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. 

DIY Britches

Thanks to the pattern I featured in my previous blogs (6/27/19 and 7/9/18) my muscle dudes have lots of work shirts.  Another issue is pants.  Ken fashions with Velcro closures won't close around the waists of many of my non-Ken dolls.  My Star Trek guys can't wear anything but shorts because long pants won't go on over the molded-on boots.  T-shirt fabric isn't stretchy enough to go over the boots.  It's a dilemma, but I found a lazybones DIY for sweat pants.

I had knee socks that had worn out, in the feet only, as they do.  I was looking for ways to repurpose them into doll clothes.  Ugly Christmas sweaters are pretty common projects, but these socks are mostly zombie themed.  I have made tube dresses in the past, for my 18 inch Pocahontas dolls, but they've since reverted to just wearing their Disney-issued clothes year-round.

I thought "What if I cut a tube dress up the middle most of the way?  Would that make workable pants?"  So I tried it and guess what!  It worked!

I didn't think to take pictures as I worked, so Four and one of my still-intact knee socks volunteered to help me out.  The top of the sock will become the waistband, so position the doll accordingly and then cut straight across at ankle length. 

Put the doll directly on (or into) the sock to find where the crotch should be.  Cut from there to the bottom, creating an inseam.  Then flip them inside out and start sewing!  

My seams don't look purty, any more than the ones on my work shirts, but no one will see them unless man-spreading occurs. I did go through a few trial socks before getting it right, but the results were better than I'd hoped.  Turns out socks are stretchy enough to go over those Star Trek boots! 

Here's a variety of my dudes (and Nancy) modeling the sweats! I have a good variety of body molds so the fit varies.  The Boy told me some of these have ridiculously high waists, but that's easy enough to fix.  You can cover them with a shirt....

.... or turn down the top so it looks like a thicker waist band.

                                                                                                                                                                         

 The real test for doll pants, of course, is the Half-Moon. Most were good, and all but two of the others were fixed simply by turning up the folded down waist.

Hank and Ben switched pants with other guys to see if this was a pants problem or a doll problem.  It's the doll.  Hank and Ben will need to either wear long shirts or sit in the back row.  If they're in these britches, anyway. 

I can now do raggedy work shirts and raggedy sweat pants.  Pike and Sulu can wear something besides shorts, which they'll be glad for with winter coming.  And I didn't have to toss my worn-out socks!  At least, not the whole sock.   

Story 15: Costumes and Current Events

Barbieville Schools incorporate a Costume Day into the week before Homecoming.  It gets everyone in the Halloween spirit (and gives me a head start on my real-life Halloween party preparations) except for a few party-poopers...  Even the Day Care, Elementary, and Middle Schools get in on the fun!

Tanner drops the little ones off at Day Care on his way to school. 

Tanner:  Dad gets off work early today so he'll pick the brats up about noon.  

John: Hey, we're both in Star Trek uniforms! Your dog tags aren't regulation, soldier.

Tanner: Neither one of us has the right pants.  Captain Kirk's gonna bust us down to Ensign.

Jenny:  Look!  I'm a Fred today! 

Fred: I'm a mummy.  Wanna help me eat baby brains?

Jenny:  Mummies eat brains?  I thought that was zombies.

Fred: Oh, yeah...  what do mummies do?

Vivica:  BOO  I'm a ghost rattling my chains at you, mummy boy!

John:  That's whipping chains around madly, not rattling them.  Settle down or I'll put you in the brig.

Vivica:  Ghosts can go through walls!  BOO (But she stops swinging the chains so hard.) 

Wilma:  After school, I get to be on YouTube with my mommy's friend Zenobia.  She gots blue hair.

Kelly: I know her.  I fink she gots a crush on my Daddy.  Look at that silly Bobby!  

Ty: Being a girl for Halloween?  LAY-ZEE!  

Bobby: Fat lot you know.  I'm a graveyard.  See all my headstones?  

Ty: I thought Kelly was a princess and she said she's a Pink Lady from some singing movie.  

*****

At the High School, Frodo is waiting for Tanner when he walks in.

Tanner: Who are you supposed to be?

Frodo: Yo Momma. 

Tanner: Forgot the green and yellow stripes in your hair.  Or are you my Step Momma? 

