As Seen on the Shelves of Walmart

My Sweet Love Playsets from Lots of Love Babies; smiling and looking curious, respectively, one has a bathtub, the other has a baby bed.

I decided to take the above and the following pictures to share here while browsing the doll aisles at Walmart. 

The first dolls that caught my eye were the mini babies and playsets, My Sweet Love dolls from the Lots to Love Babies line.  I believe Berenguer is the manufacturer.  They are all-vinyl, 5 inches tall, and have different facial expressions.  They were priced at $4.88 each.

My Sweet Love with a green and purple scooter and another with a rocking horse.

The one on the left has a baby seat with tray.

The one on the right sits in a pink infant carrier.

This close-up provides a better view of the My Sweet Love baby seated in an infant carrier.

There were other My Sweet Love Babies with different head sculpts than the ones described above.  Sold as dolls only, they have a light-brown-to-tan complexion, shown next:

These cuties were priced at $3.98 as shown.  Dressed in colorful pastel shirts and panties, they are all-vinyl with molded hair.  They share the same facial expression.

Also available were a dark- and medium-complexioned Keyara (Kenya's Baby Sister) and a dark-complexioned Sparkle and Shine Kenya.

Sparkle and Shine Kenya is shown above in a medium complexion.

Also from the Kenya line is Sparkle and Shine Styling Head Kenya.  She has a lovely head sculpt.

I checked to see if the 18-inch My Life [cancer] Survivor doll was there, but none were in stock.  The following three My Life dolls were available.

My Life as an Everyday Girl and My life as Class President

My Life as a Vlogger

There were three different Princess Tiana dolls seen.  I almost regret not getting the mini-doll...

and/or the one on the far left above.  They are Comfy Squad Tiana (she has a kooky expression), Royal Shimmer Tiana, and Petite Tiana (the mini-doll that is about 4 to 5 inches tall).  If she's still there, I will probably bring her home the next time I shop (but there were only two!).

Sparkle Girlz fashions priced at $1.97 each

I sifted through the above Sparkle Girlz fashion display box and picked out the following for myself... I mean for my Barbie-sized dolls with slender bodies. 

A one-piece dress with dark pink bodice and multicolored straight skirt includes a pair of pink mules; and a one-piece dress with a red knit bodice, white collar and cuffs, denim skirt, and silver box purse.

On the left, a green/orange/tan top pairs well with an ombre-green separate skirt and red high heels; white blouse with embroidered neckline and flared sleeves and Aztec patterned leggings and a red handbag are on the right.

I also saw the #Snapstar dolls, one of which I purchased months ago but returned.  A few #Snapstar wigs were available.  I purchased a red one for one of my other dolls to wear if needed.  The wig was $4 and change.

The wig looks great in the box graphics.

The wig quality, unfortunately, is poor.  The ends are quite rough and uneven.  It sheds when combed.  The very thin plastic wig stand and comb were included.

This image was taken from the back after I combed through the wig to remove most of the loose fibers.

This wig fits LIV Alexis well, but she opted to return to her own wig as seen here with #Snapstar doll I returned months ago. 

There were lots of Barbies on Walmart's shelves along with the holiday Barbies (white and black versions), which I forgot to photograph. 

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A few weeks ago, my husband called me from Wal-Mart, all excited about a "black Barbie in a wheelchair" and a "boy with plastic cornrows," wanting to know if I wanted them.  I was hesitant about the wheelchair Barbie (because I just like dolls and have no room for accessories, none), but I did want cornrowed Ken, which is actually the same doll as Classic Cool.  The newer version has a deeper complexion.  He talked me into getting Fashionista #133.  "Your collection needs to include unique dolls.  This doll even has a ramp."   I said, "Alright! Get that one, too."

So here they are, Fashionista #133 and #130.

Fashionista #133 shares the same head sculpt (and hairstyle) as Fashionista #80 (Cheerful Check).  Dressed in a multicolored striped blouse with cold shoulders, denim pants, and low-top white sneakers, she wears silver shades on her head.  Her hair is styled in two Afro puffs.  Her multiple points of articulation allow her to sit in her turquoise wheelchair with ease.  Her wheelchair ramp is Barbie pink. 

