Merry Christmas

May the spirit of the Christmas season

Lift you up and deliver you blessings,

Now and forevermore!

Merry Christmas!

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Only Three Dolls

Redressed for Christmas 2025

I usually dress at least five dolls for Christmas. This year, I only dressed three, and I scaled back my Christmas decorations to the bare minimum. It's always a chore to put things back in their place and to redress dolls in their usual clothing after the holiday. This year, that chore, which usually occurs by January 15th of the following year, if not sooner, will be less taxing.

Circa 1940s composition and hard plastic Shirley Temple-type transitional mama doll

My circa 1940s Shirley Temple-type transitional mama doll is usually the first doll that I redress for Christmas. I maintained that tradition this year. This 29-inch doll holds a paper doll ornament inspired by Gladys MacDowell's 1950s wax doll, Tuesday. The Tuesday paper doll was made in 2018 by Victoria Christopherson as a souvenir for the Gladys MacDowell Doll Study Club's 50th Anniversary.

This is the Tuesday paper doll ornament that the transitional mama doll holds. The paper doll's dress is made of fabric.

This 2025 pink box Barbie, which uses the Shani head sculpt, wears a Santa T-shirt designed by Nise's Designs.

I dressed my most recent pink box Barbie in a Santa T-shirt, black Spandex Capris, and black high-heeled shoes. She holds a wrapped Christmas present ornament.

The waving Santa image is better visible in this close-up.

I used AI to add a Christmas border to Shani's photo.

Global Girl Dolls Amahle is the third and final doll I redressed.

Used to enhance my dining room table decorations, Global Girl Dolls Amahle wears American Girl Addy's Christmas dress with lace-up black boots. She holds a wooden and cloth ornament like the ones that decorate a tabletop Christmas tree.

I've made less after-Christmas work for myself while managing to create enough festive decor.

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

AI Doll Images

AI Fashion dolls dressed for a formal event

I have toyed with artificial intelligence programs to create doll images and to change image backgrounds using movie flyers and previously photographed dolls. This post includes some of my artificial intelligence (AI) doll creations, which is a creative way for me to visualize what an imagined doll would look like and a way to beautify existing doll photos. In most cases, AI "understood the assignment."

In the leading photo of this post, I used the prompt, or the command, for AI to generate fashion dolls dressed elegantly for a formal event. 

The Preacher's Wife main cast members as dolls

Courtney B. Vance, Denzel Washington, and Whitney Houston starred in the 1996 movie, The Preacher's Wife, directed by Penny Marshall (of Laverne & Shirley fame).  On the right, in the combined photos above, The Preacher's Wife actors are AI-created dolls. 

Waiting to Exhale

I created AI dolls of the main characters in the movie, Waiting to Exhale: Loretta Devine, Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, and Lela Rochon. The dolls don't look much like the characters, but if you're familiar with the movie, you'll recognize who the dolls represent. 

 

AI-generated "Barbies" in separate boxes.

As the leading photo for a video, I used the prompt, "Please create an image of African American Barbie dolls in individual boxes underneath the caption, Where the Vintage Dolls Are." The above photo resulted.

New backgrounds

For the above photo on the far left, I instructed AI, "Please add a scenic background to this image and do not change the doll's face." Scenic backgrounds were added twice, and the doll's facial appearance changed twice. 

I've learned that AI prompts must be specific; otherwise, the results will not match the request. Occasionally, even though the request is exact, the output is not always correct. AI is mistake-prone. 

Change the background and add shoes.

In the photo of the Heidi Ott dolls on the left above, I asked AI to add a scenic background and to add shoes to the boy's feet. I specified that I did not want the doll's faces changed. These requests were successfully executed.

Amanda Jane dolls in a playground setting

AI was asked to place the Amanda Jane dolls in a playground setting. AI included the pinback Amanda Jane button from the original photo because it was not prompted to remove it. It's still a cute picture.

