Asian Beauty - 1990's Totsy Doll Custom

A couple of years back I was browsing Ebay with nothing really in mind for a purchase, when I saw a listing for a dark skinned Totsy Clone Doll for sale.

She had short curled hair that hung in large curls but for some reason I got an Asian vibe from her while looking at her listing photo - I kept seeing her as an East Asian Lady in a Sari - and was so happy when I won her at auction so I could start  working on her and help her become the doll I imagined she could be.

Thankfully she arrived very quickly, but I was so excited and impatient to start working on her that I forgot to take a "Before" photo of her "duh!", so sadly I don't have one to compare her to, unless I can find her listing photo saved on one of the many discs I have in the study, I guess I'll have to upload that another time, when and if I find it, no matter though, here's what I did to her...

First I gave her a full re-root and new hair style, then I set to work giving her some touch up work to the painted "eye shadow" around her eyes. Then I sorted out her crazy looking eyebrows, gave her a Bindi and began researching saris for ideas on what kind of outfit I should make for her.

In the end I opted for a sari from Barbie Dolls of the World Magazine, I was planning to make my own but decided against it at the last minute when I saw this one going cheap!

It isn't as intricate as the one I was planning to make for her, but after doing a lot of research on different types of saris and how to tie them etc.

I really couldn't decide exactly how I wanted it to look and also I wanted to get her finished quickly so I could move onto my next "Dolly Project". especially as I had already finished everything else I wanted to do to her, so I got impatient!

I may get around to designing another one for her one day, but for now I'm happy for her to wear this one as I think it does sit her very well, it certainly fits her nicely and the golden colour really brings out her skin tone, so maybe I won't!

Anyhoo, hope you like her or that she inspires you to make something similar for your own collection...

Hugs,

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?!

"What Not To Wear..."

Trinny: "Omg... I can't believe you are wearing that hair with them boots and that belt!"

Susanna: "Yeah she's not even slightly orange like me!"

Trinny: "Must have got dressed in the dark...the 70's are long gone y'know!"

Susanna: "Yeah could of made an effort! .. I mean look at us we're fashion icons!"

Amtoy: "But..but I'm a vintage Amtoy clone doll...what do you expect?"

Trinny: "Well I think you should try the green skirt with the brown flowers, and the purple boots, and you need a lot more make up...imagine Sus' ... she   actually thinks she can get away with the natural look!"

Susanna: "Or the orange blouse with the ruffed sleeves and the brown skirt with the purple stripes and green dots and the pink boots"

Amtoy: "Help Me!!"

*Credit for "Custom  Job" on Barbie goes to Toypincher (Flickr name) a.k.a Simon, who sent her to me*
(I just love her, she makes me laugh every time I look at her!)