Saturday, June 11, 2016

Lammily Photographer Photo-Intense Post


Yesterday, after the postman rang once,  I found a Lammily logo'd package and two others on my porch.  The other two were not dolls.  After waiting months on the arrival of my preordered Photographer Lammily, of course, I opened her package first.



Inside the shipper was the doll's beautifully designed box, which features a lovely painted image of the doll on front.


Images of things and places she has photographed are on both sides and back of the box.


Tucked inside the front flap, is Photographer's story, My New Old Camera.  Photos of each page are shown next.

She visits a camera shop and picks out a classic camera.  The shop owner explains that pictures will be far better than pictures taken with a cell phone camera, but it will not be as easy to use.

 She ventures out and takes several photos.

After the photos are processed, unfortunately, she is disappointed at the results, until...

...she finds one photo in the group of  the several she took that has flawless detail.

At this point, I was impressed by the packaging and Photographer's story.

Her hair, facial expression and eyes are better than expected.  I am not thrilled with the frumpy fashion and  pointed-toe pumps.

Her hair is tightly coiled and closely rooted, not loosely curled and unruly as the prototype images portrayed.  I love it!


"Look, Mom, no panties!"  Since she wears a skirt, I just knew she would have some form of coverage underneath, but no.  Like other companies, Photographer was given molded-on, flesh-colored-panties.


With the doll freed from the box, I was eager to see if she could stand unassisted.  She cannot, or at least she would not for me.  Her joints are limited to the usual five.  Her wrists and ankles are articulated.  Her elbows have two clicks of inward bending motion.  Her knees have a one-click bend. This does not allow her to move very much, but it is more movement than I thought she had initially. It also helps that her arms and legs are made of a soft vinyl. With the click bending motion of the elbows and soft vinyl arms, it is possible for arms to be held together with bands to allow her to hold her camera.

Her camera, which was attached to the box liner, had to be tied to the black satin ribbon that was already attached to her right wrist with a clear band.


The soles of her feet are a lighter shade than her caramel complexion, which I like.  Other than those made for Lammily dolls, finding shoes to fit her huge feet will be challenging.  I have none here that I could find for her to wear except maybe male action figure shoes and I did not bother trying any of those on her.


Like the soles of her feet, the palms of her hands are also a lighter shade.  This is realistic for melanin-rich people whose palms and soles are lighter than the dorsal surfaces of their hands and feet.

The next four comparison photos illustrate the major differences between Photographer Lammily and Curvy Barbie.

Photographer has broad shoulders, a long torso and short legs.  I would not describe her physique as curvy, normal, or average.  Wide with short legs is a better description.   Curvy Barbie is more shapely.

Since I cannot sew, redressing this doll in fashions other than the Lammily brand will be difficult.

As mentioned, the Lammily doll has huge feet, which measure 1-1/2 inches in length by 1/2 inch in width compared to Curvy Barbie's 1 inch x 6/8-inch foot.

Photographer and Curvy Barbie temporarily swapped clothing.  The Mixis dress that Curvy Barbie had been wearing barely closes in the back on Photographer due to her broad shoulders and wide torso.  The spandex fabric was the saving grace.  I had hoped Photographer could wear Curvy Barbie's original denim dress, but she cannot.  She can wear the ivory mesh top, but she has nothing else to wear with it and it is see-through, so, we are still at square one with nothing extra for her to wear.  The waist of Photographer's skirt is too large for Curvy Barbie, but the top, which fits better than the skirt, camouflages the skirt's loose fit on her.

Pros:

  • Presentation 
  • Story
  • Lovely hair texture
  • Facial expression
  • Articulated wrists and ankles
  • Slightly bendable elbows and knees
  • Lighter soles of feet and palms of hands 
  • Inclusion


Cons:

  • Needs full articulation, at least in the arms to properly hold camera.
  • Body is wide with a long torso and disproportionate. 
  • Legs are short, not shapely.
  • Sits with legs open wide
  • Feet are huge.
  • Redressing in clothing and shoes not designed for Lammily dolls will be challenging.  

I wanted this doll for its novelty of being one of the first "fuller figured dark skinned fashion dolls*. My final assessment is Lammily is not really full figured.  At best, she is an 11-1/2-inch doll with an oddly shaped body.  She is different.

In spite of the cons, I am grateful that Photographer exists as a non-Barbie alternative because different body types in all colors should be represented in doll form.

*Big Beautiful Dolls, Inc. Dasia was the first 12-inch full-figured fashion doll.

Blue text modifies the original post.

dbg
Check out my eBay listings here.

