Decisions: Shall They Stay or Should They Go?

There are dolls that I look at and instantly note: that one is NOT going anywhere.

Then there are dolls that make me wonder why I got them in the first place. Sale? Temporary insanity? Safe passage out of a dangerous story?

More though are the puzzlers - dolls and action figures that I am not sure I want to keep. Should they stay or should they go? Here are some dolls that fall under that category and here's the reasoning I used to reach a decision.

I thought that these 3 Summer-face mold dolls would be easy. Check them here:



Okay, the first from the left is a Fashion Fever Raquelle doll. Surely I would let her go. She's on the dreaded Hobbit body for starters. The middle doll, Courtney, I like her eye screening. Keeper. Even if her head is a little big. But she's on a standard Barbie body. Finally, the Fashion Fever pajama doll ... lovely. Keeper.

Then, I shifted the dolls around. The Fashion Fever pajama doll was first in the new lineup. Next to her was the newer Fashion Fever Raquelle and to the far right, Courtney. Uh oh. I could see a relationship between the two Fashion Fever dolls ... mother in lilac nightie and teen daughter in black denim mini skirt.

I decided to keep all three.

Teresa and Hispanic Barbie Queries? Go Princesa

Ever wonder when Teresa was introduced to the Barbie line? Or which Barbie dolls had Hispanic versions? Wonder no longer. Go to La Princesa Plastica for your Teresa and Hispanic Barbie queries.

You can read about these dolls in English or in Spanish. There are links to a Teresa Timeline and to a list of Hispanic Barbies.

Enjoy!

Attempting Order: DAF Organization, Part 1

I spent time offline in the DAF Room. I separated boxed dolls from out-of-boxed dolls, from loose clothes. The above photo shows my progress. To the left, there's an open box of NRFB dolls and action figures with a narrower box of deboxed figures on top. In the middle, there are loose dolls and action figures. To the right, I have two big bins of loose clothes (his, hers, hers) and more loose clothes in smaller plastic boxes. These are my keepers, the ones I want to retain.

Phew!

Order established in one section. Yay! Applause!

New: Mattel Kiddies Webshots Folder and Kelly Link

Kellys are the doll equivalents of M&M candies. Neat, sweet, bursts of bright color. Tiny starfish hands, big eyes smiling at/with you. Just too adorable, you coo. Well, I coo anyway ;- D. You think, oh just one or two, but end up with piles of them LOL. Well, maybe not piles, but bigger collections of them than I ever intended.

I have added some Kelly and friends photos to my Webshots photo album ....

Kelly photos

Also, here is a Kelly Checklist suggested by Therese of Dolls of Color.

One suggestion though: do NOT eat your Kellys. The plastic and vinyl are probably toxic to humans. And how can you enjoy the sight of them if they're dinner?

Juliana Heng Article About Assessing Your Collection

I came across this interesting article, Too Many Toys by Juliana Heng.

Ms. Heng's observations and comments could help anyone weighing the quantity of their collection. I am guilty of allowing my DAFs to invade other rooms - beyond my DAFZ (Doll and Action Figure Room) and my bedroom. There are some other points in that article that I recognize.

Collector Confession: Photos Speak a 1000 Words

Welcome to my Doll Room or the Doll and Action Figure Zone (DAFZ)!

I confess: I have more dolls and action figures and accessories than I can maintain neatly given the storage units I have. Sigh. Part of me is pleased beyond belief - this was the dream of my childhood, to have hundreds, even thousands of dolls.

(Aside - I only have 100s - they are not yet into a 1000. Figures. If you add the figures, the clothes, the footwear, the accessories, etc., well ... that would be like adding apples and oranges. I plea, not fair.)

Part of me is a little abashed. Now these are just the dolls and action figures in the DAFZ: these photos do not show the figures in the laundry room or in the hall or in my bedroom or in the one IKEA Detolf cabinet that I have. Yes, oh my.

I share these photos, not to show off - if I had glass cases and shelves full of figures, well, then I could justifiably show off - but partly as a cautionary viewing and partly as proof of dedication to this hobby. If this blog in itself did not establish my love for this hobby, the photos seal my confession, this conclusion.

Next steps? Review, assess, and purge!

Toys R Us Exclusives: Star Trek Sulu & Pike by Playmates

Playscale fans of John Cho and Bruce Greenwood, rejoice!

Toys R Us offers 12" Star Trek Sulu and Pike as Toys R Us exclusives. Eek! There, I screamed for you. Sulu and Pike are sold individually as are the other 12" Playmates Star Trek characters. Price is $29.99 each and you can get them online. Here are the links for Sulu and for Pike.

For those local (Philly or surrounding suburbs), I saw these figures at the Toys R Us on Aramingo Avenue. They might be at a Toys R Us near you. It's harder to take a photo at Toys R Us - I was denied the privilege at another TRU; I confess I just snapped them at this one without asking - so the following photos could have been better.