Under the cabbage leaf: E-doption Kids!...and a big box!

I've still got a LOT to learn about Cabbage Patch Kids!  Blogging buddy Treesa contacted me on March 1st about adopting this little Cabbie, mentioning that she is an E-doption Kid.  Now y'all could've wadded a shotgun with what I knew then about this line, so through the time vortex I went, barf bag in my hand, blue bow in my hair (blue is always for the past, why I don't know), and Lucey Dena on my hip.  The barf bag bit above actually has a fragment of truth to it, by the way.  I had one beer, ONE, to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  That single beer gave me a mondo headache, and then I threw up everything in my stomach.  Beer has never done that to me before, but I doubt I'll be doing that again.  Now, Lucey Dena.  A name that has not yet appeared in the blog.  This is her.

Here's her papers.  "Lucey Dena" is her actual name, unlike some of my other dolls.  If she had a birthday neither Treesa nor I know it, so I'll...oh, Groundhog Day is easy to remember!  

Treesa apologized for her being blonde and blue-eyed, but I can get over that.  Some folks really like that aesthetic!  I just happen to be the type who prefers red hair and green or brown eyes...or dark hair and blue or gray eyes, take your pick.  I always like it when a blonde doll comes with brown eyes, like Kailey and Julie and Terri Lee did.  Anyway, Iris Evangeline is also blonde and blue-eyed, but I can tell her and Lucey apart easy peasy.

Now, to quote Max Headroom, nitty-gritty time, and the reason for whizzing through that time vortex (the Doctor can keep that, thank you).  E-doption Kids were a Mattel thing, where one apparently logged onto a website to learn all about the doll one owned.  There were four subcategories, with one being a series of Barbie-themed Kids.  Lucey is one of those; she probably looked a lot like this at one time.  There were also soccer stars and...is that one in black on safari?  Oh, here's a peep at the back of a box.

The one in black and yellow is apparently a budding environmentalist, while the one in the baseball jacket is the traveler.  I almost had it right!  Then there's the Barbie girl and the aforementioned soccer nut.  The box also shows what one could find when one accessed the website with their doll's code.  Apparently each doll had its own secrets and its own scrapbook "and so much more!"  Alas, the website is no more, just like many other dot-com-era websites.  Shame, because it sounds like it would've been a lot of fun for kids (or teens, like I was fast becoming in 1999).  As to the dolls themselves, they were/are a cute bunch, with charismatic faces that rival those of the Jakks Pacific bunch.  Lucey is a fixer-upper (Treesa was honest about this), but look at that face!  She's not as big a character as the Jakks Pacific Kids are, but she's certainly got more personality than Cara Raelean does.  

According to the back of her neck Lucey's head mold is MK-1.  The date is 1995, which tells me that Mattel used this head for several years (remember that Lucey is a millennial thing).  She looks a little like a Kissin' Kid, which I really like.  Those Kissin' Kids are equal parts adorable and hilarious; the boys have their hair styled in mullets or in rattails.  It's a scream.

Speaking of hair, Lucey's hair is...actually not as bad as I thought it would be.  Treesa warned me that her hair was mussed, but I've definitely seen worse.

The last time I had to control hair like this I used plain old Dawn dish soap, warm water, and my bare hands.  For stubborn tangles I use a salad fork, but I don't think I'll need to do that this time.  Ooo, I can't wait to wash her hair, though!

Can ya move it along?  I'm all outta time cards.  The end result?  One clean, less-scruffy Lucey.  She's still got some flyaways, but she really cleaned up well.

One of the fun things about Cabbage Patch Kids is that they can take a lot of punishment.  We all know how hard kids are on their things, and yet a lot of times Cabbies need little more than a hair tidying and a redress.  Admittedly Candela Laura has a few popped stitches in her arm, but those too are...well, they're not fixable, but I can stabilize them so they don't form holes.  And they never show.

Since Lucey was the victim of a moth attack she doesn't have all of her original clothes, but A, I've never let that bother me, and B, Treesa sent her in something really cute.  Mama has seen her fair share of doll clothes over the years, and she even commented that Lucey's dress is cute.  It's Mattel-era like Lucey herself is, so it fits her like a glove.

I love how it brings out her eyes.  At the same time there's touches of pink that hint at Lucey's past life as a Barbie fan.  This dress would look good on any Cabbie girl Lucey's size, but to me this is just...well, just right, like Goldilocks.  As to Lucey's original outfit, she still has parts of it.  She's got her skirt, her jacket, her shoes, and her fuzzy purse that I love.  These items are clean and unravaged by destructive little insects.

