A Few Random Dolls and Another Car

   I don't get on the computer very often these days, so I get ideas for posts, and then they get outdated before I ever get around to them. I still haven't posted the Christmas gifts that reader Treesa sent me year before last! I also have a gift Ken got me for Valentine's Day, and a birthday gift to show you. But here's a quick post in the meantime.

  For those of you who are following the continuing story of our vehicle problems, here's the latest. For those of you only interested in the dolls, and bored with my life, (And who can blame you?), skip ahead to the dolls.

  So our recently purchased van died, and we were left without a vehicle again. My sister had a brainstorm. Her friend had been complaining of having too many cars for years. (Oh, to have those sorts of problems!) She wanted to give my sister one of her cars that she didn't drive very often. My sister had been refusing, saying "You can't give me a car!" But it occurred to her that if her friend gave her that car, then she could give us her car. So she proposed the idea. I, having not much choice, agreed. So she took her car in to have the oil changed. After that some of the warning lights on the dashboard came on. She took it in to have that checked. It was found that the car needed a new battery. Then they discovered some other problems. The free car ended up costing about $1000. But we got $400 for the van we paid $800 for, from the salvage guy, and the person we bought the van from is giving us back $300. That means the free car was only really $300...sort of. That's not bad. We basically paid $100 to drive the van for 3 weeks. So we finally got everything fixed on my sister's car, and we brought it home. So far so good.

  Ken goes to have his other stents put in soon. Don't forget to send him all your good vibes and prayers, or whatever you have. We'll take all the good stuff. Now, on to the dolls. 

  I spotted some dolls I hadn't seen before at a few places lately. Some were interesting, so I thought I'd share them with you. First of all, there are these Harry Potter dolls.

  I hadn't seen the ones with accessories before. There were also these Diagonally Collectible Shops sets. I hadn't seen these either. They're pretty nice, with some cool minis in them. My favourite is the one with the chess game.

  I spotted those at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati. You might remember my post on Smiskis, and all the Smiskis they had at Jungle Jim's.. Well they got rid of all those displays, but they have new ones, and loads more Smiski options, including lamps, zipper pulls, plush dolls and plush purses.

  I think this house is a Robotime mini room collection, but they used it to display the Smiskis.

  A lot of you might not be old enough to remember the Alligator King cartoon on Sesame Street. Emma didn't, so they must have stopped using it by the time she came along. But I remember it very well. Not too long ago I spotted this figure.

    As a kid it took me a while to figure out what that mustache was supposed to be.

  The line of retro toys has been expanded.

  These little Tote-ily dolls are cute. They each comes with a mini backpack that can be used for storing the doll, as a purse, or as a mini backpack for a larger doll.

 

    So that's it for right now. As I said, I still have some ideas for posts that I need to get around to. If I do: see you soon.

The Spring Toy Show, and What I Bought There, and What's Up With Ken

    I haven't been around for a while. I think the last time you heard from me our car had died. We were without a car for a while, and then some people we've known for a long time offered us a van for a really great price. They got a lot of things fixed on it, using their own money, because they knew we really needed a car and were low on funds. It was a nice van, and had cool stuff like heated seats, and a CD and cassette player, and even a DVD player and tv for the back seats! I doubted we would ever use that, since we don't often have anybody in our back seat these days. It was still kind of cool to have though. We might have taken a trip at some point, and pulled over to enjoy a little TV while we ate lunch or something. I say 'might have', because three weeks into having the van, on the way to a doll show in fact, it became hard to break on the highway, in the rain no less, and the weird noises the van had been making: clunks, pops, etc., and the weird things it had been doing: juddering when reaching 55, listing to the left, having super tight steering, became worse. Before we reached our destination the van was feeling very scary. We did actually get to the doll show. It was a Saturday afternoon, so we weren't sure how we were going to get home. I actually took Ken into the venue where the show was being held, while my sister checked around for somewhere that might be open and able to take us on such short notice, and so close to closing time. When I came back out to park the van, she had found somewhere. I went back in to get Ken, and reloaded Ken and wheelchair back in the van  We carefully drove to Midas. The manager was going to take the van for a test drive, but ran back in saying, "I was going to take it for a test drive, but noooo! I'm going to run it in here and check it out." So he did, and was back in seconds. The subframe had broken. He said he was surprised we even made it into Midas. He said it would take at least $2000 to even start fixing what was wrong with it. With the miles on the vehicle and all the other things he said would probably come up next, the only thing that made sense was junking the van. Midas Man also said he couldn't see how anybody could have been under there working on the van recently and not seen that this was about to happen. 