Frodo: Man, you're dumb.  I'm Yo Momma from the jokes.

Tanner: Did you see Finnick yet? I thought he was Vegas Elvis but it's some couple costume with Nakoma.  Who the hell are Donny and Marie?

Frodo: Brother and sister.  Kinda makes that a bad choice for a couple.

Four:  How'd you manage to get away with a costume?

Tris: I made the skirt in Home Ec.  Wore a black dress today and put the skirt on over it when I got here.  Not sure what I'm going to do with it after school.  (Checks him out) Nice pirate pants.

Four: I had to wear a shirt because of the dress code, so I just matched them.  Real Pirates didn't wear shirts, you know.  Except the captains and I'm just the dude that swabbed the deck.

Tris: Of course.  The captains took all the nice clothes. (laughs)

Four: I'm going to the diner after school.  You know, in case you should happen to want a milkshake and run into me there.

Tris: I'm still grounded for cutting my hair.  

Four: Your parents are going to keel over once you're out of their house.  

Tris: Tell me about it.  I'll do horrible things like date. 

Mariko: I love team costumes!  Donny and Marie is kind of a weird choice for a couple, but whatever.  Whitney wouldn't team costume with me.

Whitney: We couldn't agree on one. 

Finnick:  You can have these for next year.  If one more person calls me Elvis...

Nakoma: Don't be giving away my mom's stuff!  

Mariko: Okay, I got the shot.  Now put your stupid shoes that don't match back on. 

Nakoma: Mine matched.

Mariko: Another team costume!  Jurassic Park for the win! 

Peeta: It looks better with my scarf and hat, and his shades.  They could relax the dress code just for today, don't you think? 

Ken: I'm not complaining.  We've got one of the most relaxed dress codes in the county.  Maybe even the state.

Raven:  Hey, guys!  I want to apologize for my mom being such a hag to your sisters.  

Tanner: She's the one who should apologize.  You're cool.

Finnick: Is she like that at home?  

Raven: She'll probably disown me if I don't make valedictorian.  

****

At the Middle School

Guinness: Please gather over there for a photo, class.  Even those of you who aren't in costume.  

Student:Who are you supposed to be?

Guinness: The name is Bond.  James Bond.

Wendy: Skipper, why didn't you wear a costume?  

Skipper: I did.  I'm a Disney Fangirl.

Nikki: So you came as yourself? (Giggles)  I'm Aphrodite, goddess of love. 

Claudia: I'm a spiderweb on a pumpkin.  We had to get creative - Ben's still catching up the bills from when Violet fired him. 

Ricky: How do girls keep these kind of dresses up? 

Courtney: It helps to have, you know, boobs. Or elastic tops.  Or both.

Gabriella: Kevin's a party pooper.

Kevin: Halloween's for babies.  

*****

Pocahontas makes Anakin pose with his new friends before school.  She wants to show his mother how well he's doing. 

Pocahontas: Lumberjack, Marty McFly, and Power Ranger.

Roxy: No, I'm the paper towel guy. 

Stacie: I think the paper towel guy is a lumberjack.  

Anakin: She's gonna send a copy to my mom.  She's gotta get it right.

Stacie: Well, it that case...  I'm Kimberly, the Pink Ranger.  Before she got a boyfriend and her brain fell out.  

Pocahontas: A lot of girls have that problem, don't they? 

**** 

After school, the theme continues...

Zenobia: Welcome to the October edition of Zenobia's Vlog - the only news source in town that openly admits to being biased.  Today, I'm here at Mayor Pike's home to discuss the upcoming election.  The things everyone is talking about are Keep Barbieville Virtuous, Eminent Domain, and two school levies.

Rose-Grace: Keep Barbieville Virtuous, I have to admit I underestimated.  Since Becky and Clara came forward, a lot of people admitted to letting their propaganda sway their thinking.  Which was, of course, the entire point of the project, and those girls should get the highest possible grades for it.  

Zenobia: I am officially endorsing you for Mayor.  And not just because I'm friends with your kids, either.  I've got nothing against Brent Spiner, but you are doing a great job and should therefore get to keep the position.

Rose-Grace: His campaign is based on the issue of Eminent Domain.  Because I used that power to remove unsafe buildings from the Beach Highway, a lot of folks think I plan to continue that pattern.  I didn't like doing it.  The property owners left me no choice if I wanted to keep structures from collapsing into the sidewalk and roads.  

