More random dolls that I found interesting

I love Fridays and loathe August!  August is the hot-weather equivalent of January, with nothing but extreme temperatures and no holidays to look forward to for at least a month.  Hmmm...I think I gripe about August EVERY August, come to think of it.  On the other hand, it's Friday, and even though I don't get Saturdays off like I did when I was a kid, I still love Fridays.  On this particular day a Friday and a first day of August kinda cancel each other out.  Gee whiz, where have I been???  Obviously I meant this to go up back in August, and on a Friday...yeppers, August 1st was a Friday!  Thank you Treesa, for pointing out that lovely boo-boo.  It's a full moon tonight and I'm just a little crazy, just like my critters.  Anyway, I'm back with another list of obscure (or not-so-obscure) dolls that I found interesting, and I'm gonna just dive right in.

TIMEY TELL

COMPANY:  Mattel 

YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1964

I've been told that the dolly world can be just as wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey as the life of a time lord, and that appears to be the case with this young lady.  Timey Tell wears a large watch on her wrist, and...I actually don't know if it's tied to her ability to talk, but she can announce various activities to do at various hours.  She even has accessories for some of those activities, like a tea set for four-o'clock.  Hmmm...did Americans do teatime at four-o'clock in the sixties?  Did this doll turn off at night?  Jeez, I've had toys that woke up in the middle of the night, and it made long for a cinder block to hurl at said toy.  EDIT, 11/20/25:  I oughtta know better by now than to talk about a vintage doll without at least glancing at Tam's blog.  She talked about Timey Tell HERE.  The magazine ad she shows is to die for, and it even shows some other familiar faces.  Anyone for Baby Beans???

COOCHY COO BABY

COMPANY:  Ertl
YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1996

I blame Eve Ensler for ruining my views on "coochy-coochy-coo."  Read "The Little Coochi Snorcher That Could" if you dare and you'll see what I mean (linked content is rated X for violence, rape, and underage sex).  Dumbest pudendal euphemism that I've ever heard, first and foremost, and then the subject matter of that monologue...ewww.  Adult content aside, from what I can gather Coochy-Coo Baby functions in a way similar to some of the dolls I own.  Squeeze her tummy, and she apparently makes baby noises.  She'll also suck on her bottle or her pacifier if her tummy is pressed, and I think that's pretty cool.  Bless You Baby Tender Love sure can't do that!  She's got a hole in her mouth for a bottle, but she sure as snot doesn't suck on it!

Coochy-Coo Baby and Bless You Baby Tender Love do have a few things in common, though.  Their gimmicks are both triggered by squeezing the doll's tummy, and they both appear to be all one piece, with no joints whatsoever.  Ooo, I bet that means that Coochy-Coo is soft!  Baby Tender Love certainly is.  I have to admit though that Coochy-Coo freaks me out a little, mainly because of her huge eyes and huge mouth.  She looks a little like a modern-day Cry Baby, but not as cute.  Still, this doll is kinda interesting, and I love how her gimmick is kid-friendly.  She comes in both white and Afro-American variants.

BABY COLOR AND SHAMPOO

COMPANY:  Kenner
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1993-1994

Oh, I can just here my mama:  "Don't make a mess in there, Moon!"  LOL, I loved to play in my bath when I was little, and if I had a doll or a toy to play with me I was in hog heaven.  Occasionally I did make a mess and I got a severe scolding or even a swat on the rear!  That said, Baby Color and Shampoo is exactly what she sounds like:  a doll with hair dye and shampoo.  You could streak her hair with the included dye, and the apparently you could wash it out and do it all over again.  In theory it sounds pretty good, though I do wonder how well it worked in real life.  My friends had Doodle Bears that never got completely clean despite what the advertisements said.  Anyway, in addition to the shampooing/hair-dying gimmicks, Baby Color and Shampoo could blow bubbles when one squeezed her tummy...but out the top of her head!  Not out of her mouth like babies normally would!  Nonetheless I'd have been all over this doll like white on rice had I liked dolls in 1993.  I was solidly a Jurassic Park girl by then.  Baby Color and Shampoo was not alone in the water-play-meets-hair-coloring category, by the way; Foam 'n' Color Barbie was there too.  Again, I have no idea how well Barbie's foam washed out, but either way it sounds like something I'd have loved.

