Babysitter Courtney #2

 I’ve been incredibly busy of late. There’s too few hours in a day! I almost feel like I’m stealing some of the precious time for my dolls but I do that with a clear conscience. After all, a hobby isn’t a luxury, it’s a must. I need it to be able to fulfil my duties properly. So today’s post is a product of that necessity, and since I can only squeeze a few moments to sit down and scribe something in haste, it’s going to be pretty short. Say hello to my Babysitter Courtney 1990.

I should probably call her Babysitter Courtney the second, because the first one appeared in my collection about two years ago. Both Courtneys come from the same seller and I remember how fiercely I was bidding for my BC number 1 till the very last seconds and how thrilled I was when I won her. Luckily, since that time, the seller changed the portal she was offering her dolls through and there’s no need for me to bid anymore, I just hate to do that.

My first Courtney was near perfection. Her hair was still soft and shiny and the doll was in a good condition. Her only flaws were the lack of her stock outfit and her bangs that someone had seen fit to brush back – who does things like that, I ask?! I tried to do something about the bangs but the process exhausted my patience and I just tamed the uncooperative bangs with an oversized hair clip and decided I like the fact that it doesn’t cover the doll’s face.

And then the second Babysitter Courtney was put out for sale and I had a bit of a dilemma because on one hand I already had a very nice looking Courtney and on the other, the new doll had the two things mine was missing – she was sporting perfect bangs and her original clothes. I’ve always liked the two-piece outfit. It’s white with fiercely green and pink splotches. She even came with shoes. Now, these don’t belong to her as hers should be green and these are light pink, but they look just fine. I wish she had some of her accessories too, but I’m not complaining. It only took me a few minutes to consider the purchase. I knew I needed to hurry - a doll like that wouldn’t stay available for long.

I’ve already described the Babysitter Skipper series and Courtney in here, so instead of repeating that post, I’d like to ask you if you collect duplicates of dolls. I do my best to avoid that since I promised my husband that dolls wouldn’t flood us or look at us from every corner of our house. We made a deal – my dolls would occupy one cabinet in our study and one cabinet it is. Since I have a very limited space to display them, I only purchase duplicates of some very special dolls that, depending on the country make, differ greatly in terms of their face paint. Those would be Peaches’n Cream, Crystal or Magic Moves, but I’m also planning to get some more variants of my all-time favorite SuperStar 1988.

Courtney is the doll of the 90’s when face paint application methods were further standarized, but you could still come across some great examples of facial screening diversity, just look at Sun Sensation Barbie from China and Malaysia – they’re completely different. I didn’t expect to see something like that in Courtney, but when I took her out of the packaging, It struck me how vibrant her face colors are. If you look closely, you’ll notice that in her eye shadow and her eyes. The eye shadow of Courtney #1 is much more transparent and watered down in comparison. It may be a subtle difference, but for a guilty conscience that needs an excuse to keep both dolls, it’s a difference enough. By the way, both dolls were produced in Malaysia.

If two Courtneys weren’t enough, I’ve recently purchased a second Cool Tops Skipper. I haven’t decided whether I’ll keep her or give her to my daughter yet. Skipper #2 cost me a few pennies, she comes with most of her outfit and cleaned up better than the first one that almost cost me a heart attack when I thought she’d lose all her hair. It also appears the two Skippers aren’t identical. Although they’re both of Chinese make, their eye shadow is a different shade of lavender. Both are pretty and the second one would look lovely in a fashion pack from the series. Tricky, very tricky!

Ok, my battery is full and duty calls, so until next time!