Liv surprise, articulated Bratz, & an Abbey cameo

Thanks to the "Hey, it's Muff" blog I just learned about the articulated Bratz body, which has an entirely new look if you remove the Bratz head and replace it with, say, a Mattel fairy head. Click on that link to see Muff's adorable Bratz-Fairy hybrid. She mentioned in comments the Bratz Catz and Bratz Rock dolls have articulated bodies so I made a mental note to look for those dolls on clearance, but I had no idea if they'd be anywhere local because I only glance at Bratz in stores.

First stop was the Ross discount store, where I saw two Sophie Liv dolls. The first girl was hard to miss, she was Sophie Brite with her long bright pink wig, $9. (I reviewed Katie Brite here, the Brite dolls have cool wigs but the inferior 2012 Liv body.) After thinking about it for a minute I decided not to buy this Sophie, I'd prefer Alexis with her orange wig. Sophie's pink wig was the deciding factor (it's not my favorite color and I already have a few pink wigs). I would've bought Sophie Brite at the $9 price point if her long wig has been something more unusual like green or blue.

Ross had a few Bratz with the standard Bratz bodies, I have no interest in those. I was about to leave when I looked up to the top shelf and saw...

Wow! She's the first Moonlight Dance doll I've seen in person, what a surprise. This Sophie was also marked $9 like the Sophie Brite doll, but Moonlight Sophie is a much better deal if you compare the bodies and outfits.

The four Moonlight Dance girls were released in July 2010 and retailed for $20 at Target. Back then they were Target exclusives but this is the second Liv Target exclusive I've seen clearanced at the discount store Ross -- Liv Brites were the first. Maybe Liv in Wonderland dolls, also a Target exclusive, will show up at Ross too? :) (I didn't know about Liv until this year so I missed out on the Liv dolls that weren't still lingering at TRU.) I really like the dresses in this line so I'm very happy to have Sophie. Thanks again Ross!

Her eyes could've been set better, it's not a perfect match

If you'd like to compare the actual production dolls to the box art below check out this excellent photo on Flickr (click that link, it's not my photo so I won't copy it here). Katie's dress changed the most, I like the production doll even better. Daniela's dress is my favorite.

Box art #1

Box art #2

Articulated Bratz

I then went over to TRU and saw the articulated Bratz Catz, they're still $20. Oh well. No catz for me, but I'll watch for a good clearance sale.

But wait, there was a Bratz Rock Yasmin hanging out with the Moxie Girlz. Articulation!

TRU sometimes overcharges when a doll line is new or popular but they have awesome unadvertised clearance sales. My motto at TRU is "If you like it, scan it!" It might be more affordable than you think. The real price doesn't always match the shelf tag (maybe this is just an issue at my local store). There were no sale signs but Yasmin scanned for only $4.48. Nice! The low price sent me on a fruitless search for more hiding rockers. I'll keep looking at TRU and Ross, I'd like at least one more skin tone too. There are four different Bratz Rock dolls available, here's the back of the box:

Sasha channels Sheila E

Bratz Rock promo photo. MGA made some changes to Yasmin's outfit (black shoes instead of gold, one zipper on the leg instead of two) so the other dolls could've turned out a little different too.

I popped Yasmin's head off and replaced it with a Mattel fairy head, which is obviously not a vinyl match. This was a temporary body swap just to show the Bratz body with a normal size doll head.

Bratz Rock body w/ Operetta's Roller Maze outfit

 

There's a bit of paper towel stuffed in the MH skates so the Bratz peg legs can't sink too far. This MH dress doesn't velcro completely closed in the back, it's a little too small for the Bratz bust. Keep scrolling to see the Bratz rocker outfit on a Monster High Abbey doll.

