Halloween 2022

Amelia and Rita Cheryl don't have costumes at the moment, but they can still dress up cute!

Rita Cheryl is actually wearing Luciana's new coat instead of her own, but as we'll soon see, Luciana is wearing something else.  Now to the costumes.  C'mon, y'all know I've always got someone dressed up!  In her spotlight post Marina stated that she wanted to be a mermaid for Halloween.  Welp, I made it happen!  It cost way more than I should ever spend on doll clothes, but I regret nothing.

This is the oft-derided Sparkling Mermaid costume, available from 1998 to 2000.  It was always one of my favorite costumes; the other options back then were sock hopper, hippie, cowgirl, black cat, and princess, and the mermaid seemed (to me, at least) to be the most original.  Even today I don't see many mermaids among real-life Trick-or-Treaters.  This outfit seems to be unpopular among other AG fans, and...well, I guess I can see why, since it's not the most flattering getup in the world.  It's kind of hard to move Marina around in it too.  Sitting her down was an effort, for example, though that's not easy anyway since she's a young doll and thus a tightly strung one.  I was able to sit Marina down, though, so it is possible. 

I also had a difficult time placing the wrap as it's quite long, but luckily for me the AG wiki has some instructions for tying Josefina's rebozo.  I chose one of those methods for getting the wrap on Marina, and it works fair enuff, though the ends still drag on the ground.

Loop around the waist, cross the ends in back, bring the ends over her shoulders and tuck them in.  Reasonably easy, though it does hide some of the cute sea critters on the wrap.  The seahorse is visible here, for example, but the orange starfish on the right is all but invisible.

These critters are ON THERE, by the way!  When I was a little kid I presumed that they were sewn on to the wrap, just like a trio of plastic perfume bottles on my favorite top.  I thus predicted that the sea creatures would fall off with ease, just like my perfume bottles did.  Joke's on me, because these appear to be molded onto the mesh of the wrap.  See?

Or at very least the crab appears to be looped securely into the mesh.  However, if one looks closer one can see that he is very firmly glued onto the mesh of the wrap, rather than looped or molded in place.  The glue is even more obvious on this yellow shell.

Glue isn't always the best way to put an outfit together, but this glue looks and feels quite strong.  I don't think I'll have any trouble with sea critters going AWOL.  One thing that bums me a little about this ensemble is that the critters on the net aren't painted like the critters on the crown.

The pieces tie together just fine, stripes or no stripes, but...well, I like stripes, okay???  Polka dots will always be my favorite, but stripes are also pretty great.  Anywho, this costume is not a favorite among American Girl fans for this reason or that, but I actually quite like it.  It goes well with Marina's hair, and it comes with shoes.

American Girl's second mermaid costume inexplicably does not come with shoes.  As cold as the weather can be during Halloween, shoes are a must.  At least around here they are.  Anyway, I respect this outfit for its originality in a world full of princesses and sock hoppers.  Oh, and it's also green.  Y'all know my feelings on the color green.

On the other hand, putting together a sock hopper costume is relatively easy, and the components (flat shoes, a sweater of some type, and a long, swirly skirt) are easy to move around in.  Perfect for a little kid, I'd say.  So Silver Bird isn't the most original, but she does look adorable.  Silver Bird chose to be the sock hopper this year.  This is an Etsy getup that I've had on hand for awhile.

Y'all may remember from Marina's spotlight post that Silver Bird chose this getup.  I had this on Lindsey last year, but Lindsey's body is one of the slimmer bodies and didn't fill it out very well.  Spoiler alert:  Silver Bird's chunky Pleasant Company frame doesn't either, but since when have Halloween costumes ever fit perfectly?  The blouse tucks nicely into the skirt, so that's a plus.  Oh, and the proper shoes?  These...actually, I can't remember if I had to buy these separately or if they came with the outfit.  Either way, Silver Bird has the required saddle shoes.

Once I read (in American Girl Magazine, ironically enuff) that in some areas black and white saddle shoes were worn only by boys, while girls wore a blue and white variety.  Brown and white shoes were worn by both sexes.  I haven't found any information online that confirms this, so take it with a grain of salt.  Regardless, Silver Bird's shoes are the classic black and white that we all know and love/loathe.  I grew up wearing saddle shoes, believe it or not, so I grew to love them.  Silver Bird is one of my girls who prefers going barefoot, but as I mentioned above shoes are not optional during this time of the year.  So Silver Bird may not be as original as Marina, but it's at least obvious what she is. 

Luciana, on the other hand...Luciana's costume isn't immediately obvious, unless one knows me or her.  She's the Ninth Doctor...with the Eleventh Doctor's bangs.

