Liv Brites Katie

Note: Blogger is forcing a few clickable ad links in the text of this post without my permission, but I don't pay Blogger to host this blog so I won't throw a fit over it. The only clickable links I added myself are in the final paragraph, they are two links to new Blythe dolls on Target's website.

I missed Target's Liv clearance this summer, which means I didn't buy any of the Liv Brites or Liv for Color dolls, and now Liv is gone from Target. Oh no! So last week I stopped by Ross to see if any of those dolls made their way to the discount store. Ross mainly sells discounted clothes and accessories but they have a small toy section where you can find older toys marked down. There was one Liv Brites doll on the shelf, a Katie with her long purple wig ($9, originally $20). Alexis is also on my wish list because her orange wig is pretty awesome too.

Notice this box doesn't say "Only at Target" in the lower right corner

 $9 is a fair price, it's $1 cheaper than the long boring brunette/blonde Liv wigs TRU still has in stock (and that's $10 for a long wig by itself, no doll attached).

The Liv Brites and Liv for Color wigs are appealing (if you enjoy brightly colored doll hair) but the wigs were the best thing about the dolls. I refused to pay $20 for the Brites when they were new because the Liv knee joints were downgraded, the waist/elbows/wrists/ankles were no longer articulated (!!!), and the outfits looked slapped together and cheap. SpinMaster cut corners with the 2012 dolls. :(

The Liv for Color dolls were similar to the Brites: same inferior Liv body, a simple dress, a brightly colored shorter wig, but no accessories and they cost $11, almost half the price of the Brites! They were a much better deal but the downgraded bodies made me cross and I didn't want to pay even $11 for them. Maybe Liv for Color dolls will show up at Ross soon, marked down to $6? One can hope.

The wig shown in the illustration is cool, I never saw it in a store. Check the buttons!

Katie Brite is not without positives, I think she's the best of the Brites trio. I like her distinctive makeup (she stands out from all my other Katies), purple boots, and of course the purple wig. She's the only Brites girl with boots, the other two wear so-so shoes. The wig is key, I wouldn't have bought this doll if she had a normal brunette wig. Bonus: the icky green vinyl vest has four small purple buttons on it, you can snip those off and use them on another doll outfit.

the see-through vinyl was an interesting choice

Her outfit needed a little help so I added pants, a jacket, and glasses from other Liv outfits. The green dots on the dress and pants are almost the same color so they do match, unfortunately the lighting messed with the greens in these photos.

Bottom line: I'm happy Katie Brite is here. I hope to find Alexis Brite and some discounted Liv for Color dolls at Ross soon.

After I bought Katie at Ross I went over to Tuesday Morning and found a new-to-me redhead LPS Blythe from 2010 marked down to $5. She would've been $4 at Ross but I wasn't going to balk over a buck!

Her picnic basket and headband are too cute

After that I went to TJ Maxx next door and saw another cheap LPS Blythe ($4) but I already own her so she stayed there. Earlier this year I found several little Blythes at Ross ($4), now they're showing up at Tuesday Morning ($5) and TJ Maxx ($4).

The only new Blythes currently in US stores are a couple Target exclusive "Moonlite Fairies" with purple and pink hair. It would be nice to own them but it's hard to go from paying $4 and $5 for discounted Blythes to $17 and $30 for Blythe and pets at Target. Click the prices to see the new dolls and their fairy pets on Target's website. I can wait for the discounts or settle for missing out. It's not clear if Hasbro has plans for more Blythe dolls in 2012, they'll need to hit the stores soon for the holiday rush.

Thanks for stopping by! :)