A new dress for Little Pullip

Last week I found a 5.5" doll at the Goodwill:

Little Pullip borrowed Carrie's dress before the photo shoot started. Her shoes can't be removed.

Normally I would've passed this girl by without a second glance but her pretty purple dress made me pause... it looked like it might fit Little Pullip. Was it worth a $1.29 gamble?

Little Pullip in Carrie Cherry Crème's dress

Yes! Her dress fits LP perfectly. Google revealed the dress donor is Carrie Cherry Crème from MGA's Yummi-Land dolls. Carrie's shoes are molded onto her feet so she can't share shoes with Pullip. That means LP needs me to make her some teeny tiny shoes.

Someone is underdressed -- and needs a day at the spa to fix that hair.

Side note: I'm pleased Goodwill switched to a $1.29 price for all unmarked toys, which includes their fashion dolls, both nude and dressed. For years it frustrated me to see Barbie in poor condition (fried hair and chewed hands) with a $2.99 sticker on her back. That was a decent price for a good outfit but I left behind a lot of dolls I probably would've paid $1.29 for just to get the killer boots or a great pair of pants. It's a lot easier to talk myself into buying something with a price tag that can be rounded down to a dollar.

Sweet Little Pullip

I'm thrilled and so thankful to add Little Pullip to my doll collection. She came to me courtesy of Emily, the Toybox Philosopher. Emily's blog is super funny and informative. It will make you want dolls you didn't even know existed, but that's not a bad thing, right? :) Anyone can win a free doll from Ms. Toybox, simply be the first to email her when she offers up a doll that needs a new home.

I've been eying Hasbro's small Blythe dolls but I'm waiting on a sale to get my favorite, the "Sightseeing Cute" London girl ($17). Little Pullip's arrival prompted me to check out Target's selection of Littlest Pet Shop Blythe and I found Autumn Glam, an adorable redhead at a much better price ($10.50).

Littlest Pet Shop, Autumn Glam Blythe

WalMart, Target, TRU, and Fred Meyer all have the London dolls gathering dust on the shelf so I'll be patient. She has two pets so that explains the higher price. I wish Hasbro would sell the dolls without pets to make them even more affordable but $10.50 is a good price for a Blythe doll, with or without a pet. And Autumn Glam's little deer IS adorable. I'm still trying to figure out what is glam about the doll.

"Blythe, come out to play!"

I debox 98% of my dolls so she will be free eventually. She's just so cute in her diorama box, I need to get my fill of that cuteness first.

Speaking of Blythe... Here is a fun piece of dolly ephemera from 2001. I picked up this freebie at a magazine shop, the cover girl caught my attention.

A scan of the booklet cover

The contents aren't exciting, it was an advertising tool for Sony music and Walkmans -- that music listening device we used before iPods. Back then I wanted a Blythe doll badly but had to make do with Little Big Eyes when KB Toys put those dolls on clearance. Remember them? They were a flop with kids but collectors knew they were cheap Blythe clones and snapped them up. I'd take a picture of mine but they're in storage.

Doll artists have done amazing things with LBEs, such as carving their faces to make them look more like Blythe. If you check out LBE photos online be aware that a lot of LBEs have gone under the customization knife to look better. That includes new eye chips, face paint, eyelashes, bodies, hair, carved and sanded faces, etc. If you buy a NRFB Little Big Eye doll off eBay it won't look nearly as good. Here is the LBE Flickr group which appears to be filled with lovely customized dolls: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1177116@N23/