Okay, Number Nine wore a pea coat as opposed to a leather jacket, but Luciana gives no flying burritos.  As long as she keeps that jacket away from her Tribble then all should go well (remember that Goldie tried to eat Lark's jacket once).  If y'all go back to Luciana's spotlight her decision to be the Doctor should be no surprise, though her decision to be the Ninth Doctor did surprise me (she prefers the Beloved Tenth, LOL).  I guess I should be glad she didn't want to be the Sixth Doctor, with that loud jacket he wore.  There isn't much to say about Astro Luci this Halloween; she's clad in black, and I have to admit that she looks pretty sharp.  

And with that, my lineup for Halloween this year is complete...except I think Silver Bird has something on her mind.

Silver Bird:  Either one of y'all fancy a dance?
Luciana:  Let's kick it!

Oh Lordy, I know where this is going.  Cue "In the Mood," Marina!

Marina:  I'm on it!

Glenn Miller for the win!  Don't get too close to the edge, y'all.  Remember what happened the last time Doremi tried to fly?

Luciana:  Served her right!
Doremi:  I HEARD THAT!!!
Silver Bird:  Oh crap...

Uh-oh, looks like my lineup ISN'T complete!  Luciana, you and Silver Bird keep dancing and I'll show off Doremi's costume; she's a princess, just like she wanted to be.  Like Marina's costume, this one is one of the older ones, the aforementioned Medieval Princess costume.

It's mostly velvet, one of my favorite fabrics, plus some sort of polyester (I presume) with a sparkly upper layer.

Both the sleeves and part of the skirt are made of that, while the bodice and other parts of the skirt are made of this velvet.  It's thin enuff that the lighter color shows through. 

Doremi's crown is made of gold...lame?  Sateen?  Some sort of shimmery gold fabric. It has no stretch, so it fastens in the back with Velcro.  I love the plastic jewels up front.  The front of Doremi's dress has these too, but the pictures of those wouldn't focus.

On her feet Doremi wears these cute gold slippers that are made of the same fabric as the crown.  These are elasticized and unfortunately like to slip off.

Doremi is the only one who has her Trick-or-Treat bag. 

Silver Bird's costume never had a bag, Marina's costume is missing the bag, and I had to piece Luciana's costume together so she doesn't have a bag either.  No problem, they can use these Rainbow High bags.

Luciana:  Sorry, Marina, but there's no green one.
Marina:  Never mind that.  You're standing on my wrap!

If you girls are good girls tonight I'll share my Almond Joy bars.  NOW my Halloween lineup is complete.  Line up, y'all!  Marina, you stay between Doremi and Luciana, lest they kill each other.

Marina:  No problem.

Even Doremi's friends love to hate her.

Doremi:  I HEARD THAT!!!

What're you gonna do to me, squirt???  You're about an eighth my size!  Anyway, Silver Bird and Luciana have unfinished business.  Fire up that radio again, Marina!

Luciana:  This sure beats resonating concrete!
Doremi:  How come no one asked ME to dance???

Behave yourself, Doremi, or you'll get a rock.  

Happy Halloween,
RagingMoon1987

New/semi-new stuff

I'm not so sure how new some of this stuff is, since I've heard about the Glo-Up Girls from other bloggers.  Indeed, Far Out Toys says that these dolls were finalists in the Toy of the Year awards this year.  Finalists...I guess they didn't win.  Anyway, I've heard the term "glow up" thrown around a lot in recent months, and I assumed that it meant a makeover or something of that stripe, which would mean that these dolls would be something like the #FailFix dolls.  But as it turned out, "glow up" usually refers to someone who gets better in looks or mindset as they age, particularly as someone successfully navigates adolescence.  Either way these dolls have both the makeover feature and the social media emphasis that the #FailFix dolls had, but they're...maybe a little less cartoony?  Here's Rose.

This one is Sadie...

...and this one is Tiffany.

Rose is my favorite of the three that Dexter's Wal-Mart had, with her green eyes and red hair.  She reminded me a little of Princess Merida in the store, but now I wonder where that comparison came from.  Either way, here's a close-up of Rose's face.

There are other characters named Kenzie, Erin, and Alex.  They all have basic personalities, and since they're trying to make it on TikTok they're all using the old fallback trends like makeup, sports, or saving the damned environment.  Sheesh, why can't we have a mukbanger or some not-so-mainstream sport like extreme pogo-sticking???  Okay, maybe not mukbanging, since some mukbangers go way too far, but it's still more interesting than hearing about makeup or the high school football game or recycling trash bags.  Oh well, my doll, my rules.  If/when I get one of these I'll just make my own story up.

