Ok, patience isn’t my strong suit but
I’m determined to improve myself and my collecting helps me as it
requires those inner battles that always look the same:
Yes! I’m gonna buy that doll!
No! She’s overpriced!
But I’ll miss the chance!
But there’ll be other chances!
But yes!
But no!
Oh **** **!!!!
This struggle repeated every time I saw
Cool Tops Skipper pretty, boxed and complete, because that’s the only
condition I could find her in actually. I don’t really need NRFB dolls, I
take them out of their boxes anyway and having to pay a double, triple
or quadruple price of the doll (depending on the vendor) just to have
her in the box seems a little too extravagant for me at this time of my
life, who knows, I may change my mind one day. But the thing is,
redundant as her box is for me, I really wanted the doll dressed in her
stock outfit as it’s fantastic and makes her so much different from all
the other Skipper dolls.
But patience pays, really. To my utter
disbelief, I found her for sale, her outfit complete to the last detail,
the doll’s condition promising and the price couldn’t have been better.
She even had her stock shoes on and that’s fortunate, because Skipper
is like Cinderella’s evil stepsister- other doll’s shoes just don’t fit
her. So I rushed to strike a bargain though the single photo got me
confused for a second as the doll’s hair was crimped and the waves too
regular to be a result of braiding. But then she arrived, and Cool Tops
Skipper she was, no doubt about that.
The doll made me wonder what her story
or who her previous owner was. She had definitely been taken a good care
of the way her stock outfit and her accessories were preserved. Sure,
the elastic bands of her skirt and leggings are no longer elastic, and
her blue T-shirt has faded in places to the point it looks very much
hippie now, which I don’t mind as the pink one is perfect. But the
fabric isn’t damaged in any way I could notice (Mattel, thanks for the
plastic snaps and not the vile Velcro). So I decided to have some fun
and check out the possibilities the outfit gives. Yes, all looks
great!!!
She had been displayed, which is evident
by the dust that had accumulated over the years. This partially
contributed to the sad condition of her hair which probably hasn’t been
the best quality since day one, only to get worse over the years. For
one thing, the hair’s got faded and discolored by the sun and the dust.
It’s dull and dry from the crimping and frequent brushing though boil
washing helped a bit. That would’ve been fine, she is a rescued doll
after all, but when I first shampooed her hair gently, there were some
fall outs, which worried me. So I brushed it extra softly, the rest of
the treatment equally mild, but no matter what I did, she continued to
lose her hair! She’s crying for a re-root, and desperately too. It’s
such a shame as the doll is otherwise perfect! I’ve recreated her
hairstyle, but at too great a cost, I’m afraid.
I might re-root her one day, or better
yet – have her re-rooted by someone skillful and experienced, she sure
deserves it, lovely as she is. But I don’t think I have to recommend the
pretty big-eyed headmold, my favorite Skipper face. Her make-up is very
minimal and subtle – just a touch of lavender on her eyelids and some
pink lipstick, suitable for a teenager.
The initial disappointment as well as my
other daily duties made me lock her in a drawer for a couple of days.
Neither could I bring myself to finish the draft of the post. But when I
took her out, it turned out she’s stopped losing her hair, the result
of the treatment seems to me better now and I simply can’t resist the
lovely smile. The disappointment disappeared somewhere and the joy took
its place. Yep! Another doll from the top of my wish list is in my hands
now, the wish list hasn’t shrunk though…
Here’s both of my Skippers presenting Shibajuku Girls Fashion.
Skipper’s moved in, for good.
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