Limbe Dolls

A few weeks ago Debbie Garrett of Black Doll Collecting sent me two of these fashion doll heads:

These are the first black dolls we have seen in Dollar Tree in about five years. I had already snapped up six of them but I was delighted to have more. I just wish they had been available in May before the Atlanta Doll Collector's show. It would have saved me from having to paint the white ones I bought to serve as wig models.

I like the face mold in both the red-headed and African American versions so I quickly promoted one of the ones I received from Debbie to a dark Liv Alexis body. Next thing you know she's hosting a Yoga show! Introducing Bea Garrett in "Yogalicious:"

À Bientôt

"Lisa Jenkins?"

"Come on in, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"So tell me a little about yourself."

What makes you think you would enjoy working here?"

"Oh yes, I remember what big dreams I had when I first came to this town."

"I'm sure you have many other options but if you join our team, the sky is the limit!"

"As you can see, there is no glass ceiling here."

This pink jacket was about the only thing in the Stardoll line that appealed to me. When I went to Target this week, they had the Stardolls on sale at a price that made buying a doll I didn't want to get a cool outfit seem like a good deal.

The wig is one in a series of short hairstyles I am developing. The CEO is a character actress who enjoys playing women who are much more experienced than her numerical age. She was originally from Toys R Us. I have upgraded her to a Liv Alexis body.

"Yes, love, the last candidate looks like she may be the one."

"I'll meet you at the bar in twenty minutes. XOXOXO"

Even though Liv has a smaller bust than Barbie, it seems that the Stardolls are thinner in the torso in addition to being less well-endowed than other Mattel dolls. Boss lady better keep that jacket on, otherwise she just might pop out of the dress!

À Bientôt

Rachel Bolaji is just coming from the hair salon.

Her neighbor admires the new style and calls her over for a chat.

"It must have taken forever!" she exclaims, admiring Rachel's threaded coils.

"Yes, Glen had two naps and the hairdresser pulled my hair so hard I'm getting a headache," Rachel admits.

"Still I think it will be worth it."

"She said it would help my hair grow," Rachel adds, turning to show the other profile.

When Debbie Garrett featured Taofik Okoya's Queens of Africa dolls on Black Doll Collecting last month, I fell in love with the threaded hairstyle one of the dolls wears. Okoya says the doll's hairstyle was very popular in Nigeria in the 1970s and indeed, back in the 70s I had a classmate from Nigeria who would periodically show up at school with her hair threaded.

It took a couple of tries and some tedious hours wrapping the hair with thread to make the wig but I think the end result is fit for a queen!

À Bientôt

Recently a group of the doll artists whom I profiled here in May 2011 formed the Dazzling Dames Doll Club. They were kind enough to invite me to join even though my interest is more in making doll videos than in making art dolls.

one of Mattie's People by Mattie Eley

Most of these soft sculpture artists developed their fiber arts skills through years of quilt making. Thus they regularly show their work at the Atlanta Quilt Festival, one of the many cultural events that enrich the city during the National Black Arts Festival.

detail from "The Women" by Nina Moore

Cookie Patterson's beautiful bride doll is on permanent display at the South Fulton Arts Center where the quilt show was exhibited.

Mattie's People were throwing fierce attitude as usual.

Meanwhile Cassandra Harrison crafted a touching scene of a grandfather who has fallen asleep while reading to four adorable grand-kids.

The quilts were breathtakingly beautiful. R.E.S.P.E.C.T. by Aisha Lumumba was one of my favorites.

"R.E.S.P.E.C.T." by Aisha Lumumba

It is easy to see why Ambassador Andrew Young and President & Mrs. Barack Obama have purchased Lumumba's quilts for their collections!

O.V. Brantley not only advances the art of quilting through her own masterful work, she has also established the Clara Ford Foundation "to promote, preserve and celebrate the art of African American quilting and quilting in general" in honor of her grandmother.

"Give Yourself Flowers Today" by O.V. Brantley

The Clara Ford Foundation presented a selection of red and white quilts that were greatly appreciated by the Delta Sigma Theta sorrors whose colors are red and white.

"A Bouquet in Red and White" by O.V. Brantley

On Sunday August 29th, the day the exhibit opened, I joined Cookie Patterson of the Dazzling Dames in the demonstration room at the South Fulton Arts Center. Cookie was demonstrating how to make doll pins. She had asked me to bring some videos so I set up a simple backdrop and demonstrated how to shoot doll videos with an iPod Touch. "The Love Story" was the collaboration of four siblings:

Whether in two dimensional quilts, three dimensional dolls, or in time-based multimedia, it was refreshing and inspiring to see such positive representations of African American experience.

À Bientôt

As a side benefit of making the threaded hairstyle wig featured last week, I developed a new technique for attaching locks to the wig cap which enabled me to create this Bantu knots style.

Grace had been languishing in a corner for months so she jumped at the chance to model it.

I've been using Grace as a fit model for new lingerie designs. She just hadn't gotten any camera time. This bra and panty set started as a variation on the hip hugger briefs I made last year:

The rear view is more daring than the original pattern:

***
While I was on the red and black theme, I remembered another lady who has been languishing for over a year:

Although I have purchased many doll-related items on eBay, I had never sold anything there so one of my 2011 New Year's Resolutions was to sell an item on eBay. I chose a doll that I wasn't attached to -- Winter Splendor Avon Barbie.

I always felt that the blue eyeshadow was a trick intended to make her eyes look blue and downplay the fact that she is a woman of color. Indeed some of the sellers appeared not to be aware that she is a black doll or they were trying to help her pass for white.

In Black Dolls: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion (2008), Debbie Behan Garrett values the doll at $60 but some sellers wanted as much as $120 for her despite the fact that there were pages and pages of listings for this Avon lady. After watching the ones that sold for a few weeks, I calculated that the actual market price was about $10. The gown was worth that much to me so I stripped the doll and gave the gown to an Integrity Toys lady who carries it with more flair:

The Goth wig topped it off perfectly:

I still haven't sold anything on eBay. I always seem to find a way to recycle cast offs within my own collection instead.