  So once again, after three weeks, we were without a vehicle again. And by the time we got everything straightened out and a van rented  to get home before the car rental place closed for the day, it was too late to bother going to the doll show. There was less than an hour of the show left, and it costs $10 to get in now anyway.

  Last week Ken went in for a heart catheterization to have stents put in. He'd been in the week before, when they went in through his wrist. They decided he had more to do than they wanted to do through the wrist, so he had to come back. I was very scared, but he did fine. We were supposed to go home after it was finished, but they ended up keeping him a couple of nights so they could flush his kidneys out with IV fluids. Turns out, the contrast dye they use for the procedure can damage the kidneys, and Ken already has kidney damage from his diabetes. They did one side of his heart, but he was starting to have to move because his back and leg were hurting from laying on his back so long, so they had to stop. Now he has to go back in a couple of weeks to have the other side done. I'll be terrified again. If any of you want to do a few prayers, or send some positive vibes or thoughts Ken's way, it would all be appreciated.

  But before all that happened Ken and I went to the toy show with my sister. It's the Xenia, Ohio toy show, and it supposedly one of the biggest in the county. It may or may not be, but it sure is huge. It's held at a fairground, and it encompasses many buildings. We have always gone to every single building...except this time. It was supposed to be very cold, but turned out to not be too bad. But I have been having a lot of hip and back pain the last few months, and my sister recently had surgery to correct her botched double mastectomy, so she was tired, and not feeling her best. Only Ken was doing fine, although he was getting wheeled around. I could have done better from a wheelchair too. So we called it quits a bit  early. There were lots of dolls, as has become usual with this show. For once I didn't buy anything from the dealer I bought the Saucy Walker and lookalike from at the last show. I did buy a couple of things though, which I'll show you in a minute.

  First I'll show you a few interesting things I spotted. 

  I'm not sure if I have shown this same doll in a previous post. She looks familiar, and I know I photographed some of the same dealer's dolls before. This is a Lisa doll by Takara.    

There was this boxed set of Cousins dolls at another dealer.

  The Cousins were baby sitters to go with the Quints dolls by Tyco. (Why weren't there 5 of them? Somebody got off easy, watching only one kid.) I am familiar with the Quints dolls, but I never heard of the Cousins before. I knew they had to be connected with the Quints though, from the look of the packaging. Apparently they were supposed to be teenagers. There were several sets. Their gimmick was that when they stood close together their outfits formed a picture. How weird.

  I also saw something I've never seen, even in ads.

Can you spot which thing it is? It's Casper, in a box! I always wanted my cousin's Casper doll, and I finally got one as an adult. I've never seen his box though.

  Another thing I saw that I had never seen was this Liddle Kiddles Talking Townhouse.

I've had the Kiddle Klubhouse before, but I don't think I'd even heard of the Talking Townhouse. Apparently it had a pullstring talk feature. If this house was in good shape, $30 was a good price for it.

 

 There was also a dealer with Monster High dolls, including the giant sized 17" ones.

  I also saw this Strawberry Shortcake house.

  I didn't take many pictures this time. It was dark in the buildings, and most of the stuff wasn't displayed in a way that made it easy to get good pictures of. And I was in pain that day and just not feeling it. As I said though, I did buy something. It was near the end of our stay at the show. What did I get? 

  

  I spotted some Barbie and Skipper dolls at one table. Most of the dolls weren't in great shape. One of them was my favourite Skipper, the Mod Era, red haired, eyelash Skipper. I have a few of these Skippers, but  one has a reddish face and is missing most of her lashes, and one is paled out a bit.  One is nearly perfect but for a piece chopped out of her bangs. This girl has thin hair, and her lashes are there, but short. But you know what? I can fix that. Her face colour is pretty good.

She was marked $35. I asked the dealer what the least she would take was. She said $25! There was another Skipper I considered, a sausage curl. She was marked $25.While I was on a roll, I asked the dealer what she would take for both. She said $40, so I said okay. 

Her head is great, including her lashes.

 Unfortunately, her feet and ankles aren't in very good shape. 

 I can always switch her head to another sausage curl body that has a bad head. I probably have one.

  I might try to sell the sausage curl girl, or at least her head. 

