Orlando's Story (Mattel The Lord Of The Rings Legolas, redressed)

If any doll who knows me was ever asked to describe my personality, they'd probably say that I'm the exact opposite of my sister Shade. When I first met Shade she was a bundle of energy, chatting non-stop with anyone who would listen, always getting involved in some activity. At the time I thought it was because she'd just recovered from a body swap, and she was tired of lying down doing nothing. But as more time passed I realized that it was in Shade's nature to be energetic and talkative. That's just who she is.

Shade also doesn't do things by halves, as they say. She jumps in with both feet. Sometimes this gets her into trouble. I remember the time she told me that her friend Dandelion had been introduced to a little girl doll named Marigold, and that Treesa wanted Dandelion and Marigold to be sisters. Shade was so excited at the thought of being an 'auntie', and having a little girl doll in her group of friends that they could all cuddle and spoil. I don't think Shade actually realized the amount of sacrifice and commitment that goes into caring for a doll child. However, from what Shade told me it sounded as though Dandelion may have been more aware of what being a caregiver actually called for.

Whatever her reasons, Dandelion never did agree to be Marigold's sister. Shade was disappointed, and I think she would have pushed Dandelion to change her mind if I hadn't pointed out how doing that would only make Dandelion upset, and might lead to the end of their friendship. Not only that but Rampion and Celeste and Michaela would also be forced to choose sides. Shade knew how lucky she was to have Dandelion for a friend, someone whose personality so closely matched her own. And she didn't want to be responsible for tearing her group of friends apart. So Shade left things alone, and didn't bring the subject up again.

This wasn't the only time I had to stop Shade from doing something without thinking it through. There've been times when keeping her out of trouble has felt like a full time job. But even though my sister can be exasperating at times, I do care about her. Sometimes her being impulsive is even a good thing. I tend to be a little more cautious than Shade about what I say and do. I don't like to take risks if I can avoid them, so my life can get a little predictable, maybe even boring. Shade is the one doll who can get me out of my comfort zone and trying new things. So even though she drives me crazy sometimes, I'm still grateful to have my sister in my life. And if she ever needed help, I can honestly say that I'd do anything for her.

Orlando and Shade

There is another doll that I'd do anything for. From the moment I met Celeste, I knew there was something special about her. Maybe it was the far away look in her eyes, the way she seemed to be here but at the same time, somewhere else. Or maybe it was the graceful, nearly silent way she carried herself, as if she was used to walking on clouds. In some ways she almost didn't seem real. I still remember the night I woke up and saw her standing by the window, when she looked more like something made of moonbeams and shadows than plastic and vinyl.

When Celeste started spending time with Shade and Shade's friends, I thought it was the perfect opportunity for me to get to know her better. So I started 'hanging around', as Shade put it. I quickly discovered that Celeste had become the voice of quiet reason in the group. Whenever Shade or one of her friends had some minor problem they wanted to discuss everyone else in the group would offer their input, debating back and forth what the best course of action would be. But Celeste would always listen quietly, taking in what the rest of the dolls had to say before she offered an opinion. When she did finally speak, her words were always insightful. Celeste seems to have a remarkable understanding of doll nature and behavior. Her sense of perspective is also amazing. Celeste has a way of focusing on the big picture, of seeing the whole forest as they say, when everyone else is only seeing the trees.

The more I learned about Celeste, the more I was drawn to her. I didn't fully understand my feelings at first. I only knew that I wanted to be near her, to spend more time with her. By the time I realized I'd lost my heart the feelings ran so deep that I was convinced I'd never be able to forget Celeste, even if I'd wanted to.

I didn't talk to my sister about Celeste, at least, not at first. But eventually I realized that I needed to talk to someone, and Shade seemed like the best candidate. Despite how different we are from each other, I know that Shade cares about me. She cares the way I care about her: friendly, teasing, maybe a little overprotective. But if there's one thing I know for sure it's that Shade wants me to be happy. So one day when I was standing by the window, my thoughts focused on Celeste, I decided to confide in my sister.

Shade had been walking past me, and had stopped to ask if I was ok. She'd found me this way before, staring blankly out the window, but I'd always brushed off her concern. Now I realized that silently pining for the doll I loved was getting me nowhere. Not only that, but Shade was obviously worried about me. I owed her an explanation, if only to put her mind at ease and assure her that there was nothing seriously wrong. I also knew that I could trust Shade to keep this a secret if I asked her to. Shade's a chatterbox by nature, but she wouldn't share something if she'd given her word not to.

When Shade asked if I was ok I exhaled slowly, not knowing the best way to bring up the subject. I was still facing the window, and I could see Shade's reflection in the windowpane. She was frowning, and I realized again just how worried she must've been. I slowly turned to face her.

"It's nothing serious really," I said, trying to reassure her. Shade didn't look convinced. "Something's bugging you. I can tell," she said.

"I don't want you to worry," I told her. "But...before I say anything, I need you to promise that you won't repeat what I'm going to tell you."

Shade looked even more worried than before but she said, "Ok, I promise." That was so typical of Shade, going into things blindly. But in this case I was grateful for her impulsive nature. I slowly exhaled again, trying to collect my thoughts, and said, "There's...another doll. She...she means a lot to me and I...I'd like to be more than just a friend to her. But...I don't know if she feels the same way."

Shade's reaction completely surprised me. She rolled her eyes and asked, "Is this about Celeste?" I felt my jaw drop. "You knew?" I asked. Shade gave me an indignant look. "I'm not stupid you know," she said. It was clear that Shade felt insulted by my question, and I'm sure I would've tried to smooth things over with her if another thought hadn't completely taken over my mind. "Does Celeste know?" I asked.

Shade looked thoughtful and said, "I'm not sure, to be honest. If she does she hasn't said anything to me about it."

This new information triggered a confusing mix of emotions in me. On the one hand I was encouraged that Celeste hadn't said anything that rejected me outright. On the other hand I still didn't know if she could return my feelings, or if she'd even realized that I had feelings for her. Basically I was back where I'd started. "I just don't know what I should do, Shade," I admitted.

Shade looked thoughtful again and said, "If you had a crush on anybody else, I'd say you should go talk to Celeste. She gives great relationship advice. She helped me a lot when..." Shade suddenly trailed off, looking embarrassed. I tried not to seem amused by her reaction, since I didn't want her to think I was laughing at her. But I felt the hint of a smile cross my face despite my best efforts. "I know about your infatuation with Carlos," I told Shade. She looked even more embarrassed than before, and quickly tried to brush the matter aside.

"Anyway, I'm not sure what to tell you," Shade said. "Celeste's a lot better at giving advice than I am." Suddenly, Shade's expression changed, as if she'd had a brainstorm. "I've got it!" she said. "What if you tell Celeste you need some relationship advice, but just don't tell her it's her you've got a crush on? That way you can get some good advice without having to tell her you like her."

At first I don't think I really understood what Shade was suggesting. "You want me to lie to her," I said, not liking where this was going. Shade shook her head. "You wouldn't have to lie," she said. "Just tell Celeste you're not comfortable saying who it is. That's not really lying," Shade reasoned.

