Nine rare American Girls that everyone supposedly wants

This post springs from yet another article that I found, one that apparently knows exactly which American Girl dolls all serious collectors want.  <elaborate>  Let's see...how many of these am I dying to own?  And the images...they're all stock images of more modern dolls.  There was no way I was finding a stock image of this first one.

1:  Original 1986 Kirsten

Nope, I've got a Kirsten and I love her.  The original doll has some subtle differences from the one I've got, but they're super-subtle.  Besides, these older Kirsten dolls have ridiculously pale eyes, and I think they look possessed. 

2:  White-body Samantha 

Nope, because I've got a Samantha and...keep her around for sentimental reasons.  Samantha never has been and never will be one of my favorite dolls, and why is a white-body Samantha so much better than a Kirsten or a Molly with a white body?  Hard pass.

3:  Josefina Montoya

No, but just because I don't really need a Josefina.  I like her a lot, and I remember when she joined the AG bunch.  Just reading her lists of accessories was a learning experience because there was so much Spanish involved.  So probably if my collection were smaller I'd say yes to this one.

4:  Cecile Rey

Maybe in the future.  I had a chance to own both Marie-Grace and Cecile about a year ago, but Cecile ended up getting sold and if I own one I want the other.  The article sites Cecile as being desirable because she was the more well-dressed of the two, and because there weren't many of her made (both Cecile and Marie-Grace were unpopular).  

5:  Caroline Abbott

Soft pass, largely because Caroline looks a lot like a doll I've already got (Kat the Time-Explorer).  Caroline represents a part of American history that doesn't get a lot of press, and she's quite attractive with loose blonde curls and aquamarine eyes, so my door is open for Caroline in the future...but not right now.

6:  Limited-edition Ruthie

I didn't know Ruthie was considered limited-edition!  I thought she was a regular ol' best friend like Emily, like Elizabeth, like Ivy and Nellie.  The article talks about her accessories (she wears a watch, pricey in those days), but I don't think Ruthie is any better than Kit.  Pass.

7:  Limited-edition #21

Uh, since when was this one limited-edition???  I remember when JLY #21 was released and no one said a word about her being limited-edition.  Hard pass, because I have #21.  Rilla Louise is in rough shape, but I do own her.

8:  Marisol Luna

NOW we're talking limited-edition!  The only Girl of the Year on the list, Marisol is listed as a fan favorite due to her ballet-themed collection and her abundance of hair.  Hmmm, I remember her being controversial!  Anyway, Marisol was on my radar for a looooong time, and even today I still have my eye on her.  

9:  German Samantha 

Another Samantha??????  Yes, this one was made abroad and has specialized tags and packaging.  Interesting...but she's Samantha.  No.  Just no.  Thanks anyway.

If y'all couldn't tell, the one I'd pick out of all of them would be Marisol, and indeed, she's the only one I'm still seriously considering finding.  The others I either have variants of, don't have room for, or don't care much for.  Seriously, who needs more than one Samantha, tag and body variants be danged?  But then someone might ask me the same thing about JLY #49, and I love her more than all the other JLYs put together.  Indeed, I've considered getting a second one.  Like Rita Cheryl isn't enuff, LOL.

We all have our favorites, so I shouldn't pooh-pooh Samantha too hard.  Some folks love her as much as I love #49.

Love,
RagingMoon1987

Poxy lady?

You got to be all mine, all mine, oooooo...poxy lady!  Wait a minute...that doesn't sound right.  LOL, meet Rebecca Madeleine, my lemon double-popcorn.  I didn't think I'd be lucky enuff to own another popcorn, and I was holding out for a redhead if I did find another affordable popcorn, but we see how well that went.

The eBay seller said that Rebecca may have pox around her mouth, but...do y'all see any pox?  Like, anywhere?  I don't.

Rebecca is from the P factory, and dolls from the P factories (especially those in Hong Kong) can get pox, but I don't see anything wrong with this doll!  But frankly, I'd have taken her in even if she did have pox, because she's a double lemon and her price was reasonable, and because pox can be treated...or accepted.  I ran into a cute little doll on Failbook that had a few pox on her face, and they just looked like big freckles.  And now that I mention it...

...no, that's a dimple that looks like a pox mark.  Pox or no, Rebecca is a southpaw, just like Idalia Gale.

My popcorn girls are stair-step kids in a way.  Beryl June (left) has the #10 head, Idalia Gale (center) has #11, and Rebecca Madeleine has #12.

So much for my popcorns corresponding with my favorite Doctors; I'm not too sold on the Twelfth Doctor.  This head, though...well, it's not my fave, but it's cute.  I like how all three of my popcorns have their own distinct personalities; Beryl June is a chatterbox, Idalia Gale is a jokester (and a foodie), and Rebecca Madeleine is patient and observant.  

As a last little addendum, Margot Madeline and Rebecca Madeleine insisted on taking a picture together, since they have variants of the same middle name.

Name repeats do happen in the Cabbage Patch since there's so darn many names and almost as many dolls, but this is my first repeat...no, it's my second.  I have Sabrina Jane and Tammi Jane (and Margot Madeline photobombing).