I'm not sure which line this Mattel fairy with lavender hair came from, she has an unusual body with long legs and gimmicky stuff on the back where it looks like wings and something else attached. Her hands are graceful, which makes up for the molded on bodice. Her original body is shown in a photo at the end of this post. She was $2 at the Goodwill, I'm a sucker for non-traditional hair colors and she doesn't have a toothy grin. Yay! (Doll teeth usually bug me, even when it's just a tiny strip of white paint. Mattel's playline is full of toothy grins so I pass over a lot of fairies at the thrifts despite their colorful pretty hair.) I do like her unusual fairy body, despite the gimmicky stuff, so the body and head will be reunited soon.

No waist articulation but she can tilt from side to side at the bust line

(c)2010 articulated Bratz compared to (c)2001 Bratz body -- note 2010 is taller

normal Barbie-size head compared to Bratz head

A quick look at Bratz shoes

Did MGA change the Bratz shoe size? The Bratz Rock shoes are significantly smaller than the older shoes! (The bigger shoes shown below are from a bag of doll shoes I found at the Goodwill a few years ago.) I don't pay much attention to Bratz so I don't know when this happened. Next time I'm at TRU I'll look at the Bratz to see if they all have smaller shoes now.

The rocker's pegs fit in some of the older Bratz shoes (like the strappy blue heel below) but not the boots. The rocker legs slide in the boots but they don't lock or suction in place. I think this can be blamed on what the bodies are made from, the (c)2001 Bratz body is vinyl and boots stay put on the vinyl legs. The (c)2010 articulated Bratz is made from lightweight smooth plastic so the boots can't cling to the plastic legs.

Abbey says hi

Rocker-fairy stole, er borrowed a Monster High outfit so Abbey asked to try on the Bratz Rock outfit (with Venus McFlytrap's shoes).

My favorite part is the plastic faux zipper detail across the thigh, it probably would've been cheaper and easier to make that a decal or leave it off the final design. Nice touch. This outfit looks just OK in the photos (because the photos didn't turn out so hot, what else is new), but I like it in person, even if I'd never wear it in a million years. It's very '80s, sans big shoulders, but I didn't dress like this back then.

The Line-Up

You can see the original fairy body (B) and the Bratz Rock body (C) compared to some other bodies you might be more familiar with.

A. LPS Blythe
B. Unidentified Mattel Fairy's original body (head is on body C)
C. Bratz Rock body with stock shoes and Unidentified Mattel Fairy head
D. Monster High (Frankie Stein)
E. Liv (Alexis)
F. TNT Barbie (1980 Black Barbie reproduction)
G. Teen Skipper body (Generation Girl Mari/Mariko)
H. Bellybutton body (My Scene Madison)
I. Bellybutton body with hinge knees and normal size head (Twilight Bella)

I think this is long enough, I better stop before I run out of room! :D

 

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! :)

August thrift finds and a new monster

I haven't had anything too interesting or exciting to show you but it has been awhile since I last updated so here's a quick overview of what I've thrifted in the last month.

First wave Daniela at Goodwill, $3. She has her original pants, top, and wig with a purple streak.

SpinMaster has ceased making Liv dolls so keep an eye out for clearance sales if you like these girls. I missed Target's big sale, a couple months ago they had dozens of Livs (mainly the yucky 2012 line) but yesterday there wasn't a trace of Liv in the toy department. All gone. That's what I get for slacking off on my Target runs, I was eyeing those dolls with the bright colorful wigs and waiting for a deep discount. I'll be more careful with TRU, they dropped their base price on Liv again so now I'm waiting for a % off those new base prices sale. Number 1 on my wanted list is the dancing Alexis, she has pretty dark skin and a cool blue wig. It's a shame SpinMaster designers messed with the legs for the dancing gimmick, but she'll still look great posed on my bookshelf in a new outfit. She's now $10 at TRU but earlier this summer TRU had a couple 50% off Liv sales so maybe that'll happen again. The girls are taking up a lot of valuable real estate in the store, c'mon TRU, help me help you. :)

Speed Racer Ken (missing helmet and shoes) at Value Village, $2. He was in a bag by himself, his lady was nowhere in sight (too bad, I like her a lot). I really like his jacket, that's the main reason I bought this doll. He has a good face sculpt as well, for a dude.

