My favorite season!

Nooooo, not Tornado Season.  I'm not THAT nuts...not yet, anyway.  Probably if I were a chaser I would be that nuts.  But no, IT'S SPRING, and here in the Bootheel it has been for a couple'a weeks now.  Uncle Man-Child is mooning around like it's the end of the world (damn fool hates spring), but I couldn't be happier.  I never outgrew my childhood mentality, in which spring meant that the school year was winding down and that everyone could relax a little.  A little, mind y'all!  We still had a full quarter to go, but the end was in sight!  I love the way things smell and sound too; in the Bootheel things are always a little (or a lot) dusty, so the air smells of dirt, cut grass, growing flowers, and often rain.  In the ditches the spring peepers and the crickets start calling, the farm equipment starts puttering around in the fields, and of course, the birds have a field day.  Sometimes you can also hear foxes yarking in the fields; Daddy always said they bark in pairs.  There's also the crop dusters, who fly too low and too fast, but so far we haven't had any calamities.

My springtime children this year are largely going to be Cabbage Patch Kids, with a few other random dolls thrown in.  I'll start with the little ones and work my way up in size.  First, here are my bean-butt girls, Ingrid Jessica (right) and Sandy Eden, in little dresses that Mama supplied.  Alexandria Florida's bare legs are also visible. 

Indeed, the dresses prompted me to buy Sandy and Ingrid, as the only bean-butt I had beforehand was a boy.  Unfortunately it's not easy to find springtime clothes for bean-butt boys, or else I'd have included Esmond Brant.

Up a couple'a sizes we go now, to sixteen inches.  Alexandria Florida has been wearing this since I got her in February...and for that matter, y'all saw this last Sunday when the weather got bad.  A gift wearing a gift.

I'm fond of redheads in purple for some reason.  Case in point.

Oh, it's been a long time since I bought a new Fashion Avenue outfit, but Amy is worth it.  I love how retro this looks!  It's a smidge tight on Amy's Shani-sized body, though.

Back to Cabbage Patch Kids now, Joyita Emilia is rocking the Care Bears. 

One eighties trend meets another, LOL!  As y'all might remember I'm fond of the Care Bears, and thus I was pleased as punch to see this dress.

Just as I like redheads in purple, I love brunettes in yellow.  I promised Christa that Beryl June would make an appearance as things warmed up.

Another gift from Mama, LOL.  In truth it's a smidge short for Beryl June, which surprised me since she's one of my smaller full-sized Cabbies.  But she looks okay.  I'll scrounge up some shoes and socks and she won't look as leggy.

Happy spring, y'all!  So far ours has been...oh, I'll say moderately stormy, and this weekend it's supposed to be hot!  We're talking mid-eighties hot, which is insane for March.  I hope that doesn't mean we're in for a scorcher of a summer.  And OMG, Barb and Tam, I forgot to ask y'all about the meteor!  Sounds like that was pretty wild!  I freaking love meteors, but my feelings would probably be different if one blew up right over my head.

Spring love,
RagingMoon1987

Color of the year, 2026

It's rainy today here in the Bootheel, but I much prefer that to the snow and ice that we had two weeks ago.  Indeed, some of y'all are still having to put up with snow!  Ryan Hall said that for my neck of the woods February may end on a warm note, but I've noticed that the ants aren't out yet so we should get at least one more sharp cold snap.  When it comes to the arrival of spring, ants know better than we humans do.

Now!  According to an Etsy ad that I saw in January, the color of 2026 is...teal or patina blue or somesuch like that.  One of my favorite colors, but if it's one thing I love to do it's go against trends, so I've broken my own rule and declared it PINK SEASON!  Perfect for Valentine's Day, and perfect for a dreary day like today.  I did blue last year, see.  It's been a minute since Isolde was in the blog, so she goes first.

I do have shoes for Isolde somewhere, but God only knows where I put 'em.  The glasses are L.O.L. Surprise glasses and thus don't fit very well, but Isolde makes it work.

Let's face it, Isolde could make a paper sack work.  For that matter, so could Sindy.

Probably one of my other Sindy dolls would've worked better (they're all blonde), but this Sindy needed something to wear, so here she is.  I think this is a Pedigree Sindy, by the way.  She needs restringing, as her head is prone to snapping around to face backwards, kinda like in Poltergeist.  But she's otherwise everything I wanted in a vintage Sindy doll, and the dress (a Barbie dress) fits her well. 

As with last year, this post isn't just for Barbie-sized dolls.  One of my favorite Disney movies is Dumbo, so when I saw this I knew one of my dolls had to have it.  Idalia Gale has a bit of a tan, and she looks fantastic in light pink.  By the way, Barb, here's my wheat-haired girl.  You were nice enuff to share yours with us, so here's mine.  Wheat hair is kinda an unsung hero of the Cabbie world; it's not as eye-catching as red hair or lemon hair, but I love the way it looks.