Pocahontas: There's also the ludicrous rumor that we're going to use that to expand the park.  Not true.  Mom never meant for it to be huge.  For what a visit to one of those parks costs,  you could come to ours a few times.  Their parking lots are as big as our entire property. 

Zenobia: You are making some changes, and expanding a bit, though. 

Pocahontas: Yes.  I bought a bit of land off Hadley Drive.  A new roller coaster is going in on that property, at least part of it is.  There's a name change in the works.  (Chuckles) One thing Mom and I never agreed on was the name of the park.  

Zenobia: You're the guardian of two younger siblings, both of which attend Barbieville schools.  How do you feel about the levies?  

Pocahontas: I support both of them.  But I think your other guest has more to say on that subject and she'll make my points very nicely. 

Zenobia: Whitney Darling is a student at Barbieville High and an employee of the Sunburst Diner.  

Whitney: I moved here when I was 13.  I need to tell that story to illustrate my points.  (Heavy sigh)  I passed out in math class and was taken to the hospital, where we discovered I was pregnant.  Yes, at 13.  My school had no Sex Ed at all.  My knowledge of those things was limited to, basically, girls have periods.  My dad ordered me to get an abortion.

Zenobia: But you didn't.  

Whitney: My parents ended up divorcing, actually, over it.  Mom got custody of me and my sister and we moved here.  I didn't think - and still don't think - inconvenience is a good reason for an abortion.  I debated my other options, but eventually we decided to keep Wilma. Say hi, Wilma. 

Wilma: Hi, audience people!  Vote for Freddy's step-mommy!  

Whitney: Mom does most of the parenting, to be perfectly honest, and I love Wilma to pieces, but it's very difficult.  If my old school had a comprehensive Sex Ed program - or even just a basic one - I could have waited a few years.  Issue 1 wants to give us that.  The program proposed would teach it just like any other bodily system.  Things like birth control and STDs would be covered no differently than, say, smoking or diabetes.  

Zenobia: What about the people who say it will put the idea in our kids' heads?

Whitney: Trust me, that idea is already there.  Puberty kicks it into high gear, but it's there from the time we're born.  Maybe even conceived.

Rose-Grace: You also wanted to talk about Issue 2.  I personally feel the existing security is more than enough. How do you feel about the security in our schools? 

Whitney: It's true that the way they do it now is good.  It kept my dad out when he showed up to take Wendy back - he'd given up on me by then.  He was stopped at the entrance and turned away.  But that was an unarmed man.  

Rose-Grace: School shootings get a lot of press, but they're rare. 

Whitney: Yes, they are.  I don't want our schools to be fortresses, but kids can't learn if they're scared.  Issue 2 isn't a whole lot different from me giving Wilma a nightlight.  Sometimes we have to go a little extra to make our kids feel safe.

Zenobia: Well, this Vlog is getting kind of long.  To sum up: Vote for Rose-Grace Pike.  The amusement park isn't going to engulf Barbieville.  Vote yes on Issues 1 and 2.  Unless you agree with our esteemed mayor, then vote no on 2.  

(General laughter.)

Whitney: Oh, and I apologize for my costume destroying the Disney Princess vibe the rest of you have going on here.  I must have missed the memo.  

Zenobia: At least you're a princess.  Little Wilma here, she's the one who killed the vibe.  

Outro music plays over Zenobia tickling Wilma.

*********

Note from the story teller: Some residents of Barbieville didn't make it into the story, but they want to show off their costumes.  Check them out:  

  

  

... the party poopers

 

And, of course, the BOUSes 

Feet

Anakin Skywalker has molded on boots.  For that reason I refused to pay more than ten bucks for him, even though he is fully articulated. And even though, in the words of my sister, it would be nice to have a boy child. I struggle putting britches on my Star Trek guys and they only wear ankle boots!   

Look at these things!  Not only are they knee high, they are bigger around than his thigh!   A little research told me that his boots can be removed, but he has no feet.  I carefully removed one boot and promptly glued it back on.  You'll see why in a minute. 

