Sunday, September 28, 2014

Articulation for Amber + WIB

As promised...a post of what I bought on my recent visits to Toys R Us.

Barbie Style Nikki & Teresa
A little background 1st: I needed an articulated body for Amber (Barbie Look Gold Gown). I'd considered coughing up the cash to buy an Artsy body off Amazon or eBay, but while playing with Mara one evening, I noticed that Life in the Dreamhouse Nikki (being MUCH lighter than Nikki from the webisodes) was a good complexion match as well. I happen to like my Dreamhouse Nikki doll too much to bodysnatch her, so I knew I would have to buy another doll. I bought Dreamhouse Nikki from Barbie Collector for $9.99. Since she's still available at that price, I considered ordering another from BC, but their shipping and handling is just too high for small orders. Then I got to wondering if Barbie Style Nikki might work just as well. I was never particularly fond of the way they styled her, so I would have no problems beheading her and repurposing her clothes for another doll. Her look just screamed “girl from the hood” to me. Case in point- when my husband saw her, he asked why she was wearing a lace front wig! Toys R Us is/was having a Buy One Get One 40% Off sale on all Barbie and Monster High, so I was able to get Nikki for $19.99 and the last Teresa (who’s been on my wish list since I first saw her) for $11.99. At $15.99, she’s about half the price of the Artsy dolls I saw on Amazon and eBay, plus she can pose more naturally.

 
I decided to forgo the heat this time when removing Amber’s head. I was not willing to risk losing her rooted lashes or damaging her hair or face. It took quite a bit of patience, but in the end I got her head off with no damage to either part. 


Since I had no plans to keep Nikki’s head, I just sliced right up the back of her neck and slowly worked her head off the neck knob. Thanks for these suggestions, Muff!



Ta da! Amber is rebodied. I’m loving these gold earrings on her, but about half of this outfit is being given to Marisa. And you can see from the photo that I wasted no time peeling that tacky sticker off her handbag.


Here’s a final photo of Amber sitting on the floor reading a book to her twin girls.


Moving On Kenya
I can’t remember whose blog I was reading when I was first introduced to the Kenya line of dolls. I was immediately taken with Movin On Kenya’s funky glasses, leopard print clothing items, and textured afro ponytail. When I saw Family Dollar marking these dolls down to $10, I checked half a dozen Atlanta-area Family Dollar stores for this doll. When I tell you I found every version except for this one, I am not kidding. Movin On Kenya’s outfit was my favorite of the bunch, so I went home empty handed time and time again. Well, on a recent trip to Toys R Us, I was thrilled to find a single Movin On Kenya doll on the shelf. My local TRU stores haven’t had Kenya dolls in months. They must be restocking for the holiday shopping season. I was finally able to cross this spunky lady off my list. Kenya will keep her body, but maybe not her clothes, and will join the Dollton community as a fashion blogger.




17 comments:

  1. These are some nice finds! Congrats on successfully rebodying Amber. That last photo is adorable! I have Movin On Kenya still in the box, but it is a temptation to remove her. She is safe for now.

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    1. Roxanne, this is the first doll I've been tempted to leave in the box. Some of my ladies have been eyeing that jacket, though.

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  2. Amber looks happy at being able to sit.

    Your Family Dollar has articulated Kenyas! I have never seen those out here at all. I guess I should see if the older of the two in my neighborhood has maybe a better toy section. The only Kenya I've seen locally is one of the unarticulated waves at the TRU Express.

    She looks smashing and very fashion-blogger-y.

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    1. Is there a Meijer Thrifty Acres in your area? They are also a good source for Kenya dolls and I have bought several of the articulated dolls from them, both the gals and the guys and even Keyshia.

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    2. Thanks, Smaller Places! Amber took the twins to a birthday party this past weekend. When she couldn't sit down like all the other moms, she looked at me and said, "Enough already!" She is very happy now.

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  3. Nice finds! Glad you found a body match for your Amber. I have that doll too and rebodied her on a Fashionista Nikki also. I watch for sales on these articulated dolls as stock up since the new play line dolls have little to no articulation.I have done so much rebodying over the past couple of years that I can get a Barbie head off without using a hair dryer -- no problem. Liv needs a hair dryer to get her head off, and I wrap her post with string or a rubber band from the Barbie package to stabilize it. Amazing the skills we develop in this hobby, right?

    I also have Movin on Kenya -- out of the box. These dolls are the hardest to remove their heads in my opinion, but they do have some nice skin tones. Love Amber with her twins -- very sweet scene!

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    1. Thanks, Phyllis! Maybe one day I'll be a pro at swapping heads, too.

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  4. LOL @ Lace front wig! That is a great color match and I love the photo of her with the twins.

    I got my first Kenya this week off of Amazon and her body was a good match for my Janay, even with her having a short neck.

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    1. I have to admit that my husband is usually spot on with his comments about my dolls. Which Kenya did you buy?

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    2. I got the Rock Star version. She has the same fro as yours but is darker toned.

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  5. Just gorgeous! You did get a better deal on her than paying that crazy BC shipping price for one doll. She's available on Walmart.com too at $19 and free site to store shipping. They are also having rollbacks on the AA and Blonde Texas Cheerlesder Ken's and Catching Fire Peeta for $15 site to store free shipping.

    Looking forward to your next post. :-)

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    1. Thanks, Tracy India! Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Now that I know about those roll backs, you know I'm heading over to Walmart.com to take a look.

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  6. Amber looks great! The Kenya Doll is very nice, I love her glasses and hair. These dolls have not been for sale in my country I think, at least not in our local store.

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    1. Thanks, Night Owl! I love her textured hair, and I hope it doesn't become a frizzy mess out of the box.

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  7. The Kenya doll is amazing, She's got a lot of personality and you did a great job with Amber!

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  8. Amber looks great! Thanks for the info on the body match. I need to rebody mine too. I just love her face!

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    1. Thanks, Georgia Girl! I agree she has a lovely face and is much too pretty to just stand around with her hand on her hip.

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