Julia-Comparing The Old To The Repro

I just love Julia. She was one of the first dolls I had to replace when rebuilding my collection. I purchased a Julia on ebay eight years ago. It was very hard to find a doll that I could afford at that time. I finally outbid on a doll on ebay but the hair wasn’t that great. I searched the web and found an artist to re-root her whose work I liked. I got a medium brown hair color (not the screaming orange that the hair had become), eyelashes filled in and nails and toe painted the same pink as the lipstick. She came back beautiful! I will give you the full story with pictures another time. Origanl Julia in black and white and Repro Julia in multi color top.

But today, I am comparing her here with the new reproduction that came out last year. Here are some pictures comparing the two. I do switch back and forth between them to play with. The face is a little different and so is the hair. I wasn’t sure I liked the new doll when I first saw it. I did like the fuller lips and the thought that there would be no green ear if I gave her earrings. I left in to the box for two days but she won me over. I took her out to play with. The eye color is about the same but the painting is slightly different and there is more of an arch to the eye brow on the new doll. The eyes give the new doll a more "relaxed look".

The old doll has a better craftsmanship to the body. The complexion on the new doll is lighter, the hair is longer and darker. Body is the same size so it will fit the old Julia clothers. This is a concern with all the clothes and bodies out there!

--- note the hands-- The fingers are smooth on the old doll( jagged plastic on the fingers of the new doll) and the plastic/rubber is better. The fingers are a different placement too!

The neck is different. The head doesn't come off as easy. Not sure if that is a plus or minus.

For me, the best doll....Ya know it!....the new head on the old body! Do you have a new and and old Julia? Tell me what you think!

The New Face of Heavy Duty GI Joe

Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is the new face of GI Joe Heavy Duty action figure from the move G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. There were previous Heavy Duty figures. I also have Wallace “Ripcord” Weems. I will feature him in another post. I am going to Ripcord's head on a new body for more playtime fun. I am not sure if I will be able to find a new body for Heavy Duty. His vest, pants and shoe can be removed but the green tee is a part of his body. I don't know if I can live with that or not.

I would describe the likeness as just OK. I don't believe he had a beard in the move but this figure has a beard. The eyes can use some work too. The paint job is a little shotty and the eyes seem a little crossed (I might have to fix that). On some action figures and dolls they really do an excellent job. I really think they did a good job on Colin Powell, Rosie O'Donnell, Cher, MC Hammer, Ripcord, and Brandy. They did an OK job on this Heavy Duty, The Rock and Micheal Jackson. They did a poor job on Beyonce by both manufactorers. That was very disapointing! It does, from the pictures I've seen, look like they did a good job on Halle Berry As Jinx and Barbara Streisand! I must say I love and WANT the Terrence Howard doll! That is one hot doll!!

OK, where was I....

Heavy Duty's complexion is darkertthan most GI Joe's and will be harder to find a body to match. Now... to de-box or not to de-box. How do you decide?

Naveen Re-dressed for the City!

Hey Gang!

Here are a few pictures of City Stylin' Naveen. He wearing jeans, white tee (you
 can't see it but it is there), black boots, black suede jacket and a scarf that he
may have bought from a vendor in Center City or with him on the plane from
Maldonia:) He is ready for a day of see the sites in Philly.

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Better Late Than Never!

With the launch of Mattel's Barbie Basics in 2010, Mattel has realized what doll collectors knew. There is a desire for our best loved head molds to be a Model Muse doll. After the release of Nichelle Urban Hipster (2004) , I noticed dolls on the net that had the Princess of South Africa (PSA 2003) head on a model muse Nichelle body. I didn't know where they got that doll from but I wanted one. Only after reading a few site did I realize that they had made a head swap! I went looking for a PSA and a Nichelle doll to do a swap! The Barbie Basics line features a variety of our favorite head molds on a model muse body but if you are like me, you have already made your own.

I re-dressed my doll in a black and gold dress (this face looks best with golds, Nichelle looks best in silver).

She normally wears her gold couture runway piece.

I have her here for comparison to the Barbie Basics doll( not the same head mold). Tell me what you think! If you have made your own, let me know! It you have a link to your picture, even better!

Faces of Francie-Update!

Hey Gang! 

So these are my Francie!

Warning Nude Dolls!

Their bodies! There are no real differences from the repros and the new dolls!

Close ups

 Francie 30th Anniversary  Glad-About

Promo Photo

 Repro Francie Smashin' Satin

Promo Photo

 Original Francie

I purchased this girl on eBay nude so I don't know which one she is or how she originally looked. Her body needs replacing because on leg joint is broken. and I want to restyle her like this one!

Short flip with center part

AA Repro Francie The Wild Bunch!

Promo Photo

Here are the faces of my Francie dolls. The doll’s original
name was Francie Fairchild and she debuted in 1966 as
the “Mod Cousin of Barbie”. She is smaller than Barbie.
As a child, it bothered me that she and Barbie couldn’t
share clothes.

The original Francie looks down as you can see from the
picture. I guess she is shy. The reproductions look up more
than the original. Neither the original nor the repro has the
swivel neck and so they can’t look up fully.

I don’t have an original Black Francie. My mother tossed her out
when I was young (SIGH) and I have not be able to afford another
as an adult. I dream of her. They are shown nude here so that you
can see the body has not changed. The faces on the repros are nice
but not exactly like the original.

