Black Doll Collecting: April 2021

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Ucanaan 1/6 BJD

The front of the Ucanaan BJD box has a full-length image of a blue-wigged 1/6 BJD and the URL to their website.

A couple of members of my doll group shared pictures of their 1/6 (12-inch) Ucanaan dolls, which piqued my interest in purchasing. I don't usually like dolls with anime facial features, but I decided to order one of these after I viewed their photos and had questions I posed answered to my satisfaction. I am more pleased with the doll than I had imagined.

Inside the box, the doll, accessories, and a pair of yellow sneakers (a gift from the seller) were wrapped securely in plastic.

The Ucanaan 1/6 scale BJD is made of sturdy vinyl with unstrung ball joints that will not become "kicky" like other BJDs I have encountered. BJDs with multiple points of articulation can be posed several ways, but when they are strung, after a while, the stringing becomes tangled inside the dolls' bodies and the joints tend to move in undesired directions.

That won't happen with this girl whose unstring joints are in the five usual areas (the head, upper arms, and upper legs) and under the breasts, at the waist, at the elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles.

My doll was ordered from Amazon where a few different styles were available. I chose the doll dressed in a white T-shirt, blue jacket, and lavender crinoline skirt that has a gray fabric lining. Inside the box with the doll was also a Ucanaan booklet that features other 1/6 BJDs. The booklet text is written in Chinese.

Accessories include a comb, mirror, scepter, crown barrette, two elasticized ponytail holders, and several pastel-colored plastic hair bands.

Facial close-up

She has big brown eyes with applied upper eyelashes. Her light brown wig is straight with slightly flipped ends. The gray fabric headband has a gray fabric bunny on the side.

She took a few photos in different poses while wearing her original clothes.

Her clothes are stylish and made well.

The white T-shirt has an applique that reads "Doris" on the front. Initially, I thought "Doris" was her name, but the box identifies her as Xinyi (pronounced si-ne). Interestingly, DORIS DOLL is on the back of her head. So, I don't know what her name really is. Xinyi and Doris are probably both brand names.

The back of the wig is illustrated here.

What's Underneath

Except for the blotted-out breast area where the articulation is underneath the breasts, all points of articulation are illustrated here.

Two strips of Velcro hold her wig in place. One strip is on the top of the head.

The other Velcro strip is on the lower back of the head. The eyes cannot be changed because the head does not open.

Redressing

I found a few clothing items and shoes designed for 10- to 12-inch dolls as well wigs in size 6/7. I had fun redressing this girl as illustrated next.

This dress was made to fit Ann Estelle and her doll friend, Georgia. It fits perfectly and her free yellow sneakers match!

The above dress came with a raincoat, matching rain hat, and rain boots.

She likes this cute fashion.

In this picture and in the two immediately above, three ponytails were created with multiple clear rubber bands added to each ponytail. (She has two ponytails on the side and one in the back.)

This Boneka dress made for Donna Effner's 10-inch Monday's Child Daria is paired with white Mary Janes and her original white ankle socks.

The dress is cute, but it's a little too short.

Last one for now

She tried on one more dress with a couple of different shoes, and she changed her wig twice as illustrated next.

I believe this dress was made for Friends 2B Made dolls or it could be a Groovy Girls doll dress. The wig is the poor quality Afro wig that came with Tonner's All-Natural Lizette shown on the right in this photo. The black shoes she's wearing are too big for her, but she tried them on anyway.

This black mohair wig is a better fit and a better look for her. The black Converse-style sneakers complement the poodle dress.

Here is a close-up of the better wig that she borrowed from my American BJD by Paulette Goodreau. The Goodreau BJD now wears the straight wig that came with All-Natural Lizette seen on the left in this picture.

Here is her final photo for now.

I ordered two more fashions for this girl and some extra pairs of shoes. She'll be back in a while after the new fashions and shoes arrive.

In case your interest is also piqued, here is a link to the Amazon 1/6 Ucanaan BJD doll page.

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There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Tuesday, April 27, 2021

The BMR1959 That Almost Got Away

BMR1959 Barbie #GNC46 from wave 2

This one didn't really almost get away, but I recently decided to add this wave 2 BMR1959 Barbie #GNC46 to my collection to avoid any regrets over not doing so after the doll sells out. I have experienced too many regrets for not buying a doll at retail and later wanting it after it sells out and being prohibited from buying on the secondary market due to prices that are two to three times the doll's original retail price (prices I refuse to pay).