BUBBLE SURPRISE SUZY

COMPANY:  Kenner
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1993-1994

Another doll named Suzy!  I guess one could say that Suzy here was Baby Color and Shampoo's companion or sister.  Worthpoint apparently thinks so.  A close look at the dolls' feet reveals that they both had the same body mold, so there's that much more in common.  Suzy is another water play doll, and one...basically dressed her in bubbles.  I could've sworn that there was a Barbie doll back in the day who wore bubbles too, but all I could find online was Foam 'n' Color Barbie, who definitely does NOT wear dresses made of bubbles...no, I found her!  Her name was Bathtime Fun Barbie, and she also wore soap bubble dresses.  Once again, both Barbie and Suzy are dolls I'd have enjoyed as a child, because I loved to play with soap.  Suzy appears to be kinda obscure; I was unable to find a commercial for her, and I only found images of a white doll, with lilac eyes, no less.  <glances up>  Oh, Baby Color and Shampoo has lilac eyes too.  Interestingly, in this video Suzy's molded earrings can clearly be seen.  I don't often see baby dolls with earrings.

CHLOE CHARMS

COMPANY:  Kenner

YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1995-1996

One of the glitzy toddler dolls, Chloe Charms carries charms in that big silver necklace of hers, and they could be used to decorate her dress and hair.  I think little girls could wear 'em too.  <glances at the commercial>  No, the charms come out of Chloe's crown!  Now that, I love.  You turn the plastic dome on the crown, and out pops a charm.  Pretty cool!  As with Twist 'n' Style Tiffany, I prefer Chloe Charms's black self to her white one, because her smile looks genuinely happy rather than pageant-y, but they're both cute.

BABY DID IT

COMPANY:  Kenner

YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1996

Oh mercy, baby did what???  LOL, the box says it all:  after being fed Baby Did It loads her pants and it's up to the owner to clean her up.  She comes with her powder and what I presume is a thing of wipes, and a baby bottle, so basically this doll is your classic drink 'n' wet doll.  I don't like this doll's face much; she looks a little like a space alien.  The name makes me laugh though, because it reminds me of my sister's hijinks during her potty training days!

KATIE KISS 'N' GIGGLES

COMPANY:  CapToys
YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1994

CapToys!  Who do we know from CapToys???

So there was more to CapToys than Blooming Dolls!  Katie Kiss 'n' Giggles is Violet's "cousin," so to speak, and her gimmick is a simple one.  Squeeze her tummy and she kisses you.  She's even got her own lip gloss for the occasion.  In the kissing sense Katie is very much like the Cabbage Patch Kissin' Kids, in that they also kiss when squeezed.  I think Rowena Skylar runs on batteries, though...and maybe Katie does too.  I dunno.  Either way I don't think Katie has the cutest face, but I love her simple, kid-friendly gimmick.  

MY PRETTY BALLERINA 

COMPANY:  Tyco
YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1989-1990

Now she's in me, always with me...ahem, I like ballerina dolls.  I think I've discussed that, LOL.  My Pretty Ballerina did what ballerinas do:  stretch at the barre and turn pirouettes.  This particular doll also has joints all over, which is...actually more than I can say for a lot of ballerina dolls that I've seen/owned.  You'd think that ballerina dolls would be more limber than the average doll, but a lot of 'em aren't, probably because of production costs.  I won't knock it, since even the stiffest ballerinas I own have a lot of grace.  But My Pretty Ballerina has the joints to get the job done, plus arms like a gibbon.  Seriously, this child has LOOOONG arms!  LOL, again, I can dig it.

CALIFORNIA ROLLER BABY

COMPANY:

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1991-1992 (Maybe????  I actually don't know how long she was produced, LOL.)

Yep, I'm finally including her!  Every time I discuss glitzy toddler dolls this one crops up at least once.  I guess she technically could be called glitzy herself since she's wearing jewelry and engaging in a hobby that few toddlers engage in.  Not that I know of, anyway; my friends didn't start gomming around with roller skates until they were about eight, and they didn't rollerblade until ten or eleven.  ANYWAY, like most of the dolls above, California Roller Baby runs on batteries, is ridiculously happy-looking, and has a gimmick that is fairly easy to operate.  She legit skates, without anyone holding her up like Barbie in her sparky rollerblading days.  Granted, Cali wouldn't win any races, but she IS skating on her own.

ROCKIN' BOPPERS

COMPANY:  Worlds of Wonder
YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1990

From the company that brought us Julie, the Rockin' Boppers danced to their own music, or music that anyone else supplied.  Anything from "S.O.S." to "Gimme All Your Lovin'," or whatever you might prefer.  These aren't as technologically advanced as Julie, but they're cute and once again, they're kid-friendly.  I will say though (since I talked about My Pretty Ballerina's long arms), dig the Boppers' stubby little legs!  Good thing the clothes make them look a little more in proportion.

