So random, part three

I don't know how popular posts like these are, but I like them so I'm gonna do them from time to time.  Hey, it's either that or let cute outtakes go to waste!  I'll start on March 30th, with an outtake from this post.

I need to add some color to Olivia Reese's lips; she doesn't photograph well.  Owen Presley, though...LOL, he's always such a little ham!  Case in point.

April 17th was the date that time.  Cara Raelean, Owen Presley and Hugo Jack were the subjects.  One of my Failbook groups started having themed days for the various Cabbage Patch Kids, and...well, this picture didn't fit any of the themes, but I wanted a group shot of my baldies (I didn't have Nathan Hunter or Esmond Brant at the time).  As I noted on April 19th, the bald Cabbies can get away with wearing just about anything.  That said, I'd yet to get Owen Presley anything new at that point.  Etsy has things, so I had no excuse!

This one dates back to April 21st, 2018.  I can't imagine why I didn't throw this in the blog then!

From left, Licca-chan, Michiko, Sachiko, Pepper Parson, and Saltine.  At the time I commented that my girls were ready for the weather to get warm and stay warm.  That spring must've been kinda like this last one:  unseasonably warm one day and chilly the next.

April 21st, 2024.

Rosemary relaxed after her rough day.  Even without eyelashes she looked so sweet and serene.  I just wish that cute wig fit better!

April 25th, 2024.

Lucey Dena was my work companion that day (I'm slowly but surely breaking the habit of carrying a doll to work).  When one habit dies another is born, and I've taken to wearing buttons of multiple sizes to work...oh right, I told y'all that!  I've got Blythe buttons, Chessie System buttons, a couple'a ace pride buttons, one very unusual one that combines the TARDIS with The Starry Night, and this one with two Cabbage Patch Kids on it.  I...shucks, I can't remember where I got this one!  But I wore it the day that I carried Lucey Dena.

Can't remember whether Treesa sent it to me or if it came as a freebie in one of my Etsy packages.  Either option is equally likely, but either way it's welcome now.

This is another one that popped up on my Failbook memories.  Date was May 1st, 2016.  I'd owned Johnny about two months at that point...and this was just the first time that he got upset with me.

This was the first indication I got that Johnny was going to be a problem child.  I had to restring him (it was my first time doing it), and he sulked for the rest of that evening.  So did I; restringing dolls isn't much fun in general, but restringing ball-jointed dolls REALLY isn't fun.  Not without the right tools, anyway.

May 2nd, 2024.  An outtake from this post.

As I've established ad nauseam, Terri Lee and Mary Jane are a study in opposites, but because Mary Jane is a clone of Terri Lee there are a lot of similarities too.  I prefer Terri Lee's dark eyes, but I also prefer Mary Jane's auburn hair.  I love auburn hair.  I just love these two, period, and I REALLY love how Mary Jane is giving Terri Lee the side-eye.  I solemnly swear that I did NOT pose her like that deliberately!

May 4th, 2024.  A box from Treesa had just been delivered, the one that had the Magic Nursery doll in it.  I posed Lina with a very sleepy-looking Sabine.

Sabine is a large plastic walker that I got in a trade about five years ago, and Lina is my little show-stealer, LOL.  I'd just cleaned poor Sabine's eyes and she just wanted to sleep after that, kinda like I do after I've had my eyes dilated.  

May 9th, 2024.  Lina enjoys some time with Shelley Fred and Morgan.

Yep, I was thinking about Independence Day that far ahead!  Shelley had just gotten that cute outfit in the mail, and since I had these three together I thought it might make a good picture for a July 4th post.  Then Nathan Hunter joined the soft doll family, Mama found him a patriotic outfit, and this image was rendered an outtake. 

May 10th, 2024, about ten p.m. local time.  This time Lina is joined by Valencia Rose and Morgan.

