Neon’s A Doll A Day… Again (2020)
(12-11-2020, 12:12 AM)neon_jellyfish Wrote: I'd recommend corn starch over baby powder, baby powder is meant to leave behind all sorts of stuff that's good for skin, but not necessarily plastic hair. I'm actually planning to do a massive glue-seepage treatment marathon for my MHs and EAHs next year, including removing their heads and putting some starch inside. Some dolls will need a reroot, though, their hair is too damaged. Good luck with your Blondie, I hope you'll be able to keep the glue seepage under control!

Birthday Ball Blondie has pastel blue hair, but I've never seen the line around here. I really wanted Duchess... I'll need to see your EW reroots (whenever you get to them)!

Thank you very much! For me, Pluto (Elazar Morgenstern in my collection) is my favorite Taeyang ever, I just love steampunk dolls. And redheads. But Sebastian (who became Orpheus Schwarzgrab here) is so cool, too! I'm not particular about the type of outfit, but dark and steampunk are my favorite styles.

I actually use baby powder as a result of my failed (or considerably lower-efficiency) attempts at curing glue seepage with corn starch - which was the first method I tried. I feared baby powder because of reasons similar to what you described (and scary stories of it causing discoloration, or even damage, that I read online), but my repeatedly failing attempts of curing one very stubborn glue head doll made me take another look at baby powder - and this is when I had the biggest and most embarrassing facepalm! Yes, most baby powders nowadays are filled with additives, which can potentially react with plastic and cause damage (for instance, natural oil used as fragrance could have a reaction with plastic), but without those, baby powder is just one mineral (talc; or this mineral combined with--- corn starch) and I, as a geologist, should have ex-pectations about its behaviour . In my defence, I've sadly been out of the loop and losing knowledge, as I'm not working in the industry. I can't think of talc entering into any sort of chemical reaction with plastic (at least definitely not with only hours, or at most, days of ex-posure under normal temperature and circumstances) - just like how kitty litter (which is - if you buy a version that is "clean" - also just another mineral, zeolite) also doesn't react with plastic, and has been used for deodorisation among collectors for a long time. The more I looked into it, the more I concluded that damage reported by collectors who tried to cure glue seepage with baby powder were most likely either the results of combinations of additives in the baby powder used (I've come across brands that had 19 ingredients in their baby powder, and while some of these are usually other types of fine-ground minerals with good absorbent characteristics, there are often also other ingredients that I can easily imagine reacting with plastic, especially in a moist environment, which the glue might provide them. And to boot, some that come up surprisingly often are not even good for human skin!), or that they left the baby powder in (the "it made the hair matte"-report is IMO one of these - I never ex-perienced any colour change  when I added powder-waited-washed it out with detergent-conditioned&left the hair to dry. There was one time I *so* wished it worked, and I believe that was the first time I tried it out - on a Rochelle who I massively wished had more pastel pink hair, but it didn't make anything less vibrant sad ). That said, finding baby powder with an acceptable ingredient list was harder than I thought (though some of this was the result of  tons of brands and products automatically falling out of scope for me, because I only buy cruelty-free), but the one I've ended up buying and I've been using for 5-6 years (luckily, a little goes a long way with the stuff smile ) seems to do the job, and I haven't yet noticed any aftereffect on any doll I've used it on during these years. So I stayed with this stuff in the end, and used up the corn starch for pancakes and white clay dough.

Oh! Birthday Ball Blondie! You are right - I think my mind keeps on trying to deliberately make me forget her, and that line... I was massively in love with those pastel hair colours, but the line never made it here either... I did end up with Duchess as part of a second-hand lot purchase, and I like her, but she was one of the less-wanted dolls from the line, as I'm not that fond of her face-up.
If I ever get to do those reroots, I'll make sure I post them here! Being the massive procrastinator I am though, I won't commit to any dates :3