I really can't afford to spend that kind of money any more. I hadn't bought a Skipper for myself in a long time. (I did buy a 'Sample', or Test Market Skipper at a show, but she was to sell. I have to pay for going to shows somehow. They are quite a drive, and the doll shows cost $8 to $10 each to get into, and the toy show costs $5.And now Ken has to go with me, because I can't leave him on his own, so it costs twice as much.)

  I also missed the other Spring doll show because Ken had only just come home from the hospital and had to take it easy for a week or so. So the next doll shows are this Fall. We'll see what happens then. 

  

Basic Fun Laugh-A-Lot Bear and a Mini Puzzle

   Just a heads up for anybody who loves mini toys, Care Bears, and cute things in general. I don't care for Care Bears. Maybe I was too old when they came out, but I always thought they were sickening. That didn't stop me from owning a Care Bear cousin, the Lion, Brave Heart. (I only bought him because he reminded me of the long lost toy from my childhood, Larry the Lion, a Mattel Animal Yakker. Nowdays, I still have Brave Heart, but I have three Larrys.) But, I do love mini things, especially mini versions of regular sized things. And of course, who doesn't love cute things? So when I was in Dollar Tree, which. be honest, isn't 'Dollar' any more, and found this tiny Care Bear, I bought it.

  I only know because it says on the box, but it's a She-bear. She's quite small. Tammy World says she's just the right size for her.

  I think she's a bit big though.

Who asked you?

  I'm not used to the recent Care Bears logo, so I wasn't sure she was a real Care Bear. But her tag proves it. She's also by Basic Fun, which has done loads of cool mini toys.

 

  She's a cute little girl, with decal eyes and an embroidered nose and tongue.  

Her box shows her with a couple of little eyelashes, but she doesn't actually have them.

She has a little embroidered heart on her rump.

  She's Laugh-A-Lot Bear. I'm not sure what a sticking out tongue or the grinning sun on her chest have to do with laughing a lot. According to her box, the 'belly badge' on her belly 'describes exactly who she truly is', which apparently is 'a star at giving others the giggles'. 

  The back of the box tells you about all the mini Care Bears you could buy.

=
And the side of her box shows her cracking up another Care Bear, just to prove that she is, indeed, hilarious.

  While we're at it, I also found some tiny puzzles at Meijer. There are different themes, including paintings, and classic books. The paintings included Girl With the Pearl Earring, and The Scream. The books included The Wizard of Oz, The Great Gatsby, and the one I bought, Jane Eyre.

  The books ones were extra cool because they have edges that look like book spines, so the whole effect is of a mini book.

  The puzzle is a bit large for Tammy World.

 It's kind of like the giant Planet of the Apes puzzle poster I used to have on my wall when I was about 12. The puzzle pieces were about 10 inches wide, and the whole puzzle was about four feet by three feet when it was put together. 

But this is a 50 piece puzzle, so the box is even more gigantic for Tammy than my Apes puzzle box was for me.

  For those following the tale of our car, we sold it, and we have a new ,(to us), van. Someone we have known since our kids went to school and each others birthday parties together alerted us to her brother-in-law's available van, and between her, her brother-in-law, and her cousin who did  work on the car, they fixed the van up for us and sold it to us extra cheaply. We are very lucky to have had their help, because we had about $1000 to spend on a vehicle, which had to get us to all Ken's doctor appointments, and be low enough for me to get the wheel chair in and out of. I'm short, old, and falling apart, so the fact that I can just pop the front wheels of the chair up into the van and just roll it in, is a life saver. This van has a lot of miles, but has had all it's problems recently fixed, (except for the air conditioning), and has lots of nice extras we couldn't even have thought of wanting, like heated seats, a 6 disc  CD player, a cassette player!, and a DVD player and screen! I doubt we'll be spending much time watching DVDs in the back seat, but it's there.

  I also had my birthday recently. I turned 64 earlier this month. I'm having so many aches and pains right now that I feel about 100. My hair is getting a lot of white hairs amongst the regular hair, and the wrinkles are compiling. But I'm in good health. I had my blood work done not too long ago, and all my numbers were perfect. Last year I was checked over literally head to toe: CT scan of my head, scan of my carotid artery, examination of my thyroid, not one, but TWO echo cardiograms of my heart, a mammogram, a pap smear, and x-rays of my feet!  Everything checked was great, except my feet, which were deemed too far past it to even bother operating on. So I can do what I want, but I hobble around doing it.

