Thrift Store Doll Therapy

Lot of dolls found at local thrift store

In addition to yesterday's post on September and October doll purchases (that have arrived), I purchased the above doll lot from a thrift store this week.   I had a $5 coupon off the purchase of $10.  With sales tax, my final cost for all was $6.44.

It is always hit or miss when I stop in to look for dolls at the thrift store nearest me.  This time was a hit.  So in Style Chandra caught my eye first.  "Oh man!" is what I thought after finding her.  Then I carefully examined each bag of racked dolls and found Darren (what?!?), then Grace (I can't believe this!).  The girls are articulated at the elbows only.  Darren is fully articulated. I grabbed all three bags and tucked the bags under my arm as I continued to look. 

The Bratz doll, Sasha, was packaged with Grace, which is the only reason she was purchased.  Before the discount, Grace and Sasha were $2.99.  Chandra and Darren were $1.99 each.

I found the seated 13-inch articulated doll  by MGA Entertainment on one of the shelves where larger dolls and stuffed animals are displayed.  Also there was the 12-inch 1973 drink and wet baby by Lorrie, which did not have a price tag.  Curious about the baby's price, even though I did not desire it as much as the others, I took it to the register with the others to inquire.

Group/Individual Photos:
Group and individual photos of the dolls after removing them from their baggies illustrate their bring-home condition.

Chandra wears denim shorts that are too small for her wide hips.   Her previous little owner styled her hair in one braid in back.  Darren's pants appear to be original.  Grace with mussed hair was nude. 

 

1973 baby by Lorrie wears a slightly over-sized jack-o'-lantern T-shirt; other than a few cheek and lip rubs, s/he is in relatively good condition.

Unknown 2001 MGA Entertainment doll was $2.99.  She is 13-inches tall with multiple joints and molded-on sneakers.  Her hands are in a gripping position.  The bottom of her right shoe has one hole; the left shoe has two holes.  These probably allow her to  stand on something. 

Her brown rooted hair has fuchsia strands in front which match the color of her sneakers.  As illustrated above, the hair was quite wiry.

MGA Entertainment Bratz Sasha's hair was just a little tangled and didn't require much to restyle.  Poor girl is missing her shoe-feet, as most Bratz dolls are when found.  This one, fortunately, is fully articulated.

With vinyl disposable gloves on, all dolls were given a disinfectant soapy hand wash and rinse. Hair, with the exception of Darren's and the baby's, was shampooed and conditioned.  Some required more conditioner and detangling, which I spent the better part of the evening of purchase doing to make them presentable.  Photos capturing portions of what was done and the end result follow.

Pre-dressing Photos:

Chandra and Grace's hair has been shampooed and conditioned and is still slightly wet. When it dried, it looked a little dry, so I added Karelen Dry Oil to give it a non-greasy sheen.

The MGA Entertainment doll's hair was originally styled in two ponytails based on the way the hair is rooted.  I managed to detangle it, but the ends remained bushy and lacked luster even after applying a small amount of Smooth 'N Shine Hair Polisher.

With the exception of an orange stain to her right cheek, and her bushy ponytails, she did clean up nicely  I plan to apply Oxy-10 to the cheek area in hopes of removing the stain.

Sasha's hair has been shampooed and conditioned.  It is still damp in these photos. 

Post-Dressing Photos:

Sasha's hair is styled in an I Dream of Jeannie-style ponytail.  She is dressed and has found a friend.

Sasha wears LIV Alexis' tunic, which has been tailored to fit her.  Her cowboy boots are original to the dress her friend, Yasmin wears.  Yasmin was kind enough to allow Sasha to borrow the brown boots after we searched the shoe stash and found the lavender Barbie boots that match Yasmin's dress. 

The dressed SIS trio

Chandra and Grace wear Sparkle Girlz fashions.  Darren wears a Ken basketball outfit with white sneakers that have yellow soles.  His jersey actually reads KEN/61, but for this photo, we photoshopped his name onto it.  The girls' hair turned out okay, but I am considering a boil perm for them later.

MGA Entertainment girl now -- if anyone knows this doll's ID, please let me know.

The 13-inch MGA Entertainment doll wears Teen Trends Deondra's jogging suit and backpack.  The color is a perfect match for her sneakers.  I added four clear rubber bands to help tame each ponytail.  I think she has a very pretty face.  

12-inch all vinyl doll by Lorrie has one-piece body, jointed neck, sleep eyes and a nurser mouth.

At checkout with this lot, I asked the handsome young guy the price of the Lorrie baby.  He looked at me and asked my approval to charge me 0.99 cents.  Of course I agreed.  This baby cost the least of all and took minimal effort to make presentable.  I dressed her in a Daisy Kingdom romper with matching bonnet.  We will probably ax the bonnet.  In fact, I know we will, but since it came with the new-with-tag fashion that I purchased several years ago along with several others in different colors, I photographed her wearing it. She is now displayed in a doll baby bed with other baby dolls.

For under $7, finding this doll lot and making them presentable was a pleasurable, therapeutic experience.

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