Random Dolls for Raging Moon and Some Barbiecore for MonsterCrafts

A few posts ago, Raging Moon put up one of her Random Dolls posts. In the post, there were three dolls that I used to own. I told her I'd put up a post showing pictures of them, and I'm finally posting it. I had a few roadblocks; RM has already put up two new posts! But better late-ish than never. The first doll is the updated Holly Hobbie who made her appearance in the 2000s. I had a mini version of her, but she fell off of my desk and I can't find her currently. :( I'm very down about losing her, but I found a pic of her included in a random pic of my desk from 2007. I also have a picture from 2006 of me with the "real" Holly Hobbie.

Xanadu mentioned that she had seen an older version of Miss Hobbie, and indeed, there was a line of Holly Hobbie dolls that came out in the 1970s, at the height of the first Holly Hobbie craze. I have the four different dolls from this lineup, bought second hand, since I never got them when I was a kid. Some are waiting to get their clothes and shoes washed, since they were out of packaging, but here's one of Holly's friends, to show you what she looked like. I posed her in between old school Stacie, Barbie's little sister, and mini American Girl Caroline. She measures 6" tall, and came with shoes, and also a sunbonnet.

The next doll is actually a group of three dolls, the Wee 3 Friends. One of the girls was Stacie, who was supposed to be the same Stacie as Barbie's little sister, above, but she and her friends, Lila and Janet, measured around 10" tall. This made it easier to give them more detailed fashions, as well as easier to make all of the accessories that they came with. I had the set Snow!Snow!Snow!, which included ice skates, pets, snowballs, and hot cocoa. I did do one photo shoot with them, where they were excited about seeing the new green shoots of spring coming out of the ground. I eventually decided they didn't inspire me very much, so I sold them off to Rachael, since she had said once that she liked them. I was afraid that if I donated the set to a thrift store, all the little pieces would be lost in no time, and I thought that would be a shame.

The last two dolls are also by Mattel. They were part of the Teen Trends doll line. RM read that they were also supposed to be competition to the Bratz dolls, but I don't remember them being marketed like that. Of course, I don't remember them being marketed at all, which is probably a reason why they didn't last very long. They were 17" tall, just an inch shorter than American Girl, but a lot more slender in build. I bought Courtney at Toys R Us, where I first saw these dolls. Sadly, my Courtney has not aged very well. Her hair is super dry, and her legs got sticky, to the point where they stained her khaki pants. Courtney was the "preppy" girl, and I always liked preppy fashion. I also liked her shoes, which were like the Dr. Scholl's which had been the rage when I was younger.

As I was deciding what to do with Courtney about a decade on, I made the perhaps ill-advised decision of buying her a friend. The one I chose was Gabby, the "girly" one. Gabby's silver-toned chain belt became blue-green and stained her white pants. The small round pendant on her silver-toned necklace also turned the same color. Here's a picture of Gabby in her case, which each doll came in. Each case was different to suit each doll's personality. I also have her out of box, and in one of the separate outfits that Mattel made for her.

Since I was talking to MonsterCrafts on her blog about Barbiecore, I wanted to add two more pictures. Here in the US, Barbie: The Movie was a huge event. Women wore whatever pink items they had in their closet, or combed the thrift store to get the right Barbiecore style. They were also greeting perfect strangers at the theater, saying "Hi Barbie! Hi Barbie!" I saw a picture of these pink mules in a thrift store shortly after the movie left theaters, and texted my daughter, asking her if she thought somebody had bought them to wear to the Barbie movie. She replied, "For sure they did."

I also got permission from my daughter to post this picture of her at the movie, taken in a special photo booth. I feel she got the old school Barbie "karate chop" arm down perfectly.

I will admit it was fun to talk about these dolls, which are usually far from my current blogging subjects. My doll collecting has certainly changed too!

Long Shot Wish List

I think that it was Treesa who suggested I make a blog post about dolls that I would like to add to my collection but probably never will, either because they're expensive or hard to find. This seems like a good time to make that post, because for a little over a month now, I've been dealing with a pinched nerve in my lower back. When the pain is at its worst, everything hurts, from getting dressed to doing laundry, even to just sitting. I really haven't felt up to much doll photography or crafting. I had my first physical therapy appointment a few days ago, and it went well, so I'm hopeful about the future. In the meantime, here is my list of dolls that are on what I call my long shot wish list.

1. Sugar Cups

Sugar Cups is a line of small dolls (13cm) made by Azone. They're only available for a limited amount of time after they're announced, they're over $100 a piece, and since Azone is a Japanese company, they're not easily accessible in the US. Azone has released some of their dolls to Japanese toy stores in the past, which does make them easier to buy. I've bought from HobbyLinkJapan previously.