À Bientôt

This week I took the plunge and bought a Winx doll hoping to find another source of articulated bodies now that Spin Master is phasing out the Liv dolls. The basic Winx are quite affordable at $12 but don’t waste your money on any of them unless you love the outfit. They are not articulated. Fortunately, for $20, the Believix Collection of fairy Winx offers six characters with articulated knees, elbows and wrists. I’m a sucker for fairy dolls so I chose Bloom, mainly because I thought I would get the most use out of her shoes.

Les Soeurs Garoul are always on the lookout for new fashions they can appropriate so Clawdeen Wolf immediately snatched them up.

Monster High dolls’ feet are a little longer than Winx dolls' feet, but Clawdeen was able to make these open-toe pumps work for her. They will also work for your Star Dolls if anyone is actually still using the rigid bodies those girls came with.

The face-screen has the wide-eyed anime look that has been the norm for most play line dolls in recent years.

Bloom has a sweet expression, but her flame red hair is made of a cheap, frizzy fiber so she had no chance of retaining her claim to that articulated body in my doll world.

First I tried replacing her head with a Disney fairy. Vidia was the best match for Bloom’s ivory complexion. (Note I have two Vidias so I experimented with giving this one brown eyes).

I love the Disney fairies. Their figures are very graceful and womanly despite their short stature in 1:6 scale. Unfortunately their legs don’t bend. I thought it might be fun to upgrade some of them to articulated bodies that have detachable, hinged wings.

You can even buy additional wings that coordinate with other outfits. It wasn’t difficult to ease Bloom’s head off the neck prong but her neck is so thin, Vidia’s head rests loosely on it.

The weight of her hair pulls her chin up, limiting the number of expressions she can convey by tilting her head.

Still, the fact that the Winx body is slim enough to fit some of the Disney fairy outfits is a big plus.

The Winx dolls have longer torsos than the Disney fairies, but their hips are leaner.

They can wear the Disney fairy dolls’ skirts even though their legs stretch for miles below the hemlines.

While some of the Disney fairy tops are too short for Winx, Vidia was able to adjust the shoulder straps on this dress to make it fit. She accessorized with a pair of Star Doll shoes.

As for Bloom’s outfit, the Disney fairies were able to squeeze their curvaceous hips into the skirt, but the top met the skirt at the waistband instead of exposing the midriff.

The same was true of the fit when Eloisa tried it on her Bratz body.

All in all the Bratz, Disney fairies, and Winx dolls should be able to trade a fair number of outfits so if you purchase a Winx doll, you can probably find some changes of clothes for her in your existing wardrobe.

Despite the charm of the Disney fairies, I wasn’t willing to integrate a doll with an over-sized head into my regular 1:6 scale community so next I swapped a Star Doll head onto the Winx body.

This was the only Star Doll face I really liked. Unfortunately I hadn’t found a good complexion match for her Goth pallor until I tried her on Bloom’s body. Once again the head sits loosely on the neck, but I find the Winx doll’s wraithlike figure matches the Star Doll’s character.

Although the torso cannot pivot, the articulation of the Winx body allows enough range of motion for the character to make a plausible anorexic ballerina. She can do the splits.

She can stretch in second position.

She has an impressive arabesque

and very elegant port de bras.

Winx bodies will work well as teenagers in your 1:6 scale families. Their legs are longer than standard Barbie dolls but they are high waisted with short torsos so the top of their over-sized heads is still below the standard male figures you might cast as their fathers or boyfriends.

The purchase of a Winx doll includes membership in the Winx club that offers games, quizzes, and videos.

I didn’t explore any of the content on-line but I definitely got my money’s worth.

À Bientôt

After a drought of about five years, it appears that the discount stores in the African American neighborhoods I frequent around Atlanta are stocking an impressive supply of black and Hispanic dolls for the Christmas season. The quality of the clothes and the dolls is still below pre-Recession standards but some of the designs are interesting and it is refreshing to have a wider variety of ethnic faces to choose from.

The black “stylin heads” that appeared in Dollar Tree and Deals over the summer were the harbinger of this sea change.

I bought a dozen to use as wig stands. Debbie Garrett of Black Doll Collecting sent me two more so one of them upgraded to a Liv body and became the star of the “Yogalicious” show.

It was good to see her on a full body in Roses even if the body is hollow plastic with rigid legs.

The black and white checked dress in the foreground was available in Dollar Tree as part of a series of doll fashions last year.

I never got around to shooting it but Ms. Leo has featured it on her I Luv Dolls blog. The green dress behind it was also part of that series but it is an absolute rag. I cut it into a neat rectangle but my dolls wouldn’t even use it as a gym towel!

I believe this Eloise doll has the same face mold as my Bea Garrett only in this incarnation she has a deep-toned complexion.

I haven’t yet found a dark-skinned body upgrade for her but I think it is important for dark and lovely little girls to see a glamorous lady with skin as beautiful as theirs.

***
In 2006 when I moved to Atlanta’s West End, I was so thrilled to find a whole court of African American princess dolls in the discount stores that I bought about two dozen of them.

In those days their bodies had bendable vinyl legs but I still swapped them onto higher quality Kari Michelle bodies. This year I am happy to see Roses offering the court of princesses in Hispanic versions.

Even though I already have all the dresses and these bodies are made of hollow plastic with rigid legs, I bought one pair just for the face mold.

Better than the adult court of Hispanic princesses, however, is the court of Kelly-sized princesses.

Back in the 1990s I bought a Hispanic Kelly named Marissa. I haven’t kept up with other ethnic Kelly offerings since then but getting five Hispanic children (some of whom will become boys) was a real boon for the casting department here at Ayamedia Studios.

There are two different packs of Little Princess dolls available At Roses. I chose this one for the Princess Jasmine and Ariel outfits, which I figured would make good Halloween costumes.

