Dolls and Doll-related Items for Sale

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Shadow High Natasha Zima -- It's Been a While!

I'm going to put the whole story about everything that's been going on with me at the bottom of this post. Short story: photography frustration, illness, broken furnace, mild depression. Yay!

Two years ago I introduced you to my Shadow High Shanelle Onyx. Her hair, skin color, and clothes are mostly black, with a bit of white. Natasha Zima is her opposite. She is mostly white, with some silver/gray tones.

The dress she came in is an interesting choice for a play doll dress. Those "feathers" look like they are going to fall off at any minute. My daughter's first words upon seeing this doll were "Don't let that near my cat!" Daughter has since moved out, with her cat, so I worry a lot less about little fiddly pieces getting everywhere. Poor Natasha's bow and the front gem on it are crooked, but could be fixed.

This is actually my second Natasha. I got my first one in 2023, and I've owned this one less than a year. I've always planned on getting a second one of this doll, because of her awesome restyle potential. She could be a ghost, a Snow Queen, the White Queen, lots of different looks. I've already seen one woman swap Natasha's blue eyes out for something more pale, to turn her into a ghost. One tip: apparently these dolls' eyes can be swapped out in the front by manipulating the eye socket, but I don't know the technique. I'm sure there are lots of videos out there detailing it. The restyler I watched cut Natasha's scalp open at the back in order to get to her eyes, which is not an uncommon thing to do. That being said, restyle at your own risk, whatever you choose to do!

Besides her dress, Natasha comes wearing a faux bead bracelet, slip on heels in white and silver, and earrings. The earrings feature a letter, one S and one H, for Shadow High. I must admit I got a little tired of having everything be RH or SH or Rainbow or Sparkle.



Here is my first Natasha doll, wearing Natasha's second outfit. I thought it would be really awesome to photography Natasha with a solid black background, and I do like the effect, but many of the pictures came out blurry. It's been a real struggle for me lately.

In addition to the beaded top and skirt, the second outfit also includes a faux fur coat and boots with glitter that unfortunately sheds. I do appreciate the boots having a stiff toe cap, so the doll's foot can fit firmly. That seems to be a common theme with Rainbow High boots. The coat has some pretty trim.


I like Natasha for herself, and for her restyling potential. She's from the first Shadow High line, back when the dolls were still fairly high quality. The first line with all of the monotone looks is my favorite of the Shadow High lines. It was a very unique direction, that MGA managed to pull off. I never thought I'd like a doll like Nicole Steel, for example, who is all shades of gray including gray skin, but I really do. However, I haven't bought many of the newer Rainbow High dolls, and I don't plan on buying any more than I have now, unless MGA ups their game again, and they probably won't. Toy companies seem to prefer to let doll lines slowly die off, and introduce a new concept. Still, I'm happy with the Rainbow High collection that I have now, and that's what matters.

Total dolls: 91

Soooooo, back in October, I was trying to take pictures for some more posts. I kept having problems with a lot of my pictures coming out blurry. I think the main problem is my hands. I've always had hand tremors, but it's gotten worse in the last several months. I misplaced one of my camera stands, and the one I tried using wasn't the best for the job. I ended up getting really discouraged and the thought of trying doll photography again felt like a dreaded chore. We got through the Thanksgiving holiday, and then I got interested in preparing for Christmas. My family had a lovely Christmas Day together, but the next day I came down with something. It was kind of like a cold, but without a lot of nasal issues. It was mostly body aches and fatigue. Mr. BTEG also came down with the same symptoms in January. I had that crud for three weeks, and during that time, our furnace broke down. It took four days to get it running again, and for pretty much the entire month of January here in Northeast Ohio, the temperature was well below freezing every day. We made do with electric heaters, but being sick in an under heated house is something I never want to do again. After I got better, I went through about a week and a half without any interest in the things I usually enjoy doing. I suppose it was just a bit of post-sickness depression, but I felt a little like I'd never get better. I'm finally getting back to normal life. I still have to improve my stamina. Mostly lying around for a month does not help one's physical fitness. I've also gotten past the feeling of overwhelm with all the housework that just wasn't done for about a month. I'm hoping this post will help me get back into a regular posting routine. I also used my phone to take these pictures, instead of my digital camera. I still had some issues with blurriness, but not nearly as much. I also think I know where my other camera stand is. I'm so glad and relieved to be back.

6 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear that life threw you so many curveballs at once, but I'm glad you're back Barb. Looking forward to more posts from you, since you wrote that you're trying to get back into a regular posting routine. If you're open to post suggestions, I've actually been thinking a lot recently about what dolls are on different doll collector's 'grail' lists, not just the dolls that they'd like to own someday but dolls that have become so hard to find and/or expensive that collectors feel they can only dream of owning one. These types of lists are often interesting because they can be so different from one collector to another, depending on a collector's specific areas of interest, the era they feel nostalgia for, the scope of their knowledge regarding discontinued or foreign releases dolls, and their spending budget for their hobby.
    Signed, Treesa

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by, Treesa! I am going to try to post more regularly; I enjoy interacting with my fellow doll collectors. Some of my photos are also going to be going up on Instagram, because there are so many more people there, but I still like the blogging experience. Your suggestion has got me thinking about what my grail dolls would be, so you may see a post about that some time in the future!

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  2. Hi Barb! I love this doll, she's stunning. The first wave of the Shadow High dolls was definitely the best. I never got around buying one, but I was definitely tempted.
    Wow, you really went through it since your last post. I know that your area tends to get very low temperatures and snow, so I can't imagine how it is to live in that kind of weather without a furnace or some sort of heating. And I totally get feeling down and drained after being sick for so long. I really hope you can get your motivation back and will soon start feeling better. Maybe, as the weather starts getting warmer, it will help.
    Hope to hear more from you! Take care.

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    1. Yes, Natasha is a standout. Her coloring and her expression make her look cold in a regal way.
      We're very used to cold and snow here for sure, but not without indoor heating. Fortunately, the house temperature did not drop as much as it could have, considering that the temperature outside was around -8C every day for a lot of January. Thank you for your well wishes; they help a lot. I keep getting "better" a little more every few days. I bought some supplies today to turn a shelf into a doll room; I'm hoping that I can follow through and finish the project.

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  3. Barb, I'm glad you are feeling better--that must have been awful (and without heat! Brrr!). I live in northcentral WV, so I know cold and snow.
    I am a bit late to the RH world, but I did manage to collect most of the first Shadow High line (Amazon had ridiculously low prices on them at one point--I think I paid something like $11 to $13 per doll! And I agree with you that the quality has gone down. Now if I buy any RH dolls, they have to be older ones with a wrist joint. Kicking myself for not buying the 24" Amaya Rain when I could have....

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    1. Thanks, Beth. It was definitely unpleasant to get through. Spring has come early this year, and though we could still get more snow, I'm enjoying what we have. I'm sure it does get cold and snowy in WV too. I've been there a couple of times, but only in the summer.

      I was a bit late to Rainbow High too, but the only thing I'm sorry I missed out on was the special Chinese New Year Lily Cheng doll. It's interesting how a larger size doll or two from a doll line seem to be a thing. Barbie of course does it, Ever After High did it with Madeline Hatter, and Rainbow High had Amaya Rain. I hope you come across her some day!

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