Idalia is NOT a baked potato, by the way.  People on Failbook keep asking me that, and the answer is no.  I don't care much for that trend, but some collectors love it.  See, some Cabbies turn dark when they're heated, and some collectors toss their Cabbies in a low-set oven to turn them dark.  A hot garage, attic, or shed will work too.  Baked potato Cabbies thus look kinda like Afro-American Cabbies, but with white bodies.  I'll pass, thanx.  Idalia Gale and Ernest John look naturally tan, and that's the way I want them to stay.  But boy, they both look nice in pink!  Ernest John refuses to wear pink, but Idalia Gale is okay with it.  Now if I want a Preemie to wear pink I'll pick either Bunnie Candie or Carla Jennifer.

Oh right, Carla Jennifer is my new-to-me Preemie.  I didn't have the #4 head in an Afro-American tone yet.

According to her papers, Carla Jennifer wants to be a pharmacist when she grows up.  I can get behind that!  I also like Carla Jennifer's stock outfit, but this next getup is handmade and...part of it is pink.

If it's handmade, odds are I'm gonna be at least mildly interested, and the eBay listing said this was indeed handmade.   Bunnie Candie's dress is presumably handmade too (Mama found it on Etsy).  Polka dots!!!

For something a bit more traditional, here's what Primrose Jessalyn is wearing.  Mama supplied this, of course.  It's not pink, but it's cute so who cares about color???

Look at the little letters!  I think those are too stinkin' cute.

No American Girl stuff this time around!  The girls have new things, but it's spring stuff and they're not wearing it yet so...yeah.  But that's Valentine's Day for me this year!  Dolls in pink, rain in the air, and me chillaxing at work.  Not a flake of snow in sight, ha-ha-ha, and no tornadoes either (Ryan Hall thought earlier in the month that it might get bad today).  Right now all is well in the Bootheel, and I hope it is with y'all too.

Happy Valentine's Day,
RagingMoon1987

YouTube speaks: dolls of the nineties

<pauses to double-check>  Okay, I KNOW I've got the date right this time.  I don't know where the hell my brain was last week, but anyway, I know I've got some nineties fans out there, so for today I'm breaking down one of Beauty Inside a Box's videos, one about dolls of the nineties that he considers significant.  Some of the dolls in his video have been discussed here and some haven't, but...whatever, let's do this!  How many of 'em do y'all remember???

First entry is...uh...

BARBIE

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1959-present day

This is strictly my opinion, but Barbie was pretty kick-a$$ in the nineties.  Beauty noted that Barbie seamlessly changed her style as the nineties progressed (doesn't she always?).  Early in the nineties she had big hair and big sparkly dresses, and by the time the millennium rolled around that had sleekened out, just as our own fashions did.  Beauty called out several as standouts, including Rappin' Rockin' Barbie, Earring Magic Barbie (and Ken), Teen Talk Barbie, Totally Hair Barbie, Shani, the Generation Girls (whom I freaking LOVED), and a plethora of princesses and mermaids.  Yep, Mattel loved princesses waaaay before the glut of CGI movies came out.  Beauty in the Box also noted that hair play was big for nineties Barbie dolls, and indeed it was.  I'll never forget using Cut 'n' Style Barbie's scissors on my own hair, or what happened to my posterior as a result, LOL!  I also remember Dep, the hair gel that came with Totally Hair Barbie, because Mama used that on my hair before church more than once.  Ewwww, I hated the way it felt!  It smelled nice, but I hated that cold, squidgy feeling in my hair.  I like hair gel just fine now, but when I was five I hated the crap.  But yeah, Beauty called out several dolls that were special during the nineties, and because the decade was so dynamic for Barbie and her friends he only scratched the surface.  He did note that Totally Hair Barbie was the best-selling Barbie of all time and that Barbie hasn't reached a high like that sense, but in general Barbie still remains a cultural icon.  Can't argue with that!  

As for me, my favorite dolls of this era are Sit in Style Barbie and company, Cool Times Midge, Hula Hair Christie, Cut 'n' Style Barbie, and of course, Hip 2 Be Square Barbie.  I promise I have my old H2BS doll around here somewhere!  Both she and my Cut 'n' Style girl are the redheads, of course.  Even when I was little I loved red hair.  I don't yet own a Sit in Style Barbie, by the way, despite my love for the line.  I need to fix that...