  I have some dolls to show you soon, and Ken and I are going to the toy show with my sister in a couple of days. Oh, and Raging Moon, we had quite a scare here tonight when there was a tornado spotted nearby and we were under a warning for a while. I panicked and started throwing things in bags to run to the basement with. And then, just as soon, it was all over. Anyway, I'll see you soon.

Black History Month and the Bessie Coleman Inspiring Women Doll

   I know you haven't heard from me for a while. I haven't had much to talk about, really. Winter has been a cold one. I don't know how it's been where you are, but here it got super cold, and we had a LOT of snow. Roads were closed and temperatures were in the single digits and below. I was very worried about Ken and his bad circulation from his diabetes. Last winter his feet got so cold that he developed and actual HOLE in one of his toes. So when it got so cold this year we escaped to Emma's house, where it isn't as cold as our big, old, uninsulated house. Fortunately we got there just before the big storm.

  We're back home now, since temperatures got back in double digits at night, waiting for the other storm to drop, as you might say. I think it's ended without coming this way. 

  We still have some problems though. When we left for Emma's our car had been running, but, even though we just had our water pump replaced AGAIN, it had started  smoking when I came home from the grocery store one night. While we were gone to Emma's Fuzz had to get something out of the car for me, and the battery was dead. We didn't have to go anywhere for a while when we got back, and I wasn't looking forward to walking the little over a mile from the garage back home, or sitting around the garage all day, so I had been putting off jumping the car and taking it in. I finally got our other  rechargeable battery jump starter back from Emma and we tried it. The car wouldn't start. We tried twice. I called AAA to jump the car. Actually, I couldn't call them. There's no number. I had to fill out something on line. I was assured, (in print) that they were on the way to jump the car. I went out and sat in the car so I would be ready. I waited half an hour, and then I got a call. The AAA guy told me he was at least an hour and a half away. I looked at the time and realized that by the time he got here and jumped the car the garage would be about to close for the day. So I waited until the next day. We dug out another battery jumper, and tried it, The car still wouldn't start. I felt awful the next day, and did a lot of sleeping. So the next day I called AAA again, and the guy came out in minutes that time. But of course, things weren't as simple as jumping the car. When he tried, the alternator smoked. That was apparently an indication that we need a new alternator. So he couldn't jump the car. He ended up towing it to the garage. They said they didn't need me, so I stayed home. They said they couldn't get to it that day. They said they could look at it the next day maybe, (Friday), but maybe not until Monday. Well, Monday rolled around and they called me. The car needs an alternator, but worse than that, there's a crack in the engine block. So it really isn't worth putting in a new alternator. We are now officially car-less. We might have a car in a week or two, but it's going to be something cheap, and when I say cheap I mean CHEAP. So it will have a lot of miles on it, so who knows how long it will last. And this car trouble means I missed the first doll show of the year, so sorry, no post on that.   

  In the meantime, I haven't done a Black History post yet this year. I was trying to think of a doll to do, and considered the first Black Barbie. I don't have one though, at least I might not, not for sure, and wouldn't know where she is if I do, so that would have been a complication.(Although I did once do a post on the second Black Ken doll. You can see that HERE.) Then the other day I was looking for something in the pictures in my phone, and I came across this doll

  She's Bessie Coleman, obviously. We'll check out the doll in a minute, but first, who was Bessie Coleman? 

  Elizabeth 'Bessie' Coleman was born in 1892, in Atlanta Texas, moving to Waxahachie at age 2. Her father, an African American  sharecropper, may have had Native American grandparents. (We'll get back to that in a minute.) Bessie was the 10th of 13 children, nine of whom survived to adulthood. When Bessie was six she started school, walking four miles to attend a segregated school. She excelled at Math, but had to leave school every harvest season to help bring in the cotton. 

  Her father moved to Oklahoma to look for work, leaving his family behind. At 12 Bessie went to school on a scholarship. At 18 she used her own savings to enroll in Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University, now known as Langston University. After only one year she ran out of money and had to leave school.

  Bessie's brothers moved to Chicago, and in 1915 she joined them there, attending beauty school, and getting work as a manicurist at a barber shop. She later took on a second job as manager of a chili parlour. Bessie loved listening to the stories of pilots who had recently returned from World War I, and thus began her interest in flying. She married Claude Glenn, a friend of her brother, in 1917. They soon separated. Supposedly they never lived together, and she never used his name. She rarely spoke of him.  

