A 1964 Skipper posed for a picture during a break from a brown concealer application.
My first attempt at dyeing a 1960s Skipper brown was in the 1990s. It was a failure. I attempted to make modifications to that doll in 2013. Improvements were made, but she never satisfied my desire for a better brown version.
In April 2026, during a hiatus from this blog, I purchased an original straight-legged Skipper released by Mattel in 1964 to colorize brown to represent the Black version of the original Black Skipper that Mattel made a prototype of but never produced. This task required several steps that I captured in photos. I used the photos to create the following video.
There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
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Thank you for reading. Comments that are not spam are appreciated. Spam comments will not be published. To contact me directly, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
I received several beautiful birthday cards from friends and family.
I've been away from this blog consistently since April 2026 and am now playing catch-up. This return post is about several lovely doll-related birthday gifts I received in May 2026 from friends and family.
It's My Birthday! Barbie from 2001
This doll uses the Asha head sculpt.
The package includes several cardboard accessories.
It's My Birthday Barbie from 2001 uses the Asha head sculpt, which Mattel predominantly used at the time. This doll comes with cardboard accessories: a balloon bouquet, a personalized birthday hat, a gift bag with Asha's image on the front, and several colorful gift boxes.
8-inch OOAK hand-painted cloth doll with a doll
Close-up of the 8-inch hand-painted cloth doll with a doll
This 8-inch unmarked/unsigned cloth doll appears to be one of a kind. She holds her cloth doll in her right hand, and the doll's dress is held in the her left hand. She's preparing to dress her dolly.
Cherry's dolls
Cherry's dolls close-up
The above two are Cherry's dolls by the late Pat Kolesar. They were originally sold with a much larger doll named Cherry, who held these two. They are made of cloth with lithographed facial features and black yarn hair. The larger of the two dolls is 12 inches, and the doll she holds is 6 inches.
Barbie Signature Deluxe Kit 004 You Create Barbie Basics
The kit includes three different heads, three different articulated body types, three wigs, clothing, and accessories.
The box's inside cover flap illustrates ways to style the dolls.
This is a full-length image of the inside cover flap.
Barbie Signature Deluxe Kit 004 You Create Barbie Basics was another awesome birthday gift. I have not dressed the dolls yet. This kit will provide extensive "play" and creative time. I am grateful that Mattel reverted to kits that include bodies for each head.
Souvenirs from the Betye Saar Black Dolls Exhibit: a pack of 6 postcards and a doll bookmark
This thoughtful gift is a set of six Betye Saar's Black Dolls postcards featuring three dolls from Saar's collection and three of her watercolor doll paintings. A bookmark with the front and back images of the only doll Saar has made, named Hoodoo Woman, ca. 1960-1975, was also in this gift package. These items are souvenirs from Betye Saar's Black Dolls exhibit at the New York Historical, which will run through October 4, 2026.
Take a closer look at the postcards and bookmark in the following video:
My husband created a "dollologist" kit for me.
After conducting online research and using his past experience helping me repair dolls, or repairing them for me, my husband created a "dollologist kit" as a birthday present. View the contents of the kit in the next video.
A compartmental storage container holds several accessories from Mini Brands Fashion capsules.
The compartmental container holds sneakers, high-heeled shoes, boots, handbags, necklaces, sunglasses, lipstick, a compact, jewelry, and other items scaled to fit Barbie and similar-sized dolls.
Mini Brands Fashion Capsule Accessories: This was one of my favorite birthday gifts. In real life, I used to be a shoe freak, and I have always enjoyed purchasing nice footwear for my fashion dolls. I love that these pieces are well-made, miniature versions of footwear and handbags that people would wear. This gift influenced me to purchase four additional Mini Brands Fashion capsules. The fun is in the surprise! So far, I have not purchased any duplicates.
Naturalistas 1970s inspired fashion pack
This Naturalistas 1970s-inspired fashion pack was another nice birthday gift from a friend.
A mountable Lucite wall pocket
Wall Pocket: My friend uses her wall pocket to display fashion dolls. Mine is not yet mounted, but doll are displayed in it.
Six of my Barbies stand inside the wall pocket.
These same dolls (minus one) were displayed on doll stands in the same desk area before being displayed in the wall pocket. A few extra centimeters of desk space are available without using doll stands.