SKY DANCERS

COMPANY:  Galoob
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1994-2000

Oh, the Sky Dancers!  Part fairy, part ballerina, part dangerous, a whole lotta fun for my sister and me.  Beauty states that Sky Dancers were predicted to be a flop since flying toys were "a boy's thing."  Uh...I LOVED toys that flew, and I was very soundly a girl.  A tomboy, yes, but still a girl.  Flying toys could do something I couldn't and desperately wanted to do, LOL!  But yeah, I owned a couple'a these and loved the snot out of 'em.  Moon Shimmer and Crystal Rose were my duo, and Sister had a nice giftset that included three Sky Dancers with tinsel hair.  Oh, how we enjoyed these!  On sunny or not-so-sunny days we'd take our dolls out and play with them until one of the dolls landed in someone else's yard and we had to retrieve them.  Our neighbors were always nice about it, thank God.  We were also fortunate that no one's doll landed way up in the tree; I mean, we did have to fetch a baseball bat to poke one down every so often, but none of our dolls ever became irretrievable.  As to Beauty's description of the dolls, he mentioned the ones that lit up, the ones with ribbons attached, and the little ones, Fairy Fliers.  He also made note of a scented line, stating that scented things were big in the nineties.  Indeed, there will be more scented dolls to come, so stay tuned.

Unfortunately the Sky Dancers proved to be fairly dangerous.  Sister and I were aware of the dangers; the instructions soundly warned us to aim the toys AWAY from people and pets, and Mama and Daddy always yelled "BE CAREFUL WITH EYES!!!" from the back door.  The worst thing that happened to us was I ended up winded after one of Sister's dolls went awry and hit me in the stomach.  That scared us both, but I wasn't hurt seriously, not even bruised.  Other children weren't so lucky, and Sky Dancers eventually got slapped with a recall.  The dolls got revivals in 2005 and in 2013, but those lines didn't go as far.  It's kinda too bad that they didn't, but the reissues weren't any safer than the original dolls.  Still, I have fond memories of these, and Beauty does too.  He also suffered from tree woes, LOL.  Beauty's more extensive discussion of Sky Dancers can be found HERE.

SINDY

COMPANY:  Hasbro, later Vivid Imaginations

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  Hasbro had the license from 1987 to 1996, while Vivid Imaginations had it from 1998 to 2003.  In all Sindy has been around since 1963, with several hiatuses.  

I've spoken of Sindy many a time, but today we're looking at the Hasbro line, which I presume was meant to rival Barbie.  In the nineties Sindy went heavy on the pink and the fantasy, just as Barbie did.  Also like Barbie, hair was big, as her Crimp and Style, Wild Hair, and Rainbow Hair selves show.  My doll is Crimp and Style Sindy, and my Wild Hair doll is around somewhere as well.  Crimp and Style is kinda like Bead Blast Barbie and Cabbage Patch's Crimp 'n' Curl Girls rolled into one.

Oh, as an aside, look at the comments in this video, of Party Lights Sindy.  Who's comment do you see???  Seven years can do a lot to change one's opinions, and now I think these Hasbro Sindy dolls are pretty awesome.  Sad to say I remember nothing of them, since they were foreign releases.  Step away from eBay, Moon...you do not need Party Lights Sindy...YOU DO NOT!!!

Like the Sky Dancers, Hasbro Sindy has a skeleton in her closet, that being a lawsuit from Mattel.  Yep, Mattel sued Hasbro claiming that Sindy looked too much like Barbie.  Mattel won, by the way...sort of.  Hasbro agreed to change Sindy's face, so that sounds like a Mattel win to me.  But I still like Sindy.  I daresay that I like her face better than I do Barbie's.  Unfortunately for me, Sindy was a British thing, so I have no childhood memories of her.  Beauty states that Sindy never became as big a thing as Barbie, but she gave it the old college try.  I commend her for that, as going up against Barbie isn't easy!

LI'L MISS

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1989-1993

Yep, I'm talking about the Li'l Miss line again!  I think this is the third post this year where I've discussed the Li'l Miss bunch.  The troupe of glitzy toddler dolls began in 1989 with Li'l Miss Makeup and went from there.  Most of these dolls (all of them?) had temperature-sensitive hair, clothes, or facepaint that allowed their young stylist-mommies to glam the dolls up or down.  The only exception to this rule was this young lady, Li'l Miss Magic Jewels.

As far as I know nothing about her changed color, but her magic wand did bejewel her hair and gown.  I don't own Li'l Miss Magic Jewels, but I do own four of her jewels, worn by Flower Magic Mary.

The only doll I remember from this line is Li'l Miss Magic Hair, complete with her heart-shaped stamps and all that jazz.  I remember the commercial, being mildly interested, and never saying anything because I didn't do dolls then.  I loved those colors in her hair, though!  I also remember Li'l Miss Magic Jewels and being enchanted by the magic wand.  ANYTHING that materialized out of nothing fascinated me back then!  Oh, and fun fact about Li'l Miss Singing Mermaid:  Lady Gaga owned one as a child, if Beauty's information is accurate.  Pretty cool!