Keeping with the Princess theme, this $10 Dream Princess from Roses comes with ten dresses.

She has a sweet face and the ball gown is halfway decent but most of the other dresses are so garish and cheap that I’d have to be doing a Cecil B. DeMille crowd scene before I would inflict them on any doll.

The last doll I found at Dollar General was this Formal Fashion Lil’ Princess.

Although she cost only $1, the dress is decent quality and her face is enchanting.

***
Normally I am enchanted with fairies of any kind but I really hate to see un-natural blue eyes on black dolls thus I have passed on these ladies so far.

I might go back to Roses for the dresses, though.

I can probably darken the eyes with a Sharpie…

Fortunately Roses is also stocking these Fairy Angel sisters.

The fairy costumes fit some of my other dolls and the Kelly-sized baby sisters are adorable.

Meanwhile Dollar General is offering Lovely Patsy fairies in African American, and Hispanic versions.

I’ve been stockpiling fairy outfits in case I want to shoot a story about a dance recital or a school production of “Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

Before the Recession I probably would have bought three of each color so I would have enough for the full corps de ballet.

This time I contented myself with just two and the quality of the costumes is rather poor so I won’t be back for the pink and red outfits.

In addition to the fairies, it was encouraging to see this ballerina at Roses.

The molded on bodice irks me, but that smiling face may win me over since I haven’t seen one like it before.

I’m not sure that the economic outlook is much brighter this year so I don’t know what has prompted Roses/ Maxway, Dollar General, and Dollar Tree to stock more black and Hispanic dolls for the Christmas season. They definitely deserve to see their profits move further into the black for their decision to serve the needs of patrons in the communities where they are located so I’ll be featuring more discount dolls and fashions in the next several posts.

À Bientôt

Sometimes discount dolls have useful articles of clothing or accessories.

The leopard print jacket in the upper left corner of Michelle Teen Fashion’s box turned out not to be as promising as it looked however, the doll came with a pair of serviceable black leggings that will work with all kinds of tops.

Teen Michelle's make up is somewhat harsh.

She looks like a street-wise older woman rather than a fresh faced teenager. Yet there is still some sweetness and vulnerability in her eyes. She seemed like a lady with a very interesting story so upgraded her to a Raven Simone Cheetah Girls body.

Fortunately I had a plus-sized St. Regis Lace long line bra and petticoat set that fit her perfectly.

***
These 10” Pajama Party twins would make cute schoolgirls if their heads were not so large and if their legs could bend.

Fortunately I got some good use out of the pajama sets in The Cold Shoulder

and Beulah’s Boogie.

Last year these sets included two pajama ensembles (a nightie and wrapper or shorts, top, and wrapper) plus two throw pillows.

There was also a tissue box, and assorted toiletries.

For $5 this is a good deal so I might pick up some different color combinations from Roses this year.

***
Last year I chased all over town looking for these “My Style” clones of Mattel’s “My Scene” line.

Luckily, I arrived at my neighborhood Maxway shortly after the new deliveries for the fall season. By stretching to reach high on a shelf over my head and sorting through the white dolls stacked in front, I finally found a three pack of these girls who came with an assortment of stylish low-budget clothes.

I like this face better than Moxie Teenz Bijou’s glassy-eyed stare and the head is a better proportional fit on a Moxie Teenz body.

That body swap gave me a 6’6’ WNBA center.

If you need to start your own WNBA team, there are plenty of black “My Style” dolls available at Roses and Maxway stores in Atlanta.

***
Speaking of big headed dolls, I will probably go back to Dollar General for at least one more of these Dream Girl, Jean Series dolls.

I like her deep complexion, short haircut, and big brown eyes. They are glass but unlike the pricier Liv dolls, this dollar store doll’s eyes are both focused in the same direction. The outfit is also well made even though it closes with Velcro. This doll is too dark to match a Moxie Teenz Bijou body but there are two other denim outfits available and the price is much better than Mattel's denim basics line.

À Bientôt

When you buy discount fashions, look over the selection, find the style you like, and then examine all of the stock in that style. Pick the one with the most even stitching and the best shape. Individual seamstresses in factories that make doll clothes have different skill levels. The photo above is from a package of ten dresses for $10. Sounds like a great deal but the quality varies more in discount clothes than it would in a brand like Mattel so here are some common signs of shoddy construction:

1. Using white thread on all garments instead of changing thread to match each fabric color.

The white print in this orange dress makes the white thread a contrasting accent but most of the dresses included in the collection were stitched with white thread which means that the manufacturer did not want to take the time to source thread in all the different colors and did not want the seamstresses to take the time to change thread between garments. In contrast, this red and gold Lovely Patsy dress uses two different colors of thread, which shows more care went into producing the garment.

2. The longer the stitches, the faster the assembly. Shorter stitches create stronger seams and look more polished.

As you can see, the stitch length on our sample dress shows it was a rush job.

3. Velcro speeds up production immensely because putting tiny snaps on doll-sized clothes would probably require hand-stitching. In and of itself Velcro is not a bad thing. Most of us associate it with cheap garments because the manufacturers use Velcro that is too stiff and heavy for the fabric and because the seamstresses don’t have time to stitch it down properly. The Velcro on our sample dress exhibits both problems.

Longer stitch length also makes the Velcro closure weaker. It is likely to separate from the dress with regular use.

4. Even in clothes for people, neat hems are almost a thing of the past. More and more garments are finished by turning the bottom edge under and stitching straight across. These days raw edges are also common. Unfinished edges have been sold to consumers as a style when in reality they came from manufacturers’ desire to save time and money. Leaving the edges un-finished reduces the amount of time it takes to produce the garments. It also means less skilled workers who command lower wages can turn out the clothes. Liv fashions by Spin Master almost all left the edges raw so it’s not surprising to find raw edges in discount lines. The bottom edge of our sample dress was finished with pinking shears.

Pinking is normally a technique for keeping inside seams from raveling. It actually works as a design element on this dress because the small points match the shape of the flower petals in the print.