SWEET TREATS

COMPANY:  Matchbox
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  1989

These fantasy-themed soft dolls hail from a land called Sweet Land where the girls are both attractive and good-natured.  Hmmm, sounds a little like Paradise City, where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.  More song references aside, I associate Matchbox more with the little cars that I collected than with dolls, but I won't knock it.  These remind me of Rainbow Brite a smidge, with their colors and their soft bodies and such.  They were also scented, like many dolls of the era, and...that's pretty much it!  They're cute, cuddly, and colorful, and I like these.  Blueberry Cheesecake is my favorite.

DIAL-A-DOCTOR BABY

COMPANY:  Hasbro

YEAR OF PRODUCTION:  1997

<steps out of the ether>  Hello, I'm the Doctor.  <big smile>  Basically...run!  LOL, I couldn't resist!  I can only remember Mama calling the doctor for me once, when I was sick with tonsillitis and running a 104-degree fever.  She probably did it a couple'a times when I was a baby too, since I was sick enuff for it on two occasions, but I remember the tonsillitis incident.  Mercy, that was a hellish week.  School had thankfully just let out for the summer, but that was the only positive thing about the ordeal.  I remember Mama reading my thermometer, saying "Oh dear God, a hundred and four," and grabbing the phone, while I was holding my throat thinking "Why can't that danged doctor come here like he does in my books???"  But that wasn't the way it went.  I had to cripple out of bed and get diagnosed that way.  Anyway, Dial-a-Doctor Baby can also suffer from four common childhood ailments, though thank God, tonsillitis isn't one of 'em.  She can develop sore gums, a fever, your classic head cold, and...well, a boo-boo!  The accompanying portable phone has buttons that correspond with whatever ailment you think Baby is sick with, and Dr. Johnson gives the needed advice.  In addition to her phone Baby is accompanied by a thermometer, cold meds, teething gel, and a bandage.  Baby herself appears to be your basic baby doll, with a soft body, vinyl head and limbs, and rooted hair.  She makes no sounds or movements, but she's got a sweet face.  Dial-a-Doctor Baby can be either blonde or Afro-American, and her black variant is adorable.

HOLLY HOBBIE AND FRIENDS

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2006

Ah, the perfect fusion of then-modern and retro!  Apparently this rendition of Holly Hobbie was based on a TV show that was airing on Nick Jr. in 2006, and if that's the case then Holly is a city slicker with two friends from the country, and is apparently the great-granddaughter of the original Holly.  Way to make boomers feel old, Mattel; the original Holly Hobbie only dates back to the sixties.  Holly herself looks very retro with the bell-bottom jeans and all those beads.  I also have learned from a VERY reputable source that these dolls had fashion packs to go along with the dolls, which is always a plus.  Unfortunately the outfits came with gimmicks, and the only one that really worked well was the bead gimmick.  But still this is a cute line overall, one I wouldn't have minded dabbling in if I'd been aware of it in 2006.

4-EVER BEST FRIENDS

COMPANY:  MGA Entertainment
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2003

Before the Moxie Girlz, there were these.  I can only presume that these were MGA's first attempt to counter parental complaints that the Bratz were too skanky, and if that's the case then MGA kinda failed a little bit.  These dolls are less vampy than the Bratz, but a few of 'em are still pretty scantily clad.  Some of these dolls are going for a swim though, and if you're swimming you get a little more of a pass.  So these dolls followed the concept of friendship and were sold in packs of two, not unlike the present-day Hey Bestie dolls.  This redditor says that the dolls have jointed wrists in addition to the usual five joints and have cute little tummies, but their vinyl is kinda off in coloration.  Their build and little girl theme makes me think of Riley, whom I love.  Ooo, ooo, I wonder if they can share clothes???  If I ever get either Riley or one of these dolls I'll find out and report back to y'all.

WEE 3 FRIENDS

COMPANY:  Mattel
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2004-2005

The main reason why I know about these is because they share a body mold with What's Her Face!, and thus the two lines can share clothes.  Other than that the two lines had NOTHING in common; WHF was heavily customizable, while Wee 3 Friends were just cute little dolls who hit the ol' friendship thing hard.  The characters' names were Janet (left), Stacie (center), and Lila, so basically they were resized versions of Barbie's sister Stacie and her two primary friends (redheaded Whitney got a rename).  I was fixin' to say these reminded me of Stacie and her friends!  LOL, Stacie never attained the popularity that Skipper did, but I've always found her adorable.  Fortunate me, I have a few, full little outfits and all!  Anyway, these dolls saw several waves, named stuff like Rain! Rain! Rain!, Snow! Snow! Snow!, and Party! Party! Party! as seen above.  Like 4-Ever Best Friends and Hey Besties these dolls were sold as a group, which would've killed my interest as a kid because the only one I'm interested in is Lila.  Red hair, y'know.