The shoes have platform heels!  Too stinkin' cute!  I'd have worn these at one time, back before I broke my ankle and gained a ton of weight.

By the way, I was NOT wearing platforms when I broke my ankle.  I was wearing pink plaid Converse, LOL.  Anyway, I'll see if I can't find a pink dress for Lucey to wear under that bolero jacket.  It's too cute to go to waste.  But Lucey looks just fine in what she's got, and she acts like she's comfortable in it.  The dress needs a nice steaming, but that's about it.  I'll get some nice new things for her from Etsy too when I'm not watching my money so close.  I always do that for my Cabbies when I can.  Sort of a rite of passage for the new Kid, LOL.

As usual Treesa went above and beyond to make my package extra-nice.  I knew ahead of time about these pink shoes.  Treesa warned that they were too big for Lucey's feet, but they ended up fitting Candela Laura just fine.  They even match her elephant outfit. 

Imagine my surprise when I pulled this little gal out!

That, kiddies, is a Dawn doll!  A REDHEAD with freckles, no less!  Treesa put the freckles on herself. 

This particular Dawn's name is Shannon, and she's by a group called Checkerboard.  As such she's a hair bigger than her Topper friends, but she's got the aesthetic down pat.  I'll do a little more research and get back to y'all on those; I had no idea they existed!

Next is another little redhead, a Playmate from the Coleco days.  

I think these were the ones that came in little frames and could serve as wall hangings if so desired.  As she is this little doll would make a fabulous dolly's doll.  With those red pigtails she could be Valencia Rose's mini-me.  <pauses to look it up>  Oh, these WERE supposed to be dolls for dolls, LOL.  How adorable!  In keeping with my tradition of naming these dolls after shipwrecks, I'll name this one "Titania."  Thanks for the idea, Tam!  ("Titania" is also a moon of Uranus, so that works too.)

This little guy is a Build-a-Bear from McDonald's.  His name is Dimples Teddy.  I love his coloration!

Courtney has been after me to get her her own Build-a-Bear, so she's going to be very happy when she sees this.

Next...Hattie.  Not my old bisque friend, but a little gal from Wendy's. 

Deedle, deedle, dumpling, my son John!  Hattie is a Furskin bear.  If I read it right Furskin bears were also Xavier Roberts creations, and didn't sell as wildly as the Cabbage Patch Kids.  But they are perfectly nice teddy bears, and some folks collect them with the same enthusiasm that I collect Cabbage Patch Kids.  Miss Hattie will likely go with my own personal collection. 

Also a Furskin is this feller.  He's a little figurine, and he's Farrell, the Furskins' mailman.

My boss doesn't want dolls at my workplace, but she said nothing about teddy bears or figurines.  So Farrell will be joining my other bric-a-brac at my workstation. 

This is a puppy dog.  Specifically one that accompanied those 30th Anniversary Family Portrait sets (Jakks Pacific era).  Look at those cute feet!

I presume that it's a girl due to that pink hair bow, so I named her "Ginger" after my favorite The Far Side cartoon.  Yes, I like The Far Side.  Grew up with those little daily calendars. 

If you're a dog owner then you know what this is like.  You can bitch and moan at your dog until the world goes flat, and they don't and won't understand a word of it.  

Rounding out the soft stuff is this Monster High keychain purse.  Treesa loves keychains, so this is her all over!

I probably will use the big skullette as a cushion for my Monster High dolls to sit on, since it's so soft.  It does have a ring inside, though.

I love costume jewelry!  Unfortunately this doesn't fit my fat little fingers, but someday it will.

Next item.  Cititoy pet carrier, with a cute white dog and some treats inside.  I love pets for dolls!

Cindy Lou Who will probably own this little feller since (spoiler alert) Airy and Jemma will not be staying in my collection. 

Of course no box from Treesa is complete without some bobs for Build-a-Bear.  There's this cute bucket hat for Floppy Kitty...

...and a Dairy Queen blizzard for the critters to fight over.

Malden had an eat joint named Dairy Queen at one time, but guess what?  It wasn't a real Dairy Queen!  I don't know why, but it had the signage and the branded cups and everything!  They did eventually change the name to something else, and then the shop...disappeared.  Weird, huh?

Right!  The smallest doll is this pet, a Zapf Baby Born Surprise mini baby.  Treesa remembers that I love dolls that can suck their thumbs.  These mini Zapf dolls are significantly smaller than the ones I picked up in 2019 (the ones that started my love for boy dolls).  But isn't she cute!!!

I think I'll name her "Narcissa," because I love that name (and because I love daffodils).  Narcissa arrived at just the right time, as I'm giving tiny dolls like this a lot of attention at the moment.  It'll be closing in on the end of the year before I tell y'all why, but let's just say I have plans.  Plans that involve very small dolls.