2. Rainbow High Lily Cheng

Lily was released in 2022 to celebrate the Chinese New Year. She came with two outfits. She was a limited edition doll, and the only holiday edition type doll that MGA ever released. Rainbow High also released Lila Yamamoto from Japan as a regular doll, but she can't hold a candle to Lily Cheng. Lily NRFB will put you back at least $280 currently.

3. Madeline's friend Nona, by Eden

I have all of the dolls in this line except for Nona. I hate to say that it is because Nona has long blond hair that makes her so desirable, but there is definitely some reason she will cost you so much more to add to your collection. Madeline herself new in box will cost you around $30. Nona recently sold NRFB for $150. Picture taken from Fandom Wiki.

4. Effanbee Petite Filles Babette

These dolls were made with the same bodies as the Tonner 10" Ann Estelle dolls. I already have one Mimi, who was the other doll from the line. 

 

Mimi and Babette's earlier outfits were meant to resemble 1850s style, but both Mimi and Babette were released several times in different outfits. I'd take any NRFB Babette, but they weren't huge releases, and now they'd cost a pretty penny. I have my eye on another Mimi on eBay, and the buyer is asking $200 for her. This picture of Babette is from tonnerdolloutfits.org, but she acquired it from an eBay auction, which is long since gone.

5. Old Releases of Kurhn Dolls with Fashions

I found the doll pictured below on AliExpress, many years ago. I tried to order her, but got the message that she was not in stock. I'm presuming that she was made at some point? If she was, she was probably only sold in China and maybe surrounding countries. Yes, Kurhn dolls are still available now, but I really liked the outfits. I doubt I'll ever find one like this, if they were ever produced.

I am thankful that I know how to sew. I could make clothes for the Mimi doll that I have, and also a Kurhn doll that I own. I may someday pick up at least one Sugar Cup, and if I found some of Lily's accessories loose, I could make clothes similar to what Lily is wearing. I'm resigned to never adding Nona to my Madeline collection, but Madeline and her other friends can get on without her.

I'm hoping to be doing well enough to work on a Thanksgiving diorama, since October's obviously isn't going to happen. :)

2026 American Girl of the Year Doll Raquel Reyes

 Normally I don't post about the new American Girl - Girl of the Year dolls. However, I happened to see an ad for the 2026 doll, carrying a bag that said Piney Point. Hm, Piney Point, I said. That's the same place where Samantha Parkington spends her summer vacation in her book Samantha Saves the Day. Well, that's because... Raquel is Samantha's great-great-great-granddaughter!

You can tell that AG took some inspiration from Samantha's Meet Outfit, with the checked dress and bow, and the necklace with the locket. I wonder if that is supposed to be Samantha's original locket? I regret to inform MoonGirl that Raquel's clothes are mostly pink, with some purple. But then Samantha's favorite color was pink, so maybe that is in honor of Samantha too. Raquel's storyline seems to be that she attends a family reunion at Piney Point. In Samantha's book, Piney Point is where her grandmother owns a vacation cottage, and where her parents tragically lost their lives in an accident on the lake. Samantha is curious about a small island in the lake where she and her parents liked to go when Samantha was a baby. Unfortunately, Samantha's parents perished returning from the island, so Grandmary doesn't want to talk about it. Samantha and her Aunt Cornelia's younger twin sisters, who are staying with her, go to the island, but get stranded. When they are rescued, Samantha tells her grandmother how beautiful the island is, and how it would be nice to honor her parents' memories by visiting the island. Grandmary agrees that they should visit together.

I have mixed feelings about this doll. Samantha is my absolutely favorite American Girl doll, largely because she represents my favorite time period in fashion history. I completely disapproved of the changes that they made with the BeForever line. They even got rid of Samantha's original meet dress, which Raquel's outfit here is based on! However, it might be interesting to see when and how Samantha is referenced in the story. Since this is a family reunion, there will be many more descendants there, and we might get some stories about Samantha when she grew up. We may even get some stories about Samantha's friend Nellie and Nellie's sisters, since they are adopted by Samantha's Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia, when the girls are orphaned. I also hope that this doll will increase interest in Samantha, and we might get some of Samantha's older items re-released. I already saw that they have re-released Samantha's original birthday dress set, and now they have released a Samantha in her original dress, with accessories. However, the doll is $175! Also, I would like the accessories only, since I have an original Pleasant Company Sam, but not her hat, purse and locket. It would be especially nice since a locket seems to feature in Raquel's story. Here's Sam's page, if you want to check out some other new items I haven't seen before.

Is this the first time that American Girl has made a generational doll connection like this? I'm not really up on the dolls much since Mattel took over, but I think this is the case. I have to wonder why this is so. Maybe the whole Girl of the Year doll has been getting has been getting a little stale? When MoonGirl has revealed GOTY dolls before, she's also added how many fans have said, "Oh, we're getting another doll who is blond/dances/likes pink/etc." This is a fresh idea, and it might bring interest from old time Pleasant Company fans to Raquel. I mean, here I am posting about it, and I usually don't care about the GOTY releases. I will add that Raquel learns how to play pickleball at the reunion, which is a new activity I don't think we've seen before.