A closeup of BMR1959 #GNC46 illustrates her lavender/pink hair styled in Bantu knots and her facial features and other characteristics described in the next paragraph.

I didn't want this doll initially because of her "round the girl way" look. Ask LL Cool J to explain that phrase to you, but if he can't, I will. The lavender/pink hair, the painted-on baby hair, the doorknocker earrings, and a familiar head sculpt that has been used for too many others made me hesitate to purchase initially. I wasn't too crazy about her oversized houndstooth jacket that is worn with the "wet look" orange BMR logo'd top and skirt, but I could have lived with the fashion.

Recently, I began to think about my past experiences with dolls I had shied away from because of a multitude of unfair prejudgements. After a moment of reconsideration (and after seeing this doll for $20 on Amazon with free shipping), yes, I decided to purchase this petite girl.

Mattel's description, slightly modified, was copied into the description cell of my 2021 doll inventory spreadsheet for this doll. It reads as follows:

Designed by Carlyle Nuera, this BMR1959™ Barbie® doll wears a boxy houndstooth blazer over an orange neon co-ord set with a patent-leather look. Her lilac hair is styled in Bantu knots accented with painted baby hair, and her nails are painted to match. Chunky yellow “dad sneakers” and logo door knocker earrings finish the look. This collectible fashion doll is fully articulated and uses the made-to-move petite body, comes in a streetwear-inspired shoebox and includes a BMR1959™ logo black doll stand for displaying. Uses the Claudette head sculpt.

Additional Photographs

Out of the box, she stands alongside the illustration on the top of the shoebox-style box.

In the final three photos, she poses with BMR1959 Barbies from wave 1.

The dolls from wave 1 stand in her background. GHT 96, GHT 91, and GHT 94

This is a slightly overhead angled shot.

They are certainly a colorful crew.

Even though she is petite in stature, admittedly, this girl stands out among the others. Being an around-the-way girl, she'll make you think you need her.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

For David S.

To David S., who wrote the following,

Hello, I hope you can help me, I bought a black man doll at a doll show, He
is 32 inches tall and has a stuffed body and left arm with wire inside, His
right arm is wooden and jointed at the shoulder and elbow, His head is made
of some sort of plaster, I think, Which has flocking all over it, And a
dark brown wig, He has a hole in his mouth for a cigarette or cigar, He has
glass eyes bisque hands and wooden shoes, His Suite and hat is black and
white hound's tooth, He has a white button up collarless shirt underneath,
with a white scarf, and hanky in his suite pocket, Do you know anything
about this doll or maybe mannequin, Please let me know. Thank you David

I replied to the email address you provided on the Blogger contact form. Unfortunately, the reply bounced back several times. My reply was: No, I do not know anything about the doll you described. It sounds like it might be one-of-a-kind. Please send a picture, if possible to

Debbie Garrett

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Who's Leaving Toys for Nannie?

But more importantly, who was Nannie? Read the Washington Post article about the mystery child and the gifts she receives annually here.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Connecting People with Art

I am with Barbara Whiteman in this 2005 photograph taken at the Philadelphia International Black Doll Show.

In 2005 at the Philadelphia International Black Doll Show, Barbara Whiteman, the show host, introduced me to Mercer Redcross, III. Mr. Redcross co-founded the October Gallery in Philadelphia, PA. It was a chance meeting. Barbara and I were chatting when Mr. Redcross approached us.

After introducing us, Barbara mentioned my book, The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls. Mr. Redcross then told me about the book he and his wife, Evelyn Redcross, were writing and publishing, Connecting People with Art (Contemporary African American Art). During that chance meeting, Redcross asked, and I agreed to include my collector's profile in his publication. At the time, I could not connect dolls with art or why he wanted my collector's profile in his book, but I followed through.

As soon as I returned home from the doll show, I wrote the profile and submitted it to Mr. Redcross. The submission included photos of a selection of dolls from my collection and a photograph of me surrounded by several dolls.

Connecting People with Art, first edition, is a 502-page hardcover book.

Published in November 2006, Connecting People with Art "reveals [the authors'] stories and numerous art adventures, as well as it chronicles the experiences of many others whom they met along the way." (https://www.amazon.com/Connecting-People-Art-African-American/dp/0979065518)

On April 7, 2021, I received an email inquiry from a woman seeking assistance with research on the history of Black dolls. While searching online for articles for her to read, I was surprised to find in the search results a YouTube video uploaded on March 28, 2021, by October Gallery. The video is a narration of my collector's profile from the book, Connecting People with Art. October Gallery incorporated photos from the Internet into the video as well as photographs that I submitted with my profile.

