Ms. P's dolls

This is sort of an epilogue to my Barbie doll haul in December.  Ms. P promised to show me her childhood dolls, and yesterday she came in with them!  She told me about bubble-cut Barbie, Midge, an Ken, but she had some other stuff too.  First out of the box was the bubble-cut.

All of these dolls have been played with and thus have some paint missing, but Mama's Barbie is missing paint too so that's no biggie.  Bubble-Cut was Ms. P's first doll (Ms. P was seven), and she's wearing a dress that an aunt made.  When I told Ms. P that she was my favorite of the dolls she told me she'd put that in her will, LOL.

Crew-cut Ken was there, the kind that loses his hair as time goes by.

I don't often get to see vintage Ken dolls, so seeing this young hunk was a real treat.  He's got a lovely face.

Then there was Ms. P's "first Midge," clad in a dress that I think her mother made.  I love the colors!

I was particularly excited to see Fashion Queen Midge, as I've never seen one of them IRL before.

For the uninitiated, Fashion Queen Barbie and Midge had short molded hairstyles that could accommodate three wigs that they were packaged with.  The wigs came in all three hair colors and in flip, pageboy, and bubble-cut styles, though these wigs have been...well, played with!  They do still have all their hair though.

Of course Midge has lost none of her girl-next-door cuteness.

There was a Twist 'n' Turn Barbie in the mix, clad in a lovely blue ballgown.

TNT's hair is in rough shape, but she's got a beautiful face.  I've always loved these late sixties dolls.

Rounding out the bunch were a blonde Skipper and a brunette Skooter.  I can't tell if that Skipper is a Malibu doll or not, but they're both cute.

Ms. P also saved a couple of old paper products, one Barbie-sized magazine and one booklet that had Barbie and co. inside.

Tutti, Casey, and Francie are listed on that booklet, giving y'all an idea about how old that thing is.  I didn't photograph the inside, but there was an advertisement for Francie's Afro-American variant in there, and the illustrations were bordered in Piet Mondrian-esque colored blocks.  It was all unabashedly sixties and I loved it.  I really loved seeing all of these dolls too; despite being rough around the edges they could be easily restored if Ms. P so wished, but she likes 'em as is because they've got so many memories attached.  She admitted to me that she played with the dolls well into junior high, which I got because the heyday of my Barbie days were in high school.  Hey, it was better than the dumb, sometimes dangerous things that some of my classmates did!  Anyway, I ended my bull session with Ms. P by showing her pictures of my vintage things, and she sounded very impressed.  Sadly, neither of us have Francie, despite us both liking her!  I may have to change that...

Warm hugs,
RagingMoon1987

Your local shelfwarmers

Y'all are probably familiar with 'em, items that linger on a shelf for months or even years.  Doesn't have to be dolls, it can be anything from a box of paperclips that was forgotten to a TV that's not the latest big shot model.  Now...on the Barbie subreddit I stumbled across a discussion of dolls as shelfwarmers, particularly Barbie.  In my neck of the woods Barbie tends to sell well, but some of the comments were eye-openers.  One person from the Phillipines noted that Fashionista #30 (named White and Pink Pizazz) was still on store shelves, a full nine years after her release!  #30 was one of my first tall Fashionistas.  The same person added that #84 and #102 are still hanging around as well.  This is what these three dolls look like; of course I'm including my own commentary, LOL.  Here's #30.

I own #30, but I only got her because she was the only tall Fashionista I could find at the time, and I thought that the new bodies would be sort of a flash-in-the-pan thing.  Yep, I truly thought that.  I never said it here that I know of, but I thought it.  Compared to some of the other tall dolls on shelves around then, #30 kinda faded into the background, and...well, she's kinda boring so I can understand why she'd be lingering.  Still, nine years is a long time to linger on store shelves.

#84 came with an extra outfit.  Remember that once upon a time Fashionistas had that perk.

Now this one is more visually stimulating.  I like this doll's hair, I like her clothes, I like her skin tone, which is a little oranger than white but not quite tan either.  Maybe the horizontal stripes doomed this doll to linger.  Not everyone looks good in horizontal stripes, and not everyone likes horizontal stripes.

