davidd's A DOLL A DAY 2023

[davidd]

Did it work?

I haven't checked. In my eerience, the de-staining process usually takes several days to a number of weeks.

But I'm gonna have to bring the head inside because there's rain in the forecast and the sky is clouding up.

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23 September - A Doll A Day 2023:

Scarlett O'Barbie

Appropriately, the wind blew the box lid closed as I was snapping the photo of this Gone With The Wind Barbie doll.

This "Hollywood Legends" Barbie doll commemorating the motion picture Gone With The Wind was released back in 1994 -- thirty years ago for those of you who may be keeping track. Today these dolls are practically worthless. Nicely boxed examples of these thirty year old "collectable" dolls are frequently available for ten bucks or less (plus fifteen for shipping) online.

See, what's happening with some of this stuff, particularly the "collector editions," is that the collectors who purchased these things thirty years ago are "leaving the hobby" (a polite euphemism for dying off), and nobody wants their stuff. The collectors kept their collectibles in nicely preserved, boxed condition. Now all those like-new examples are showing up on the secondary market at the same time. Supply outpaces demand.

Meanwhile,  I recently sold a ten year old Novi Stars doll for $275 on eBay. It sold in under an hour. I probably had it underpriced, since some people ask $500 and up, but the one I sold was unboxed and was missing its accessories. One of the differences is that Novi Stars dolls were "playline dolls" marketed to kids. They weren't sold as items for collectors. Thus, fewer of them survived intact.

Plus, of course, the Novi Stars doll had three eyes and skeleton wings. Sorry, Barbie, you can't compete with that, no way!

The future secondary market is difficult to predict. Some dolls and toys escalate in price immediately upon being discontinued and continue to increase in price for years. Other items -- usually the ones designed to be "collector items" -- fail to hold even their original retail price.

Note: rational discussion about the pricing issue does not pertain to dolls released by Integrity Toys. That's an entirely different world in which sanity does not exist.

Meh, I'm rambling. But having picked this doll up myself on eBay in conjunction with another "collector" Barbie for under twenty bucks for the pair, I'm just kinda moodily musing over the value, or lack of value, of the things we buy, save, treasure, or discard.

Anyway... I'm gonna rip open the box and see if the cool red dress fits on a TBLeague seamless figure. Poor ol' nekkid Scarlett O'Barbie will be sent off to a donation station... which is probably a worse fate than would have befallen a nekkid Scarlett at the grubby hands of the Union Army back in the day.

23 September - A Doll A Day 2023

P.S.: and why, you ask, did I sell the Novi Stars doll? Because two-hunnert senny-five bucks for a seven inch tall plastic doll, that's why!

[Alliecat]

Cute how she's peeking through the star.
Well, I had a look out of curiosity and the cheapest one I see is $34 CAD... plus $43 shipping!  LOL.  Many of the others have shipping at $53-70.  Puh-leez.  This is why you get so little of my money anymore, eBay. 
I see someone has a set of 4 GWTW dolls for $40, so if you are in the States I guess there are still deals to be had.

Holy cow, those Novi Star prices are ridiculous.  I can see though, with occasional opportunities for sales like that, why you so often worry about the "value" of your collection.

Sadly, a lot of things that previous generations collected or valued don't seem to be wanted by younger ones. 

[davidd]

  
I see someone has a set of 4 GWTW dolls for $40, so if you are in the States I guess there are still deals to be had.

You should move here! We still have paper money, even! 

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24 September - A Doll A Day 2023:

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2007 Holiday Barbie
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I'm not sure if the front of the carton is scuffed, or just dirty. I haven't looked at it that closely yet. One of those stupid impulse buys that I shouldn't have, y'know?

[davidd]

25 September - A Doll A Day 2023:

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Bratz Selfie-Snaps Yasmin

Super lameness: the package says Yasmin loves to play her ukulele, but was

a miniature ukulele included with the doll? Noooo! Was a ukulele available as

an accessory set? Nooo! No wonder the New Bratz line was an utter fail!

Circa 2016 release, Bratz Selfie-Snaps Yasmin was part of an unsuccessful attempt by MGAE to re-boot the Bratz franchise. These "New Bratz" dolls only lasted a season or two before being discontinued. A more classic style of Bratz dollz has since been released to somewhat greater success, although they have achieved nothing on par with the once stratospheric popularity of the Bratz brand.

