Flash Sales at A Girl For All Time and Lottie Dolls,and Contest at Tonner Dolls

  Just a quick post. This seems to be flash sale weekend. Several doll sites are having flash sales. One is A Girl For All Time. (You may have seen my A Girl For All Time Clementine doll HERE.) You can check out their flash sale HERE. It includes a free Ginsberg Cat when you buy Sam's bundle,which is also on sale. Put Ginsberg and Sam's bundle in your cart and use the code FREECAT at checkout.

 The bundle is as follows:

Sam, Your 1960s Girl™

Sam's Parisienne Playsuit with Handbag

Sam's GoGo Boots

Sam's New York Cape and Skirt

Sam's Orange Jumper and White Tights

   The A Girl For All Time flash sale ends at midnight on Septemeber 19th,2018.

   I recently talked about Lottie dolls' really cool playsets,especially the treehouse.

Several people commented on how much they loved the treehouse,as do I. Well now's the time to jump on that treehouse playset,because not only is it on sale,but you get a free Birthday Girl Lottie doll when you buy it. You can get the treehouse cheaper elsewhere,but the addition of the free doll makes up for the price difference, plus some.

  That would make a great birthday gift.Too bad Ivy is 'too old for dolls' now! Her birthday is coming up. Anyway,you can see that offer HERE. The offer ends on Sunday,September 16th,2018.

Tonner is giving away a redressed and retressed Scarlett O'Hara doll to one lucky buyer who purchases Scarlett in her Barbecue dress before midnight on September 17th,2018.

Barbecue Scarlett is a limited edition of 300,and is on sale for $175. Your purchase enters you to win your choice of one of these redone Scarletts:

  The red one is my favourite. You can find out all the details HERE.
  Ken  and I are off on a short excursion in a day or so to celebrate our 29th anniversary See you when I get back.

My Arranbee Nanette and A Little Bit About Hard Plastic Disease

  The other day I posted about my flea market haul. One of the dolls I mentioned was a hard plastic Nanette doll by Arranbee.

 

I said there was a problem with her. Well,today we're going to talk about the problem,as I promised you at the end of that post. To start with, she does have two problems. The first one I think I could deal with.She is a walker doll, and her mechanism seems to work. In other words, her head turns when her leg mechanism is moved. Normally though,you would move that mechanism by moving her legs. Well,her legs have moved themselves...right off her body. 

There is a piece broken off the one,but it's here and I'm sure that could be repaired.

However,I think the walking mechanism should be attached to her legs by the metal rods being inserted into holes in the plastic piece at the top of her legs. Those bits seem to broken and won't hold the rods in anymore. 

If anybody knows anything about this,please let me know.

She has a worse  problem though,one that may not  be fixable. ***NOTE: Please read the information provided by Dorothy in PA at the end of this post,explaining advice from a talk given by doll doctor concerning three types of doll 'diseases',including Hard Plastic Disease, and use your good judgement on dealing with your dolls with the problems mentioned. ***When I found her she was so pretty that I snatched her up right away. When I found out her price I was so excited,(and her detached legs weren't noticeable because of her long dress and because they were rubber banded to her body. 

But even with these problems I wouldn't have worried about it because of the price.),that I stuck her in my cart so quickly that I didn't notice her other problem until later.

Her other problem was a weird odor. Ok. She stinks. She smells funky. I'm hoping it's her wig,because I've heard of that.
 