Well!  I didn't think Treesa could top the last box, but she did it!  I love everything in the box, though I'll admit that Lucey was the star of the show.  Sadly Lucey admitted last night that she was a little homesick, despite making fast friends with Iris Evangeline.  Ginger understood. 

Funny that Ginger was part of a Jakks Pacific set, but she belongs to a Mattel Cabbie now!  When Lucey is feeling a little less overwhelmed I'll introduce her to the rest of the Patch.  I know she'll be pleased as punch to see Leslie Emily and Summer Daisy again.  

Thank you once again, Treesa, for the nice things!  I especially love Shannon and that little Zapf baby.  I need to find something nice for you, for reals.  So say the word and I'll be on the hunt!

All my love, 

RagingMoon1987 

So random, part two

My last post of random pics was pretty successful, so here's another one.  I took these pictures for a number of reasons, but they didn't make it to the blog until now for this reason or that.  They might've gone on Failbook, but they're only now finding their way here.

First stop is a Failbook memory.  I took this picture on January 25th, 2017.

My ball-jointed doll, Johnny Hailey.  I commented at the time that this picture was a tricky one to take, and it was!  Johnny kept wanting to slide out of the tree, and if he hit the ground he wouldn't bounce like a Cabbage Patch Kid.  But I persisted, and I got the picture.  It's been a LONG time since I've monkeyed with Johnny now, sadly.  He'll need a new faceup before he pops into the blog again, but he's still around, quietly observing my comings and goings.

We ride the red time vortex now, to May 28th, 2023.  Same tree, different doll.

This getup is Mad Hatter-themed, and I decided to see how Gabby looked in it.  The response on Failbook was pretty positive, especially about the jacket.  I didn't have the heart to tell my friends that the jacket is just a smidgeon tight, but you'd never be able to tell it.  I do have an Alice costume somewhere, by the way.  Doremi will be my Alice when the time comes.

September 17th, 2023.  This is an old picture that popped up on my Failbook memories.  Since this IS an old one the quality's not great.

The dolls pictured are Sophie, Suika, and Merida, all clad in new/semi-new clothes.  Merida has unusually shaped feet, and I've never been able to find shoes for her.  Not much to say about these three, except that they're Barbie-sized and they're cute.

September 27th, 2023.  I don't remember why I had Rita Cheryl and River Song together, but I did.

I must say, for American Girls these two certainly are different!  Rita Cheryl is dark with wavy hair and light eyes, while River Song is light with curly hair and dark eyes.  They do both have right-hand side parts, but that's about all they have in common.

October 2nd, 2023.  Idalia Gale poses with Hugo Jack, then my newest Cabbage Patch Kid.

I touched on Hugo Jack in Kory Aryan's review, but I'll run over it again because I thought I'd never own (or want) a Russian-themed Cabbage Patch Kid.  In the eighties Russia's government was just this side of insane (much as it is now), and with the Cold War still being a thing travelling to Russia was NOT a popular idea.  Doll Reader ran an article about the World Travelers once, and they noted that the Russian Cabbie was a TERRIBLE seller!  Today's flop can become tomorrow's collector's item, and as a result I was never expecting to find an affordable Russian World Traveler.  Nor was I expecting to ever want one.  I like boy Cabbies now, but at the time that I was reading Doll Reader I was all about the girls.  Indeed, I didn't like Cabbies much at all back then!  I respected people who DID like them, but I wasn't a fan.  Well...times change, and to shorten a story that's already too long, I found Hugo for a steal, and he lives here now.  

On October 20th Idalia Gale again served as the welcoming committee, this time for Candela Laura. 

Unlike Hugo I always knew I wanted a Jesmar, so when this pet all but fell into my lap I scooped her up and never let her go.  Candela has a few snags, but for the most part she's in good shape and I'm tickled pink to have a Jesmar Cabbie in my collection.

December 10th, 2023.  The weather was fittingly bad on this particular day, and despite all that I got in the mood to put Sweet Sue in springlike clothes.

I must say, "sweet" is a good name for this doll.  She is indeed pretty sweet.  I hope that I can find some winter clothes in time for next winter, because while this getup looks good it's hardly suitable for December.

December 20th, 2023.  At this point I had Mar and Imani dressed up for an aborted Christmas post.  Mar's outfit came from LemeshHandmadeToys, and Imani's getup came from Przytullale.

