Steffi Love has a very pretty face. |
I stopped by the thrift store yesterday and found this circa 1990s doll, Steffi Love. She was only $2.99 and within her baggie, appeared to be in decent condition with articulation. So I purchased her.
Before now I was not familiar with this 11-inch line of fashion dolls, made by Simba. I did a quick Internet search and found several white versions with the same face. The newer versions have a different head sculpt and also do not appear articulated. A male counterpart, Kevin, is shown at the Steffi Love website. I did not see any dark skinned dolls there.
My doll, as mentioned is 11-inches tall. She is articulated at the elbows, waist, knees, ankles, and the usual areas: neck, upper arms-to-shoulders, upper legs-to-hips. Wrist articulation is absent. Her head is marked: SIMBA-TOYS
STEFFI LOVE
Her back is marked:
SIMBA (with a rearing up elephant alongside)
MADE IN CHINA
Her black hair is rooted in approximately four layers. The eyes are painted brown. Her feet are flat. The dress she wore when found appears original.
Steffi Love in what appears to be her original dress (looking a little stiff in this pose). |
Made in China, the quality is decent, above that of dollar store dolls, but not as high as a Mattel-made doll. Her arms and lower legs are a lighter brown than the rest of her body.
Steffi shows off her articulation. |
Because of her flat feet, I thought about LIV shoes and clothing. Her feet are smaller than LIV feet, but the outfit I chose for her includes boots, which fit without obvious slack. Her shoulder/breast areas are broader than LIV dolls making it difficult to close the upper back of the LIV blouse completely and the denim vest will not close in front. Fortunately, the fashion looks good with or without the vest.
Steffi wears the LIV for Hair! fashion, Country Fair with denim vest which will not close in front. |
Steffi has removed the vest and feels and looks more comfortable without it. |
She's all set and for $2.99, I am glad I did not leave Steffi Love behind.
dbg
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Love Steffie Love! You got a great deal.
ReplyDeleteShe is soooo cute! I love her younger look. Great deal.
ReplyDeleteWow! She is sooo cute! Not many doll have an articulated body and so that was a plus too! I love her boots! Great deal!
ReplyDeleteVery good find Debbie!! She looks great in her new fashion.
ReplyDeleteHappy Saturday to you!
Interesting! Steffi Love is a staple in toy stores here (Sweden) along with Barbie and Bratz but I had not seen a black version, only the white ones. There are immigrants from diverse African and Middle Eastern countries living here but many of the toy stores still only sell blond-haired, blue-eyed dolls. :-(
ReplyDeleteThanks, ladies. I love Steffi's youthful look, too.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that Steffi Love dolls are a staple in Sweden, Erin, but unfortunate that there are only white ones.
I'd like to know the actual year my doll was made. I am guessing 90s but she has not received very much play time, so she may be newer than my guess.
dbg
What a cute little find. I haven't seen her before. I like her button features.
ReplyDeleteI have seen Steffi Love dolls here in Philly, but they've all been white dolls. I'll check if there are any black Steffie dolls here. Interesting. You know I love a doll puzzle ;-)
ReplyDeleteOh and congratulations on your find!
I have never seen a black Steffi Love doll before and I collect them. What a great find at such a great price! She is beautiful. You are soooo lucky! Enjoy her.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jeannie! Your comment reminds me that it is time to make a return visit to the thrift store.
Delete:-)
dbg
I wrote on 2/21/14 saying that I never saw a black Steffi Love doll before. Now I have one! I found her on Ebay by accident. She was $7.99. My doll looks exactly like yours but with a non-articulated body. She has a heavier, Barbie body with rubbery bending knees. I was so lucky to find her!
DeleteCongratulations on finding a black Steffi Love, Jeannie! Is your doll's hair line mine? Now we know there are at least two black versions. Thanks for sharing.
Deletedbg
You are lucky. I got a black Steffie from my dad twenty years ago. Simba toys is not known for manufacturing black dolls. They have done so very rarely and they barely ever advertise them. They recently had a line with four different characters, one of which was black (line is "Supermodels", character is "Bel") but it was on sale one year and gone the next. I strongly suspect that my Steffie, which was not marketed as such but bore the Simba markings on her body and had the unmistakable Steffie love facemold, was a "genuine" fake. Given what I know of how some Chinese doll factories accept custom orders from some retailers and are not scared about using the trademarked molds of reputable brands for which they make dolls too, my guess is that my Steffie love was one of these true fake dolls because she could talk in creole when you pushed a button on the back. She's broken now... There seems to be new ones right now here in Martinique. I don't know if it's being sold anywhere else.They are lighter but still...
ReplyDeleteThe only black Simba dolls I have seen in retail stores were baby dolls. I still have one that was my daughter's, purchased sometime during the 1980s.
DeleteThe Steffi Love found at the thrift store is the first dark skinned fashion doll I have ever seen by them.
Thanks for letting me know about Bel from their Supermodels line. I Googled the name and found images here.
dbg
She is gorgeous. Of all the dolls I have, I don't believe I have her. At least not a black one. ��
ReplyDeleteThank you, MamasPearl224. I think I lucked out when I found this gem.
ReplyDeletedbg