Still on my Janay kick (gotta have more of her, that is) which began earlier this year, I purchased another Janay head on eBay. Her facial screening is somewhat reminiscent of another Janay that has been either elusive or too pricey for me (Fashion Icons Janay). The auburn hair used on this Janay is long and curly whereas Icons Janay has darker, shoulder length, straight hair.
Recently ShopMattel.com discounted their remaining stock of Baby Phat So In Style dolls to $8 and change. I ordered one each of Kara, Marisa, and Grace because of their articulated bodies. These are not the best in articulated bodies, but for under $9 each and free shipping using BARBIE25 at checkout, I figured, why not?
Between So In Style Grace and Kara, Kara's complexion is a closer match for Janay; so Janay and I chose to debox Kara and use her articulated body. Instead of removing Janay's neck prong, I pushed it inside the head, which may or may not have been a good move.
After removing Kara's head, I discovered her loooong neck prong. Unfortunately, I also discovered that the large circumference of the SIS neck prevents the Janay head from fitting snugly.
I made several failed attempts to create a snug and sturdy fit:
I shortened the prong. This closed in the gap between the head and neck, but the head wobbled around with even the slightest movement of the doll.
Stuffing the Janay head with polyfil didn't take up the slack.
Next, I enlarged the hole in Janay's head by shaving away some of the vinyl with a knife. Even with the slightly larger neck hole, I had to push the head down onto the neck of the body more than desired to remove the wobble completely. Janay is a little short-necked as a result.
Until I decide to dress Janay in something different and/or find a more suitable body, she will wear Kara's Baby Phat fashion. The gold earrings I made for her will probably remain a staple.
The moral to this story is: the articulated SIS bodies are not the best choice for Janay heads, but we are making Kara's body work.
An image of an SIS neck is not included, but Roxanne's Dolls has an informative doll head removal post that might be useful for those who plan to re-body or add a body to a doll head.
D7ana of the blog, A Philly Collector of Playscale Dolls and Action Figures, recently updated her Janay and Friends board on Pinterest.
dbg
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Recently ShopMattel.com discounted their remaining stock of Baby Phat So In Style dolls to $8 and change. I ordered one each of Kara, Marisa, and Grace because of their articulated bodies. These are not the best in articulated bodies, but for under $9 each and free shipping using BARBIE25 at checkout, I figured, why not?
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| Baby Phat Kara holds what will eventually be her new head, the lovely Janay. |
Between So In Style Grace and Kara, Kara's complexion is a closer match for Janay; so Janay and I chose to debox Kara and use her articulated body. Instead of removing Janay's neck prong, I pushed it inside the head, which may or may not have been a good move.
After removing Kara's head, I discovered her loooong neck prong. Unfortunately, I also discovered that the large circumference of the SIS neck prevents the Janay head from fitting snugly.
 |
| The length of the neck prong created a gap between the head and neck. |
I made several failed attempts to create a snug and sturdy fit:
I shortened the prong. This closed in the gap between the head and neck, but the head wobbled around with even the slightest movement of the doll.
 |
| Wobble-wobble-wobble |
Stuffing the Janay head with polyfil didn't take up the slack.
 |
| Polyfil-stuffed head. |
Next, I enlarged the hole in Janay's head by shaving away some of the vinyl with a knife. Even with the slightly larger neck hole, I had to push the head down onto the neck of the body more than desired to remove the wobble completely. Janay is a little short-necked as a result.
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| Janay tries on her new body and sunglasses for size. |
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| Gold dangle earrings camouflage Janay's short neck. |
The moral to this story is: the articulated SIS bodies are not the best choice for Janay heads, but we are making Kara's body work.
*~*~*
An image of an SIS neck is not included, but Roxanne's Dolls has an informative doll head removal post that might be useful for those who plan to re-body or add a body to a doll head.
D7ana of the blog, A Philly Collector of Playscale Dolls and Action Figures, recently updated her Janay and Friends board on Pinterest.
dbg
Follow my Dolls for Sale blog
Please visit and "Like" The Doll Blogs: When Dolls Speak I Listen
I hope someone leaves a comment that will offer s a solution for you. I think Cat or Muff had a solution to this issue. I can't remember what the resolution is, but it involved putting something on the head prong itself. I have quite a few Janay dolls and only two of them are rebodied for this very same reason. Antoinette's body is a very old Barbie body and it fits okay, but she doesn't have full articulation. Melanie's head wobbles, but I use that to my advantage because I'm able to pose her head in ways I wouldn't otherwise be able to do. It works with all of her drama.