I'd planned to gather some of my girls around a doll-sized Christmas tree that I found on Etsy.  In the end I never set the tree out, nor did I ever put out my own Christmas tree at the library, nor did I do any sort of decorating!  I just wasn't in the mood.  NO ONE that I knew was in the mood!  One of my favorite patrons said all he wanted was a hot dog for lunch on Christmas.  Mmmm, hot dogs...

Also on December 20th I captured Snap 'n' Play Barbie in her box.

I discussed on New Year's Day how Barbie dolls of the era were easy to unbox, but I thought I'd neglected to take pictures.  Surprise!  I found a single one.  Oh, this doll and her fashions take me back!  I didn't pay much attention to the doll in stores, but I remember the commercial and thought it was cute.

January 7th, 2024.  I was working on the Fidgie Friends review and got this shot of Fairie Garden. 

Speed of lightning, roar of thunder!  I joked at the time that since Underdog was still on Christmas break we'd have to settle for Mushroom Girl.  If we have to rely on this chick then I think we're screwed unless the enemy has a serious anxiety problem and wants to squeeze Fairie's skirt.

January 9th, 2024.  I was getting ready for work and caught this group picture.

From left,  Sweet Sue/American Character, Talky Velvet/Ideal, Simona/Furga Alta Moda, and Cindy Lou Who/Cititoy.  I thought it was funny that Velvet and Cindy Lou looked bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, while Sue and Simona looked ready to lie back down.  As an aside, I freaking love My Life eyes.  Cititoy has stepped up their game with colors; fantasy colors like lavender have started popping up, as has a lovely shade of green.

Mel Birnkrant would be having a stroke at those lilac eyes because they're not natural, but I think they're cute.

January 12th, 2024.  This picture of a Dreamhouse-era Skipper, Minnie, and Norelle popped up in my Failbook memories.  I think this dates back to 2018.

Ice and sleet were hitting the window behind the trio.  I remember commenting on Failbook that that was happening, and that these three, being dolls, were completely oblivious.  I also remember being proud that I got Skipper to look the way she did, even though she has a body like a Fashionista.  I never will understand why Stacie and Skipper didn't get joints like the rest of the Dreamhouse crew did, by the way.  Doesn't seem fair somehow.

I don't remember exactly when these next pictures were taken, but I took those in preparation for an aborted series of Monster High reviews.

These first two are G3 Abbey Bominable and G1 Geek Shriek Abbey Bominable.  My intention was to review G3 Abbey and compare her to her G1 self, but I eventually thought "Why the hell bother?  They're not THAT different from Draculaura, and my MH posts tend to go VERY heavy on tangents."  That said, I always wanted Abbey in my collection, and now I've got two!

This other image, taken around the same time as the above two, shows G3 Lagoona Blue and Bonita Femur discussing what it's like to be a "pinkrifice."  Yep, I finally got Bonita!

In her review of Bonita Purple Monkfish discusses the concept of the "pinkrifice."  In short, a pinkrifice is/was an individual doll in a bigger wave, one that's rendered in pink to appeal to your stereotypical girl.  Bonita Femur and Gigi Grant are the examples Monkfish lists, and I'll add Batsy Claro to that list even though she's so pale it's easy to forget that she's pink.  Now Lagoona Blue is...well, Lagoona PINK, and she and Bonita are commiserating.  It actually turned out to be a good match, since both Bonita and Lagoona have anxiety issues.  Not my fanfiction, by the way; their respective wikis state how they deal with said anxiety.  G3 Lagoona has a squeaky toy that she plays with, while Bonita chews holes in her clothes.  And I...I wrap myself in a ball and stare at the wall while my heart pounds and my mind races.  Anxiety sucks.

The last picture from this time is a closeup of Lagoona Pink's face.

Lagoona doesn't look like the savage predator that she claims to be in the new TV show.  Indeed, she looks kinda like her old self except for the pink part.  

That takes us to January 14th, shortly after I completed Joie's post, and while I was working on Aurora's. 

Snow was in the forecast, and I had Joie properly bundled up.  The snow did eventually fall, just a couple'a inches, but enuff to make the town look like Antarctica for awhile.  Joie didn't get to build a snowman like they wanted, but they had fun anyway.

Now to March 4th.  The sky was blue, the sun was shining, a nice breeze was blowing from the south.  I dragged Leslie Emily outside...or she dragged me, LOL.  Neither of us needed much enticing. 

Lying in the grass with the clover, the violets, and one dandelion.  Thank God for Spring!

Guess what was forecast for the night and for today?  Thunderstorms!!!  It's raining like y'all wouldn't believe, and some of the storms are predicted to be strong/severe.  I can handle the rain, but hail is not something I want for the farmers. 

That wraps this post up!

