Many/Mini Family Reunions

Sunburst has reopened for patio dining.  Barbieville followed the CDC guidelines from the start, despite actions taken at the state and federal levels, and as a result there has been very little incidence of the pandemic.  The town is reopening carefully.  (Side note for readers: Masks in Barbieville are invisible.  So says Barbieville's god.)

Brent: I'm glad you made it.  I was worried, especially since Esperanza was sick recently. 

Daisy:  Bertie wasn't about to pass up this job and Esperanza's been cleared by the doctors.  Thanks so much for connecting us to Mr. Darling.

Brent: That was Kyra.  She's determined not to let the personal issues touch on the professional.  He mentioned needing an anchor and she thought of Bertie.  I guess the interview went well? 

Bertie: He called all my references beforehand and grilled them.  The interview was basically him saying "here's what the job is, do you want it?"   My co-anchor is going to be a gal named Becky Weasley.  Do you know her?

Brent:  She just graduated college.  Got the job with WDLC and started house-hunting.  Maybe you and she could do that together.

Daisy: Oh, that might be fun.  We could get to know her better, you know?

Esperanza: I'm going inside to use the restroom.  Be right back.

Bertie (worried): She's not adjusting well at all.  They said her voice may never return to normal.

Daisy: She'll be okay, sweetheart.  We just have to keep reminding her that she can still act and dance. 

Brent: And now that you're here, Uncle Brent can help.  I have connections in this town, you know.  Not that we have much of an entertainment industry here.

Bertie: That amusement park doesn't do shows? 

Brent: They're probably not going to reopen this season.  Not only do we have a pandemic on, the owner just got married.  She's also in the middle of a complete rebranding.  Change of name, new and updated rides, all that jazz.  Maybe in the spring, if Esper still wants to try it. 

Esmeralda gets a surprise at table P2.

Esmeralda: Bapo!  You made it! 

Django: Why do you call me that, girl?  I'm not your grandfather. 

Esmeralda:  The day Four was born, that became your name.  Just like mine became Mom and Marcus's became Dad. 

Django:  We stopped at the house and Kevin said you and Tris were both here.  Are you busy?

Esmeralda: I am, but she's about to go on break.  I'll tell her you're out here. 

After hugs and a quick introduction to Jessie (one of Django's grandchildren and therefore a future cousin-in-law), Tris sits down to eat lunch.

Tris: I wasn't expecting you so early.  (to Jessie) Four's always spoken of you so fondly, I feel like I already know you. 

Jessie: There were... circumstances... behind our coming early.  Bapo's decided to stop wandering and open up a tattoo parlor here, with Four.  I tagged along to get away from a stalker.

Django: Stalker is a very harsh word.  What he is, is a very persistent suitor. 

Jessie: To-may-to, to-mah-to. Know any place that might hire a gal who's handy with a wrench? 

Later, Doll County Paranormal holds an informal meeting at the diner.  

Jeremiah: Jimin, hard at work as usual.  Big case coming up? 

Jimin: Case from Hell.  This woman is neglectful of her children and has a violent police record but is fighting for custody of her children.  

Nova: Charlotte Jackson? 

Jimin (chuckles): I can neither confirm or deny that.  After all the business the buffet lost this year, we really need the money this case is going to pay, but it's been a complete nightmare.

Phoebe: Hey, y'all!  Look who's back in town!  

Kenna:  Yep, got a job at that new TV station.  Bunking with her and Sylvia til I get a place of my own, but Mom and Dad think it's permanent.  I swear we'd all still live at home if they had their way.

Jimin: Welcome back, Kenna.  I've missed you. 

Kenna: She made me carry the research she's been doing on the cove.  This stuff weighs a ton! 

Jeremiah: The paranormal does all kinds of strange things to electronics.  Hard copy, not so much. (laughs) But you're right, a laptop would be easier to carry. 

Nova: Take a seat, ladies.  Put away the custody battle, lawyer boy.

Yard Sale Haul (Fashion Show)

Last but not least, random citizens of Barbieville are showing off all the new clothes!  You'll notice my bigger gals are in here, finally showing their more feminine side.  They're delighted they aren't limited to either their original outfits or boys' clothes.

Warning: It helps to know everyone's names for this.  I will not be listing models and describing outfits in left-to-right order.  

Angus shows off his new bridle.  Everyone here is wearing two pieces, except Mariko.  She's rocking a wedding dress!  

Lots of formals and Sylvia in a blouse and demin skirt. 

