A recent perusal of the Pottery Barn Kids website led to the exciting discovery that a Gotz boy doll is once again available at Pottery Barn. The Gotz 18 inch dolls have been available for several years, along with mini dolls more recently. There are about four main dolls with different hair, eye, and skin colors, and special edition dolls have also been offered. There used to be a boy doll (named Henry) pictured on the website, but he has not been available for sale for quite some time. I keep hoping PBK would bring back their boy doll, and they finally did!

The new doll is named Parker, and he seems quite similar to Henry, but his eyes look darker. I really loved Henry's outfit, as it looks exactly like my son's school uniform, and I love the red shoes. The new (sportier) outfit also looks cute, but I wish there were more pictures or a more detailed description on the website. I can't tell what his shirt looks like under the letter-man jacket, but it looks like it has a collar, so it may be a white button-up shirt. If so, that would add some nice versatility to his outfit. The shoe color is also not clear, but I think they are a more muted color than the cute red ones. I like his hat, but it totally obscures his hair so you can't see the style. Maybe I will have to try to find one of these little guys in my local Pottery Barn store so I can check him out more.

Since the company created a completely new character rather than just bringing back Henry, I would like to have seen a little more diversity. The eyes are slightly different, but the complexion and hair look nearly identical. I would like to see a different skin tone or hair color/texture, or at least some freckles or glasses. Currently, there is quite a variety of girl 18 inch dolls available from Pottery Barn, so it's disappointing to see the lack of creativity with the boy doll. Overall, though, he is very cute and seems to be good quality, so I'm just glad to see a boy doll offering again from a major retailer. Parker is currently available for $99, but I am hoping to see some sales closer to Christmas.

There are also several other 18 inch Gotz dolls available, and as they bring in new characters, a few of the older versions are on sale. I saw some cute outfits too, including a cat costume and a birthday outfit. The regular mini dolls are not currently available, but they do have a princess, prince, and royal guard mini doll, selling for $24 each. You can also buy a royal carriage and horse to go with the set, and there is a full-sized princess doll and carriage as well. 

I'm trying to limit my doll spending right now, but I couldn't resist checking out my favorite thrift store, Saver's. Here are some of the doll finds that caught my eye.

This Victorian beauty was selling for $10, which is worth it just for the dress and stand. It has a porcelain face and limbs and soft body. She looks about the same size as American Girl, and I think her clothing would fit an AG doll quite well. Her beautiful crepe dress is easily removable with a Velcro closure in back. It is adorned with layers of ruffles and lace, with silk flowers and a beautiful cameo brooch for a finishing touch. She even has a fancy little purse. 

These beautiful 20" boys from the Cathay Collection captured my heart right away. They have hard vinyl arms and feet, soft bodies, and wigged hair. They have a toddler-style body with curved legs and feet, so they can't stand. They are similar to Bitty Twins but slightly bigger, and they seem to be able to fit into regular infant clothing. I really had to fight myself to keep from buying that little blond. Doesn't his face just seem to say, "Please take me home"?

This little lady is so cute with her copper curls and cute bare feet, but I was actually most interested in her swing. I think it would work great for the American Girl mini dolls. She is tied to the swing, but she isn't glued down, so she wouldn't be too hard to remove. I also love the look of the flowery vines adorning the edges. 

I also found several American Girl books in very nice condition. There was the first book for Julie, Kit (not pictured because my daughter was holding it) and Lanie, and an entire set of Julie's 6 books. They were only 99 cents each, and I had a 20% off coupon from donating, so I ended up getting 7 books for about 5 dollars. My youngest daughter loves Kit, so I got her meet book, and I couldn't resist getting Julie's books since it was such a great deal for a complete set. I did leave Lanie for the next little girl, though. This was my only actual purchase. 

I'm so glad I have this site to share all my great finds without having to actually buy everything. Hope you enjoyed seeing them. Happy thrifting!

Here is my completed bedroom for my boy doll, Emmett. The back-drop is just a 
presentation board from the dollar store. I covered it with wood-grain contact paper
and decorative tape for a border. Let's take a look at some of the finishing touches. 

This trinket shelf is my favorite part of the room. I used the box from a wooden magnet 
toy and affixed it to the wall with sturdy tape. It is strong enough to hold, but it can still be
removed to change the look. The decorations include sports erasers, a Lego mini-fig,
three ninja nesting dolls, a small car, some kind of springy bird toy (not sure where that
came from), and a small transformer. 

I love doll pieces that are functional as well as decorative, so I wanted to make a dresser that can really be used for storage (but without the hassle of real drawers that pull out). This dresser has a flip-top that opens to store items inside the box. I also found a great tutorial from My Froggy Stuff for making a dresser with a hole in the back to stash stuff inside. I made the drawers look more 3-D by wrapping pieces of cardboard in contact paper rather than using flat scrapbook paper. 

