Monday, October 5, 2015

Maru's Friend Tanya, Her New Friend, and Raven

First-issue Tanya of the Maru and Friends doll line in one of her first photos taken in 2008

Meet (first-issue) Tanya of the Maru and Friends doll line introduced in 2008. Below, Tanya shares her entry in my book, The Doll Blogs When Dolls Speak I Listen, which provides her details without "me" having to rewrite them.


Thursday, December 25, 2008

My name is Tanya.  I am one of the three dolls in the Maru and Friends doll series.  I stand 21 inches (53.34cm).  My curly hair is auburn and my eyes are hazel.  I wear a two-piece turquoise knit top, matching pants, and black boots.  I was sculpted by Dianna Effner for Maritza Gutierrez, who created me.  Gutierrez also wrote my hardcover book, Forever Friends.  In the book, I am an Army brat, who moves to different locations each time my dad changes command.  I become friends with Maru and Jamie after my family relocates once again.  In “reality,” I was a Christmas present this year for Debbie from her daughter, Angela.  Debbie thinks I’m cute.  She’s not too crazy about my outfit, though.

Love,


Tanya

The Maru and Friends website describes her height as 20 inches, but Tanya is correct about my dislike for her original outfit.  After discovering her ability to wear clothing made for the Karito Kids dolls and clothing made for some 18-inch dolls, Tanya has undergone a few redresses here.

Tanya wore the Karito Kids "Holiday Dazzle" fashion and became part of my 2008 Christmas decor.


She was later redressed in a dress made for 18-inch dolls, worn with the ivory tights and brown patent-leather shoes from the "Holiday Dazzle" fashion.
Tanya remained dressed in the above fall fashion for several seasons until recently when I saw a photo of a child holding a doll like her.

Internet-captured photo of child holding Maru and Friends Tanya
This photo prompted me to give my doll some attention and reminded me of two, still boxed, Karito Kids fashions that had been purchased for her years ago.

These two very springtime fashions, Pretty Paisley and Flower Power, made for the Karito Kids dolls, were purchased sometime ago for Maru and Friends Tanya to wear.
Time eventually availed itself for doll play, which included redressing Tanya.  I chose to dress her in the Flower Power Karito Kids fashion.

Tanya takes an outside photo dressed in Karito Kids "Flower Power" fashion.

She is joined by her new friend, my version of Madame Alexander's "Thank You."
The two remain displayed together in the doll room.

~~~~~~~~~~

Stock photo collage of Maru and Friends, Raven, 2nd issue

In a recent comment to another post, Arlette of Thammie the DollMaker, mentioned her purchase of Maru and Friends Raven, shown above.  This is the second-edition Raven.  The first-issue doll wore a different fashion and was not introduced with the three original dolls:  Maru, Jamie, and Tanya. Had Raven been available in the core collection, she would have been my choice as the one Maru and Friends doll to own. Tanya has also been reintroduced with a new hairstyle, which I am not at all wild about.  I do, however, like what I see in the new Raven.

Who knows, even though I now try to shy away from dolls her size, Raven might somehow find her way here.   Hmmm... I'm thinking Christmas and I'm thinking I know the answer to my daughter's usual question, "What do you want for Christmas?"

Explore all the dolls in the Maru and Friends line by visiting their website.

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12 comments:

  1. Hi Debbie!
    Reading you was a real pleasure. Guess what! When I first saw Raven in her former outfit I didn't like her at all, so I can totally to relate to what you wrote about Tanya. However the second edition of Raven (the re-edition is due to Europeans dolls collectors who begged so much that the company decided to give Raven a second shot) is supposed to be wearing a lovely dress and some nice sandals, so yes I couldn't help but pre-order her. Now I have to wait and be a good girl. She won't be home before December if not January.
    However it is a limited edition so if you feel like you really want her, it is time to start talking about her to your daughter. (Sorry for tempting you!)
    Take care,
    Arlette

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    1. I am happy for you, Arlette, that the company is making Raven available for your market. Thanks for the LE information. As soon as I make up my mind about Raven, I plan to let my daughter know. I think they have the sweetest faces and the artist who sculpted the original dolls (not the last two; I am not sure who sculpted those) rarely creates dark skinned dolls. My only other doll by Dianna Effner is Monday's Child Daria, seen here. If you study her face you will see that she, Raven, and Tanya resemble. Daria, however, is much shorter and the height I prefer these days, 10 inches.

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  2. Love the hair on your Tanya - it looks great on her (shame that they've changed it on the newer versions). And she looks fantastic in the new outfits - definitely an improvement over that original baggy sweater!

    I hope you get Raven for Christmas, I'd love to see more photos of her. :)

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    1. Thank you!

      Raven's face (even though it is the same as Tanya's) is definitely calling my name, jSarie! I almost feel guilty about asking my daughter to buy her, but then again, she says I am difficult to buy for and she always wants me to tell her what to buy, so....

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  3. Tanya is so adorable. I love her curls. Raven is just as adorable. That would be a good answer to your daughter's question.

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    1. Thank you Janainah!

      The more I think about it, the more I agree this will solve her problem and mine (wanting Raven) too.

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  4. You keep tempting me with these big dolls, but I won't cave. She's lovely. She looks really nice in all her redressed outfits. My fave being the Dazzle dress. However, I do like that turquoise sweater. It really complements her hair color. Maybe if it was paired with some cute pants or jeans. You HAVE to get Raven. What a cutie! You're right. To get a Dianne Effner sculpt in a black doll is very rare. Would you really want to miss out? (No pressure. LOL!)

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    1. I wish I had more willpower, Vanessa. Here I am trying to find new homes for larger dolls and I want to add another larger doll to the family. It's a vicious cycle, but I do want Raven. The justification will be that the dark complexioned Dianna Effner dolls in vinyl or any medium for that matter are few and far between..

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  5. Your Raven is gorgeous! I hope you are able to get the second wave Raven as well if that is what your heart desire. They are both lovely, I love Raven in the Flower Power dress. It shares two of my favorite colors, pink and purple.

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    1. Thanks, GG. I'm not sure I will ask for Raven now. I still like her, but I'm just not sure at this time.

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  6. But I really like her original outfit, lol. I would totally wear that. I much prefer the older hair pattern over the new one. It's a lot more interesting than straight hair with a couple of plaits.

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    1. I like Tanya's original hair, but that original sweater outfit was just not "her" IMO.

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