J-Dolls and the Latest Barbie Shoes and Clothes

Since the newest "regular" Barbie bodies are rather thin, and some of them have flat feet, I decided to see if the latest shoes might work for J-Dolls. As you can see there isn't that much difference between the two feet (J-Doll on the left, Made to Move Teresa on the right.)

I was thrilled that these neon pink flats fit the J-Doll so well. It's hard to explain, but these shoes also need a little "push" to go on, which means they don't fall off easily. It's almost like they clip on.

These flip-flops work with the J-Doll, but they're very loose, so they're probably just best for picture taking. They don't really stay on Teresa any better. They do look a little better because Teresa's toes are not as well defined. And oh yeah, I'm calling her Teresa, and not "Bambi." Hopefully I will find another name for her in the future. But it won't be Bambi.

The silver flats with ankle straps are not too bad. Again, they're a little loose, but passable. I also posted another picture of Teresa's feet, just so you can see how well they fit her. Obviously, they do fit her better, because the upper part of her foot is thicker, and so is her ankle joint.

Last, a pair of heels. I really love the roses on the heels. In addition to making great shoes for MH and EAH, Mattel seems to have stepped up its shoe game with Barbie as well. Since they are made for Barbies, the arch is just right for Teresa's foot.

Since my J-Doll's foot does not have as deep of an arch, the shoe does not fit her as well. On the other hand, it fits her as well as the pink pair of shoes below, which came with a J-Doll. So it depends on whether or not you're okay with the look. At least they won't fall off as easily as the pink flowered pair does. I'm going to have to crawl under my cutting table to find one of those pink shoes, actually.

Lastly, yesterday I bought a Mattel-made dress for Barbie. The bottom is a thin knit fabric. The yoke is a little strange. It feels almost rubbery, although it's not as unpleasant to touch as that description might imply. I suppose if the yoke was real lace, it would be much more likely to rip, or get caught in the Velcro. Anyway, I tried it on Holly, and she wants to keep it. She thinks she totally rocks this as a summer look.

I also bought a Mattel skirt recently, and that was too big around Holly's waist. I'd say items like the dress above, that don't have much structure, would work the best on the J-Dolls. Even if they only fit Barbie, I love this idea of a line of separates, shoes and accessories. I'm interested to see what else we'll get.

Thoughts on 2016 Toy Fair

First, let me say that this Toy Fair brought home to me how bad the economy is now. I think that's a big reason why some of my favorite doll manufacturers had very weak offerings. It may also explain why toy lines are focusing on old, proven stuff like Marvel, DC, Disney and Star Wars.

I'm also wondering why I got the best, and fastest, coverage of Jakks Pacific, Mattel, Hasbro and Tonner, from sites that generally focus on comic books and action figures the rest of the year. I definitely appreciated their coverage.

So, Ever After High was apparently not represented at Toy Fair at all. I've seen some pictures elsewhere of new dolls that are supposed to come out in 2016, including some with a new, "friendlier" face mold like Monster High is getting. But if the dolls weren't in the Mattel booth at Toy Fair, there's no guarantees. I can be happy with the Ever After High dolls I have, although there are a few more dolls I want to get, that have already been produced. I'm just sad that the line is not doing well. I don't really like monsters.

Tonner is driving me crazy. I'm interested in a new doll named Miette. There is even an exclusive Miette doll for sale on the Tonner/Wilde Imagination website. But I can't find out any information about her, like how tall she is, or what body type she has. What little I've found out came from eBay auctions selling off the exclusive doll after the Wilde Imagination event in January where she debuted. And I don't trust an eBay auction to be accurate. I feel like her size and body type should at least be included on the page where the one Miette doll is for sale. And it's not. See for yourself. Also, since Miette is in the Wilde Imagination line, I'm thinking the doll won't be at the Tonner convention. Maybe I'll be wrong.

I guess the Madame Alexander Travel Friend doll line is officially dead. I wish MA could have tried to deal with some of the issues, like the strange elbow joint, but that might not have been worth it in the long run.

Lastly, and this is not directly related to Toy Fair, I'm wondering when I'm going to get my Petite Barbie from Mattel. The ordering website still says the doll is slated to be released on 02/01/16. Obviously that hasn't happened, so could I have a more accurate date, Mattel?

Giveaway -- Barbie Accessories!

I've bought a few Mattel accessory sets for Barbie recently, but there were a few things in the sets that I didn't want. Instead of dropping the items off at the local thrift store, I decided to have a little giveaway. *Only* what is in the picture below will be in the giveaway. I will open the giveaway to anyone, as long as I'm not held responsible if the package gets lost between here and whatever country you live in. Simply:
1. Follow my blog
2. Leave me a comment in this post that you want to be part of the giveaway. I will hold a random drawing on Wednesday.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Curvy Barbie Is Here!

I ordered both Curvy Barbie and Petite Barbie; only Curvy Barbie has arrived. I'm not sure why Petite Barbie is backordered, unless there was just a greater demand for her. For now, I have Fashionista Doll 22, Chambray Chic. I think she's very pretty.

Her clothes are nothing special, but for a $10 doll that's to be expected. Her dress is a blue stretchy top, printed to look like a denim shirt, with a stretchy yellow skirt. One thing interesting is her belt. It has three holes in the back, so it can fit different sizes of dolls.

Fastened at the first hole, the belt just fits Made To Move Teresa.

Curvy Barbie's hair is silky soft, and there is no sign of glue. It's terribly uneven, though.

Curvy Barbie can't wear flats for the Made to Move dolls, nor can MTM Teresa wear Curvy Barbie's flats.

Curvy Barbie's feet have a slight arch.

I think Barbie's hands are nicely sculpted, although there is not much nail definition. I also took a picture of Barbie's hand with the hand of a bellybutton Teresa for comparison. They look very much alike.

There is much doll nudity below the fold, with comparisons of the Curvy body to older Barbie bodies. Come and see!