Across the other pond, part 5: random Takara doll

This one isn't going to be a review as much as it is a discussion.  I was hoping to find a red-haired Takara doll, and as you can see, I have!

She's Jenny's height, so I assumed this was one of Jenny's friends, even though none of Jenny's many compadres look like this.  None of Licca's friends look like this either, but her mother Orie does.  This doll looks like she may be a fourth generation Orie-san.  I'm not one hundred percent certain about this, and I'm not in love with the name "Orie" anyway, so I'm going to call this doll "Emiko" instead.  "Emiko" can mean a number of things depending on the kanji used, and one of the meanings is "smiling child."  Very fitting for this chipper-faced little girl!  UPDATE, 4/3/2018:  As it turns out, there was once a Japanese doll who was officially named Emiko.  She was produced during the years of Bandai Barbie, and she was the mother of a Licca-sized doll named Anna.  She's a cute doll, but she doesn't have as big a smile as my Emiko does.

When she came Emiko was a fixer-upper; she was naked, her hair was tangled and she had a green mark on her forearm.

I figure that green mark is there to stay, but the other two problems I was able to fix.  I neglected to get before and after pictures, but trust me!  Emiko's hair has much improved.

Dawn dish soap and hair conditioner are your friends, dolly lovers.  Just don't use leave-in conditioner; it goms up over time and then you have to wash your doll's hair again.  Just use some wash-out stuff that you can get at Dollar General; it works fine.  The Dawn-and-hair-conditioner cocktail certainly has made Emiko a cleaner, happier dolly.  She's got a pretty face, one that's quite different from Jenny's.

Jenny has relatively flat cheeks and a close-lipped smile, while Emiko has an apple-cheeked, open-lipped grin.  She has removable earrings like Licca and Jenny do, but one appears to have been lost.

Missing earrings are the least of Emiko's problems, unfortunately.  Her neck joint appears to be crumbling.  See that?

This doesn't detract from Emiko's looks one bit, but it makes me concerned for the longevity of the joint.  It already feels loose, and when I manipulate the joint tiny fragments come flaking out.  I could stabilize this joint with Super Glue, but I'm hesitant to do that so I'll just treat that joint with respect and hope it doesn't get worse.

Oh yes, Emiko's right leg is also longer than her left leg.

In order to get her to stand I have to bend her right knee slightly.  It gives Emiko a cute stance, but she's also a little tottery on her feet, even when I prop her up.

Alrighty, so poor Emiko has a semi-broken neck and uneven legs.  Some new threads should cheer her up a bit.  I got these two dresses in a couple of days ago, and I've been looking forward to putting Emiko in one of them.  I'm just not sure which dress to try on her first!  I've got a blue one and a green one.

Decisions, decisions...oh posh, why play up my indecisiveness?  Y'all know darn good and well that I'm going to try both of these dresses on her!  Here's the blue one.

When I saw this dress I thought for a few minutes that I'd been sent an Easter Charm Barbie dress.  That turned out not to be the case, but the likeness is uncanny.

Now here's the green dress.

I don't like this one as well.  It's loose around the neck and constantly wants to slip down.  The material also looks like it won't wear well.  That color, though!  It's no secret by now that I love green, and I especially love green on redheads.  Unfortunately, this does not look good on Emiko.  She doesn't have enough up top to keep the dress in place.  I'll probably try this dress on one of my more buxom redheads.

Speaking of buxom redheads, I've got an old Quick Curl Kelley dress that I'm curious about.

Kelley was Barbie's size so I wasn't expecting this dress to fit Emiko, and indeed the bodice is very loose.  It looks nice with Emiko's red hair though.

Just for grins, I tried an old Diva Starz outfit on Emiko.  The results are great.

I had this planned for a Throwback Thursday post, but the Diva Starz doll I wanted got snapped up so I put the outfit away for someone else to wear.  It proved to be too small for older Barbies, and the shoes don't fit modern-day Barbie feet.  The shoes go on in an unconventional way, by the way.  Instead of slipping on like Barbie shoes or fitting onto pegs like Bratz shoes, Diva Starz shoes open up like this.

To put these on you simply put the doll's foot inside the shoe, then close the heel over the foot like a clamshell.  It's not a bad idea, but it doesn't lend itself readily to my dolls' feet.  I had no reason to think that Emiko would be any different, but due to my aforementioned fondness for redheads in green I tried the ensemble anyway.  The result is an almost-perfect fit.  I say almost because the pants are a little tight and hard to get over Emiko's rubbery legs.  Otherwise this is a great combo.  The shoes fit wonderfully, and if I bend Emiko's knees a little she can even stand without help!  So if you have dolls with a body like Emiko's or Jenny's, you might want to jump on eBay and look for some old Diva Starz clothes.  Make sure they're honest-to-God fabric clothes, because the snap-on dresses will only fit the Diva Star that they're designed for.

I'm also going to try on an outfit that I was unable to do with Jenny.  I have found the lost Teen Skipper snow suit.

This is Fashion Avenue outfit #26989, better known as "Techno Ski."  It comes with a hat, but I knew the hat wouldn't fit over Emiko's ponytail so you won't get to see her in that.  I have no doubts that the hat will fit if I change the hairstyle, though.  The slacks are like the Diva Starz pants; they fit once they're on, but getting them on is a teensy bit difficult.  The shirt, by contrast, is a bit loose around the chest, and the shoes fit fine.  I was a little concerned about the shoes; since they're close-toed I was expecting them to be too tight.  Luckily I was wrong!

I've only had Emiko a short time, but she's already become one of my favorite dollies.  I love her face, and I love her smile.  She's got Licca's charm on Jenny's body, making her very versatile.  She's cute like Licca, and she can share clothes with Jenny (and Skipper and Starr too, for that matter).  These things negate her few flaws and make her worth the money and time I spent to get her presentable.

Love,
RagingMoon1987