Wilko "play! Fashion Diva Doll" - UPDATE ...

Today, I was quite surprised to receive a letter from Wilkinson in reply to my compliant about the quality of the doll, that I spoke about in my last post.

The letter was quite grovelling really, which surprised me as like I said in my last post,  I didn't really feel I would be able to make a complaint officially due to my not buying the item from one of their stores...

Here's what they had to say on the matter: 

"Thank you for your letter concerning Wilko play fashion diva doll purchased for you and your disappointment with the quality  We really appreciate the time you have taken to bring these issues to our attention and also for giving us the opportunity to put things right for you. 

Throughout our 80 year history, Wilkinson has been committed to selling quality products at value for money prices and to learn of a complaint about the performance of one of our own branded items is naturally disappointing.

 Please be assured that I have taken a record of the problems you have encountered and passed it to our Quality Assurance department in order to highlight any recurrence of the issue described and any necessary action that is required to improve quality will of course be taken. Indeed your feedback has been very important to this process, thank you. 

Wilkinson regards our customer relations as extremely important and we believe that you should be completely satisfied with every product purchased from us.

I was really sorry to learn of your dissatisfaction and as a token gesture of goodwill, to show our commitment to customer satisfaction, please find enclosed a gift card to the value of £5.00 with my compliments. 

Again, thank you for taking the time to write to us and I do hope the enclosed gift card will go someway to making up for any upset caused. Yours Sincerely Marie Heaton Customer Advisor."

What can I say? I can't help being impressed by this, after all, I guess I've now got Marylin Monroe's head free and around a third off the cost of a  Monster High Robecca Steam doll, next time I go to their store!

All in all I'd call that a result, especially if they do take in board my opinions and improve the quality of this item so as not to disappoint any child who may buy this doll or receive one as a gift in future.

Wilko "Play!" Fashion Diva Dolls

Here's something I don't normally do in my posts...complain, yep that's right, I've found a doll I'm really not happy with, and here's why...

Whilst browsing in Ebay the other day, I found a listing for a very cheap doll, no bidders and ending in a few minutes, she had such a lovely face and made me think of Marilyn Monroe, so I decided I'd go for it and place a bid, even though the seller didn't give much other information on the doll, and as she was ending in a few minutes, I must confess I sped read the listing (Bad Herbie!) so I didn't even know who she was made by, not that it mattered to me as she was going to be customised away, she was boxed and arrived at my home really quickly, the problem came when I opened the box!

But I'm getting a bit ahead of myself here, this is what she looked like in the listing:

After I opened the package she came in, I was surprised to discover she was from Wilkinson's Play! line of toys, as I didn't even know it existed!

The doll comes in "Cheap & Cheerful" packaging, but the Artist in me actually likes the "paint - splats" on the box, which I think may actually be the "theme" that connects all Wilkinson's Play! Toy Range and helps you to differentiate between it and the "dearer items they may have on the shelves next to it or close by... I could be wrong of course, as I didn't even know they had their own range of toys, having only ever noticed the Brand Name ones when I've been in the toy section of my Local Wilkinson.

 Otherwise, why would a standard Barbie Clone come in a box covered with paint splats if her outfit does not relate to an "Arty" theme?  but I digress...

I began to wonder if she'd be any good for my custom idea, but I decided I was wrong in being so judgmental, considering, I hadn't even opened the box at the time, and I thought it would be a good opportunity to review this type of Barbie Clone while I had the chance.

Now I don't know about you, but I always open my doll boxes from the top, unless they have something ornate on top that I don't want to damage or have excessively sticky tape which will damage the box and leave an ugly mark, in those cases, I go straight to the bottom... In this case however, I wasn't particularly bothered about the box as it was the doll's face that most concerned me, so I opted for the top, which was sealed with a mall strip of sellotape.

I should point out here, that the box, was very low quality  thinner in fact, than the cardboard a cereal box is made of,  when I realised this, I must admit, I didn't really have high hopes for the doll inside, but I decided to be more optimistic as I was still hoping that my "Custom Marilyn"  would be an easy re-dress, add beauty spot and re style the hair type of custom... but it was not to be!

From the seller's photo, I thought her hair was already styled in a very Marilyn-esque kind of  way, but I discovered a few seconds later that her hair was on top of her hand in a "pony tail", I discovered this as I attempted to remove her from the box, and her head came off in my hand... yes really, it just popped right off her neck!!?

