My First MIB Nancy Conjuntos!

Last week, I found some MIB Nancy Outfits on eBay. I was VERY excited and bought them immediately! I didn't think I would ever get this opportunity living in the United States, so you can imagine my giddiness.
Without further delay, there they are:

They've never even been removed from the cards.

I didn't realize the outfits would be sewn down to the cards. Of course, I don't know why I didn't realize that, but I didn't. I thought I would just open the boxes up and put the outfits on the dolls. Now I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do.

Ibicenca

Abril

And here are the outfits as they appeared in the original Nancy pamphlet:

How do you display mint in box outfits? I'm not really sure what to do here. Should I display them on dolls, thus removing them from the box, or should I display the boxes somehow? Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Read More

Disney's Engel Puppe Dolls: Part 2

In my earlier post about Disney's Engel Puppe Dolls (which you can read here), I talked about my quest for these dolls. I was very moved by many of the reader comments concerning their personal experiences with Mr. Engel and the dolls they purchased there. Recently, I was able to purchase the Snow White doll, so I wanted to share her here:

My Lovely Snow White

Dopey Detail on the Dress (hey, that's alliteration!)

Of course, I absolutely love her. One of the things that stands out the most on these dolls is the quality of the fabric that is used to create the outfits. The fabric is very heavy, and the dress holds shape very well because of the netting used in the underskirt and lining. I was a little sad that Snow White wasn't signed, but I did receive her in the original box. The price was $120, so I'm assuming she was purchased in the early 90's.

Another piece of Engel Puppe Disney treasure I have is the Belle dress. I've had this for a few years now, because I bought it second hand on eBay awhile back for my American Girls to wear.

Belle's Gown

Yikes! The original price (I paid nowhere close to that).

The underskirt 

Made in Germany

Again, the quality is amazing on this dress. You can see in the first picture the dress will actually stand on its own with the underskirt inside. 

I would love to hear stories of your Disney Engel Puppe dolls, and I would especially love for anyone to share photos of their dolls. Photos of these dolls seem to be hard to come by. And of course, if you would like to sell yours, I am willing to buy! Thanks for reading!

Read More

My Famosa Family Is Complete!

My Famosa family is finally complete with the addition of Lesly!

Little Lesly

Lesly is Nancy's little sister, and stands about 13 inches tall. She was produced with multiple outfits and looks, just like Nancy. Mine, as you can see, has short, curly blonde hair, and freckles. The face paint on my Lesly is sadly in poor shape, but as it took me so long to find a Lesly that doesn't both me so much.

Close up of her face

It seems my Lesly also suffers from production issues, as one leg is shorter than the other! Believe it or not, it actually helps her stand. I just keep her posed in a walking position, with one foot in front of the other.

I'm very glad to have my entire Famosa family now!

Read More

Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Dolls

Last night, my husband and I were out at the mall so I could buy some new pants for work. As is tradition, I have to go to the Disney Store to see what kinds of new and neat things they have. Much to my delight (and my wallet's disdain), they have a new set of collector's dolls. They are called the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection, and they include a 12 inch Prince along with an 11.5 inch Princess. The placard at the display said "Ask a cast member for assistance". I could have just left it at that, but no. I needed to know how much they were, and if they had any Snow Whites left. So I went to the cashier and asked. For a sum of $130, I could have the VERY LAST SET of Snow White and her Prince they had available in store. Groan. I'm ashamed to admit what a sucker for limited editions I am.

The Happy Couple

The dolls do come in a very nice, very sturdy acrylic ( I think) case. So sturdy in fact, I couldn't really figure out how to open it without destroying something, which is why I didn't. 

She has such a lovely face, and long lashes.

Detail of Snow White's Bodice and close up of the Handsome Prince        

Not all of the dolls have been released yet. Disney is releasing a set every other Tuesday, starting with the Snow White set on August 20th. The dolls are each limited to an edition of 6000. Every Disney Store gets approximately 6 dolls. In order to purchase a set, you have go to the store, and sign up to get a voucher to buy between 12:00 and 1:00. Then, right after 1:00, the employees hold a "raffle" to draw names to see who the lucky 6 are. This seems a little gimmicky to me, particularly since I went in on August 24th and was able to purchase the Snow White dolls, but the employees assured me it was to prevent any fighting over dolls (they didn't actually use the word fighting, that is my interpretation). If you work at a day job or just can't be there, a limited number of dolls are available for sale at disneystore.com, beginning at 12:01 AM PST. Looks like I'll be setting my alarm clock to try to get the next set, which is Rapunzel and Flynn.

The pamphlet that came with my set, describing all the rules for purchasing the dolls.

On a final note, the dolls did come with a very nice bag. It gave me that warm, consumer-y, special feeling that I had purchased something exclusive. Is it sad that I recognize the ploy here and it doesn't even bother me? Oh well, the bag is pretty.

I bought something exclusive!

One last shot of Snow White looking sweet...and is the Prince looking doubtful? Hmm.

Read More

Que Buena Suerte! Nancy Hispanoamerica!

Ayer, tuve la buena suerte cuando comprando un lote de munecas. Soy una coleccionista de American Girl munecas, pero en Craiglist encontrado un lote de American Girls y incluido gratis fue cuatro munecas Espanolas.

Nancy Hispanoamerica, un tesoro grande!

Estaba muy feliz porque es imposible a encontrar Nancys aqui, y casi nunca en condicion buena como esa. Yo creo que el pelo se corto, pero no es importante a mi porque no tengo intencion a vender. 

La cara mas preciosa...

Con detalles flores en los pantalones.

La buena suerte no fin con Nancy, tambien incluido un bonus, el conjunto Abrigo Bicolor, con las botas y todos.