 I only hope her particular doll B.O. isn't a thing called Hard Plastic Disease. Hard Plastic Disease was originally called Pedigree Plastic Disease,after the Pedigree dolls it was originally discovered in. The cause is debated. It could be because of the unstable plastics of the time. It could be caused by a reaction between plastic and metal joints or eyes. Some think it's from storing the dolls in damp places,places with high humidity,or warm,moist places. In any case,as the plastic breaks down it attracts and feeds a bacteria,which causes the problems. That seems to be a later theory than this 1996 article from NewScientist: Sad Doll Disease Ends in Tears.
  The first symptom of Hard Plastic Disease is the smell,usually described as a vinegar or acetone smell,or lingering stink. I've also seen it described as a cheese smell,and a vomit smell. I wouldn't say my Nanette smells like vinegar or acetone,or even vomit. It's more just a funky stink.
  Other symptoms include fading limbs,cracks around the nose,roughening around the wrists,pinkish blotches, or a pink or red dent on the doll's nose. Extreme symptoms include white crusty patches on the surface of the doll, and a brown liquid oozing from the dolls eye sockets and joints as it actually starts to dissolve. Sometimes the doll warps and becomes totally misshapen.
  The worst part about HPD? It's contagious! Storing a doll with HPD with other hard plastic dolls can cause the other dolls to catch HPD. Ack!  Is there any good news? Yes,some. HPD only affects hard plastic dolls,so you don't have to worry about your vinyl dolls catching it. They have enough problems of their own,so that's good. Not all hard plastic dolls will necessarily develop HPD. In fact, the more you get them out and play with them the better,rather than containing them to a sealed display case where they won't get any air. But if you do have a doll with HPD,always wash your hands after handling it,as you can spread it to other hard plastic dolls by handling them after handling a doll with HPD.
  More good news: There are some treatments to keep HPD at bay and remove the smell. Some collectors suggest cleaning the inside and outside of the doll,using disinfectant or antibacterial cleaner. (But not bleach,as bleach will remove the dolls colour.) You can also use an alkaline substance to clean the doll,like baking soda and water. (Be careful not to scrub the outside of your doll with this mixture as the baking soda is a mild abrasive.) Be careful not to use an acidic product like vinegar which can make things worse. Thoroughly clean the inside  of the doll,where the disease starts, and allow to dry completely. Repeat as many times as needed. There is a product called D-Stink which is also suggested. It can be bought at  http://www.twinpines.com/
      After cleaning the doll until you have lessened the smell as much as possible,make sure the doll is completely dry, and use a clear acrylic sealant or a matte finish lacquer on the inside of the doll, making sure to cover all of the area. Hopefully this will keep the oxygen, that the bacteria feeding on the decomposing plastic live on, from reaching them. If the doll continues to break down to the point of the smell returning or the brown ooze phase appears,you will probably have to throw the doll away. It's been suggested that breathing the odor can be bad for your health. 
  Dorothy provided us with this information: 

  Dorothy In PAOctober 23, 2018 at 6:26 AM

As promised, I am posting information about doll “diseases.”

I recently attended a UFDC Region 11 convention in Maryland. I went to the seminar given by Brian Taggerty, President of the Doll Doctors’ Association.

I specifically asked him about three doll “diseases:” 1) Sweaty/Sticky Doll Syndrome, 2) Smelly Doll Syndrome, and 3) Hard Plastic Disease. Here are his comments.

1) Sweaty Doll Syndrome - It is the vinyl in the doll that is making her sticky. Vinyl is not water soluble. Use 409 to clean the doll. (Other doll doctors suggest using less harsh products. You decide.) You may have to repeat the process every few months.

2) Smelly Doll Syndrome - Bacteria develops in the doll that eats the plasticizer. It produces a smell akin to vomit. Once infected, the doll is contagious to other dolls of the same material. The doll should be discarded.

3) Hard Plastic Disease - Dolls with this disease often turn gray. They are not contagious. There are no known products that permanently reverse this disease. The doll should be discarded.

You can do a Google search for contact information on Brian and/or the Association. Brian appeared on CBS’s Sunday Morning a few years back. There is a Youtube video of the interview that you can watch.

I hope this helps.

  Thanks Dorothy. If anybody has any more current knowledge about HPD,please leave a comment.

Finds From the Flea Market

  Lori and I got a bit of a late start to the flea market on Saturday. It was a closer flea market so we started out quite a bit later anyway. Then Lori had a friend who needed to borrow some medicine for a horse that wasn't feeling too well. So we waited on the friend to arrive. We finally set off,but stopped on the way to look at a house Lori is thinking of buying. When we arrived at the flea market Lori needed to make a detour to an ATM first. We popped into Walmart to use the ATM and I decided I was hungry. Being a vegetarian means there isn't a lot I can eat at the flea market. About the only things they ever have that I can eat are French fries, (That's Belgian fries to you, Helga.*),and pizza if I'm lucky,(since I don't like potatoes.). Now that I'm on the LPR diet I can't eat the pizza because of the tomato sauce. So we shopped a bit for some drinks and ready to eat food.
  Finally we got to the flea market. I had been thinking it was the small one we go to,but it wasn't. This was the BIG flea market.As Lori said,"It's the one we never get all the way around." She was right about that! We didn't manage it this day either.
  As it was we didn't get in to the flea market until about 1:00. You'd think the good stuff might be gone by then,but I had a good day. Here is the haul.

