Wednesday, August 9, 2017

American Girl Addy's First Annual Hair Show


My second Addy is shown in the eBay seller's photo as she was when she arrived several years ago, very well loved with hair that was quite tangled and in need of conditioning and restyling.  I gave her the necessary hair treatment and styled her hair in four squared off sections, twisted the loose ends, added barrettes to the ends, and gave her bang extensions using clipped hair from a ponytail that my daughter had worn previously.  The original upon-arrival hairstyle is illustrated next:

Addy's hair remained in this style until this past weekend when I participated in Addy's First Annual Hair Show.

This past Saturday, the Facebook group, American Girl Addy Collectors, held Addy's First Annual Hair Show. Group members were asked to style their dolls' hair in creative and fun styles to illustrate the many ways Addy's hair can be styled. The hair show was a result of the administrator's discovery that some American Girl collectors are "intimidated" by Addy's natural hair texture.  Wanting to put to rest the myth that texturized hair is difficult to manage, we were asked to restyle our dolls' hair and post photos to the group.

I wanted to participate in this event because the administrator, Cathy Runnels, is very supportive of my projects, but because I was not sure time would permit me to do so, I left my invite status as "maybe."  Things were working against my participation (my mother spent last Thursday evening through Friday afternoon in the ER and was admitted to the hospital for observation until Saturday afternoon).  I thought my last-minute plan to participate had been foiled, but I woke up early Saturday morning and began redressing and restyling Addy's hair in traditional "little girl styles" (nothing at all very creative, however).

What I Used
After taking Addy's hair down from the original hairstyle, I moisturized it with Smooth 'N Shine Polishing Mousse.  A wide-tooth comb, plastic bristle brush, ribbons, barrettes, ponytail holders, and rubber bands were the only other items used to create the various hairstyles described and illustrated below.


Hairstyle #1
Addy removed her Christmas dress and was eager to try on an 18-inch doll dress by Blueberi Boulevard, a gift from several years back.  After redressing, she was given side twists that meet in back to create one ponytail.  The ponytail is accented with multiple white barrettes.  One barrette is also on top of each side twist:




Hairstyle #2
Two twisted side ponytails with ribbons on top and barrettes on the ends, worn loose in back (rolled under with my fingers -- no time to set it) completed hairstyle #2.





Hairstyle #3  
After changing into an 18-inch My Twinn "Blooming Hearts" dress, Addy was given four twisted ponytails, similar to her upon-arrival hairstyle, adorned with knocker ball ponytail holders and pink elastic ponytail holders on the ends.




Hairstyle #4
With her hair in three sections, the top two side ponytails remained in two-strand twists.  Each ponytail was carried over to the opposite side on top of her head.  The ends were wrapped around the rubber band that held the opposite ponytail to create a top twist.  A Nubian knot was created in back by wrapping the two-strand twisted ponytail around itself and tucking the end underneath the rubber band that held the ponytail in place.  (For this style, Addy is dressed in another 18-inch My Twinn fashion.)




Hairstyle #5
Addy's final hairstyle, three braids with ribbons and barrettes, is the style she chose to continue wearing because she has never worn braids before.  She decided she would continue wearing the 18-inch My Twinn "Pinstripe Denim" dress.  Her constant companion, Ida Bean poses with her.





Side Note
My poor Addy suffers from the American Girl doll silver eye disease in her left eye.  Several days after the hair show, as a temporary (or permanent) remedy, I used a brown Sharpie to darken the discolored area.  Even though the right eye is unaffected, I darkened the same area (the irises only being careful not to color over the pupil area) with the Sharpie to give both eyes the same color.  Before and after photos follow:


Not shown in any of the above photos, Addy's eyebrows had turned an odd dark green color.  I used a dark brown eyebrow pencil to naturalize the color.

With her new clothes, new hairstyle, corrected eyes and eyebrows, Addy is happy she was able to participate in the American Girl Addy Collectors First Annual Hair Show.

After gaining permission from all participants, the Cathy (the group's administrator) plans to create a video of all submitted hairstyle photos.  I will post an update here or create a new post after the video is online.  There were some phenomenal hairstyles that you will enjoy seeing.


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16 comments:

  1. Your Addy was so cute this weekend. She's a great hair model!!! Thanks for participating!

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  2. I'm sorry to hear your mother has been doing poorly. I hope she's doing better.
    I haven't been a big fan of Addy and it hadn't occurred to me that I thought she was frumpy because I've never seem her hair beautifully styled before. That Facebook group is definitely on to something. You created some very attractive styles. I like them all but the first and third are particularly fetching; your Addy looks like a little flower girl. Thanks for sharing your pictures and ideas. :)

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    1. Thank you for your well wishes regarding my mother, Maricha. She is better (speaking it into existence).

