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?
1 Comment
My granny was an avid collector of porcelain dolls of all sizes before she passed away. My mother's sister recently sent my mom a box of some of the dolls, so she took some pictures for me. I hope to see the dolls in person and take more pictures soon. I remember admiring them from behind glass when I went to visit my grandmother. My aunt was a smoker, so many of these dolls have a bad cigarette odor in their hair and clothes. If anyone has any good ideas for removing the smell, we would sure appreciate it.
The theme for this week over at Camp Doll Diaries is all about the 1950s, so I decided to post some pictures of the 50s inspired felt skirt I made for my "vintage" vinyl doll a few months ago. This was my favorite play doll when I was a little girl, and I loved it to death, literally. The hair just got un-salvageable, so I shaved it off, and I use a variety of different wigs for her. This one is what I call the Laura wig, because it reminds me of my sister Laura's hair when she was younger. I got it from an extremely ugly porcelain doll that I rescued from a thrift store and rewigged with a much more suitable style. This wig looks great on many different dolls, and I especially Iike the look of it with this Nifty Fifties style. I sewed on a strap of thin, clear, elastic cord, so it holds the wig on the doll's head without having to glue it down. I prefer to make the wigs non-permanent so I can change them up whenever I wish. The other day at Toys R Us I saw some great FAO Schwartz stuffed animals on sale. This Shen the Panda really caught my eye, along with the Zylie and Friends bear from the same collection. These toys are a mix between an 18 inch doll and a Stuffed animal. They have plush fur and traditional animal faces, but they are slimmer and stand up more like a vinyl doll. I love the outfit on this one and think it would fit perfectly for my son's custom boy doll. It also comes with a book, a backpack, and some drumsticks and passport. The current sale price is about 30$, and the regular price is about $50. These toys follow the adventures of Zylie as she travels around the world and meets friends from other countries. The Zylie toy was also available on sale, and you can purchase more outfits for these dolls online at the Toys R Us website. There is a great Chinese style dress for Zylie that could easily turn this panda into a girl, and it may fit other 18 inch dolls as well. Another draw to this toy for me is that it reminded me of the Perkins Panda bear designed to teach young children Braille. You can purchase just the bear with his packpack for about $23 or the entire set with books and cassettes for $60). Last Christmas I purchased a Perkins Panda braille book for my blind daughter, but I didn't feel I could afford the bear, so I bought a mini plush panda to sub for Perkins. Shen would make a wonderful toy to go with the Perkins products. It even has a backpack like the "real" Perkins Panda. I think the clothing really enhances the play value as opposed to the naked Perkins Panda. Learning to dress this doll would be great for blind and sighted children to develop hand-eye coordination. The body style also makes it easy to mix and match with 18 inch doll clothing and accessories. I think it could also wear infant or preemie baby clothes. Either of these products would be fun and educational for children of all abilities. You can purchase Shen and Zylie at Toys R Us here, and you can get the Perkins Panda products from the Perkins online store here. Charlotte was so excited that her new mini doll Ivy arrived yesterday. Don't you think they look alike? At the sale price of ten dollars, these mini dolls are a wonderful deal. Ivy is so beautiful and very nice for a young girl, with her straight hair and no tiny accessories to lose. Her boots also stay on better than some of the other tiny shoes. Her hair is so shiny and smooth and her little face is so sweet. I love her boots and yellow underpants, and the green slacks are growing on me. But I just can't get over that ugly shirt. No worries. I will make her some new clothes right away! Look who's here! My American Girl mini dolls just arrived in the mail the other day, and I am so excited! After getting mini Felicity and her book set from Sam's Club shortly before Christmas, I decided I needed more mini dolls. Luckily these three (Marie Grace, Cecile, and Caroline) were on sale for half price! They are still available from the AG website here for 12$ each. There are several other historical character dolls available for 24$, but Molly is sold out. Barnes and Noble is another great source of the mini dolls, and they are a couple dollars cheaper, too. They also have the GOTY minis for Saige and Isabelle. Apparently, AG is releasing new editions of the mini dolls later this year to coincide with the new meet outfits for the Be Forever line. No one is exactly sure which dolls might disappear (friend dolls Ivy and Ruthie?, NOLA girls Marie-Grace and Cecile?) So this is good chance to snag these dolls. The mini dolls are a great inexpensive alternative to the pricier full-sized dolls and a wonderful way to immerse children in American History. Plus, they are just so stinkin' CUTE! I just love the details, right down to the signature AG toothy grin. Here are some pictures of my newest cuties, along with Mini Felicity. Stay tuned for more ideas for creating fabulous mini-worlds for your dolls. |
Categories
All
Archives
January 2017
|