Fashionista #130 will have a makeover of his cornrows as soon as he is released from the box and as soon as time permits (probably not before the Thanksgiving holiday or Christmas break).  He wears a black and white jersey with the number 4 on the front.  Los Angeles is repeated around the hemline of the jersey.    Light blue denim pants and low-top white sneakers complete his casual look.


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Target's Dolls of All Nations Will the Real Artist Please Stand Up?

Yvonne from the 1996 Target- exclusive Dolls of All Nations Collection (Second Edition)

During the mid-1990s, Target released The Dolls of All Nations Collection.  My newly acquired doll, Yvonne, is from the second edition of this collection. The dolls were Target exclusives, distributed by Dayton Hudson Corporation of Minneapolis, MN under the Unimax label.  The box date is 1996.

I vividly recall shopping in Target during the time the first edition of this doll line was stocked on Target's shelves.  Wanja, the doll that represents Kenya is part of the first series of Dolls of All Nations (1995).  I purchased Wanja from Target the year of release.  I never saw Yvonne in stock.

Yvonne (Uganda) and Wanja (Kenya) from the Dolls of All Nations Collection, 1996 and 1995, respectively.

Nearly 20 years after the doll was released, Yvonne was recently purchased for $7.99 plus shipping and arrived in never-removed-from-box state.  The box shows shelf wear but Yvonne is perfect.  This all vinyl doll stands 12 inches, has painted brown eyes, and black rooted hair styled in multiple braids with green ribbons braided through each.  She wears a coral dress with African print belt, matching head wrap, multicolored beaded necklace, gold tone elasticized bracelet, and black sandals.  A doll stand is also included.

The back of Yvonne's box reads:

1996 Hello, I am named Yvonne.

I come from Uganda.

It is one of the 52 nations on the

continent of Africa. 

 You will be pleased to know I speak your 

 language, English, and I also speak our 

native language, Swahili.

Because our climate is tropical and warm, my country

is home to many flowers and forests.

We also have many colorful birds living near our rivers.

When my family travels in our long canoe to visit friends in

the next village, we see ostriches, flamingos and storks.

Monkeys swing from tree to tree along the river's edge.

It is as if they want to visit our friends too!

My family is perhaps bigger than yours.

It includes many cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

We live together in a village that is close to the coffee farm

we own.  Each member of the family has a job to do.

It is my job to carry cooking pots to the river for washing.

I also make ngunza, a delicious thick sauce made

from cassava leaves, tomato paste and peanut butter.

Isn't my dress colorful?

It is the traditional dress of Ugandan women and girls.

It is called a busuti with a long, full skirt,

square neck and a cloth tied diagonally.

My friend, would you like to come in our canoe?

You can share my long bamboo pole

for pushing, and we will go to see

the hippopotamuses bathing in the

river with their babies.

(I wonder who wrote that blurb.)

While the Dolls of All Nations dolls resemble Swiss doll artist, Heidi Otts' Little Ones dolls (a high-end collectors doll line, also released in the late 1990s), Ott did not sculpt the Dolls of All Nations.

Ott did sculpt the 18-inch Faithful Friends  dolls that were Target exclusives from 1997-1998.  These traditionally dressed dolls were designed to compete with the original, historical American Girl dolls. When conducting research to prove or disprove recently circulated information that Ott sculpted the Dolls of All Nations dolls, I found that she did not.  Under the heading, Background, in paragraph 7 of the online details of a lawsuit Ott brought against Target on July 29, 1999, Ott alleges that the dolls Target sold as Dolls of All Nations were knock offs of her Little Ones, proof of which is cited in the text, which can be read in its entirety here.

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A More Elegant Rock Star Kenya

I am just not good at re-bodying dolls.  My patience gets the best of me because I would rather do a Samantha Stephens "bewitching" nose twitch and have the end result magically appear.  Often my haste makes a mess that I have to attempt to clean up later.  One day I will learn.

When I removed Adéle's head for her body transplant using Rock Star Kenya's body, even though I tried to remove it gently, a huge piece of the neck chipped off.  After completing the transplant, I was left with Kenya's head and Adéle's old body.  I wanted to combine the two, even though the arms of the body are stained in addition to the chunk missing from the anterior neck.

So I broke off additional pieces of the neck to even the edges without the use of a file (e.g. my husband's assistance).  "She'll have a short neck (I thought), but at least she'll have a body."

The images below illustrate the end result and why Rock Star Kenya no longer needs her guitar.