AI's interpretation of a Request

Women shopping for dolls

In the photo above, the request was, "Please create an image of adult Black and Brown women buying dolls." AI added the caption, "Diverse Dolls for Every Child." With a photo editor app, I changed the caption as illustrated next.

"Diverse Dolls for Everyone" is a better caption for this photo.

AI was asked to place Cecelie by Heidi Plusczok in an outside snowy scene.

Cecelie went from being part of my inside Christmas decor (from a few years ago) to an outside snowy scene courtesy of AI.

Doll Room Photos

I requested AI versions of two photos taken in a corner of my doll room. The original images and the AI versions are next.

AI created a "smiling doll" version of the 1st doll room photo shown below (either AI cropped its version, or I cropped it).

1st doll room corner original image

Using the photo immediately below, AI created laughing dolls.

2nd original doll room photo

An AI-Generated Black Version of a White Doll

1960s Skipper with red hair by Mattel

In answer to the question asked in a Facebook Group, "What's on Your Doll Wishlist?" I wrote about my desire for a 1960s Black Skipper that uses the original Skipper sculpt. I owned the original Skipper as a child and later learned that Mattel did, in fact, create a prototype of a Black Skipper in the 1960s that was never produced. AI created three different Black versions based on my request, which had to be fine-tuned to achieve the desired image. 

I used the photo of the 1960s redheaded Skipper with the prompt, "Change the ethnicity of the doll to African American without changing the facial features. Change the hair color to black. Make the character images on the box African American. Do not change the clothing style or colors."

1st AI-generated African American Skipper

AI changed the doll's ethnicity.

AI didn't follow instructions to change the box graphics to African American characters. I made a second request for that. 

2nd AI-generated African American Skipper Result

African American AI-generated Skipper with an African American doll on the box cover

It took a minute for me to realize that AI followed my instructions, but I failed to ask for brown eyes instead of the original blue eyes for the doll. So my third prompt asked, "Can you make the doll's eyes brown?"

3rd AI-Generated African American Skipper

And here she is: an African American 1960s AI-generated Skipper with an AA doll on the box cover!

I gave another collector permission to use the brown-eyed Skipper's AI photo in an Instagram post where she expressed her shared desire for Mattel to produce this doll. Mattel, MattelCreations, and Barbie were tagged in the IG post, which is embedded below.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tina Marshall (@a_thousand_black_dolls)

It will be a wish come true for me (and countless others) if Mattel listens and creates a three-dimensional version of the AI-generated doll. 

These are just a few examples of my AI-generated dolls and images. Artificial intelligence ignites my creativity and can do things in an instant that would take a human hours without the aid of technology. However, AI can also be a curse. False images and videos of people created to sway opinions or otherwise manipulate them, replacing jobs, and compromising privacy are just a few examples of harm that AI poses to humans. Using it as another form of doll play through still images (not animated videos at this time) works for me.

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Tree Trimming Barbie

Tree Trimming Barbie from 1998

I purchased this doll in 2024, and thought I had written a blog post about it, but apparently, I had not.

This lovely doll uses the 1980s Christie sculpt.

Tree Trimming Barbie, 1998, is dressed for Christmas. She has a cardboard Christmas ornament. The backdrop of the box features a Christmas scene with a Christmas tree and decorations to punch out. It can be opened up to use as a diorama or to punch out the Christmas tree and ornaments to decorate the tree. 

The back of the box illustrates how to punch out the tree and ornaments...

The back of the box also illustrates how to slide the ornaments onto the tree.

Barbie holds a cardboard ornament.

Tree Trimming Barbie wears a red knit sweater with a purple, green, red, yellow, and white front panel, green velour pants, and red boots. I love that Mattel still used real textiles for Barbie's clothes when this doll was made.

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Another Princess Tiana

Shipping box for Disney's Once Upon a Time Whimsy Collection Tiana

After Mattel Creations reduced the retail price of the Disney Once Upon a Time Whimsy Collection Tiana Doll, I added the doll to my Princess Tiana collection. A draft has been written for the doll's Virtual Black Doll museum installation, which will be published soon. Below are some of the first photos of the doll after it was removed from the shipper.

