"Lovely Doll" - Pullip Clone

I bought this doll around six years ago, as I thought she would be a good candidate for customisation.

She was sold as a "Pullip Clone" but looking back on these photographs which I took on the day she arrived from Singapore - I don't really think she looks much  like a Pullip, unless you cross one with a Dal - then maybe she does a little.

I guess she does a little around the eyes, but all in all she is quite a bad clone, more like a case of bad plastic surgery or something similar.

Anyhoo, the idea was to use her for custom practice and in the process hopefully making her a little prettier in the process..

The name "Lovely Doll" is not my description or even the seller's it's actually written on the box by the manufacturer... Although sadly she isn't really a lovely doll!

More than anything it's the mouth that's "wrong" - I came to this realization after I had removed her factory paint and prepared her for a new "face"...

To be honest she's been on hold ever since, nothing I do seems to prettify her and it's looking more like I should either "Pullip's Ugly Sister" her or else do a really outlandish custom on her!

I guess I'll let you know when I've worked it out myself !

Johannes Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring Gets a "New Look" ... from Groove!

For those of you who are not familiar with the works of the Dutch Masters, here's some background info' which kind of explains why I am so in awe of this new Pullip Doll I have discovered...

Johannes Vermeer (1632 - 1675) painted "The Girl With A Pearl Earring" in or around 1665.  The painting is considered to be one of his "Masterpieces" and is generally known by that title, however I am not sure if he himself gave it this title in Dutch (his native language) he would have called it "Het Meisje Met De Parel". I personally believe the name has been given to it in the same way in which "The Mona Lisa" acquired her name or "The Venus De Milo" for that matter.

It is very likely that the reason for Vermeer not giving the painting a title himself is that it is not what we traditionally refer to when we use the term portraiture. It is in fact a style of painting referred to in Dutch art of the 17th Century as a "tronie" or a head painting.

A portrait would require that the subject is depicted in such a way to give an impression of personality, bearing in the community, such as would most likely be the case during the time period in which this painting would have been produced, or as a "remembrance" (in the same way we now take photographs to keep a record of our loved one's faces, or the Memento Mori of the Victorian era).

However, none of these things could be considered to have been behind the depiction of this young girl, and had it of been a portrait it would most likely have been commissioned and therefore would have been entitled with the name of the sitter.

So what does any of this have to do with Pullip Dolls?

Just this... A recent stroll around Ebay informed me that Groove released a new Pullip in mid- April and she is not only beautiful but she's based on and called "The Girl With The Pearl Earring"!

According to www.1999.co.jp she stands at approximately 310mm tall (12 inches) and comes with the headress she's wearing described in listing as a "turban", (this style is actually known as a "Tied Head Linen") and a stand, they also limit customers to three only per household,  whether this is a case of limited stock and supply or a very limited run of these dolls, they do not explain.

They also include the following statement as part of the listing which is intriguing as it seems to emply that Groove have decided to make a range of Pullips based on works of art and more precisely "Masterpieces" which of course will be recognisable to almost anyone, even if they know nothing about the history of art and artists or the names of the works themselves - what a great idea for a run of dolls though, so I guess we can look out for "The Mona Lisa Pullip" in a couple of months if sales go well of this one!

 As the statement is quite comical in it's translation, I had to copy it in it's entirety here:

" ─ ─ Pullip of "Girl with a Pearl Earring" Vermeer's masterpiece appeared

To put smile on the lips, what mood I think .....

- First of Pullip The Masterpiece Series!

Painter - which produced a number of masterpieces, including the woman pouring milk], Johannes Vermeer.

It has been touted as among the masterpieces of painting,

Dole has become a [(daughter of blue turban) Girl with a Pearl Earring.

- Blue turban and earrings appear in the painting, pearl impressive ...

To full-lipped mouth and ocher-based costume, I was faithfully reproduced.
So that I came out from the painting · · · · · · like.

- Taking a turban, hair of gold ... Brown,
It will be like the lady medieval atmosphere."

While the listing states the doll comes with the "turban" and stand ( which is gold by the way) only, it is clear when you check out the photos of the boxed doll that she also comes with her shoes in a bag (stuck to the inside of the box) and a cute little card which depicts her inside a frame in reference to the Vermeer Masterpiece after which she was modelled.

You can see this card more clearly in the photograph below, the card appears to have some additional information on it but as it is in Japanese, I am unable to ascertain exactly what it says.

... And so to price:

 To buy her directly from Hobby Search, she will cost you 13,000 yen approximately $126.90 (American Dollars) or approximately £75.58.