29 comments:

  1. Good review! I ordered 2 of them during the pre-order phase and mine arrived a couple of days ago. The hair on each of the dolls I received is different. One has really thick hair, the second one is a bit thinner. I totally agree with your pros and cons list. One of the things Lammily promised to work on when they received critiques of the first Lammily doll was their articulation. Nothing has changed there. I expect that the male doll will have similar articulation. Lammily markets their doll to have "normal" body proportions, not curvy, but I don't find them all that normal. The long torso throws me off quite a bit.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You're right, Phyllis, about the Lammily dolls being marketed as having normal proportions. While writing this post, I had Nick's email in mind that was sent shortly after the curvy Barbies were announced/released wherein he mentioned his dolls were first.

    Congrats on your two. It is interesting that the hair is different on your two.

    The long torso and stumpy legs are a bit off putting. I have returned her to her box and shipper for now.

    dbg

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm pleased to know her hair is rooted evenly, now you can Restyle her hair .. I'm still on the fench with buying her. πŸ€”

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I probably won't change her hair, other than remove the barrettes. Photos of the actual doll should help you decide to remain on the fence or not.

      dbg

      Delete
  4. Thanks for your review; you hit most of my thoughts. I thought her body was more Caucasion "curvy" as opposed to what I've experienced as A woman of color. And yes, those feet are HUGE! I coupled her with a Starting Lineup basketball action figure and her feet are almost the same size. Unheard of with my other fashion dolls. Also, the camera (which we waited so long to be tooled) keeps on coming apart. Not good. I'll have to glue it. Other than those things, I like her. She reminds me of Miss Patti LaBelle so I've named her Patti.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Brenova. I am sorry you are having issues with the camera. I think I would let the company know. I thought it was supposed to be more detailed and that was the reason the doll was delayed. It's just a black piece of camera-shaped plastic.

      Yes, those feet are humongous! Wow!

      I haven't named my doll yet, but I can see the Patti resemblance. I am thinking now of Arthur Ashe's lovely wife,
      Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, who was and may still be a photographer. I think I will name her Jeanne.

      dbg

      Delete
    2. I hope you don't mind but I used some of your photos on my Instagram site (with proper credits of course) and directed my followers to read your blog for a detailed review of Lammily Photographer.

      Delete
    3. No I don't mind the use of my photos. Thank you for letting me know.

      dbg

      Delete
  5. Thanks for the review - She has a cute face and nice hair!

    Even though I like seeing more options when it comes to doll bodies, I'm not a huge fan of the Lammily line - I feel like by working from the average of body proportions, they ended up with a shape that doesn't actually exist much in reality (I could see an average apple or pear or hourglass working better, but but by putting them all together what we get is a bit of an odd shape, at least to my eye).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You expressed what I feel about her body in a nutshell, jSarie. It is odd and not in a good way, unfortunately.

      dbg

      Delete
  6. i received lamely yesterday afternoon after waiting several months. i had one outfit that is just for her but the other outfits i bought from easy. i had several sandals from my ken doll that he was willing to give to her. i also had shoes from easy i had purchased for dasia. easy also has sandals for lamely and similar sized dolls. i did have to search but glad i had items she could wear. i pierced her ears (ear friendly) and now she is wear pearls i purchased for her (barbie size). i love her hair. it does loll better than advertised. she has become the designated photographer for the family. my tall fashionista barbie #33 has welcomed her. they have been socializing. not sure why her hands and feet are lighter underneath. overall i am satisfied with her. she has a beauty face and dimples.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am glad for you that you like your doll, Darlene. I will have to check my shoe supply more thoroughly to see if I have any shoes that fit her.

      Her ears do need piercing and earrings. I will probably do that too. I need to remove my tall girl from her box. I am sure she towers over Jeanne, my photographer'so name.

      The lighter shade of her palms and soles is accurate for dark skinned people, which is the obvious and appreciated reason the company went a step further to provide this realism. The soles of our feet and palms of our hands are not the same color as our skin tone. In fact, this holds true for all, but is more obvious on people with melanin rich skin color.



      dbg

      Delete
  7. Yay, your photographer Lammily is here! Mine is due to arrive next week. Thanks for the very detailed review! I like her palms and soles of her feet. I only have 1 other doll with that realistic detail. Her hair is cute. I don't mind her shape, because I can think of a few people with sort of a box shaped torso and short legs. I'm really happy to see the diversity of shapes and sizes in some of the recent dolls. Your photos look better to me than the prototype photos that I've seen. I'm excited and looking forward to receiving mine!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I look forward to seeing what you do with your doll, Roxanne in spite of her articulation limitations. I know your dolls enjoy movement!

      dbg

      Delete
  8. Excellent review! I applaud the Lammily folks for their packaging. I received Photographer Lammily and a doll from Barbie Collector in the same week. There is a stark difference in the amount of wasted cardboard and packing peanuts used by BC.com. I get so frustrated every time I order from them for that reason alone. Photographer Lammily is like many women who struggle to dress in a way that flatters their figure despite a long torso and short legs, so I'll embrace the challenge of dressing her. Vanessa has promised to make and sell some fashions designed to fit her, so I'm looking forward to that. I lover her hair, but continue to be disappointed by the articulation. I will NOT be purchasing any more dolls from this company until they improve it. I tried to seat her at a table in my tea room dio, and her legs gaped so horribly that I gave up and put her back on her stand. Poor girl's gotta drink tea standing up- lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jewell,

      Thank you for the compliment on the review. I tried to reply earlier on my iPad but it kept freezing up on me. So frustruating!