Everything in the photos except the Monster High and High School Musical schools in the back came from the flea market on Saturday!

The wooden bed and this wood and metal shelf were from two little girls who were running the stall, supervised by their dad. I thought the shelving unit would be good for 1/6 scale and I could use it in the 1/6 antique store I plan to make,to display vases and things. As it turns out,the top metal part makes it look way out of scale for 1/6. I guess it would make a good shelving unit for an 18" doll, but I don't need that.

   I saw more of the Pillsbury Poppin Fresh doll family I bought from the same people last time. I wanted the dog,which I didn't get in the bag I bought from them because it had two cats instead. But I didn't want to pay $5 for the one dog. So I passed the dog up. I did buy these from them though.

My favourite is the blue bird.It's very detailed. The little doll is a Betsy Clark baby.

After that I moved on to the next booth where I bought 5 dolls and a bag of doll clothes,as well as these.

I think they were candle holders for very tiny candles. I'll make 1/6 scale lamps out of them. As for the dolls,here they are. There are three unmarked composition dolls,one Betsy Wetsy, and one hard plastic doll.

This baby...

...with a sweet face...

...and blushy dimpled knees...

..this girl...

..who has teeth...

...her original wig,and a cloth body...

...this Betsy Wetsy and this compo Patsy wanna be...

Betsy was wearing these.Anybody know if they are her originals?

Anybody recognize the Patsy type doll?

 ...and this hard plastic doll.

I think the hard plastic doll is Nanette by Arranbee.

She's marked R&B on the back of her neck.

She's very pretty.  We'll talk more about her in a minute. I also got a bag of clothes from the same lady, for $1.

The pink hat is really nice.

It also contained these shoes...

...these vintage real baby dresses.

...these roller skates...

Who do they fit?

and whatever this is!

Somebody please tell me what this is! Is it a belt?

The compo dolls need a lot of help,but I think they will be better off with me helping them find a new home than getting hauled around from flea market to flea market.

The flea market where I found them is one of those dusty outdoor ones,where the stuff ends up really dusty and gets rained on. Hopefully I saved these girls and somebody will want to restore them,because I know I can't.
  Speaking of rain before we go on to look at the rest of my haul,it POURED several times while we were at the flea market. The first time we were looking at a stall with rabbits and baby pigs when it began to rain. I was concerned with keeping the compo dolls dry. There was no time to run to shelter. It was too far away anyway. So we crammed ourselves as best we could under the edge of the awning over the rabbits. I tried to keep my cart under the awning. The best I could do for myself was press face first against the rabbit pens. That worked for part of me, but it meant I spent the rest of the day with the seat of my pants soaking wet. Oh well. It was either  that or become a candidate for a wet T-shirt contest. And at least the dolls stayed dry!
  Later I found this set of Holiday Sisters. It is just about the only set with a Stacie in it that Emma never got. I always loved the coats. And it was half off.
 

As you can see, I also found Remco Heidi's friend Jan,the waving version.

I also got a couple of DVDs,a Fred and Ginger collection,and one for Ken,'The Apartment'.

The white box under this stack is a cast iron and wood doll sized old fashioned school desk. There was an assembled one on display. I figured this one would be easier to haul around in my cart full of stuff. It looked like it would fit an 18" doll, but I didn't have one handy. Now I think about it,I guess I could have used one of the compo dolls, but at the time it was pouring rain even harder than the time I got my butt wet, and all I could think of was keeping the dolls, and the records I bought for the girls dry.

So yes,I also got some records.

The Monkees for Emma and the Bundle of Joy soundtrack for Ivy.

I found this wooden chest. It's perfectly doll sized,and apparently hand made.

As I mentioned,I bought this wooden Boyd's Bears bed.

I'm thinking of shabby chic-ing it white, with flowers. Any opinions?

  Lori and I had a really great day, even with all the rain. We met up with her friend who was up from South Carolina, and they had a good visit.
 All the dolls I got have issues,but the hard plastic Arranbee doll has a particular problem,which we'll talk about in our next post.
* My friend Helga lives in Belgium. When I visited her I found out quickly that in Belgium they are called 'Belgian fries'!