So I'd heard tell of the Glo-Up Girls before i actually saw them, but these next dolls are something completely new to me.  They are called Fidgie Friends, and they have fidget toys (stress balls, poppers, that sort of thing) built into their clothes and hair.  I love fidget toys, so I was delighted when I first saw these.  Unicorn Sprinkles has a doughnut skirt that's made out of that squishy foam that companies use to make stress balls.  Her hair...bends or stretches or something like that.  The package says "stretches." It helps to read, LOL.  

Unicorn's two friends are mermaids.  Boba Bubbles has a glitter gel tail and a tailfin filled with water beads.  Her gel tail didn't feel too squishy when I poked it, but it looks pretty.  Hmmmm...Boba???  Well, the water beads in her tail look a little like boba so I guess that name works.

Then there's Watermellow, who has an obvious watermelon theme.  Hmmm, would mermaids know what watermelon is?  Regardless, Watermellow has a tail covered in those sequins that flip.  I haven't flipped them, but a few are showing green undersides.

There's also a fourth one named Butterfly Wishes, and she is a fairy with popper wings and a stress ball skirt.  I don't like the Fidgie's faces as much as I do the those of the Glo-Up Girls, but I love the idea of incorporating fidget toys with dolls.  Through the package I could see that Unicorn's tights are clearly molded on, and I think her shoes may be too.  Bummeroo.  I like the looks of those knees, though!  The two mermaids are...well, mermaids and thus wouldn't be able to wear regular doll clothes, and y'all may or may not remember that I love doll clothes.  Nevertheless I like this idea, and I want one, of course (LOL).  Which one is the question!

To my great surprise, Funville's Sparkle Girlz appear to have disappeared completely.  In their place are these goofy-looking things, entitled "Hairmazing."

Hairmazing, eh what?  I've got two Hairmazing dolls, and they're nothing like this!  This Hairmazing doll is cuter IRL than she is in that picture, but I still can't help wondering what happened to the Sparkle Girlz and their extensive wardrobes.  Oh, how I loved those outfits!

Have y'all seen these in your neck of the woods?  Yay or nay for y'all?  Discuss.

Rainbows and water beads,
RagingMoon1987 

AG Spotlight: Joss Kendrick

I finally made it!  The Moon Girl thought for awhile that she'd never get me.

FULL NAME:  Jocelyn Elizabeth Kendrick

NICKNAMES:  Everyone but everyone calls me "Joss," and Lindsey sometimes calls me "Roadrunner."

BIRTHDAY:  April 14th

HOMETOWN:  Fountain Valley, California

HEAD MOLD:  Joss...yay, I get a head mold named after me!

HAIR COLOR:  Brown

EYE COLOR:  Brown

OTHER DISTINGUISHING FEATURES:  Does wearing a hearing aid count?

FAVORITE COLOR:  Orange

THINGS I LIKE:  Surfing, riding anything with wheels, cheerleading, dogs (especially bulldogs), long walks on beaches, summertime, ice pops and ice cream, fireflies, Legos, Lilo and Stitch, Sesame Street (Big Bird's my fella!), avocados...AVOCADOS!!!

THINGS I DISLIKE:  My pet peeve is when people either won't face me when they talk, or when they talk loudly when they learn I'm hearing impaired.  Talking loudly doesn't help me one iota.  I also don't like it when people talk too fast, because then it's hard to read their lips.  I also don't like being dropped during cheerleading practice, but if you're a cheerleader being dropped kinda goes with the territory, especially if you're not paying attention.  You hear that, Doremi?

MY CHOICE OF MUSIC:  Anything with a good beat.

PET:  Murph, an English bulldog, but she doesn't live here just yet.

BEST FRIENDS:  My fellow Cali girls Julie, Courtney, and Kailey (I'm the only one of the four California girls that isn't a blonde, LOL).  I also like Marina since she likes to beachcomb and swim, and Kyle because he has a bulldog, and most of my fellow cheerleaders (Justine-Marie, Rita Cheryl, and Zoe).  EVERYONE loves Zoe!

SOMEONE I'D RATHER AVOID:  Doremi can be a mega-prima donna...jeez, does ANYONE like Doremi???  She's never been mean to me, but I don't like her 'tude.  I DO like Lindsey, but she talks so fast that it's hard for me to read her lips.  I in turn feel rude asking her to slow down.  Good thing Molly's usually there to remind her!  Sometimes I feel awkward around Xenia too, since she has to lean in to see if she's facing me properly, but I know she can't help it.  I sometimes act as her eyes, and she acts as my ears.

HOW I CAME HERE:  eBay again!  I was embarrassed since I came naked, but the Moon Girl had that all planned out.