Fashionista #102.

I'm not in love with that striped skirt, but I don't think that's why this doll doesn't sell, at least in the stores mentioned on Reddit.  The poor doll kinda gets lost against her packaging.

Or her second outfit does.  This one's kinda like #30, just...there.  Shame too, because she's got a pretty face.

Other Redditors chimed in with dolls from the movies Wish and Raya and the Last Dragon lingering in their locales, and I...I guess Malden is full of weirdos because our Wal-Mart doesn't have any of those dolls anymore.  I bought Sisu myself, mainly because I like her hair and her saucy expression.

Another redditor spoke of black dolls lingering, especially the very, very dark ones (the ones I like).  I sadly saw evidence of this when the basics were a thing, and the two darkest dolls were Models #4 and #10.  Both of them were on shelves for a looooong time.  I was on the fence about #10 (right), but #4 was and still is a favorite of mine. 

Ironically, #10 is now the one I own; she eventually got moved to the clearance wrack and I felt sorry for her.  Her name is Vivian.

That picture doesn't do her justice, but IRL she's really pretty.  Then when the jeans Basics arrived, Model #8 lingered.  Thus why I have her too...somewhere.

ALL of my Basics are somewhere, likely in my old room at Mama's old place.  But anyway Dani and Vivian were there at Dexter's Wal-Mart forever, and I thought they were pretty and felt sorry for them so I own them now.

Another user didn't give their location, and they mentioned Fashionistas #128 and #150.

I'm not in love with #128 either (her outfit isn't flattering) but I love #150.  Never once did I see her locally.

Here in Malden most of the fashion dolls available appear to be selling well.  The last time I saw shelfwarmers was last April, when the last of the Fidgie Friends were arriving...and staying...and staying!  Pizza Princess and Ramen Dream were the ones sticking around, for some reason, but the others were long gone.  Ramen Dream is my favorite of my three Fidgie Friends, though none of 'em are worth much in terms of play value...yeah, I can understand why no one wanted those dolls.  Kylie Jenner also stuck around, and come to think of it, the last time I crippled back to the toy area there were still some of those dolls hanging out, particularly the one that comes with the dog.  I guess the Jenners and the Kardashians are finally starting to falter in their relevance, or they never were relevant here in the Bootheel to begin with.  Most of us are working to middle class and don't have a lot of time for socialites and their nonsense.  I own Kylie, the one in the short black dress, but again it was because I thought she'd become hard to find...and her arms are jointed.  I love that.

So how about y'all?  Who are your local shelfwarmers?  Discuss.

Shelfwarming love,
RagingMoon1987

So random, January '25

We start the month (and the year) with a Failbook memory, from January 3rd, 2022.

Adam and Mei together.  Both of them need new eyelashes now.

January 4th I took this image of my vintage Skipper crew, which had by then grown to three.

From left, Living Fluff, Pose 'n' Play Skipper, and straight-leg Skipper.  I'll discuss these in more detail around March or so.

Bae Day Mondays this month went with the various Coleco years, and January 6th was for 1983 and 1984.  I have no Cabbies at all from 1983, but I have three from 1984.  From left, Valencia Rose (Coleco), Nathan Hunter (Coleco Preemie), and Candela Laura (Jesmar). 

I am still casually looking for a fuzzy boy; they are strictly 1983.  But these will do just fine for now.  After taking in Gary Collier and getting the electric bill I need to take a chill pill with Cabbies.  January was colder than average, so the bills were outta sight.

January 11th.  Candela Laura flew solo that night.

It was cold that night, and I was listening to a YouTube documentary about Texas Tower 4.  The saga of Texas Tower 4 is not a happy one, so I lightened the mood with Candela.  The Cliff Notes version of the ill-fated tower can be found here, and an excruciatingly detailed version can be found here; the latter was the one I was watching.

January 13th, Bae Day Monday.  The years this time were 1985 and 1986.  For them I have my popcorn girls, Idalia Gale and Beryl June (both 1986)...