She wasn't held into the box by any extra packaging (I quite like that) so I just tipped the box upside down and let the rest of the doll fall into my lap, and Oh My God! 

 The neck is such a weird shape, but thankfully the hole in the head that corresponds to it, seems to be a "normal" shape and size.  

The doll's body is made out of the flimsiness plastic and it's hollow too, so flimsy in fact, that when I tried to take her clothes off to look at her body properly it bent!

Her dress had not been hemmed at the bottom, and the material used has started to fray. Her underwear is cut jagged and again not hemmed and starting to fray.

I noticed that one of her feet was not inside one of the shoes correctly and her heel was sticking out over the top, so I tried to push the foot back into it...bad move as it turned out, as in trying to fit the shoe on, her heel squished inwards and is now pushed in and cannot be pulled back out, plus her leg bent so much  that when I twisted it back in place, it left "stress-marks" on her legs!

While for me this is not such an issue as it was primarily her face I was interested in, and she does have a very pretty face, that I still believe is a perfect candidate for Marilyn Monroe.

 But I was very offended by the quality of the rest of her, as her body is totally unusable for the purpose I bought her for and will need to be replaced.

I decided to do something I never do... I have written a letter to Wilko Stores complaining about the quality of the item, as I am unable to return it to the store as they state I can under their "Wilko Promise" on the back of the box.

I'm also offended that if this doll is as I suspect a "Pocket Money Toy" then some poor little girl may find she has wasted her money on what she thinks is a nice doll and turns out to be something that falls apart in her hands as she attempts to play with it, as this is certainly NOT a "Play Toy" in fact unless a little girl who has spent her money on this doll leaves her in her box and never attempts to take her out to play with, she will be very disappointed.

Likewise, if this is purchased as a present it will only lead to disappointment, and really should be avoided at all costs, unless you are only purchasing her for her head as the head quality is pretty standard for a clone doll!

In my letter, I have requested that Wilko, if they continue to stock this product, improve it's quality  even if this means raising the product's price, as I reasoned in my letter "Most people, (even little girls) will not mind paying a few more pounds extra for an item that won't fall apart in their hands as they try to use it"!

After all, why should a Low Price automatically have to mean Low Quality?!

Doll Hair and How To Re-Root It - Tutorial

If you've got a doll who needs her hair replaced or even just one or two plugs, ad you are unsure how to re-root the hair yourself, check out my Squidoo Lens Tutorial.

In it I let you know about the different types of hair that are available and show explain how to attach it to your doll's head and includes links to websites where I buy my favourite types of hair to use.

One day, I may get around to copying the entire thing here, (if I can remember where I put all the images I used that is!) but for now, you can just click on the link below the picture, and it will take you straight to the Lens page.

http://www.squidoo.com/customisingdolls_dollhair

Above all, have fun!

The Story of My Pullip - Before and After!

I bought my little girl in 2009, from a seller who had her listed on Buy it Now as a customized Pullip.

Sadly she was unsure which one she was, although she did mention in the listing that the doll  might be "Oren" or "Venus" and that she came with a stand, this turned out to be a metal one with "Pullip" in green, on top of the base, and "Jun Planning" - "Made in China" underneath, hopefully this may help someone to I.D her for me... Please!

The Seller had two Pullips for sale (both customized), and while I liked the other one slightly more, I procrastinated too long and discovered she had been sold by the time I made up my mind to buy one, now though, I am glad that I did as I hated the "face-up" on my little girl so much that she became the perfect candidate for giving Pullip Customization a go on!

She also has a weird problem with her eyelids, they weren't working, I discovered this was due to the spring being rusty and snapped inside, so I replaced it and they worked...But here's the catch, they only work when the top of her head is off!? 

I have tried several ways around this I'm still not 100% sure what could be causing this issue, I even removed the eye mechanism, took it apart, completely cleaned it and inside the head ad replaced it, still no joy... the only thing I can think of is if her eye chips were not placed properly and are slightly raised causing the lids get stuck and not be able to cover the eye, but I've check this and it doesn't seem to be the case as the mechanism works fine and the lids cover the eyes, but only as I've said, if the top of her head is missing!!

Here's how she looked her "Sale Photo" ...

Pretty bad huh?!