She has a beautiful Art Deco box.

The doll, the costume, and the box are all beautiful!

Isn't she gorgeous?

The museum installation is scheduled for later this month. I'll update this post after the installation is published.

Update

View the museum installation here.

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

A Pink Box Barbie

Pink box Barbie in Barbie logo dress

We were at Walmart, walking from a back corner of the store toward the front. As we approached the toy section, I looked to my right in the direction of the toy aisles. My husband said, "I see you looking for dolls." I said, "No, I'm looking for the car aisle for you, and then I'm going to the doll aisle." He entered the model car aisle, and I proceeded to the Barbie and other fashion dolls aisle. I briefly looked at the dolls and accessories shelved on both sides, hoping I wouldn't see anything I wanted. I walked and browsed swiftly because I wanted to finish before my husband, so that I could return to the car aisle before he left the aisle to look for me.

This close-up picture was taken while she was still in the box.

I noticed this $5.97 pink box Barbie, picked up the box, and examined her. She uses the Shani face and her complexion is similar to Nichelle's. I like her Barbie logo dress, I tell myself. I put the box back on the shelf. I stood there a couple of seconds before I grabbed the box from the shelf—similar to the way Denzel Washington's (temporarily sober) character, Whip, contemplates drinking alcohol after discovering the hotel minibar and succumbing to his addiction by grabbing a bottle in the movie, Flight. 

I hurried back to the model car aisle, holding my guilty pleasure before easing it into the basket, where my husband stood holding two model cars. "You didn't find anything?" he asked after looking up. Pointing to the doll lying flat in the cart, I answered, "Yes. There she is." 

Because he has more willpower, he placed the two cars back on the shelf. I wish I could have purchased them for him as part of his upcoming birthday present without him knowing, but I later found a 1969 Dodge model car online that I don't think he has. It will be one of his birthday gifts.

Freed from the box

See the Denzel comparison mentioned above at the link: https://youtu.be/bf2Fd5wdUOM?si=NTQHJ7eX7raa1hb-

These two lovely dolls use the Shani head sculpt.

Revelation. After editing the photos of the new doll and later, while editing photos of another Barbie, I discovered they both share the Shani head sculpt. Fashionista #206 (the Barbie with moles) was redressed in a Five and Below's Glam Squad ensemble earlier this year. I have not decided to redress the new girl. 

The fraternal twins pose for a full-view photo.

Related Post

Glam Squad Fashions Modeled

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Taking a Break

I am taking a break from this blog. I'll be back in December. 

DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum is still active at the website, on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. Please follow those sites. Thank you. ✌🏾☮️
 __________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

Saving Baby Nancy

This is how Baby Nancy arrived.

Baby Nancy's shattered condition upon arrival prompted me to devise a plan to make her whole. Initially, I was going to use a form of papier-maché to repair the vinyl body, but I had to piece it together like a puzzle first.

The video below describes the repair process using micropore tape, Mod Podge, plastic, felt, and paint.*

 

*After placement of the felt mentioned in the video, it was covered with layers of micropore tape and Mod Podge and allowed to harden sufficiently before the body was painted. 

 A Before-and-After Collage

Once shattered, Baby Nancy is now whole

Thank you again to the doll friend who allowed me to rehome Baby Nancy.

Related Post
A Thoughtful Gift
__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.

__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com

A Thoughtful Gift

A lovely gift of dolls

The best thing someone can give me is a nice thought, whether I know about it or not. Couple the nice thought with a doll or two, and I'll think I've hit the lottery. 

I was asked by a Facebook doll friend if I wanted the above-pictured dolls, specifically Baby Nancy. I did! Five dolls plus a bonus doll arrived a few days after I accepted them. Unfortunately, the star doll, Baby Nancy, didn't tolerate the trip very well.

I removed each carefully-wrapped doll from the shipping box. When I reached for Baby Nancy, I could feel her lower body crumble into pieces!* Her head, arms, and legs were okay. The upper torso, while still intact, had several long cracks in it. I removed all pieces of the bottom torso from the shipping box and placed them in a plastic bag. "I need to save her," I thought. The other five dolls were in great condition. I made some minor changes to three. The dolls and any changes made are described next.

