A Ken Clone, Ken #162, and His Twin

Circa 1980s Ken Clone "James"

A Ken clone sold without clothes and said to be named James arrived recently. Several years ago, I saw the same dollar-store-type Ken clone in a blog post by A Philly Collector of Playscale and Action Figures. Her doll has a darker complexion. I do not recall if her doll's name is James. The name Steve keeps popping up in my head, but that might be because I recently found another Ken clone named Steve.

James has a very broad nose. Based on this, I can safely assume this sculpt, marked MADE IN/CHINA on the back, was only used for Black dolls. He has a jointed waist.

Steve by Fibre-Craft and James

James is shown above with the Ken clone, Steve. Note the height difference. 

Recall from a previous post that I ordered two Ken Fashionista #162 dolls. My plan had always been to redress one and to keep the other in the package. That task has been completed and Steve was given Ken #162's clothes.

After dressing James, my first Ken clone (a clone of Fairland Toy 12 that uses the Ken Dance Magic head mold from 1989) joined in to take a height comparison photo.

As illustrated above, at only 11 inches tall, James is the runt of the three Ken clones I currently own.

__________

This is an appropriate redress for Ken #162

Ken #162 is redressed in a camouflage hoodie and pants made by LayleeMDollClothes. He temporarily continued wearing his yellow sneakers.

Profile headshots

Ken's brown painted eyes and his half-rooted and half-painted hair are illustrated in the above collage. The hair is rooted on the top and painted on the sides to create his low-top fade.

After redressing, he took photos with his fraternal twin, ZiZi (Zig and Zag Barbie Fashionista #57) as soon as her similar camo fashion arrived, which was purchased separately.

The Fraternal Twins Zack and ZiZi

Can you see the family resemblance?

Fashionista #162 (now named Zack) found white low-top Ken sneakers to wear. ZiZi wears red sneakers. They don't usually dress alike, but for the time being, they decided to wear similar fashions. 

Since Zack was no longer wearing his yellow sneakers, he gave them to James. 

ZiZi added earrings and a choker.

Claiming her independence, ZiZi wears jewelry and red sneakers to distinguish her outfit from her brother's. 

ZiZi's jewelry of a sunburst pendant on a black embroidery thread necklace and matching silver earrings were made a few years ago by Atelierni Shasha. 

dbg

There are countless items to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for reading. To contact me, please use the contact form on the right of the home page, which is visible in "web view." A link to web viewing should be visible at the bottom of this page.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
*New* Visit/Follow DeeBeeGee's Virtual Black Doll Museum
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

Cute Redress for ZiZi

Light blue maxi-length halter dress by Laylee M Doll Clothes

Instagramer, Laylee M Doll Clothes posted pictures of one of her dolls modeling this image-graphic halter dress.  I didn't know which of my dolls would have the opportunity to wear it.  All I knew is that I wanted one. 

After it arrived, several ladies argued over it and were actually given an opportunity to try it on.  Ultimately, because of the wider fit at the hips, Curvy Fashionista ZiZi (Zig and Zag) won the "who gets to wear it" debate. 

ZiZi Models the Dress

Dress graphics include several fashionable women with an African American woman on the front center.  Images of hairpins, nail polish, and lipstick are included in the graphics. 

ZiZi wears black strappy sandals and holds a gray tote.

She wears her black sunglasses on her head and completes the look with light blue hoop earrings.  (I painted the originally gold-tone earrings with light blue fingernail polish.  A woman must coordinate, you know.)

A seated brunette, a blonde, and another African American woman are visible on the back of the dress as illustrated here and in the final photo.

ZiZi looks fabulous in this very well-made dress that shipped free!

Fashions for Barbie and Fresh Dolls by Laylee M Doll Clothes are available in the Etsy shop of the same name.  Visit and/or follow her Instagram page here.  Shipping is free in the US only. 

dbg

There is always something to collect and write about. Black dolls chose me.
__________
Thank you for following, commenting, and sharing using the share button below.

Check out what I am selling here. 
Check out my eBay listings here.
Please follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black.
Donate here to support this blog. Thank you!

