Another Break

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.

©Black Doll Collecting/dbg

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 Spam comments will not be published.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

Betye Saar's Black Dolls

Screen shot from NYH

Screen shot from NYH

An exhibition of Betye Saar's Black dolls will open on May 8, 2026, at the New York Historical. The exhibition will extend through October 4, 2026.

Buy tickets and learn more here.

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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 Spam comments will not be published.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, 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

Composition Repair and Sandals for Scootles

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. 

__________

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 Cute Potato Head Doll

A new doll, a dress, and shoes

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.

Related Posts

Mia by Nine d'Onil

Nines d' Onil Little Mia

Mother's Day Doll

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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, 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 Book Review

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 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and from other book sellers.

Visit the author's website www.charlottewatsonsherman.com.

__________

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, 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

Elara Cover Girls

Mix and match fashion-doll clothes

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.

Related Posts

XianXian Miya

XianXian Doll 2

Who Makes XianXian Dolls?

More Supermodels

I Got the Right One Baby

The Other Doll in the Order

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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, 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

Motor City Doll Club Presents: Lenon Holder Hoyte a virtual event

The next segment of Motor City Doll Club Presents will take place virtually on Thursday, April 9th, at 6:00 PM.  

Past MCDC President Sharon Harbin will present on Lenon Holder Hoyte, an inspiring educator who amassed an extraordinary collection of dolls and founded Aunt Len's Doll and Toy Museum in her Harlem brownstone in 1974.

Register for this online event 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 web view mode) and 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

Best Fashion Friend Princess Adventure Barbie

Best Fashion Friend Princess Adventure Barbie

A 28-inch Barbie with natural-textured hair has been crossed off my doll wish list. I recently found her online at a great price and was pleasantly surprised by her great condition. Except for a tilted tiara (which I've left as is), she is flawless. 

The turquoise boots clash with the colors of her clothing, but that was Mattel's color choice for some odd reason.

As indicated, she is in great condition and appears to have never been played with.

Several years ago, my husband urged me to buy a 28-inch Barbie with the same hairstyle as this doll. He saw her while waiting for me as I browsed a store's toy aisle. At that time, purchasing it was a hard pass. She was rejected! But my, how things and desires change. 

With the help of AI, I placed Princess Adventure Barbie in a royal kingdom setting.

Best Fashion Friend Princess Adventure Barbie's Excel spreadsheet description reads as follows:

28-inch vinyl Barbie has articulation in the usual 5 places, plus the elbows and wrists. Has natural-textured, black-rooted hair styled in two side Afro puffs; brown-painted eyes with painted upper and lower eyelashes, and an open smiling mouth with red lip color. Wears a pink dress with a pink layered tulle skirt embellished with pink lamé stars and cursive words like love, awesome, magnifique, and happy. The dress has an attached lavender lamé jacket that has a white faux fur collar. A pink tiara, white molded-on bikini panties, and turquoise mock-lace-up boots complete the fashion.

Best Fashion Friend Princess Adventure Barbie was released in 2020, designed as a complement to the musical movie Barbie: Princess Adventure. She is my second 28-inch Barbie. The other one, found at a thrift store, has rainbow-colored straight hair. The two are posed together in the next photo.

Princess Adventure Barbie and Rainbow Sparkle Barbie display well together. 

Related Posts

28-inch Barbie Before and After

28-inch Barbie Gets Redressed

A New Dress for 28-inch Barbie

_______

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, 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

Former librarian and published author Charlotte Watson Sherman shared the following information about her new book:


"I have written a picture book, Learn Baby Learn: The Shindana Toy Factory’s Legacy of Black Pride, published March 10, 2026, to describe the events leading up to the Watts Uprising and the resulting partnership between a community organization, Operation Bootstrap, and Mattel, Inc. that led to the creation of the Shindana Toy Factory. Shindana was the first Black toy company and, eventually, the world’s largest maker and seller of Black dolls, toys, and games. For the first time, Black girls and boys could play with dolls that looked like them."

Hardcover and paperback versions are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other websites.

Ms. Sherman's other books include Brown Sugar Babe, Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps, and co-author of This Opening Sky, a 2024 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection.

Visit the author's website www.charlottewatsonsherman.com.

__________

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, 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

Aldi's Maya

Aldi Play Maya Fashion Doll by Jakks Pacific, Inc.

I could not find Maya, a Jakks Pacific, Inc., and Aldi-store-exclusive doll, at an Aldi near me. A long-time doll friend, who lives several states away, knew about this dilemma and offered to purchase the doll for me. 

The day after Maya's arrival, I took the following unboxing photos:

Maya is still secured to the cellophane lining in this photo.

And secured she was. There were several plastic connectors and rubber bands to cut before Maya was released from the cellophane.

Maya's story is written on the back of the box.

From the back of the box, Maya's story reads as follows:

Meet Maya

Maya’s always on the go, from shopping her favorite finds to lunch dates full of laughter. With her signature look and trusty ALDI tote bag and keychain, she’s ready for any adventure—grocery runs, smoothie stops, or just hanging out with friends. Stylish, smart, and totally relatable, Maya makes every day feel fabulous.