I believe the Wild Bunch and 30th Anniversary Gad About are the
same face. The Smashin’ Satin is different. All the original Francie
dolls used the same head mold. I didn’t add the Malibu doll
because the face is different.

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Senorita Bonita

Hey Gang!

I got this doll a year ago at a Kmart in my area that was going out of business. I don’t remember what her packaging said but it was all smashed when I got her. She was less than five dollars! What a bargain! I love the dress and the hair comb and fan. She is the prefect flamingo dancer-Senorita Bonita. I can picture her dancing in a movie at a nightclub!

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Pop Life Ken

Hey Gang!

I just saw the Pop Life Ken on the Keep Ken web site. He is a great looking doll!

I think he is a remake of the Mod Hair Ken with new face paint and really great 

hair but I can't be sure. I can't tell what the body is like and I don't know the price. 

If anyone has one, please let me know this info. The clothing is fun and mod!

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Prince Naveen

Hey Gang!

OK! So I’m flicking through the internet and I happen to see someone has a picture
of the Prince Naveen doll from the Princess and the Frog movie. It isn’t a close up
picture so I trying going to a few other sites to see if I can get a close-up on the Prince.

Now I’ve heard the talk about it’s going to be the first interracial couple for
Disney and all but he didn’t look like his race was all that different from the shot
I saw. Finally, I find a good picture. One of those pictures where I can get a close-up
on the prince’s face. Hey…he is cute! Well I can always use another ethnic male in
dolly land. So I set out to get him.

In my area, Target always seems to have the new dolls first. The only doll they
missed out on was the repo Julia. (more on her another time). So I go to Target
(Cheltenham) and look around. I don’t see him with the individual Disney dolls
but Princess Tiana isn’t there either. I head around the corner and there she is.
After look around a little more, I spy the couple Tiana and Naveen together
(at the bottom of the shelf in the back). There aren’t any single Naveen just the
couple. Her head is way too big for my liking. It is probably the biggest head
on a fashion doll that Mattel had ever done!

Mattel, I don’t need the head to be that big to see it and I think most children
have better eyesight than I do. So can you let go of the big heads on the dolls!

Anyway, he is pretty cute! I buy them. I’m sure I find a doll head more worthy
of the body from my collection. I get them home and un-box him. I am not a fan
of the prince outfits. They go up on ebay!

Sigh! Another male doll that has legs that don’t bend! Mattel, we know times
are tight but not again. Double Sigh! Princess Tiana’s legs don’t bend either!
Mattel—we are going to have to have a little talk in the corner!!

He is still pretty cute so he will be added to dolly land while I scout for a different
body. Here are the pictures!

OK, Thanks For Looking!

On Veteran’s Day I am proud to honor and post General Colin L. Powell!

On Veteran’s Day I am proud to honor and post General Colin L. Powell. A great General, a great Statesmen, a great American and a great GI Joe!

Head Swapped Dolls

Head Swap Dolls!






















Nude to compare.





















I know many doll collectors like the jointed bodies with full
articulation. I see that Mattel is now doing a doll that
can be posed in “100” different position. I still like the
smooth line of the original Barbie bodies or at least
some of the Barbie bodies. After not being completely
satisfied with many of the bodies the dolls I purchase
came with and read about how to do in the old Barbie
Bazaar magazine (I really miss that magazine),
I started attempting to put the heads of the dolls I
liked on the bodies I want them to have. I do it a lot
now and not just with Barbie. Some of my favorite
dolls now are combination of heads and bodies. I
guess for me it is about the face. (Key term--
Head Swapped Doll or HSD) It also allows dolls
that I couldn’t find clothes for to be able to wear
some of my favorite outfits and be partnered with
other dolls. Here are two of my favorite HSD dolls.
This is Fiona and her sister Siobhan. Fiona, the
blonde, has the head of the Toy Biz Eowyn on a
Mattel Velma from Scooby Doo/teen Skipper
body. I pick that size body because it was the right
complexion for the face, she (the doll) need to be
shorter than her husband who is shorter
than Ken size and it was on sale. Size and
complexion are the two things
that determine what head get what
body for me. I found the Toy Biz
body a little scary. Some heads won’t fit on
certain bodies and you have to play with it a
little. Also here is Siobhan who is the redhead.
She is a Toy Biz doll too. She is Mary Jane from
Spiderman on a Snow White body that I found
at a thrift store. I have changed out almost
my entire collection of female dolls that had
“gift giving arms” for straight
arms bodies. I haven’t done as many of the
guys. Head swaps can make
a dollar store doll a great addition to your collection.

Visiting with the in-laws.

This is my first attempt at a diorama.
Visiting with the in-laws. Ian is spending the afternoon
with his in-laws.


He is an only child and get a little grumpy
at having company.

His wife Fiona and her sister are very close!
Fiona is teaching Siobhan how to play poker.

Fiona is quite good and plays for money with the crew
while on breaks from rehearsals or shootings.
Siobhan wants to invade the all-boys board members
poker parties. She still has a lot to learn!

Mitchell, Siobhan’s husband has also come along for the
visit. He is quite gregarious and the three don’t seem
to notice Ian grumpiness.

Pic of dolls with the same face

This is a picture of some of my favorite dolls. It is a
grandmother and these are her nieces! Aren't they cute!