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. 

  

Doll-A- Day 2023 #280: Dark Brunette Skipper

   I discovered today that I have been misnumbering my posts for the last ten days or so! It happens every time I do a year of daily dolls. At some point I mess the number up and continue on with the wrong numbers! At least I caught it this time before it had gone on for months! I am still ten days behind for the year, and I do still intend to catch up. But we're coming into what is always a busy time of the year for me anyway, writing Christmas cards, wrapping presents, making presents, etc., and this year we'll also be back at the house trying to get things straightened around. So we'll be extra busy. We should be getting the windows back in soon, and the house rewired, and then we'll be there, trying to get the house back in order, scrubbing soot off the walls, washing up all the bedding and clothes that got smoked, scrubbing down my ENTIRE LIFE that was blackened by smoke, and ripping up the carpet on the landing and stairs. I have a brand new carpet standing in a corner in my bedroom, that was going to go in the living room, but it may be too blackened now to put down. We'll have to see. I might also have to strip my wallpaper. That's another thing we'll have to see about. If I have to do that, I don't know what I'll do. I hate to just paint the walls. I wanted a bedroom with rose wallpaper ever since I was a kid, when my sister had a bedroom with rose wallpaper. (I also coveted her four poster bed and matching chest, and I have those now too. The bedroom of my dreams, up in smoke, so to speak.) Wallpaper is way too expensive for me now. I don't think I could afford to wallpaper  a bedroom any more. Anyway, we'll see.

  Hey! Good news though! You might remember I've been having trouble with my shoulders for months. My right one wasn't nearly as bad as the left one, and has been okay for quite a while now. The left one was still terrible, but slightly better. But I woke up Monday morning and it was BETTER! I thought it had been popping back into the socket before, but was easy to pop back out again, and very sore. I think it must have not been popping back in all the way, and/or that maybe there was a nerve pinched or something. This time it's really in, and only slightly sore in the muscle where I have been using it weirdly because normally hurt. There doesn't seem to be a pinched nerve or whatever any more either. Everything must have gone back into place, I don't know what I did. It's been good for a couple of days now, although I am being a bit easy on it to make sure it doesn't pop out again. I am trying to exercise it though, to make sure it doesn't stiffen up again.

  Today's doll is the last one I got at the recent doll shows. She's a bend leg Skipper.

 I hadn't bought a Skipper for quite a while. I  was trying to be good, because I figured I had enough Skippers. Well, I do. But this one has very dark brunette hair...is that black?

  She needs her eyebrows touched up, but I've done that before. But this hair colour is pretty rare, and I only have one Skipper with this colour.

  I got her for only $7, because she has a few pin marks in her ankles, and what seems to be some hair missing. I don't think it's hair loss though. I think she just needs her part rewoven. I have done that before, but I hate it. It's really aggravating.

  I'll do it though. I'll show her to you again when I do.

  That's the doll for today. See you again tomorrow.

Doll-A-Day 2023 #148: Majorette Skipper

   Today's doll is this one. I bet you can guess what she's called.

She's Majorette Skipper. You can tell that because she's dressed in her majorette outfit.

She's got the hat.

Chin  strap and all.

Her uniform is made to look like it has the butttons down the front.

She was produced in 1992.

She has the majorette boots with fringy pom poms on them.

And of course, since she's a majorette, she has her baton.

Thanks to that little tan coloured gizm she can even twirl it.

Her hand fits into that slot so she can hold it.

Then it can spin.

This doll was in a box that got water in it. I dried the dolls out and cleaned them up. This was one that Emma said she had always wanted, so when she was dry, and I had photographed her for the blog, Emma took her. I collect Skippers, but this one really isn't my era anyway. She is Emma's era, since this is the Skipper head svulpt from when she was little. This big eye head sculpt is either loved or hated by collectors. It's less realistic than any other Skipper head sculpt. Mattel used it for a while though, on a lot of Skipper and Skipper friend dolls.

  That's today's doll. See you tomorrow for another one.

Doll-A-Day 2023 #70: Cool Crimps Skipper

   Today's doll is an unbelievable 30 years old this year. She's Cool Crimps Skipper.

 I say 'unbelievable'  because to me, 1993 doesn't seem that long ago. I was 31, Emma was 2, and Ken and I celebrated our fourth anniversary that Fall. Now Emma is 31, and Ken and I will have been married 34 this Fall. Where does the time go? 

  Well, nowhere for this girl. She hasn't aged a day since 1993. Back then, crimped hair was still a thing.

She still has her instructions.

And the tools to use with them.

SHe has a cardboard case full of cardboard hair equipment.

She has a comb and a brush, 2 heart shaped crimpers and two regular crimpers, and a fake bottle of...hair product? 

How to use said crimpers, for results like 'when Mommy goes to the beauty shop!'

And she has plenty of long hair to use the crimpers.

Her hair elastics have crumbled away over ALL those years.

She's still in very nice condition though. Luckily she, and the other dolls stored in the box she was in, were stored in ziplock bags, because the box got soaked by the fire crew, and the water was dark brown and smokey smelling.

Apparently, baby pacifier jewelry was also quite a thing in those days.

She is wearing her original outfit, consisting of a blue blouse, trimmed in the same pink and white and blue and white gingham as her overalls...

,,, and the aforementioned overalls.

Real pockets!

The overalls only reach to just below her knees.

She also has pink high top tennis shoes.

She has the 'big eye Skipper' , or anime' inspired head sculpt, which is just about the least popular head sculpt amongst Skipper fans, although it does have it's fans.

  There were two other dolls in this Cool Crimps series: Cool Crimps Courtney, who had a green version of Skipper's outfit, complete with the pink pacifier jewelry, and Cool Crimps Kevin, (You can see mine HERE.) Kevin had molded and painted hair, so I don't know what he was crimping. With all the stuff coming here to be checked over for moisture, I have been going through a lot of stuff. In doing so I discovered that I have two of these dolls. The other one doesn't have her accessories, or even her shoes. She does have her outfit and stupid pacifier jewelry though. 

She at least stayed clean where she was, and she doesn't smell like smoke. She needs to find a new home, so if anybody is interested, let me know. She's $10 plus shipping. And remember, if you want me to contact you, you have to leave your contact information. Most people seem to forget that,

Tomorrow is another doll.