Throwback Thursday review: Galoob Bouncin' Babies

I'm RagingMoon1987, and I'm just gonna jump right in today.  Too bad I can't swim, LOL.  Today's doll is another product of Galoob, a company that I loved when I was a little girl.  Galoob had good toys, but for my small child mindset the name was the best part, as it sounded like an insult that Yosemite Sam would throw around.  Indeed, once when my sister made off with one of my toys I ran after her yelling "BRING THAT BACK, YA LONG-EARED GALOOB!!!"  Daddy burst out laughing and had to tell me that the insult was "galoot," not "Galoob."  Anyway, today's doll is a Bouncin' Baby, specifically Walkin' Baby.  Yes, like folks from the south and rock bands from Birmingham, England, this line seems fond of dropping the "g" on things.  Seriously, just ask the Electric Light Orchestra; they're always steppin', talkin', or livin' out life.  Here's Walkin' Baby, who is NOT from Birmingham, but rather from beautiful Sandy, Utah. 

Lovely to see you again, my friend!  LOL, more Birmingham bands!  Anyway, as with So Surprised Suzie I owned Walkin' Baby when I was little, and as with So Surprised Suzie I no longer have her.  While Suzie was one of my few childhood toys that got thrown away, my Bouncin' Baby was one of my few childhood toys that...broke.  My sister and I were careful with our toys, and thus we didn't have to deal with broken things too often, but my Bouncin' Baby was one of the unlucky ones.  Her leg popped off one afternoon while I was playing with her, and Daddy tinkered for over an hour before finally admitting defeat.  By that time Bouncin' Babies were no longer in stores, so I never got another one.  It was more for sentimental reasons that I'd kept my doll anyway, so when she had to be tossed I was sad but got over it in time.  I'll even admit that I forgot about it for awhile!

As if I haven't blathered enough, time for a history lesson.  Bouncin' Babies were a product of the late eighties and early nineties, and like many toys they had a darn catchy commercial jingle.  The dolls were all small babies that came in either white or black, and they all...did something.  They walked or crawled or wiggled or rocked in their rocking chairs.  Most of the dolls ran on batteries, with Peek-a-Boo Baby being the sole exception for some strange reason.  To activate the dolls you'd usually either pull the pacifier out of the doll's mouth or turn their head, with Walkin' Baby being one of the latter.  Each doll came with at least one accessory, and there were also clothing sets and other accessories available, as well as...other dolls???  I didn't know that until I read Ghost of the Doll's entry on Bouncin' Babies!  In addition to the Babies there were Bouncin' Kids, Bouncin' Princesses, Bouncin' Ponies, and Big Sisters.  Interestingly, the Big Sisters moved even though they didn't have the term "bouncin'" attached to their titles, while the Bouncin' Princesses have the moniker "bouncin'" even though they didn't bounce!  They did light up, so that's something.

My baby, whom I've chosen to nickname "Tallulah," came in her box, so of course I have to talk about that.

Ages four and up, the box says.  I was definitely NOT four when this doll was in stores, and yet I had one and I loved her.  I also love this sticker, another relic from the past.

Who here absolutely LOVED Kay-Bee toys?  <raises hand>  I loved going in there well into my teenage years, and I always will feel a teeny-weeny bit of sadness that my parents forbade me to go into Dyersburg, Tennessee's Kay-Bee the last time we were there.  Yes, I was fifteen and a half at the time, but I still wanted to go for old time's sake.  Both Dyersburg and Cape Girardeau closed their Kay-Bee branches not too long after that, so I never got to say good-bye.  Sad face.

Stroll down Memory Lane over, the sides of the box have a brief description of what Walkin' Baby can do...

...while the back of the box has a more detailed description, plus a list of the things that were available for these dolls.  There was a boatload of stuff, far more than I remember seeing when I was little.

Interestingly, the picture with Walkin' Baby shows her in...is that blue or lavender?  I can't tell for certain, but I CAN tell it's not the pink romper that my doll is wearing.  I wonder if this variation exists or if it was just a change during production?  In fact, Peek-a-Boo Baby and Roll Over Baby are wearing different outfits too.  Ghost of the Doll shows Peek-a-Boo in a pink polka-dotted onesie and Roll Over in a blue striped dress, but obviously that's not what they're wearing in the stock pictures!

