“A Treasury of Dolls:” Philly's 2012 Black Doll Show

The Philadelphia Doll Museum and Dark Images present

The 23rd International Black Doll Show
“A Treasury of Dolls”
Saturday, May 26, 2012
10 AM - 5 PM


Philadelphia Convention Center
12th and Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19107


Admission cost is $7.00 for adults and $5.00 for seniors or children under 12 years old.

For information about renting tables, making doll donations, or learning about specific activities, please contact Dr. Whiteman at 215-787-0220.

For hotel information, please contact the Hilton Garden Inn (1100 Arch Street) at 215-923-0100.

Uncovering the Fat Suit of Sideshow's Odd Job

You don't see many portly male dolls or action figures.

Ever wonder how such a figure would look undressed? In this case, he looks the way the average-sized figures do. He is an average-sized figure. Here, Sideshow Collectibles' Odd Job figure strips down to reveal the secret of his "heavy" appearance.

So the action figure is not "portly"; the fitted padding called a "fat suit" fills him out to resemble the actor playing the Odd Job role, Harold Sakata.

The exterior of the "fat suit" is black polyester. Turning it inside out, you can see the padded interior. The white batting next to the black polyester is covered on the other side with a semi-sheer black netting. The padded areas give extra weight to the figure's torso, upper back, and buttocks. His clothes are larger to accommodate the "fat suit."

Here is the inside front of the suit.

And here is the back of it.

Any thoughts on this type of "enhancing" the action figure body?

Interview: Doll Artist and Collector Rin of Cyano Dolls

Interview: Doll Artist and Collector Rin of Cyano Dolls

Thanks for reading. Please leave comments, suggestions, and go visit Rin, too!

Mrs. Maud Mavis Hadley's Holiday Wishes

Mrs. Maud Mavis Hadley, the Reverend Hadley's wife, sends her wishes that everyone had a happy Easter, Passover, and/or Spring Break.



"Did I get all the holidays, dearie?"


I think you did, ma'am. Anyone who feels left out can write and let us know.

Tennis Fans: Did You See the Barbie Kim Clijsters Doll?

I was finishing up an article I am posting on Philadelphia Doll Collector Examiner when I saw an article about a Kim Clijsters Barbie doll. I am not a tennis fan - if a ball flies in my direction, I run to avoid it - but for those of you who are or who are Kim Clijsters' fans, that's some news from 2010. Though if you are/were a fan of that tennis player, you would likely have heard that news then. Well, if you have not heard it before, there it is for you now.

Robin of Roville Writes [About] StarDolls

Do you know what I know? Don't worry ... I am not going to drag it out. The post title leaks the story. Robin of Roville has a blog! Eeekkkk! Robin is the tour de force behind the incomparable Roville. When I began doll and action figure online activity back in 1997, Robin was one of the first doll enthusiasts who maintained a constant storyline using incredibly detailed sixth scale dioramas and fascinating characters. And she was/is pleasant and generous with her tips and suggestions. Everyone dancing now? Sure. And most kindly, she mentions moi in her StarDoll post when she tipped me to their existence. (Eyes widen, mouth opens, splayed hand to chest in mock modesty - wink and grin as recovery sets in.)

My silliness aside, go visit the Roville blog and see which bodies Robin uses for her StarDoll heads. I won't tell which ones she uses. Nope, horses won't drag the story from me. (Not that horses or de Cat or the turtles would likely want to ....) The dolls are beautifully photographed in a cafe setting.

But you don't need to take my word - go see. Bye for now.

Ethnic DAF Hair: B is for Braids

Behold! Four beautiful ladies sit before us. Three are from Mattel and the last, from Olmec. They all have one thing in common: braids. Last month, I wrote about the afro. The afro was about embracing an ethnic identity and freedom from repression. Braids would seem to be the opposite, however braids have been an art form for many people. These ladies each has embraced braided hair as fashionable styling.

From the far left, we have Harley Davidson Barbie #5 from 2001. HD5 Barbie is the only ethnic HD Barbie. Mattel gave her tiny micro-braids, which give the sensation of fine-as-in-narrow cornrows. The hair is not literally cornrowed though because that would mean the hair was braided closer along the scalp. Still it is a fair enough approximation.

Next, we have Stylin' Hair Brandy sitting next to HD5. Mattel created this doll in the likeness of the [then] young R&B singer/actress/dancer who drew attention to braided hairstyles. In this version of the Mattel doll, Brandy not only has two-toned hair - brandy red and black, she also has two textures. The red hair is straight; the black hair is bound in tiny micro braids. Variety?

Pajama Fun Nikki sits next to Brandy. This charming teenager, friend of Barbie's teen sister Skipper, seems to wear her lovely black hair straight. However, Mattel achieves a slightly heavier than usual texture by twining her hair strands. The effect is not as dramatic as the braids are, but the hair does feel slightly different than "regular" straight hair. I consider it a variation on the braided hair theme.

Next, Olmec's Naomi, who has a pseudo-cornrow style. Her hair is actually the standard black straight hair used for dolls of all races. Her braids are thicker than those of any of the Mattel dolls here.


In this final photograph, the back view of the braided heads can be seen:

Behold, the beauty and the diversity of braids.