It also succeeds from a construction standpoint because the fabric is so stiff and cheap, it is not prone to raveling. On a softer fabric with a looser weave, this “hem” would have been a disaster.

5. Squeezing the seam allowances enables the manufacturer to cut more clothes from the cloth but if the seam allowances are too narrow, the fabric may ravel and cause the seams to split in short order. The seam allowances in our sample dress are adequate because the fabric doesn’t ravel much.

In contrast, this black and white checked dress is a great design

Unfortunately the checked fabric ravels badly.

As a result this dress won’t stand up to much play.

Our sample dress nevertheless had potential. I realized that the dark and lovely lady I bought last weekend would be a good complexion match for the Kiyoni Brown from Mattel's Flavas line that I picked up in a bargain bin at a doll show last November so I swapped heads and added a short, silky texture wig.

I knew that the orange dress would be a perfect complement to the doll's complexion so I rescued it from the box where I keep the dolls and clothes that visiting children are allowed to play with and went to work re-constructing it. Here is Keisha strolling up the beach in her new dress:

Her boyfriend seems a bit remote because he takes his lifeguarding duties very seriously.

Nevertheless, as a 10” True Heroes action figure from Toys R Us, he is very thankful to have found a lady who looks up to him.

À Bientôt

This weekend I went back to Roses and bought the ballerina doll whose face I admired last week.

I left her in the store the week before because I didn't like the molded on bodice.

Today I opened the package right in the parking lot, however, and was so impressed with her moves that I went back and bought three more. One of them has upgraded to a sturdier ballerina body that I bought at Kmart around 2005. The other three will perform a pas de trois in one of my permanent dioramas.

There are two buttons on either side of the doll's waist. If you press lightly, she flutters her feet. If you press more forcefully, she does a grand jete leap and she raises her arms over her head in a graceful port de bras. This mechanical feat isn't very useful for doll photography because you have to keep your hand on the doll which spoils the illusion of independent motion. Still the doll has a very convincing presence as a ballerina, despite the fact that she has no turn out.

I was on my way to my brother's house when I detoured to buy Miss Twinkle Toes. I brought her in the house with me to put her through her paces and my niece volunteered to photograph her. For a 10 year old working with an iPod, she did a good job. I hope you will enjoy the dance:

À Bientôt

I've been busy all summer making new stock for my store and this week I finally got around to listing everything.

Sandals sized for Power Team action figures are 3 for $5:

Action Figure Sandals Assortment B

If your money is funny these days, check out the Limbé Dolls You Tube channel for tutorials on how to make some sandals for yourself!

“Action Figure Sandals 1”

“Action Figure Sandals 2”

Liv sandals are 3 for $7:

Sandals for Liv Dolls Assortment A

These will come in handy now that Spin Master is discontinuing the Liv line. All the dolls you have re-bodied will thank you for giving them more footwear options. If your change is strange these days, check out the LimbéDolls You Tube channel for tutorials on how to make these sandals yourself!

“Beaded Sandals”

“Lace Espadrilles”

Saint Regis Lace bra and panty sets like this one are 3 for $10:

Bra and Panty Sets Assortment C

Each three pack has an assortment of pink, black, and white lingerie sets.

I developed a simpler dreadlock wig style that isn't as labor intensive:

Black Twists Wig

Priced at $15, this wig is available in black, dark brown, auburn, and warm brown.

Basic braid wigs are also available in black, dark brown, auburn, and warm brown for $15:

Warm Brown Braid Wig

If your pockets are light at the moment, check out the LimbéDolls You Tube channel for a tutorial on how to make this wig for yourself!

“Basic Braids”

Additionally, I managed to produce a limited supply of black Afro wigs in size small:

Small Afro Wig

medium:

Medium Afro Wig

and large:

Large Afro Wig

Standard sizes are $15 each. There is one extra large black Afro wig sized to fit Liv, Moxie Teenz, or Monster High dolls as well:

Extra Large Afro Wig

This size takes longer to make so the price is $18.

If you're up for a crafting challenge, check out the LimbéDolls You Tube channel for a tutorial on how to make this wig for yourself!

“Child’s Afro Wig”

Whew! Taking the photos and writing up the listings was more work than making the stock!

À Bientôt

In June I did a series of “Casting Call” posts featuring some of the actors and actresses under contract at Ayamedia Studios. I believe “variety is the spice of life” so my contract players are all clones with many different face molds. It is easier for dolls with lighter complexions to break out of the “extras” pool and start landing roles because it is easier to find upgrade bodies for them so last time I mostly featured dolls with lighter complexions. This time around, however, I’ll turn the spotlight on some up and coming actresses from the darker end of the spectrum.

Back in 2005 you could get a sturdy, twist and turn Kari Michelle doll with bendable legs and four well-made outfits for $10 at Big Lots.

Kari Michelle was manufactured by the same company that made the Power Team action figures. I think this explains why her clothes were so good. Needless to say I bought dozens of them.

I love the face sculpt and deep-toned complexion but I haven’t been able to find good complexion matches to upgrade my Kari Michelle dolls to articulated bodies. Anyone who has tried to squeeze a Barbie into a pair of Kari Michelle pants knows that Kari’s hips are much slimmer.

Her bust is more generous, however, so she rocks the red knit dress that came with a set of My Style dolls I bought at Roses last year.

***
I bought Ximena at Roses more recently.

With her caramel complexion she could be either black or Hispanic so her studio bio says she hails from Guayaquil, a former slave port that has a sizeable community of Afro-Ecuadorians to this day.

Ximena was able to upgrade to a light-skinned Liv Alexis body immediately. Liv’s slighter proportions make her look very young so she will be perfect in ingénue roles.

While she came with 10 dresses, this purple print sundress was almost the only thing in her wardrobe worth salvaging.

***
Chantay was one of the blue-eyed fairies I passed over the first time I saw them in Roses.

I went back for the fairy costumes, however. They were surprisingly well-made and Chantay turned out to be very attractive after I darkened her eyes with a brown Sharpie.

