Unknown Simba doll #2!

Remember this lady? 

http://andersonsallpurpose.blogspot.com/2013/03/unknown-articulated-plus-size-16-doll.html

Well, guess what: I found another one! I still don't have an ID on her, but this one seems to be in her original clothes!

Just like #1, she has "Simba" stamped in the back of her head and her body looks exactly like the older articulated Steffi Love body, except for her wider torso. The face along with her figure made me originally think granny doll, except I can't find any evidence of Simba ever making one. 

This one has some kind of training outfit, complete with shoes and socks. I suspect this is her original outfit, because the shoes were pretty difficult to get of, and both have a small split as if someone tried to get them off and failed. 

(Tip: I usually heat doll shoes under the water tap before taking them off, or even just with my breath for a couple of seconds. It's quick and makes it a LOT easier to get them off without risk of damage.) 

So I did a bit of image googling with sports related search terms, and came across this doll on ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Simba-Toy-Steffi-Love-Girls-Gym-Working-Exercise-Bike-/261432520349?pt=UK_Doll_Bears_Dolls_EH&hash=item3cde97ae9d

As you can see it's not the same doll (it's a regular older Steffi Love) BUT it's the exact same shoes (the seller has a close-up of them). 

So that brings me at least a bit closer to the solution: Simba Toys, 80s-early 90s, some kind of sports/training/aerobics/whathaveyou theme. And for some reason NOT with the usual articulated Steffi body. Hmmm...

The difference between regular old articulated Steffi Love (left) and this doll (right).

New Twilight Teens

At least, it seems like it! Someone on flickr posted a photo today of a Catty Noir knockoff doll whose box design looked very familiar. Simba's site didn't have any new pics, but I poked around a bit and found these on German ebay. 

Pneumona? 

Like the person who took the photo in the store mentioned, there's a panther girl, a ...voodoo priestess? and Neptune's daughter or something.  Panthera's leotard is pretty great, and I just realized Nemona's body seems to be transparent. Not sure what to say about Voodoona. One thing is for sure, though: Simba Toys are terrible at names.

(For newcomers, Twilight Teens is Simba Toys' line of Monster High clones. They're a bit cheap, particularly the clothes, but since they use the same body as Simba's Super Model dolls they do have pretty good articulation. The downside is they all have the same face mold.)

Thrift store find: Jane #2

Small but interesting thrift store find today: another Jane! Jane is a character from Peter Pan 2 which I haven't seen, but apparently she's Peter's and Wendy's daughter. I guess he did grow up after all? 

I don't know why these photos are so blurry. She came in some kind of green gingham onesie that doesn't really fit.

Jane #1 (aka Janet) was one of my first thrift store finds when I got into the hobby a couple of years ago. She came in her original dress and, amazingly enough, shoes. She's now rebodied on a Liv Katie body, the only one I could find that matched her yellow-peach complexion. Not sure what to do with this one as she doesn't really need a twin, but this is a face I really like and so I jumped at the chance to own a double.

I'm actually a bit surprised to find another one, since this doesn't seem to be a well-known character/doll and I'd never even heard of the movie before. But then again, it's hardly the weirdest thing I've found at goodwill. 

The hair on Jane #2 is in pretty good condition, another plus. Sadly I managed to mess up the hair on Jane #1 by washing it without keeping an eye on the thatch, then using too hot water to get the head off. The good news is it works pretty well with her character.

I passed on a Fashionista Nikki (with the old hinged knees that I don't like) and a couple of boring dolls with some interesting clothes, but not good enough for the price. 

I did buy another plastic cup full of fake grass, though. The last one was a soap dish; this one is supposed to be a pen holder. They were out of the toothbrush mug variety, but I'm not sure there's a difference. Now to wait for the plastic smell to dissipate...

Forgotten thrift store find

Someone at Flickr had photos up of their garage sale Mod era Barbies, and it reminded me of a doll I got from the thrift store a few months ago but never really felt that strongly about, so she has remained in her bag since then. I decided now might be time to have a closer look at her. (Since this involved tearing her head off as soon as possible, this is the slightly uncanny kind of photoshoot.)

Body... 

...and head.

She's some kind of ballerina Barbie. The Internet tells me 1975-1979 or so. In fact I passed her up on my first visit to the shop, then changed my mind when I came back and she was still there. I've never really been a fan of this face mold, but I thought it might be useful to have one for reference at least. (It could be that Dreamhouse Midge has warmed me to these sort of pouty molds, because I never used to liked the Steffie mold either.)