One of the last gifts to arrive (in June) was a 5 Surprise Series 2 Mini Brands Collector's Case that contains four exclusive, realistic popular food products, and spaces to hold 26 more.
In this photo, the case is open to illustrate the contents: four exclusive Mini Brands food products and the front of a sheet that illustrates the other food brands to collect.
The 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2 minis are primarily designed as highly detailed, realistic collectibles. Collectors use them to build miniature fast-food worlds, display them in realistic Mini Food Court Playsets, or stage them in dollhouses and miniature photography.
Close-ups of the front and back of the illustrated sheet are shown here and in the next image.
Most of the 5 Surprise Mini Brands Series 2 Collector Cases were sold with only two mini food products, but this exclusive set includes four.
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I had a very doll-lightful birthday that I continued to celebrate through early June, and I am grateful for all the gifts (doll-related and others), the cards, calls, and messages I received, and for the people who were so thoughtful to think of me.
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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.
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, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
The Black Gold Doll Club of New England's World Doll Day event celebrates the 40th anniversary of World Doll Day as the above flyer illustrates.
The Black Gold
Doll Club of New England is a prominent Boston-based collector organization
dedicated to the charitable and educational preservation of doll collecting,
with a special focus on representation and Black history.
Key Highlights and
Activities:
Education & Community: The club regularly hosts workshops, genealogy programs, and exhibit
displays in collaboration with the Boston Public Library and local
cultural centers.
World Doll Day: The
organization famously hosts free "Adopt a Doll" events, where
pre-loved dolls and toys are given to children alongside official adoption
certificates.
Junior Collectors: The club actively sponsors and supports junior doll-collecting
branches to pass the hobby down to the next generation.
Museum Connections: Members work closely with institutions like the National Black Doll
Museum in nearby Attleboro, MA, to celebrate the cultural significance of
Black dolls through the ages.
The above information about the Black Gold Doll Club was gathered from an online search.
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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.
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, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
World Doll Day was established to celebrate the enormous contributions dolls have made to the development of children worldwide and to humanity as a whole. It is celebrated annually on the 2nd Saturday in June. This year it falls on June 13, 2026. Typically, clubs, organizations, and/or individuals give a doll to someone, specifically a child in need. I don't have any specific plans for World Doll Day (WDD) this year, but last year I modified the widely used WDD logo (shown next) to one above that features a Black child with a doll (because representation matters).
The original World Doll Day logo lacked representation, so I modified it last year, as shown in the first image.
This year, I wanted a more inclusive logo, so I created the next one.
While not all ethnicities are captured, this is a more inclusive World Doll Day logo.
In this second, more inclusive logo, the two girls are swapping dolls, probably temporarily, but each one gets an opportunity to enjoy the other girl's doll.
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Side Note: Yesterday's Virtual Black Doll Museum installation of an Original Dolls by Goldie art half doll marks the 1000th installation in the virtual museum. The goal of installing 1000 dolls in the combined categories of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind Black dolls has been met. Additional installations have been prescheduled for June 2026, and future plans for the museum exist.
Am I back to my Tuesday and Thursday blog posts? No, but I will publish a post when the "Spirit" moves me to do so.
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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.
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, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
I am taking another much-needed break from the routine Tuesday and Thursday blog posts to focus on completing my goal of installing 1000 dolls in the combined categories of antique, vintage, modern, and one-of-a-kind dolls in the Virtual Black Doll Museum. To date, there are 983 doll installations (actually more, since some include multiple dolls, but I count each installation as one). There are now fewer than 20 dolls to curate and install, which will take approximately two more months.
If and when I need to post anything Black-Doll-Collecting-related, I will. Until then, take care of yourself, enjoy your dolls, and life. 🫶🏾✌🏾
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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.
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, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
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, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
Circa 1920s composition Scootles by Cameo, designed by Rose O'Neill (the Kewpie doll designer), looks almost perfect, but she had a few issues.
For years, I've desired an original 1920s composition Scootles, but passed on the few I've seen for sale for various reasons. I knew eventually, the right one would find me.