Strangely, stock photos of the other three dolls, Crawlin' Baby, Fussy Baby, and Cuddly Baby all match their Ghost of the Doll selves.

Go figure!  Packages do often say "contents may vary from picture shown" or somesuch like that, and this is part of the reason why!  Anywho, the tape on the sides of the box was already slit so opening Tallulah up was a breeze.  Note that she and her walker are attached to the backing with twist ties.

Easiest.  Box-opening.  Ever.  Can't package 'em like that anymore, not with today's generation of thieving little brats.  LOL, behind the interior of the box I found this.  Hallelujah, a sheet of instructions!

Ghost of the Doll wasn't sure where Walkin' Baby's batteries went, and...well, you have to take her head off to get the batteries in.  Yee-ouch!  We'll see how that works when we discuss this doll's body...maybe.

I remember these dolls being small and Tallulah is no exception.  She's six and a half inches from head to toe, putting her on an even keel with Arminta (my Israeli Ginny doll) and Penny Brite.

Since Tallulah is a baby doll, here she is with my other small baby dolls.  Here's Hattie (left) and Suzy Cute...

...and Red (left) and Rosie...

...and Hitomi...

...and Patsy Babyette and Tiny Cheerful Tearful.  

Of all the dolls seen above Tallulah is closest in size to Hattie and Tiny Cheerful Tearful.  None of them can share clothes.

Fun little story before I go further:  Rosie is a water baby (there's not a whole lotta Rosie there, LOL), while Tallulah is a Walkin' Baby.

When I was little and Mama introduced me to my original Walkin' Baby I thought she said "Water Baby."  So that was my doll's name then, and it's also why I named my current doll "Tallulah."  I wanted to pay tribute to my childhood idiosyncrasies, and "Tallulah" is a Native word for "leaping water."  Tallulah is definitely NOT a water baby though, as the instructions specifically state not to put these dolls in the water.  I love water babies, by the way; they're soft to the touch and they take on your body heat.  I just wish I could find some cute things for Rosie to wear!  Her current outfit is cute, but it's also too big for her.  Babyette wears it well.

Right, back to Tallulah now.  All of these Bouncin' Babies have molded and painted hair, with Tallulah's being sort of a strawberry blonde shade.  I love strawberry blonde hair.

There's a little bit of texture molded in there, though like most baby dolls it's pretty simple hair.  The paint isn't patchy like Baby Peep's hair was, so that's something positive.  Granted, baby doll hair often gets patchy with age (this is true with Baby Peep and with older Bitty Baby dolls), but this is normal wear and tear rather than a problem at the factory.  I love Tallulah's wispy hairline, by the way.  Some of these dolls have chunky bangs, but mine does not.

To the face now.

The face paint on these dolls varies somewhat, as BethE's little Rachel (a Cuddly Baby) has much prettier lips than Tallulah does.  Rachel's eyes are also different than Tallulah's, being a different shape and a different color.

Tallulah has squinty deep blue eyes that are...actually pretty different from the doll pictured on the box.  The doll in the stock image has wider eyes and rosier lips.

I like my doll's eyes though, as real baby eyes squint like that a lot.  The mouth...well, here's the mouth.

It's a sweet little mouth, painted delicately in a shade of pink, but it's maybe a teeny bit too pink?  Most babies don't have lips this pink, but it's a well-painted little mouth regardless.  I can overlook pink lips if the lines aren't too harsh.

I admit that I had a laugh when I undressed Tallulah, because her build is not terribly unlike Bobby Hill's.

Tallulah has five joints, but the only ones that can move freely are her shoulders.  They rotate a full 360 degrees.

Touchdown!

Tallulah's body doesn't have much definition, just this little bellybutton...

...and some chubby little knees.

Note that Tallulah's shoes are both molded and painted on.  They have visible tongues and bows like toddler shoes tend to have, and the bottoms of the shoes are covered with...with what looks like the soft side of Velcro.

I assume that this is to keep Tallulah's hard little feet from scratching any surfaces she might walk on, but in truth I have no clue why her shoes are like this.

Tallulah's back is interesting and a smidge unsightly due to the position of five screws.  One of them is very strategically placed, LOL.

I can't help wondering how on Earth my old doll's leg came off?  Those hips look pretty sturdy, though they do feel a little loose when I manipulate the legs.