Before I move on, Beauty mentioned at the end of this segment that this doll, Princess Bride, was supposed to be a member of the Li'l Miss series...

...but he didn't say much else about her.  Princess Bride is indeed clearly a toddler doll (child marriage?  Yikes...), and her pearls turned colors with various water temperatures.  Her dress also was apparently reversible.  Ghost of the Doll lists this poppet as a completely different entity from the Li'l Miss bunch, so I'd love to know how Beauty knows that this doll was supposed to be an extension of that line.  No hate meant, of course; I just want to know how he knows.

CUPCAKES

COMPANY:  Tonka, Kenner
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1990-1992

I've discussed these in the past, and I even owned one when I was little, but for a recap Cupcakes were small dolls that folded up into toy cupcakes or other sweets, simple as that.  I owned Taffy Tammy, and I admired the Sugar and Shine and Princess Parfait waves from afar.  Taffy Tammy was from the Tonka era, and devious little Beri Blue hails from the Kenner era.  Remember her?  I always thought she looked like she was up to some sort of mischief.

Taffy Tammy smelled heavenly, and Beri Blue did too before I washed her hair.  Oh, she still smelled nice afterwards, but she smelled of Dawn rather than blueberries.  Anyway, due to their bright colors, baked goods theme, and scented gimmick, Beauty hypothesizes (and I agree) that the Cupcakes were trying to rival Strawberry Shortcake.  Strawberry and company were attempting a revival while the Cupcakes were around, so this theory holds water.  The THQ Strawberry Shortcake didn't even touch her Kenner self in terms of popularity, though.  They were cute, but I'm told they smelled pretty nasty.  The Cupcakes were around longer and probably smelled better, but they weren't around for long either.

PEPPERMINT ROSE

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1992

Okay, I know for a fact that I've got at least one Peppermint Rose fan out there.  I know precious little about the line, but apparently Pep and company were a collaboration between Mattel and American Greetings, meaning that Peppermint Rose and Strawberry Shortcake could be considered distant cousins.  Like Strawberry and like the Cupcakes these dolls were scented and came with makings for small bottles of perfume.  They also share faces with Lady Lovelylocks, and Beauty loves both lines as a result (so do I, LOL; I think that head is cute).  I have plans to discuss Peppermint Rose in a future post, so I won't say much more other than that I do not remember these from my childhood.  I like the idea, though.

SPICE GIRLS

COMPANY:  Galoob
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1997-1999

I remember these from the old Sears Wish Books and I...I thought the dolls were ugly.  The girls themselves were pretty, and to me the dolls looked possessed and bitchy.  In fact, I wasn't a fan of the Spice Girls, period.  Nothing against the women themselves, but their music wasn't my thing.  But ANYWAY, the Spice Girls were a British thing like Sindy, but UNLIKE Sindy, the Spice Girls had a decent following here in the U.S., and I had a few classmates that had or wanted these dolls for Christmas or birthdays.  Ginger (Geri Halliwell) and Posh (Victoria Beckham) were the ones my friends all liked, for this reason or that.  Either way there were multiple waves of these (I was only aware of the one pictured above), and believe it or not, I actually liked the concert collection.  The Spice Girls wore these lovely metallic outfits that weren't quite as tacky as other costumes, and they just looked nice together.  The last few waves didn't include Ginger, as she left the group in 1998.

STARR MODEL AGENCY

COMPANY:  JPI, Jakks Pacific

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1996

I had NEVER heard of these (they are no relation to this Starr), but as usual Tam's blog came through.  Starr Model Agency consisted of several tiny, well-dressed dolls that were...well, models!  They were close in size to Dawn, Pippa, and other "pocket" dolls of the past, only with nineties-style fashions and eyes that look just this side of possessed.  LOL, another possessed-looking doll!  Interestingly, one of the characters (there were six) was named Dawn, and she even had straight blonde hair like Topper Dawn!  Both Beauty and I wonder if Jakks didn't intend that as a reference to the older Dawn doll.  But either way there were several lines that followed various modelling themes, and even a stage/runway-type thing that the dolls could use.  Hmmm...now I wonder if Starr can share her clothes with Dawn...may have to investigate that.  I still have a Dawn post waiting in the wings, by the way.  