Adéle's original body with chipped neck caused by brittle vinyl and the "gentle" force used to remove the head.

Rock Star Kenya was determined to use Adéle's body.

Mission accomplished; Kenya's original clothing including her sunglasses and guitar have been stored in a snack-size Ziploc bag.

Kenya's stained body is elegantly covered with Adéle's black robe.  She wears the silver earrings from the Tim Gunn Barbie fashion and Adéle's shoes, as shown below.

I think Kenya looks lovely from head to toe and her shorter-than-normal neck is barely noticeable.

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If you are patient and can find Kenya dolls deeply discounted, their articulated bodies make decent donors, but the waist is not articulated.  I would not recommend paying full price for the dolls to use as donors, but if you are looking to add a Fashion Madness Kenya to your collection and have not been able to find one at Family Dollar or CVS, and also do not mind paying $20.99 plus shipping, check out the new Kenya Online Store. (TJ, Dwayne, Denise, and Keysha are not available in the store... I wonder if they ever will be available off- or online.)

 



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Black Dolls From Around the World - Africa

Black dolls are universal and loved around the world.  Since I was unable to include black dolls from other countries or continents in my Moments in Black Doll History blog entries in February, I will do that this month intermixed with other black-doll musings.

This post is dedicated to dolls from various regions of the continent of Africa. Typically, dolls from Africa are not considered playthings. They are used there for rituals and educational purposes. I have incorporated a few dolls from Africa into my collection.  I know a few fellow doll enthusiasts who have done the same.

Dolls from Kenya is the name of the Kenyan company that produced this pair of 7-1/2 inch cloth dolls, circa 1990s or earlier. They have felt eyes and mouths, wear clothing made of authentic Kenyan fabric with gold tone string necklaces and arm bracelets. Black yarn was used for their hair, the ends of which are braided with beads on the ends. One has two ponytails with beads; the other has one side braided ponytail.  They each have a hang tag, shown next:

The inside of which reads:

KENYA today –

Hairstyles of today’s Kenya women are very varied – mainly braided and elaborated with clusters of colourful beads.

The garment, called a KIKOI, (women in Kenya) in colourful striped designs, with frayed edges, is usually wrapped around the body as leisure wear and is most common of the Kenya coast.

A variety of Ndebele dolls made in South Africa by members of the Ndebele Tribe, photograph courtesy of Bonnie Lewis

Based on their beading, dress, and other decorative accouterments, Ndebele dolls have different meanings and ritualistic usages.  See images of different types of Ndebele dolls here.

Swazi doll with baby (front and back views), photograph courtesy of Ruth Manning

The above Swazi doll and baby is made of brown felt and wears an authentic African dress typical of that worn by the Swazi people of south-east South Africa.

Xhosa doll fromTranskei, South Africa, photograph courtesy of Bonnie Lewis

Similar to the Swazi doll and baby, the Xhosa doll above is also made of brown felt and likewise has painted facial features.  It is representative of and made by the Transkei people who primarily live in the Eastern Cape area of South Africa.  Transkei means, the area beyond the Kei River.

Four Ashanti Akua'ba Dolls (Fertility Dolls) from West Africa

Typically used to promote fertility, Ashanti Akua'ba dolls are often incorporated into doll collections or displayed with other African art.  Nice examples of 20th-century Ashanti Akua'ba dolls are shown and described here.

Ghanaian Woman with Baby

The Ghanaian Woman with Baby doll is made of cloth over cardboard-like foam.  Baby is inside a pouch on woman's back.  Both have hand painted features.  Imprinted on the back of baby's pouch are the words:  HARMONIE de Woodin.  The doll was made in Ghana, imported to the US by Jokae's African American Books+, Dallas, Texas. 

Senegalese Pocket Dolls handmade in Senegal using authentic Senegalese fabrics

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These are just a few dolls made in Africa.  According to Elisabeth L. Cameron and Doran H. Ross in Isn't S/he a Doll? Play and Ritual in African Sculpture, page 11 (1996 Regents of the University of California),

"While the average parent views these figures as relatively inconsequential objects, it is becoming increasingly clear to social scientists that they can be active in establishing value systems and constructing identities."  

 

A thorough exploration of African dolls is covered in Cameron's book, the cover of which is pictured above.

Do you have dolls and/or images of dolls made in Africa that differ from these?
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