ABOUT ME:  It hasn't been easy adjusting to a place where I can't surf, but the streets are flat so I can at least skateboard.

Too bad it's not really skateboard weather anymore.  It's romp-in-the-leaves weather!

In my downtime I watch kids' programs with Rita Cheryl, though we have different favorites.  She likes Dora the Explorer and Blue's Clues, and I'm a Sesame Street fan to the hilt.  Big Bird for the win!!!

Bert for the win too, for that matter, because he's a nerd.  Nerds are awesome...both the people and the candy.  Don't eat too many Nerds before bedtime, though.  Moon Girl says she did that once and she woke up at two in the morning with the worst heartburn she'd ever had.

Oh, hey, Courtney. 

*Side note from Courtney:  Hey, you gonna finish those?

If there's ever candy around, Courtney's gonna know!  She knows I'll happily share.  Anyway, I'm trying to start a collection of stuff like Justine-Marie and Kailey have done, but at the moment I only have two Lego figures.

Kermit the Frog and...I guess that's the Big Bad Wolf, though why he's a Lego figure I'll never know.  He needs the pigs to go with him, LOL.  I need to keep my eyes open for unique figures.

Well, I'm off to skateboard again!  Gotta get the moves in while I can!

Hang ten,
Joss Kendrick

A visit from Vermont Teddy Bear

Yesterday I returned home from lunch with Mama to find my usual pile of stuff on my front porch.  I knew that I would be receiving two small things, but I'd completely forgotten about this.

A box from Vermont Teddy Bear.  With an air hole, no less!  My brother-in-law worked briefly at Vermont Teddy Bear during his stay in New England and offered to send me a bear then, but life happened.  And they no longer had the Donald Trump bear in stock, and that was the one I wanted the most.  I still think that teddy bear was a riot, because it had the Donald's famous/infamous rug.  I also liked the Joe Biden bear because it had blue eyes.  Donald has blue eyes too, but Joe's fur was/is white so his eyes really stood out.  Both Donald and Joe may eventually find their way here someday.  Anyway, the top of the box reads as follows:

Hmmm...someone who cares...seeing as I bought this critter myself, I doubt the buyer cares much.  Indeed, the older I get, the more I realize that the thought behind a gift truly is what matters.  But anyway, while I was juggling dogs, cats, packages, and a cannister of sweet tea I inverted the box and it says this:

LOL, I knew Build-a-Bear took their teddy bears seriously, but I didn't expect Vermont Teddy Bear to as well.  That's what I get for trying to think!  Also like Build-a-Bear, VTB intends its products to be for a number of occasions...or just for the heckuvit.

The other end of the box talks about how the toy inside is meant to last.  

Alrighty, y'all ready to see who I've got inside this box?  Here he is, with Rita Cheryl in the background.

The red panda!  I named him "Boomer," though I can't remember quite why.  I don't know who's more pleased to have a red panda though, Rita Cheryl or me!  We both love red pandas!

Flaxie, my Build-a-Bear, has disappeared somewhere into storage, so y'all will have to take my word for it that Boomer is smaller than her.  He has a hang tag like the Beanie Babies of yore did.  Inside it has some basic info, plus some instructions on how to settle your critter in.

Because I'm a kid at heart, I admit that I did all three routines.  I gave him a quick massage and finger-combed his fur, and I pushed his fur away from his eyes and nose.  That last bit is a given; I did that back when I was a little kid with my stuffed animals.  If I didn't do that with some of them they looked rather cross!

I don't usually review stuffed animals since I'm no connoisseur, but then again I'm no doll expert either.  I'm just gonna say that Boomer is a welcome addition to my small collection of stuffed animals and leave it at that.  Vermont Teddy Bear's shipping is very fast, but I didn't receive any notification that Boomer was on the way.  No confirmation numbers or emails or nuthin'.  If you order from them, keep that in mind.

Hugs and kisses,
RagingMoon1987

Sunday randomness: Redheads

Today is one of those days where I wish I had more leg strength and more ideas.  The weather is all but perfect for taking pictures...provided one stays away from the fields.  The wind is high, and because of that there's plenty of dust blowing up from the fields.  So I stuck to the safety of my late grandmother's backyard, complete with Robyn, Reagan, and a sweet-smelling bed of pine needles.

I didn't cut Robyn's hair, by the way.  In that first picture she looks like she's got a bob 'do, but that's because I tied it back.  It's blowing around a bit in the next picture.

I've always wanted a picture of my girls straddling a piece of wood!  I used to do that myself when I was little, pretending to be a cowboy or a witch or an astronaut, something that flew.  Robyn looks like the cowboy type, but I'm not so sure about Reagan.

Happy Sunday,

RagingMoon1987