Comparison of old and new Kid Connection Dolls

Hey Gang,

Hey, It's Muff asked some question about the new dolls.

Because I photographed them but didn't purchase them, I wasn't sure
of the answer. Now that I purchased them, I can give a review.  So here
is my  comparison of the dolls out of the box! Because their faces
are the same,  the choice is about  the dresses.  These are the Dolls
I purchased.

I think these ladies look more Hispanic than the older dolls!

The shoes! The quality is the same.

With the older dolls!

You can see that the older dolls are taller!

The girls with Barbie/Teresa clone face look either Hispanic or black. There is  more of a difference in the complexion of the dolls in the set.

Side by side! The head is bigger but the doll is taller too!

They have different arms .
Cheaper!

Muff, It is a new body too! Not as good.  Legs don't bend click,....

 waist is smaller.

Not the same range of motion either.

Newer doll's legs are Skinner!

Neck and neck knob looks to be different too.

Not as much booty either!  Now that is sad!
But they are still under five bucks for the two dolls! So
I guess you can't complain.

OK, Thanks For Looking!

Bruce Lee

Hey Gang!

As you read this post, you will see how it does relate the the post below it.  So please hang in there!

One of the first movies I went to see as a teenager (and with my first boyfriend) was Enter The Dragon!  I only went because he was taking me.  It was not a movie that I would have picked on my own.  Seeing this movie open my eye to what type of movies I might find interesting and what types of guys I might date.  I remember a scene where he flexed all the muscles in his back. OMG!  I was spellbound by that.  Thinking back on it, I am soo glad the theater was dark and my boyfriend couldn't see the look on my face.

Mattel had done a few Asian dolls but it was not until recently that they did an Asian Ken.  Yes, I have the Asian Ken.  The closest they got was Captain Li Shang, which I also have.  My first Asian male purchase was the Play Along Toys Bruce Lee Master.  Play Along's Bruce Lee action figures aren't the best likeness of Mr. Lee out there but it was the first one I saw.  To read more on Play Along Toys see post on them by clicking here.

Play Along first released Bruce lee in  1999.  A year after the release of Mulan and the Captain Li Shang doll. They did three head sculpts of Bruce Lee.  This is the one I have! He looks younger than the rest.

As with most Play Along Toys action figures, the clothing is very well made.  It is of good fabric, nice design and strong seams.  The closure of the jacket is a nice touch.  He comes with an extra set of hands (that can be used for other action figures) and lots of weapons.  This is his training gear.  You might have see Xia with the weapons!

They also did a second Master head sculpt with this face. In their Bruce Lee series was a Legend Bruce Lee and Warrior Bruce Lee.

I saw this one on line too.  Play Along updated the dolls faces and bodies often in production. This is a new face and body than the others.  I believe he is the Warrior.  You might notice that this body is different from the ones above.

Hey It's Muff, I didn't know you were a Lee fan so these pictures are for you!

So lets give him a good look!

 The Legend action figure from the Bruce Lee "The Dragon Series" produced by Play Along Toys in
2000.  This was a good purchase for me even if I didn't know it at the time.  I got him on sale at Toys R Us when he was being discontinued.  He was my first Asian male.

Bruce is a bit shy and didn't want nude pictures of him on the web with a lame exclaimer

As you can see from the picture, he has to sets of extra hands! 

He has the balled fists, a set of slightly opened hands and a set or open hands.  Most Play Along and Jakks male doll ( I will explain this later) and action figures have one open and one slightly hand.

Example Aaron Carter.

So he has a more expressive hand options!  Note newer Jakks action figures don't have hand joints.  These jointed hands are removable.  They also have the same size pegs but a little shorter on the end of the hands as Power Team guys.  The can easily be use as Power Team hands too.

Example:  Power Team Guy.  PT hands are the ones with the longer stem.

So if you see an old Aaron Carter or other P.A.T. or Jakks action figure for cheap, purchase them for their hands!  Here we have the two guys together.  PT guy has on of Bruce's hand and one of his own.  Bruce's hands are a little more tan and not as pink a PT guy.  Aaron is a closer match but Bruce's hands can do in a pinch!

He has an articulated torso also.

Photo: Aaron Cater, Power team guy and Bruce Lee

He also has articulated ankles.

This makes him quite pose-able!  Here he is warming up for his dance class.

Here is a close-up of his face.  

He looks kinda young to me so he will be a teen in my dolly world.

I put a shirt on him for the final shot!

OK! Thanks For Looking!

Scary Spice/ Mel B

In my 2nd post of thrift store finds from August I show you the Scary Spice doll I found and I told you I had another.  I am now going to talk about the dolls and show them to you.  but firt a little on the women and the doll.

Melanie Janine Brown born 29 May 1975 is English is a R&B and pop recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress, author, television presenter and model. Brown was born in England to an English mother and a black Nevisian father and grew up in Burley, West Yorkshire. Brown rose to fame when she became a member of British girl group, the Spice Girls, in which she was famously known as "Scary Spice".  Her career spawn the dolls in this post produced by Galoob, Toymax Inc/ Toymax (Yaboom) Inc./Street Life Limited and Hasbro/Galoob.  The Spice Girls dolls are celebrity dolls based on the popular girl-group the Spice Girls. They were first released by Galoob Toys from 1997.  The dolls became a huge hit during the Christmas seasons of 1997 and 1998, selling over eleven million.

