Bijou's Arrival

Moxie Teenz Bijou

Moxie Teenz Bijou arrived yesterday.  I've photographed, deboxed, wigged, rewigged, and compared her to LIV's Alexis. 

Was Bijou worth the wait?  Actually, I purchased the doll locally yesterday after learning of her possible availability at Toys R Us.  After the purchase, I cancelled the Target.com order placed on 08/02/10, which showed an estimated arrival of 08/20/10 to 09/08/10. 

For a play line doll, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give Bijou a 6.  For $30, if the wigs fit better (they tend to slide off easily), joints less stiff, and accessories made of better quality, she'd score an 8+.  I keep telling myself:  she's a play doll... she's a play doll... she's a play doll.  But for $30, I expect perfection.

The results of my doll play are captured here (maximize your screen in the new window).


dbg

TrueType Family

Imaginary 1/6 scale couple:  TrueType AA Male and Barbie Basic Collection 001, Model 10

Basic 10 now wears Mixis Sunshine Opal's turquoise sundress.  She borrowed black leggings from another doll because the length of the dress is a little short for a woman of her age group (in my opinion).  They are a lovely couple, but something is missing.

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The children (Ty's Li'l Ones) and pet dog, Bo, complete the family portrait.  They are indeed a lovely family.

dbg

First Reese, One Sharp Cookie; Monsieur Z, Not So Much

Dynamite Girls Wave 2 Reese arrived yesterday, some two years after being introduced as the first dark-skinned Dynamite Girl (box date 2008).  I love her real tweed coat and the brown faux suede hot pants underneath!  The chocolate brown tights and brown knee-length boots give her the "total" look.  A sucker for a sale, I purchased Reese last week for 50% off after hearing about IT Direct's sale.   

At 56% below retail, Monsieur Z Jungle Fever hopped into the online cart, too (because of her afro hairstyle and the reduced price).

I'm not as crazy about her fashion and  too bad for me that I overlooked her cartoonish eyes (sorry Jason). I think repainting might be in order for this one.

Until then, she'll wear her sunglasses.


dbg

TrueType "Obama" Meets #10

I restyled the above doll's hair, the actual length of which is below her waist.  Next, I redressed her in several casual fashions, and paired her with my TrueType African American (Obama) action figure.  In the above photo, the mystery doll is wearing Alexis's (LIV) top and jeans (minus the sweater) and Artsy's (Fashionistas) shoulder bag and boots. 

Barbie Basics Collection 001, Model 10 is the mystery doll.

 

Artsy's trendy boots and shoulder bag were exchanged for Alexis's more conservative boots and handbag.

Next,  she tried on Barbie's denim jacket with pink faux fur trim and pink corduroy pants.  She's wearing boots from another Barbie fashion.  

For now she has settled on wearing yet another Barbie fashion: multicolored top, denim capris, and brown heels.  This outfit came with a flower watering can, not shown.

Which casual outfit do you think the First Lady would wear? 

dbg

"Obama" Meets Obama: Hot Toys' TrueType versus DID's Action Figure

Hot Toys' TrueType Figure Advanced Version African American (modeled after President Obama) arrived yesterday from ToysNSwords.com.  Prior to his arrival, I had an outfit in mind.
 

His muscular physique interfered drastically with the Ken fashion I had on hand.

Ken's sunglasses do fit him.

Civilian pieces purchased from Old Joe Infirmary (they're offline for a while) will have to do for now:  a lavender dress shirt, black denim jeans, and black mock-lace oxfords.  The look on his face is stern, but he appears relaxed in casual clothes.  I did not want to "suit him" up anyway.

In comparison to the Obama figure by DID, I like Hot Toys' figure better for the following reasons:

• His complexion is even--the head color matches his body and extremities.
• The head sculpt better captures the President's likeness including ear size. Unlike DID, they failed to include the mole by his nose, however.
• Hot Toys painted the hair better.
• Both figures can stand without the assistance of a display stand, but Hot Toys included one.
• Hot Toys' extra thigh muscles may be an added plus for some.  I quickly removed them.  
• The Hot Toys figure has one set of extra hands (the DID figure has two extra sets).  The fingers are flexible on the Hot Toys figure.  DID's are not.
• They both pose well, but the DID figure has more abdominal muscles and more articulation in that area. 

I took several additional photos.  Click to enlarge in another window for better detail.

All they need now is at least one 11-1/2-inch vinyl replica of the First Lady.

dbg

Hot Toy's TrueType (Obama) and DID's Obama Action Figures (in box and in white shirt)

PS  I should mention that DID's figure has two heads.  I purchased an extra body for the open-mouthed head, which is the one illustrated above in the white shirt.  The other, which is dressed in a suit, is kept in the box along with the accessories:  fringed American flag with pole and stand, stool, microphone, extra necktie, and extra hands.

Which Wig? And the Winner Is...

Cocoa in the most preferred wig

In the now closed poll, the brown short wig was the most popular of the 10 wigs from which Cocoa had to choose to wear with her new fashion.  I have now applied sticky-back Velcro to the undersurface of the short brown wig which attaches to the opposite Velcro applied to the top of her head.  This eliminates the need for a wig cap and provides a snug fit. 

Below, Cocoa illustrates the process and then strikes a few poses.

A square of sticky-back Velcro was attached to the crown of Cocoa's head immediately after her arrival in 2008.

Each of Cocoa's wigs has an opposing square of sticky-back Velcro attached to the inside.

Velcro meets Velcro

Cocoa's wig is firmly in place.  She strikes her first pose...

...then another.  Finally,

she takes a quick outside pose before returning to her place of display.

Thanks everyone for voting in the poll.  It was fun!

dbg

Which Wig?

Cocoa (a.k.a. Mirror, the first dark-skinned American BJD by Goodreau) is wearing "Denim Blues,"  designed by "Squarepeg" for a doll like Cocoa, who is "unafraid and unapologetic [for expressing her] individuality." 

After the fashion arrived, Cocoa tried on several wigs (10 to be exact!).  She is having difficulty deciding which one works best with her new outfit.  To help her decide, I created a poll.  Please view the slide show images and use the poll on the top right of the blog to help Cocoa determine which wig looks best with her new outfit.. 

Thanks!
dbg

Moxie Teenz Bijou - No Longer MIA (Almost)

Moxie Teenz Bijou by MGA Entertainment

(Exhale... the ordering links are below my initials)

I was just alerted by an Anonymous commenter (thanks again) that Moxie Teenz Bijou is now available for ordering at Target.com with an estimated shipping date between 2 to 4 weeks.


After placing my one-click order at Target.com (through Ebates.com first to get the 3% cash back Target.com pays for entering their site through Ebates.com), I conducted a Google.com search to see if Bijou is available for ordering and/or in stock elsewhere. I found ordering available on Amazon.com; however, the doll is listed as temporarily out of stock and an estimated date of shipping is not provided at their site. Amazon.com is not an Ebates.com affiliate. Bijou is not yet in stock at ToyRUs.com

I'd like to think that the cards, emails, and letters to MGAE helped expedite Bijou’s release. It never hurts to express your wants and desires to merchants. They can either listen and supply the demand, or lose the capital they would have gained by complying.

dbg

Direct Links:
Bijou's ordering page at Target.com
Bijou's ordering page at Amazon.com
Ebates.com (to become a registered user and receive cash back on Internet purchases at participating web sites.)
The Anonymous comment that alerted me