Doll-A-Day 121: Liv Hayden, and a Really Cool Bike!

  Well, today is the first of May. To follow 'April Showers' month, this month's theme is, of course, 'May Flowers'. This month will be full of dolls dressed in flowers,or with a Spring/flower theme, (as many as I can.). The flowers are blooming or budding, but today is quite chilly here in Ohio.We're probably about to have quite a rainstorm too, from the look of things. But before the rain comes, today's doll went for a ride.She's a Liv Hayden doll,(I think!), and she's riding one of my show purchases from Sunday's big doll show.

I think this is  a Hayden.  I'm pretty sure the outfit came on a Hayden, but she stole the outfit from another Liv doll.I think Hayden has the green eyes and blonde painted hair,but if anybody could tell me for sure I'd appreciate it. This doll has a very pale skin tone and pink blushy cheeks. I think she'd look great as a red head. I just need to find a red wig.

She definitely needs some work done on that wig!

This girl's eyes are actually kind of hazel, much more so than they look in these pictures.

 I have a load of Liv dolls, with various hair and eye colours, and I've found all of them at thrift stores or yard sales.

And of course everybody knows how super poseable Liv dolls are.

But the main thing here is: Don't you just love this bike?!

I have wanted one of these for about 20 years!

I first saw some of these miniature versions of real bicycles about 20 years ago, in an article in Barbie Bazarr.The article wasn't about the bikes, it just used them as props,but the bikes are all I remember!

 I have always loved miniature versions of real things, and I also love bicycles. From the age of about 9 through my early teens I practically lived on a bicycle. I still enjoy riding, but I'm getting a bit old and stiff to be able to jump off at the end of a ride like I used to. (Sitting on the seat my feet never touched the ground, so as I slowed down to stop I always had to jump off the seat. I recently had to get a shorter bike because I'm getting too stiff to do it smoothly now and I was afraid of falling off! For the first time since I first learned to ride a bike, on a kid's bike when I was 9, my feet can touch the ground when I'm sitting on the seat!)

Hayden has no problem getting her feet to touch the ground. Unfortunately for her, it was windy, and quite a bit of her kept touching the ground.

It's a guy's bike, but she doesn't mind.

I was really excited when I found it at Ed and Jackie's table at the show, but not so much when I saw it was $40. That's still pretty cheap for these bikes, but more than I can afford to spend on a frivolity.But then I noticed the spring under the seat needed reattatched and the one pedal was missing. I asked Ed if he would be marking it down since it was broken. He was surprised it was missing the pedal, because it had all been there when he put it out on the table, and the show had only been going a few minutes. He told me I could have it for $20, and then helped me look for the pieces of the pedal. We got the pedal back on, but couldn't find the pin to hold it. Later, when I went back we managed to find the pin. I thought I had all the bits then, but at one point Ed tracked me down and gave me the metal part that goes on the outside of the pedal.That was the last piece, so now it's all together. Still, I kept checking to make sure I hadn't lost anything when I was outside with it!

It's a Schwinn Black Phantom. I think it's made by Xonex, but apparently there is another one too.The pedals turning really make the back wheel turn. The seat is covered in a soft rubbery stuff, and is actually springy.It even has a rack on the back for carrying her stuff!

The headlight doesn't really work, but hey, you can't have everything!

Her hair was combed when she went out, but it was, indeed, very windy!

It even has a kick stand. Fuzz asked me if it has brakes. I actually have a couple of smaller bikes,sized for Skipper sized dolls, and they have real working handbrakes, so it was not impossible. Alas, if Hayden pedalled backward she would just go backward.

See you tomorrow for another doll. Skipper Saturday is just around the corner, with one of my favourite Skipper doll and one of my favourite Skipper outfits.