LISA FRANK FAB FRIENDS

COMPANY:  Play Along
YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2000

I remember these very well, the Fab Friends.  I was once a live-strong, die-hard Lisa Frank fan, and I'm still a casual fan, so these dolls appealed to me greatly.  Cassie, Lisa, and Mara wore retro-themed, brightly colored outfits, had big, bold eyes, and garish hair to match.  These apparently came in two sizes, but I never saw the smaller size.  The local Wal-Mart had the big ones pictured above, but there was also a smaller size that was just as colorful but not quite as cute.  Anyway, it may surprise y'all, especially after what I said about Wee 3 Friends, that my favorite of these was...Mara.  Not Lisa, despite that beautiful red hair.  No, Mara had hair that made me thirst for grape juice, plus big green eyes.  I don't know why I never asked for one of these dolls, but I didn't.  With my fondness for Lisa Frank stuff, I know I'd have gotten one if I'd asked.

TEEN TRENDS

COMPANY:  Mattel

YEARS OF PRODUCTION:  2006-2007

I saw these in a "For Young Collectors" segment in Doll Reader, but I never saw 'em in stores.  Basically the Teen Trends were another Mattel line trying to keep up with the Bratz, and they had enuff cliches that they got an entry on TV Tropes.  LOL, I love that website!  Anyway, the Teen Trends were here and gone before one could cover a sneeze, though I've yet to uncover a reason why.  They probably didn't sell, and one Redditor noted that their marketing stunk, so that can't have helped.  Kianna (far left in the above image) was my favorite since she was the resident punky girl, but they all have cute (slightly grown up?) faces.  They were also highly jointed, which tickled my fancy even then, but...I think I've discussed why I went on a doll hiatus around 2006.  It lasted until 2011, when we moved the first time.  Anyway, I've vocalized a passing interest in the Teen Trends in the past, and I even have two of the outfits, which I tried on Hot Looks and on Delilah Noir.  Unfortunately I hear that these dolls are not aging well and develop sticky heads, but I still may bring a Kianna home.

Before I wrap this up, TV Tropes mentioned a fifth character, a Japanese girl named Rayna who never made it to production.  She even has her own Amazon page, so close was she to production.

SQUEEEE!!!  She'd have been my girl had she made it to production.  Rayna and Sachi would've made a great pair...oh yeah, and Nancy too.  Nancy with her black hair with red streaks, not Day of the Dead Nancy.

Another random post in the books, kiddies!  Did y'all ever own/know of any of these?

EDIT, 11/16/25:  Barb's response post is up!  You can see it HERE.

Cheers to all,
RagingMoon1987

Under the cabbage leaf: beans in the cabbage patch

Beans?  Yep!  Specifically, Snuggle Beans.  Meet Sabrina Jane.

Snuggle Beans are Play Along Kids from 2006.  Since the Beans are Play Along they're on the small side, at about ten inches in length, and their packaging says that they're soft.

I like soft dolls, but what attracted me was this, on the front of Sabrina's package.

The "limited edition" label must have a fragment of truth to it, because there aren't a billion of these on eBay like there are the old Coleco dolls, and because a lot of 'em are going for more than I'd want to pay for a Cabbie.  Sabrina Jane was the cheapest option, which suits me just fine because I love Asian Cabbies.  I must say, though:  unboxing Cabbage Patch Kids is nothing like it was in 1983!  Look at all this tape!!!

So here she is; her face is very shiny and a smidge sticky.

Since Sabrina is a Play Along Kid and a Newborn she runs pretty small.  Here's how she compares to Candela Laura (Jesmar, left) and Gwenda Cecile (Hasbro Posin' Kid).

Sabrina is partially filled with pellets ("beans") and thus has a few things in common with my bean-butt baby, Esmond Brant.  Notice that Esmond is bigger than Sabrina, though.  Play Along Newborns can't share clothes with bean-butts.

All is not lost in the clothing department though, as Sabrina Jane and Taniyah Yasmin can share clothes.

Y'all may remember back to last fall, when I was going through a depressed patch and needed something soft to hug.  In that post I discussed the Puffalump Kids and the Love 'n' Care Babies, and I noted that Puffalump Kids are very soft while Love 'n' Care Babies aren't so much.  Sabrina Jane is softer than Alice Helene and Diamond Estelle, but she's still not as soft as my Puffalump Kid.  Few dolls are.

As a last little Cabbie addendum, y'all know how I like the good, the bad, and the ugly of Cabbage Patch Kid names.  One of the biggest doozies I found was a Coleco girl with a name that rhymed:  Charlene Darlene.  Now I didn't actually see that with my own eyes, but the name was on a list of known Cabbie names so I figure it's legit.  While I was researching these Snuggle Beans I found Charlene Darlene's equal in a little blonde, violet-eyed Bean named Karissa Larissa.  Regarding strange combos, I found another one on eBay whose name was Filemon Faust.  What can I say, they can't all be Owen Presley!  Sabrina Jane isn't terrible, either.  At the very least it doesn't rhyme.