I'd been out chasing the aurora borealis, which was a possibility that night.  In fact, it was a certainty in parts of the Bootheel, and indeed parts of the whole country.  People in southern Louisiana got to see it, for crying out loud!  But I didn't see it, so I came home and monkeyed with these three.  Val was fresh out of the drier that night and smelled softly of Tide.  I guess my timing was just off regarding the aurora.  Several of my friends got some lovely pictures though, and I was glad for them.  

May 11th, 2024.  I moved Stella Rae to Grandma's house.  

The aurora was in the forecast again, so Mama and I went out to the back roads to see what we could see.  We saw fireflies and a few pretty clouds, but the aurora didn't show that time.  So we came home, I pulled Stella out of the drier, and I threw her in Angela's arms.  I was pleased to discover that Preemie Cabbies fit pretty well into My Twinn arms!  As for the aurora...my turn will come.  And I got to see the eclipse!  

May 19th, 2024.  Another "I was getting ready for work and caught this" picture. 

Elsie and Carrie are from the same line of dolls, but that's about where the similarities end.  Elsie is stuffed firmly and can sit up if braced from the back, while Carrie can't even do that!  I usually don't mind that, though.  It makes Carrie more of a character. 

May 28th, 2024.  Kory Aryan got some new clothes to wear.

Mama, being the kind person that she is, chose to indulge one of my dolls with a dinosaur-themed outfit.  When I told her Kory looked the best in green, that was the name she selected for customization.  The Cabbage Patch group that I like on Failbook has themes for some days of the week, and I took this picture in preparation for a Wednesday Wearables segment.  Wednesday Wearables is for new clothes (or for a favorite old outfit), and Kory got a lot of likes.

June 1st, 2024.  Taniyah Yasmin poses for an aborted review of a clothing set.

The clothing set in question is this one.  This layette set dates back to 2006 and was a Target exclusive.

The set includes three little rompers with matching headbands, a bottle, and a binky that won't go into any of my dolls' mouths.  Still, the clothes fit Taniyah like a glove, so I won't complain.  

June 2nd, 2024.  An outtake from Elsie's review.

My Cabbage Patch Kids are extremely easygoing, and Alexandra Claire proved to be a capable babysitter. 

June 9th, 2024.  Lena has a brother.

Leo is his name.  Lina has another brother in the post, but it'll be a day yet before he gets here.

June 10th, 2024.  I was moving more dolls out of Casa del Luna, and River Song was one of the ones I grabbed.  Here she cuddles with Allie Kathleen, arguably the softest of my Cabbies. 

They don't have much in common except for blonde hair.  If I'd chosen Alexandra Claire the story would've been different, since she and River Song share a hair color, an eye color, and a first name.  But Allie Kathleen is who I picked and River Song appears happy with that.

June 11th, 2024.  The season's first fireworks were crackling in the street, and Gabby was strutting her stuff.  I had this Charlie Brown outfit on Cindy Lou Who, but the hat didn't fit over her hair so Gabby is wearing it.  Yellow begs for a dark-skinned doll, but Danica just got a new dress and I owe Gabby.

Gabby had to be my oddball.  I moved Danica, Silver Bird, Jettivee, and River Song over to Grandma's house and none of them had a speck of mold on them.  Then when I picked up Gabby...she was covered in the crap.  It's that powdery white sh!t that grows in vintage Crissy doll eyes, and it was easy to clean off Gabby's skin, but I'm taking no chances.  She's being quarantined right now, just to be safe.  The Velvet that Tam sent me last Christmas remains bright-eyed, and I'm doing everything in my power to keep it that way.  By the way, Tam, Velvet says hello.

June 16th, 2024.  A scorcher with scattered thundershowers.  It was thundering pretty close when I saw Carrie passed out on top of Elmyra.

Unlike some of my little dolls, Carrie is not afraid of storms.  For that matter, neither is Elmyra.  A very strong gust of wind hit the house about fifteen minutes after I took this picture, by the way.  We lost out internet for eighteen hours, and our mail carrier lost two trees.  Thank God that's all it was.

