Introducing Playscale "William" for Downton Abbey Fans

Any Downton Abbey fans present?

I confess, I watch it Sunday evenings, but I don't web crawl for updates about it. I enjoy it although it is not, say, Dr. Who. (Nor is it the best organized program I have ever seen.) It does have some elements I like: British accents, countryside views, period dress, and my Beau.

Excuse me? D7ana is dating an actor from Downton Abbey?

No. Not at all.

One of the Downton Abbey characters, William the footman, looks like my Handsome Beau doll bought from Standard Doll Company sometime in the late 1970s or the early 1980s. Here are two photos of Beau:

"Handsome Beau" stands 11.5" tall. On the back of his head below his hair, are two embossed lines: the top reads "19©G3", the second line reads "GRANT PLASTICS." He has no other marks on his body.

Well, Downton Abbey will be on soon so I'm going to finish this post now with this question: do you watch any series that you recreate in your play scale world?

Where to Find [Older] Liv Bodies

Given the recent articulation reductions in some Liv doll lines, some Liv fans might wonder, where can we find the better Liv bodies?


Walmart and Ross Dress for Less still have some of the earlier Liv lines. Walmart has them at $6.90 while Ross has them at about $7.99. Pretty decent prices for flexibility.

Curly-haired Opal Review by Parent

I was on Facebook when I noticed that

a. the Mixis dolls have their OWN FB page called, Mixis Jr. that features the dolls. Hoo-ray, hoo-ray!

b. there is a new review for curly-haired Opal. This review is by a parent and shows a little girl’s reaction to Opal. Cute factor in 1:1 scale.

So glad to see the new FB page and the new review. Maybe the new dolls will be released. Fingers crossed as usual when I mention the Mixis dolls.

333 Views in 11/07/11

I'm pleased to learn that my eBay guide on the Mixis dolls has received three hundred and thirty-three views.

333

Yaaayyy! High fives all round.

Preview of Valentine's Day Barbie, Nikki, and Chelsea Dolls

What wears pink, red, and white and is "sweet" to the eye but spares the teeth?

I Love Valentines Barbie and Nikki. Or Valentine Chelsea and Friends.

This year's supermarket Valentines Barbie and Valentines Nikki appear in the photo above. Hmmm ... I have seen more interesting holiday dolls; these two seem fairly standard. So I can easily leave them on the shelf.

What about the corresponding Valentines Chelseas? Alas the little treats will be harder to resist. An online dealer presents the Valentines kiddies as a three doll set on eBay. Offline, you could probably find the dolls for less than the eBay amount AND be able to buy all or any of the favorites you want for under $10.00 each. But hey, eBay dealers have eBay and PayPal fees to pay as well as the dolls' cost. (Sometimes, you can search and search for the ethnic dolls and NEVER find them. Sigh.) Knowing that these Valentines kiddies will be out gives us enthusiasts time to search for them. Or to plan to buy when seen and then sell to our fellow enthusiasts.

Say, does anyone know under what circumstances the ethnic companion doll is the ethnic Barbie and when the not-white doll becomes Nikki? That question popped in my head when I saw these dolls.

Another Plane, A Gelato Truck, and a Mobile Home

Anyone seeking raw material for new playsets? How about an airplane with a cockpit AND passenger seating, or a gelato truck, or a mobile home? Got your attention? Good.

I was walking by a Toys R Us Express store when I saw three NEW fashion doll playsets. Yes, for 11.5 dolls. No, I'm NOT talking about Mattel playsets. Not talking about Hasbro stuff either. These playsets are from a generic toy company whose name might be "Sweet" although more likely, that is the brand name for their playscale toys. I have not bought any of these sets yet, but I did want to alert PhillyCollector readers to these roughly $39.95 each set. Let's start with the airliner ....

Next to the gelato truck - note, NOT "ice cream truck" - "gelato truck" ....

And here is the mobile home ....

Since I do not own any of these new toys, I found other links to provide additional reviews and photos about them:

Airliner review and photos

More airliner reviews here and here

Reviews for the mobile home, can be read here. Happy reading. Please share any projects - big smile.

More Photos of the Simba Mini Cooper

More photos of the Simba Mini Cooper can be found in my Webshots folder, Vehicles. Please stop there if you would like to see closer photos of the car.

A review of the Sindy Mini Cooper can be found at this link. If you would like to share any car photos you have, please leave a link with your comment. I'll revise this post to share them.