Wendy, Rose-Grace, and Nakoma are each wearing separates.  Doreen and Phoebe in formal attire.  Batgirl in ballet tutu and sheer body stocking.  

Kyra in some sort of uniform. Boudica in a nice summery dress.  Charlotte and Dean in separates (his shorts match her outfit).  Candy and Gwen rocking formals.

Lots of separates, including Esmeralda's  genie-in-a-bottle set.  Esperanza's not wearing PJ's shirt, it's a double.  McG and Nancy show off new dresses.  Roxy is in a leotard, which may be what the doll originally wore!  

Everyone's in separates except Charlie.  Each of these models is sporting a bag, belt, or whistle.  Lottie is wearing pants she already had.

The tots are wearing bottoms they already own, but the shirts are all new.  I do have to sew a snap into Jenny's so it will close.  Mummy hat and beaded belt.

Rug that somehow got mixed in with clothes.  

Dixie with the socks I'm gonna turn into swaddlers for her.

I may have missed some clothing items, hiding under The Boy's chair or mixed in with previously owned clothing.  Very few items fit no one and even fewer were corsets in toddler size.

Yard Sale Haul (Choosing Keepers)

I was surprised to see that most of the dolls did not need extensive trims.  Almost everyone's hair combed out with little effort.  Those I don't keep will appeal to a new human more if they don't look like they just got hit by lightning.  

After that was done, the selection process began.  Since my space is small, I limit the number of dolls in Barbieville.  One of my friends added more dolls to her dollyverse than I had in total during 2019!

The Mattel Princesses and Barbies.  There were a few here I knew were keepers from the start, even without working knees and elbows.  I was hoping some head swaps would help with that.  Also, I hoped some of the boys would be body donors for Kevin and Jeremiah.

Clone dolls, Monster High, and Hi Glamm (previously identified as Winx).  Only one of these was a keeper - the man with the gray beard.  The rest suffered from poor articulation, deformities, and/or Vapid Face.

Bratz.  Neither boy was suitable for Kevin or Jeremiah, even with feet attached.  The lemon-on-a-toothpick proportions are just too far from reality for me, so none of these dolls will be keepers. 

Holly Hobbies (not Strawberry Shortcake) and Wee Three Friends.  I debated these for quite a while.  The combinations of childlike features and adult shapes or sizes led me to decide against them.  I even had the Wee Threes with jointed elbows in my keep pile for a while.

This is the gal I mentioned in the previous blog, with the wild hair and face I really liked.  I thought she was Diva, from Barbie And The Rockers, but once I tamed the hair... she's Midge.  Every Diva I've ever seen had really heavy eye makeup, but I can't remember a Midge with super curly hair.  Research provided only the information that Diva and Midge share a face mold.

I think these three are celebrities.  Pretty sure the one on the left is Brandy Norwood.  

Shoes.  Lots of sizes and only three orphans.  They will all stay except the orphans.

Cinderella figures.  I waffled on these because that one of the stepsisters makes me giggle.  Decided not to keep them or break up the set.

Bratz feet and snap-on hair for one of the smaller gals.  I was bummed to see the black boots were Bratz.  None of my dolls can wear them.  Same with the roller skates.

Happy Meal toys.  Bratz and Barbie.  These will go into Doll County Day Care's toy stash.

Madame Alexander Happy Meal toys. Not keepers, but I stole what clothes I could for the toddlers. Was mad when the pumpkin costume didn't fit anyone.  

Cabbage Patch Kids.  Happy Meal toys,  Not keepers.

Sally Secrets Happy Meal toy - her feet are hole punches (one makes stars, the other hearts).   Debated keeping her just because she's so cute, but decided against it. I wouldn't use her.

 Wedding cake and bowling set.  Those balls are not the original ones - they're stress balls. The kind that clank against each other, not the squeezy kind.  The cake is a double of the one I already have, just in a different shade of pink.  The stress balls will probably go away but I'm keeping the pins and cake.

I have no idea what this is.  I thought it was the cap for a pencil-shaped pencil case, but it has what looks like Hebrew characters on it.  A dreidel?  I'll be keeping it for now.

After some head swapping and debate, these eight will be the only ones kept.  My Scene Chelsea, Gray Beard, Rapunzel, Hula Hair Barbie in rear. Brunette, Midge/Diva, Cho's mommy, and Purple Slippers in the front.