It's My Nature Hayden (including wig and partial outfit) at Value Village, $2

A couple weeks ago I spotted It's My Nature Hayden on clearance at TRU. I had been meaning to buy her earlier this year but the local store sold out before I got around to it. She was the last doll I needed to complete the IMN set so I was happy to see her back on the shelf. This week I found IMN Hayden again, missing her hat and long sleeved shirt, at Value Village. This led to an uncomfortable scene at home, when Hayden found her identical twin wrapped in plastic.

Dani & Hayden did not expect this

Someone at VV decided to bag Hayden and Speed Racer solo, which is fine with me. I prefer buying exactly the dolls I want rather than paying more money to get just one desirable doll stuck in a bag of duds.

Monsters Monsters Monsters!


Mattel has been playing catch up. It took until August but I finally found Cupid at Walmart. Basic Frankie and Draculaura are back in big numbers, they weren't around here for the first 7 months of 2012 (at all!) and now they're everywhere. Rochelle the gargoyle girl is finally in stock at TRU. I had only seen her once before, the same week she was first released a few months ago. The new playsets and accessories have also been heavily stocked in all toy departments.

The Ghouls Rule monsters look cheap and poorly designed (just my opinion), I won't be buying them even when they go on sale. I'm not complaining, there are plenty of monsters I want, it's a bit of a relief to know I don't have to spend money on those dolls. :) The Dot Dead Gorgeous trio was at TRU earlier this month, I almost bought Spectra but her face paint was a bit messy. That can wait until they show up again. I did buy Cupid at Walmart, the Operetta roller derby girl (on sale at Fred Meyer), and this TRU exclusive Frankie:

TRU exclusive Frankie Stein

cute tie

She's a good value at $25 because the doll comes with three cute outfits, including three pairs of shoes. I also appreciate that her hair looks so different from other Frankies, it's disappointing when it feels like I'm buying the same doll over and over again to get a new outfit.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

 

New Monsters and old Livs on sale at TRU

This Friday the 13th was a grand dolly day for me. I went to TRU to buy the black & white Skull Shores Frankie for $4.13 (what an amazing promotion) and left with 2 of them and !SURPRISE! the new gargoyle girl Rochelle too!

They had two gargoyles on the shelf. Her vinyl is flecked to simulate the look of stone, which means some of the dark marks could land in awkward spots on her face, like a big blemish on her nose. I chose the doll that had a better placement of marks, but once the dolls are on display that sort of thing isn't really noticeable so I wouldn't worry about it if you order her online.

Those bangs need to be washed and brushed out

That reminds me, I looked over every SS Frankie and so many of them had face paint flaws. Some were minor, others shouldn't have gone past quality control -- if there even was any. They definitely pumped these dolls out to meet the Friday the 13th promotion demand and their quality slipped. Maybe my TRU got a bad batch. There must've been around 30 Frankies on the shelf when the store opened at 10 AM. It was cool seeing so many Frankies at once, there were several variations in the striping and shaping of her hair.

what a cutie

SS Frankie went on sale for $4.13 on 04/13 at TRU, but people are reporting that WalMart has been selling her for $4.13 every day so check there if you missed TRU's one day sale.

Another big surprise was seeing one first wave Abbey on the shelf, I'd never seen her in person before. I bought Skull Shores Abbey at TRU last week and she's gorgeous with her shimmery blue skin. The first wave Abbey at TRU today had serious greasy face problems. She was still there when I left 45 minutes later, even though several people had been by to pick up Frankie on sale. The other gargoyle girl was claimed by the time I left but poor greasy Abbey was still looking for a home. (I'm sure she was gone by the end of the day.)

Someone on a doll board told me tonight she's supposed to look like that and if so, then I'm really glad I never ordered the first Abbey online! Skull Shores Abbey looks so pretty and properly glittery and icey, not greasy at all. (Despite what that person told me, I still think something was wrong with this particular Abbey, but I'd have to see another one to have a more informed opinion.)