MELANIE'S MALL

COMPANY:  CapToys

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1996-1997

Never heard of this one either (duh, it doesn't pop up on Ghost of the Doll like some of CapToys' stuff does), though Melanie and her boyfriend look a lot like the dolls that lived in my dollhouse when I was a kid.  Like Starr, Melanie was a little doll (four inches), and she was accompanied with pieces of a shopping mall.  A little doll came with each piece, so if one collected the whole set one could have both a large mall and a crowded one.  Not a bad aesthetic, as long as you didn't mind a glut of blondes.  The girl dolls had legit hair, too; sometimes miniature dolls don't have real hair (2000s Polly Pocket), but Melanie and her girlfriends did.  The boys...not so much.  Let's face it, it's usually easier to mold a male doll's hair than root it.  Beauty didn't have much to say about this bunch, other than that it played into the mall culture that was prevalent in the eighties and nineties.  Sigh...I got in on the very tail end of that, and I gotta admit that I have some lovely memories of shopping malls, as well as one terrifying experience that I'll relate in some other post.  But yeah, when I was very, very little (we're talkin' like one or two years old) West Park Mall was jumping.  Had a fountain at the center like a lot of malls did back then, and it was the place to be.  How I loved that fountain!  Now malls aren't all that much (I think West Park Mall might be considered a dead mall), but for awhile they were the place for kids and teens to hang out.  I love how this toy captures that.

PRETTY CRAZY CURLS

COMPANY:  Playmates Toys

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1997-1998

Now this one I am familiar with, because I own her.  The last of the glitzy toddler dolls.  I had read and heard that this doll didn't see a lot of success, but she was around for a full year so that's something.  Anywho, Pretty Crazy Curls came with hair curlers and some accessories that my little doll is missing (ribbon streamers), and she was accompanied by two brightly colored pets.  Beauty mentions the dog, Curly, but there was also a pony, Lucky.  Other than that Beauty didn't have much to say about this doll either, other than that...oh my, she's got similarities to P.J. Sparkles and the Li'l Miss bunch.  He's definitely not the only one to notice that, but he's not wrong either.  

SURPRISE HAT SUZIE

COMPANY:  Tyco
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1995

I own this one too!  Susie is a hair play doll like Pretty Crazy Curls is, but she hides all her stuff in her hat.  My doll has sequins, beads, ribbons, and a funny-looking headband that one could weave into her hair.  Seriously, a blunt-ended sewing needle is one of this doll's accessories, and one uses that to "sew" her hair into the headband.  I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds a bit maddening.  Susie also has a bit of a blind bag gimmick, in that she has a colored streak in her hair, but no one knows what color it will be until the hat comes off.  Lastly, Susie's hat doubles as a storage purse for her hair doodads that aren't being used, so there's that.  And again, Beauty notices this doll's similarities to P.J. Sparkles and Li'l Miss.  Oh, and if y'all are worried about Susie's hair doodads spilling out when her hat comes off, don't be.  They initially come ensconced in plastic bags.  What happens after the bags are open is up to y'all!

PRINCESS GWENEVERE AND THE JEWEL RIDERS

COMPANY:  Kenner, Hasbro

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:

Back to the "dolls I've never heard of" list we go!  I saw the cartoon listed on a website for ITV, so I presume that this is another British line, thus explaining why I've never heard of the line.  There were three waves of these produced and at least one that made it to the planning stage, and Beauty compares these to She-Ra, from the eighties.  I wonder how popular these were, since they were action figures aimed at girls rather than actual dolls, but I love the colors!

BETTY SPAGHETTY

COMPANY:  Ohio Art Company, Moose Toys

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1998-2004, 2007-2008 (OAC), 2016-2017 (MT)

I freaking LOVE Betty Spaghetty!  Never owned her, can't afford her now, but I love her.  Betty Spaghetty was an appropriately named little doll with long, noodly, bendy limbs and body parts that detached and could be switched around.  Seriously, you could do pert near anything you wanted with these dolls.  She almost always came with beads that could be braided into her hair, and she often had a friend or family member packaged with her.  Hmmm, I apologize, as I did own a Betty Spaghetty set, but it was a trio of Happy Meal dolls rather than legit Ohio Art dolls.  Not that that bothered me much; I wiled away many an afternoon sliding beads into the dolls' hair and switching their body segments.

During my search on eBay I stumbled across a Betty Spaghetty clone, one that I'd never heard of before.  Meet Lanny Lanyard.

Lanny was made by Buddy Toy, whoever they are, and her joints are very different from Betty's.  If I can ever find an affordable Betty set I'll compare her and Lanny.  Beauty called Betty and her crew "experimental," which is actually a good way to explain her considering that toy companies were doing a lot of that at the time (What's Her Face! is a good example).  Some of it succeeded (Betty Spaghetty still has fans to this day), and some of it flopped, but it all made for an interesting stroll down the toy isle.