...Matt the Brat and Kitrick Randolph Fergus (both 1985)...

...Hugo Jack (1985) and Ernest John (1986, Preemie)...

...Elisabeth Clara and Shelley Fred (both 1985)...

...and finally, Stella Rae (1985, Preemie).  Her friend and carer Angela Fitzpatrick agreed to sit with her.

Angela cares so Stella doesn't have to, LOL.

January 17th I learned that there's a special term for Cabbies with arms like this.  

See how Matt's arms angle up and out rather than straight out?  Apparently this is called the cheerleader pose, and out of forty-six Cabbies (including figurines and clones) Matt the Brat is my only one like this...for now, anyway.

January 20th.  The years were 1987 and 1988, with that latter year being the earliest I could conceivably remember.  As a result I'm fond of dolls from this era...and yet I only have two big ones, Karen Sheila (1987) and Andrea Doria (1988)...

...and two little ones, Esmond Brant and Cara Raelean, both from 1987.  Esmond is a bean-butt and Cara is a Preemie. 

Also very early on January 20th, I took this head shot of Gary Collier. 

Gary had proven popular with my Failbook friends by this time, and I can see why.  He's a cutie.  I can also see why Treesa couldn't initially see his teeth, as they're ridiculously hard to photograph!  I personally didn't think I'd like the #17 head, but now that I have it in my collection it's not so bad.  That leaves the #18 head that I'm not enamored with...no, Moony, stay off eBay!!!  But yeah, when I started collecting Cabbage Patch Kids the #4, #15, and #30 heads were my favorites, while #5, #17, and #18 were deal-breakers.  #5 and #17 grew on me after I added them to my collection, so #18 potentially could too.

January 21st.  Y'all know how I like opposites, and Draculaura and Venus McFlytrap are pretty much that. 

I tried to take a conservative approach with G1 Monster High dolls, and as I've said before it bit me in the butt.  So I'm not playing this time around; if I really, really, REALLY like a doll, I'm goin' after it, budget or no.  Luckily for me I haven't seen any that I'm absolutely dying for yet...except maybe Cupid.  I've always loved Cupid.

I returned to clippings from the Cabbage Patch on January 22nd, with a new outfit supplied by who else?  Mama!

I knew immediately that this would have to belong to Clio Teresa.  Her yellow body matches the trim around the waist, and some of the letters match her hair.  Some of the letters match her hair bows too, but that's hard to see.

January 23rd.  Venus McFlytrap returns, this time with Skooter, who'd joined the Skipper Squad by then. 

And I thought that Draculaura couldn't be more opposite of Venus!

January 27th, another Bae Day Monday.  1989 got a year of its own, and Cleopatra Chantale and Gavin Andrew share it.

Some of my favorites come from 1989, but I only own two of them.  The rest of my Cabbies are 1990 and beyond, or clones.

Also January 27th, a memory from 2021.  I was comparing Always Sisters Vanessa to my beloved Courtney Moore.

This came from an aborted review of the Always Sisters line.  I was excited about a doll that was soft like the Hot Looks but had honest-to-God joints, but Vanessa's internal skeleton was too warpy to make the joints enjoyable.  I can't say as I've gotten much enjoyment out of my Always Sisters dolls, though they have sweet faces.  But as always, if anyone wants a review I'll root 'em out of storage.

Not much of a month for dolly photography, actually!  More same ol', same ol'.

Love,
RagingMoon1987

Two old dollies get a new home

One of our favorite patrons at the library is a lady we'll call Ms. N.  Ms. N is Mama's age and has the same issues with sciatic pain, and she was gone from the library for quite a stretch due to corrective surgery.  After a month or so of no contact I reached out to her and we had a lovely conversation.  I don't remember how, but my dolls came up, and she told me of two childhood friends she had...and how no one in her family liked dolls.  "I'd hate for them to be thrown away," she said.  Heartstrings properly pulled, I volunteered to take the dolls since they're old and there are only two of them.  Ms. N said that when she finally did make it back to the library she'd give them to me...and that time has come.  The tall doll is a Revlon-type grocery store doll, and the baby doll is a Tiny Tears or Betsy Wetsy-type doll.