  Bessie saved her money, hoping to go to flight school. But in the U,S. African Americans and Native Americans were not accepted at flight schools. After taking a course in French, and with the help of Chicago Weekly Defender editor Robert S. Abbott, who helped Bessie contact schools overseas, Bessie went to France.in 1920 to study flight. Ten months later she was issued a pilot's license from the Federation Aeronautique, on June 15th, 1921, making her the first Black person in the world to become a licensed pilot. Bessie became the first Black woman, and the first Native American, ( I told you that would come in somewhere.), to be given an aviation pilot's license, and the first Black person and the first self-identified Native American to earn an international aviation license. She is also the first American of any race or gender to be given the license directly from the FAI, instead of applying to the National Aeronautic Association. 

Later that year she returned to the United States with the intention of opening a school for pilots. Commercial airlines were years in the future, so to earn a living Bessie realized she would have to become a stunt flier. But, for that, she would need more lessons, and she would have to develop her own programme of stunts and tricks. With nowhere in the U.S. to teach her such things, in 1922 she left again for Europe. After two months of advanced courses in France, Bessie traveled to Germany and studied under the chief pilot for the Fokker Aircraft Company.

  In September, 1922 Bessie made her first appearance in an American air show. The show was to honour the veterans of the 369th Infantry Regiment, an all Black regiment from World War I, which had ended just four years previous. The show billed Bessie as 'the world's greatest woman flier'. Bessie was sponsored by the Chicago Defender newspaper and Robert Abbott. 

  Bessie became a fixture at airshows and performed exhibition flights all over the United States. She earned the nicknames Brave Bessie and Queen Bess, for her impressive stunt flying. She was known for doing anything to complete a stunt. She still didn't own her own plane though, and at one point she opened a beauty parlour in Orlando Florida to try to earn money to buy her own plane.

  In her travels she often gave talks at churches and schools to encourage young Black men and women's interest in aviation. Bessie's two passions were promoting aviation, and fighting racism. At one stop Bessie reused to give her talk unless Black and White students were permitted to use the same entrance. Unfortunately they were still segregated inside. She also refused to perform at events where African Americans were not allowed to attend.

  In 1922 Bessie was signed to appear in a move called "Shadow and Sunshine", with the idea of making money to open her own flight school for African Americans. The movie was produced by the African American production company Seminole Film Producing Company, based in New York City. The studio was run by Peter P. Jones, an African American photographer and film producer, with the intention of creating high quality independent Black films. (There is a 1916 movie called "Shadows and Sunshine", and a later movie with a similar name. Neither have anything to do with the 1922 movie.), "Shadow and Sunshine" was to feature over 100 African American actors, and other African American aviators, including Edson O. McVey. (I can't find anything on Edson O. McVey. He appears to be lost in time, because you can usually find ANYTHING on the internet, and there is nothing on him. There is a current actor named Edison McVey. Not him.) The popular story goes that Bessie refused to appear, after learning that her first scene would show her in ragged clothes, with a walking stick and a pack on her back. She saw this as promoting the African American stereotypes she was fighting against. Other sources only say that Bessie went to New York for the filming, but failed to show up for, not only the filming of "Shadow and Sunshine", but other projects she had agreed to appear in for the company. Bessie's departure, and the company's business struggles meant the film was never completed, and the company eventually ceased operations. (Peter P. Jones is a fascinating guy, a pioneer in early colour film processes, and the first African American to lead a department of any major White studio, when he was appointed head of the photo department for Lewis J. Selznick's Selznick Pictures. (Lewis Selznick was the father of David O. Selznick, the producer of "Gone With the Wind", and Myron Selznick, producer and talent agent, who brought his client Vivian Leigh to the set of "Gone With the Wind" during the filming of the burning of Atlanta sequence, and introduced her to his brother, thus ending the famous and highly publicized attempt to find an actress to play Scarlett.) He also mysteriously disappears from History after  1950. His life would make a great movie. You can read about him HERE.)

  In February of 1923, during a flight from Santa Monica, Bessie's engine stalled, and her plane crashed. She suffered a broken leg and fractured ribs. Bessie asked the doctor to 'patch her up' so that she could perform at an airshow she had scheduled. They refused, and Bessie was grounded. She spent months in a hospital, where she planned her flying school while recovering. Bessie didn't return to flying until 1925.