She has upgraded to a dark Liv Alexis body and sports an ensemble that came on a My Style doll from Roses.

***
Gabriela was another recent purchase from Roses.

I had already assembled a full court of black princesses before the Recession when the quality of the gowns was better and the dolls’ bodies had bendable legs. Still, I wanted to add this face mold to my collection so I bought one twin pack of Hispanic princesses at Roses earlier this month.

Gabriella upgraded to a Mattel poser body that I found in a doll show bargain bin. She is wearing the fanciest gown from the wardrobe that came with Ximena.

The gown photographs well but the fabric is so stiff, it feels like paper.

***
Twyla was one of the $3 ballerinas I bought from Roses a few weeks ago.

Once the wardrobe department got done with her, she showed a completely different side of her personality!

I upgraded her to a dark Liv Alexis body so she could model this denim fashion which came on a glass eyed Dream Girl from Dollar General.

I’m sure her versatility will land her a lot of roles.

À Bientôt

"Freeze!"

Before the Recession, I bought a lot of Chic Boutique dolls. I loved the faces, they had well-made ballerina, fairy, and mermaid costumes, and they had sturdy “twist and turn” bodies. Not only did their knees bend, their arms could extend to the side in addition to swinging forwards and back.

"Drop your weapons and show yourself."

I bought this Chic Boutique doll last year but she was on a hollow plastic body with stiff legs. For now Andrea has upgraded to a pre-Recession twist and turn body until I can find an articulated body that matches her complexion.

"Oh! I didn't know it was you."

Andrea is wearing a gown that came on one of the dark-skinned Eloise dolls that I bought at Roses recently.

"Don't scare me like that."

I was intrigued to see a gown this color and the décolletage is very daring so it presents an air of sophistication and elegance even though the cheap fabric is very stiff.
***

Joan was originally a ballerina or a fairy.

I can’t remember whether she came from K-mart or Toys R Us but I bought her around 2005.

She had a sturdy “twist and turn” body with bendable knees and arms that could extend gracefully to the sides. When I upgraded her to a flat-footed Mattel poser body, Joan was able to bridge the gap between classical and African dance in performance with Mama Busara’s African dance troop.

Her dress was one of four that came with a glass-eyed Dream Girl from Family Dollar.

I didn’t think much of this dress until my ladies started trying it on.

Something about the cut flatters every figure.
***

"Mama, is Mr. Guidry going to be my new daddy?"

Yvette Honoree was a Chic Boutique Southern Belle that I bought at Big Lots around 2005.

"I haven't even met him yet. Your Aunt Suzette fixed us up on a blind date."

"So how do I look?"

Yvette’s dress is from a Lovely Patsy fashion pack that I bought at Roses.

"I hope I grow up to be as beautiful as you, mama."

Yvette's daughter, Celeste was a Chic Boutique fairy that I got on clearance at Kmart around 2007.

"Of course you will. We Honoree women are famous for being beautiful inside and out."

Yvette upgraded to a light-skinned Liv Alexis body and Celeste is on a Cleo de Nile body. The jacket is a Kari Michelle fashion.
***

Djibrilla started out as an angel that I found in a mom and pop dollar store on the West Bank of New Orleans circa 2005.

I was so thrilled to see black angels that I bought about a dozen even though I had to examine the entire stock to find that many with decently stitched costumes. Djibrilla had a small part as one of the heavenly host in “The Guardian Angel.”

I have upgraded her to a sturdy “twist and turn” body with bendable legs. Her original body had a large neck knob so her neck opening is too wide to fit any of the articulated bodies I have tried so far. Her gown came on another dark-skinned Eloise doll that I recently bought at Roses.

The gold print over skirt looks luxurious from the front but it does not cover the back of the dress. Then again, one is not supposed to turn one’s back on royalty so maybe it was intended to be a court presentation gown.

Djibrilla will co-star in an upcoming romance.

***
"How do you like my new lounging pajamas, Tommy?"

I found Ms. Lou in a discount store a few blocks from my house in New Orleans circa 2005. She was a bride with long, thick black hair. I scalped her and fitter her with one of the first short dreadlock wigs I ever made.

She has served as a market lady in many of my African scenes but she has so much character she can play any age and she can carry the bold leopard print on this Lovely Patsy fashion.

"Put down that remote, man!"

Ms. Lou was on a sturdy “twist and turn” body when I bought her but she has since upgraded to an articulated Mattel ballerina body that I found in a doll show bargain bin.

Looks like Ms. Lou finally got her husband's attention.

À Bientôt

Detail from Kid Connection Fashion Boutique package

Recently, it seems that the availability of black dolls is a significant economic indicator. For the last five years, despite the popularity of Mattel’s So In Style line, there has been a relative drought in black fashion dolls. This year, however, both discounters located in predominantly black neighborhoods and major retailers throughout the Atlanta metro region seem to be stocking more black dolls. This weekend I indulged in a black doll-buying spree at the Toys R Us near the affluent northern suburb of Alpharetta. I purchased Disney’s Chyna Parks, an articulated Bratz Catz Sasha, and Robecca Steam, the new bronze toned Monster High character. Nor did I have to dig through stacks of white dolls to unearth these ladies. There were three or four more of each on the shelves. (Note: These dolls are currently on the "layaway" shelf in my closet until I can squeeze money from some corner of the budget to redeem them so I can't take any pictures of them yet).

This afternoon I found myself in the Walmart on Memorial Drive in Decatur, GA. According to Zip Atlas.com, the population of the 30032 zip code where this Walmart is located is 89.37% African American. Yet I have often had trouble finding the So In Style dolls there, let alone other black fashion dolls. Today, however, I was pleasantly surprised to see this store brand sister:

Before the Recession, I had bought some black store brand action figures at Walmart. Yet there never seemed to be any black fashion dolls in their store brand lines. I guess someone finally realized our money is as green as everyone else’s. When I finally got home and deboxed my new doll, I was even more pleased to see that the quality of the doll and her clothes was equivalent to that of clones I purchased before the recession.