It sounded crazy to me, and risky. What if Celeste realized that I was talking about her? What if knowing that I had feelings for her made her uncomfortable? I didn't want to lose what little contact I already had with Celeste. Shade must've realized that I wasn't sold on her plan yet, because she said, "Celeste told me once that it's not the things we do that we regret the most. It's the things we didn't do."

For a moment I just stood there in silence, thinking over what Shade had said. Could it really work? Could I really get some guidance from Celeste without having to reveal my feelings for her?

"I'll think about it," I said finally. Shade must've realized that I would need time by myself to think things over, because she left me on the windowsill. Over the next few days I carefully considered my next move. Eventually I decided that, if I really wanted a future with Celeste, I'd have to face the threat of rejection sooner or later. I made up my mind that I would ask for her advice, as Shade had suggested. And then maybe, during the course of the conversation, I'd see or hear something that would give me a clue how Celeste felt about me.

(To Be Continued)

Doll Diversity, Fantasy Hair Colors, And Finding A Reroot That Won't Break My Budget?

Hello again friends and visitors. This is Treesa. As anyone who frequents this blog can tell you, I've been drawn to dolls with 'fantasy hair colors' ever since I bought Dandelion used at a flea market. Lucky for me, Mattel seems to be making a lot more of these dolls lately. The newer Fashionistas series has featured a number of dolls with 'fantasy hair colors', and Mattel's various 'fairy' lines have also shown a lot more variety in terms of hair color. Granted most of these 'fairy' dolls have non-removable, molded clothing pieces, but I've found ways to work around that in some cases.

A bigger problem I'm having is that a large percentage of these 'fantasy hair color' dolls are Caucasian. I'd really like to have more diversity in my 'fantasy hair color' doll collection, but it seems to be harder to find an African American or an Asian or a Hispanic doll with a 'fantasy hair color'. This is particularly true for the various 'fairy' lines, although Mattel does seem to be including more diverse skin tones and head molds in these lines lately.

Still, in this age of online shopping, I wondered how difficult it would be to find dolls of other ethnicities who'd been rerooted with 'fantasy hair colors', and how much money I would have to save up to buy one. Now I've never bought a custom doll before, except for a vintage Francie who'd been rerooted with pink hair.

But I found her at the thrift store so I don't think she really counts. The most I've ever paid for a Barbie doll was $40.00 plus tax, and that was for a new in box collector doll that I bought retail years ago. So $40.00 or less became my baseline price. I realized of course that it was probably unrealistic to expect to find a custom, rerooted doll for $40.00. But I needed a place to start, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to look. Besides, I could always go up from $40.00 later. This post will go over what I learned in my initial search.

My first stop was ebay. As a starting point I typed "Barbie doll reroot" into the search box and adjusted the settings on the sidebar to "US only". I live in the United States, and at this stage I didn't want to have to worry about international shipping or customs or anything like that. Then I sorted my search results using "Price + Shipping: lowest first". After scrolling past all the listings for doll hair and nude Barbie dolls waiting for their makeovers I finally came across something that looked interesting.

A seller named eblake seemed to have exactly what I was looking for, ethnically diverse dolls rerooted in various 'fantasy hair colors'. Not only that but the prices were unbelievable, starting out at just $13.50 plus shipping for a rerooted, DRESSED doll. However as I studied the listings more closely, I discovered what I think is the seller's secret to keeping costs down. Nearly every one of the seller's dolls included the word "Ponytail", or the abbreviation "PT", in the listings. As the seller clearly explains at the bottom of every listing, this term means that the dolls are, to use the seller's exact words, "rooted like the original Barbies and have hair all along the outside hair line and the scalp is bald". Now the dolls do look lovely. Some of them look downright gorgeous. But because of the way they were rerooted the hair can't be restyled. Now I'm not much of a hairstylist, but I'd still like to have the option.

After I finished scrolling through the dolls eblake had listed, the next likely hit came from a seller named kaylinasboutique2010. A lovely nude doll, with a pink shade of hair that was described in the listing as a "cranberry blend", was posted at $40.00 plus shipping. The seller had some other rerooted dolls for sale, but their price tags were higher at $65.00 plus shipping.

I still wanted to research my other options, so my second stop was etsy. Once again I typed "Barbie doll reroot" into the search box and set the filter for "shop location: United States". I was a little surprised by how few results I got. There were more listings for "packs" or "hanks" or "wefts" of doll hair than there were for completed dolls. RetroDollsUS did have a lovely reproduction Barbie that had been rerooted with a beautiful blend of blue and blue-green for $60.00. But that wasn't what I was looking for and I'm not the type to spend more than $25.00 on an impulse purchase. There's a reason I buy most of my dolls at the thrift store. Well, actually there's more than one reason, but cost is a big factor.

Thinking my search terms may have been too specific I tried typing in "Barbie reroot" (which gave me pretty much the same results), and "doll reroot" (which brought up a flood of Monster High and Blythe custom dolls). At any rate, I think I found out what I wanted to know, which was how much would a rerooted doll cost me. The answer is, more than I can justify spending without doing some budgeting in advance. I'm thinking if I can put a little money aside each month, I might save up enough to try my search again sometime. Or I might just wait and see what new dolls Mattel comes out with. Like I said before, Mattel seems to be branching out lately in terms of doll hair colors.

Signed, Treesa

Update: Look who I found at Walmart.

 

She's a Barbie Dreamtopia Sweetville Fairy doll. At least she was before I removed her wings and redressed her. Isn't her skin tone lovely? My camera doesn't do her justice. And that hair, it reminds me of cotton candy.

The trick to redressing these 'fairy' dolls is to keep in mind that their body shape is basically a belly button body, but the chest is usually a little larger thanks to the raised details on the dolls' molded bodices. So in general these dolls can wear pants and skirts designed for the belly button body, but when it comes to shirts it helps if they're either made of stretchy fabric or from the pre-belly button body time frame when Barbie's chest was slightly larger.

Kaley's Story (unidentified tanned blond Barbie)

What's up blogosphere? I'm Kaley. That's what Treesa calls me anyway. Treesa's my second owner. My first owner didn't call me anything, but she was a way more ambitious doll hair stylist than Treesa. My first owner wasn't afraid to try out different hairdos on me. I had my share of hair don'ts when I lived with her, but if she didn't like the way something looked she'd just take it out and start over. I guess that's why my hair's so fried. But if my first owner hadn't been so hair crazy, I wouldn't have ended up with Treesa.

Treesa said she noticed me at that thrift store because of my hairstyle. Let's face it, blond Barbies are a dime a dozen. But when Treesa first saw me, my hair was still in the fancy braid my first owner left it in. She had started out by braiding the front on one side, then she'd sort of worked the hair around into a large braid at the back. Treesa liked it, so she bought me. But when she got me home she realized just how frizzy my hair was. And I had a bad case of split ends. Treesa wanted to save my braid. But there were just too many stray ends sticking out so she ended up having to undo it and didn't know how to put it back in again. Maybe if she'd taken a picture of what my hair looked like before it would've helped, but Treesa didn't think of that.

Treesa named me Kaley because I reminded her of actress Kaley Cuoco. I'm not sure why I reminded her of Kaley Cuoco. I asked Treesa about it, but she's not sure why I reminded her of Kaley Cuoco either. Treesa was going to name me Penny, after Kaley Cuoco's character from The Big Bang Theory. Treesa's mom likes that show. Then Treesa remembered she already has a Penny Brite doll named Penny.