Your Dark Queens look insanely fabulous! Such a lovely group of dolls! And the definition of the Dark Queen is perfect to describe what is one of my favourite doll aesthetics - even down to the kindness! I'll also say I prefer the unfiltered photo here, I really love the gradient transfer in hair and outfit colours that's visible in it (but is somewhat lost in the filtered version). I normally dislike red and purple (or red and pink) together, but they all just work together fabulously in this picture.
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Your cool guys definitely look like they're up to something. Elazar is the instigator and Orpheus is the backup guy making sure they don't get noticed LOL
Your dark queens are all very dramatic. I really like the red/purple/black colour scheme in the original photo too.
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(12-11-2020, 03:20 AM)davidd Wrote: The "cool guys" are definitely very cool... but I am reasonably certain that both of them would have been quite enthralled by this recent ex-plosion:

https://www.inverclydenow.com/pristine-w...-in-clyde/

A left-over sea mine from the Second World War was dredged up from the sea bed in Scotland. The military deemed it a "live" mine and detonated it.

I wonder if werepuppy heard the blast?

Oooh, that's cool, I would like to see that!


(12-11-2020, 04:05 AM)dargosmydaddy Wrote: The filtered version looks gloriously dark and gothic, but I have to say I love all the purples and reds in the original. And your Dark Queen definition is divine!

Thank you very much!


(12-11-2020, 07:08 AM)Loona Wrote: I actually use baby powder as a result of my failed (or considerably lower-efficiency) attempts at curing glue seepage with corn starch - *snip snip, so that this post doesn't fill the whole page*

Oh! Birthday Ball Blondie! You are right - I think my mind keeps on trying to deliberately make me forget her, and that line... I was massively in love with those pastel hair colours, but the line never made it here either... I did end up with Duchess as part of a second-hand lot purchase, and I like her, but she was one of the less-wanted dolls from the line, as I'm not that fond of her face-up.
If I ever get to do those reroots, I'll make sure I post them here! Being the massive procrastinator I am though, I won't commit to any dates :3

Your Dark Queens look insanely fabulous! Such a lovely group of dolls! And the definition of the Dark Queen is perfect  to describe what is one of my favourite doll aesthetics - even down to the kindness! I'll also say I prefer the unfiltered photo here, I really love the gradient transfer in hair and outfit colours that's visible in it (but is somewhat lost  in the filtered version). I normally dislike red and purple (or red and pink) together, but they all just work together fabulously in this picture.

Interesting! I thought talc-only baby powder was a thing of the past, all the ones I see in drugstores here have tons of stuff in them. Which is why I wouldn't put them on my dolls.

The lines that never got here were a big frustration with EAH, more so than with MH. It started with Way Too Wonderland, I really wanted a few of them, same with Birthday Ball and Dragon Games (though we did get Darling (and Apple) and I managed to buy Raven and Holly from Germany, but I also wanted Poppy), and the sour(est) cherry on top of my bitter EAH cake would be Fairest on Ice. Man, that line. I loved it, I wanted all three of them SO BADLY, but I couldn't, and still can't, justify the scalpers' prices on e-bay (plus shipping plus custom fees plus VAT). I can get a decent BJD or an Azone or two for that much...

And thank you very much!!!


(12-11-2020, 03:25 PM)Alliecat Wrote: Your cool guys definitely look like they're up to something.  Elazar is the instigator and Orpheus is the backup guy making sure they don't get noticed LOL
Your dark queens are all very dramatic.  I really like the red/purple/black colour scheme in the original photo too.

I have to disagree with that statement most fervently LOL 
Elazar is a pro, no, THE pro, and does not need no backup guy making sure they don't get noticed!!! His stealth skills are so amazing you could say stealth puts on Elazar mode when it doesn't want to be seen!

Thank you!!!


Day same old, same old
Day 346

It's been a while since I featured a Novi, so here are some:

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Left to right: Vera Tabray, Mimi Merize, Anne Arctic, Una Verse, Mae Tallick; all are signature versions.
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They look fantastic as a group, colourful and otherworldly.
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You may have missed out on some of the EAH and MH releases in Europe, but you got the cool later-issue Novi Stars that were never released in the States!

