Kenya Christmas Doll 2012

Kenya was the Christmas doll for 2012. Here she is beside one of the Christmas trees. She did not approve of the tree decorating. The bells were too big. Shrug.

Twilight 2013 Dolls Seen at Walmart

Note: Esme uses the old Teresa head sculpt. Carlisle and Emmett use Ken molds.

New in 2013 ... Taller Bratz by MGA Entertainment

Happy New Year, all!

It's 2013 and guess who's grown a few inches? You guessed it - the Bratz girls. I visited a Target store and saw an Xpress It Sasha. Here she is.

I did not compare her with any of the nearby Barbies, but here's a link where Bratzboulevard mentions the new Bratz Xpress It doll height - with a comparison photo. Are you thinking about the rebodying aspects? I am. Then again, Bratz Xpress It dolls have click bend knees instead of articulated ones. [And the legs are not so very shapely ...] So maybe not ... until I see someone else do it successfully, lol.

Additional Bratz news or Bratzillaz' news ... the Midnight Beach Bratzillaz are out. They glow in the dark. Impressed? Not me. Shrug. Anyway, these three were available at a Philadelphia Target:



Cloetta




Sashabella




Yasmina


I am thinking that I will pass on these lighten-up beach bunnies. I might buy one of the Xpress It dolls though. Might.

Issues in Playscale: Do You *Buy* 1:6 Politicians?

Election 2012 is over. Done. But maybe someone out there would like to relive or replay the event ... in playscale. Or you might want some other political figures brought to your playscale world. Guess what? There are playscale action figures for you to do so. You'll need to get online to buy them, but they are available.

You can go humorous with Herobuilders or serious with Dragon in Dreams, Hot Toys, Hasbro, or That's My Face. Me, I vouch for Dragon in Dreams' President Obama. Would I have preferred the Hot Toys Obama figure? Yes, according to DBG's post comparing the two figures. Here's a list of some politicans and pundits available:

President Barack Obama (Dragon in Dreams, Hot Toys or Herobuilders)

Governor Mitt Romney (That's My Face)

Ron Paul (That’s My Face)

Eric Holder (That’s My Face)

The cost for Mr. Holder is $99.00 for his customized head mounted on a 12" action figure body with your choice of outfits: military brown, Indiana Jones, business suit, or casual wear of jeans and a tee shirt. Colin Powell (Hasbro)

Herman McCain (Herobuilders.com)

Prince William (Herobuilders or That's My Face)

Kate Middleton (That’s My Face)

So far, I only have Dragon in Dreams' President Obama. Space and funds permitting, I would get several of the others, just to have new faces in my collection. Space and funds NOT permitting at this time though ... so the others go on my Someday List.

What do you think of them? Do any of you have any of them? Would you add them to your collection?

Kari Michell (Kari Mitchell) Fashion Links

Okay, this post is for Cindi Mortensen and any Kari Michell fans out there.

I found a PhillyCollector post showing a Kari Michell fashion set. Miss Spotty Jane also has a post showing another KM set. And on Flickr, there are some deboxed outfits shown. But Google wins the prize for most KM sets shown.


Anyone else have any Kari Michell or Kari Mitchell fashion photos to share? Thanks in advance.

Must See Holiday Display at The PNC Bank Tower

Okay, you’ve watched the television holiday specials. You have seen the Nutcracker. You’ve experienced the ChristmasVillage. The kids have seen Santa. What can you do next? Take in these lovely shop facades being shown at the PNC Bank Tower* located at 1600 Market Street. The display is by Hoffman Design Group, Inc. This post is for anyone visiting the Center City Philadelphia area during the holiday season OR for those unable to stop there. Why? Because the shop facades seem playscale size - and they look festive enough to inspire carolling.

Any diorama ideas triggered? Well, I hope they provide enjoyment and inspiration to you.

Happy Holidays!


*aka The Darth Vader Building ... in my view.

Herringbone and Houndstooth in Logan Square

Could you name two formal, yet resilient fabrics? I nominate herringbone and houndstooth. I mean, what famous fictional character do those fabrics bring to mind? Sherlock Holmes, yes? Whether it is his hat or his overcoat, Mr. Holmes usually wears some kind of herringbone or houndstooth print. Very staid look. However, in the playscale world, herringbone and houndstooth prints have come some way from sartorial stoicism. So I pulled together some of my doll fashions using those patterns.

Here are some examples of new-style herringbone and houndstooth.











Who is wearing what? Shown from left to right, the dolls and fashions are:

Smartees Amanda wearing her original blouse, skirt, and hose and borrowing Anne Klein Barbie’s black-white houndstooth jacket and L.A. Luxe’s boots.

Mattel’s Nikki wearing an off-brand tan-cream houndstooth jacket, matching solid tan skirt, and Liv boots.

Aoshima/Skynet’s Girl's Mission Mai wearing Barbie Millicent Roberts’ beige cable sweater, Fashion Fever white-pink houndstooth mini skirt, white stockings, and Integrity Toys’ Rock Ringmaster Lukas’ boots. (Now that is a crush when you borrow his boots.)

Gemma (formerly Mattel’s Hermione Granger rebodied onto a Mattel HSM body) wearing a black herringbone Kari Mitchell coat, a Kari Mitchell black glitter top, a My Scene mini skirt, Takara Jenny socks, and her original Mary Janes.

Roxanne (formerly StarDoll Fallen Angel 2) wearing her original pants and boots and borrowing a Liv houndstooth jacket.

Integrity’s T.J. wearing Sinatra Barbie’s houndstooth suit and white blouse and black-white spectator pumps.

If these patterns interest you, you can read more about them on Charles Tyrwitt's website or see Google's offerings.