Hula Hair Barbie is on a My Scene Kennedy body - her own was very floppy and she chose to be less articulated.  Also, she gets a nice shoulder tattoo.  A snowflake in colors that match the dyed portion of her hair.  I kept Rapunzel because I thought they made a nice mom/daughter pair.

Midge/Diva and Purple Slippers upgraded to jointed elbows and a solid body, respectively.

I've got roles in mind for Gray Beard, the brunette, and of course Cho's Mommy.

Yard Sale Haul (Sorting and Cleaning)

The Boy's neighbor had a yard sale.  His mom, urged to "get Jeanie up here", instead opted to just buy me an entire bin of assorted used dolls.  The hair is going to be a challenge, but otherwise they are in pretty good shape.

Here they are after the communal bath, standing around naked, as you do.  The Boy's mom stripped them for me and washed the clothes.  (Thanks!)  All I have to do now is sort them out, decide who is a keeper, find homes for the others, and assign roles to the keepers.

Two soft-body dolls, after a run through the washer and drying in a patch of sun.  Use of a commercial dryer might damage the hair, so we avoided that. I love the face on Purple Slippers.

Google wasn't a lot of help with the trio on the left.  Obviously they are Strawberry Shortcake characters, but I found little to no information on 12 inch dolls in that line.  The long-legged things on the right are Winx dolls.  Again, I don't remember this specific line.  All the Winx I ever saw were leggy, but not to this extreme.  All five of these dolls have the basic five points of articulation and click knees.  Winx faces are gorgeous but they are so... wispy? Well, they are meant to be fairies. 

UPDATE

The "Strawberry Shortcake" dolls are Holly Hobbie and the "Winx" are a line called Hi Glamm.  Thanks to Treesa for the correction!

A plethora of Wee Three Friends.  The bodies are dated 2000.  My only real recollection of them is being mad that they gave Stacie boobs.  The whole reason they introduced her was to fill a void left by the aging-up of Skipper!  Google tells me the friends are Whitney Hadley (kin to Midge, I assume) and Janet.  Most of these have the standard five points of articulation and click knees.  Some of them have jointed elbows. 

Bratz.  Like the Monster High dolls, I love the clothes and accesories but I'm not a fan of the dolls.  Giant noggins, tiny bodies...   Most of their clothing will fit Stacie and friends.  The clothes from the smaller ones will fit the toddlers. Five points of articulation and click knees on most of them.  I did spot a few jointed elbows.  I'm eyeing the boys as body donors for Kevin... he don't even have click knees.

Assorted others.  Two "Lovely Patsy" dolls, Monster High, Steffie Love, a Diva Star, and I think Farrah Fawcett.  She's a Mego from 1977.  I hope to find the Monster High boy's forearms, but no luck.  Others in the doll community have told me he's a good match for Kevin's skin tone.

Another assortment.  These look to be dollar store finds, mostly with click knees.  That little Ariel in the front was wearing a Snow White dress.  That gray-bearded fella is definitely moving to Barbieville.

Mattel Disney Princeses.  Jasmine, Aurora, Belle, Snow White, Rapunzel, and Anna.  Poor Anna is missing a foot. Click knees on most, if not, all of them.    

And the actual Barbies!  That gal in the back left, with the crazy hair, I cannot place.  I think she's one of The Rockers. I'll get a closeup of her face in a later post.  Kyra's identical twin (Secret Spells Kayla) in the back row, between the headless and the brunette with working elbows. 

That poor Ken on the end doesn't even have click knees. Mixed in with the Barbies are some My Scene and maybe a couple of celebrities.  At least one of them will end up being Cho's mommy.

Bits and bobs, as I call them.  Clothes that were missed during the inital stripping. The swimming pool does hold water but needs a bit of railing replaced.  

And the clothes.  There were several dresses that fit my bigger gals.  Only a handful of items were not usable - in part because I don't want kindergarteners in corset tops.  Next step is rescuing the hair and deciding who goes and who stays. 

BTS Dolls

                               

WARNING!   DOLL NUDITY AHEAD!  TURN BACK NOW IF THAT BOTHERS YOU!

The BTS dolls, which were reviewed in depth on My Froggy Stuff and NexJen (YouTube), were available at Five Below, but all gone by the time I was able to buy them.  GRRRR 

Mind you, I know next to nothing about BTS.  I just wanted articulated boys who aren't "action figures" and therefore built like Rambo.  The reviews of the dolls were good -- joints are solid, they have nice face sculpts and quality clothes.  