The weather has done a complete 180 from last week, by the way.  It's a little cool, but the sun is shining and there ain't a cloud in sight.  Here was my view from the front porch yesterday. 

Praise God.

Sunshine,

RagingMoon1987 

Ain't no mama like the one I got

I like the Four Tops, but I'd love to horsewhip the one responsible for that "my word, my word, she'll obey" business.  If he's insisting that I skydive I'm smacking his face and dumping his rear.  I'll take "Reach Out I'll Be There" instead.  LOL, anyway, on September 1st Mama said to me "Well, I've been very naughty.  Do you want to know what I got you or do you wanna be surprised?"  I elected to be surprised, and yesterday this popped up in the mail. 

I LOVE TRAINS, LOL!!!  Mama said this onesie was sized for a Preemie, but it proved too small for Nathan Hunter.  It is not, however, too small for a bean-butt like Esmond Brant.  I love how the red looks with his coloration.  I don't know how easy it is to find clothes like this for bean-butts, but the outfits I do find are largely all the same.  I love knitwear, but sometimes I want a change.  The tag on the front suggests to me that this is a Play Along or Jakks Pacific outfit, by the way.

But I speak too soon, as Andrea Doria's dress is also tagged like this.  She's so complete that this dress has to be original to her.

In that case I'm doubly glad that this fits Esmond, since Kids from the Jakks and Play Along eras can run small.  That gives Esmond more clothing options in the future too.

The train onesie was a surprise, but these next few outfits I knew about ahead of time.  This one has gummy bears on it!

I forget exactly how long I've had Valencia Rose...<pauses to look>...I've had her about eight years, and in those eight years I've not once gotten her a new outfit, one that I put on her and just left her in for an extended period.  That dry spell ended on the evening of September 6th, LOL.  Val and Candela Laura are my overalls Kids, and Val takes that to the extreme end of things in that she won't wear dresses.  Y'know, just like some real little girls won't.  Candela Laura will, but she'd prefer to be comfy in jeans or rompers.

Alexandra Claire is nowhere near as picky.  She's been wearing slacks ever since I bought her, but she also loves dresses.  Case in point.

I presumed that Alexandra is a TRU Kid, because she's quite large.  But her tag says "Play Along," so I don't know.  I don't know much about TRU Kids, but I do know that they're bigger than your typical Cabbie, and Alexandra is bigger than the average Cabbie.  When I told Mama this, she delivered.  I need to get Alexandra some shoes; I said the other day that barefoot season is quickly coming to a close.

Allie Kathleen is also barefoot at the moment.  Good thing Cabbie shoes are easy to come by.  Anyway, here's her new getup.

Autumnal flowers, stripes, and polka dots for the win.  This ensemble comes with two bows, but they're good-sized bows so I only used one.  This outfit is sized for an average sixteen-inch Cabbie, which Allie more or less is.  She's a little on the small side, but she manages just fine.

To be fair, I  want to quickly say hello to my new tuftie.  His name is Ernest John, after a character in The Importance of Being Earnest, and he's got some crazy-long arms!

On September 2nd my favorite Cabbie group had a Bae Day Monday for bald and tufted Cabbies.  I have nine baldies, but I had no tufties to show.  I think tufties are adorable, by the way.  So Ernest has a lemon tuft, and since he's a Preemie with the #4 head that automatically means brown eyes.  Y'all may remember that I'm fond of brown-eyed blondes, and Ernest sweetens the deal by having a bit of a tan.  He is NOT a baked potato, just a little sun-kissed.

He doesn't have a binky yet, but that's easily remedied.  Now...I'd love to know why Coleco always saddled a particular eye color with a particular Preemie head.  This only holds true for Caucasian Preemies, but...

*#1 heads have blue eyes, like Cara Raelean and Stella Rae do.
*#2 wasn't used for Preemies that I know of, so I'm left guessing what color eyes they'd have had.
*#3 heads have green eyes.
*#4 heads have brown eyes.

Like I said, that only holds true for Caucasian dolls.  The majority of Afro-American Cabbies have brown eyes, just like all five of my AA kids do.  I've seen a small number that have some other color...but that number is very, VERY small.