Also, Bratzillaz Vampelina! You could have financed your retirement years by stocking up on those!
They're not dolls, they're action figures!
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What a fun group! Anne is still my favourite of all the characters.
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He Dark Queen collective is wonderful as always. I do like your thinking about it’s a specific gene, which is why you have many different species with the Queens.
My Girls: Alice Mint du Jardine (Lottie), Brand New Purrezza (Amelia), Ayanamei Rei (Evie), Princess Ann/Roman Holiday (Kit), Aquel (Becky), Scarlet (Izzy), Meg (Jo-Meg), Laura (Antimony), Nahh-Ato (Shala), Chicca (Maeve), Peter Pan (Meredith), VeryBerryPop (Daisy), SDCC2016 Wonder Woman (Diana), Taffy (Tansy), Amelia (Beatrice), Steampunk Cheshire Cat (Antoinette), Arietta (Ashli), Naoko (Zoey), Mocha MIO (Nyxie), Steampunk Mad Hatter (Hattie), Sapphire Princess Knight (Roni), Steampunk Alice (Lizette), Asoka Sorayu (Nova), Steampunk Taeyang Dodo (Theodore), Steampunk Isul White Rabbit (Finn), Tiphona (Felicity), Anthy Himemiya (Ester), Mocha MIO (honey), Alte (Bethan)
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Love how Mae seems to be peeking around from behind the others.
My Girls: Alice Mint du Jardine (Lottie), Brand New Purrezza (Amelia), Ayanamei Rei (Evie), Princess Ann/Roman Holiday (Kit), Aquel (Becky), Scarlet (Izzy), Meg (Jo-Meg), Laura (Antimony), Nahh-Ato (Shala), Chicca (Maeve), Peter Pan (Meredith), VeryBerryPop (Daisy), SDCC2016 Wonder Woman (Diana), Taffy (Tansy), Amelia (Beatrice), Steampunk Cheshire Cat (Antoinette), Arietta (Ashli), Naoko (Zoey), Mocha MIO (Nyxie), Steampunk Mad Hatter (Hattie), Sapphire Princess Knight (Roni), Steampunk Alice (Lizette), Asoka Sorayu (Nova), Steampunk Taeyang Dodo (Theodore), Steampunk Isul White Rabbit (Finn), Tiphona (Felicity), Anthy Himemiya (Ester), Mocha MIO (honey), Alte (Bethan)
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Ooh, I do like those Novis. Always passed them by in stores, and regret it when I see your pictures.
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(12-12-2020, 09:00 AM)Elfy Wrote: They look fantastic as a group, colourful and otherworldly.


Thank you!


(12-12-2020, 10:24 AM)davidd Wrote: You may have missed out on some of the EAH and MH releases in Europe, but you got the cool later-issue Novi Stars that were never released in the States!

Also, Bratzillaz Vampelina! You could have financed your retirement years by stocking up on those!

Haha, people from States tend to say this, but to me, it sounds like 'you missed out on dozens of dolls, but you got these few while we didn't' LOL Sorry, it's nothing personal, I just recently - and not for the first time - heard the same thing (but with Haunted Rochelle) aimed at someone at MH Arena (in a way that made it sound like 'no one cares about you and all the lines you never got, we didn't get Haunted Rochelle, woe is us'), so I got all triggered. It made me think about how things look from the other side of the puddle, and that it's not accurate at all. I believe I said this before, but most of Europe didn't get most of those late Novis either, it was practically only Russia (and Russia is a continent of its own, it's pretty much impossible to buy something from there unless you speak Russian), and I had to look for most of my Novis in the weirdest places. As for Bratzillaz, I don't know about other countries, but Czech Republic got first two waves of core characters, and that was it, no Vampelina here. Aside from things that never got here / disappeared after two waves [insert a long list], there are also fees for importing from abroad (they usually add cca 30% to the sum of item cost and shipping), so everything is quite ex!pensive here.

Sorry it sounds so grumpy, I'm grumpy for many reasons today, but none of it is aimed at you personally. I just felt sorta 'this again' and wanted to clarify, and I'm completely out of positive attitude today. I really should get used to this, but I seem to be unable to, I'm just eternally butthurt about all the dolls we never got.


(12-12-2020, 03:34 PM)Alliecat Wrote: What a fun group! Anne is still my favourite of all the characters.

Thank you very much! I love Anne. I don't think I have a fave Novi, but whenever I'm taking their photos, Anne is the first one to come to mind. Must be the troll hair...