But the wig she was wearing was beautiful quality, so soft and in certain lights it has a purpley sheen to it. I nearly kept it for her to wear after I'd done something about her "Face-Up" but with her eyes being pink, I thought I'd keep it for someone else as I didn't really like her as a "Pink - Overload" doll anyway, plus I have a number of "big eye" customs I'm working on so it's always handy to have a spare wig, especially such a beautiful one!

Her outfit was whipped off straight away, it was apparently designed and bought from a well known Seller, but I didn't think it worked very well together, and definitely not on this girl, so off it came!

I modified the eye make up, it was mostly pink glitter?! 

As were the lips, they were just awful and took ages to wipe clean...

What I did love about the eyes was the shape of the eyebrows, with their 2 small dots after them (not sure why they had to be pink as well though!) and also the tiny diamante in the corners of her eyes above the nose, so I decided to keep them, I was going to do something about the eyebrows (change the colour possibly, once I had decided on and purchased a new wig for her.

I removed all of the glitter from her eyelids and repainted them, and some more of the glitter was removed  from the well above the eyes, I liked the eyelashes though so I decided to keep them for a while.

Here's how she looks now:

I decided on this curly  back wig, with purple streaks, which I think suits her so much better than the pink one. It also makes her eye colour more intense, and the detail of her eye make up is much more subtle now, but due to the wig, is somehow more apparent, without being "In your face" as it was before!

I don't really care that her eye's don't blink, I don't really try and use this function on her anyway, in fact I had forgotten all about it, until I took her wig off for the above photo and rediscovered the button to work it!

Her eyes move from left to right, without any issues, and as the "blink eye" function is not one that can be locked and held by the doll for any length of time (when it works!) it's not something I would use in photographs anyway, so it's certainly no hardship at all! not having the ability to use it

Her body holds poses very well and isn't swingy or awkward in any way. It also appears to be a "Type 1" so I guess that would most likely make her a "Venus" as opposed to "Oren" who I believe has a "Type 2" body (don't quote me on that!) also "Oren" I have just discovered was limited to 500 dolls Worldwide and came with a "Certificate of Authenticity" - numbered I believe... 

Which beggars the question, why on Earth would anyone want to customise her... and with crazy amounts of pink glitter too?!!

One day I may get around to adding some colour back to her lips, I did consider a "natural wet look" to them, as though she had just moistened them, but I really like them as they are for now, and occasionally when I think "I'll make those lips of hers look more life-like" I get a slight sickness feeling at the thought of going near her with pink... even if it is a natural shade!!

Yeah, I know that's completely crazy, but I can't help it!

I somehow feel those eyebrows suit her hair more now, but I do still get the urge to paint them more life-like and brown too, but then again, I keep thinking, it would be such a drastic change, from pink to brown, that I may just end up hating them ad wishing I'd left them alone!

Also, I haven't worked out what I would do about the little cream coloured dot that follows behind the pink one at the end of each eyebrow, and I guess until I come up with an idea of how to incorporate that into her "new-look" eyebrows, I'll just leave them be for the time being at least!

I tried her in so many different outfits, before I decided on this "Barbie Bat Girl" catsuit from 2003, I was planning to make her a blue hood, black mask and yellow cape to go with it, maybe one day I'll get around to it too!

The crazy thing is, she has now been wearing this outfit for a few years now and I have to say I think the "Super-Hero Look" suits her so well, what I found weird was, today I went checking up on Pullips to try and get a positive I.D on her once and for all, and I discovered that last year Groove released an Exclusive Bat Girl Pullip Doll of their own.. so it seems I'm not the only person who realised how stunning a Pullip Version of that DC Character would be!!

Here's the Promotional Pictures for her, taken from www.comicvine.com 

Hmm, I know Brown or at a push Auburn hair is really the legitimate colour for Bat Girl, but well I prefer my girl in this role, but then again, I would say that being a proud Mum an' all!!

So Off I went again to look at Pullips (any excuse) trying to find the above image to post and what do I discover? ... There is an "alternative"  version  of the doll above!

This one's called the "JP Version" which means she was made for the Japanese market, well more precisely for their "Wonder Festival" which I think may be similar to Comic Con - again don't quote me!

The Japanese Version has Blue hair... yes Blue!! 

More precisely Blue with black streaks...hmmm... very strange, I almost got my girl a wig in those colours, same style and streak size as she is wearing but blue and black, I also toyed with the idea of a bright green and black one, before I finally chose the purple and black one she is wearing... funny though huh?!