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

An early Christmas

First I'll run over the things I bought for myself.  With a semi (LOL).

Hedda Get Bedda and Cindy Lou Who.  The bane of my mother's existence vs. the Grinch's stumbling block.  I'll discuss Hedda in more detail in the coming weeks, while Cindy Lou...well, she's cute, but once you've owned one My Life doll you've essentially owned 'em all.  Same tight joints, same sedate face, same inability to stand.  But...I won't knock those pajamas!

For someone so unlovable, everyone seems to love the Grinch.  Goodness knows my mama does, and so does Luciana.  Remember this?

I've got another of my dolls dressed in Grinch garb too, but I'm holding her back until my doll-sized Christmas tree gets here.  And if I ever get my front room presentable then I need to dress a whole gaggle of my girls in Grinch garb.  Hey, alliteration! 

Then I picked up a Sweet Sue doll.  She's well-dressed and came with a small wardrobe.  Her hair needs a little tidying.

Lastly, I got a G1 Abbey Bominable, a character that I always wanted in G1 form but never got.

She's Geek Shriek Abbey, one of the last Abbey dolls from the G1 era.  Geek Shriek was a budget line, which I always liked because you got a full doll with a full outfit, but for maybe half the price.  Plus, anything that pays tribute to nerds and geeks is a good thing in my book.  Abbey will be helping out with a review in the...well, in the not-too-distant future, but it will be a couple'a months away.  I'll keep y'all (and myself) entertained in the meantime, though.  Promise!

So let's skip on to the stuff that Tam sent me.  Poor Tam apologized in her email about sending me stuff when I've complained about storage, and I'll admit something right here and now:  the storage issue is my own fault.  If I'd get my doll room organized and put in some kind of order, and then I'll have room for nice new stuff.  

That said, I've got a box of nice new stuff!  Or it's nice new-to-me stuff, courtesy of my buddy Tam.  I recognized this first one right off the bat.  She's Velvet, but she's Talky Velvet.  See the grille in her stomach?

She needs her talking mech repaired, and she needs some new lashes, but otherwise she looks fine.  I've already got clothes and shoes on the way for her.

Then there's these two, who need no introduction.

Cloe times two!  LOL, Tam remembers how much I love Bratz dolls!  The dressed Cloe appears to be from the Flashback Fever line, and she's got very pretty lips.

I remember the Flashback Fever line!  My favorite one was Jade, because she was JADE and because she was Mod (and because her minidress was green), but these dolls came with compact disks that drove the cost up so I just looked.  Cloe represented the eighties.  My particular doll has a delicate neck so I'll need to treat her with care...or just bust out the super glue and freeze that joint completely.  Whatever works.  The other Cloe doesn't have a stitch to her name.  

No biggie, I've got an outfit coming for her too, and said outfit comes with shoes.  This Cloe is a later doll, from the fish-lipped era, but that's no problem either.  I have fish-lipped Bratz and I treat them like I treat the other Bratz.  This one has a sweet face...well, sweet for a Bratz doll.

I think she may be a Black Friday Cloe, but I'm not certain.

This last one is a bit of a surprise and a bit of an enigma.  She's vintage like I like, and her name is Tammy, but her tag says "Horsman."

The back of her neck is marked "H" too, so the Horsman label is definitely right.

She's welcome no matter who she is, but because I'm eternally curious I want to learn more about her.  A quick perusal of Google Images suggests that she may be Mary Poppins, and if so then that would explain why she looks a bit bigger than Tammy does.  Mary is a nice, statuesque doll, at an even twelve inches in height.

Oh yes, and I got some blue vinyl boots.  Shoes this size are always appreciated.

River Song likes blue, so I think I'll give these to her...when and if I see her again.

Now...I mentioned my storage woes, right?  They're well on their way to being solved.  Look what Mommy got for me!

A FREAKING SHED!!!  Watching the men install it was quite the event.  Oh, nothing bad happened.  It was just interesting watching them raise one end and then the other and then propping up this area or that.  They used a gizmo that looks like a miniature forklift.  Mama would've loved watching this part; she likes vehicles that do heavy work.

Here they've moved to the back and are working to get the rear end leveled.

Putting it in took about thirty minutes, tops.  The shed locks and has a door and a window, plus a porch where I can put a small chair if I so choose.  I intend to fence my backyard in during the coming year to add a little extra security and to give a safe place for my dogs to play, but for now the shed is more than enuff.  The dolls are more than enuff too; indeed, I couldn't look at the box of new dolls without smiling.  So I send sincere thanks to Tam and to my mama for their incredible kindness, and to God above for putting such people in my life!  Thank you, all of you.

Much love,

RagingMoon1987