MY LITTLE PONY

COMPANY:  Hasbro

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1997-2003

Hmmm, I associate these more with the eighties, but I had a trillion of them and I was solidly a nineties child.  Beauty notes that indeed, Generation 1 ended around 1992, and Generation 2...kinda floundered.  They got their start in 1997, and if I'm being perfectly honest, I like the Gen 2 ponies.  They've got sweet faces and bright colors, and to me they kinda look like the Gen 1 ponies grew past the awkward preteen stage.  But y'know how it is with change.  Strawberry Shortcake fans hate change too, and oh good night, do Whovians hate change!  Apparently MLP fans hate change too, because these ponies didn't enjoy the long success that G1 did.  Beauty says they didn't last through 1999, but I found some sources that say G2 was around until 2003.  I don't remember; I was fixated on Barbie and the Bratz by 2003.

DISNEY

COMPANY:  Various

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1990-1999 (and beyond!)

So we're gonna be specific and talk about Disney dolls!  The nineties were the height of the Disney Renaissance, with a number of decent movies being released, and if there was a female in the movie there was gonna be a doll.  Pocahontas?  Doll.  Aladdin?  Doll.  The Hunchback of Notre Dame?  Doll.  Jeez, whoever thought that making The Hunchback of Notre Dame into a cartoon would be a good idea???  Beauty notes that the "Disney Princesses" line wasn't a thing back then, and indeed the princesses I remember were one-offs that were sold separately, like Holiday Princess Snow White (1998).

Today she'd be part of a whole series of winter-themed dolls.  Hmmm...how do you do a winter-themed Elsa, when winter is ALREADY her theme???  LOL, Elsa was a twinkle in the eye back in the nineties, though.  Beauty called out Pocahontas for her popularity, and indeed I remember there being a lot of the dolls (I personally don't like the movie much).  One even paddled her own canoe, and that one I did like.  My sister owned Sun Colors Pocahontas for awhile, and I wish I still had her (I gave her to a little kid who needed her more).  I also remember Belle being a big deal since Belle was the new girl on the block back then, and...shucks, there was a line with light-up jewels, but I can't remember the name of it!  That was the first line I can remember where several princesses had the same theme.  Cinderella's shoes lit up, Belle had a rose on her dress that glowed, and the gems on Aurora's crown lit up.  I loved those.  So yeah, I remember quite a few of these.

For Beauty Inside A Box, those were the dolls he remembered, and he knew of some that I didn't even know existed.  If I were making the list I probably would've added the Cabbage Patch Kids since they were still pretty popular in the nineties, and definitely Polly Pocket too, since my friends and I were big fans of those teeny-weeny little dolls.  As usual, I invite y'all to share your opinions, what you might add to the list or such.

Love,
RagingMoon1987

So random, May-June '25

May and June were both kinda slim.  Since I use a walker to get around now I can't carry my dolls here and there like I used to.  I'm brainstorming a solution for that, but in the meantime I merged May and June this year.  We begin on May 3rd.  My Sasha family grew to three.

The black baby's name is Cara, according to multiple sources.  I would've thought she was Cora sized down, just as Sasha Baby is Sasha sized down, but she's not.  Cara is an entity all her own.  These Sasha babies could prove addictive, by the way, as they fit nicely into my hands and are just as high-quality as the big dolls, AND they have the same neutral expressions.  With my hip being sore and the number of loonies rising in my town, I've worn the same expression on my face lately, one that is blank but can convey irritation, ennui, impatience, frustration, or full-tilt outrage.  But then on the opposite end of the coin, it can also mask amusement.  What can I say, I have a resting bitch face, and to a certain extent, so do Sasha dolls.

May 5th.  I had a mondo backache and wanted nothing more than to lie down, but alas, I had to wait for FedEx to come (they needed my friggin' signature for something).  George and Anna kept me company. 

I think Anna was as tired of waiting as I was at that point.  Nothing bothers George.  The package did come, by the way, and the contents were...very special, shall we say!  As for these two, these two are the type that I'd like to take outside and photograph in a tree, in the grass, ANYWHERE, but right now I can't.  George and Anna give great hugs, though!

May 7th.  Macy arrived in the mail, as did Bubblecut Dawn's head, worn atop the body that Treesa sent.

Dawn was a little miffed that I photographed her without clothes, but I promised her she'd have something nice to wear soon, and in the time that's elapsed "soon" has come.

Etsy shop is LoriPalekDolls.

May 11th, memory from 2021.  I described her as Barbie on acid in the Failbook post.

I did buy this doll, by the way.  I named her Tano and intended to review her, but...well, you see one Barbie doll and you've pretty much seen 'em all.

May 18th.  The Binky Buddies.

From left, Ayla, Candela Laura, and Solana Sunburst.  I've said it before but I'll say it again:  I love it when a doll can take a pacifier.  I loved Cabbies with the #4 head before I was even a fan of the dolls themselves; a brief notice ran in an issue of Doll Reader showing a full-sized Kid in a diaper and booties, plus a pacifier.  The caption noted, "Although she wears a diaper and booties, she is a Kid."  She predated Preemies and was thus a full sixteen inches, but oh, was she cute!  She had blonde hair, just like Candela Laura does.

