Fit for a Queen

Rachel Bolaji is just coming from the hair salon.

Her neighbor admires the new style and calls her over for a chat.

 

"It must have taken forever!" she exclaims, admiring Rachel's threaded coils.

 

"Yes, Glen had two naps and the hairdresser pulled my hair so hard I'm getting a headache," Rachel admits.

"Still I think it will be worth it."

"She said it would help my hair grow," Rachel adds, turning to show the other profile.

When Debbie Garrett featured Taofik Okoya's Queens of Africa dolls on Black Doll Collecting last month, I fell in love with the threaded hairstyle one of the dolls wears.  Okoya says the doll's hairstyle was very popular in Nigeria in the 1970s and indeed, back in the 70s I had a classmate from Nigeria who would periodically show up at school with her hair threaded. 

It took a couple of tries and some tedious hours wrapping the hair with thread to make the wig but I think the end result is fit for a queen!

À Bientôt

The CEO

"Lisa Jenkins?"

"Come on in, it's a pleasure to meet you."



"So tell me a little about yourself."

What makes you think you would enjoy working here?"

"Oh yes, I remember what big dreams I had when I first came to this town."



"I'm sure you have many other options but if you join our team, the sky is the limit!"

"As you can see, there is no glass ceiling here."



This pink jacket was about the only thing in the Stardoll line that appealed to me.  When I went to Target this week, they had the Stardolls on sale at a price that made buying a doll I didn't want to get a cool outfit seem like a good deal. 

The wig is one in a series of short hairstyles I am developing.  The CEO is a character actress who enjoys playing women who are much more experienced than her numerical age.  She was originally from Toys R Us.  I have upgraded her to a Liv Alexis body. 

"Yes, love, the last candidate looks like she may be the one."



"I'll meet you at the bar in twenty minutes.  XOXOXO"



Even though Liv has a smaller bust than Barbie, it seems that the Stardolls are thinner in the torso in addition to being less well-endowed than other Mattel dolls.  Boss lady better keep that jacket on, otherwise she just might pop out of the dress!

À Bientôt

Yogalicious

A few weeks ago Debbie Garrett of Black Doll Collecting sent me two of these fashion doll heads:

These are the first black dolls we have seen in Dollar Tree in about five years.  I had already snapped up six of them but I was delighted to have more.  I just wish they had been available in May before the Atlanta Doll Collector's show.  It would have saved me from having to paint the white ones I bought to serve as wig models.

I like the face mold in both the red-headed and African American versions so I quickly promoted one of the ones I received from Debbie to a dark Liv Alexis body.  Next thing you know she's hosting a Yoga show!  Introducing Bea Garrett in "Yogalicious:"

À Bientôt

My First Repaint

    Chemical odors give me headaches and make my skin crawl.  When I took Graphic Design, I enjoyed the class but hated entering the building where all the Fine Arts classes were taught because the smell of paints and solvents was always so strong.   Thus it was only when I realized that acrylic paints are odorless that I was willing to try repainting dolls.

    Meet Nick Kringle:  

Nick started out as a mechanical Santa that I bought in an after Christmas sale about five years ago.  

 

Even though the Walgreens where I bought him is in a predominantly black section of Decatur, there were no African American Santas available so Nick languished in storage until last month when a very special lady arrived.  The competition for her attention has been keen, but Nick is determined to win her so he badgered me to make him presentable.  He is hoping that his smooth dance moves and mellow tones on the saxophone will melt the lady’s heart.  

À Bientôt

Black Barbie and Ken's Nigerian Traditional Wedding

It seems that those of us in dolldom have been in the vanguard of a growing artistic phenomenon.  In the last two weeks my boss and other non-doll friends have sent me several interesting links to photo series by professional photographers that either use fashion dolls or cast live models as Barbie and Ken.  Obi's "Black Barbie and Ken's Nigerian Traditional Wedding" is exquisitely beautiful and also a roaring good time.  Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did!

Casting Call: Part 5

Francesca and Bettina

Francesca came from Toys R Us circa 2005.  Her cousin, Bettina was the African American version of the same face mold.  Their dresses are from a late 1970s Barbie that would purse her lips to kiss when you pressed a button in her back.