(12-12-2020, 07:20 PM)Lejays17 Wrote: He Dark Queen collective is wonderful as always.  I do like your thinking about it’s a specific gene, which is why you have many different species with the Queens.

(12-12-2020, 07:21 PM)Lejays17 Wrote: Love how Mae seems to be peeking around from behind the others.

Thank you!!!


(12-12-2020, 10:27 PM)werepuppy Wrote: Ooh, I do like those Novis. Always passed them by in stores, and regret it when I see your pictures.

Thank you very much! You don't have to regret too much, they're super cute, but the quality is less than super. They invested too much into gimmicks and not into quality of used materials, or engineering, so these dolls weren't really worth the retail price, let alone what some people are asking for them on e-bay.


Day ??? Technically, yes, it does seem to be a day... In a way... To a degree...
Day 347

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O'Hair twins Heart
Never really cared about the characters, but they're twin redheads, that's all I need to know! Holly needs a reroot (she has a lot of hair on the sides and the back of her head, but the top is almost bald, I think it's intentional so that her tiara fits, but I don't like how it looks), I hope I'll be able to get the same shade of saran.
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Those golden shoes look fantasic! Like real gold! I'll attribute that to your marvelous lighting... which actually is quite marvelous in this photo. You must be feeling better... physically, at least!
Tongue 

Well, I do, unfortunately and inaccurately, tend to think of "Europe" as being one place, the same way that non-Americans think of The United States as being one place. You have many countries in Europe, and from what I've read here and elsewhere, it sounds like in many cases Eastern Europe continues to be treated like the "poor step-child" of Western Europe or the EU. Most of the Bratzillaz Vampelina figures I've seen come up for sale are from Spain. Perhaps they did not make it to many other places.

I can legitimately relate to your frustration. As I've mentioned before, I never saw a lot of the Ever After High releases anywhere. And the later Monster High releases, especially the more interesting ones (like Sweet Screams), never showed up where I was living. I found it ironic, as well as annoying, that I had to purchase the tropical-themed Ghouls Getaway through eBay while I was living in topical Hawaii.

So yeah, distribution of all doll and toy lines is inconsistent across the continent-spanning United States, and from state to state, city to city, and even among stores in the same chain. It is a problem that plagues us all, I guess, unless we live in a handful of major cities.

The one unfair (so it seems to me) advantage we have here in the States is... so far, at least, although I suspect that to change once the Evil New Dictatorship cheats its way in to power... that we do not pay additional import fees on international purchases. But then, that's a political thing, isn't it? The people can shrug and say, "that's how it is," but if everyone sharpened up the pitchforks and fired up the torches and marched on the governing bodies to protest Customs and Import fees... well, they'd probably call out the police with water cannons and make short work of that nonsense. Which is sad and terrifying. Governments, everywhere, have made "protecting and funding government" their number one priority. And that ends up making toys cost more.

They tell me at the post office that postage rates here in the States are ex-pected to have a big hike in January.

I hope I did not unduly "trigger" you. I hope it does not further trigger you if I say how much I enjoy it when you get fired up and just let it out. It is always informative and interesting, and generally amusing. You have a clever knack for making "ranting" funny while being informative.

{EDIT to add more... because I never seem to know when to stop digging a deeper hole....}

After thinking about this for another twenty minutes, I realized that first, it's silly to talk about what we could have got five or ten years ago, because chances are we couldn't have found it back then, anyway, and if we could have, well, obviously we weren't thinking in terms of five or ten years down the line (or I would have bought all the Catwalk Kitties or Monster High C. A. Cupid dolls I saw on store shelves one single time in one single store and stashed them away).

More frustrating to me, in the current market, is the trend toward "limited editions" of pretty much everything! Like, with the blind box toys, there are always "rare" ones that never show up and countless "common" ones. It doesn't cost the companies any more or less to make one or another, yet they coax us to spend money by making some pieces impossible to find. We've already discussed the latest Monster-High-But-Not-Quite-Monster-High limited editions. Mattel does that with a lot of figures, Barbies and whatever, available as "Mattel Store Exclusives" only already sold out by the time we hear of them. Even the silly, failed Wild Hearts Crew line, available only as a "Walmart Exclusive," had easy to find dolls (Jaycee) and short-stocked dolls (Rallee). What is the point of making limited edition playline dolls?

