The articulated SIS dolls decked in Baby Phat fashions have vanished from my local Walmart and Target stores, but this week a new wave of SIS dolls hit the shelves.
Target priced them at $8.99 -- still too much for a doll with rigid knees but in-line with the manufacturer's suggested retail price. This time Barbie's homegirls from Chicago aren't sporting designer labels, still their fashions present some novel variations on the animal print themes that have been popular of late.
Kara wears a sundress made up in a pink giraffe print.
Although she still brightens her hair as if to compensate for her darker complexion, the color is not as brassy as some of her earlier dye jobs.
The bouncy curls show a more playful side of her personality.
Grace also appears more lighthearted in a purple zebra print dress that leaves one should bare.
The keyhole neckline was not evenly stitched on every doll, but with her "I Dream of Genie" bangs and high ponytail, Grace can probably make many little girls' dreams come true.
Trichelle was missing from the articulated Baby Phat line up -- she must have been stuck in the make-up trailer since she has emerged with an appealing new face screen.
Earlier versions of Trichelle had side-glancing eyes that often made her seem hard and even a bit underhanded. The new Trichelle meets the world head on with a fresh, doe-like gaze.
Trichelle's purple lipstick coordinates well with the unusual purple, green, and sparkly pink palette of her leopard print dress, but probably won't compliment many other outfits.
In earlier SIS waves, it seemed Mattel thought Trichelle was the only one light enough to risk leaving some texture in her hair. While I miss her curls in this incarnation, I like her auburn highlights.
I did not like her "johnny one note" pose, however.
Fortunately I was able to upgrade her to an "I can be an Olympic skater" body, which is an exact match for her skin tone. Since it lacks the pivotal torso and knees of the Fashionistas, it puts Trichelle on par with the other "articulated" SIS girls.
Now if the supply chain would catch up to the demand for SIS dolls, I would be utterly mesmerized.
À Bientôt
Love that last picture. I've seen these dolls, but have more than my share of SIS dolls to pay that for non articulation. Grace's bangs and ponytail are really cute. It's so funny your take on Kara's hair. I have loved her hair color from the beginning. I never thought of it as compensating for her darker complexion, but enhancing it and bringing it out more. It makes her seem softer to me. The hair color on the Baby Phat doll makes her face look a little more grayish, which doesn't work as well to me. The contrast of Grace's jet black hair makes her seem even lighter to me.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy the depth of your reviewss. Your ability to analyze the manufacturers' intent from your perspective usually agrees with my own.
ReplyDeletedbg
I love the last picture too!
ReplyDeleteWhat have they done to their faces?
Beautiful!! I was gifted the Chandra and Marisa Baby Phat series, last week and I love them! Those were the only two I wanted but your photos are making me take a second look at Grace. I like the hair color on the Tennis/articulate series of Grace but not the teeth/smile. You know, it's funny...I did so much complaining about wanted a Trichelle with forward facing eyes and now I don't really care for it. In my opinion, it took away a sexy quality she had and she really looks quite a bit like Grace just a little bit lighter. Go figure, LOL. The eye change on Chandra on the other hand, worked out beautifully.
ReplyDeleteLove your collection of girls, they are some hotties. :)
Thanks for the Trichelle body upgrade share ("I can be an Olympic skater") body. I will keep that in mind for her.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your photos, too. Love the last one best ;-D
I really like these dolls and finally found them last week. I do not care for the open mouth, but I love their face screen. I plan to get duplicates and maybe close the mouths and change the lip color especially on Trichelle.
ReplyDeleteThe last pic is my fav also! Oh and I love the animal print clothes they are all sporting. Where did you get them?
I love the last photo, as well! I'm going to pass on this wave of SIS girls.
ReplyDeleteHi All,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. I'm glad everyone liked that last photo. It took a couple of hours to track down all the animal print outfits. To answer Georgia Girl -- Grace and Kara are wearing Lovely Patsy fashions that I bought in the fall. Chandra is wearing a Kenya fashion madness dress. Marissa's top came with a clone that I bought around 2004 or 2005. The leggings are from SIS Baby Phat Grace's outfit. Trichelle's jacket originally belonged to Josie and the Pussycats Valerie. Her top belonged to Scary Spice.
Once I got everyone dressed, it took me another day to get the lighting right. I tried using my LED lamps. Then I tried catching them in the morning sunlight. The golden light around 5pm turned out the best although Marissa is still a little over-exposed.
Hello from Spain: I love your collection of dolls. The collection of the SIS is awesome. I like them all .. Keep in touch
ReplyDelete