That one's a bit more predictable though, because Jane is a common name.

So that's my new popcorn.  Casa Pizarro is one doll closer to exploding, but this time I have only myself to blame!  It's okay if I do it to my own house.  And those of y'all who have sent me stuff in the past, please don't take offense to my comments about room.  Y'all care enuff to send me nice things and I appreciate it.  I need to start paying it forward...or find a way to pay y'all back, one or the other.  

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

You dang hippie!

That was what one of my friends called me in high school.  I admit that I looked the part with my tie-dyed shirts, flare-legged jeans, and long hair.  Usually I had four or five bracelets and a necklace or two piled on as well.  I'm out of the habit of dressing like that now, but I can still live through my dolls, as So Surprised Suzie shows.

Every spring I get bitten by the Baby Face bug, and while I don't go hog-wild buying dolls like I do when I'm bitten by the Cabbage Patch Kid bug...come to think of it, the Cabbie bug bite never wore off!  But no, I only have Suzie and I'm content with that, but since Baby Face is long-discontinued I'm always on the lookout for something nice and unique for her to wear.  eBay came through on Sunday with this bell-bottom set.

Bell-bottom hip-huggers, a tie-dyed cropped blouse, and a big hair bow.  Everything's better with a bow, though I don't think that was a staple of hippie fashion.

The only thing I don't like about this outfit is that the jeans don't fit over her diaper, but NBD.  She has her jeans covering her butt.  It's a really cute little outfit, one that fits just right but doesn't restrict Suzie's movement.

Now...guess what's in the forecast today?  STORMS!!!  "Oh noes!!!" says Suzie.

"Oh yassss!" says the Moon.  The storms are not going to be the caliber that they were last week, but our local meteorologists say a few could have hail and high winds that reach severe levels.  But thankfully, no tornadoes are in the cards.

eBay shop is vickiveesdollclothes.  In addition to Baby Face duds the shop carries a few things for Chatty Cathy (whom I own) and for Charmin' Chatty (whom I don't own).

Flowers and bows,

RagingMoon1987 

Under the cabbage leaf: beans in the cabbage patch

Beans?  Yep!  Specifically, Snuggle Beans.  Meet Sabrina Jane.

Snuggle Beans are Play Along Kids from 2006.  Since the Beans are Play Along they're on the small side, at about ten inches in length, and their packaging says that they're soft.

I like soft dolls, but what attracted me was this, on the front of Sabrina's package.

The "limited edition" label must have a fragment of truth to it, because there aren't a billion of these on eBay like there are the old Coleco dolls, and because a lot of 'em are going for more than I'd want to pay for a Cabbie.  Sabrina Jane was the cheapest option, which suits me just fine because I love Asian Cabbies.  I must say, though:  unboxing Cabbage Patch Kids is nothing like it was in 1983!  Look at all this tape!!!

So here she is; her face is very shiny and a smidge sticky.

Since Sabrina is a Play Along Kid and a Newborn she runs pretty small.  Here's how she compares to Candela Laura (Jesmar, left) and Gwenda Cecile (Hasbro Posin' Kid).

Sabrina is partially filled with pellets ("beans") and thus has a few things in common with my bean-butt baby, Esmond Brant.  Notice that Esmond is bigger than Sabrina, though.  Play Along Newborns can't share clothes with bean-butts.

All is not lost in the clothing department though, as Sabrina Jane and Taniyah Yasmin can share clothes.

Y'all may remember back to last fall, when I was going through a depressed patch and needed something soft to hug.  In that post I discussed the Puffalump Kids and the Love 'n' Care Babies, and I noted that Puffalump Kids are very soft while Love 'n' Care Babies aren't so much.  Sabrina Jane is softer than Alice Helene and Diamond Estelle, but she's still not as soft as my Puffalump Kid.  Few dolls are.

As a last little Cabbie addendum, y'all know how I like the good, the bad, and the ugly of Cabbage Patch Kid names.  One of the biggest doozies I found was a Coleco girl with a name that rhymed:  Charlene Darlene.  Now I didn't actually see that with my own eyes, but the name was on a list of known Cabbie names so I figure it's legit.  While I was researching these Snuggle Beans I found Charlene Darlene's equal in a little blonde, violet-eyed Bean named Karissa Larissa.  Regarding strange combos, I found another one on eBay whose name was Filemon Faust.  What can I say, they can't all be Owen Presley!  Sabrina Jane isn't terrible, either.  At the very least it doesn't rhyme.

The weather has done a complete 180 from last week, by the way.  It's a little cool, but the sun is shining and there ain't a cloud in sight.  Here was my view from the front porch yesterday. 

Praise God.

Sunshine,

RagingMoon1987 

What I've learned about Mia

Yep, gonna talk about Mia today, one of the ones that Setsu-P sent.  I'd seen her face before (she's popular on Etsy), but I couldn't put a name to it until I googled "Nines d'Onil."  By the way, Setsu:  Mama REALLY likes Mia!  I was expecting her to like one of the Cabbage Patch Kids the best, but she likes Mia a lot.  When you've got as many dolls as I do, they all start to blur together a bit for your loved ones.  So any doll that my mom points out is a special one.  Anyway, here's Mia.