      I am not a huge fan of Addy myself. I purchased one for my daughter when she was about 15; that doll is still pristine. My daughter was at the age when her interest in dolls was on a steady decline. As a result, she never played with Addy. I incorporated her doll into my collection because that's what collectors do (take their children's dolls when the children are no longer interested). I use her/my 1st Addy in my Dolls with Books exhibit that has traveled to libraries and schools throughout the community. Addy and the other dolls with books are kept stored until the next exhibit is scheduled.

      My second Addy was purchased from eBay in a BIN for a price I felt (at the time) I could not refuse, so I rescued her. The attention that doll received last weekend was more attention than she's ever received in the several years she's been here. I'm sure she was happy to participate in the hair show.

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  3. These are all great, but I particularly love that last style. I've known little girls with hair styled like that so it brought back fond memories. Excellent post as usual, and the Sharpie-on-the-eye trick worked well!

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    1. Thank you so much, RM1987. The last style is classic, in my opinion. As a young girl, my mother often styled my hair like the last style. I, in turn, combed my daughter's hair like that when she was was a toddler through elementary school, changing it at times from three to four, or sometimes two braids or twisted ponytails.

      The Sharpie trick does provide the necessary camouflage for Addy's silver eye.

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  4. I have been a fan of your blog for as long as I've been online and a big fan of Addy dolls since the dolls were created and manufactured by Pleasant Company. I purchased one for my niece back then, and for good deeds she received an additional accessory or dress, and was well-loved over the years. So, after my retirement I purchased my own Addy from an Etsy seller so I could have a model for the dresses I began sewing for 18-inch dolls. I knew the manufacturer had a hospital for their dolls, so I sent my doll off to have her hair restored with strict instructions to replace it with the same original hair and not the smoother, shiny stuff Mattel puts on Addy now. A representative called me a few days later to clarify my request and informed me that the doll also had the eye condition you described. (I had not noticed.) The representative informed me they would correct the condition and she was returned to me with new hair and new eyes at no charge. This long story is to inform you that the defect you described could be corrected in the same way. I know you are an expert and correcting and repairing your doll collection so this option may not appeal to you, and you may need to clarify if they would do it in spite of your sharpie addition.
    I love following your blog. It reminds me of the black doll collection my maternal grandmother had when I was growing up in Nebraska. We were not allowed to touch them, and black dolls were a rarity back in the 1950s. Its a shame they were destroyed in a house fire in the 80s. Thank you for your reminders of my childhood, and I'll be following the Facebook hairstyle blog, for sure. I gave birth to a boy, so my creative hairstyle gene needs stimulation.

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    1. Thank you for taking the time to let me know how long and how much you've enjoyed my blog posts. It is for readers like you (and for myself as well -- because I enjoy writing about my dolls) that this blog exists. Your words lifted my spirit by confirming what I do is not in vain; thank you again for sharing this with me.

      Thank you also for sharing your experience with your Addy's restoration. I have since contacted American Girl by email and am awaiting their reply on how I should proceed to have my Addy's eyes replaced (the Sharpie ink, by the way, can be removed from the eyes with rubbing alcohol) and to have her wig replaced with a wig of the same texture. I actually wrote them the day I read your comment (I apologize for the sluggish reply, but things have been a little hectic, and I wanted to respond to you when I had sufficient time to do so properly).

      Having a collection of black dolls in the 1950s was a rarity. What a joy it must have been to be around your maternal grandmother's dolls, even if you could not touch! I cannot even imagine the devastation the house fire that destroyed the dolls and the other contents of the home must have caused.

      I gave birth to a girl and a boy. My daughter, when looking back on her infant and toddler photos once commented, "You never did know how to comb hair." In her eyes, my hairstyle gene is nonexistent.

      :-)

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  5. Beautiful (and creative!) hair styles, and Addy must have enjoyed modeling different outfits as well. Great way to showcase a lovely doll.

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    1. Thank you, Gini! Addy did enjoy every minute of it and was so thankful to be able to wear modern clothes.

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  6. Addy looks gorgeous! I love the last style most of all, especially with the cream ribbons. I'm so sorry to hear about your mom being in hospital I hope she's feeling much better. I just wanted to echo Greystone, I was watching something on YouTube and they AG has a hospital that correct the silver eye issue if you want to send her there. I believe it is free of charge because the silver eye is a manufacturers defect. :)

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    1. Hi Julius,

      The first and last ones are my favorite styles.

      Thanks for echoing Greystone. I emailed the AG folks, but haven't heard anything back. I think I'll pick up the phone shortly and give them a call to expedite things a bit.

      You're right, the eye repair should be free of charge. I'm not too sure how they will handle my request for a new wig but, as my mother would say, "it never hurts to ask." She is doing better, by the way; thank you.


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  7. Hi Debbie, I hope your mother is feeling better.
    Thanks for giving Addy those cute hairstyles.

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    1. Hi Arlette,

      My mother is much better.
      Addy and I had fun. I'm still trying to decide what to do about her eyes and hair.

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