Teeny Tiny Tumbles Surprise 

Teeny Tiny Tumbles Surprise really tumbles!

With a copyright year of  1996 by Toy Biz, Teeny Tiny Tumbles Surprise is a 4-inch doll that actually tumbles. When placed in the seated position on a flat surface, she makes a forward flip and lands on her back. If something obstructs the full tumble, however, she does a headstand. Too cute!

Bratz Big Babyz Felicia

Bratz Big Babyz Felicia

From 2006, Bratz Big Babyz Felicia by MGA Entertainment is my first Bratz Big Babyz doll. This 12-inch-tall, all-vinyl doll wears her original clothes and socks and still has her baby bottle necklace and stud earrings. (I washed her socks.) Her original hairbrush is missing. A former "little mommy" added three braids to the right front of the rooted brown hair (because that's what little girls do... style their dolls' hair). 

Felicia has a healthy head of hair.

Cloth Mammy Doll

Upon arrival, this cloth mammy doll had googly eyes.

Made by an elderly woman in New Orleans, who sold these handmade dolls at a tourist shop, is an 18-inch handmade cloth mammy with hand-painted facial features (except for its original googly eyes). It is very well made and was given to the former owner during the 1990s. She wears a beige and pink floral-print dress and a matching headscarf. A white shawl is pinned in place, and she wears a white apron.

Close-up of Mammy's face

My changes included hand-washing the apron and removing and replacing the googly eyes with a pair of brown buttons. 

She now has brown button eyes.

To avoid the tediousness of sewing the buttons onto the face, I placed several diagonal stitches using white thread into the four holes in each button to give the illusion of crisscross stitches. Next, I added a glue dot to the back of each button and pressed each over the glue residue where the googly eyes had been. The brown button eyes give her a more serious look rather than a surprised or startled appearance. 

Hand-Painted Artist Doll

This is Little E. by Shirley E. Banks of Kaity Dolls Collectible, circa 1990s.

Made by Shirley E. Banks of Kaity Dolls Collectible, this 14-inch cloth artist doll's hang tag identifies her as Little E. The former owner purchased her from the artist at a doll show several years ago. With time, Little E.'s facial paint faded. So, I painted over the original paint with every effort to preserve the doll's original appearance.

Little E.'s face is now freshly painted.

She holds a furry bunny.

Trixie

Trixie, a Flatsy doll by Ideal

The bonus doll in the package was Trixie, a Flatsy doll introduced in 1969 by Ideal. Trixie arrived with her cap stickpinned to her head. I removed the pins and added a glue dot to the inside front of the cap. I placed the cap on her head and pressed the front against her head to force the glue dot to stick. This is my second Trixie. My first Trixie, seen below, arrived in 2011 without her dress and shoes. I made a top for her using orange ponytail holders. 

This is my 1st Trixie. I am happy to now have a fully dressed version.

Baby Nancy

Baby Nancy in parts

I took this picture of Baby Nancy (Shindana's first doll, ©1968)  after gingerly removing her from the box, removing her clothes, and placing the broken torso pieces in a plastic bag. I've already begun repairing her. After the repair, another blog post will follow. 

*What happened to Baby Nancy is not the first time this has happened to a doll in my collection. I purchased three Baby Nancy dolls several years ago from someone who informed me beforehand that one of the dolls' bodies was broken inside its one-piece romper. The vinyl/plastic used by Shindana for some of their dolls' bodies can become brittle with age. Exposure to extreme temperature changes can also cause this breakdown. 

`*`*`*`*`*`*`

I truly appreciate my Facebook doll friend's thoughtfulness and desire for me to have these dolls, and I wish her well.

__________

All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________

Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, go to the About page (visible in the web view mode); find and use the email link.

Visit and follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum for detailed installations of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind black dolls. http://virtualblackdollmuseum.com