Treesa for her lovely, thoughtful gifts.  I appreciate it big time.

Love