Pre-sales are another frustrating trend. As we know, that is the direction Smart Doll has taken. That is also the trend with many of the new "character" figures being released. They sell out from the online vendors prior to even being released. Then they hit the secondary market at twice or more the original list price.

Short shelf-life is another current issue. Off the Hook dolls were a six inch line of figures with interchangeable parts that hit the market a couple of years ago and were disappearing within a year. La Dee Da dolls? The aforementioned Wild Hearts Crew? I thought the MC2 dolls were somewhat popular, but they seem to have disappeared without a trace. I don't know what's going on with Equestria Girls these days; the figures seem to get completely redesigned every few months, but I guess they're still around, as I saw some the other day that looked nothing like the versions I purchased several years ago.

There doesn't seem to be time to even learn about a doll or toy line anymore, let alone to see it in person or to start a collection, before it is gone. Toys and dolls are becoming a Buy It When You See It commodity, only, a lot of times, you have to buy it before you see it, because it's gonna sell out and never be restocked.

Also, as per Smart Dolls and other lines, many of us here on the forum seem to be gradually shifting our focus away from "store bought" dolls and figures toward things that are really only available from online vendors: the BJDs, the collector editions, the seamless figures, that kind of thing. No matter where we live, we are all faced with similar issues there: initial prices, shipping costs, wait lists, items selling out while still in pre-order status, and low stock meaning quick sell-outs. Some of us have the additional thrill of those absurd (and almost impossible to calculate) import duties. There is no longer time to "save up" to get a particular doll or figure. If we don't have the cash (or credit) on hand when it is announced, we're probably out of luck. We now have to start saving for things we don't even know exist. Lately with Pullip there have been product cancellations prior to production. It seems like even Pullip is basing production on pre-orders. If there aren't enough pre-orders (or there is too much pre-release online criticism) the release is cancelled before anyone has seen a production example.

But we're still here, we're still talking about dolls and playing with dolls and taking pictures of dolls and grumbling and complaining about dolls... so I guess we're still having fun, huh? What's wrong with us?
LOL
They're not dolls, they're action figures!
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Well, you could count back from the end of the year for your day number....? xp
Your O'Hair twins are so lovely & colourful -- the red/purple/ginger/black is another nice colour scheme.

(12-13-2020, 02:39 AM)neon_jellyfish Wrote: whenever I'm taking their photos, Anne is the first one to come to mind. Must be the troll hair...
Hehe, now that you mention it, she does look like she's been outside on a very blustery day LOL What I like is the blue & white colour combination. I'm not sure what I would do with "just one" Novi but if I ever came across her really cheap I might grab her.
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Ahhh, the O'Hair twins look amazing

Re: the argument that who cares if you didn't get x lines, you got this one thing.... Yeah, I hate that line. It's one of those ones that just get me really annoyed and I will not go into the huge rant I want to go into. Just... yeah. I get the anger.
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As a fellow European, I'll also jump on the distribution bandwagon. Neon has said most of what my usual thoughts are regarding this topic, but I feel the frustration even more so because we here in Hungary, for some reason also unknown to me, even only received a fraction of the distribution that many other European countries had. Novi Stars and Bratzillaz (as far as I can remember) were never available in local stores, only in one webshop that had its headquarters in the Czech Republic and thus often had unusual stock; Moxie Girlz were only ever available once, for a short time, in Tesco supermarkets. Moxie Teenz, LIV or Pinkie Cooper were never available here in any way. And we do not have a Disney Store... the only counter-example, the only one we did have that I can currently think of, is Haunted Rochelle. If I look around, there are over 50 dolls scattered around the room, and one hand is enough to count how many of them were bought locally - especially if I disregard the ones I found in second-hand shops that only sell goods imported from the UK (that's a big thing here, I wonder if Brexit will bring any difference into it).