They had the new Jackson Jekyll boy doll too but I'm not interested in the MH boys (maybe someday on sale) so another shopper put Jackson in her cart after I put him back on the shelf, which made me happy for her. Gotta share the Monster love!

One important thing I learned today: If I want to try for a HTF Monster then I should show up on a Friday when they open at 10 AM. That allowed me to look over two Rochelle gargoyles, one first wave Abbey, one Jackson Jekyll, and a couple Operettas. If I showed up later in the day those dolls would've all been gone, leaving the usual Sweet 1600 dolls that it seems people have gotten their fill of around here.

I wasn't done once the monsters were in my cart, oh no. The Liv dolls were 50% off, even the clearance merchandise. I didn't have a Sophie yet so I bought an It's My Nature Sophie for $5.50...

Love those scissors, hat, and the puffy vest. She is a pretty doll.

...and this 1st wave Katie with two wigs was $1.00. Not a typo! She was hiding behind the It's My Nature Katie dolls and her clearance price was $2.00, so 50% off made her only a buck. This is why I often check prices at TRU using the scanner in the doll section, it has alerted me to many deals. (I quickly got in the habit once I realized they often neglect to display sale prices on shelf tags.)

I'll try to fix those eyes, they're even worse than usual

Katie's chocolate mint wig is so different! What's funny is that this 1st wave Katie cost less than the 1st wave Katie I bought at the Goodwill for $1.29 (and Goodwill Katie was missing her two wigs, sweater, hat, and scarf).

I then noticed the School's Out Alexis fashion designer playset was marked down to $10... which means it was only $5 on sale. Crazy! I really like the mannequin (it has articulated elbows and wrists) and store window display. The doll alone is still $10 at Tuesday Morning, so I couldn't pass up getting the doll and her playset for $5. I think the original MSRP for this set was $30.

Her lipstick looks sloppy (this is a problem with every School's Out Alexis I've seen in person) so I'll try to carefully remove the lipstick above her top lip. The goal is to accomplish this without having to wipe it all off and paint new lips on.

Ack, that Robert Smith lipstick makes me batty, must fix! But her eyes are nice.

Note: I think this 50% off Liv sale ends Saturday, April 14th. Call your local TRU before making the trip, I'm not sure if this sale is valid at all stores. Check online too!

So I blew my doll budget for April in the first two weeks, I'm going on a doll diet until May. :) The only dolls I really have on my wanted list are the upcoming Monsters (especially the robot and plant girl), but I'm not sure which of the 2012 dolls we saw at Toy Fair are due this spring.

These dolls will all be deboxed and probably photographed again in new settings. I wanted to get something up about the Liv sale before it ends (sorry about the ultra short notice) so the dolls will have to wait awhile longer before they're released from their boxes.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Where the boys aren't

Boy dolls in general don't interest me, but I sometimes appreciate them in photos posted online. Out of all the dolls I own (er... a lot?*) only around a dozen of them are male, and all but four were purchased at thrift shops. I can think of four male dolls I've purchased new: Shave 'n Style Ken (the African American version, I neeeeded that headmold), Ken as Mulder in the X-Files gift set, Frank Sinatra, and James Dean. The latter two were found at Big Lots many years ago at deep discount. (It saddens me to report the local Big Lots no longer exists.)

This is why I was a little surprised by how much I wanted Jake to still be available at Ross Dress for Less. On Monday I returned to the store, a week after I found the Blythe dolls, to see if the toy shelves were restocked. They had several new dolls but there weren't any girls I wanted or didn't already have. I examined Making Waves Jake again, he's the boy Liv doll from SpinMaster's 2011 beach line -- which means a very basic outfit: tank top, shorts, sunglasses... and no shoes. I'd been thinking about him all week, wondering if he'd still be there, and for $5 my Liv girls would have a male friend to hang out with. Sold!