I had the African American version of that doll and have kept the peach dress all these years.  I paid $1 for the pink dress at the May 20th doll show.

I bought the white wicker love seat at the May 5th doll show.

Remember the sling-back shoes?  They were (and still are) a pain in the butt to fasten and the straps had a tendency to break. 

Fire and Ice

This tempestuous beauty was originally a ballerina.  I bought her at Kmart circa 2005.  She did a very spirited reading of a villainess role for her screen test and  is now on a fully articulated Mattel poser body with a pivotal waist and arched feet.  I am very impressed with the cut of this slinky blue dress which I bought for $1 at the May 20th doll show.

Candace

Candace was a Kari Michelle doll I found in Dollar General.  She upgraded to a fully articulated Mattel body with a pivotal waist and arched feet.

The gown probably came from a Dolls of the World Barbie.  I paid $1 for it at the May 20th doll show.

I also got Beauty, Barbie’s Russian wolfhound there.  I bought this dog when it originally came out in 1979 but left it behind when I moved away from home.  For $8 I was re-united with her at the May 20th doll show.

The sleigh was an eBay purchase circa 2005.

Blanche Norwood

Blanche was a Chic Boutique Snow White.  Her aristocratic bearing landed her a part as a noblewoman in an upcoming episode of the “Playscale Crafting” show even before she had upgraded to her current Liv body.

I paid $1 for the gown at the May 20th doll show.

Brooke Peyton

Like Mimi, Brooke was a teen fashion doll from Wal-Mart.  She earned an upgrade to a fully articulated Mattel body with pivotal waist and arched feet for her roles as the governor’s daughter in “Firehouse #5,”

and as a student in “Homage to Leon Damas.”

The intriguing combination of plaid and pleats makes a surprisingly feminine gown.

I’m guessing it dates from the 1980s because it fastens with metal snaps.  I paid $1 for it at the May 20th doll show.

That brings me to the end of the casting call but I still have new treasures to show in upcoming posts.

À Bientôt

Casting Call: Part 4

Radcliff Settle, MD

Cliff is an early precursor of Integrity Toys’ Tariq.  I paid $5 for him at the May 5th doll show because he was wearing a snazzy pin-striped suit. I decided he was more of a serious type than a gangster, however so he is modeling a lab coat that I got from the same seller for .20 cents.

I named Cliff after my great grandfather.  They both graduated from Meharry Medical College. 

The Bodyguards

If you have business with the boss, you'll have to get past Pat and Mike first.  Pat is the studious type.

The boss is paying his way through law school.  Mike is a ladies' man.

He insisted on the custom made fedoras which took the wardrobe department several weeks to complete.  These two were originally dressed in the hazmat and astronaut suits featured in "Casting Call:  Part 2."  One of the pinstriped suits was on Cliff.  The other was on a creepy looking G.I. Joe figure with a steel head.  Since the suits were designed for G.I. Joe instead of Ken, the sleeves are large enough to accommodate action figure hands. 

Jerry Flanagan

In this scene the twins are working as bodyguards for mob boss, Jerry Flanagan, another one of the Power Team figures I found in a bargain bin at the May 20th doll show. 

Jerry was nude except for these stylish wing-tip oxfords:

It's nice for the Power Team guys to have some options besides combat boots.

I was a little disconcerted that Jerry did not have hands but that turned out to be a blessing since the black shirt he is wearing has close fitting cuffs that would never have fit over action figure fists. 

I got the jacket for $1 at the May 20th doll show.  Fortunately, I had an extra pair of the molded black glove hands for him to put on after he changed out of the costume.

Antonio Gutierrez

Imagine having this fellow turn up on your doorstep for a blind date!

He is the best of the five Power Team figures I purchased at the May 20th doll show.  He was the only note of color in that bin.

Better still, not only does he have hands, they are molded in a gently curved position that will fit through the sleeves of Ken fashions.  Thus he got to wear the tuxedo I bought at the May 5th doll show.

The last casting call will feature ladies in formal gowns that I acquired at the May 20th doll show.  They are all beaming "pick me!" vibes at Antonio but I think he has already spotted Lupe.

À Bientôt