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| L-R Moxie Teenz blond, Get Real Girls Nakia and Gabi |
The Moxie Teenz blonde was at the thrift store during my two visits last week. Apparently, because of her missing wig, no one wanted her. The third time, I guess is a charm. She was still there on Black Friday, when I went back hoping to use my one-day only $10 off a $20 purchase coupon.
I walked around the store with the blond trying to decide if I really wanted to pay $5.99 for her. I knew the two Get Real Girls were definitely coming home with me, but did I really want the Moxie Teenz chick, for $5.99? At the time I didn't even know her name.
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| Freed from baggies and condition assessed |
As you can tell from the photos, Melrose, the $5.99 Moxie Teenz doll, did come home with me. At this time, I am not sure what her fate will be: leave her as is, paint her hair brown, add a wig, or replace her head with a LIV Alexis head. Time will tell. Since the frayed edges of her layered pink dress are raveling, I will immediately coat these areas with clear fingernail polish to prevent additional loss of fibers.
The two dolls I really wanted were only $1.99 each, 11-1/2-inch, multiarticulated, Get Real Girls Nakia and Gabi, ©1999. Nakia, a basketball enthusiast, is missing her New York #10 Jersey. Gabi loves soccer. Both girls have a magnet in the right palm, but neither has her ball of choice. Both are in need of spa treatment and Gabi's uniform needs to be hand washed.
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| Close-up of Nakia and Gabi, Get Real Girls |
The Get Real Girls' facial expressions are quite comical. It appears Nakia is attempting to hold back laughter while Gabi has a cheesing smile. I do not particularly care for the molded-on panties and sports bra, but that is the only issue I have with them thus far. It should be fun sprucing them up and finding shoes to fit their flat feet. I'll look in the Ken sports shoe stash first.
More information on the Get Real Girl line can be read in a 2012 blog post by Lisa Whitsett, here. Whitsett claims she was involved in the initial design phase of the dolls. A January 23, 2002, Fox News article sheds a positive light on the dolls, quoting a child psychologist as stating, "... in the pink-smothered world of dolls, they're refreshing." Unfortunately the anti-Barbie, Get Real Girls' appeal did not last; the line has been discontinued and so has their website.
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I did not get an opportunity use my one-day only coupon, but I did pass it forward to another customer after asking, "Do you think you're going to spend $20 today?" After he answered, "Yes," I gave him the coupon.
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Good news! Melrose's fate was decided before this post concluded. LIV Alexis, who swapped bodies with Fashion Fever Kayla a couple of years ago, who also was wearing a Moxie Teenz Afro wig has now shared that wig with Melrose. Alexis is now wearing a LIV wig. I think they both look great! My $5.99 was well spent.
dbg
Atta girl, I was hoping you'd get that Melrose looking nice! Fantastic finds, all three of them.
ReplyDeleteThank you, RagingMoon. It's all in the wig. The only one I had readily available without digging into various doll cases was the LIV wig that Alexis wears now. It would not fit Melrose properly. The next best thing was to allow Alexis to wear the LIV wig and Melrose to wear the Afro wig that Alexis had been wearing.
DeleteI also have Bijou who wears a long straight wig and a crochet cap. It is perfect for her 70s inspired style and she wasn't about to share with Melrose, so the Afro was it for Mel. :-)
dbg
What a coinky-dink! I found a Get Real Girl at my Thrift Store and hadn't a clue who she was and now I don't have to ask if anyone has any info on her or what that was attached to her hand. Mine has that same smirky smile and braided hair. Congrats on your ladies!
ReplyDeleteCool... now you know who you found, Muff. How much or little was your GRG and is she fully dressed?
Deletedbg
She was in a 3 doll bag that was $4.95. She's in a pink dress that I cant image is original to her line, though it fits pretty good. She has a great body and I hope I run across more of them.
DeleteThat was a good price. I can't imagine the pink dress being hers either.
Deletedbg
These are great finds! Melrose looks great in that wig. The Get Real Girls can wear (and stand in) some heeled shoes, also.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Roxanne. I am pretty happy with yesterday's find, tired, but happy. I stayed up for the better part of the night getting the girls cleaned up and hair "did." The time spent includes working a little on the Monster High dolls, too. Heads done (check); fangs and animal ears gone (check). They're all standing or sitting around for me to complete the makeover. I have vowed to rest, read, and watch movies today, but with them standing on my desk, I know I will be tempting to work on them more. Will try to stick to the plan.