Selfie-Snaps Yasmin is an example of how not every old doll or toy that is kept "mint-in-package" appreciates in value. These particular dolls are practically worthless on eBay right now.

I purchased Selfie-Snaps Yasmin back in 2016 to participate in an online "Summer of Bratz" photo challenge. Since then, Yasmin has become one of my favorite "travel dolls" and has been a part of a number of adventurous trips and treks. Well... a Yasmin has; the one pictured here is my "back-up" Yas, in case anything dire happened to the first one. But the original is still going strong seven years later, after numerous hiking adventures and even a cruise through the Caribbean.

25 September - A Doll A Day 2023

[Alliecat]

Great that you've had so many adventures with her.  But yeah, pretty dumb to not include a doll's supposedly favourite thing in the package!
Will your impulse-buy Barbie make it out of the box....???

You should move here! We still have paper money, even

I'd just finished reading yet another discussion about all the Canadians bailing out for presumed better places (record numbers in 2021 according to Statistics Canada?).  Can't say I didn't seriously consider joining them, but the gubbermint makes leaving a financial minefield   
And really, no guarantee of things being much better anywhere else over the long term.

[davidd]

Will your impulse-buy Barbie make it out of the box....???

And really, no guarantee of things being much better anywhere else over the long term.

The Barbies will make it out of the boxes... eventually... and be savagely scavenged for clothes and accessories! Life is hard and brutal out here in The Wasteland.

Sadly, yes: the One World Government  plan seems to be full steam ahead -- and it is not looking like Utopia by any stretch.

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26 September  A Doll A Day 2023:

26 September - A Doll A Day 2023

[davidd]

I've been helping a neighbor/relative with a carpentry project. Haven't had time for much of anything else.

I'll try to get caught up with A Doll A Day if or when I can.

Silly me, thinking I could stay caught up.

Maybe my Doll A Day days are over.

[Alliecat]

You sound like a very helpful neighbour.  Relative.  Whatever.
I wonder what Handyman Dude would've said if I'd brought a doll out for photos in the middle of the porch-building project    Round Two is under way -- railing -- so today I was hauling lumber in my longsuffering lil car again, and I'm also painting my hall.  No dolls are allowed near the paint!!
No ADAD quitting allowed!! 
You'll get caught up, like you always do.

Sadly, yes: the One World Government  plan seems to be full steam ahead -- and it is not looking like Utopia by any stretch.

Well, apologies to the world from Canada.  We are currently having Technical Difficulties with our government 

[davidd]

21 October - A Doll A Day 2023:

The mysterious and aloof Fräulein Erde Spitz-Ohren, scientific advisor to the Ahnenerbe

[davidd]

22 October - A Doll A Day 2023:


Lagoona Blue ain't blue no more! She's PINK!

I have yet to be tempted to pick up any of the new, redesigned Monster High releases.

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CATCHIN' UP TIME – A DOLL A DAY 2023:


27 September - Janie and Trivia embark on a
quixotic folly: attempting to clean out, or
at least clean up, the storage shed.

"What was the plan again?"

"To clean out the storage shed."

"Clean it out? We can't even see around all this stuff enough to see what all this stuff is!"

"If we find Nellz, (g)Nat, and Addie, we'll have more help."

"That's a mighty big 'if.' We don't even know 'if' they are in here!"

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28 September - During their search for the other girls, Triv and Janie finally find (g)Natalie in the back of the storage shed.

"What's with the hat, (g)Nat?"

"I dunno; just something I found."

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29 September - As Janie and Triv continue to investigate the storage shed, (g)Natalie offers a tip as to where they might find Addie.

"I think I heard some bawdy sea shanties coming from over in that direction!"

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30 September - Triv and Janie continue their eloration of the Storage Shed of Doom.

"And we're supposed to clean this all out somehow?"

"That's the plan! But first we need to find Addie and Nelly!"

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01 October - "Avast, me hearties!"

Triv and Janie find Addie the Pirate carousing in the dreary depths of the storage shed.

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02 October - "Arrrr...ight, I'll go change in to my work clothes so's I can help you lubbers!" sez Addie the Pirate, leaving Triv and Janie to continue their storage shed reconnaissance mission.

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03 October - "Jinkies, Janie! Th'...th'... this place gives me the creeps!"

Janie and Triv get Scooby-Doo vibes during their storage shed eloration.