So as y'all can see, the snafu with my mail on Tuesday/Wednesday was an isolated thing.  Unfortunately I do have some bad news on that end.  My favorite mail carrier is a childhood friend that I'll call K.  Sometime in August K dropped a hunting rifle butt-first onto her right big toe.  The toe was broken and the nail is gonna come off, and K is reaching the end of her time in a walking boot.  The thing is, she can't drive in a walking boot, so she can't deliver our mail.  Her doctor told her she's also got nerve damage, and she'll need some kinda injection in that toe.  K told me that if the injections don't take she won't be able to do her job, and knowing that hurt.  She's got a teenage daughter and a preteen son, and we ALL know how expensive teenagers can be.  K just seemed really down when I talked to her, so if y'all pray, please pray for her.  Send vibes, light candles, whatever.  I hate it when my buddies are injured or sick or bummed out.  That includes y'all out there reading!

Now I'm gonna set the negativity and Ernest John aside for a minute and show y'all my gifted haul.

I also have some stuff that I bought myself (I bought a yellow swing dress!), but I'll show that...oh, some other time.  Self-bought stuff isn't as special as gifts, especially gifts from one's mama!  Our birthdays are just around the corner and I need to think of something really special for her.

Hugs,
RagingMoon1987

The end of an era

The iron supports on my grandmother's porch are being taken out and replaced with new columns.  I'm pleased with this change, but for me change is often accompanied by a wave of nostalgia.  I used to climb on these supports (to my grandpa's chagrin), and my dolls have too on occasion.  Rita Cheryl did it a couple'a Thanksgivings ago, and Emily did it last spring.  Now Emily and Rita Cheryl are here to pay their respects.

Oh yeah, Olivia Reese is also here.  She hasn't forgotten that Emily challenged her to a climbing contest.  Is this going to be a race or a height challenge?

Olivia:  Height!!!

Emily:  Sounds good!

Let's be real, it'll end up being both a race AND a height challenge.  On your mark, get set...whoa!

Olivia:  Hey, how'd you get so far ahead???

Good question, Olivia!  I knew Emily was good at climbing, but I didn't know she was THAT good!  However, I think the real winner here may be Rita Cheryl.  She's got Emily's lollipop!

Good thing dolls don't have to worry about sharing germs!

Love,

RagingMoon1987 

Under the cabbage leaf: lovely to see you

Dark cloud of fear is blowing away
Now that you're here, you're going to stay
'Cause it's lovely to see you again, my friend
Walk along with me to the next bend
--The Moody Blues, "Lovely to See You"

When all else fails, quote the Magnificent Moodies!  I have to admit though, that if I genuinely love someone I want 'em with me PAST the next bend, not just to it.  But then again, one can't be with someone a hundred percent of the time.  Even Mama and Daddy were apart sometimes, although their hearts remained connected, of course.  And sometimes one can only live one bend at a time, so there's that.  ANYWAY, the exodus from my current house has been slow but steady.  While I was shoveling out one bedroom I unearthed these five, better known among my Patch as "the Lost Five."  It truly was lovely to see them, all in one piece and free of pox despite spending three summers without AC.

From left, Stella Rae, Valencia Rose, Poppy Elizabeth, Andrea Doria, and Taniyah Yasmin.  It's been WAY too long since these girls were in the blog, and also too long since they were hauled out of storage.  Andrea Doria remembers when she was my only Cabbie, and she was shocked to see how much the Patch has grown.

Andrea Doria is an in-joke between Tam and me.  Perhaps it's bad taste to name a doll after a shipwreck, but the SS Andrea Doria has familial significance.  My dad was fascinated by shipwrecks and was a history buff, and he credited both of these hobbies with the sinking of the Andrea Doria.  In 1956 he was four, and it was early in the morning where we were, but Grandma roused Daddy anyway with the words "Get up, son.  There's history happenin'."  There on live TV was the Doria, heeling over and slowly sinking.  Daddy was glued to the TV, and from then on he was obsessed with both history and shipwrecks.  And that is a too-long story about why I'd name a doll after a shipwreck.  Andrea herself is kinda special, as she was the first Cabbie I obtained as an adult collector, and my first Cornsilk Kid, AND my first and only Growin' Hair Kid.  She was just as surprised as I was to learn that dolls with fiber hair are STILL called Cornsilk Kids.  Kory Aryan and Julie Emmalee are only two of my Cornies.

Back in the dinosaur days when Andrea, Val, and Poppy were my only Cabbies, I said that all the Cabbies I'd known had "bricks" inside their chests.  BUT...butbutbut, I'd only known four of 'em at the time I'd written that!  Andrea Doria and my childhood doll Honoria had "bricks," but the more Cabbies I met the more I realized that "bricks" are NOT a feature of all Cabbies!  Shelley Fred doesn't have a "brick."  Nor do Idalia Gale or Candela Laura, or Kory Aryan, or ANY of my other Cabbies!  The only way I can explain it is that Andrea Doria and Honoria were both Growin' Hair Kids.  I mean, they're both nice and soft (or were, in Honoria's case), but if I hug Andrea tight I can feel that mechanism inside her.  Oh, Andrea is special in another way, as she's one of only two Cabbies I own that doesn't have blue, green, or brown eyes.  Andrea has violet eyes, and Owen Presley's eyes are hazel.