Here she is without the mask:

I have to admit, I much prefer these costumes to my "Barbie" but meh what can you do without a team of designers and people handy with sewing machines?!

I will be on the look out now though, for a "Stock Outfit" from either, fingers crossed they have the same body dimensions or it will be a waste of cash, also I guess it's not so likely I'll ever find one, after all who would buy an exclusive just to whip it's clothes off and sell them?

Wow how strange is this, Make your own "Little People "Pal" Kit?

here's another strange item, I had no idea even existed until I found it a week or so ago  during my customary trawl around Ebay, this time I was on a quest for Cabbage Patch Kids, and the search results threw up this little item; all the images are of course taken from the listing:

At first, looking at the box and seeing how the "Cabbage Patch Kids" turned out I assumed it was a make yourself clone type kit, but no....

This kit is a vintage item, produced sometime in the late 1970's  Early 1980's or even I guess at the height of the Cabbage patch Kids hysteria, and licensed to none other than Xavier Roberts... That's him on the cover!

You know who he is right?  Well in case it's slipped your minds, he's the guy whose signature appears on all the Cabbage Patch kid's bottoms and acts as a kind of "evidence of their authenticity"!

Once you've used your kit; the finished articles are called "Little People "Pal" but it doesn't take a genius to figure out what well known toy they were based on, Right?  Well, you may just be surprised!

They are made from the pre-cut fabric pieces included in the box, then stitched and stuffed according to the instructions included.

The front of the box has load of information on it, such as:

"Little People "Pal" with complete Directions for Assembly in Your Choice of Six Hair Styles"

Kit Includes: "Pre-cut, Pre-Blushed Body Panels and Preformed Head Ball" - it goes onto state "See side panel for all contents".

It is worth mentioning here that this Head Ball is soft, unlike "Cabbage Patch Dolls".

"1 Soft Sculptured Doll Kit" - "Estimated time For Completion: 4 Hours"

"EASY STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED"

"Little People Pals Are All Naked But Are Very Content With A Small Blanket At Home And Regular Clothes (0-6 mo.) In Public."

DISTRIBUTED BY:

PLAID ENTERPRISES INC.       

NORCROSS. GA 30091

With Parental Guidance by

Xavier Roberts and

Original Appalachian Artworks INC.

Cleveland. GA 30528

It is worth noting that the distribution company is also the very same one that distributes "Cabbage Patch Kids" and their spin off products.

Under the picture it reads: "You Can Arrange My Hair In Your Choice Of Six Styles. I Wear Regular Clothes (0-6 mo.)"

Full instructions are included on how to Sculpt the Face and Paint the Eyes, as above.

Also included is a Certificate of Authenticity. Once section "Designer" is already signed by Xavier Roberts, with a space left for you to sign your own name above the word "Artist".

The kit includes all the stuffing you'll need and paints to complete your "Little People "Pal" Doll".
Each of the paints are numbered, with gesso and sealer included.
There is also a large ball of  "red" yarn this is for you to make her hair with. Each box I presume has a different colour which corresponds with the "I am a Red Head #9502" heart shape label on the front of the box.

Here are some of the pre-cut body parts, you can see from some of them the colour of the "pre-blushed" parts.

I'm still undecided how I feel about this item, on one side, I really like the idea, and would most likely buy one if I saw another one going cheap somewhere, but would I use it?

Probably not, in fact most likely not! I would have to keep it in unused condition, as I think it's a great item and quite a cool piece of cabbage patch History!

Although being a massive sneak, and not being able to resist using the kit, I would have to make patterns from the pre-cut pieces and make my own version, that would be cool especially if a "funky patterned" fabric was used all over, you could make Alien versions or something, but ahem, I digress!

I find it odd how, although this isn't a cheap knock-off make your own clone type kit, (as I previously thought it was before reading the listing and looking at the pictures that is!) the kit allows you to have a finished article which is most "definitely a clone" right?

So why make a clone at all?

I'm sure not many "Cabbage Patch obsessed begging children, would be fooled by it, unless they were very young!



So why didn't Xavier Roberts put his name to perhaps a cheaper, smaller Cabbage Patch Doll instead?

I have managed to find absolutely no information about this product on the Official Cabbage patch Kids Website, so you would be forgiven in assuming that the company behind the site, know nothing of them or at least had nothing to do with "Little People Dolls", but you'd be wrong....Very Wrong.