Kirsten and Addy have also gotten outfits re-released, and Addy also has a brand new accessories set. It seems like Mattel is trying to drive interest in the older historical dolls again.

What do you think about this new twist to an AG line? If you're a fan of the historical dolls, which doll would you like to see get a descendant? Or would you rather not see it happen again? Do you hope the historical dolls get some more attention?

Pool Party

 Cooler weather arrived here in Northeast Ohio right around the beginning of September, but of course in doll land, it can be warm enough to have one last pool party. Before I take down my summer backyard diorama, I wanted to set up a little diorama with my Little Tikes miniature pool. For that matter, I couldn't think why I hadn't done a photo shoot a long time ago, until I remembered none of my little Kelly dolls had swimwear! Well, I was tired of that being an excuse. Off to eBay I went, and found two vintage Fashion Avenue sets, one a matching set for Barbie and Kelly, and one a set of beach clothes and accessories for three Kelly dolls.

Here are Barbie and Kelly in their matching outfits. It included the matching beach robes, swimsuits, visor hats, and sandals. Barbie's sandals are made so that only flat-footed dolls can wear them, which is fine, except that they don't fit any of the flat-footed dolls that I have very well. You might notice that this Barbie does not have the Made to Move body. On that body type they fit less well. The pink Adirondack chair is one of a set of two made by Mattel. It matches their neon looks.

And here are three of the Kelly dolls wearing what came in the set for three, including the little accessories and the beach chair. Only one of the clothing pieces is really a swimsuit, but they would all be cute for the summer. I would have liked to have a beach bucket and shovel with the clothes, but there were several summer swim sets from the Fashion Avenue line, and it seemed Mattel wanted to have different accessories in the various sets. Not a bad idea, really. The little beach chair is nicer quality than I thought it would be.

I'm so happy with how the pool party pictures turned out. I think the two little friends look so cute.

Now I want to work on something for the autumn, and/or something for Halloween. This time of the year is my favorite. I love the red, orange, and yellow colors of the leaves, the pumpkins, cornfields, cooler air after the blazing heat of summer. My dolls also need warm weather clothes, and for the most part, I can sew and knit those. Making Kelly-sized swimsuits, though? I saved myself the aggravation and bought those. I'm glad Barbie got a new bathing suit too, because I think I only have one other of those. Do you have any projects planned for your dolls this season?

Lil McDonald's

 In July, McDonald's had a series of blind box toys for their Happy Meals called Lil McDonald's. Doll collectors and people who collect McDonald's toys went crazy for them. (I did not know there were so many people who collected McDonald's toys.) Fortunately, many restaurants would sell you the toys without having to buy a Happy Meal, although I don't think they suspected how popular these were going to be. Without including duplicates, here is my final haul, posed with vintage Kelly and Stacie sized dolls for size perspective.

I knew most of these would only be suitable for the dolls to use as toys, although the food trays are not a bad size. The red and gold Happy Meals boxes are too big for these dolls. Sadly enough, the pumpkin bucket is too. McDonald's has been offering human size pumpkin, and other Halloween character, buckets for decades, and they are very popular. The bucket did look okay with a Shadow High doll. I think her big head helps offset the bucket proportions.

The register and the drinks dispenser are a fine size for the kid dolls to play "store." The white sign is apparently a place to order your own food, which is definitely too small. It should be as tall as an adult doll. It could work as an ad sign, maybe. The drink dispenser has a button on the top, which when pressed down activates a blue piece of plastic that looks like "water" coming down into the cup.

The miniature McDonald's booth would be a fun place for children to pretend their dolls are eating in the booth. I have some mini Polly Pocket dolls that came with Polly Pocket Janet in the 80s or 90s, that might fit in the booth, if I can find them.

The trays are a little small for actual one sixth scale, but they look good enough with the smaller dolls. Kelly thinks her apples look yummy. Stacie finds the milk mustache on her bottle funny.

I don't really even like McDonald's very much, but I like minis! I remembered after taking this picture that I also got a mini fryer, but it's not that exciting. It might even be a bit small for pretend kitchen play. The only toy I want is the mini restaurant. Facebook is alive right now with people buying, selling and trading Lil McDonald's pieces, so I should grab one soon if I want it. Is there a restaurant or store in your area of the world that you would like to see make mini versions of its products?

Happy Independence Day!

I hope that all of my American readers have a nice holiday.

Fortunate Furniture Find

Garage sale season is going full swing here in Northeast Ohio. I was thrilled to find Ever After High Apple White's sofa, EAH Raven Queen's vanity, and a 1/6th scale table with two stools.