I also bought Ken's "Barbie Basics" accessory pack ($6, better than $7 like I had remembered -- funny how a dollar can make a difference. OH, IT'S A DOLLAR LESS THAN I THOUGHT? AWESOME! I crack myself up sometimes.) Anyway, I was thinking Jake could wear the youthful Converse sneakers. Poor kid needs shoes. The belts and black shirt are nice looking too. Turns out the Converse openings are too narrow for Jake (I'll try softening them in hot water before giving up) but two pairs of shoes in the set fit him nicely.

Daniela and Jake, Liv girl and Liv boy

Jake is wearing the Shave 'n Style Ken burgundy shirt and black Ken pants from an old Fashion Ave outfit. The watch, shoes, and belt are from Ken's Barbie Basics accessory pack.

He has inset blue eyes like the Liv girls but they're smaller, which was an interesting choice. SpinMaster probably reviewed various prototype boy dolls with different eye sizes (certainly digital images if not actual prototype dolls), it'd be fun to see the guys they rejected.

I see where I'm going to trim his hair

I like this Jake a lot but doubt I'll buy another, unless he's discounted and has a great outfit with shoes (no more beach dolls). A new character with a noticeably darker skin color would be welcome. Jake is a handsome guy and a great deal at $5 (thanks Ross!), even if he didn't come with shoes.

Two cute kids

One odd thing about the Converse in Ken's accessory pack: the eyelets are painted white but there are no shoelaces at all, neither painted or molded onto the shoe. Compare them to the running shoes with molded shoelaces from the same accessory pack:

look ma, no laces

It would probably look good to pierce the eyelets and lace up the Converse with white string. Has anyone tried that with success?

 *I've never actually counted but I know the real number would freak me out if I did.

"Why does she do this to our photos?"

The doll that brought me back

Daniela, Alexis, & Katie

The Goodwill has been good to me lately. In January I found a first wave Katie Liv doll dressed in her original shirt, pants, and shoes but no wig ($1.29). I had no idea who she was so I googled the Spin Master name on her head and fell back into the world of dolls. While researching this line I discovered a lot of adult doll collectors don't like them, but that's fine. The world would be boring if we all liked the same thing!

First Wave Katie w/ new wig and thrifted jacket

I was so charmed by Katie I went to Fred Meyer to find a Liv friend and wig for her. They had "It's My Nature" Daniela and Katie on sale so I splurged on Daniela ($10 -- 50% off!) and three cool Liv wigs ($5 x 3). I also used a $2.00 off toy coupon because every bit helps.

It's My Nature Daniela w/ new wig

Recently at the same Goodwill I found another Liv doll wearing a pink wig ($1.29). After studying various Liv faces on Flickr I think she's "It's My Nature" Alexis in a different wig. The red plastic stud earrings (now removed) and gold bracelet make me less than 100% sure, but they could've been borrowed from another doll. The pink wig looks like it came with the Liv Salon Studio.

I found the best light in the house -- the laundry room. Now I need a better backdrop.

You might recognize her new outfit. The green jacket, boots, and tights are from a vintage Barbie repro fashion. The playline Barbie dress was on a thrift store doll, I like it better than the plain white dress from the repro fashion. Oh, her feet don't actually fit in those Barbie boots, I pointed her feet straight down and shoved them in there. Yay for articulated feet and models that don't complain!

I'm ahead on wigs so it's OK if I find a few more bald Liv dolls at the thrift shops, they'll have hair at home waiting for them. They can wear my extra Moxie Teenz wigs too.

And now, FUN WITH PHOTOSHOP FILTERS!

I titled this post "The doll that brought me back" because Katie is the reason I ventured back into the doll aisles and started looking at all the new dolls available. To make a LONG story short, I stopped buying new dolls in 2005 for various reasons but never stopped looking for dolls (mainly vintage Barbie and friends) in thrift shop toy bins. If I hadn't found Katie last month then I'd still be oblivious about Liv, Moxie Teenz, and Monster High -- and I'd have more money. ;)