Franken-Liv

The Liv heads were starting to pile up around my house.  I told myself I was going to list them for sale on eBay, but one day I looked more closely at one of the Alexis heads and decided I rather liked the face, just not on a 1:6 scale body.  Next thing you know, I’m making wigs for her and wishing I could see how she would look with a body that was more in proportion to her head.

I was vaguely aware of the Moxie Teen dolls so I tucked one Alexis head in my purse and started trolling the toy aisles to see if any of the Moxie Teens would be a good complexion match.  I struck out several times at my local Targets, which don’t seem to carry many Moxie Teens at all, but hit paydirt at Toys R Us where Melrose was actually a few dollars cheaper than her counterparts over at Target.

Body

The Moxie Teens series actually includes a doll with a chocolate complexion, Bijou, but if you look past the frowsy blonde wig MGA put on Melrose, you will see that Liv Alexis is a better match than the bug-eyed head that comes with this fully articulated body.  I can’t throw too many stones since the Liv dolls also have glass eyes, but the eyes are more in proportion with the rest of the face and they don’t have the ridiculously exaggerated lashes that come on the Moxie Teens dolls.

A gentle tug readily dislodged the Melrose head.  The Alexis head was a bit of a tight fit, but once it was in place, it was a perfect match.

The body is articulated at the ankles, knees, hips, wrists, elbows, shoulders, and neck.

 

The doll's waist does not twist but her torso is segmented just under the bust so she can affect a classic debutante slouch.

 

While the feet are flat like Liv’s, the high instep allows the doll to wear high heeled shoes – if you can find any in her size.

Melrose did come with a high heeled pair of biker boots that are slit up the back for easy removal.

Clothes
The boots perfectly complement a timeless teen ensemble – edgy black jacket, white cotton t-shirt, and straight legged, acid wash jeans that fit like they were spray painted on.

Fortunately the spandex blend in the fabric and the Velcro closure in the back make these jeans easy to put on and take off.  Back in the day many of the “bad, bad misses” that the Ohio Players immortalized in a 1975 hit had to lie down and use a pair of pliers to get their skin tight britches zipped.

























Accessories include a wide hip hugger belt, roomy shoulder bag, and matching big apple cap in sparkly simulated leather – all of which would have been considered stylish over thirty years ago when I was a teen.  Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

The outfit also includes plenty of bling – a sparkly silver bangle on the left wrist, a chunky silver ring and a black and silver bracelet on the right, and a dainty heart on a molded silver chain around the neck.  Dangly silver earrings complete the ensemble.

Unfortunately the jewelry reflects the doll’s low price point as the necklace and one earring came apart when I tried to adjust them.  I suspect that the doll’s joints may be equally fragile, but her poseability might make her attractive to those who enjoy staging high fashion photo shoots, but aren’t yet ready to plunge for Mel Odom's Violet or Robert Tonner's Esmé. 

Since I prefer my own custom wig designs, I may still sell my growing collection of Liv and Moxie Teen wigs on eBay, but this Frankendolly is a keeper!

See my Flickr stream for more photos.

À Bientôt