I think that'll do it for now!

Love,
RagingMoon1987

An outtake from yesterday

Last year I was demanding the head of Punxsutawney Phil on a plate, but this year it looks like the rodent's forecast may be wrong.  A week after the library's parking lot (and my driveway) were sheets of ice, it's in the fifties and we've had a lot of rain.  Wednesday got the most of it, and that was when I caught this picture.

Mama and I were headed to work, with our usual pit stop at McDonald's, and I had not one but two of my kids with me.  Gabby was her usual chatty self, while Julia was content to do the listening.  Julia is patient and a good listener, and as such Gabby's stutter is almost nonexistent when these two are together.

In addition to the rain and the mild temperatures, the dandelions are starting to show.  This feller was out before the ice was fully gone!

They say that rats and cockroaches will repopulate the world if the nuke is dropped, and I predict that they'll thrive on dandelions and the plants that produce sticker burrs.  Seriously, I don't think Castle Bravo could wipe out sticker burrs.

Hugs and dandelions,
RagingMoon1987

Christmas Eve 2022

Christmas Eve got off to a poopy start, as my brother-in-law would put it.  Despite taking all possible precautions, a pipe in Mama's house exploded and annihilated the carpet.  Nothing got ruined but the carpet, but it's still a soggy, chilly, slippery mess over there and Mama and I have some serious work to do.  Add to that the fact that the weather is STILL not above freezing.  On the good side, it WILL get above freezing before too long, and Mama's heat is still working so things are workable. 

In dolly news, well...there isn't much new.  I did get three of my girls bundled up for a photo op, and two of them are new to the blog, so I guess that counts.

Luciana is an old regular, but Danica on her right and Gabby on her left are not.  Danica Holley and Gabriela McBride are my early Christmas presents to myself, and even though they're not related I jokingly call them the Sonali sisters.

Danica is a secondhand Create Your Own with a few dings and scuffs and some wear to her hair.  She's pretty much everything I could've wanted in a CYO, and she was a little cheaper than she would've been if I'd bought her straight from the company.  Gabby is also secondhand, with a few scuffs and spots of glitter glue on her cheeks, but that bothers me naught.  Again, her price was reasonable, and her curls were/are relatively neat, so I snapped her up.  I'm working hard to give her the royal treatment, just as I said I would back in February. 

Luciana, Gabby, and Danica have all been good girls, or Gabby and Danica have been during their short stays here, so they all got presents.  Rita Cheryl and Silver Bird will too, but theirs will unfortunately be a hair late.  Anyway, Gabby and Danica are wearing their cozy new winter threads, so if y'all want a better look, just scroll up (LOL).  Luciana's new dress is too light for the cold temperatures we're having now, but trust me:  it's a freaky little number!  I also got Danica an axolotl for a pet.

Danica is an Addams Family fan, so she named him "Gomez."  I'd have thought "Thing" would be better, but her critter, her rules!

That about sums it up for now!  Merry Christmas from me and the girls!

God bless y'all, 

RagingMoon1987 

American Girl: A changing brand?

Hi, everyone! It's Talolili (Ternessa). I apologize for not posting in such a long time. I suppose the simplest reason for my absence would be life. I've had a lot happen to me in 2016. So many changes with my personal life and doll life. I want 2017 to be different for myself and I'm glad to be back! I want to start off my first post of the year about a company I've been a fan of since I was in elementary school. American Girl. I think most of us are familiar with them. They make some of the most popular 18" dolls, clothes and accessories around. After a 6+ year break I returned to the brand by purchasing their 2014 Girl Of The Year doll: Isabelle Palmer. She was a blonde and pink haired ballet dancer. I found her just adorable. Since then I've sold my Isabelle doll but I did purchase the 2016 GOTY Lea Clark as a birthday present for myself last October. She's also a cutie and I love her adorable caramel hair and hazel eyes. In short, I'm trying to say that I've been a fan of AG and I hope I will continue to be one for a long time. That brings me to the main topic of this post. American Girl's changing business strategy.