  Bessie bought a Curtiss JN-4 "Jenny" airplane, a 2 seater open cockpit plane developed for use in World War I, in Dallas, Texas. In April of 1926 her mechanic, William D. Wills, who was also her publicity man, flew the plane from Dallas to Florida, where Bessie was to appear at an air show. On the way  Wills had to make three 'forced landings', which are described by Wikipedia thus:

 "The aircraft is forced to make a landing due to technical problems. Landing as soon as possible is a priority, no matter where, since a major system failure has occurred or is imminent. It is caused by the failure of or damage to vital systems such as engines, hydraulics, or landing gear, and so a landing must be attempted where a runway is needed but none is available. The pilot is essentially trying to get the aircraft on the ground in a way which minimizes the possibility of injury or death to the people aboard. This means that the forced landing may even occur when the aircraft is still flyable, in order to prevent a crash or ditching situation."

The plane was not in the best condition, and Bessie's loved ones begged her not to fly it. Bessie ignored the possible danger, and went up with Wills to check out the terrain for a parachute jump planned for the following day. She wasn't wearing her seat belt, as she needed to look over the side of the plane to see the ground. Shortly after takeoff, at an altitude of 3000 feet, the plane suddenly went into a dive, and a spin. At 2000 feet Bessie fell from the plane and died upon impact. The plane crashed, killing Wills instantly. Although the plane exploded and burned it was determined that a wrench had been left in the plane during repairs, and had jammed the controls.

  Funeral services were held in Florida and Chicago, where they were led by newspaper owner and activist Ida B. Wells, herself the subject of a doll in this same series. You can see my post on that doll, and read about Ida HERE.  I'd still love to get the Ida doll. I did eventually get the Madame C.J. Walker doll, (You can see that post HERE. ), but I'd rather have Ida. 

  You can learn more about Bessie, see some photos of her, and read some of her actual quotes HERE.

  As for the doll, Bessie is part of the Inspiring Women series by Mattel. She's all kitted out in her flying togs, including  a green jacket and jodhpurs, white scarf, belt, boots, and flight cap.

  The Mattel site describes the doll this way: 

The Barbie® Inspiring Women™ series pays tribute to incredible heroines of their time; courageous women who took risks, changed rules and paved the way for generations of girls to dream bigger than ever before. Despite facing racial and gender discrimination, Bessie Coleman became the first Black and Native American female aviator and the first Black person to earn an international pilot’s license. Sculpted to her likeness and wearing a traditional olive-green aviator suit, including a “BC”-initialed cap, this collectible Barbie® doll honors a high-flying icon. Includes doll stand and Certificate of Authenticity. Barbie® doll cannot stand alone. Colors and decorations may vary.

• This Barbie® Inspiring Women™ doll honors Bessie Coleman. She was the first Black and Native American female pilot, and the first Black person to earn an international pilot’s license.
• Bessie Coleman Barbie® doll wears a traditional olive-green aviator suit, tall lace-up boots and a cap emblazoned with her initials: “BC”.
• As someone who loved flying through the sky and performing aerial tricks, she naturally comes with a helmet and goggle accessories!
• May this aviatrix’s trailblazing achievements and remarkable courage inspire people everywhere to soar to greater heights.
• The Bessie Coleman Barbie® Inspiring Women™ doll comes in displayable packaging, making her a wonderful gift for collectors and children ages 6 years old and up.

   Let's start with the likeness. She's pretty, but doesn't look anything like Bessie Coleman, and this face seems to be the same one used on other dolls.

    Her hair is cute, but I've seen pictures of her with her hat off, and it looks a little goofy without the hat.

Her outfit is really nice. 

  I like that they made an all new boot mold for her, and didn't try to just get by with any old boots.

But I don't see the helmet and goggles she's supposed to come with. Does anybody have this doll? Are they in the bottom corner of the box, behind the pictures?    

  She also comes with a stand, and a certificate of authenticity. 

  She has the regular articulation of neck, shoulders, and hips, plus jointed elbows and wrists. For some reason the Mattel site doesn't even bother to tell you that.

  So that's the Black History Month doll for this year. I wondered if I was going to make it in time! I'm coming in just under the wire. I have been having some eye problems, and I desperately need new glasses. So I have a terrible sick headache and I'm ready to finish this post! I'll hopefully see you soon, and more clearly! The next time you see me I will most probably be an old lady of 64, as my birthday is less than two weeks away.