View the video below or at this link:

Dolls are three-dimensional expressions of art that connect people.

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

15% Off at Pack Turtle

I received a personal thank you from Cheryl Overby at Packturtle.com for mentioning and linking to their business in my recent post about the Barbie Fashion Pens they had in stock. At the time of this writing, only the Caucasian pen remains in stock, but they are hopeful about replenishing the stock of the others.

As a gesture of her gratitude, Ms. Overby gave me a personal 15% off discount code, and for the readers of this blog, she offered the coupon code, BDCR15 for 15% of your first order with Packturtle; and on your first visit to the site, you can also put your email address into the welcome pop-up to get another 10% off to use later.

Thank you, Ms. Overby.

Here is a search link for "doll," but there might be other items on the site that interest you.

While browsing the site, I noticed a special 30% off on close-out items good through April 18, 2021. Link to those items here.

Happy browsing and shopping at Packturtle.com.

Friday, April 9, 2021

Barbie Fashion Doll Pen Maya (Barbie)

Barbie Fashion Doll Pen

Twice within the same week, I saw photos of the Maya (Barbie) Fashion Doll Pen. I was initially directed to a seller on Walmart's website, who offered three different Barbie pens, but I did not have the ability to choose the one I desired without taking extra steps to inform the seller which one I wanted.

I then searched Google and found the pens on the Pack Turtle website (find the link below).

After the pen arrived, I was surprised by the articulated head and arms. The legs are frozen. The medium-point black ink pen is functional, as expected, but it would be a little clumsy to write with, I think. The removable pink Barbie signature base serves as a stand when the pen is not in use.

I took several photos of the pen, which are shared below:

The doll pen is shown on the side panel of the box.

An illustration of how the pen writes is included on the back of the box along with smaller images of all three versions, which include a blonde and a tan brunette.

The other side panel illustrates several different Barbies.

The clothing and shoes are molded on. The dress and the necklace are reminiscent of those worn by Barbie Fashionista #80 Cheerful Check.

The head sculpt and hairstyle are also like Cheerful Check's.

The check design of the molded-on dress extends to the back.

In this photo, the pen has been removed from the Barbie signature base.

Here is a link to Pack Turtle's buy page for the Barbie Fashion Doll Pens made by Super Impulse Limited with the copyright year of 2018. After you cart the pen shown on the buy page (the tan brunette), use the drop-down menu to select the actual pen you desire to purchase. (This doll's name is shown as Maya in the menu.) Quantities were low at the time this post was scheduled to publish.

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

1st Black Barbie's Tribute Dress Modeled

40th Anniversary Black Barbie Tribute Package by Pabboo Redfeather

The tribute dress to 1st Black Barbie's 40th anniversary was designed by Pabboo G. Redfeather in 2020 as an exclusive for members of his Facebook group, Black Barbie First Collector Club. In order to keep the tribute package (shown above) intact, I wanted a duplicate tribute dress for a doll to wear, but Pabboo sent me a duplicate tribute package.

It took me several months to find the right doll to model the dress made from special ordered fabric that includes Pabboo's headshot drawing of the 1st Black Barbie. I wanted a doll with natural hair texture or a full-blown Afro to model the dress. It was not until the release of Barbie Fashionista #156 that I envisioned that doll as the perfect model.

Barbie Fashionista #156 models the 1st Black Barbie Tribute dress, which is accessorized with a pair of red high heels, a gold-tone bracelet, and red dangle earrings. The accessories were included in the tribute package.

The dress fits this blue-lipstick-wearer perfectly but there was a slight problem.

The dress has a hint of green in the background.

Her blue lipstick clashed with the colors in the dress. I need to repaint her lips, but I like the blue color. I need a duplicate doll, were the thoughts that raced through my head.

I found and ordered a duplicate doll and kept the new one in her plastic zippered package. I attempted to remove the blue lipstick from the original doll, but it would not budge with fingernail polish remover. So, I painted over the blue with red acrylic paint (leaving just a fine line around the outline of her lips to serve as lip liner).

Before and after photos of the lip-color change and photos of the doll modeling the dress are illustrated below. (She's so pretty that I took several photos from different angles.)

Lip color comparison before and after

With this dress, red lip color looks much better than blue.

Fashionista #156 is photographed with Pabboo's artwork and tribute to Kitty Black Perkins used as the backdrop. The entire package was presented in a red pocket folder.