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04 October - Meanwhile, in another part of my dolly universe, the GI Joe Adventure Team de-label their Tonka Hummer rig. I guess they think that de-badging will make it more cool. Next thing ya know they'll be blacking out the windows and adding LED lights to the sill plates.

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05 October - These knock-off Barbie-esque camper-vans were clearance priced at only fifteen bucks! On a nearby display, Mattel Barbie brand camper-vans were priced at ninety bucks. I was really tempted to get one of these, but they take up a lot of space and I'm trying to clean stuff out. They were pretty cool, though, especially for only fifteen dollars!

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06 October - Woo hoo! An entire endcap display of Bratz Dollz in a Walmart store! I haven't seen a full-on Bratz retail display in years!

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07 October - 'Kay, this retro-kitsch swing chair is cool! I kinda want one! But I don't wanna pay a quarter of a hunnert bucks for it... unless I know it will fit 1/6-scale action figures, which it might not because Bratz are kind of runty, except the new ones look like they might be bigger. Anywayz, I didn't buy it... yet.

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08 October - Kylie? Kylie who? Minogue? Jenner? McEnany? Wait... that last one, she's a Kayleigh, not a Kylie. I think. Whateverz... the Bratz appear to be back, and just as uptown trampy as ever!

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09 October - "I think it looks even worse with a light!"

Triv and Janie scope out the scope of the storage shed reclamation project.

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10 October - "Mwah hah hah hah haaaahhhh!"

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11 October - Triv and Janie find Nelly in the storage shed.

"Jeepers, Nelly! Stop acting like such a freakazoid!"

"Ermm... is the cop light really necessary?"

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12 October - "Yes, I can assist you," Nelly offers, "if you'll agree to start on that section over there!"

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13 October - "I wonder why Nellz wants us to start on this pile?"

"If it's something Nelly wants, it can't possibly be good."

"This entire project is starting to look kinda hopeless."

"Yeah, maybe we should take a break and work on some outside stuff for a while."

"Why is it that your interpretation of 'take a break' still involves some kind of 'work?'"

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14 October - A Quiet Moment with Frank

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15 October - Professor Victor Champion finds a poster that eresses his general philosophy regarding the supernatural, the occult, and the uncanny.

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16 October - Denizens of Toyville reunited: Professor Champion and Louis Marques greet Baghead.

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17 October - Denizens of Toyville reunited: Baghead greets Ellie Fields as she emerges from the transdimensional portal.

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18 October - The Big Lift


"Seriously, Janie?"
"Nothin' to it! Lift with your legs, not your back! Ready? On three...."


"Don't let it fall!"
"How much does this thing weigh?"
"Enough that you don't wanna let it fall!"


"This... ill-advised... scheme... seems... destined... to fail... catastrophically!"


"Y'see? I told'ja it'd be a cinch!"



"Hey, guys! Ya need any help up there?"

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19 October - Addie

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20 October - OMG IS RIGHT!

And... OMG! We're back on track!

[dargosmydaddy]

Quite the catch-up! Glad the Smart Dolls are still being helpful.

[Alliecat]

Yay! Great to see you getting caught up. I just love the posing with the smart dolls loading the tank in the truck. Terrific sequence.

[davidd]

23 October - A Doll A Day 2023:

Snow Fence Removal:

D'you remember that old snow fence that Janie and Triv worked so hard on putting up last season? Well, the winter did a number on it, to the point where it was no longer worth trying to repair, so they decided to take it down.
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[Alliecat]

Great action shots as always.

[davidd]

24 October - A Doll A Day 2023

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Gloria Brand Doll Furniture

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Some of the best bargains for doll, action figure, and diorama accessories are the pink plastic playsets marketed under the "Gloria" brand on eBay.

I was looking for a 1/6-scale side table recently, and the entire Gloria Fireplace Play Set was priced at less than a single vintage Barbie table.

Usually I purchase these things, then they end up sitting in a closet or in storage for a year or two... or longer. Today I decided to try to break that pattern. Rather than setting these boxes aside "until I have the time" to look at them, I figured I'd invest a few minutes and do what I needed to do with them... which was basically to shoot them with a couple coats of spray paint so they'd look less pink.

Of course "a few minutes" became an hour or more, because some of the pieces (assemble yourself) needed a dab of glue to be sturdy, and washing new plastic pieces with dishwashing soap often results in better paint adhesion.

Anyway, I opened up the boxes, put most of the pieces together, and got started on the painting.

Dunno what came over me.