The question of how to get pants on him remained.  My sister suggested he wear a breech clout, since I'd decided to make him Algonquin, but I had a bit of trouble imagining even Barbieville School's relaxed dress code allowing that. I wrestled for 15 minutes to get Stacie/Skipper sized pants on him for his first photo story.  It looked good, but I don't work that hard to get pants on me!  

A donor body was out of the question.  I didn't have any without breasts and even if one of them was the right height, but I don't trust myself to do a leg swap.   

For his second photo story, He wore a pair of adult female shorts and a safety pin.  With knee high boots.  A guest to my home asked why he was dressed like a "dill hole".  I explained and the response was "I bet you never show their feet anyway because you're too lazy to put shoes on them."  He would have won that bet.  For purposes of my photo stories, he doesn't need feet! 

This is why I glued the boot back on.  Not only is he missing a foot, his lower calf is a square peg. 

Cutting down the back seam will allow the boot to pull off fairly easily.  I should have just done that with both boots to begin with, because then I could still use the boots.  Since one had been glued, I had to destroy it in the removal process. 

Now he can put on his britches with ease! 

And if, for some reason, he needs shoes, the WalMart "My Life Mini" high tops work well.

Funny how sometimes the most obvious solutions escape you.

Old Guys (and Becky)

One of the issues I have with dolls is the lack of age-group diversity.  Rarely is any plastic person meant to be over thirty.  Granted, some of the face molds can be used to push that to a youthful fifty. Rarely do we get senior citizens and when we do, they quickly leave my price range.  

A few of the "soap opera" Barbie blogs have managed.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the demographic represented by Star Wars characters.  I was even more pleasantly surprised to be able to get three of them within my budget!

 

I'll explain that young gal in a minute.  All the guys arrived in their birthday suits - thus the low prices!  All four have jointed elbows and twist waists as well as the standard shoulder, neck, and hips.  The men have wrists and one even has fingers that move!  I do gotta say, these are some buff Grandpas.

Knees and ankles.  Obi-Wan only has click knees.  Neither he nor Becky have ankles.  

Ever since Marcus had his accident, I've been trying to find a replacement for his bastardized My Froggy Stuff wheelchair.  I kept being outbid - one jerk even swooped in at the last minute to beat me to a BROKEN one!  I got the last laugh, though.  Becky is here because -- (drum roll) 

 

--- she came with this.  Even better (at least from a collector's POV) she was Share A Smile Becky, with her original outfit and both necklaces!  She had been removed from the box and gently played with or displayed.  Seller shipped her in the original box, even.  Take that, Last-Minute-Swooper!

Marcus:  Thanks, Becky.  What role will you have in Barbieville?  

Becky: Jeanie hasn't decided yet.  I hope I'm not KBV.

Mace Windu looks slightly demented.  I did have a small quandary with these guys - I've established my twins as Star Wars fans and the overlap of universes was hurting my brain.  I was considering calling him Sam Jackson but it was pointed out that I've got plenty of others who "just happen" to have the same name as characters.  Amazing coincidences, right? 

His role in Barbieville is decided.  Stay tuned for more information.

This guy will have to stay "Obi Wan" because I already have a Ben.  I just can't wrap my brain around calling him Alec Guinness. Maybe he'll go by his last name like Pike does? His role is still undecided.  

I had no intention, ever, of letting this guy be Count Dooku. Or, as I pronounce it, Count Dookie.  That's got to be the worst character name I've ever heard.  The actor was Christopher Lee and I considered that for a while.  Christopher seems too formal, considering my plans for him, and he just ain't a Chris.  What to do, what to do...

(Light bulb over the head moment) 

Pike is Christopher Lee Pike the Third.  Grandpa was "Christopher", Dad is "Lee", and Son just uses the last name.  Probably a habit he picked up in the military...  ideas for Pike's back story...  

Lee does have some finger articulation, as I mentioned.  He also has stains on his hands that I've been unable to remove.  I have, however, come up with a in-universe explanation. 

The Lando Calrissian kept calling to me.  I was hunting specifically senior citizens, but come on!  It's Lando!  He must be rare, because he's pricey.  I decided to hope they make a Lando for the new movie - another old guy.  I just love Lando. 

They also had Anakin Skywalker from The Phantom Menace.  Not a senior, but a child.  I changed my mind about him when I found out his boots are molded on.  I get enough of that from the Star Trek guys.