 You would also be very wrong in assuming that this item is a Clone Doll, but don't worry I'll clear up that confusion with a short history lesson!

Perhaps the weirdest thing about this item, is while it looks like a "make it yourself clone" it is in fact a Pre-Cabbage Patch - Cabbage Patch Doll or as they were called back in 1976, a "Little People" Doll, when Xavier Roberts invented the first one.

In 1978, the first "Little People Doll" made by Xavier Roberts, won first prize at a Florida Art Show, and from that came the birth of the Original Appalachian Artworks INC Company... within 4 years, these "Little People" had become the must-have toy of the decade, and by 1982 Xavier sold the  Marketing Rights  of his "Little People" to a Company Called Caleco, who made two small changes to them; they replaced the heads with a vinyl version and gave them a new name "Cabbage Patch Kids" and of course all of us who grew up in the 1980s know what happened next!

Just in case I've whetted your appetite and you'd like to stare at some very cute little Cabbage Patch Kids; here's the link to the official Website: http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/

Enjoy,

Limited Edition Steampunk Byul Doll.

Every so often I take myself off and have a nose around Ebay. looking at Byul Dolls and just hoping one day I'll find one I like for a price that doesn't smash my piggy bank to smithereens...

Last week I was doing just that, and a lot of sighing and mentally chanting "I wish" when a tiny image caught my eye... as is was labelled Steam Punk, I couldn't resist taking a closer look and "Oh My Giddy Aunt..." I was hit by Cupid's Bow!

Sadly, I don't think I'll ever be able to own this gorgeous little darling  but even so, I feel inspired when I look at her, so I decided I'd share her with you good people too!

She's Limited Edition, (what is it with me and Limited Edition Dolls at the moment?!), Her name is Rhiannon, and a good Welsh name that is too! and well, here she is.... Enjoy!

Oh btw, I best add before I start with the image uploads, that I don't own them (that should be obvious, but meh, I thought I better mention it, just in case!) 

All the images where taken from various Ebay Listings, as was the small amount of info I could find on her, below.

(All Images copyrighted to Cheonsang Cheonha - Photographed by ColdAngel6. All Rights Reserved.)

Isn't she something else?!

She comes in this awesome outfit with a stand.  And She has this "Back- Story" which I've seen copied onto every listing, I suspect this has come from the promotional literature for her on her release in December 2010.

Not to break with "Tradition" I've copied and pasted it below!

"Feeling: "Open the mechanical umbrella . . . Taking the time and slowly taking a walk along the ocean floor . . . Exposed to thirty thousand volts of magnetic field, I dream about!"

I'm not altogether sure what it means though!

Until this little one showed up in my Ebay Search, I've only found four, I'd even consider owning, which makes these dolls a little "hit and miss" for me.  

But I can't help thinking it would be nice to have one to nestle in between my Pullip and my Dal, or perhaps before my Dal, that kind of area anyway!

The problem is, with most of them, I never seem to find one that has all the features I like about the four in one place, except for that beautiful  Vampire, "Lillith" but that's a different post for another time!

I couldn't resist uploading a picture of her too, now I've mentioned her!

Looking at her again, I have just realised, that I think she may have been of some influence in my choice of Toffee Dolls, there is definitely, something I it "Hazel" about her, and not just the eyes, hmmm

Here's a few ways you can get to know me...

Nov 9, '08 4:34 PM for everyone  - migrated from Dolls More Dolls on Multiply

Hi Y'all,

Thought I'd drop you a couple of lines to let you know what to expect from these pages...

 I have stuff all over the internet lol but if you're after something specific like my artwork...check out my websites...you can find the address on the links page - for my doll collection site and then follow the links from the title page...alternatively you can try these!

http://www.jakaherbie.1colony.com/index.html - This link will take you directly to the title page of my online gallery....or if you wish to see doll based artwork go to

http://www.jakaherbiesdollart.1colony.com/index_1.html sorry about all the annoying pop ups it's a free hosting domain so unfortunately I can't do anything about them :( guess I'll have to work on moving these sites soon...keep ya posted!

My writing is available on Squidoo http://www.squidoo.com/lightningstrikes - Lots of facts, figures and survival tips on surviving a lightning strike.

http://www.squidoo.com/Herbiesplace_Zombieattack - step by step guide on how to survive a Zombie Attack!!

http://www.squidoo.com/herbies-place - short essay on why you should read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series!

http://www.squidoo.com/youngBritishartists - short essay on how the yBa changed our perception of what we think of as art!