I found lots of photos of dolls like this one, but none with this dress, so it's probably not original. Haven't ID'd it yet, but if I'm honest this was probably the main reason I got her: I'll never be able to say no to pink and white tulle, even if it needs mending!

ETA: Finally ID'd the dress! It's from the Sugar Plum Fairy set (1976): http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/doll/sugar-plum-fairy-9326

The fabric had frayed enough to make this front seam unravel. It was mended but in a really ugly way, so I'll see if I can improve it. I have some kind of fray-stopping solution that I might try, but it's full of solvents and warning labels so I'm not sure I want to use it at all.

Luckily, the big rip in the skirt is in the back. I think I can make it look ok, at least if you don't look too closely.

That crown is firmly anchored in her cranium with a pin. I don't think it would be worth it trying to get it off, even if the gold has worn off in places. The hair isn't really salvagable, frizzled and with lots of missing plugs. The face is a bit dirty, but I don't want to use the 9-1-1 stuff and end up removing the cheek blush too. 

Something I missed when I bought her is that her hands are all chewed up. The legs weren't sticky until I washed them. Now they're very sticky. Well, since the head matches Midge's skin tone, she is now my excuse to buy an extra doll from the Glam Lux Style line (or whatever they're called).

"You needed an excuse?"

Clothes for Barbie's Li'l Friend, plastic grass, toothpics

(ETA: As someone pointed out to me, that's not Kelly/Shelley but one of Barbie's Li'l Friends, a completely different doll: http://www.lilfriends.net/heartplay.html

I don't know how I missed that, particularly since she doesn't look anything like Kelly/Shelley... Probably because I've had her since I was a kid and never had an actual Shelley, so I just assumed they gave the doll a complete makeover some time durig the last 20 years. Apparently not! I'll change the post when I'm at my computer, so for now just remember that when I write kelly/shelley below, it's a lie.)

Good thrift store find yesterday: unopened outfit for ... mini Baby Born dolls, I guess? Never seen those before.  

Have some bad photos from before I tore up the package to get at the contents:

Dress, pants, headband, and those 3 little accessory thingies. The duck was probably half the reason I got it. Also: cheap.

Also available, apparently. 

I was hoping at least the dress might work as a blouse for Lottie, but it was too small. 

"Thanks, grandma! Um... did you keep the receipt?" 

Then I remembered my Kelly/Shelley doll needs clothes too, so I dug her out of the bottom of the doll drawer. Much better! The collar is a bit wide, otherwise it's a good fit. (It was a bit bubbly so I ironed it out a bit to make it lie flat.)

Her name is Jennifer, by the way. Because Kelly/Shelley wasn't confusing enough. (Still haven't settled on a new name for the Lottie doll, though.)

Collar before. Ironing is like my magical trick for making doll clothes look good. 

All Lottie got to keep was the headband. 

Other good stuff from yesterday: a litle plastic tray full of fake greenery which was sold as a soap dish. I thought it might make a good 1/6 prop, but not until the smell evaporates... (Stinky plastic is my dollar store nemesis.)

Also a box of 250 plastic toothpics in bright neon colors. Not sure what I'm going to use them for, but they gotta be good for something. 

Prettie Girls sale!

Windowshopping time! 

Just in case you don't follow Van's Doll Treasures and missed her post about it, AngelicDreams.com are having a sale on Prettie Girls. I would buy a Lena, but I checked and the international shipping cost is fairly ridiculous. So I'm telling you instead, so I can live vicariously through your shopping! Or something. 

(BlackDollCollecting has a reveiw of Prettie Girl Lena here in case you're unfamiliar with them. Cons are so-so articulation with hinged knees and no wrists, pros are nice clothes, lovely facemold, and a new unique body shape with big feet that you can try all your unclaimed doll clothes and shoes on - or at least those are the reasons I would want one.)

Speaking of articulation, I just found out the Glam/Luxe/Style/whatever Barbies have detachable elbows - and hands! And I said I would only be getting a Midge... 

Also, Britney is bald now. The black specks stuck in the scalp were easy to get off once the hair was gone. She still has some shiny patches here and there from the unidentified goo - I'm thinking maybe some kind of spraypaint? Or something like varnish? Maybe acetone/alcohol would be better for getting it off. I'll give it a try some day.