I'm ok with Kaley though. At least it's a real name and not something Treesa made up. A lot of Treesa's dolls have names that don't really sound like names. At least Dandelion has an excuse. Her name came from the factory, not Treesa.

It's alright here. It's crowded, and a little messy. Treesa has a little trouble keeping things organized because let's face it, she just has too much stuff. But it's still better than that thrift store. Actually, crowded and messy makes it sound a lot like that thrift store. But at least there's enough doll clothes here to go around. A lot of the dolls at that thrift store were nude. Awkward!

So, I guess that's it. Sorry, my life's kind of boring right now. But if I get into any crazy adventures I'll let you know.

Kaley

Raven's Story: Third Installment (Silken Flame Barbie reproduction, brunette)

(I apologize for the delay in posting this. I will be continuing my story from the point where I left off. Thank you for your patience.)

I was still walking at this point, my eyes cast down, too lost in my thoughts to really pay attention to where I was going. Considering the size of Treesa's collection, I suppose it was inevitable that I collided with another doll. "I'm so sorry," I apologized out of common courtesy before I'd even looked up to see who I'd collided with. When I did look up I saw that the doll in question had long black hair, an 'Asian' style head mold, and an outfit that had obviously been pieced together. 'A common playline doll,' I thought out of habit.

But the doll's voice was soft and pleasant as she spoke to me. First she pardoned me for my role in the collision. Then she looked at me for a moment and said, "I don't think we've met before. Do you have a name?"

"Raven," I told her.

"My name is Nokia," she said.

Nokia

Despite my long held opinions regarding 'common' playline dolls, even I had to admit that Nokia seemed polite and composed as well as friendly. When Dandelion had initially arrived in her first and my second owner's collection she had been, in my opinion, a little too eager in her attempts to make friends. I understood that she was a young doll, just out of her box, experiencing the larger world for the first time. But still, there was such a thing as decorum. Dandelion's idea of 'personal space' also hadn't been quite the same as mine.

Just then, Nokia and I both heard a male doll's voice calling Nokia's name from across the room. Nokia smiled as she turned her head towards the voice. I followed her gaze and saw a dark haired male doll dressed in casual clothes. He crossed the room to where we stood and spoke to Nokia.

"Sorry," he said with a smile. "I guess I still have trouble keeping up with you sometimes." Nokia laughed. Her laughter wasn't like the tittering giggles I've heard come from some female dolls, the sound of which has always irritated me. Nor was it like the loud, snorting laughter that I've always thought was so unladylike coming from a female doll. Nokia's laugh had a delightful, musical sound to it, a sound that I knew I'd never be able to replicate. They say that practice makes perfect, and I've never been one to laugh often.

The male doll's eyes seemed to sparkle when he heard Nokia laugh. Then Nokia turned back to me. "Raven, I'd like you to meet Jimmy," she said.

Jimmy

The male doll, Jimmy, extended his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Raven." I shook his hand once, politely, then let go. This must've seemed odd to Jimmy because he looked slightly puzzled afterwards. Perhaps he wasn't used to such a formal handshake. I've known many dolls who are much more vigorous when it comes to shaking hands. Then Jimmy shrugged and turned his attention back to Nokia.

"Did you find the book you wanted?" he asked. Nokia shook her head. "No, I didn't see it in the bookcase," she said. "But it might be on Treesa's bed. It is one of her favorites."

Jimmy smiled and said, "Do you want me to climb up there and check?" Then I saw a hint of mischief in his eyes before he added, "Or maybe we should both climb up. If the book's not there we could borrow one of Treesa's blankets and just sit for a while, maybe catch up with some of the 18 inchers." 

Nokia laughed again. "It's too warm inside to be cuddling under blankets," she said. Then after glancing in my direction she added, "And I was already talking to someone."

Jimmy looked embarrassed, as if he'd forgotten I was there. Then he quickly apologized. "Sorry for butting in," he said. Jimmy then turned back to Nokia and added, "I'll go look for the book. That'll give you and Raven time to talk."

"You could join us," Nokia suggested. She turned and asked me, "Do you mind if Jimmy stays?"

The fact that Nokia was considerate enough to let me make the final decision bolstered my positive opinion of her. I felt it was only right to try and be gracious in return, despite the fact that Jimmy hadn't made quite as good of a first impression as Nokia had. Jimmy wasn't the type of doll I typically would have chosen to be friends with. There seemed to be a 'laid back' aspect to Jimmy's personality that I normally would have associated with carelessness. However it was obvious to me that Jimmy and Nokia were very close, and I didn't want to upset Nokia by slighting her friend. So I answered Nokia's question with a shake of my head.

Jimmy looked bemused and asked, "Is that 'no, I can't stay' or 'no, you don't mind'?"

"I don't mind if you stay," I said. I had to admit I was rather curious about Jimmy's and Nokia's relationship, in spite of myself. I wondered how long they had been together to build up the kind of rapport that they obviously had. I also wondered why they would attempt to befriend me when they knew absolutely nothing about me.

Nokia first asked if I had been there long. I explained that Treesa had had me stored in a box for quite a long time. Both Nokia and Jimmy were very sympathetic to my situation. They talked about their time confined in a storage crate, and how it had led to their close relationship. Despite some sappy moments, Nokia and Jimmy were mostly able to stick to the facts when sharing their story with me. They didn't constantly interrupt each other either. Nokia agreed to let Jimmy tell the story, and when he had finished he asked, "Did I miss anything?" Only then did Nokia add a few details that she felt were important.

It puzzled me at first that Nokia would agree to Jimmy's offer to tell their story, in a way deferring to him when earlier on it had seemed to me that Jimmy was the one deferring to Nokia's wishes. That's when I realized that Jimmy and Nokia shared something truly special, an equal balance of power in their relationship. Neither one felt the need to constantly be in charge, to 'wear the pants' in the relationship as they say. And both of them were willing to compromise in order to make each other happy.

I learned a lot that day. I learned about Jimmy and Nokia's past, but I also learned a valuable lesson about life in general. I learned that if I gave other dolls a chance, regardless of whether they were common or collectable, I might be pleasantly surprised. Since that day I've met many other dolls, from many different backgrounds, and I've done my best to be more inclusive, more accepting. I would like to say that I've been completely reformed, and that my previously snobbish behavior is now all in the past. Unfortunately, one and a half decades of ingrained beliefs are difficult to overcome all at once, and sometimes it's been a struggle not to give in to my old ways of thinking. (The words 'common playline doll' still pass through my mind more frequently than I'd like to admit.) But I've learned a saying that has helped me to hold my tongue when I feel the urge to criticize or 'instruct' others: if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. I try to think of this phrase before I speak, and to ask myself how the doll I'm speaking to would react to my words. Would they be grateful for my input, or would they think I was being unkind? I've also apologized to a number of dolls for my previous behavior, including Dandelion, though I doubt a simple apology will ever be enough to change Dandelion's opinion of me.

I'd like to thank you for reading my contribution to Treesa's blogging project. I'd also like to apologize for the combined length of these posts. When I first sat down to write, I didn't realize I would have quite this much to say.