More coming soon!!

Zomby and The Brainz

March 2012

Aaron's friend showed me a picture of a really cool t-shirt, and I couldn't resist sketching it!

I really liked it in pencil, but decided eventually that I should add some colour to it...

Zomby and The Brainz finished coloured version - I took some liberties with the colours as I didn't think some of the ones in the original image gave enough definition.

🌸 Sakura Toffee Doll - Kおんにち-わ! 🌸

Sakura (Limited Edition) Toffee Doll By Huckleberry Toys... Or my "Christmas Present Doll" - Lucky me!!

Sakura is one of the first wave of 6 Toffee Dolls that went on sale in 2009, each of the dolls in this series of Toffee Dolls was limited to 1,000 after this limit was produced the dolls were retired.

They hit the market with a retail price of £129.99.
The doll's were designed by Riri Fukuju, a Japanese doll maker who has been making and selling similar dolls via her website for a few years prior to her designing this range of dolls, here's a link to her website: http://www.cuddleafluffy.com/


The dolls have some very unique features, when compared to other big eyed & articulated dolls on the market, such as:

 They have Five points of articulation, these are at the joints of their neck, legs and arms, which doesn't' sound so unique until you realise that they are articulated in the same way that "Old fashioned" Teddy bears are! 

The doll's bodies are soft, like a Teddy bear, and made out of colourful Japanese fabrics, with the faces and hands being made of Polyurethane plastic, and their large eyes, made of glass.

They have removable outfits, but this is limited to their clothing on the body only, as the head wear is actually part of the head itself!

The doll measures 12 inches in height (30.5 cm).

And each one comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, which states their number out of 1,000 in the range.

The box as well as the doll's body, it's clothing and it's hair is all hand sewn and hand applied, as is the painting on the doll's face! 

The box comes with an insert which is a "backdrop" enabling you to pose and photograph the doll against in an "environment" which illustrates in with her own particular "story".

Each doll has her own story, which is illustrated with her clothing, box art,and the backdrop which is included inside the doll's box, This is Sakura's...


"Konnichi-wa! Hello and welcome! As the spring sun warms the day, the cherry tree comes to life full of beautiful cherry blossoms that make you smile and gaze in wonder. My name, Sakura, translated means cherry blossom. I look forward to sharing times of happiness with you. This limited edition treasure is sure to be one of the hottest and in demand dolls for some time to come!

Sakura Toffee is dressed in a carefully tailored traditional Japanese kimono ensemble, which includes an authentic kimono made from handmade kimono fabric imported from Japan and belt that is accented with a skull. She's wearing shiny black buckle slip on shoes.

Sakura comes with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity, a doll stand, a custom designed pull-out backdrop to highlight Sakura in her environment and a handmade collector's box to store the doll in. Due to material availability, Sakura's kimono will be made from different materials than shown here."

(The above text, I have found on a number of listings for this doll,  I have recently discovered that it originally appeared on the Huckleberry Toys & Toffee Dolls official websites)

Image from Ebay Listing, taken I think, from the Huckleberry Doll's official website.

Above is an image of Sakura against her backdrop, and below is a photo of how she looks in her box when first purchased, as you can see from the photograph, her box is decorated with images of Cherry Blossom, which along with her "Geisha style Kimono" and pale made-up face, makes her look very traditional, she looks like she would feel very at home in Feudal Japan!

Image from Ebay Listing.

Here she is free of her box, and away from her backdrop...just look at those eyes, they're mesmerising!!

Image from Ebay Listing

She really is an adorable little Geisha, although I suspect she might be in "Cosplay", as those shiny little shoes of hers are definitely not proper Geisha shoes!

Image from Ebay Listing

Like Teddy Bears, these dolls are cuddly and are "chunky" unlike most 12 inch dolls on the market.

They also come with their own stands, to enable you to pose them better against their beautifully designed "back drops", as let's face it, little stumpy Teddy-legs are not designed to stand up by themselves!.

I really love the idea of a Mixed Media doll, that has a similar range of functions as a traditional barbie (minus the leg click & hold). 

 I also love the fabric patterns used for the her body, and I really hope my girl has this yellow, grey & black fabric as I just love the kitschness of it!