Your O'Hair twins look lovely, but I highly prefer the otherwordly Novis with their biiiiiig, sparkly bug-eyes! I love how you arranged them for the group photo smile Vera Tabray and Mimi Merize are ones I'd love to pick up if I came across them at reasonable prices (their scalper prices are definitely not that). Una's legs always leave me puzzled for a few seconds when I see her in photos - mine (well, the regular-height one out of the 3 Unas I have Tongue ) has been on an Anne Arctic body (that I bought off eBay just like that, headless) for years, and seeing her constantly like this (her firm spot on my desk is literally 15 cms away from my hand as I type, so I literally always see her when I sit at my desk) has made me so accustomed to her all-blue colour scheme that I tend to forget she's body-swapped.
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(12-13-2020, 05:15 AM)davidd Wrote: Those golden shoes look fantasic! Like real gold! I'll attribute that to your marvelous lighting... which actually is quite marvelous in this photo. You must be feeling better... physically, at least!
Tongue 

*massive snip*

But we're still here, we're still talking about dolls and playing with dolls and taking pictures of dolls and grumbling and complaining about dolls... so I guess we're still having fun, huh? What's wrong with us?
LOL

Thank you!!!

Yes, I'm better, migraine-wise. I'm just totally grumpy because of the latest Circus Government show.

I can understand why would people think of Europe as one place, it looks so tiny on the map, but the differences are really huge. While I am aware that there are huge differences between the individual US states, what I've seen on MH Arena forums made me think that playline doll brands (especially the American ones) were pretty much available anywhere (aside from Alaska), with the exception of some notorious cases of weird distribution, like Haunted Rochelle - people hardly ever complained about not being able to get dolls that were supposed to be regular releases, or even exclusives, when they were exclusive to some normal store like Walmart. However, I can imagine that people on there became collectors and joined the forums exactly because the dolls were available where they lived, and that not having folks from more isolated / not well stocked regions skewed my impression about this. 

As for seeing people from Eastern Europe as lower forms of existence, it pisses me off, but I'd have a hard time denying that it's partially our fault. I can't speak for other nations, but Czechs... Aren't as awesome as I'd like to pretend. This pandemic is casting very unforgiving light on our nature as a nation. Now, of course there are many awesome people here, but the majority... I don't like us, so I can't hold it against others if they don't like us. We're narrow-minded, selfish, cowardly, envious, we can't handle when somebody else is doing well and we wish for other people to suffer more than we wish for ourselves to thrive*, we like having rights but gods forbid we should have any responsibilities. Some of us would even give up some rights in exchange for certainty, no matter how shitty that certainty might be, like it was back in the days of totality... Yeah, we suck. It's as if after centuries of being ruled over by other nations, we lost ourselves and we gave up on finding ourselves ever again.

*I like to think that I'm not like that. At least I, ever since I realised it's a national thing, forbade myself from thinking like that and I keep monitoring myself in case I start doing so. As for selfish and cowardly... Nyeeh, I'd rather not think about that LOL

I wouldn't call the import fees mess an unfair advantage on the US side, I'd call it unfair disadvantage on the EU side. I don't want US folks to start paying them, I want EU to cut the crap and stop milking us. It's one of those common EU politics thingies, so each individual country can say 'look, it's EU, we can't do anything about it' and continue to pocket those fees. Nations in mutliple countries would have to mass protest at the same time for something to change. Not gonna happen.

I hope the postage rates will stay reasonable over there!

No, no, I'm kinda permanently triggered and rant-ready since last week, mostly because of the mess here, so I just start breathing fire randomly because of the tiniest impulses. Glad you find it entertaining!

***

The exclusive bovine excreta are not just a problem of dolls/toys, everything that can (e.g. videogames), tries to capitalize on FOMO, and I wonder how long it will last... I'm very much turned off by such practices, and it usually makes me lose any interest in that thing, even if I like the product itself.

As for pre-sales, for me it depends on whether there is a finite stock that sells out or if there's a pre-order window and the dolls are made to order in the needed amount. The former stresses me out, as the combination of limited stock, bad internet connection and pre-orders being opened when it's night in my timezone (my fault for being too interested in Japanese dolls) means I'm likely going to miss out. The latter further depends on whether I know about the pre-order in advance or not. When I do, I'm fine with that, I can save up and I don't have a problem with waiting.