Quote The Raven

Raven's Story: Second Installment (Silken Flame Barbie reproduction, brunette)

(I'm going to continue my story where I left off the other day. I've reread the first 'installment' to put me in the proper frame of mind. If you have not read the previous post, please do so to avoid confusion. Thank you.)

Not knowing what else to do I waited to learn my fate...and waited...and waited. At the time I was sharing a box with Tish, a Nite Lightning Stacey reproduction that Treesa had received as a Christmas present one year.

Tish

 

It'd been a while since Treesa had even opened the box. In fact, the only reason I'd known about Sable at all was because Treesa had wanted to compare us side by side. Afterwards I'd been put back in the box with Tish, and the two of us had been there ever since.

I lost track of time inside the box, and I wondered if Treesa had forgotten all about me. Then one day someone knocked on the box lid. "Anybody in there?" a voice called. I could tell that the knock and the voice weren't loud enough to have come from a human. Tish must've realized this also because she answered the voice, letting whoever it was know that we were there.

"Push up on the lid," the voice said. "I'll work it from this side." Tish shoved at the lid with all her strength. I helped as much as I could, for Tish's sake. It was clear that Tish desperately wanted to get out of that box but during our confinement I'd fallen into a depressed state of mind, so much so that I had difficulty building enthusiasm for anything.

Finally the inside of our prison was flooded with sunlight as the lid rose off the box and was shoved aside. Standing just outside the box was a doll I'd never met before named Halle. She'd been checking to see if 'anyone was home' because Treesa had begun communicating with her dolls, and Halle was trying to spread this information to every doll in the collection. I thanked Halle politely, but told her that I didn't expect to be there much longer, now that Treesa had Sable. I was so depressed that I couldn't even summon the energy to leave the box, now that Tish and I were freed. Halle tried to coax me out, but she eventually gave up. Still Halle didn't forget about me. If what I heard after the fact was true, she gave Treesa an earful when she saw her next.

All I know for sure is that Treesa came to see me soon afterwards. "I'm so sorry, Raven," she apologized. "I had no idea you were so worried! I want you to know you've got nothing to worry about. I remember how long it took me to find a doll like you that I could afford and I'm not getting rid of you."

I didn't say anything. Treesa's explanation for why she was keeping me sounded a little hollow to my ears. It sounded as though she was keeping me because she felt obligated, rather than because I appealed to her as a collector's item. And despite Halle's reassurances that Treesa knew we were alive I didn't yet feel comfortable talking to a human.

When I didn't respond Treesa said, "It must be really stuffy in that box. I think you need some fresh air. It worked wonders for Tish." With that Treesa picked me up and brought me over to the window, leaving me sitting on the window sill. As I stared out the window, which looked out over Treesa's small backyard, I couldn't help but notice how blue the sky was. It reminded me of that day at the flea market, of lying in a cardboard box with the rest of the dolls in my first and second owners' collections and staring up at the sky. Some of the other dolls had been nervous and worried over what lay ahead, but I hadn't been at all concerned about my future. I'd felt certain that, as a reproduction doll, I was sure to attract only the best customers.

Now though I realized just how precarious my situation had been. My first owner had always been careful with me, because she'd been told to be. Her sister, my second owner, was basically the same. But I knew from observing my previous owners' friends that not all children were that careful. I could very easily have been bought by a careless child, the kind of child who would accidentally damage her dolls by treating them too roughly.

Just then I heard the sounds of cheerful laughter coming from somewhere nearby. I turned my head and saw Tish, chatting with a soldier action figure I'd never seen before. At the time I was amazed that Tish had managed to make a new friend so quickly. But then, Tish has always been outgoing. When Treesa first put me in Tish's box, Tish had immediately tried to engage me in conversation. But she'd quickly realized that we had few shared interests. I realize now that my superiority complex must've made me a rather boring conversationalist.

In any case, Tish had been speaking to me less frequently as time passed. When she had spoken, she'd sounded as though she was talking more to herself than to me. At the time I'd thought that something was going wrong inside her head, and that she was slowly losing her mind. I'd heard that being in an enclosed space for an extended period of time could do that to a doll. Of course, I'd thought I was immune to such things. I'd also been convinced that responding to Tish's random statements would only fuel her madness. So I'd stopped speaking to her, thinking I was doing her a favor. Then I'd learned about Sable, and my own mental state had quickly deteriorated.

As I came closer to where Tish was standing and overheard her talking to her new action figure friend, whose name I later found out was Joe, I learned just how much my lack of response had affected Tish. She basically said how relieved she was to be speaking to someone again. She mentioned how, when she'd first met me, she'd wished she didn't have to listen to me drone on about the higher standards of reproduction dolls. Then, when I'd stopped answering her, she'd wished that I would say something, anything, just so she could hear a voice besides her own.

I quietly left before I could hear anymore. It was a shock discovering what Tish really thought of me and my actions. After what I'd just learned my decision to stop speaking to Tish seemed cruel. Soon I began thinking of the other dolls I knew. I wondered if they all saw me the way Tish did. Had I harmed others with my narrow mindset, the way I'd harmed Tish?

I thought of Vesper Holly, and how she'd reacted to being separated from her family. Had I been insensitive by not offering her emotional support? Granted I've always been rather stoic by nature, and I had expected the same from those around me. The quickest way for a doll to lose my respect was with any kind of excessive 'emotional display'. It didn't matter to me what the emotion was. In my mind an excessive outpouring of joy was as much a sign of weakness as giving way to tears. I believed that a doll of good character must appear composed at all times. But then, keeping up appearances comes at a price. In my case, the price was severe depression that resulted from an inability to address my feelings of fear and rejection. I wondered if Vesper Holly had ended up in a similar state because of my behavior, or if another doll had managed to reach out to her the way I couldn't.

Then I thought of Dandelion. Her first owner had been my second owner, so she'd known me longer than any of Treesa's other dolls. When I'd first met Dandelion, I'd thought her lively personality was undignified, and had told her so. As I mentioned before, I myself had always tried to remain composed in any situation, at least outwardly. At the Time I'd thought that bringing what I'd seen as a character flaw to Dandelion's attention would help her improve herself. But Dandelion hadn't seen it that way, and she hadn't hesitated to tell me exactly what she'd thought of me. I was afraid to even imagine what she thought of me now that she'd had years to dwell on the subject.

I think that's when I really started to change. Before that moment I wouldn't have cared about the opinions of a 'common' playline doll like Dandelion. When she'd 'overreactred' to my 'helpful' critique all that time ago I certainly hadn't been prompted to reevaluate my position. I'd simply believed that she was being overly sensitive, and that she would come around once she realized I was right. But now I was seriously considering the possibility that my personal worldview may have negatively affected those around me, and a suspicion had been planted in my mind that perhaps my way of thinking was flawed.

(I'm going to have to pause my story again.  Treesa was supposed to take some additional photos for me, but apparently she never did.  She said it's been too overcast and that there hasn't been enough sunlight to take photos. I apologize for the interruption, and will post the rest as soon as I can.