      I can appreciate the struggle that women who might have this body type must go through, but I really don't want to engage in the struggle with them to dress a doll. I do hope Vanessa will accommodate us with more fashionable clothing for Lammily dolls. I know she can hook them up.

      I took a photo of the doll in the seated position but didn't want to share it because of the wide gap between her legs sitting creates. In the photo of her foot, she is seated, but I cropped the rest off. It looks like our girls will just have to stand to do whatever we need them to do, even drink tea.

      dbg

      Delete
  9. I can't wait for mine arrive. She does look better in person. Thank you so much for such a great review. She is a very pretty doll and her box has great graphics as well. Although she has limited articulation she will be a welcomed addition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am happy for you that you are getting her, too, Brini. I hope you will share photos of yours in a blog post. I'd like to see how she interacts with the rest of the inhabitants in Dotsville.

      dbg

      Delete
  10. I took Jeanne out of her box today to see if she could wear a pair of shoes I found (she cannot). In doing this, I discovered that arm arms and knees have click-bend motion. I modified this post in blue to note this discovery. A few additional modifications were also made in blue text.

    dbg

    ReplyDelete
  11. I like the doll, but I LOVE the packaging, especially her story booklet. Very much reminds me of my budding youthful start in photography.

    I think that clothing style is going to be very important for this doll. In her own clothing I think she looks quite nice and 'normal' if you will. But in the blue dress, she looks like a grandma.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The packaging and story booklet are nice.

      Her original outfit ages her as well in my opinion. I have never been a fond of floral prints, particularly huge flowers.

      dbg

      Delete
  12. I appreciate you showing your Lammily.She's obviously made with care.I don't know why but I just can't work up much enthusiasm for this new brand. Most women just aren't that shape either so I don't know that it gives girls a more realistic view or acceptance of themselves.Even if dolls really have souch influence, to an extent, belly button Barbie with her smaller chest and bigger hips was more like most teen girls than this doll. To say nothing of the latest try at diverse bodies Mattel did.
    Not that it would help if you don't sew but is this doll the same size as the Happy to Be Me doll? I know a pattern came out for that one and may still be available if you can convince a sewer to make some outfits for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I understand your lack of enthusiasm for this brand, Maricha. The company missed the mark in their attempt to create a normal body. Long torso and short legs are not the normal.

      I do not own a Happy to Be Me Doll, but I did search Google for an image. I think the Lammily's proportions are too off to use a pattern made for this doll, but your mention of a pattern has given me an idea, which I will explore. Thank you so much!

      dbg

      Delete
  13. Thanks for the review. I love the palm and sole detail I just ordered this doll last week when I remembered she was going to be available late May. I have the first Lammily doll, but she has not inspired me to sew. I have drafted a few patterns, so I'm hoping this doll will do the same thing Dasia did for me, as far as motivation. I would love to hear some clothing suggestions for her from you and Jewell. It's a great way for me to expand my clothing taste.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Vanessa.

      I hope the photographer Lammily will inspire you to sew. There is a market for clothing for the dolls beyond those made by the manufacturer. I do like the company's Exploring Rio fashion and just discovered they have a pattern for it! Hmmmm. They have other patterns as well. While i don't sew, I know someone who does.

      The company from time to time offers limited edition clothing made by others. You might want to explore the possibility of offering your styles for sale through them.

      Clothing suggestions that I have in mind for her include tunics with leggings; maxi-length, A-line dresses with bolero or shrug; hip-length tops that float away from her body with a long or short skirt. Anything that will give her body a more proportionate
      appearance will work. I don't like busy fabrics.

      dbg

      Delete
    2. Thanks for the info and your list.

      Delete
  14. Hello. I read somewhere that Lammily fits some of the miniature Birkenstock sandals. I bought the regular pink sandals for my travel Lammily, and the photographer looks great in them to.

    I have also seen online that Lammily fits a Sparke Girlz' sundress. My girls have managed to squeeze themselves quite nicely into a Sparkle Girlz top that is yellow with lacy white material on top. It fits beautifully with the denim shorts that the traveller came with.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Amaruq for the miniature Birkenstock sandals information and info on the Sparkle Girlz' pieces Lammily can wear. I will try to locate the Birkenstock sandals. I have a full-length Sparkle Girlz sundress that I have misplaced that I wanted to try on the photographer for size. With your mentioning this, I recall having a MOC short sundress that might work for Lammily as well. I will try that on her soon.

      Thanks again!

      dbg

      Delete

Your comments are appreciated. To eliminate spam, all comments are being moderated and will be published upon approval. Thank you!