I try to be understanding, because it's hard to maintain a reasonable amount of everything in stock, and order-made allows for having more variants on offer, but when there's limited amount of limited variant and limited time to pre-order, it's just too much, and it makes me give up. Smart Dolls aren't something I could afford right away, I have to save up, and the ones I like keep getting discontinued, and it mostly leads to my savings getting transferred to Azone when they give an early heads up for a doll I like.

The short-lived lines hardly ever appear here in the first place, so I'm cautious not to get excited before I see them here, however, I generally lost interest in fashion dolls (which I'll adress in a bit), so as of this year, it stopped being a concern for me.

As for the shift in collecting style - I'm actually going through a massive one right now.

As you mentioned, I, too, am shifting away from playline dolls found in stores, for a few reasons. I don't like the new ones as much as I liked MH and EAH, a lot of those new ones don't even make it here and importing them would cost nearly as much as importing a collector doll (so I'd rather get that collector doll), and most of all, quality issues. Despite my best efforts, my MHs (and to a lesser degree my EAHs) keep deteriorating, and it took me by a very unpleasant surprise. When I was buying these dolls, I thought it was for life - my nearly 30yo Barbies are in better shape than my MHs, and I played quite roughly with them. I don't want to buy a bunch of plastic only to throw it away and be all sad about it a few years later, so, no more playline dolls for me.

I'm going through something similar with Pullips - I love the designs, but not the quality, and I don't want to waste money on crappy things. I'm still planning on shelling all the characters, but I think I won't get any more after that.

This shift from playline dolls towards the collector ones, together with the limited pre-orders and exclusive scarab balls changed how I want to collect -  the futility of wanting a certain release because I'm probably not going to be able to get it anyway makes me want to be more picky, to curate my collection using more criteria than just 'I like this one'. I want to have smaller crews with more essence to them, where dolls have bigger roles than just being pretty. I need to be careful with this, as my backstories tend to sprout characters every time I sneeze, but I hope to to turn my collection into something more meaningful and thought-through, where each part has a concept to it, so that I have a guide that allows me to choose my dolls with ease and spend money on the right stuff. I want to invest more into less dolls, which is completely different from my playline collecting, where I was trying to get all the releases I liked for the lowest possible price. It will still be a lot of dolls, I'm not going minimalist, I just want my dollhousehold to have a sense of purpose and direction.

As soon as I'm done with ADAD, I'm going to take a good long look at my collection, and start planning changes. I'm not content with it right now, some parts downright stress me out, and I have no room for that in what is supposed to be a joyful hobby. It won't necessarily be a drastic downsize, but some changes are inevitable. I feel very intimidated by this decision of mine, but also very excited.

Nothing's wrong with us! We're doing this right! Other people should learn from us wink


(12-13-2020, 01:59 PM)Alliecat Wrote: Well, you could count back from the end of the year for your day number....?  xp
Your O'Hair twins are so lovely & colourful -- the red/purple/ginger/black is another nice colour scheme.

(12-13-2020, 02:39 AM)neon_jellyfish Wrote: whenever I'm taking their photos, Anne is the first one to come to mind. Must be the troll hair...
Hehe, now that you mention it, she does look like she's been outside on a very blustery day LOL  What I like is the blue & white colour combination.  I'm not sure what I would do with "just one" Novi but if I ever came across her really cheap I might grab her.

Oh, I have all the numbers in the spreadsheet, I just forget to check it now and then, make a mistake, notice it much later, and become unable to get my lazy ass to actually edit all the posts that need fixing. I did manage to make my useless self open the spreadsheet, so today's number is no longer a mystery, I just need to fix the previous ones...

Thank you!

I'm also fond of blue and white / mint and white color combo on dolls. Maybe I should take a B(lue)&W group photo...
Be warned, Anne only has (very poorly) articulated shoulders and neck/head (sideways, no up and down), the rest of her is sollid (she's supposed to be a snowglobe, well, snowdoll, her torso and legs are filled with liquid and glitter), so there's no posing her.


Day 348

Violin Day! Demonstrated here by sig Melody.

[Image: 5a0403d16a1a793bc927ca4210f341a6.jpg]
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