Someone dropped a bug in my ear about the pricing on Amazon.  I splurged, because it averaged out at less than ten dollars a doll.  And here they are!

Obviously, this is after they were freed from the boxes and got the product washed out of their hair.  I also wrote the names on the soles of their feet so I remember who is who.  

I just noticed you can't see the ankles are jointed, but you'll have to take my word for that one.  The joints are a little stiff but that makes it easier for them to hold a pose.  There are some limits - they aren't able to touch their faces - but I can adapt.  

I left the britches on them.  They are pretty standard pants, in patterns that match the jackets.  One pair has a belt and one pair is black (no red-with-paisley).  Shoes were nicely detailed sneakers. One guy was wearing a tie.

Most of the shirts are sewn into the jackets, but the front opens with velcro.  The one with a hoodie pulls off over his head and the jacket part has very little give, so it does give a bit of a fight.  The yellow jacket (glad it doesn't sting) had a white sleeveless shirt under it, which opens at the neck with velcro.

I wondered how many of my other guys could share clothes with BTS.  They look awfully skinny.  Pretty sure I managed to try one man of each body mold... let's see the results.

Ben and Ken are pretty comfortable.  It closed over Dean's chest, but the arms are tight.  The sleeve doesn't quite reach Dean or Ken's wrists.  (Ben is on a Disney Descendants body, Dean is either World Peacekeeper or Power Team, and Ken is a standard Ken.)

Albus manages to get his arms in, which is more than I can say for Sulu. Both these guys are on the original bodies. I didn't even try my Star Wars men and Hagrid.  Verdict is that roughly half my men and probably all my women will be able to share clothes with them.  I was very pleased. 

If you love dolls, you should buy these dolls ASAP.  They are pert-near perfect. 

Upgrades, Shower, and Orphans

Owner's Office, Witch's Cove

Nakoma: So?  What do you think?

Albus: I'm quite impressed.  You must have worked on this for months.

Pocahontas:  I just put her to work on this two weeks ago.  The girl's got some creative skills.

Albus: She did this in two weeks?!  

Pocahontas: We've always known she was the artist of the family.  I'm surprised it took her this long.  

Albus: I could use her help putting together the atmosphere around the Windigo and the updated train ride.  By the way, what do you think of "Haunted Rail" for the name?  

Pocahontas: Once this website is linked to Mom's old one and operationable, she's all yours.

Nakoma: Oh, I've got a plethora of ideas.  Wait until you see what I've got in mind for The Overlook.

Pocahontas: See, Albus, she's alr -- what, wait?

*****

Zenobia's studio

Zenobia: I thought since you aren't doing a traditional wedding, and I'm not maid of Honor, that a bachlorette party was off the table?  I won't lie, I'm bummed about it, but you're the bride.  You call the shots.

Tris: An old-fashioned Bridal Shower is acceptable, you libertine.  You're still my best friend.  

Zenobia (teasing): Just after the presents, aren't you? 

Tris: Kind of.  We're pretty broke, you know.  (laughs)  I also noticed how disappointed you were.  I should have taken that into consideration.  Especially since you're gonna have to live with us.

Zenobia jumps up and hugs her, launching into plans. 

*****

Windu Acres

James: Thanks for the drinks.  This humidity is killing me.

Mace: Big ole storm brewing.  What's the verdict on them orphans?

James: Test results all came back.  Completely healthy, two colts and a filly, siblings.  Same sire.

Mace: So they aren't purebred. 

James: Looks like the mares were.  Some rogue stallion must have gotten into the paddock and whoever owned the mares... well, to put it politely, they reacted badly.  

Charlie: That's putting it way more politely that I did.  

Mace: Y'all got the cops on it, I'm sure.  Does the preserve have security cameras? 

Charlie: In the parking lot and visitor center.  We're hoping they didn't sneak in through private property to dump the babies, but we'll interview the landowners around if we have to.  

Mace:  Well, the little ones are settling in here.  Angus took them right under his wing.   Might even adopt them, since I'm in rebuilding mode. (Changes the subject)  What brings you back to Barbieville?  I knew Iggy was here, but you were a surprise.  

Charlie (hesitates for a moment): Things didn't work out where I was.  So I got my old job back and came home.  Staying with my folks until I find a place for me and Iggy.  (Laughs)  PJ's oldest had just come to stay with them while her dad's deployed and then here comes Iggy.  James's house is gonna burst at the seams.