Given the weather when I took that picture, she looks like she's reaching out and saying "Hugs?"  Despite the French sound of the company name, Nines d'Onil is a Spanish company like Famosa and Paola Reina.  I don't know much about their full list of products, but I do know they make Mia and her male counterpart, Mia.  Both Mia and Mio can vary in coloration, they come in two sizes, and they can have bodies with articulation or without.  Their faces are...interesting-looking.  They have big oval heads and teeny-weeny facial features, and my particular doll has beautiful blue eyes.

My doll is a thirty-centimeter/twelve-inch model with a basic body, and her two-toned hair tentatively identifies her as Milky Way Mia.

Drat, I wish I had her original dress!  But then again, maybe she's this one, one that came in her skivvies.

Either way, I've got her now and she needs clothes, and guess what?  The outfit I bought is in!  It blew in on April 2nd, hours ahead of the storms.

Blue, to accentuate her eyes and hair.  This is just the first of many little outfits I plan on buying for Mia; as I said above, Etsy loves this doll.  There are dresses with Snoopy and Hello Kitty and Dr. Seuss on them, so the sky is the limit for Mia.  But for now she's just got this simple blue thing with bloomers underneath.  This outfit came from Corning, Arkansas, a hop, skip, and a jump away from Malden.

Shoes are also available for Mia, but it's getting to be Barefoot Season again so I've left her without.  Mia has cute feet.

Since Mia is so similar to my Paola Reina dolls, here's how she compares visually to my favorite one, Mar.

They're easy to distinguish, have highly different body shapes, and will NEVER be able to share clothes, but their posing is the same, as is their vinyl.

Well, their posing is almost the same.  Since Mar has longer arms she looks more graceful in a lot of poses.

One of the few things that I don't like about either Mar or Mia is that their joints only rotate, rendering some poses a little robotic, like so.  Mia's are a little less so since she's got short arms, and Veni Vidi Dolli notes that some Mia dolls have joints at the knees and elbows, but mine doesn't.

Mia is also better at turning her head.  It doesn't look up as it's rotated back like Mar's does.

It was storming yet again when I took those last two pictures, and I pretended that Mia and Mar were reacting to the copious lightning.  The storms the evening of the third were electrical, noisy, and got severe warnings, but thank God, that was all they did.

I suspect that Mia was used as a plaything before she was thrifted, so her hair isn't as sleek as Mar's is, but it still responds well to a brushing from my dog brush.  The colors are fun too, kinda like the hair of two Just Like You American Girls.

Rooting is also the same as Mar's, semi-large plugs with wide spacing, but unfortunately my doll's roots show if I don't have her hair brushed just right.

I think Mia needs a hair bow.  All my dolls with side parts need one, LOL.  Setsu-P says she conditioned Mia's hair before she sent her to Missouri, by the way, so I can only imagine what kind of state she was in when Setsu first saw her!  That conditioner made Mia smell like Heaven, by the way.

So that's Mia in a nutshell.  She's a well-made doll, on an even keel with the Paola Reina dolls I own, but slightly easier to handle.  Mar and Abigail are sometimes hard to pose because they're a smidge top-heavy, but Mia's short legs and thick torso avoid that.  Also like Paola Reina dolls Mia comes in a wide range of appearances, and here's where things get fun.  I've yet to run into a Paola Reina doll with green hair, but Mia has it.

I just love her!  She reminds me of Lime Chiffon, and she's got a bumper crop of freckles.  Dolls with two-toned hair can be found too, and unsurprisingly I like this one too.  The blue and black combo adds some edginess to this one.

Now...here's where things get interesting!  Before I knew that Mia came in two sizes I bought this outfit thinking it would fit my doll.

Guess what?  It's sized for one of the nine-inch models, and my Mia is a twelve-incher.  But all is not lost as these dolls can readily be found on eBay in both sizes for a reasonable price.  The doll I purchased to fit the orphan outfit is this one, one with a darker complexion and teal microbraids.

The outfit isn't a perfect match for her hair, but I've never let that bother me.

Further research of Mia's holding company revealed that like Paola Reina, Nines d'Onil produces other types of doll.  These babies are called Pepotes, and they look like they might be of similar size to another of my Paola Reina dolls, Imani.  Note that unlike Paola Reina, Nines d'Onil is not afraid to saddle their babies with weird hair.  They've also got big, funny feet like Mia does.

There's also a Halloween-themed bunch that I adore.

There's Pippa and her male equivalent Pippo.  They're a smidge smaller than the large Mia dolls and have more detailed faces.

These dolls are all scented, by the way, so if you are sensitive to perfumes or stuff like that, or if you live with someone who is sensitive, then it would unfortunately be wise to skip these dolls.  Otherwise they're great!  Mia's variations may spell trouble ahead for my pocketbook!

Hearts,
RagingMoon1987

EDIT, LATER THAT DAY:  Little Mia arrived earlier today!  Here's how she looks in her new outfit. 

It doesn't match her hair as well as I thought it would, but Mama says it looks alright.  Here's how the two look together. 

I reiterate:  my pocketbook may be in serious trouble!