Item Size/Weight : 37.5 x 20.5 x 11 cm / 625g - ( You will need this information to calculate the shipping cost on that site).
Otherwise, you can find her for sale via the two listings I have found on Ebay:
shiyon-jp - have her priced at $105.90 (free p&p) - £62.55.

Link to listing here: Pullip Girl with a Pearl Earring

ranran88 - have her priced at $139.99 ( Plus $44.00 International Shipping) which works out to £83.38 ( Plus £26.21 for International Shipping).

 Listing link here: Pullip doll - Girl with a Pearl Earring

I just wish I had enough spare cash to buy her right now, oh well, perhaps the next one in the "Master Art Works range will be even better, or the next or the next, I'm so excited by this prospect I can hardly wait to see who they make next!

Enjoy,

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?

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

★☆ 2012 San Diego Comic Con Limited Edition Pullip ☆ ★

Aww Man, Just when I think Pullip Dolls cannot get any more beautiful than they already are, someone has the bright idea of  combining two of my favourite things and bringing out Wonder Woman Pullip!!

Made exclusively for this year's San Diego Comic Con by Groove USA Inc; she's 12 inches tall, and sadly no longer available, as she was made in a limit edition of only 400 dolls!

I have just found a few of them still available from people who obviously had cash enough to stock up on these beauties while they could... Now all I need is £80 - 126! *Sigh*

Check out these photos of her, to see just how perfect she is ...

(Please note, all photographs are sales images and copyrighted to Cheonsang Cheonha).

Wow my Wish list is getting Longer and Longer!!

(Info copied from Ebay listing)

                                  This time it's a Steam Punk Dal Doll called Ra Muw. 

Here's a list of the accessories and outfit she comes with:- 

Jacket, Necklace, Hair Band, Gloves, Belt, One-Piece Dress, Tights, Leg Accessory, Boots, Googles, Transmitter, Head Dress, Doll Stand

« The Metropolis is my castle. Don't underestimate the information network! It?s a lot faster than particles and it will make sense of the world!! »

                                                                DESCRIPTION:
                                  Sold in limited Quantity of 2,000pcs World Wide Market
                                  Each unit includes a serial number and certificate
                                                              High Quality Outfit
                                                              Cute Suede Dress
                                 Long Wavy Hair Complements her make-up and accentuates her cleverness

STEAMPUNK DAL Ra Muw's Story:

Ra Muw is a journalist with a great deal of curiosity. Her strong journalistic desire for knowledge draws her to EOS, which sometimes leads her to get in EOS' way.
The transmitter that Ra Muw has in her possession is special and only the most outstanding journalists are allowed to have and send out information, but there's a question is it truly owned by Ra Muw.

Loony Tunes "Tweety" Dal

(Originally Posted on Flickr 8th february 2010)

Loony Tunes "Tweety" Dal

She comes with so much in her box...
A stand, tweety skateboard, sylvester glove puppet, tweety bag, sun visor, tweety skate shoes, tweety head hoodie, tweety skirt, 2 tweety tops, socks, denim skirt and card which tells you all about her if you can read Korean that is!!
I was a tad gutted tho' cos the stock hoodie only has one cheek on it so looks like I may have some complaining to do :( ... that said I am very pleased with her altho' I am a bit confused about why I fell so in love with her tho' seeing as I really can't stand tweety-pie hahahaha!!
oh yes nearly forgot to add her eyes move left, centre and right no sleepy eye action on this one tho' but hey who cares? she's fully jointed and wooohooo finally all mine mauhahahahahaha

My New Girl!


My first and very long awaited Full Size Dal woohoo!
She arrived yesterday ...sod's law it just happened to be the same time as I decided to go to post a letter and arrived home to find her being delivered to my neighbour instead... still it only took me a matter of seconds to retrieve her and remove the shipping packaging ...then came the fun part all those twisty wires that had ideas to keep me getting at my little lady anyhoo long story short I photographed her ... and here she is lol!
**Update**

I emailed the seller, enclosing a photo of her (single-Cheeked Tweety Hood) and they've sent me a replacement - Woot! So photo's of her "Hood - Up" will be coming real soon!


I don't care that she's all "Cutesy" and nothing like the Punk/ Gothesque one I originally fell in love with ... I love this little girl all the same!


Here's what she looked like all boxed up when she arrived:

She didn't stay like this for long,  there was no way I could just leave her like this!

Magna Heritage Sales Photo, showing all the cool stuffs she comes with:
Rainbow edged visor.
Tweety patterned skirt & top.
Tweety Hoodie.
Tweety patterned Bag.
Tweety skateboard.
Sylvester Glove Puppet.
Yellow Stand.
Tweety top, denim skirt, rainbow belt, long socks and pink shoes (shown on doll).