Materials:

• 1 cardboard box the size you want your dresser to be
  
• 1 extra box or pieces of thin cardboard
  
• 1 roll of wood-grain contact paper (or sheets of scrapbook paper)
  
• Strong double-sided adhesive or glue gun
  
• Craft beads
• Thin magnets (I got mine from a phone book!)

Instructions:

1. Cut a large piece of contact paper and wrap the box like a present. (I left mine open at the top and then cut the contact paper to fold over the flaps so they could still open.)
2. Cut a cardboard rectangle slightly larger than the top of the dresser. Wrap it in contact paper and firmly attach it to one of the top flaps. Attach a thin magnet to the underside of the dresser top and another to the opposite box flap to hold the dresser closed.
3. Cut out cardboard rectangles the size you want the drawers to be. 
4. Cover each drawer in contact paper and firmly attach to the front of the dresser.
5. Attach beads to the front for drawer handles. (I used sticky tack to put the beads on so they can easily be changed for different styles. Be sure to glue securely if your dresser will be used around small children, though.)
6. Cover the top of the dresser with a small piece of fabric and knick-knacks  to suit your doll.

* For an easier variation (which I discovered after completing mine, of course) is to cover both ends of the box and glue the top down all the way, Then just cut a small hole in the back to access the inside of the box for storage. 

Doll beds can be so expensive, but with a little imagination, you can easily find things around the house to make your own. This wooden frame was used to hold glass canisters in my kitchen. It even has a built-in headboard and foot-board. For the mattress, I used a foam knee board for gardening (from the dollar store). Then I wrapped it in fabric and placed it on top of the frame. I folded a small flannel receiving blanket in half for the top. For the pillow, I used a cloth bag and a mini pillow from a doll pet set. I just put the pillow into the bag and then folded the end of the bag back into itself until it made a nice rectangle. 

A bedside table is one of the easiest pieces of doll furniture to make. Just take a candle holder or cup and flip it over. Then tape your foam circle onto the flat surface. To make it more sturdy, layer several foam circles or attach the foam to a circle of cardboard first. Try different shapes like stars, hearts, or cars, I decorated my table with this cute glow-in-the-dark mini lamp, also from the dollar store.

     I personally believe that all children can benefit from doll play, regardless of gender. I also feel that children need to explore male characters in a wider context than is currently offered by most common toy options. While female dolls represent a wide range of ages, characters, and roles, male dolls tend to be depicted as adults (fashion dolls and action figures) or babies/toddlers (baby dolls). American Girl includes some great, multi-faceted male characters in their historical books, so I am disappointed that none of them have been depicted as dolls. 
     Most major retailers offer limited options, but there are some nice boy dolls available online. Here are a few of the ones that stood out to me. I have not purchased products from any of these retailers, so my comments are just general impressions rather than reviews. 

If any of you know of other good doll lines that sell boy dolls, please comment below. I know there are several custom options on Etsy and Ebay, and a few of the major doll manufacturers have created boy dolls which can still be found on the secondary market. American Girl also offers their Bitty Twins line in a variety or hair and eye colors with different skin tones, but I didn't include them because I tried to pick dolls that look the same age as the main American Girl characters. Good luck to those of you seeking to add a boy to your doll family.

In honor of my new twin nephews who were born yesterday, I decided to declare an official Boy Week here at Dolls on a Dime. I will be posting boy-themed activities and ideas, as well as product reviews for boy dolls and clothing. We'll also take a look at some of the young male characters in the American Girl books and other historical fiction and non-fiction stories.

Click here to learn more about my custom boy doll, Emmett. Click here to find his clothes from Springfield Collection.

One of my favorite doll blogs, Living a Doll's Life, recently featured 18 inch boy doll options, so I wanted to share my custom boy doll Emmett. My son is 6 years old, the middle child and only boy, sandwiched between two sisters who are both avid doll lovers. He started asking about a boy doll last year, but I just couldn't find the right doll for him. He wanted the 18 inch size, one that looked about his age, not a baby. I thought about AG Bitty Twins, but those have more of a toddler look and are still quite expensive. I didn't really like the other options I saw, so I went on a mission to create the perfect boy doll for him. It was easy to find the base body doll, an old Kingstate Friendship Kids doll whose wig was in terrible shape. I finally found the perfect wig for him on a thrift-store doll I got for $4!

The original doll came in a pretty gender-neutral outfit, so I just had to swap out the floral t-shirt for a plain white one. He is a bit smaller than American Girl and Our Generation dolls, with a slightly smaller head and feet. His clothes can fit other 18 inch dolls, but his shoes are a little snug. He fits well in most typical 18 inch clothes, and I especially like the Springfield Collection from Joann. He has a soft body that extends to his upper arms and legs, so he can't stand on his own and doesn't look good in super short sleeves (especially since his arms are prone to come off, so they are wrapped at the top in medical tape. My son chose the name Emmett after the hero of the Lego Movie. Emmett likes all the same things as my boy: cars, ninjas, sports, Legos, and dogs. My son says he would give him 4 out of 5 stars. Not bad for under $20, huh?