Abrigo Bicolor

 Ultimo, esas tres munecitas se incluyo tambien. Yo creo que las dos en el frente son Barriguitas, y la muneca en detras es de Paola Reina.

Estoy feliz esas munecas llegan a mi casa, porque las voy a cuidar :)

Read More

Pinkie Cooper And The Jet Set Pets

First, I need to apologize for the quality of my photos. I couldn't wait to post a review on these, and since I'm out of town, I used my phone. So, who or what exactly is Pinkie Cooper?

Above are what I call the "Basic Dolls", and they are $14.99 each. Below are the "Deluxe Dolls", which are $19.99 each.

 
These are the Pinkie Cooper and the Jet Set Pets. They are a new line of dolls created by Bratz designer Carter Bryant. The cute, puppy face is based on a real cocker spaniel that belongs to his sister (also named Pinkie Cooper). The dolls are distributed by The Bridge Direct.

I thought the dolls were so cute I just had to buy them all. Today, I'm specifically going to review the Pinkie Cooper Paris doll. As of right now, there is a Pinkie Cooper Paris, Beverly Hills, and London. She also has two friends named Ginger Jones and Pepper Parson. The best friends have been released in a basic doll ($14.99 at Target) and the Pinkie Cooper comes in the deluxe travel set as mentioned above ($19.99 at Target) and is also available in the basic format. The basic dolls do not include the smaller pet dogs, while the deluxe sets do.

Pinkie Cooper in Paris Doll

The first thing I noticed about Pinkie Cooper is the box is really nice. I'm a sucker for pretty packages, and this one has a carrying handle, plus an inner box. It also doesn't hurt that it's pink.

Cute handle!

The inner box, above, the back, and below, the inside.

The dolls' outfits have a lot of very pretty details, like this flower on Pinkie's hat. She also has a metallic belt and little metal studs dotting the neckline of her bodysuit (the striped shirt is actually a bodysuit).

Cute details

 

The doll has jointed arms, and clickable legs that bend and hold a pose. She also has blushing on her knees and the insides of her elbows, which I think is a cute touch. The hair is removable and interchangeable, which is a fun feature for those who like customizing and for kids who just like to play. Pinkie also has very long eyelashes, giving her that oh-so-fabulous look that only real eyelashes can achieve.

Detail of the joints, and the blushing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's what she looks like without her hat, and the removable hair/ears are very easy to take off.

 

I could be wrong but I predict these dolls will be huge this year. What do you think? Do you love them or do you think they will be a quickly fading fad?

Read More

Disney's Engel Puppe Dolls

On my top 10 list, there is an Alice in Wonderland doll from Disney World. In the Germany Pavilion at Epcot, there is a store called Der Teddybar that used to make and sell Engel Puppe dolls. You could purchase an Engel Puppe doll dressed as a Disney character, but the price was prohibitively high, somewhere close to $200. So of course, by the time I was an adult and able to purchase one, the doll making at Der Teddybar ceased to exist. I did find out the reason for this. Helmuth Engel, former owner of the Engel-Puppen company, actually worked there to make the dolls and sign them, and some years after he passed away, the dolls were discontinued at Epcot.

Since I discovered this, I have been searching for one of the Alice dolls. Well, last week, one appeared on eBay. Sadly, I FORGOT TO BID!!! How could this happen?!!! Life's not fair. Or is it? The Alice doll sold for $105. This is still less than her original purchase price, and she was MIB. I started searching around on eBay and happened to discover a Mulan Engel Puppe doll. She was not listed correctly, so I bid, and won! For a paltry $4.25!!!! I lost Alice, but got Mulan! I am way luckier than I deserve.

Here she is!

She is so pretty. Her outfit is very well made and has multiple layers. She was obviously played with, but I really don't mind, especially considering the price I paid for her.

Close up of her pretty face

She is even signed!

It almost makes me sad that she was signed to a Chloe, and Chloe no longer loves her. But she came to the right place. What I wouldn't give to have one signed to me...

The tag on her dress.

I also have the Engel Puppe Belle dress, but no doll. Over the next few years, I suspect I will try to collect a few more of these. Does anyone else remember the Engel doll making area at Der Teddybar? I would love to hear from you if you do!

Read More

A Review: Journey Girls Travel Set for 18" Dolls

I had been planning for sometime to buy a travel set for Rafaela. Much to my distress, the one I had been eyeballing from American Girl suddenly disappeared from stock, never to be restocked again. That's the way things go over there. I found this one at Toys R Us, and decided to get it instead (well, I guess not instead since the original one wasn't available...).

Journey Girls Travel Set

Includes suitcase, three wash cloths in a carrier, brush, mini bag, passport, pretend e-Reader, pretend camera, sunglasses, pretend face cream, and some airplane tickets.

At $16.99, I would say this set is an excellent value. It includes a lot of fun stuff, as seen above in the photo. I'm a bit of a stickler about scale, but the scale of the suitcase works well. It's also a nice size. Rafaela was able to fit a complete outfit with sandals, her night shirt, and her Duffy bear inside.

Putting Duffy Bear in the suitcase

Spacious!

Detail of the inside

The suitcase even has little wheels and it will roll on a flat surface. I am impressed by the detail of this set,and also by how much I was able to fit inside the luggage. 

The handle pulls out too!

I am really happy with this set. I'd also like to mention how happy I am with the customer service at Toys R Us. They didn't have this set in stock, but the associate sat down with me and ordered it from the store. Apparently when you order an item in the store, you don't have to pay for shipping! I definitely recommend this set to anyone looking for an 18" travel set.

Read More