ReplyDeleteThanks Vanessa. It would be nice to know how others have handled this situation. In the meantime, I won't be doing any more SIS-Integrity transplants.
Deletedbg
I have one of the older Janay dolls that I re-bodied I put her on one of the older SIS Grace bodies. http://i-luv-dolls.blogspot.com/search/label/Janay It worked well for me but I haven't tried it with the ones with articulated hands yet. I stuffed one of those clear bands that come on so much of the doll item in the neck. I wrapped a couple of time then stuffed it in the neck. But those bands break down after time. I might have to put in a new one. The doll in the second post is still waiting for a body. I haven't found the right complexion yet. If you figure something out, please post it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the link to your rebodied Janay, Ms. Leo. I am not sure the body you used would work for my Janay since our dolls share different head sculpts and the neck hole may differ as well. My doll is like the second one of yours at your link. I don't own any of of the 1st Janay dolls with the larger head and eyes.
DeleteThanks for the band tip. The way I have the head pushed down on the neck has it stable. She just looks a little short-necked.
I hope you find a body for your Janay that fits.
I rebodied my older Janay head onto a AA Horse back riding barbie body. It has the same kind of neck knob and the head did'nt wobble. This works well provided you can live without the moving hands.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the body you used for your older Janay, Mustiwait. I prefer the articulated wrists and as much articulation as possible.
Deletedbg
Those soft curls, and that facial screening! That beauty deserved a articulated body.
ReplyDeleteAnd to make her head sit better, have you tried Sports Tape? I find that it's not sticky, is easily cut to size, and doesn't wear out. I use that for most gals over here instead of rubber bands.
Aren't her curls soft and beautiful, Verona? She definitely needed to be more than just a head. :-)
DeleteThanks for the sports tape suggestion. This tip will come in useful, I'm sure.
dbg
I don't recall what Muff or Cat used (darn), but I have seen people use rubber washers (those round ring thingies found in hardware stores). You place the washer over the neck prong and then set the head over the now ringed prong. The washer helps hold the head in place while allowing movement. Hope that helps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the washers tip, D7ana.
Deletedbg
You are welcome. Happy rebodying ;-)
DeleteOops - meant to say thanks for sharing this rebody and congrats to Janay on her new, poseable body. She looks great.
ReplyDeleteGood luck getting the Janay Icons doll - just make sure you get the first one; there was a second one with lighter complexion and long, straight streaked hair ;-)
OT someone had posted that Janay Icons doll you like - I have her and I agree, she's sharp looking - and described her as "Jaimie Fox in drag." That comment made my eyes google. Say what?
Thanks for the heads up on the 2nd Janay Icons. I don't believe I have ever seen that one. I definitely want the 1st issue.
DeleteI saw that Janay Icons doll on eBay described as "Jaimie Fox as Wanda." I was like what the what? After the release in 2003, collectors wondered which icon Janay was supposed to represent since it was obvious that Icons Tariq shadows Tyson Beckford. One or more people said Whitney Houston. I could never see Whitney in her. Do you have any thoughts on this D7Ana?
This is a link to the 2nd Icons Janay. I'll check for a larger photo; there should be one somewhere else ;-)
DeleteTariq as Tyson Beckford ... oh, yes. Nicely done for an inexpensive doll, hmm?
I remember Jaimie Fox played a character named "Wanda" on the comedy, "In Living Color." That tv show was on 1990-94. I doubt that anyone at Integrity meant for a comparison. Yes, the show would have been part of American culture by 2003 when Integrity produced this Janay. I think the doll is pretty. She's dark complected, yes. But that's an attractive doll head mold and the screening is beautifully rendered. The doll's eyes do not cross nor do her lips jut out grotesquely as Jaimie Fox's character does.