ZiZi and Her Short-Sleeved Dress

ZiZi and Natalie in swapped dresses

The sleeves on ZiZi's brocade dress had to go, at least partially. It bothered me to see her wearing a long-sleeved dress with open-toe shoes/sandals, so I grabbed a pair of scissors and snipped 2-1/4 inches away from the lower sleeves.

Sewing was not required afterward.

To prevent the cut edges of the now short sleeves from raveling, I painted these with clear fingernail polish, making sure the fingernail polish-dipped brush only touched the edges of the cut sleeves.  (To prevent the cut edges from fraying, I do this with cut ribbon edges, too.) 

Next, the dress was placed upright to lean against a mug on my desk for an hour or so while the fingernail polish dried.  (It did not actually take that long for the nail polish to dry, but I wanted to ensure it was completely dry before ZiZi was redressed.

She looks so much better and cooler now.

ZiZi is back on display with a few of her friends looking as confident as ever as shown above and as seen in the short video below. 

dbg
Thank you for reading. Was this post helpful?
Follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black
View the Doll Events page for updates. Check out my eBay listings here.

Glam Boho Barbie #85 and More Redressing

One of Glam Boho's first in-the-box photos

Glam Boho was ordered several months ago from ShopMattel dot com. Shipping of the first preordered dolls took place during the last week of September, which is when my doll arrived. At the ShopMattel site, the doll, shown as Fashionista #86, is currently not available. It is unknown if quantities will be replenished.

I do not know if the #86 used to describe Glam Boho at ShopMattel is an error or if dolls will be released in boxes marked #85 and later #86.  As indicated in this photo, my doll's package is numbered 85.

Before releasing Glam Boho from the confines of her box, she took this headshot comparison photo with Natalie (The Barbie Look Curvy Nighttime Glamour).  Reportedly (online) they both use the Carnaval head sculpt but look slightly different. They do share the same hair color, but their eye colors and shapes differ.  Natalie's eyes are hazel.  Glam Boho's eyes are gray and her eyebrows are fuller than Natalie's.  Glam Boho also has freckles.

Freed from her box, Glam Boho poses with her extra romper and aqua hat lying beneath. She carries a black shoulder bag and wears a yellow lacy dress, black choker, and silver (painted plastic) drop necklace.  White wide-strap high heels complete her look.

Her freckles are barely visible in this photo.  An additional photo later in this post better illustrates the freckles.   

I have decided to name her Rainbow, but will call her Bo for short.  She did not spend much time in the extra romper, which she paired with a pair of black high-heel Mary Jane-style shoes found in the shoe stash.  The romper is cute, but Bo prefers her yellow dress, which she put back on before posing with her big sister, Natalie.

They do look like sisters or mother and daughter.  I have not decided on their exact familial relationship.  Bo's complexion is a shade lighter than Natalie's, which is not uncommon in families.

The illustration in the lower right-hand corner of Bo's box shows her wearing the aqua scarf with the faux bow in front.  I am not at all fond of head scarves tied in this manner.  Therefore, Bo will wear the bow of her scarf in the back or to the side.

In this photo, Bo wears the bow of her headscarf to the side.  Her freckles can be seen somewhat better in this photo.  Stretching or otherwise enlarging this image might aid in visibility of the freckles.

Her honey-blonde hair with highlights is curly and of better quality than Natalie's.  Except for two side braids that frame her face, illustrated in the previous photo, Bo's hair is worn loose.

In my post about Natalie and ZiZi's redresses, I mentioned an eBay seller, who makes Barbie clothes from knit fabrics using a glue gun instead of sewing.  After Natalie and ZiZi swapped clothes, I checked eBay to see if this seller was now making clothes for curvy Barbie.  I was pleased to learn she has incorporated fashions for the curvy dolls into her merchandise.  I purchased two dresses made for Curvy Barbie from this seller.  Bo and ZiZi model these next.

Bo wears a black knee-length, collared dress with black high-heeled Mary Janes.  The dress accentuates her curves but is not unflattering.