Quote The Raven)

Raven's Story (Silken Flame Barbie reproduction, brunette)

The fear of being replaced is something that is unique to dolls. Humans don't really understand it. Treesa read those two sentences over my shoulder and said that that's not entirely true. The friend she gave Wedding Bells and Wedward to was replaced when her job was outsourced overseas. Treesa's friend has a new job now, but she went through some difficult times to get there. Treesa also said that there are plenty of stories in popular culture about men who replace their wives with younger, prettier women when they're going through a midlife crisis. She said there's even a term for the younger women - trophy wives.

I still believe that the fear of being replaced is more common in dolls than in humans, because dolls lives are mostly controlled by their owners. Humans have more opportunities to choose their own fate and make their own decisions. Now Treesa's saying that that's not entirely accurate either. She says that sadly for some humans it's almost impossible to change their circumstances, mostly due to lack of money or social status.

I managed to get Treesa out of the room by telling her that if she wants me to get anything posted, she needs to stop interrupting me. Only now I think I've lost my train of thought. I know where I want to go, but I forget what route I was going to take to get there. I suppose I'll have to go back to the beginning and start over.

My story started the way every other mass produced doll's story has started, in a factory. I'm the type of doll that's commonly known as a 'reproduction'. Sometimes the abbreviation 'repro' is used, mostly in online auction listings. What these terms mean is that I was designed to look like a doll that was manufactured in the past, and that I was mostly marketed to adult collectors. Although in my case, I was also marketed to adults who wanted that special little girl in their family to have a doll like the one they played with as children.

My first owner was one of these little girls. I was purchased for her as a gift when she was just an infant, so in the beginning I was kept in my box on a shelf. Eventually the day came when my first owner's parents decided she was 'responsible' enough to handle me. On that day I was taken out of my box and placed in my first owner's hands. She was very proud of the fact that her parents thought she was mature enough to be trusted with me. Then she added me to her assortment of playline dolls. When she became 'too old for dolls' we were passed down to her younger sister, our second owner. And when our second owner outgrew us we were all put in a cardboard box, along with a few other dolls that had only ever belonged to our second owner, and were then put in storage. After a few years in storage we were taken to a flea market.

If you've read Dandelion's first post, then you know what happened after that. Treesa and her sister were at the flea market. Treesa's sister saw the box first and brought Treesa over. Treesa pulled me out of the box, looked over the other dolls inside, and asked for a price. After she was told we were fifty cents each Treesa picked up a few other dolls along with me, including Dandelion.

When Dandelion said in her post that I was 'an attention getter' I think she was referring to the number of comments I attracted from the adults in my first, and second, owners' lives. Any relative or family friend who was old enough to recognize my vintage style head mold would, when they saw me, share stories of the dolls they had owned as children. Even younger adults who weren't familiar with Barbie history could see that I didn't look like the other dolls in the collection and would ask about me.

I'm sorry to say that all this attention went to my head. I began to think that being a reproduction doll made me better than the more 'common' playline dolls in my first and second owners' collections. The reality of course is that every doll is unique and special in her, or his own way. After all, every vintage doll that is now considered a collector's item started out as a playline doll.

My high opinion of myself remained even after Treesa bought me. In fact, it had been bolstered by the knowledge that Treesa had chosen me out of the box first. Though she hadn't said so out loud, it was clear to me that if we dolls had been more expensive then Treesa would've bought only me. And Treesa's then current practice of separating her reproduction dolls from her playline dolls also supported my inflated sense of importance.

Treesa's other reproduction dolls tolerated my ego. Francie (a 30th Anniversary Francie reproduction) has always been shy, so she never contradicted anything I said about the superiority of being a reproduction doll.

Francie

And Vesper Holly (a Cool Collecting Barbie made with the vintage style head mold) was still disappointed over Treesa's decision to separate her reproduction dolls from her then small collection of vintage dolls.

Vesper Holly

Vesper had been good friends with an older Mod era doll named Summer Sand, and had been helping look after Summer's baby boy KC. The three of them, Vesper and Summer and KC, had become a family of sorts. Vesper thought of Summer like a sister, and KC like a nephew. After Treesa separated them, Vesper missed her surrogate family terribly.

Summer Sand and KC

I'm sorry to say that I did little to comfort Vesper during this time. I don't think I truly understood her feelings, having never really had a doll family of my own.

For years I stubbornly held on to my own narrow view of the world. Then Treesa bought Sable at the thrift store.

Sable

Sable was what I could only pretend to be, a vintage brunette 'bubblecut' Barbie. That's when the fear of being replaced hit me in force. Over the years Treesa had acquired a number of second-hand reproduction dolls, but many of them had later been let go. Two of them had been given away to Treesa's mother. One had been given to the mother of the friend that Treesa later gave Wedding Bells and Wedward to. And then there was the blond 35th Anniversary Barbie that had been handed over to Treesa's sister to sell at a family yard sale.

For the first time in my life, any feelings I'd had of being special deserted me. I was worried, and frightened, about my future. Worse than that, I felt that there was no one I could really talk to about my insecurities. I realized that my non-inclusive attitude had effectively isolated me from everyone. Even among 'my own kind', as I'd then thought of the other reproduction dolls, I hadn't formed any close friendships. It was as if I'd thought my status meant that I was above needing friends. The reality of course is that everyone needs friends in their lives, someone to share the good times and offer support in bad times.

Treesa just poked her head around the door frame and asked if she can check her emails, so I'm going to have to finish my story later. I apologize for any inconvenience this causes.

Quote The Raven

(This sign off was Treesa's idea.)

Michaela's Story (redressed purple-haired Barbie fairy)

The first time I saw Treesa I was hanging from a rack at the thrift store in a plastic bag. Wow, I didn't realize how creepy that sounds until just now. It sounds like the opening shot of a bad episode of CSI. All you need is the one-liner before they cut to commercial, probably something about being left hanging. That one works on two levels because the audience is left hanging too, wondering what happened.

But to get back to the story, Treesa walked into the toy department with someone who looked so much like her I thought they were twins. I found out later I was half right. The other person was Treesa's sister, but they're not twins. Treesa said I'm not the only one who's made that mistake though. She said several people have asked her and her sister if they were twins. At least one woman thought Treesa and her sister were the same person until she saw both of them together.

But to get back to the story, Treesa and her sister were looking through the toy racks when Treesa saw me. She showed me to her sister and said, "She would be so cool if she was body swapped." Then back on the rack I went. I had to wait until my tag color went half price before Treesa bought me. I found out later it was my molded clothes that'd turned Treesa off. She didn't want to pay full price for a doll, even thrift store prices, if she was only keeping the head. But I didn't know that at the time. Back then I didn't even know what a body swap WAS because I'd never met a doll who'd had one done before. It wasn't until I met Dandelion and Shade, and Shade told me about HER body swap, that I realized how drastic it was.

But to get back to the story, before Treesa went looking for a body donor for me she decided to clean me up a little. So she took me into the bathroom and started wiping the smudges off my face with a damp towel. Then she combed out my hair. That's when she first noticed the name 'Jordan' was written on the back of my head under my hair.

Jordan was my first owner. She was also a big Toy Story fan. After she saw the movies she wrote her name on all her favorite toys in ink, just like Andy had in the movies. Well, actually she asked her Mom to do the writing on me. Mom's writing was smaller and neater than Jordan's, and the back of my head isn't THAT big.