I was expecting a hollow plastic body with stiff legs. Instead this doll has a sturdy twist and turn body with bendable knees:

Her arms extend to the sides as well as swinging forward and back and her thick, firmly rooted hair is so attractively styled that I may leave it alone instead of scalping her so she can wear wigs:

After her bath, mademoiselle smoothed her hair with her 1:6 scale vanity set:

Then she was ready to model the gowns that came in her wardrobe.

The styles are insipid but the fabrics are fairly sensuous to the touch.

With six fashions to choose from, you could dress a prom queen and her court.

I like the flower detail on this neckline.

Yet another pink gown is overkill

but girlfriend came with some serious bling too:

Unfortunately, her ears are not pierced.

Still the spangled tulle over skirt on this blue gown actually covers the back as well as the front:

This white satin number could double as a wedding gown if you add a veil.

Although mademoiselle is one of the most cooperative models I have worked with, the light was fading so we didn't have time to showcase her shoes

Or her purses.

Nevertheless this product should provide hours and hours of play value. Thanks to Walmart, I think Santa will be able to make some little girls who live in zip code 30032 very happy.

À Bientôt

Ms. Lovely Patsy, she is every girl’s best friend. A girl of big dreams, Ms. Lovely Patsy believes she can be anyone she wants to be with just a little creativity and imagination. Be a trendy fashion model, a graceful ballerina, a fairytale princess or a blushing bride on her wedding day, Ms. Lovely Patsy has the style and the outfits to be all she wants to be and much more.

The Lovely Patsy brand targets the discount market. Their designers attempt to create stylish clothes while using simple construction techniques that will keep labor costs down. The colors and fabrics seek to catch a child’s fancy rather than appealing to adult notions of “taste.” Quality also varies widely because the company apparently uses many different factories to produce the clothes. Sometimes shoddy construction mars an otherwise attractive garment. Sometimes fortuitous coincidence yields a chic and well-executed ensemble, and sometimes flaws in design, construction, and materials produce a fashion train wreck:

Still, Lovely Patsy fashions are a godsend for the insatiable wardrobe department at Ayamedia Studios so some of our most promising starlets have agreed to model the latest Lovely Patsy designs.
***

The Ladies who lunch

"Here I am Em!"

"Late as usual."

"Better late than never, sister dear."

Emily and Trish Brown represent two of the Lovely Patsy face molds.

"Waiter, would you please take our picture?"

These days Lovely Patsy dolls come on hollow plastic bodies with unbendable legs so I have upgraded both the Brown sisters to dark Liv Alexis bodies. What is the Brown sister's favorite motto?

"Life is short. Eat dessert first."

***

Frolic in the fountain

Jocelyn Terrell hails from Mobile, Alabama. She's on a big time photo shoot in Paris but she's still a country girl at heart so she has kicked off her shoes to wade in the fountain in front of her hotel.

Jocelyn was a $4 bathing beauty from Big Lots. She came in a bikini and while her torso was made of lighter, cheaper plastic than brand name dolls, she had a “twist and turn” waist and bendable vinyl legs.

I have since upgraded her to a Mattel “poser” body that enabled her to hold her own in Mama Busara’s African dance troop.

***

The Toast of Paris

Sassafrass Simpson came in a two pack of princesses from Roses circa 2006.

Her short bob and leopard print frock put me in the mind of Josephine Baker.

Although her original body had a twist and turn waist and soft, vinyl legs with bendable knees, her proportions were odd with broad shoulders and skinny legs.

I first upgraded her to an unusual, flat-footed Kari Michelle body which served her well for performing with Mama Busara’s African dance troop.

This summer she co-starred in “Silky Straight,” an adaptation of Nella Larsen’s Passing.

The video is still in post production, but we’ll be seeing more of Sassy on her new articulated Princess Tiana body soon:

***

Madame Ambassador

Halima was Sassy's twin.

Like her twin she has upgraded to an articulated Princess Tianna body.

She played a hijab-wearing student in “”

and she won the female lead in “The Love Story." Since her expression is so serene, I cast her as a matriarch this time.

***

Yes we can!

Aisha Lamoore was a K-mart knock off of the Holiday Barbie series circa 2005.

I bought two of her and two of her darker sister.

I scalped one of each and discovered that Aisha can carry just about any hair color or style. She made an impressive screen test as a mermaid queen.

Then she was cast as a partygoer in “Firehouse #5,"

and she played a student in “.”

Although I have not yet found an articulated body that is a good complexion match for her, she still contributes graceful moves to Mama Busara's African dance troupe:

This summer she co-starred with Sassafras Simpson in “Silky Straight,”

but lately she has been spending most of her time campaigning for her candidate.

"Register and vote!"

À Bientôt

Well, I wasn't driving six white horses but Fall Break took me through the mountains with a stop at the Kentucky Artisan Center again. Books of Kentucky ghost stories, a broom-making demonstration, and this soft sculpture witch evoked the Halloween season:

There were also plenty of enticements like this Lindy Evans Santa Claus for the throngs of early Christmas shoppers:

Evans started her career as a doll maker by creating fabric dolls as gifts for family and friends. Then, after 17 years as an educator in the public schools, she became a full-time doll artist. Evans draws inspiration from studies of real people for the one-of-a kind faces she sculpts from polymer clay.

She then hand paints the faces, wraps polyester batting over a wire armature to shape the bodies, and dresses the figures in vintage fabrics.

Evans' work has been featured on Home and Garden Television and in numerous national magazines.

I was sorry to learn that Nita Keeler, the creator of this "Darn-it-the Cowboy" figure had recently passed away:

According to the hang tag, "Darn-it is resting here with his cowboy boots off, whith his one sock off, and the other exposing his toe thru a hole."

"He is contemplating the end of day, as he adjusts his hat and enjoys the comfort of no boots upon his weary feet."