ZiZi chose to try on this one-shoulder yellow dress.  The yellow nicely complements her complexion and like Bo, the dress accents her curves.  She temporarily borrowed Bo's white sandals.

Both ladies eventually returned to what they wore before trying on these knit dresses, but they explored different shoes.

Bo thought this pair of aqua ankle booties would look great with her original yellow lacy dress and aqua scarf, and they do.  Unfortunately, the top front of the booties juts out a bit due to the arch of her feet.

After ZiZi put the brocade dress back on, she and Bo made one last shoe swap.  ZiZi now wears the aqua booties.  That color picks up the aqua in her dress.  Bo wears her original white high-heel sandals.  Natalie was content with watching their quick redresses and shoe swaps.  Because she still enjoys wearing her tan dress and animal-print jacket, she had no desire to participate in this redressing session.

If you need clothes for your curvy Barbies or fashions made for ModelMuse and other average body types, check out Barbie-Couture's economically priced fashions on eBay.


dbg
Thank you for reading. Was this post helpful?
Follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black
View the Doll Events page for updates. Check out my eBay listings here.

ZiZi's Re-Repainted Lips

ZiZi's initial repaint was done with fingernail polish.

Recall that I used fingernail polish to repaint ZiZi's lips after removing the Mattel-pink lip color.  She is shown above with fingernail-polished lips.  It was a bit clumpy in one corner because I did not allow time for the polish to dry before applying another layer, but even after drying, it felt sticky.  Whether or not the fingernail polish was negatively interacting with the vinyl, I am uncertain, but I had been planning to remove it and repaint with acrylic paint as soon as I purchased the desired color.  Recently I did that.

After pouring a very small amount of fingernail polish remover into the bottle cap, I moistened the very tip of a Q-tip with fingernail polish remover.  While rubbing this across the lip color to remove, care was taken not to get the fingernail polish remover anywhere except the lips.  I did not want to remove by accident any color or sealant from her face.

Even with bare lips, she still looks good.  "You look girl, girl... Fly diva!"  (Do you know what movie that's from?)

ZiZi holds the thin-bristled detail paint brush that I used to repaint her lips.  (I always wash paint off the brush bristles with liquid soap and water after painting each layer.  This helps preserve the brush for future use.)

I wanted to maintain the same shimmery gold lip color.  Royal Gold metallic finish acrylic paint allowed me to achieve that goal.  I used a thin-bristled brush designed for detailing to first apply one thin layer to ZiZi's lower lip.

One layer of paint has been applied to ZiZi's lower lip.  It was allowed to dry for 30 minutes prior to proceeding.

ZiZi was held upside down while the upper lip was painted.  This aided in applying the paint evenly where desired but particularly in the lip crease and corners.

Two coats of paint were applied, which were allowed to dry in between.

After applying two thin coats of paint to ZiZi's lips with the first allowed to dry before applying the second, this task was complete:  the fingernail polish was removed and the new lip color added.  It was not necessary to apply a matte varnish or other sealant, but that can be applied as an option, if desired.

*****

The line I quoted above was from Waiting to Exhale when, at Gloria's birthday party, Savannah Jackson (played by the late Whitney Houston) shares her age with the other ladies, all of whom have had one too many drinks.  She waits for them to affirm that she looks good for her age. See the clip here.

dbg
Follow my sister blog Ebony-Essence of Dolls in Black
Check out my eBay listings here.

Hot Looks Dolls Were Paper Dolls, Too!

Hot Looks Paper Dolls, (A Golden Book), Western Publishing Company, Inc., 1988

Mattel's 1986 Hot Looks dolls: Chelsea, Zizi, Mimi, and Stacy were crafted as A Golden Book paper doll book by Western Publishing Company, Inc., in 1988.



Zizi and Chelsea

Zizi's punch out doll is on the back cover of the paper doll book.  Chelsea's is, too



Zizi's fashion page

 Zizi's and the other dolls' precut, vibrantly colored fashions with ruffled hemlines, screen-printed tops worn over leggings, animal and geometric-print fabrics, slouch socks, big hair and huge hair bows scream 1980s.  Think early Madonna. 

dbg