But to get back to the story, when Treesa lifted up my hair and held it that way for several seconds I knew she must've seen Jordan's name. I wondered what Treesa was thinking. Would she get rid of me if she couldn't get the ink off? Treesa let go of my hair and turned me over so she was looking at my face. She didn't look disappointed exactly. But she did look unhappy. I wondered if she was having 'buyer's remorse'. Was she regretting spending money on me? It's not like she didn't know I was a used doll. She found me at the thrift store, and I'd lost my fairy wings long before I got there. She must've known I could have other 'condition problems'.

Then Treesa said, "You must be so sad." I didn't answer. I'd just gotten to Treesa's house that day, so I didn't know Treesa knew I was alive. Even if I'd known I'm not sure I could've answered, because I wasn't really sure what Treesa meant. Did she think I was sad because I missed Jordan? Or did she think something terrible must've happened to separate me and Jordan? Thinking about it now I guess it makes sense that Treesa was worried about me. After all she had no idea how I ended up at the thrift store. For all Treesa knew Jordan could've died. For the record it was nothing that tragic. Jordan just outgrew me. But Treesa didn't know that.

But to get back to the story, Treesa took me to her room then and found something for me to wear. It was a little tricky finding something that was loose enough to fit over the molded flower details on my...chest, but Treesa did her best.

After I was dressed Treesa left me alone in the room. I guess she thought I might need some time to myself, to process what had happened or something. That's when Dandelion and Shade passed by and saw me. They were talking to each other as they walked, I don't know what they were talking about, but as soon as they noticed me they both stopped.

I was kind of nervous at first because I didn't know what to expect. It didn't help that I'm not much of a talker. But you'd never know that from this post. I'm really surprised how much easier it's been writing out my thoughts instead of talking out loud. But then I've never tried writing before, so I didn't really know what to expect there either.

But to get back to the story, Dandelion and Shade didn't seem to mind carrying most of the conversation. "Nice hair color," Dandelion said. "Thanks," I told her shyly. I didn't know what to say after that, so I didn't say anything.

"My name's Shade," Shade said. "And this is Dandelion. What's your name?" Treesa hadn't given me a name yet, and Jordan had called all her Barbie dolls 'Barbie'. I'd been 'Purple Fairy Barbie', but she'd also had 'Princess Barbie' and 'Ballerina Barbie' and about half a dozen others. I know these names weren't very original, but Jordan more than made up for that with the creative story ideas she'd thought up for us to act out.

But to get back to the story, when Shade asked what my name was I was a little embarrassed. So I stared at the floor admitting, "I don't really have one."

"That's ok," Dandelion told me. "Treesa'll probably give you one soon. She's been pretty good at keeping up with naming her dolls lately."

"And if she forgets you can just remind her," Shade said. I stared at her in disbelief. Was she saying what I thought she was saying? Was she telling me I should show Treesa I was alive? It sure sounded that way. And if that weren't crazy enough it sounded like Shade was saying I should actually TALK to Treesa.

"Remind her?" I asked. I must've sounded stunned because Shade said, "Oops, sorry. I guess I've got so used to Treesa knowing we're alive I forgot how weird it is, weird in a good way," Shade added. "I mean, Treesa's still human, so she still likes to mess with our lives. But at least we can tell her if she goes too far."

It was really a shock finding out Treesa knew we were alive. All I could say after Shade finished explaining was, "Oh." There was an awkward silence, and then Dandelion jumped in. "Did Treesa say anything that'd give us a clue what she wants to name you?" Dandelion asked.

"No," I said. "She just talked about body swapping me." Shade stared at me with this strange look on her face. It was sort of a mix between angry and queasy. "Are you ok?" I asked. Dandelion stepped in again. "Shade had a body swap," Dandelion explained. "She kinda doesn't like to think about it."

"I can understand if it's 'medically necessary'!" Shade burst out. "But for me it was more cosmetic. I don't think Treesa realizes that, for dolls, body swapping is like major surgery! It's risky and things can go wrong!"

Now I was scared. "What exactly is a body swap?" I asked, even though I was pretty sure I wouldn't like the answer. Shade and Dandelion explained the procedure, and when they were done I probably looked even more queasy than Shade had a minute ago. "That sounds...drastic," I said, trying not to feel sick.

"You don't even look like you NEED a body swap," Shade added, "unless you have some serious 'condition issue' I'm missing."

"I don't think so," I said, my voice still shaky. "I lost my fairy wings, but I can get around alright without them." That's when Treesa came back into the room. When she came over to where she'd left me I was terrified. I thought she was going to take me away for my body swap. As soon as Treesa reached me she noticed Dandelion and Shade. "Hey you two," Treesa said. "It was nice of you to introduce yourselves. How's the new arrival?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Shade asked, still sounding upset. Treesa seemed surprised by Shade's tone of voice but she quickly got past that. "You sound like Halle," Treesa said. "New dolls usually don't answer me right away. They need time to get over the whole 'no talking to humans' thing, and they need to see they can trust me. You know that." I think seeing that Treesa didn't get angry with Shade helped me find the courage to speak up. "Are you really going to...body swap me?" I asked. I think Treesa could tell I was scared. "I was thinking about it," Treesa admitted, lowering her voice. "But you don't have to worry about that anymore. I'm not body swapping you, ever. Jordan obviously loved you just the way you are. I wouldn't take that away from you." I didn't really understand what Treesa was trying to say, and I don't think Dandelion and Shade did either. I was just glad I wasn't getting a body swap. Then Treesa smiled and said, "You need a name though. I was thinking Michaela."

"Ok," I said after a moment. I was so relieved that I wasn't going to be body swapped that she could have named me Princess PurpleHair and I would've been ok with it. I found out later the reason Treesa picked Michaela for me was because of Jordan's name. The most famous 'Jordan' Treesa knew of was Michael Jordan, the basketball player.

After Treesa left the room again I had to explain to Dandelion and Shade who Jordan was. I was still so relieved after narrowly escaping a body swap that talking about Jordan wasn't as painful as it could've been. Afterwards Dandelion and Shade introduced me to more of their friends. I met Rampion and Celeste, and Shade's brother Orlando. Rampion is a lot like Dandelion and Shade. All three of them are a lot more talkative than I am. Celeste and Orlando seem quieter though, like me. Although when Celeste talks everybody listens, because Celeste is really good at giving advice.

Well that story took a lot longer to tell than I thought it would. I guess I should work on not going off on tangents.

Enjoy The Day, Michaela

Alice's Story: Part 5 (Mattel The Twilight Saga Eclipse Alice)

I should probably warn you ahead of time, this post might not make much sense. There's some stuff I'm trying to figure out right now, and I thought if I wrote everything down it'd help me sort out my thoughts. I'm not really sure where to start though. I guess I should pick up where I left off. When I last posted I wasn't really sure where my life was headed. So I was sort of on cruise control, waiting for something to happen. I know now waiting for something to happen isn't always the best idea. For one thing it gives you too much time to think, and I kept thinking about the last thing Jasper said to me.