May 19th.  Candela Laura strikes a pose with another baby doll, Mary/Baby All Gone.  Mary probably could take a pacifier too, but Baby All Gone didn't have one.

This was the same night that Fayetteville got hit, by the way.  These two helped me keep my mind settled.

Same evening.  Not a doll, but something for one.

These belong to my new doll with the long legs and the watermelon outfit, the one that came on May 5th.  The green hat and the red hat are made of yarn that glows in the dark, and they glow very well.

May 22nd.  One of my Failbook groups asked for double pony Cabbage Patch Kids, so I acquiesced with these three.  From left, Valencia Rose, Valencia's Playmate Titania Rosalind, and Elisabeth Clara. 

I always will wonder why Cabbie fans call this 'do double ponies instead of pigtails or dog ears.  I've always heard dog ears from the older generation and pigtails from my own generation.  But Cabbie fans call these double ponies, and double ponies is what I'll go with.  

May 23rd.  Ernest John got something new in the mail. 

I love the elephant onesies!  And yes, those are my battleship hips he's sitting on, though Christa from Newfoundland pointed out that there's only room on each hip for one Cabbie.  She has a point, as at one time two could've fit on each hip.  Diets suck, but they're worth it in the end.  On this particular evening Mary was content to sit by me rather than on me, though she also spent part of the evening on my lap.  In addition to cuddling my dolls when life's a drag, I also cuddle 'em when life's good or just for the heckuvit.

I freaking love this doll, Treesa.  I don't know what it is about her, but I love her.

May 25th, dark and rainy with a fair amount of thunder.  We were half-expecting it to get violent again, but it didn't, thank God.  Even so, Ernest John and So Surprised Suzie got cozy.

Ernest John is my eternal ladies' man.  Girl dolls love him.  Suzie in turn loves baby dolls that are close to her in size or smaller, though she treats everyone she meets with a fair amount of enthusiasm.

May 27th.  Chatty Cathy got a clean bill of health after a long battle with mold.  To celebrate I put her in a dress she's never worn before. 

Those shoes look ridiculous IRL.  I need to find a Minnie Mouse costume for them.  Otherwise Cathy looks...well, about as good as a Chatty Cathy doll can.  I'm glad I didn't have to send her to a professional dolly doctor, though I may in the future anyway.  Her face is terribly pale, but I've read that that's kinda normal for these dolls.  Will you play with me???  LOL

May 28th.  Yet another new Cabbie came in the mail.  Malinda Irisa is her name, and November 1st is her birthday.  She is a neon Preemie. 

Neon Preemies have bodies that are a more vivid shade of pink than that of the average Cabbie.  I was actually looking for a Preemie with green eyes and the body didn't matter much, but Malinda had green eyes, the neon body, AND all her papers for fifty bucks.  Can't beat that with a stick!  

May 30th.  Someone online asked for a comparison between a neon Preemie and the regular one, so I obliged. 

Ernest John is your regular...actually, he's a little darker than your average Preemie, but his body is more or less the standard tan.  Malinda Irisa is very, very pink, pinker than your average Preemie.  That's all a neon Preemie is, but like Cabbies with popcorn hair some collectors go ga-ga over them.  For me the neon bit was just a nice bonus, as I was after a Caucasian #3 Preemie to complete the eye color triad.  Remember:  Caucasian Preemies with the #1 head have blue eyes, dolls with the #3 head have green eyes, and dolls with the #4 head have brown eyes.  Afro-American Preemies are brown-eyed, full stop, and no Preemie that I'm aware of used the #2 head.

June 3rd, as I was getting ready for work and humming "Ode to Billy Joe."  I noticed how cute my dolls looked all jumbled together, so here are some of my Cabbies and one American Girl. 

Back row, from left: Karen Sheila, Rowena Skylar, Gavin Andrew, and Julie. Front row from left: Alice Helene, Ernest John, Tabitha Renee, and Malinda Irisa.  Allie Kathleen's left arm can be seen sticking between Alice Helene and Karen Sheila.  Tabitha Renee looks like a TB patient, she's so pale, and Christa from Newfoundland thinks she looks high as well...which she kinda does!  I'm also noticing that FOUR of these dolls are redheads.  I love redheads, but I did NOT deliberately cluster them together.  It just kinda worked out that way.

Also pale is my new-to-me girl.

This is McGuffey Ana (pet name will be simply "Ana"), and she's a big girl!  She's about nineteen inches in height and is fully composition.  Heavens, it's been forever since I talked about compo on the blog!  The eBay seller suspects that Ana had some restoration work done, and indeed her composition is a little too perfect, and I found a repaired crack on her cheek.  But she's still wicked awesome, and that restoration work will add a few years to her life.  I've never owned a composition Madame Alexander doll before, by the way, and McGuffey Ana dates from the late thirties to early forties, so she's my oldest MA.  More information on McGuffey Ana can be found here.