The baby doll is a little worse for wear, being a toy, but I'll just wrap that hand up until I can send her to be repaired.

Hopefully they can repair these eyes too, because I don't know how to fix foggy doll eyes.  As to this doll's name...she has no markings, none at all, so I'm at a complete loss as to her identity.  She looks like a Sun Rubber doll, and oh, would it be lovely if she were!  I freaking love Sun Rubber dolls.  But the Sun Rubber Company marked most of their dolls, on their backs, necks, or feet, and as I said above this baby has no markings.  But speaking of feet, she does have distinctive feet, with five separate little toes.

Some So Wee Sunbabe dolls have feet like this too, so maybe my doll is a So Wee clone.  Based on that I could call my poppet "Sunflower" or something like that, and make her a sunflower dress.  For the record though, Sunbabe is ten inches long and Sunflower is thirteen.  Good thing her dress is holding up.  It needs a laundering, but that's all.

Unfortunately in her current state Sunflower has a face that only a mother could love.  Her eyes are badly fogged, making her look possessed.

As I said above, I haven't a clue how to fix doll eyes when they're like this, and eyes are so important to a doll's aesthetics!  If not for this then Sunflower would be adorable. 

As an aside, while I was researching Tiny Tears I stumbled across an interesting tale called "Why I Hate My Tiny Tears Doll."  It's not as heartless as it sounds; a young woman was asked to think of an object she loved and then write about why she hated it.  The woman did just that and...well, the article ends on a deeply sad note.  Just read it and you'll see what I mean.  Sunflower ISN'T Tiny Tears, but I'm including that anecdote anyway.

As for the Revlon-type doll...oh, how I love Revlon and Revlon-style dolls!  I have three little ones (Wendy, Belle, and Suzette), but Brigitte here is a big one, much bigger than the Revlon dolls I'm familiar with.  The largest Revlons I've seen have been a little taller than an American Girl, like River Song, while most of the Revlons I've met in the wild are close to a small Paola Reina, like Mar.

The Revlon dolls were popular enuff that other doll companies made imitations, many of whom are just as good as the honest-to-God Revlons.  Uneeda's Suzette is one example, and some of the Circle P dolls are good too.  Belle, my Circle P doll, isn't a great example because she only has a neck joint, but others do have joints.  Brigitte is a grocery store doll, and what her name once was, I don't know...yes, I do!  She matches the last doll on this page, Lovable Louise, meaning that she'd have to be by Deluxe Reading.  The hair is the same.  

So "Brigitte" is actually Lovable Louise!  Tam has a similar doll, and guess what???  I helped identify her, so I apparently have seen these dolls before...and as I often do, I forgot all about it.  Tam's doll has straight hair like Lovable Linda, but otherwise she and Louise are pretty much the same.  My Louise has cloudy eyes like Tiny Tears does, and her dress, while original, is in sad condition.  It looks okay here...

...but here's what the left sleeve looks like. 

I was able to find one (count 'em, ONE) dress on Etsy.  The seller is based here in Missouri, so it should be here before too long.

Before wrapping it up, here's Louise's face.

Louise has cloudy eyes just like Sunflower does, and she's nowhere near as happy.  Indeed, at times she looks like she might burst into tears, like she does here.

I guess when you live with the same human for seventy years, saying goodbye can hurt.  Louise stuck close to Candela Laura last night; Candela is a Cabbie of few words, but she listens well and gives great hugs.

Ms. N acted a little sad to see her girls go too, but she was also glad that I was able and willing to take them in.  We joked about me not having a lot of room for my admittedly too large collection.  "They can take the bed and you can take the couch," Ms. N teased, but I didn't have to resort to that.  Sheesh, couldn't sleep on the couch even if I wanted too, because it's too narrow.  Now to learn a fix for foggy doll eyes, if there is one.

Oh, as a last little haw-haw, my friend from Newfoundland saw the picture above and googled Lovable Louise...and look at the first result she got!

A blow-up doll!

Happy days,
RagingMoon1987