Oh, and the neck?  Beware, because this next picture is disturbing.  Tallulah's head does indeed come off, and there's room for a small battery inside her head.

Here's what the compartment looks like.

Crissy and Beth advises that activating Ideal's Harmony is important for keeping her in working order, and I assume that the same is true for all mechanical dolls.   I don't know if it actually IS true, but for Tallulah's sake I'll find the right size batteries and try her mech out.

Tallulah's stock outfit is about what one could expect for a baby doll:  a bonnet and a romper set.

The romper is constructed fairly sturdily, with the only fragile parts being the lace panels on the bib of the overalls.  She's also got a flocked rabbit on the bib.  I loved that bit when I was a little kid.

What a surprise, the romper closes in back with Velcro.  Here it's possible to see that Tallulah's blouse is not a separate piece, even though it looks that way.  Well played, Galoob.

The inside isn't pretty to look at, especially where the white fabric and the striped fabric join, but the seams are sturdy.

Tallulah's bonnet is white and trimmed with pink sateen ribbons.  The ties are also sateen.

That bonnet would never pass today's safety codes, but it sure looks cute!

All of these Bouncin' Babies come with some sort of accessory, and since Tallulah is a Walkin' Baby she comes with a pink plastic walker.

The walker is all one piece and is mostly plastic, though it has a ribbon to hold the doll in place.  This goes between Tallulah's legs.

The bottom part has rollers that allow the walker to move with Tallulah, just like all good walkers do.

LOL, reminds me of one of my favorite commercials when I was a kid.  Baby is put in his walker, and he proceeds to annihilate the living room.  Good thing the carpet was a Stainmaster carpet.  Good thing Tallulah can't go much faster than a snail.  I can't show y'all this because I don't have the right batteries, but my Walkin' Baby was pretty slow, just as a baby would be when he or she is just learning to walk.  My doll was pretty good at walking without her walker, by the way; I didn't do it often, but sometimes I'd turn my old doll's head, set her on her feet, and watch her go without her walker.  She did pretty well, though eventually she'd tumble over and I'd either have to pick her up or turn her off.

BethE reports that American Girl's new baby dolls are a little bigger than her Bouncin' Baby, but the AG doll could wear one of Rachel's dresses.  That might mean that there's some further clothes sharing possibilities with the two dolls, but I don't have any extra outfits...not yet, anyway.  For now I'm just gonna wrap this up.

BAD
*Not very poseable.  Understandable when one takes this doll's gimmick into account.
*Not very cuddly, either.  BethE states that her Rachel has some cuddle factor, but Tallulah does not.
*Tallulah doesn't feel particularly flimsy, but I know from bitter experience that these can break.
*Beware of batteries.  Probably we all know what batteries can do as they age, but beware just the same.
*I wouldn't advise letting a modern-day kid play with these, as they can break.  My doll didn't become dangerous when she broke like some toys will, but these are best left to adult collectors.

GOOD
*Dang, this doll is cute!  She's cuter than I remember!
*Well-dressed, and extra outfits were available.  Some clothes sharing may be possible with the new American Girl babies, but don't quote me on that!
*Gimmick is kid-friendly.  I could turn my old doll on and off with ease when I was small, and I could even change the batteries by myself!  I really felt like a big girl, LOL.
*Clothes seem pretty sturdy, though I'd advise against pulling on the lace.  NEVER do that!
*There was a pretty good variety among these dolls.  If you didn't want the one that walked you could get someone who played Peek-a-Boo or rocked in a rocking chair.

I remember being fond of my old Walkin' Baby when I was little, but I had forgotten just HOW fond.  Owning Tallulah brought a lot of fun childhood memories back.  But is she a collector's item?  Well...no, not really.  Not unless you like small baby dolls (which I do).  I haven't measured Tallulah against one of my American Girls, but she might make a suitable baby sibling for a doll like a Wellie Wisher or a Glitter Girl.  As I said above, be very careful about leaving batteries in these dolls for a long time (duh, y'all probably knew that!), and don't force them to do anything they're not supposed to do, lest they break.  Overall these are nice enough to have as props for bigger dolls, or if you fancy a trip back to childhood, like I do.  Just don't break their leg off, like I did when I was little!

Cheers to all,
RagingMoon1987