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| Mattel BTS dolls greeted by some East Philly A.R.M.Y. |
When I first saw the BTS dolls, I thought, "Not for me." I'm on the shady side of fifty. I don't know much about rap or hip hop except that I like Tupac Shakur's "California Love." I don't collect Pullip dolls although I do have - or had - one Sharp doll by Sonokong. Most significantly, I know zilch about the Korean language. So I'm not a likely buyer for dolls based on a renown K-pop group. Or am I?
Fast forward a few months. I read on one of my doll-related Facebook groups that Five Below is carrying the BTS dolls for $5.00 each. New Asian male faces in play scale plus budget price? I check a My Froggy Stuff video. Hmmm ... interesting. I check two re-dressing videos - one re-dressing BTS dolls V and Jungkook and another re-dressing ALL of the BTS members. Wonder what they sound like? So I listen to and watch the videos "On" and "Idol." Hey, they're GOOD. I mean, I love the choreography and the strong beats. Next thing, I'm "just glancing" at the guys in various interviews. It doesn't hit me until I'm watching their 7 year anniversary party, but I'm smitten. BTS is adorable.
So am I hauling dolls, action figures, cat, two turtles and self to South Korea?
Pause to consider. Nooooo ... I mean my family is here. I'm only getting on an airplane when the ground around me is ensconced in flames. I don't speak or understand the Korean language. I love my creature comforts. "Smitten" over 50 is not the same as "smitten" at say 16 or 20. Senior smitten means I'm gonna maybe buy some DVDs and/or create a YouTube playlist. I'm not attending any concerts - pause in horror at the idea of doing so even BEFORE the present Coronavirus nightmare - or vying with younger fans or about to become an - ahem - A.R.M.Y. member. I will feel happy to have learned about them, long-distance fond of them, and so going to get the other BTS dolls. C’est tout.
For Part 2 of this blog topic, I'll debox the BTS dolls I have and compare them with other dolls and action figures I have. Usually, I find dolls of real people and that's that. I like the new faces. This has to be the first time getting a doll series sparked interest in a musical group for me. Anyone else become a BTS fan - or fan of other artists - after a doll purchase?
