Elsa of Arendelle

Earlier this week I picked up the basic version of Elsa from Disney's Frozen. I love the doll's facemold so much! It's loaded with personality! What I didn't love was the doll's limited articulation. I re-bodied her onto an old Draculaura body I had lying around. Not a perfect skin tone match, but the closest I can find at the moment. Take a look...

Anyway, seeing the Elsa head on the MH body got my mind working, and now I'm thinking of creating my first-ever OC around my new Frankenstein'd doll! But this won't be for Monster High. Nope, I'm thinking of creating an Ever After High character, something relating to Apple somehow. The EAH connection is why I have the doll dressed in a fairy tale style costume in these pics.

I don't have pics yet, but I've since changed the doll into Sweet 1600 Frankie's cool little party dress. The basic idea is that the Threaderella dress is her Legacy Day outfit, while the Sweet 1600 dress is her signature outfit. As far as colors and prints go, the two dresses complement each other perfectly. Plus, they both look great on the doll, in my opinion!

In a nod to the original doll's Frozen roots, I'd like my character to have a strong winter connection. I'm thinking of calling her Jelena, inspired by the flowers that thrive in January. So... Jelena White, cousin of Apple and... well, we'll see...

Color Magic

If Mattel's new Color Me Creepy line for Monster High proves anything, it's that history really does repeat itself. Take a look...

This blurb, from the back of the 2004 Color Magic reproduction doll box, explains it all quite well.

Mattel even included a faithful reproduction of the original instructional booklet. Awesome!

If you're anything like me these vintage Barbie drawings are the stuff fashion doll dreams are made of.

Let's take a look at the actual repro doll...

Ooh... ahh...

Gotta love that bold, diamond print swimsuit! Sooo 60's!

Okay, since she's the repro doll you can't consider her "the real thing". But Mattel did come very close to recreating the "original magic" with this doll.

Even if she's not exactly "perfect" as a representation of the original doll, she's undeniably fab in her own right.

Color Magic Barbie, to my mind, is the bridge between the Vintage and Mod eras. She had the Vintage facemold and American Girl body type, but her overall style was a strong precursor to the looks and colors we'd see on the Mod dolls. (The Mod girls made their debut just one year after the Color Magic dolls were released.)

The only big letdown with this reproduction, in my opinion, is that she doesn't feature the color change "action". Oh well.

Color Magic Barbie had attitude in spades. A little fierce, and a lotta fun!

The 2004 release also included a faithful reproduction of one of the several Color Magic fashions of the time. To model this outstanding dress I chose one of my genuine Mod dolls: a Chocolate Bon Bon girl whom I believe was either a 1967 or 1968 release. Take a look...

The original Mod facemold is my all-time favorite Barbie mold after the Steffie face. I mean, look at that girl! So full of life, so much personality!

The TNT body is flawless in how it evokes lifelike poses, but with a heavy stylistic slant.

It's especially impressive when you consider how simple the TNT body actually is. 

And that dress! Dayum! Yeah it's loud and bold and dated, but oh-so-perfect as a time capsule of the mid-60's.

Barbie looks absolutely stunning in it, if you ask me.

Mod Barbie, you have my heart.

And to end on a bit of randomness, here's Deluxe Quick Curl Cara wearing Tropicana. This Cara came a good ten years after Color Magic, and she couldn't have less to do with the whole Color Magic gimmick, but I had her nearby during the photoshoot and decided to throw her in for the heck of it! And so here's DQC Cara in all her Steffie-faced glory...

DQC Cara hit shelves in 1976. I bought her MIB, but after two days of staring longingly at her through that cellophane window, I just had to get her out!

Those mustard-brown eyes are everything.

Unlike later black Barbie dolls, Cara had a very unique reddish-brown skin tone. So beautiful.

DQC Cara is one of my favorite dolls of any Barbie line, and one of my most prized dolls, period. Hopefully I can get her box and booklet scanned and posted soon. They're sufficiently life-changing.

Wanna learn more about Color Magic Barbie? Check out FDG's wonderful page on the dolls here.

As always, thanks for looking! 'Til next time!

Rock-abilly

I posted these Operetta shots over on Tumblr... but you guys get the big, clickable versions and captions. Plus, bonus Clawdeen at the end! Woo-hoo!

I've given this a lot of thought and I feel I'm emotionally ready to declare Die-ner Operetta my second favorite version of the character after the Holy Grail that is the Kohl's doll.

