Jada is a multiarticulated, 11-inch resin-like vinyl doll designed by Michele R. Severino for Dolls by Consolidated. A blog post by Dolls Like Me (now 4KidsLikeme) indicates Jada and her Asian counterpart, Lianne, have been on the market since at least 2005. A redhead, Kylie, was also available. There may have been other Forever Friendsz as well.
Jada wears a funky midi-length skirt with flower appliques, pink turtleneck, gray vest, pink tights, and brown boots. Her tightly coiled black hair extends below her shoulders. It is held in place with a pink ribbon.
Jada has gray eyes and a very sweet face.
BJD-type multiple points of strung articulation, according to her website description, "allow her to sit and stand." The articulation is underneath the breasts, at elbows and knees. The stringing is rather tight, which hinders the ease of desired posing. I could never get her to stand with a straight posture. My husband saw the following picture and asked, "What's wrong with that doll? She's all hunched over."
Her tightly strung joints are the cause of her stooped posture. Poor Jada.
After closely inspecting her vinyl, I noticed discoloration on her arms and it appears that a piece of vinyl is missing from the back of one knee joint. Jada definitely has issues.
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| Light colored areas are speckled along the inside of her right arm. |
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| There is a brown spot on Jada's left arm. |
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| Openings at back of knees are asymmetrical. Is there a piece missing on the right? |
Jada was ordered several months ago as a gift. Unfortunately, returning her is not an option now. I think the soon-to-be 9-year-old she was intended for might become frustrated with her unstable joints. So she must stay here.
It has been my experience with string-jointed dolls with multiple points of articulation that when the stringing is too tight, becomes twisted, or loose, the joints usually rest in undesired or awkward positions. When their joints work properly, the ability for BJDs and similar dolls to sit or stand is a wonderful feature. If, on the other hand, desired posing cannot be done as a result of issues similar to Jada's, their articulation is rather pointless.
Back in her carrying case, "hunched over," is where Jada remains for now.
dbg
Well, that's a shame! I don't have any BJD and this is the first time I've seen someone post about over tight strings making them hunch. Isn't that something that would be noticed in production before she was dressed?
ReplyDeleteHi Muff,
DeleteShe's not really a BJD. They have more articulation, many more features, and cost 100s of dollars. Her body construct is along the same lines as a BJD. The most troubling part is trying to get her legs positioned for her to stand on her on. It can be done, but it takes time. She can also be "made" to stand straight, but again, that takes some doing. Very disappointing.
dbg
What a shame about the issues - she has such interesting engineering otherwise!
ReplyDeleteIf she's left kneeling, might her stringing loosen up a bit more?
Great idea to leave her kneeling. I will see if she will cooperate, jSarie. Thanks for the suggestion.
DeleteHi Debbie, it's nice to find you online! I came across your blog just now. This is Cyndy Stevens (PrillyCharmin.) I had one of the Jada dolls for awhile, as well. I liked her but she did have some issues. Great article!
ReplyDeleteHi Cyndy... every now and then, I will come across doll supplies in my stash of doll things that I have purchased from you and smile. I'm glad you found me. Please pardon my delay in replying to this comment. I recently discovered that several comments to many of my blog posts were in the "Waiting to be Moderated" section of blogger. :-(
Deletedbg
Is a forever friendz doll a collectable?
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous, February 21, 2023 at 4:42 PM - Any doll is a collectible if it is found desirable. Values will always differ based on the demand.
ReplyDelete