June 5th.  I decided that I wanted to ID the cute baby doll that Setsu-P sent me last spring, so I brought him to work with me. 

Here he's peeping out of one of the pockets I have in the bag I hang on my walker.  The doll is a Little Mommy Mini, by the way; these are still in production and have cute little faces.

At the opposite end of the emotional spectrum is Chou Chou.  I'd worked on her review that evening and Chou had had about enuff.

Chou Chou reminds me of Tardar Sauce, even more so than Anita does.  She's not always this miserable though, even though she looks the part.  She's leaning against the box where my Dawn dolls live, by the way.  I've got quite a few of 'em now.

June 7th, 2018.  This was in my Failbook memories.

G1 Catty Noir, clad in a getup that probably belongs to Lagoona Blue. 

June 8th.  My resident sleepyheads, Hedda Get Bedda and Bedsie Beans.

I don't know why I leave Hedda's sleeping face out all the time, but I like her the best that way.

June 8th was the first nice day we'd had in almost a week, so Mama and I went out to eat.  I took a couple'a friends along.

That sun was BRIGHT that day!

Same day.  I was working on the Amooooore Doll review and got this candid of Xue. 

Xue could see Chou Chou, just out of the frame to the left, and Chou was in one of her moods.  Xue was afraid to approach her.

June 9th.  A familiar face steps out of the ether.

Alistair was tired after making the move from Casa Luna to Casa Pizarro, but he felt well enuff to wave to the crowd.  His state of dress gives y'all an idea about how long it's been since I played with him.

Twist 'n' Style Tiffany arrived in the mail that day, and I promptly posed her with Alexis/Pretty Crazy Curls.

Tiffany is a short little gal!  Alexis is about the size of a Wellie Wisher, and Tiffany is a couple'a inches shorter.

June 10th.  I got a second-wave Buried Secrets doll, and lemme tell y'all, the lids on that wave are pink.  I saw those and thought "Dang it, I got ANOTHER Draculaura."  But this isn't Draculaura, not by a long shot.

I didn't mind Cozy Creepover Draculaura's stiff body, but poor Frankie looks like they're terribly uncomfortable.  Their upper body looks like some spinal disorder, like scoliosis or worse.  I like Frankie's pink prosthetic leg, but the rest of this body...yucko, not a fan.  I understand now why fans hate polypropelene hair too, as Frankie's hair is stiff and difficult to control.  Look at Frankie's paint, though!

They've got a lovely face.  I was having trouble picking a G3 Frankie Stein, and then one just lands in my lap and they're...well, they've got a lovely face.  I wish these Buried Secrets bodies were jointed though, especially since G1 budget dolls were jointed.  Nevertheless I've become a fan of the Buried Secrets bunch, and I'm already excited for the third wave.  It looks like it's gonna be a masquerade theme.

That same evening I posed Stella Rae and Candela Laura together.

Stella Rae was still in a Christmas dress (in June!), so I...well, I fixed that!

June 13th.  My friend Donna presented me with this.

Her name is Emily, and she came from Kmart.

According to her tags she plays "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

June 16th.

Different eyes, different hair, different dolls.  From left, my usual Candela Laura, Martina, one of my equally-loved Furga dolls, and Vincent, one of my My Child dolls.

Same day, different doll.  Elisabeth Clara got a new dress.

Bumblebees?  Gnomes?  POLKA DOTS???  Yes, please!

June 20th, the first truly hot day of the year.  In past years we might've already had a few scorchers.  I wasn't sure where else in the blog to fit Li'l Imp, so she goes here.

Li'l Imp is from Vogue, like Ginny and like Brikette.  ATM I have neither the room nor the money for her sister Brikette, but Li'l Imp will suffice. 

I must say, Vogue didn't do red hair or green eyes half-cocked!

June 21st.  I took Li'l Imp to work with me and she was bushed.  

I think Imp and Vincent are both contenders for the title of "ultimate ginger."

June 26th.  We go from the ultimate ginger to sour apple green.

I warned y'all (and myself) that Mia could be hazardous to my wallet!  I have three now, and I'm sizing up the one with short blue and black hair too since she's a bit edgier than the others.

Well!  Combining two months proved to be a bigger job than I predicted!  I may have to do the same thing at the end of August, as I'm unsure what the next two months will bring.  I have an MRI scheduled for July 2nd, and until then I won't really know what my future will hold.  Hip surgery is inevitable at this point, but I still have no clue when it'll be.  Just gotta go about my routine until then!

Much love, 

RagingMoon1987