I discarded the box. 

Before taking this photo, I finger-combed and fluffed out Maya's well-rooted, natural-textured black hair.

Here she is in a full-length view.

My Excel description of Maya's features and clothing reads as follows:

11-1/2 inch, vinyl high-heeled fashion doll; side-parted, waist-length, rooted black natural-textured hair; pixelated brown eyes, dark lip color; wears an Aldi-colors-themed dress that has a white bodice and light-blue pleated skirt with horizontal Aldi-colors at the hemline, one short sleeve is light blue, the other is peach; wears high-top vinyl peach shoes with mock laces; and carries a mesh Aldi shopping tote that has a colorful, petal-shaped keychain attached.

 

As a frequent Aldi shopper, I wanted this doll in my collection. Thank you again, MR, for helping me achieve this goal.__________

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

XianXian's Elara x2

XianXian Toys Elara prototype photo

I fell in love with the prototype photos of both versions of XianXian Toys' recently released Elara. I could not wait for other sites to offer the dolls for less. So, I went straight to XianXiantoys.com and ordered the dolls, some fashions, and accessories. My hope was that instead of shipping the items in thin plastic bags with limited protection during transit, the company that makes the dolls would ship them in boxes. As illustrated in the next picture, they did exactly that. 

The dolls and clothing were shipped in sturdy shipping boxes with the outer surface sealed with several layers of packaging tape.

It was well worth the extra $10 for each doll (other sites now have them for around $20). The clothing was reasonably priced (no higher than on other sites that offer the same clothes. I did not have to pay any taxes or tariffs, and shipping was less than $8 for each order.

Note: Some photos show nudity that I elected not to blur because the dolls are advertised this way on the company's website, and because this blog is geared toward adult doll collectors.

First Photos

This photo was taken before the dolls, clothes, and accessories were removed from their individual boxes and packages.

The front center of the doll box is cellophane.

The Product Information from the back of the box reads:

Product Name: Supermodel doll

Skin color: charcoal skin

Product model: Look on the package [this model is Elara.]

Applicable age: Over 14 years old

Maintenance: Wipe the doll with a clean cloth.

Designed by Xianxian of Henan Province, China; Made in China

Each Elara doll arrived attached to a cardstock liner inside its box. Xian Xian Princess Basic Edition is printed throughout the liner.

This is a close-up of their beautiful faces, which illustrates their different lip colors.

Except for their hair texture and style and their different lip colors, the dolls share the same facial features. This head sculpt reminds me of the lovely Cassandra Freeman, the actress who portrays Aunt Viv on Bel-Air (the remake of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air series).

Fashions and Accessories

I was so anxious to order the dolls that I didn't think about ordering clothing until after the doll order was submitted. So, I placed a separate order for the following four fashions and accessories. 

The four fashions are: 1) A white two-piece top and pants from the Navitation Collection;  2) a gray jacket, red pleather skirt, a black belt, and sunglasses from the Cool Girl Collection; 3) a black crop top, blue pants, a black furry handbag, and a silk scarf, also from the Cool Girl Collection; and 4) a brown faux leather top and shorts ensemble from the Earth Collection

I ordered and received a black faux leather handbag, a brown faux leather shoulder or hand bag, and a set of white, brown, and black shoes with four pairs of different shoes in each set, but each set contains the same four styles.

Modeling

The Elara dolls modeled the four fashions, as illustrated next.

Straight-haired Elara modeled the Navitation fashion and holds the black faux leather handbag. The pants cover her feet. The top and the pants have snap closures.

I added pearl stud earrings to her pre-pierced ears.

White wedge heels are worn with the Navitation ensemble.

My natural-hair queen models the brown shorts ensemble with the brown shoulder bag and wears brown ankle boots from the brown shoes package. The shorts have a snap closure.

 

This fashion includes a leather gold-studded choker. I added gold-tone heart-shaped dangle earrings to her pre-pieced ears.

Here she is once again in a full-length photo.

This Cool Girl Fashion is modeled by straight-haired Elara, who posed from the back in the next two photos.

After folding the scarf into a triangular shape and placing it on Elara 's head, I brought the two sides and the middle ends together. These were held in place with a clear elastic band. (Tying a knot was impossible because the scarf tended to slip off her head.)

To prevent slippage, I inserted a pearl-studded map pin into the scarf above the elastic band and into the doll's head (ouch). 

The above fashion is worn with black wedge heels that are identical to the white pair shown previously. The pants in this fashion also use snaps to close. Impressive.

The other Cool Girl fashion is modeled by the 
Afro diva. She added the black faux handbag, which was a separate purchase, and she wears black pumps from the black shoe set.

I had to use black elastic ties to keep the pumps on the doll's feet. This will also be required if the dolls wear the open-toed pumps shown in this image. (The ankle boots and the wedge heels fit perfectly.)

Other than my failure to order everything in one order and the fact that only two pairs of shoes in each set fit the dolls without using elastic bands (which is not a big issue), I am very pleased with the purchases. 

They struck two final poses together.

I really like these two and the well-made fashions.

The XianXian Website
__________

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