The third anniversary of my blog

 Another year of collecting is behind me and what can I say other than … I got more dolls. The doll cabinet is full and so is my wish list. How is that possible? It’s been a good year for my collection. I’ve got some dolls I had dreamed of for a long time and the ones I didn’t even dare to dream. The posts were fewer but longer and the photos were consistently bad. That’s my standard, I have neither talent nor time for good photography. I want to thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment. It motivates me to continue.

Last year I described the collection shelf by shelf and I had taken photos of dolls sharing the same molds. This year it turned out impossible. I was in haste as I had just one morning to take photos of all of the dolls. I would run up and down the stairs bearing pounds and pounds of vinyl. It was exhausting and so much fun! And I didn’t lose a single shoe! So let’s start right from the top – the Dolls of the World. Sadly not one new doll joined my old girls. I still haven’t managed to acquire the first Parisian, I think I’ll get the second edition since I can’t have the one I like best and she's still very, very pretty. I haven’t got the Chinese or the Korean or the first Russian or the first Irish. The lovely Oshogatsu Barbies are still not there either. But you can’t have it all at once, right?

The classic 80s shelf looks pretty much the same as it did last time, but be not deceived. There’s one doll that I had been hunting for – the saran haired Doctor Barbie. The problem is not much can fit in here really, but the 80s are everywhere, you’ll find them on other shelves too, it’s my favorite decade by far. Sadly, Tracy and PJ are still wearing replacement outfits. I like Tracy’s but I’ve redressed PJ several times already, I can’t seem to find a dress worthy of her. I got her the “Dynasty” dress with shoulder pads she could fly away with. And since we’re at the topic of Dynasty… still haven’t got Krystle or Alexis and they’re getting more and more expensive, but hey, 3 years ago I didn't even dream my collection would grow so much, so anythink may happen!

The DOTW and Classics shelves may look pretty much the same, but Skipper’s corner definitely changed. For one thing, I finally completed the Teen Fun series and together with Teen Sweetheart, I’ve got all the original big eyed releases now. I also got Hawaian Fun – the very first Skipper I ever saw. It took me 30 years but I finally succeeded! I also planned to extend my Skipper mold collection and I did it! Great Shape Skipper with the classic mold is here at last. I got more Courtneys too, Pizza Party and Teen Skipper – check! I still like the anime-eyed Skipper the best so I got some duplicates. I really wanted Babysitter Courtney in her original outfit, but I have absolutely no excuse for another Cool Tops Skipper, but … do I really need it? You’ll also see some non-Mattel dolls. Yesss, there are two Licca-chan dolls and a Himari from Takara Tomy! I never thought I would get Licca and now I’m positively obsessed with her! Barbie is in no danger though. She’s still the best!

What’s next? The 90s shelf which is pretty much an assortment of dolls. There’s some 80s and my Ken dolls too. One new Ken joined the squad – the fiercely orange Benetton Ken, I just couldn’t resist him.  There are my two most wanted European Fashion Play Barbies and a nearly Fashion Play – the Woolworth’s Special Expression lovely blonde. I’ve managed to cross out some great dolls from my wish list – Flight Time, International Travel, FAO Schwarz Fifth Avenue and Perfectly Suited were my long lasting dreams. So long lasting I managed to forget about Perfectly Suited in the process of acquiring new dolls. There’s even one doll I didn’t even dream of getting – a Rotoplast Heart Family Mom with a baby son joined my collection thanks to a kind fellow collector.

The next shelf is party all the time, or should I say ball?!There’s fewer dolls there but more dresses and hair if that makes sense. The dresses are huge and take up a lot of space, but they’re the beginning of my collection and every so often I just need to get a doll in a huge dress no matter what. So what’s new? Two Holiday dolls – check, a JCPenney gorgeous lady in royal blue – check, a Swan Lake dark-haired ballerina from my dreams – check, the Queen of the Oceans – check and a Grand Lady that just loves Tea – check, double check because she happens to be the only doll with the Generation Girl headmold in my entire collection!

The lowest shelf is a doll waiting room of sorts. There are miscellaneous dolls there that I simply can’t do without, or the ones that I often take photos of, my regular models. There are also some girls that will eventually be moved to higher shelves, like my lovely Magic Curl Barbie. I guess she should join the 80s classics but she’s too tall with that afro of hers to fit in the space between shelves, so she’ll probably go to the 90s girls. Some dolls are still waiting for their stock outfits like Perfume Pretty or Fun-to-Dress, and my Pet Doctor is wearing my only childhood fashion pack – repurchased of course. There’s My First Tea Party here as well, one of the two dolls whose legs don’t bend. She and Kevin set up the “Stiff Doll Club” but find it hard to get along –one likes basketball, the other prefers to sip tea or coffee, because she’s my doll, right?

That will be all for the doll cabinet, but as I said – the cabinet capacity is exhausted and some dolls had to move to boxes. I find it hard to decide which dolls should be displayed and which ones should be stored in boxes, but I simply can’t fit them all. So seasonal dolls like Holidays or dolls that are incomplete would move houses for the time being. I still like them a lot and want to keep them even though they may go to the cabinet only for a few weeks a year. There’s one doll too pretty to go to boxes and wearing a dress too hideous to classify for the cabinet, she’s waiting for some smashing fashion pack and I temporarily display her at “the other cabinet”. It’s technically speaking not destined to hold dolls though. For the time being, it’s my doll storage where I also keep the only two playsets I manager to acquire within the last 12 months.

Uff I’ve made it just in time. I think it’s a success that I managed the photo shooting within one day though the pictures are not perfect and the dolls were too many to fit in the backdrop, but oh well. My plans for next year? Get that Harley Davidson II edition Ken and Tod! I also want a Golden Dream Barbie, the Parisian and all the DOTW I previously mentioned, a Jewel Secrets Barbie, more Fashion Play, more Skippers, more Licca and vintage Barbie reproductions. Maybe I’ll be lucky and get a hold of some AA versions of the 80s classics like Magic Moves or Day to Night. Peaches perhaps? It looks like a busy year ahead of me. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

To those of you who visit my blog, I want to say a huge THANK YOU! My collection as well as my blog have been a respite from all that has been going on, a safe place I could forget about the things that were so saddening and depressing. I know this year must have been difficult for you too, the more I'm grateful for your visits and your comments. Thank you!