"Darn-it is a soft sculpted body with a hand sculpted polymer clay head and feet."

Fortunately younger Kentucky artists like Jennifer Zingg are exploring new modes of expression with traditional craft media such as gourds:

As an art student at Kentucky Wesleyan College in the early 1990s, Zingg initially did not appreciate the box of gourds her grandfather gave her.

Then, after the birth of her second child in 2001, she re-discovered the gourds in a closet and began creating what she calls "contemporary folk art."

Her work has since been featured on Home and Garden Television.

So if you happen to pass through Berea next time you are "coming 'round the mountain," take time to stop at the Kentucky Artisan Center. You might even find a plate of chicken and dumplings at their cafe.

À Bientôt

This season's black doll bonanza has yielded unexpected treasures.

Dollar Tree has been selling white fairies with this mold for several years. This season they have even shown up in other discounters like Roses/ Maxway but yesterday was the first time I had seen black and Hispanic versions of these dolls.

The fairy dresses are irredeemably cheap and tacky. Still the doll comes with an impressive array of accessories -- fairy wings, a fairy wand which you can use to blow soap bubbles, a brush or comb, a purse, and a pair of slippers.

Mattel and other manufacturers of branded dolls make plenty of baby and toddler sized black dolls. While their record on producing Hispanic and Asian dolls is not as good, doll families of any ethnicity can readily include small children. Finding 1:6 scale ethnic school age dolls is another story, so I was delighted that Dollar Tree has provided some options.

Phyllis,

and Carmen

are modeling Bratz school uniforms that I found on clearance at Target last week.

Even though their bodies are made of stiff, hollow plastic with skinny matchstick legs that don't bend, they make adorable second graders.

In 2005 I found these articulated child dolls at a mom and pop dollar store on the West Bank of New Orleans.

Each doll came with a bicycle, which I thought would be useful.

I also thought the articulated bodies would be perfect for doll videos. Over the years I have tried different techniques for making children of color out of these dolls. First I tried coloring one body with a brown Sharpie. The doll ended up looking like she was made of wood and I couldn't find a child head that was good match in terms of size and complexion. Next I tried painting over the Sharpie color with acrylic paint. Unfortunately the paint flaked off the soft vinyl head.

Lunette's new body needs a few more coats of paint and sealer but now that I have found a source of heads at Dollar Tree, I can finally make use of the other five bodies I bought seven years ago.

Dollar Tree also had some black toddler dolls.

I scalped this one so Lunette could have a baby brother.

Oliver has a hollow plastic body that isn't even jointed at the hips but the bicycle makes this set worth the money.

Roses is currently selling these dolls in fairy or pajama party sets:

I bought several sets of these twins from Family Dollar in 2005. At that time, dolls with this mold had soft vinyl legs and bendable knees. Their hip joints are a little weak and their arms are a bit short but I thought that if only their heads weren't so large, they would make cute "teeny boppers."

I put an adult head on one to make the diminutive Beulah Knapp.

In general, however, adult heads made these dolls look too old for junior high school.

Daneese's turtleneck disguises the fact that this body is not a good complexion match.

Still I will be using these bodies and Dollar Tree heads to make five more classmates for Daneese.

I found Cordelia's body in a bargain bin at a doll show last May.

Her grandmother washed, pressed and curled her hair, but she's been playing hard and the ringlets are starting to fall.

It's been a long time coming but I am overjoyed to have found these child dolls.

À Bientôt

Top designers have been creating ensembles for Barbie for decades, but in real life many of us shop for our wardrobes at Walmart and Target. Similarly not all of the characters in my doll world can afford to shop at exclusive boutiques like Ni'Chalet’s in Morristown. Last year I snagged a number of $1 fashion packs at Dollar Tree and then set out to make silk purses from these sartorial sow’s ears.

Our model today is Greta Behan, a gift from Debbie Behan Garrett of Black Doll Collecting who knows my fondness for dollar store clones.

I upgraded her to an articulated Mattel poser body that had previously belonged to a Barbie cheerleader or athlete.

The black and white striped top had unfinished neck, hem, and armhole edges. I wanted to stop the fabric from developing runs so I stitched black rick rack around the neck edge.

I also cut the back open and added a Velcro closure so my ladies can put it on and take it off without having to pull it over their heads.

The skinny jeans show off Greta’s long, shapely legs but did not fit snugly at the waist so I added some belt lops and made a braided belt from red embroidery thread.

Greta has flat feet and can’t wear any standard fashion doll shoes so I made her a pair of suede sandals.

I also opened the side seam of the jeans and stitched rick rack around the hem to coordinate with the other rick rack accents.

Greta's hat was borrowed from a Dolls of the World Barbie and her purse is a Kari Michelle accessory.

Several of the Dollar Tree fashion packs included shapeless tube dresses made from cheap velour. The orange and lime green ones were so bad I couldn’t salvage them but the red and black ones yielded just enough fabric to make the coordinating bolero jacket with ¾ length sleeves that completes Greta’s ensemble.

Greta will be wearing other Dollar Tree ensembles in an upcoming photo story about LaQuita Jackson, a remarkable young woman who is determined to make a better life for herself and her son even though she wasn’t born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

À Bientôt

Although there are 4 Family Dollar stores within a 10 minute drive of my house, shopping there used to be as scary as walking through a graveyard on All Hallows' Eve. There were always homeless beggars camped in front of the entrances and the one closest to my house had a height chart painted next to the exit so that the cashiers could give the police accurate descriptions of the armed robbery suspects after yet another stick up. Yet, when D7ana posted about the Midnight Magic dolls a few weeks ago, I knew I had to have these $5 Monster High clones even if it meant combing through every seedy Family Dollar in Atlanta.

From pictures of boxed specimens I could see that the dolls had articulated elbows and wrists and I wondered what the legs were like. I ventured to the Family Dollar that is a block from my house last weekend and was pleased to see that the parking lot of the strip mall where it is located was being re-paved. I still had to pass some vagrants to enter but they were at least two yards from the door. Inside I found a fresh case of the Midnight Magic dolls and was intrigued to see that they are manufactured by the Lovely Patsy company.