After viewing her online pictures, she was almost perfect except for some troubling areas where the composition had separated at a seam and had lifted in a couple of other areas. After the seller discounted the original asking price for me, I decided to bring Scootles home, and I'm happy about that decision.
What was done to repair my adorable dimple-cheeked, double-chinned Scootles is captured in the video below:
Scootles has been repaired and is wearing her new handmade sandals in this picture.
She is so adorable! Each time I look at this little gem, I smile. She was so worth the wait.
Read Scootles' Virtual Black Doll Museum installation here.
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All photos and text are copyrighted and cannot be used elsewhere unless permission is granted by the author.
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
What the website described as a "potato head" doll is the newest addition to my collection. A clone or knock-off of Nine d'Onil's 9-inch Mia, this doll arrived wearing only black vinyl Mary Jane shoes, as illustrated in the first picture. I ordered and received the brown and tan dress and brown faux-leather T-strap shoes, illustrated above.
Because she did not have socks, and dolls wearing closed-toe shoes without socks is one of my pet peeves, I made her a pair of socks using two fingers cut from a white cotton glove.
She models her white socks and brown faux-leather T-strap shoes.
The clip-on hair bow was included with the dress. The dress package also included a pair of black vinyl Mary Jane shoes.
These shoes were in the dress package. The doll also arrived wearing an identical pair.
I love the closely-rooted microbraided hair.
Before deciding to purchase this doll, I had placed several versions into my cart. Realizing I did not need all four or five dolls in my cart, the microbraided hair was the deciding factor for choosing this doll.
My two branded Nines d'Onil dolls posed with the new girl in the final AI-generated photo.
They display well together in real life, too!
The middle Mia, shown above, now wears a pair of the black Mary Janes that were included in this order. Originally, she had bare feet.
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, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
Learn, Baby, Learn the Shindana Toy Factory’s Legacy of Black Pride
By
Charlotte Watson Sherman
Illustrated by Esther J. Stimphat
My excitement about this book commenced when I learned of
its publication by email from the author. The excitement increased after receiving my copy directly from
the author, and it escalated even further after I viewed the front cover, which illustrates
Black children enjoying Shindana’s dolls Kim in formal attire, Career Girl Wanda, and
J.J., along with Slade Super Agent action figure.
After opening the hardcover and viewing the first three pages
of colorful Shindana doll illustrations by Esther J. Stimphat, I was filled
with joy to realize others, both familiar and unfamiliar with the company’s
rich history, will rediscover or discover its legacy of Black pride and what
prompted the founders to create this historic doll company—the first to mass-produce ethnically correct Black dolls.
Readers will discover the names of former businesses that
operated in what became the Shindana Doll Factory. Sherman's poetic historical account
of the people who migrated West from the South seeking better living conditions
and what they found explains the conditions that led to the 1965 Watts Rising.
Learn, Baby, Learn: The Shindana Doll Factory’s Legacy of
Black Pride tells the inspiring story of how a community’s despair sparked
the creation of a company devoted to rebuilding hope—producing ethnically
accurate dolls, action figures, and educational games that celebrated Black
identity.
Hardcover and paperback versions are available onAmazon, Barnes & Noble, and from other book sellers.
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, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
I purchased new fashions for XianXian Supermodel Elara. In the next picture, the ladies model two of the three fashions.
The contrast between their deep complexions and the bright colors of the clothing works well.
I love this look on them. I'll use the extra fashion for another doll.
I wanted to create a 1960s mod-era look with matching Mondrian color-block dresses and fishnet stockings.
Elara dolls wear a Mondrian color-block dress.
White fishnet stockings, white ankle boots, and wedge heels complement the dresses.
Because they both have supermodel magazine cover appeal, they are now cover girls.
They are indeed supermodels extraordinare!
Elara dolls look just as good in these off-the-rack clothes as in haute couture fashions.
Sculpt Comparison
Before this post was published, another collector asked if I thought Elara and the above honey-skin-toned XianXian doll shared the same sculpt. My initial answer was no. After I took the above photo, my answer remained no. The head sculpts are similar; however, the
lighter-complexioned doll's lips appear fuller, and her straight-forward eyes
are set wider apart than Elara's. The head sculpt for the doll on the right is Gala, according to the XianXianToys website.
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, use the About page link, which is also visible in 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
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