Usually when Cabbies have blue eyes they're sapphire-colored, like Idalia Gale's, Hugo Jack's, and Lucey Dena's.  I've only seen a few that had darker blue eyes like Andrea does.

By the way, I didn't learn until just here recently that the #9 head is called the "monkey" face, because the eyes are so close together and the ears stick out.  It's hard to see Andrea's ears, but her eyes are definitely close together.

Could be worse, I guess.  #14 is called the "potato" face.  I love potatoes, but I wouldn't want to be compared to one!  By the way, when I find Cabbies running around without papers I assign them birthdays as well as names.  Andrea Doria's assigned birthday is July 26th.  The anniversary of her namesake's sinking.

Here's Valencia Rose, delighted to meet two other dolls with the #4 head.  

Truth be told, I didn't want these many Cabbies with the same head, but when one sees a Jesmar for fifty bucks one doesn't quibble about head molds.  Besides, it's not like they're all that alike.  Two Colecos, one Jesmar.  Two girls, one boy.  Three hair colors, two eye colors, three hairstyles, one with freckles, and all three of 'em have different complexions.  LOL, point made.  Since Candela and Val do have green eyes, I want to compare the shades.  The paint jobs are different, that's for certain; Val has more black in her eyes than Candela does.

Shape varies more than shade, LOL.  Oddly, even though I love red hair, Val is still my only redheaded Cabbie...sort of.  Auburn is a shade of red, isn't it?  Shelley's locks are auburn, and Kory Aryan's hair is...well, kinda ginger-brown.  There's definitely some red in it, though it doesn't show up in photographs.

My mistake, the BACK of Kory's hair has a lot of red in it, and it does show up some in photographs.

On the other hand, Titania Rosalind's hair is truly, most sincerely red.

I really like these "Playmates," as Coleco called them.  They're dolls for dolls, and I've always loved that. Courtney Moore needs one; an eighties doll simply can't be without a Cabbage Patch Kid.  Valencia Rose's birthday is also the anniversary of her namesake ship's sinking, January 22nd.  I wanted Titania's birthday to be April 15th, but Val insisted that her doll share a birthday with her.  I didn't argue.

Then there's Stella Rae, who is in a sense the same doll as Cara Raelean.  I've been saying that ever since I adopted Cara, but now I can honestly-to-God show y'all.  Stella Rae is on the left.  She picked August 5th for her birthday, for reasons I don't know.

Stella encountered some minor mishap somewhere, either at the factory or with someone ham-handed, so she's got a faded right eyebrow and a barely visible smudge of blue paint over her right eye.  Her vinyl is also opaque and slightly yellow, versus Cara's slightly paler complexion.  So even though these two are the same they're easy to tell apart.

Fun fact:  Twin Preemies made it to the prototype stage, but were never sold as such.  The full-sized Kids WERE twinkies from time to time.  But I can still pretend that Cara and Stella are twins.  In other news, I learned this past weekend that #1 is called the "shy" face.  Stella and Cara don't look too shy to me!

Taniyah Yasmin is here, of course.  I still need to find her accessories, but she's happy.  Jakks Pacific Cabbies almost always are.  Taniyah is the first Cabbie I bought with her papers, so I know her real birthday:  October 22nd.

Taniyah was initially the smallest of my Cabbies, so she's pleased as punch to have Owen Presley and Sammy Sloth to hang out with.

As for Poppy Elizabeth...well, she's Poppy Elizabeth, soft and squishy as ever.  The Joplin tornado was still fresh in every Missourian's mind when I bought her, so May 22nd is her birthday.

Poppy's favorite thing to do is lounge, like a cat.  Maybe she needs a cat to be her pet.  Lucey Dena and Lesley Emily have pets, after all.

As for growing my Patch...well, it grew by four this past month.  There's Alexandra Claire, another joyous Play Along Kid.  Mama helped me name this one.  Her assigned birthday will be the day that I bought her, May 14th.

I finally got my sunshine-haired Kid!  She's not QUITE like a gaudy yellow, but she's good enuff for me.  She's also got another feature that I didn't yet own:  gray eyes.  Coleco Kids had gray eyes once in a blue moon, but I've never seen one.

Then there's Allie Kathleen, a 25th Anniversary Kid.  Mama bought her for me AND helped me name her, LOL.  I don't know why Mama took such a liking to Allie, but she did.