Deletedbg
I'm envious. The Thrift Stores around my way never have good stuff like your finds. Melrose looks great!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I'm envious of myself, too. For years I stopped going to the thrift store (basically because my attention was focused on higher end dolls). It does make me wonder now what treasures I missed. The key is to check often. I am sure there have been some treasures donated to your thrift store, too. If you don't look, you won't find them.
DeleteBut on the other hand, I have visited some thrift stores and wonder, why do they even bother? Trash belongs in the trash; some things cannot be salvaged. If yours is like that, I understand the envy.
dbg
Melrose turned out adorable! Those Get Real Girls are great -- I like the odd expressions -- and I've never seen them at thrift.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that I wasn't the only person who thought "hey, Black Friday -- good day for thrift stores!" My adventures were mostly disappointing, so it's fun to read about ones that went better.
Thank you, Smaller Places.
DeleteSo sorry that your thrift store shopping was not as fruitful yesterday.
I am not one to shop (outside the house) on Black Friday (I hate crowds and I'm not about to stand in line and fight for the two or three items discounted). When I left home yesterday, I had plans to only go two places. The post office nearest me to mail a couple of packages and Office Depot to drop off a UPS return package. At Office Depot, I purchased a deeply discounted office chair for my husband whose birthday is next week and had our son lug it into the house quickly to hide it. Once that was done, I decided to go to the PO where my PO box is located to check for mail. That PO is near the thrift store that I frequent. What the heck, I thought, I have a coupon, so I'll go see if they have anything. After that, I came home and played dolls for the rest of the day. That's the best way to spend Black Friday, in my opinion.
:-)
dbg
Two thumbs up on the chair purchase! (Also on staying home and playing, which is my plan for the rest of the weekend.)
DeletePart of my job is to see what consumers are doing, so I was out and about, but the only stores I went in were (a) Basha's groceries, to get a donut before I starved to death; (b) Barnes & Noble [mostly empty]; (c) Joann Etc. in Gilbert [surprisingly un-busy]; (d) two Goodwills in Mesa; and (e) Epic Thrift. I walked around the San Tan Village "new urbanist" retail development at former Williams AFB because I wanted to see it while I had a car rented, but there's nothing I really want to shop. For everything else, parking lot checks were adequate.
The Goodwill trips were "worth it" in that I now know I'm not missing anything by not checking those GWs regularly -- I'm sort of working out which thrifts should be the target when I'm in the mood for a massive bus trek adventure and which don't fully justify crossing a large parking lot.
That sounds like a really cool job, Smaller Places! Investigative shopping on the down low of sorts. :-)
DeleteOffice Depot was un-busy yesterday, too. Had their sales flyer not been at the UPS drop-off counter, I would have missed the chair, which was on display right as you walk through the door. Shopping mostly online has ruined my ability to hone in on things in normal retail outlets (unless I am shopping for it specifically). I'm pretty good at the thrift store, but even there I have missed things in the past that my husband was able to spot.
For me, two sets of eyes are better than my one.
dbg
Great finds! I never manage to do nearly so well on thrift runs.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to see two of those Get Real Girls - they disappeared so quickly that I've never seen one IRL, so it's interesting to see played-with ones turning up.
This was my first encounter with the GRG in real life, too, jSarie. I am happy I found these two.
Deletedbg
Melrose looks great in the wig. I was hoping to get to the part where you stated that you kept her. That was a great price for her. I had never seen the other two dolls.
ReplyDeleteThanks, GG. She does look great in the wig and I am glad now that I didn't leave her behind the third time.
Deletedbg
Congrats on your finds! Nice that you found articulated dolls at such a great price.
ReplyDeleteArticulation is always an added plus, right, D7ana? Thanks!
Deletedbg
I never seen the Get Real Girls, they are cute dolls. You really lucked up.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brini! I did!
Deletedbg
Every time you do a thrift store post, I get so excited, I want to get right into my car and drive to Savers in Crystal Lake. That's where I find the best dolls secondhand, as well as doll furniture. Unfortunately, it's hours away -- so I mostly live vicariously through kind doll collectors like you who share their finds. Thanks for giving me my thrift store fix!
ReplyDelete