Likewise the fabric patterns used on the kimono in the above photo is gorgeous and very reminiscent of Vintage Kimono fabrics.

The fabric choice used for the legs, looks like an odd choice when she is "naked" but as you can see in the picture of her "dressed" above, it looks like she is wearing patterned leggings or tights, and suits her look so well!

How I've come into a Sakura Toffee Doll of my own...

I'm very lucky as one of my Mother's friend Sylvia, and her husband Nigel, are always kind enough to send me a monetary gift each Christmas... and I worked out that if I was to use that money, I would be able to have this doll - I have been drooling over for a few years now...AND it would only cost me £9 of my own money to do so! 

The idea of being able to own her and for only £9 at that... is just too much for me to resist, so she is about to come and live at my house - hopefully in time for Christmas! 

🔮 Hazel Toffee Doll 🔮

This adorable little lady is a Toffee Doll called "Hazel" from the first line of these dolls introduced  in 2009 by Huckleberry Toys, the dolls were designed by Riri Fukuju.
Riri Fukuju also designs and sells other dolls, which you can view on her website here:    http://www.cuddleafluffy.com/  details of her blog can also be found on that site.  

 Toffee dolls are a very different type of doll, as they are a kind of half "Doll" half  Teddy "Bear".  As you can see from the "nude" images of Hazel below:

Photo From Toffee Dolls Website

They have faces and hands that are made of  Polyurethane plastic and large glass eyes. 
Their bodies are hand sewn from fabric as are their clothes, and their hair is also applied by hand. 
They are articulated in the same way old fashioned Teddy Bears are; at the neck, shoulders and hips; like Teddies their legs cannot be bent from the knees, neither can their arms move at the elbows.
The dolls are 12 inches high, each one in the series is Limited Edition, the first wave of these dolls had a Limited amount of 1,000 dolls in each design.
The each one comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, showing which number they are in the batch of 1,000 and a backdrop insert in her box.

Here's what Hazel looks like in her box:

Photo From Toffee Dolls Website

They come with a stand and an outfit (this can be removed and swapped which other Toffee Dolls, if you have more than one, that is!).

Hazel is wears a "Gothic" Inspired outfit; dress patterned with Bat silhouettes  little lace up shoes decorated with white pearls, arm warmers and  Bat shaped Wings, she also has a cute little bat shaped pendant on her necklace..

Photo from Toffee Dolls Website

Each  doll  in this series has a completely different personality as evidenced by their outfit and each come in a  hand made and decorated box which contains a "backdrop" of the doll's own particular "Environment" which is great for posing them against and taking photos, their faces are also hand painted.

Image from Toffee Doll Website

This is "Hazel's Story": "The ominous night holds untold secrets in its shadows in between the moonlight and fog. Hazel is a creature of the night and she loves to be mischievous."

Photo from Toffee Dolls Website

Here's how she looks posed against it.

It is worth mentioning, that as each of these dolls is hand crafted, they do not always come out of the production room identical, some have different coloured fabrics used for their costumes and well as their bodies, than shown in the pictures.

Photo from Toffee Dolls Website

I really love her fluffy little cat-ears, and those beautiful cat like piercing eyes of hers, I also love her hair colour and the style of it, and the fact that her outfit is mostly purple and black, I'm a Goth at heart, and she suits my mood most days... I also have a thing about Bats and Cats, so it's not hard to see how she could be a winner in my book!
I love how they decided that the best background art for Hazel would be a fog shrouded street, with rows of Victorian style houses, lit by old fashioned gas lamps, it's just the perfect setting for any self-respecting little Vampire of undetermined age to prowl around looking for a Midnight snack!

Her box matches the fabric of her dress, as does her little bat pendant, hanging around her neck, bless!

While I was looking at listings for Hazel on Ebay, I found a listing where the seller had written a couple of sentences about the doll they were selling and the First time any Toffee Doll was sold anywhere, I found this very interesting, as I never knew the doll had been sold as a "way to test the market", so I decided to copy and paste it below: 

"The very first one premiered at the Disney World Doll and Teddy Bear show where a prototype of the doll was auctioned. She went for well over $1,000. I was not the lucky winner- I had to drop out of the bidding".

Anyway, that's about all I can say about Hazel for now, but not Toffee Dolls... Stay Tuned for my next post, when I'll tell you all about "Sakura"!