Apparently monsters and vampires have become so popular that even the purveyors of princesses and fairies are eager to join in the danse macabre.

What is even more amazing is that this line of clones has a background story and each doll comes with a secret code, which is supposed to unlock games and other special content on the Midnight Magic website.

The website is slow, the game doesn’t seem to be up and running yet and the graphics are so close to the Monster High logos and motifs I’m surprised Mattel hasn’t slapped Lovely Patsy with a lawsuit. Once I opened the cute, coffin-shaped box (a neat touch that Mattel didn’t think of), I discovered the similarities between these clones and the Monster High dolls are even more striking.

The Midnight Magic dolls are taller than the regular Monster High girls but they are almost the same size as Nefera de Nile. I was glad to see that because Mattel hasn’t produced any more outfits for her and while she could easily shake down les soeurs Garoul for some of their fashions, she wouldn’t be able to fit into them.

Nefera sniffed when she first saw Pippa’s tacky silver snakeskin dress and cheap, blow molded boots but since she doesn’t have any other options, she decided she had enough personal panache to make it work.

Given that these days Lovely Patsy dolls usually have hollow plastic bodies with stiff legs, I was impressed to see that Pippa has vinyl legs with click jointed knees.

Her knees are very stiff, however. Indeed all of her joints are very stiff. I suspect they are also very fragile. Still she is more poseable than a $5 Barbie. Her hair is not as thickly rooted as Mattel products usually are but it has a luscious, silky texture.

Yet, the more I looked at Pippa and Nefera, the more I came to suspect that Mattel and Lovely Patsy may have reached a secret agreement that allows Mattel to profit from the inevitable discount clones of their popular Monster High line.

Pippa’s pelvis is slightly deeper than Nefera’s.

The shape of her bosom is a little different and her feet are just a tad bit wider.

but the hands would be even more similar if it weren't for the extra flash on Pippa's fingers.

I believe that Mattel should use creativity rather than lawsuits to bury the competition, but I have to admit that the Midnight Magic dolls are blatant copies. Nevertheless I hope that Lovely Patsy will keep giving us these cheap thrills for some time to come.

À Bientôt and Happy Halloween!

In January 2000, Andy Mooney, an executive with Disney’s consumer products division noticed young fans dressed in home grown princess costumes at a Disney on Ice show and recognized the potential in princess products.

He and his team grouped nine heroines from Disney's animated films together in a princess court.

In 2006, licensed Disney princess products generated $300 million in sales.

That year feminist critic, Peggy Orenstein asked “What’s Wrong with Cinderella?” in a New York Times article that sparked hundreds of reader responses.

Orenstein was concerned that princess mania might send retrograde messages about women’s roles in society to vulnerable young girls, but American consumers avidly embraced the idea that “all girls are princesses.”

Some feminists even argued that princesses could be role models of empowered women.

Disney-Pixar’s most recent princess release, “Brave” certainly lives up to that ideal with a heroine who defeats all her suitors in an archery contest to prove the point that she has the right to decide for herself when and whom she will marry. Yet, in an era that economists are beginning to call the Great Divergence because of the gaping inequality between the incomes of the upper 1% of American households and the rest of the nation, princess mania may also provide an aspirational fantasy that normalizes the privilege of this new aristocracy.

This Christmas season, you can fulfill that aspirational fantasy for $100 with a collection of ten 12” Princess dolls from the Disney Store. Target’s online division offers a collection of seven Disney Princess dolls (made by Mattel) for $54.99, but this item is so popular it is currently unavailable online. The in store price is $10 higher. With the 2011 median household income reported at $50,054, by the time parents pay for food, housing, transportation, and health care, Santa might be hard pressed to deliver a full court of branded princesses to every little princess. Fortunately, Walmart is selling two different 6 packs of princess clones for $20 each. One pack has all white princesses in more traditional costumes while the other has two white princesses, two black princesses, and two caramel colored princesses who could be black or Hispanic.

Their costumes are less iconic than the ones in the “Snow White” set but there is a green gown that evokes a Princess Tiana motif.

The gowns are fairly well-made and the fabrics are soft to the touch.

Yet the designs are not very exciting. Notice that the skirts are narrower to save fabric.

While these princess packs are sold under Walmart’s Kid Connection brand, I recognized their faces as Chic Boutique molds.

Unfortunately, it appears that the Chic Boutique ladies didn’t get enough to eat during the recession years. They are now much slimmer than pre-recession dolls, thereby saving the company money on plastic and on fabric for their clothes.

Last week I splurged on a Chic Boutique fashion pack because I thought the pleats in this gown were an interesting detail.

Unfortunately it only shows to advantage on the new, emaciated Chic Boutique bodies.

Indeed, pre-recession Chic Boutique dolls had fully articulated shoulders, a twist and turn waist, and shapely vinyl legs with click knees.

The Chic Boutique princesses in this 6 pack have hollow plastic bodies that now feature “articulated” knee joints.

They can’t match the old vinyl legs with the click knees for sitting with ladylike decorum, however.

Still, with clones adding rudimentary articulation, Mattel is going to have to make articulated joints a more standard feature of their playline dolls.

I wanted my new princesses to look more well fed so I matched them with upgrade bodies. Chic Boutique dolls used to have a neck prong that gave the neck joint full mobility and expressiveness. This current crop of princesses has a neck knob:

Fortunately it is not overly wide so the head fit snugly on a Liv body:

As I learned while preparing my new ladies to wear wigs, the hair on these princesses is thick and tightly rooted even though the fiber is not as silky it was on pre-recession Chic Boutique dolls. Juanita opted for basic braids. She is coming off the night shift on her job as a nursing home attendant and is looking forward to a bowl of cereal before she goes to bed.

Her sister, Niama chose a short and sassy do. She has just enough time to grab a cup of coffee before she goes to her new assignment as an office temp.