When do I think about these things? Usually at work. When I should be, you know, working.

Speaking of working, damn Operetta! Check you out! When I'm asked to name my top 5 characters I usually leave you out, followed by an aside that you're way up there. Maybe I should just commit and throw you in there because it's kind of ridiculous not to.

What gets me about this version is the gold/taupe eyeshadow combo. It's super lux.

Also, great hair. Particularly for Operetta! It's such a rarity with her dolls.

Kick back, take a load off, Oppy. You and your fierce beauty have earned it.

Oh hi Clawdeen! You seem dressed a tad... basic. It's almost like the person snapping your pics grabbed you at the last minute before rushing out the door. Ya still look good, though.

Nice streaks. Are they rare?

2013 was a hot-damn shazam year for you, Clawdeen! 2014 is looking off to a great start, too, what with your life-changingly amazing New Scaremester doll. As long as they keep pumping out dolls of you the caliber of Scaris, I Love Fashion, Power Ghouls, and even budget girls like Skultimate Roller Maze and, well, you, then I say "more!"

19 inches of what you want her to be...

Yesterday on Tumblr I posted a piece about Tiffany Taylor, a fairly obscure fashion doll that ran from 1974 to 1976. The company that made her, Ideal, is now defunct. Suffice it to say, it's doubtful we'll ever see a Blythe-esque comeback for Tiffany. (Unless I can pull a Gina Garan and through sheer force of will -- and a good deal of creativity -- bring Tiffany back into the spotlight she deserves. But... nah.) That said, Tiffany Taylor is really unique and worth a bit of your time if you're a true doll lover who also appreciates a bit of history. (As opposed to, say, exclusively a Monster High collector.) To start off, here's a few pics I took of Miss Taylor after I had posted yesterday's piece on Tumblr...

And here's the actual piece I wrote yesterday...

Manufactured by Ideal from 1974 to 1976, Tiffany Taylor was a 19" fashion doll with a gimmick: she had both black and auburn hair. You just twisted her scalp and voila! New haircolor and style! Compared to today's dolls Tiffany is kind of odd, very much of her time. In other words she's way cool...

What a face! Ideal really struck gold with this mold, in my opinion. The contours are so detailed and realistic. They kept the makeup simple: frosted lavender eyeshadow, reddish lips, and rosy cheeks. Curved eyebrows and eyelash shading finish the job. Oh, and her abundant rooted lashes, of course! Love 'em!

There were only two versions of Tiffany ever produced, the AA version I'm looking at today, and a caucasian version. I had that one as well, but my mom was so taken with her I finally just gave her to her. Let's check out the other hairstyle...

Eek! Rough night, Tiffany? You did arrive at the start of the disco era so maybe you popped a few too many 'ludes... Back to the black hair...

Here you can see the split where the scalp separates so you can spin it around. Tiffany's facial expression really does crack me up because she honestly looks stoned out of her gourd. But in a beautiful, glamorous, sort of way. Or something. You get what I mean!

She wears a gold bodysuit and wrap of chartreuse chiffon. The wrap can be removed by unhooking it from the pearl. This was the only outfit she was sold in but she had a lot of separate fashions available that you could buy.

Here she is next to Midge and Ashlynn. She's big! It's totally cool. I wish Mattel would release a gigantic version of Frankie or something. I'm only half joking.

Her auburn hair creates a nice two-tone effect. Poseability isn't her strong point. She's only got neck, shoulder, and hip joints. The big draw with Tiffany is her hair and face.

Man, those lashes! I really do adore them. And again, what a great mold! Really beautiful.

There really is something decadent about Tiffany's facial expression. I don't exactly know how to put it... like she's glacial and distant, caught up in her own world.

Nearly 40 years old and still looking great!

Much more on Tiffany, including ad and box scans, and pics of her fashions, at these links:

http://www.crissyandbeth.com/Tiffany.html

http://www.dollreference.com/ideal_tiffany_taylor_doll.html

And there you have it! Tiffany Taylor, a gloriously odd relic of the 70's. Her unique, beguiling beauty has fascinated me since I first discovered her last year. This piece didn't get much play on Tumblr, but I'm hoping you guys, who I've always felt I have a stronger connection to, can appreciate this obscure little bit of doll history. Check out the links provided, too. Lot's of great mid-70's fashions and ads to be found! Take us out, Tiff...

Oh by the way, the post title is from the box Tiffany came in. So wrong I can't help but laugh.