A lot has been going on with the brand starting way back in 1998 when Mattel took acquisition of the Pleasant Company. I wasn't around for the original PC run of dolls so I've always known the Mattel side of them. I have seen some of the PC fans post comments about Mattel ruining the brand and "cheapening out" but I usually just attributed most of that to them being afraid of change and/or living in the past. Things change and I understand that. Most things, especially businesses have to adjust to changing markets. Now I feel myself echoing some of the thoughts of some of those original PC doll collectors and I also understand some of their complaints.

So lately American Girl/Mattel has been making their products more widely available by selling certain lines like Truly Me and Wellie Wishers at Toys R Us and The Girl Of The Year line and Wellie Wishers at Kohl's. This was a positive move in my opinion, as I know from personal experience, not everyone can make it to a American Girl store easily and shipping fees can really add up for large purchases. My last small order from AG consisting of just a few socks and a shirt was over $8, a full doll can easily go over $20.

I was also happy to see that more children would be exposed to the dolls. So I didn't see hardly any drawbacks to expanding to select retailers. Next, we learned late last year right after the 2017 GOTY doll, Gabriela McBride (also the first GOTY doll of color!) was introduced that AG would be changing their box designs to make them easier to display the dolls and outfits/accessories. Right off the bat, backlash was everywhere. People claimed the new packaging made the products look cheap, ruined the clothes with tags and other security measures to keep the products in place and many also assumed the new packaging was to curb possible theft from retailers.

In my opinion the new packaging isn't my favorite from AG, but I usually just store the boxes in a closet so they don't really have much value or use to me. My main concern is removing the clothes safely. I've had many a Barbie or other fashion doll outfits get holes in them trying to remove them from the packaging. I was also hoping that Mattel would do everything they could to prevent this issue, but after seeing feedback from customers on the official AG website, it seems that the clothes are indeed being damaged while being removed. Reviews for Gabriela's pjs in the new packaging

Now that brings me to latest update that American Girl announced today on their Facebook page. Non removable underwear. Yes, there is no way to remove them, they're apart of the doll's main body. Now this announcement had me livid... ever since I was a kid I've always disliked painted on or any other kind of attached underwear on my dolls. It just always bugged me and made me think the companies were being cheap. After seeing pics of the new attached underwear and discussing them with my fellow doll collectors I decided to sign a petition on Change.org to get Mattel to possibly rethink their decision.

Left: Old panty design  Middle:New attached panties  Right:New panties with a swim bottom over them

I realize that a lot of people think that we fans are overreacting to the change but this is our hobby and it's very important to us. I think that Mattel also needs to listen more to their consumers. Selling the dolls at Toys R Us, Kohl's and other stores doesn't really change the main doll. Neither does the packaging. It's still an AG brand doll, but attached underwear? That just doesn't seem like something I'd ever expect from the AG brand that promotes creativity, play and imagination.

How can a child be imaginative when they can't choose their favorite color for their doll's undies or even remove them if they get dirty? American Girl stated on Facebook that one reason for the change was because customers complained that their children had trouble putting on the underwear or ended up losing them. I honestly think that is ridiculous. If the child does have trouble putting them on just give them some time, they'll get the hang of it! I'm sure of it. I had to learn, too, as we all did. And if a set gets lost, it's super easy to find replacement panties. Either directly from AG or through eBay, Amazon or other 18" doll companies.

I really hope Mattel will take customer feedback into consideration and either stop the change over to attached underwear or offer up the option of getting them attached or having them left separate from the doll. I think this would be the best way to go about it. What is your opinion? Do you think this a good decision on Mattel's part or do you not like this new design? What do you think of the other changes to the brand? Please share your views below in the comment section. I've also attached a link to the petition here: Petition Link

Thank you for reading and happy doll collecting!!!