On the other hand, Jaimie Fox made an ugly woman. (Well, he is a man, so that's no surprise.) His behavior as that character was vulgar and disgusting. I suppose somewhere on earth, there is a woman who might act like that. It was one of the least appealing skit on that show. One hundred and eighty degree turn from when Flip Wilson played Geraldine. I LOVED Geraldine; I loathed Wanda.
Gulp. Guess I had a LOT of thought on that Debbie ;-]
Last word on this matter: I mentioned this Janay is dark complected then countered that the doll was attractive. I meant that some other person or persons might not find the doll attractive because she is dark complected. So colorism might cause them to compare this Janay to an actor dressed in drag. Possibly.
DeleteOr the person might think all of this Janay sculpt looks masculine or unattractive.
Not my night - thanks also for the plug for my Pinterest Integrity board. Yay!
ReplyDeleteYour Janay looks pretty good on this body, even with the slightly shorter neck. I don't think that I would have noticed the neck if you hadn't mentioned it. I have one Janay, and I have not rebodied her (yet).
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty bummed that I missed the deal on the SIS dolls! You got a great deal. I went to the site, but did not find any Baby Phat SIS dolls. I had finally convinced myself that I need them all. :)
Thank you for the mention. When I finally do remove the head from Janay (or a SIS, or any other type of doll that I haven't mentioned yet) I will be sure and update my page.
I'm sorry I didn't share the ShopMattel.com SIS sale here or on my Dolls For Sale blog, which I haven't updated in a while.
DeleteChandra was sold out at the time I purchased Kara, Grace, and Marisa, but I am sure they had more quantities than the ones I purchased. The last time I checked their site, they only had the two-doll sets available and Grace (I think) with car. Sorry about that.
dbg
I've had this problem a few times when putting a Barbie head on a Liv body. Sometimes the space between the neck and the knob is too high and it gives you the wibble wobbles. I save all the wire twist ties that come in packages or wraped around cords. Jewelry wire or garden wire might work if its thin enough.
ReplyDeleteI just wrap wire underneath the knob a few times, making sure its up against the knob, not drooping down on the neck. With a length of wire still hanging out, I'll try on the head and if it still wobbles, take it off and add more wire. Once it's snug enough I cut off the excess and no more wobble.
I know that some people have just wrapped scotch tape around the knob several times but when I tried that I didn't like the result as much as the wire.
I also will use a round piece of cardboard under the knob, but that's mostly for the dudes and putting an older twist head on an articulated body as seen here. I guess the cardboard could work for wobble heads as well though.
When Vanessa mentioned you in her comment, I remembered reading about the cardboard disc you fashioned for male dolls. Thanks for sharing the twist ties fix (I save those too, but have made earrings and bracelets) and the jewelry or garden wire fix. I'll have to buy some the next time I am at Walmart to have on hand in case I encounter this in the future.
Deletedbg
I completely agree with your sentiments regarding Jamie Foxx's Wanda character, D7ana. I also doubt that Integrity intended for Icons Janay to portray that. I believe the seller used that auction title to entice bidders.
ReplyDeleteWhat I wanted you to share your thoughts on was which celebrity do you think Icons Janay is supposed to represent, if any?
dbg
Oops ... yes, the commercial draw. That's more likely why the Wanda comparison appeared.
DeleteI think she alludes to Whitney Houston. The sculpt is not an exact match, but the doll has a similar classy style. The shorter wavy hair, the dark lipstick ... not a portrait doll but in the style of the singer.
The sculpt is definitely not an exact match, but perhaps Integrity was shooting for Whitney's early 2000's persona.
Deletedbg
Buen trabajo, aunque no me animaria a un cambio de cuerpo, temo arruinarlo. Hasta pronto.
ReplyDeleteGracias, Lindaivette. Swaps cuerpo pueden dar miedo, pero esta encantadora Janay necesitaba un cuerpo, así que tuve que darle uno.
Deletedbg
Hi. I enjoyed reading this as I just tried to put Janay's head on a SIS body, and had the same problem. I can try some wrapping of the knob.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I'm trying is to get a vintage Julia head on one of the SIS bodies. That is also not working.. have you tried that at all?
I have not tried to rebody a vintage doll. Maybe one of the readers who have done so will see this and offer some tips. Good luck!
Deletedbg