After I told Jasper about Jazzy Jazz, the first doll I ever loved, Jasper thought I'd be happier if I didn't have to see him at all. I tried to tell Jasper I didn't blame him for me and Jazzy Jazz getting separated, but Jasper still must've thought having to be around him day after day would torture me. So he just kept avoiding me, and he was really good at it. It was early January when I told Jasper about Jazzy Jazz, and I barely got a glimpse of Jasper for the rest of the month.

At first I was sort of relieved. Telling Jasper about my first love had made me really uncomfortable. I'd never told anyone how I felt about Jazzy Jazz, not even Treesa when she'd asked if I'd left someone special behind. I'd never even told my old family, though I think some of them might've figured it out anyway. Jazzy Jazz couldn't have known, because if he had things would've been a lot more awkward between us. Things probably would've been a lot more awkward for the whole family if word got around that I was in love with Jazzy Jazz. It was sort of embarrassing and uncomfortable, being in love with someone who thought of me as a sister. So I just never told anyone.

But I had to tell Jasper. I realized pretty quick that Jasper liked me, and it wasn't fair to let him get his hopes up. The sooner I told him I couldn't love him the sooner he'd move on. So I told Jasper how I felt about Jazzy Jazz. Those feelings I'd hid and guarded for so long were finally out in the open. I didn't realize it then, but I was trusting Jasper with my biggest secret. Jasper knew though, and he wouldn't break that trust. That's why he didn't tell anyone, not even his sister Joy. I hate to say it but I was really surprised when I found out Jasper hadn't told her. I mean, I never thought Jasper would tell everyone, but I thought he'd at least tell his sister. It wasn't until a couple months after I started hanging out with Joy that I found out she didn't know.

That's right, I'm sort of friends with Joy now. When Wedding Bells and Wedward left I knew I'd have to make new friends eventually. You can't take two steps in Treesa's room without bumping into another doll, so it's not like I could avoid having any contact with the rest of the collection. And honestly I didn't want to be a loner. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life thinking about the past and wishing things hadn't changed. I wanted to be able to move on. But moving on is tough, and I'll admit I really didn't try that hard to make friends at first. I was polite to everybody, but close friendships are something you have to work at, and I knew I wasn't putting in as much effort as I should've.

I can't really explain why I started hanging out with Joy. I'd met a lot of Treesa's other dolls by then, so I could've tried making friends with someone else. But when I tried to think of dolls I'd have something in common with nobody seemed like the right fit. Halle and me both had some grudges against Treesa, but Halle's a lot more...hostile to humans than I am. Lois is a character doll from a movie, like me. But Lois has more of an independent streak than I do. Dandelion, and her friends Shade and Rampion, are fun-loving dolls who like to have a good time. The way they act around each other reminds me of my old family. But I didn't think I was lively enough to fit in with them.

When I thought about Joy, I remembered her go with the flow, take things as they come attitude. I wondered if she could teach me to be like that. And I'll admit I was also curious about Jasper. I couldn't forget the last thing he'd said to me the day I told him about Jazzy Jazz. Jasper told me he'd like to be my friend, but only if it wasn't too painful for me. For some reason that really stuck with me. Here was a doll who cared about me so much he'd put what I wanted first, even if it wasn't what he wanted. The more I thought about it the more I wondered how he could be so selfless. I mean, when I lived with my old family I was close enough to all of them that I would've gone out of my way to help them if they needed me. But Jasper had already proved he'd do anything in his power to make me happy, and he barely knew me! It made me wonder if Jasper really could've fallen in love with me at first sight. Or maybe he only thought he was in love with me. Maybe he'd fallen in love with his first impression of me, and not the real me. Or maybe, because he was a Jasper doll, there was something molded into his plastic that made him fall in love with the first Alice doll he saw. Would he still have fallen in love if it'd been another Alice doll he met, and not me? But if it was something in his plastic, if all Jasper dolls automatically fell in love with the first Alice doll they saw, then why had Jazzy Jazz only ever loved me like a sister?

I wasn't sure if I'd ever have the answers to all these questions, but for some reason I wanted to at least try and find out. I can't really explain why. Maybe it was just the timing. It was mid-February by then. Valentine's Day was coming, and without Wedding Bells and Wedward and the rest of my family around me there was no one to take my mind off it. I was in a new house, surrounded by new dolls, and even though I'd been here for a while those dolls still felt like strangers. I felt completely alone.

The first time I went to visit Joy I was a little nervous, because I hadn't come up with a good excuse for why I was dropping by. But Joy was just as friendly as she'd been when Treesa first introduced us. I don't remember exactly what I said when she asked if there was a reason I'd stopped by. I think I told her I felt overwhelmed. Trying to decide which dolls would make the best friends by weighing the pros and cons was sort of stressing me out, but I didn't say that out loud. Whatever I said probably didn't make much sense to Joy, but she didn't ask me to explain. She just started talking about the weather. Then whenever the conversation started to drag she switched to another safe, small-talk topic.

Valentine's Day came up, of course. Joy told me it's not a very popular holiday in Treesa's collection. Most of Treesa's dolls don't even celebrate it. For the most part it's an excuse for the married couples to get one of their friends to watch the kids so they can spend some quality time together. I guess it makes sense if you really think about it. Toy companies always make a lot more female dolls than male dolls, since most dolls are bought for little girls and little girls like dressing their dolls up and playing with their hair. So unless you have a really small doll collection it's almost impossible for every female doll to find the love of her life. Luckily some dolls like staying single. Dandelion and Lois don't seem like they're in a hurry to find dates.

(Note From Treesa: The post that Alice drafted is way too long, so I'm breaking it up. I'll post the rest later.

Signed, Treesa)

Dandelion's Story: The Sequel (redressed Fairytopia Dandelion)

 

Sorry to barge in here.  I wasn't planning on doing another post but Treesa just dropped a major bombshell on me. There I was, minding my own business when Treesa came over and said, "There's someone I want you to meet." Then she brought over this little girl doll, a little girl doll with ORANGE HAIR!

 

 

Well, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Treesa was up to. I was so ticked. I'd thought Treesa was trying to cut back on 'meddling', but I guess not.

 

Anyway, I knew I'd have to talk fast if I wanted Treesa to hear me out. But I knew I'd have to be careful what I said. Kids soak stuff up like a sponge, and I didn't want to get chewed out by the other dolls for being a 'bad example' in front of the little girl doll. I also didn't want to hurt the kid's feelings and make her cry. So, before Treesa could get another word out I said, "Can it wait? We need to talk."

 

Treesa looked kinda nervous for a second. But she pasted on a smile before she turned back to the little girl doll. "Why don't you go play with your friend Tabitha, okay Pumpkin?" Treesa said.

 

"'Kay," the little girl doll said. She turned around and skipped away. As soon as she was out of earshot I told Treesa, "No, no way, I'm too young to be a mother!" Treesa kinda sighed and said, "I was hoping she'd be your little sister."

 

"Either way I'd have to take care of her!" I said. "I'm not ready for that! Pumpkin's a cute kid, but I'm not going to drop everything and adopt her!"

 

"Her name is Marigold," Treesa said. "Pumpkin's just a nickname. She's a Halloween doll, and when I got her she was dressed like a pumpkin."

 

"You're not listening!" I said. "I'm not 'caregiver' material! I'm a single doll who's used to doing whatever she wants! Can you really see ME with a kid?"