Allie was listed on Etsy without any clothes, and Mama says she felt sorry for her.  Indeed, Allie's seen some hard playtime; her face is scuffed and her left elbow has come unsewn, but I can fix that.  Her birthday will also coincide with her ordering date, May 11th.

THEN there's Cleopatra Chantale, a Growing Hair Kid with lovely red locks and another head that I didn't own.  What a beautiful complexion she has!

The #22 Cabbie head is a favorite of mine for an unfortunate but humorous reason.  I was browsing Diana's Patch, getting to know the various heads, and I just happened to be looking at #22 when Mama looked over my shoulder.  "EWWWW!!!  Some of 'em really ARE uglier than others!" she exclaimed.  I'd TOLD her not all of 'em were the same, but I don't think she believed me, LOL.  Of course I thought this was a riot, and when I saw this #22 with red hair in a yellow dress I was sold.  This child's name genuinely is Cleopatra Chantale, by the way...and her birthday is October 1st, just like Hugo Jack's and Shelley Fred's.  Her papers didn't make it into her box, but the seller says he'll be sending them soon.  So we'll see!

Nathan Hunter is a Coleco-era Preemie and has his papers.  His birthday is October 1st and he dreams of being a sportswriter.

Four of 'em.  I've got FOUR Cabbies with this birthday!  My birthday is in October so I'm biased towards October birthdays, but in a patch of twenty-seven having four dolls with the same birthday is a hair nuts.  

Lastly, there's Nate's little brother, a bean-butt baby named Esmond Brant.  He also has papers; his birthday is November 1st.  For another dose of birthday madness, Esmond's birthday is the same as Cara Raelean's.

See how clean and nice his little head is?  I was very choosy about picking a bean-butt in good condition, and I'll do everything I can to keep Esmond as such.

For awhile Nathan was lashed to his original box (pardon the flash).

But as I've said before, what's the point of a doll if you're not gonna love on it?  I did photograph the box since I'd never received a Coleco Kid in situ, but Nathan is free now.  He looks super-cute with the other Preemies.

He also looks adorable with little bro Esmond.

Esmond, being a bean-butt, is the smallest of my Coleco Kids, and I was half-expecting him to be Taniyah Yasmin's size.  Here's what I get for thinking.

LOL, Taniyah is smaller even than a bean-butt!  Cabbie sizes never fail to surprise me.  Esmond is wonderfully soft, by the way.  He's got the stuffed stockinette body and the beanbag tushie, but he's also swathed from head to toe in knitwear.  Most of the bean-butts I've seen wear knitted clothes like this, in soft colors like pink and mint green.  Esmond wears blue.  See the cables on his chest?  I love cable knit stuff.

Regarding other factors, Esmond has a #1 head, meaning that he shares a head with Stella Rae and Cara Raelean.

In a similar manner, Alexandra Claire shares a head mold with Julie Emmalee...sort of.  The numbers on their necks are different, but their expressions are very similar.

Finally, Allie Kathleen shares a head mold with Hugo Jack.  They're both #5...and yet look how different they are!  Play Along and Jakks Pacific Kids have such pretty complexions.

#5 is growing on me.  I didn't like this head when I first saw it in Doll Reader, but it's growing on me.  For the record, #30 will always be my favorite Cabbie head, and Play Along's PA-23 has also become a favorite.  Dolls with variants of that head look like they're up to some sort of mischief.

Since I like discussing where my various dolls came from, here's where all four of the newbies originally lived.
*Alexandra Claire hails from Riverview, Michigan
*Allie Kathleen comes from beautiful Alpine, Utah (I freaking love the Wasatch Mountains)
*Esmond Brant is the only foreigner, coming from Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario
*Nathan Hunter is from Port Clinton, Ohio

In other news my relatively good luck with names continues.  Cleopatra Chantale is unusual, and she doesn't really look like a "Cleopatra," but so far, the only really stinky combo I've gotten has been Shelley Fred, and I can live with "Shelley" due to its literary roots.  Owen Presley remains my favorite of the dolls with official names; that one's gonna be a tough one to top.  As for the ones I had to name, it's kinda hard to go wrong when your mother is helping you pick.  And since I made such a big to-do about birthdays, I wonder if I'll ever find one that shares my birthday?  I know I can always assign someone a birthday like Valencia Rose did with Titania Rosalind, but...well, I like the thrill of the chase.  My birthday is October 6th, so if any of y'all see a doll with that birthday let me know.  Also, please let me know if you've ever seen a Cabbie that shares YOUR birthday!  As a last little tidbit, I got a surprise box in the mail, so keep your eyes peeled for a post about that.

Cuddles,
RagingMoon1987