Eleven different sets of dolls were released. A "Sound Stage" playset was released and extra costumes "Spiceworld Fashions" (two sets of four fashions), later sold as "Spice It Up 2". The most sought after line of all the dolls is the original "Girl Power" set. The set features Geri Halliwell in her iconic Union Flag dress. Dolls featuring the girls with outfits from their music videos were planned, but never released.

When Geri Halliwell departed from the group in May 1998, Galoob continued the line with all five girls. It was a year after she left when Galoob finally released the sets of dolls that only had the four remaining girls. More than likely "On Tour," "Superstar Collection," "Concert Collection, and "Spice It Up! 1" were far enough into production that Galoob decided to release the Geri doll. Galoob was subsequently bought by Hasbro. Hasbro was going to continue the line into 2000, with the "Millennium Tour Collection" set for release in October. The Hasbro website had a page saying coming soon, but Hasbro stopped the line when the future of the Spice Girls became uncertain.

Galoob Five doll collections:

• "Girl Power" - Autumn 1997 - ©1997 Galoob Toys, Inc.
• "On Tour" - June 1998 - ©1998 Galoob Toys, Inc. (2 versions of Posh were made, original with long hair, 2nd with new short bob)
• "Superstar Collection" - August 1998 - ©1998 Galoob Toys, Inc. (5 dolls in 1 box)
• "Concert Collection" - Autumn 1998 - ©1998 Galoob Toys, Inc.
• "Spice It Up! 1" - January 1999 - ©1999 Galoob Toys, Inc.

Galoob/Hasbro Four doll collections:

• "On Stage" - June 1999 - ©1999 Galoob Toys, Inc. (Pre-production Geri was created, but never produced and sold)
• "Spice It Up! 2" - Summer 1999 - ©1999 Galoob Toys, Inc., a subdivision of Hasbro (with Spiceworld Fashions, ©1998 Galoob Toys, Inc.)
• "Viva Forever 1" - Autumn 1999 - © 1999 Hasbro, Inc. (Including the Viva Forever videotape - shown at the 1999 Toy Fair as the "Collector Series" ©1999 Galoob Toys, Inc.)
• "Viva Forever 2" - Autumn 1999 - © 1999 Hasbro, Inc. (Including the Viva Forever fairy finger puppets)
• "Millennium Tour Collection" - October 2000 - © 2000 Hasbro, Inc. (Unproduced)

"Concert Collection" and "Viva Forever 1" came with the Galoob Anastasia body. Do to the heavy volume, many of the "Girl Power" and "On Tour" doll were also sold with this body.

The dolls are now collectables. Some of the dolls are rare as well collectable, especially the "Girl Power" & "On Tour" sets that have joints in their arms and legs (Concert Collection bodies) and the "Spice It Up 2" set with the Spiceworld fashions. Many imitatons of the dolls have been made, most notably the "Girls Power" dolls and the "Spicy Collections" dolls don't even resemble the appearance of the Spice Girls.

Toymax (Yaboom)/Street Life collections

Toymax Inc/ Toymax (Yaboom) Inc./Street Life Limited made singing and talking dolls at the same time, but they were not popular and many fans thought they were ugly.

• "My First Singing Spice Girl" Dolls - © 1998 - Street Life Limited
• "My Outfit, My Song" Fashions - © 1998 - Street Life Limited
• "My New Talking Spice Girl" Dolls - © 1999 Toymax Inc./Street Life Limited

Images to help you keep up!

The doll I found at the thrift store was this one!  Spice It Up #1

There are some differences in the head/face sulpt and body.

 Below is the 'Viva Forever Dancing Finger Puppet' Series.

Below is the ToymaxInc/ Toymax (Yaboom) Inc./Street Life Limited  doll.

Below is the Concert Collection doll.  I have this one too!

Let's Compare!

Warning Nude Dolls!

So this is the doll I purchased from the thrift store.  She is a Spice It Up!- Mel B. My other doll, a Mel B, Concert Collection, I purchased new from TRU several years ago.

 Here is a closeup on her face. It is a pretty face.

Here is a close-up of the face of the Concert Collection doll. Her face is pretty too!

 Both doll's faces together.  You can see that they are simular but different.  Like the differences you see with sisters.  Spice It Up has a wider face and eyes, a broader nose, no blush and a deep cherry lip color.  Concert Collection has hugher checkbones, a more oval face, plum blush and lips.

 The  body color on theses dolls is different. Concert Collection is more of a carmel colored.  She also has a smaller bust, pivotal waiste and elbow with smaller hips.

 Now I didn't follow Mel B much, so I don't know if the tatoos these dolls have are copys of the ones that Mel B herself has but here are two tatoos.  One on the hip/waiste and ...

 one on her back.

She wears a ring on her finger and thumb.  Most version of the doll has the snake arm bracelet except Concert Collection. My Spice It Up is missing hers. Suprisingly neither doll comes with earings!

Here is the feet of both dolls. CC on the left and SIU on the right.

 Side View

Both dolls have the same color chunk hair color of bronze, copper and brown.  SIU Mel B is a softer fiber.  You can tell this one's hair was combed and play with. It is a little fuzzy.  My CC hair is pretty much the same as when I purchased it.  The hard texture of the CC doll'd hair didn't lend itself to restyling and that may be why I didn't try.

 From the back!

Full Body 

OK That is is!

Thanks for Looking!