Wyncote Walmart this morning and who do I see? The BFC Ink. twins, Aliesha and Noelle Roberts. They are cute, tawny-complected, brown-eyed, and black-haired. Since they are NOT Mattel dolls, I am going to discount any Barbie connection the surname "Roberts" might suggestion. Are they Asian or Middle Eastern or Black or Hispanic or Native American? The Kaylas of MGA Entertainment? Possibly. I cannot tell from the box or the accessories I see which ethnic group - if any - these dolls belong to. And while that could seem disturbing, in another way, it can be seen as a triumph of character over race. Or as a one-doll fits many escape by the manufacturer.
Me ... I feel free to assign them to the ethnic/racial category that pleases me. Or possibly, none at all. Depends on how they fit in my doll and action figure community.
There might be further information in the box or online.
I think ALL the smaller BFC Ink. dolls are cute.
I think the manufacturer has played it safe with the twins by allowing consumers the opportunity to assign an ethnicity to Aliesha and Noelle. While Calista is and will probably remain my favorite and lone BFC Ink, 11-inch club member, I agree they are all quite cute! I love their well-made fashions, too.
ReplyDeleteI like the delicate but "funky" look of these dolls. I don't have any yet so I can't comment on their clothes. I like the cheery backpacks, too. They seem very youthful, very school-oriented and play-oriented.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the information about their clothes and your comments about Calista on the "We Love Black Dolls Yahoo Group."
I do like these dolls. I think it would be fun to have them to hang out with Calista!
ReplyDeleteThe BFC Ink girls are actually inspired by a series of books called Best Friends Club that came out in 2008 in the UK. There are four books, which are being tweaked for the MGAE line. Many changes have been made from the original characters.
ReplyDeleteCalista: The Calista character's real name is Aleisha Knight. She's basically the same, except without glasses.
Addison: Addison is Jude Jackson. The original has a bob in either brown or red. The illustrations are black and white, so exact hair color can't be determined. I'm disappointed in the change in hair length. Shorter hair would fit Addison's sporty, no frills personality much better.
Noelle and Aliesha: These two are Angel and Roxie Roberts. They're BLONDES with freckles. I'm disappointed in the change, because these two also sported short bobbed hair! Why are American doll companies so afraid of short hair? UGH.
Kaitlin: Her name is actually Ella MaCarthy and her hair is long and either dark red or dark brown.
I really don't care for the changes that have been made. I wouldn't mind them if the line wasn't inspired by written characters, but I hate when doll companies change the author's vision. It's so unnecessary.
Yes, the twins would be nice companions for Calista. I think that one of them is best friends with Calista based on the photos on the box. (Funny how we collector-fan writers look for story clues on the box and then assign the roles we want for the characters ;-P)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Margaret, for stopping by :-D.
Hi Tanz Fanatika!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this information about the BFC book series. MGAE "re-vamped" the characters? Pity they didn't remain faithful to the book characters ... I would think that that fidelity-to-detail would work for the series' fans.
To me, it's like the company is using the BFC story as a malleable base to hang a new doll series onto.
Doll manufacturers producing for the U.S.A. doll market assume that hair play is BIG in this market so they usually provide dolls with long hair. Shrug.
Lengthening hair gets more than just a shrug from me. I'm a collector of a wide variety of dolls, but I'm also a short-haired woman and have been for years. I would love to see dolls that represented women like me. And there are plenty of young short-haired children, too. Short-haired girls are definitely vastly under-represented in the doll world, especially in playline. A lot of people don't see it as a problem, but I sure do.
ReplyDeleteYes, fashion dolls tend to have long hair. The excuse has been that little girls want that feature for their dolls. When I was a child, I don't recall doing my dolls' hair much ... I re-dressed them, yes. But I did not spend a lot of time on the doll hair.
ReplyDeleteI think it's silly for them all to have long hair, but then I grew up in the 80s with lots more short-haired dolls. Strawberry Shortcake, Star Fairies, Rose Petal Place, etc. Even the girls with longer hair like Jem didn't have the super long lengths we see all the time today. Those doll lines did pretty well, especially SSC, so I really see no reason why kids today wouldn't like a short-haired doll.
ReplyDeleteYou won't remember the Mattel Dorothy Hamill or Topper Dawn friend Jessica the Stewardess from the 1970s? They had short hair, too. I had Jessica.
ReplyDeleteI actually have a Dawn friend with short hair. I think her name is Kip. I don't collect Dawn much, but I do have a few. I was born in '78, so the 80s are more my game.
ReplyDeleteI no longer have any Dawn dolls. I lost Jessica the Stewardess. Kip Majorette - mine had dark brown turned up hair and a gold-hot pink majorette costume - I sold.
ReplyDeleteAh the 80s and JEM!