 

"Okay, okay," Treesa said. "If you don't want her you don't have to take her." I was happy at first. After all, I'd got what I wanted. But then I thought of something. "What'll happen to her if I don't take her?" I asked.

 

"She'll stay with my other sixth-scale child dolls who don't have families yet," Treesa said. I didn't know much about Treesa's 'orphan' sixth-scale kids. I'd heard they all tried to look out for each other, and the older ones kept an eye on the younger ones. It didn't sound that great to me, waiting around 'til someone wanted you. "So, now you're trying to guilt trip me," I said. "If I don't take her no one else will?"

 

"I didn't say THAT," Treesa argued. "You asked me a question and I answered it." Treesa must've noticed I felt sorry for Marigold. "You don't have to make a decision now Dandelion," Treesa said. "Just think about it." I knew I had to get out of there before Treesa changed my mind. "I'm going to talk to Shade," I said.

 

When I found Shade she was talking to Celeste. I thought it'd be a good idea to get Celeste's opinion too. Shade's my best friend, but she's a little too much like me. When we're excited or upset we can be a little impulsive. Celeste is a lot more...'level-headed' I guess, and she always gives good advice.

 

Anyway, I didn't want to interrupt in case Shade and Celeste were talking about something important. Lucky for me Celeste turned her head a little and saw me standing there. I must've had a bad look on my face because Celeste asked what was wrong right away. I told her and Shade about Marigold, and how Treesa wanted Marigold to be my little sister. The weird thing is, Shade didn't complain about Treesa's 'meddling' like I thought she would. She actually liked the idea of having a kid in our group. "Does this mean I get to be an 'Auntie'?" Shade asked.

 

"Traitor," I said. At least Celeste seemed to realize I didn't like the idea. "If you really feel you're not ready to be a caregiver then Treesa should respect that," Celeste said. "Being a caregiver is a lot of work, and if your heart isn't in it then any child you adopt will feel like a burden." I told you Celeste gives good advice.

 

Anyway, that's where things are right now. I haven't really 'met' Marigold yet and I'm not sure I want to. What if I end up liking her and wanting to keep her? I just know I'd be a lousy caregiver. Some dolls just shouldn't have kids. And it's not fair to Marigold if I have to give her back because I can't take care of her. Celeste said rushing things won't do any good, and I shouldn't do anything before I'm ready. So I asked her how I'll know if I'm ready. "You'll know," Celeste said. If you ask me, she could've been a little more helpful than that.

 

Later, Dandelion 





Update from Dandelion (redressed Fairytopia Dandelion)

 

First off, I'm sorry things have been kinda quiet on the blog. Today is the election primary, and Treesa's been using her laptop to research candidates these past few days. It's kinda hard to blog when your human won't get off the computer. I know elections are important for you humans, but Treesa was really agonizing over this. She wanted to make sure she made an 'informed decision', whatever that means.

 

Anyway, you'll all have to wait a little longer for a 'real' post. This is just a quick update post. I thought some of you readers might like to know Treesa just got a bunch more 'fantasy hair colors' dolls. I'm looking at you MyLittleMegara.

 

 

I'll start with Hallows Eve. She's a Special Edition Enchanted Halloween Barbie, and she has blond hair with an orange streak. In Treesa's collection, just having a 'fantasy color' streak in your hair is enough for you to be a 'fantasy hair color' doll. At least, that's what Han thinks. Han's a 12 inch vintage Star Wars Han Solo doll. He says he's an 'action figure', but his articulation doesn't even come close to Lawson's or any other 'action figure' in Treesa's collection. Han keeps calling us 'fantasy hair color' dolls 'The Rainbow Brite Brigade', even though a lot of us don't like it.

 

 

Anyway, the next doll is Anemone. She's a Barbie Easy Dress mermaid with pink hair. At least, she was a mermaid before she ended up undressed at the thrift store. Treesa redressed her, but not as a mermaid.

 

 

Next there's Abby and Maddy. They're from the Barbie Princess Power line. Treesa found them on clearance at Walmart. Abby has blue and yellow hair, and Maddy has purple and orange hair. They've also got molded clothes, but Treesa redressed them anyway. Treesa named them Abby and Maddy because that's their characters' names in the Princess Power movie. The problem is, Treesa can never remember which one's Abby and which one's Maddy. I don't think their personalities are helping with that. They're sort of like an older version of Vi and Viv, always finishing each others sentences.

 

 

Anyway, the last 'fantasy hair color' doll Treesa got, so far, was Michaela. She's a Barbie doll with light purple hair who used to be a fairy. She's got molded on clothes too, like Abby and Maddy. Treesa tried to find something for Michaela to wear, but it wasn't easy. I know Treesa was thinking about body swapping Michaela, but then she changed her mind. I'm not sure why.

 

Anyway, I guess that's it for this update. I'll try to talk some of the new dolls into posting.

 

Later, Dandelion











Kyrio's Story (rebodied Mattel Fairytopia doll)

 

When I first meet somebody, they always ask about my name. A lot of dolls in Treesa's collection have...unusual names, but my name seems to stand out. I guess it's because it's not really a word. Treesa made it up.

 

When Dandelion suggested I post something, the first thing I thought of was how I got my name. So that's the story I'm going to tell. I first met Treesa at the thrift store, but this story doesn't really start until after my body swap, when Treesa started pulling out clothes for me. I know some of the other dolls already said this, but getting redressed by Treesa takes a long time. Some of the other dolls joke that she spends more time picking out clothes for her dolls than she does picking out clothes for herself.

 

 

When Treesa finally found an outfit she was happy with, for some reason, it reminded her of a song she'd heard. Treesa loves music, and she loves to sing. Any doll who has been here longer than a week will tell you that. But I'd spent most of the time since I'd gotten here recovering from my body swap. I hadn't spent much time with the other dolls or Treesa. So I didn't know that sometimes when Treesa's alone she randomly starts singing.

 

"Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand," Treesa sang. I was still a little groggy from my body swap, and I'd never heard of Duran Duran. So I thought Treesa had decided to name me Rio. She was actually considering it, but that's not important right now. The important thing is, for some reason, I absolutely hated the name. I can't really explain why. Maybe the grogginess was making me cranky. Usually it takes something pretty big to upset me that much. I don't like to rock the boat, or draw attention to myself. You also have to remember, this all happened before we started talking to Treesa. So I couldn't have just told her how I felt.

 

Now the way Treesa tells the story, she had just about made up her mind to call me Rio when another song popped into her head. The song was Kyrie, by the group Mr. Mister. Treesa says it was like she somehow knew I didn't like the name Rio. But she thought it might be sacrilegious to name me Kyrie because the full phrase, Kyrie Eleison, translates to Lord Have Mercy. So Treesa just combined Kyrie and Rio and got Kyrio. (The way Treesa pronounces it, it rhymes with cheerio.)

 

And that's how I got my name, the mash-up of two 80s pop songs. I've learned a little more about 80s music since then, mostly because I was curious. I was surprised how many 80s song titles have people's names in them: My Sharona, Come On Eileen, Jessie's Girl, Mickey, Billie Jean. I don't think I'd want to be named after the people in those songs though. So I guess I'm sort of glad Treesa went with Kyrio instead.

 

Everybody Have Fun Tonight, Kyrio