Doll-A-Day 2023 #300: Pose Doll on Stand

  Here's how my day went yesterday. We got some tubs and loaded all the crap out of our car into them.  When you are living in one room in somebody else's house, you can't have everything you want or might need in there. You have to half live out of your car too. We needed the space in the car because we're going to see Ivy tomorrow, because her birthday was Monday, and we're taking a bunch of her stuff to her in Indiana. It was super windy while I was working on going through the stuff and tubbing it up. My hair should have been tied back. I thought of that while I was fighting the wind and going through the stuff. I knew I was going to have a very tangled mess when it came time to wash my hair at the end of the day.

After that we hauled it to the storage and pulled out all the stuff that belongs to Fuzz that was in there. I also had to secure some of the loose stuff, bagged, or in things without lids, in something impenetrable, because we have a bad mouse problem in the storage. Then we delivered Fuzz's stuff, and went on to the house to load up stuff from Ivy's room. 

   I went upstairs last weeks folks. I went upstairs and into Ivy's room, trying not to look left or right. Ivy's windows aren't boarded, so I could open the curtain and see what I was doing, at least until it started to get dark. So last week Ken and I rounded up a bunch of stuff Ivy wanted, including her window seat, furry rug, and a million pillows. These were all things I had bought to redo her room a few years ago. So she is getting to use them in her first apartment, which was the idea at the time.  

  We had it rounded up, but there were other things she wanted, so we meant to load all the stuff we gathered last week into the car, and then scout out the other stuff. But it took us so long to load the car, because we are so old and were sore and stiff, that it got dark. We had a battery operated big light, so we could see what we were doing, but then it went out, and we had to get down the stairs! I was afraid Ken would fall, carrying 3 four foot long furry pillows down in the dark. Well, he was okay. However, backing down the stairs with a small lamp and a big box of books or dishes, (I don't remember which.), I fell. I missed  the bottom step and fell backward down the stairs. Luckily, I did fall backward, because I landed on my fat hip, instead of my knees again. It didn't hurt much, and I got right up.

  We were taking everything outside so I could load the car. (I am the self proclaimed Master Spacemaker. I had to be, because the car is absolutely packed.) I had a list so I didn't forget anything I wanted to take to her, or that she wanted. I did great, and remembered stuff I didn't even have on the list. But then...Jimmy got outside. The little poop. I had just given them their treats too. So we had to chase Jimmy for I don't know how long, before he allowed me to pick him up and cram him back into the house. Then I got the car loaded. By that time it was about 8:30, and we hadn't had anything but a little yogurt each all day. Plus I had on my list to go to the best Mexican restaurant in town and get Ivy some of the salsa she loves. (She quite literally drinks the stuff. I like it, but I don't drink it.) So we went to get dinner and salsa for Ivy. We were both super sore and like two old folks stumping into the restaurant.

  When we got back to Emma's we were so achy, and Ken was falling asleep. But I had to get all the knots out of my hair before I could wash it. That took about half an hour at least. And our new air mattress came the night before, so we wanted to get the air mattresses switched. The one we've been sleeping on for the whole time we 've been here, was kindly loaned by AJ's parents, and it had popped in a weird way. One side was too squashy, and the other side was like a mountain range. Sleeping on it was very uncomfortable and we, especially Ken, who was sleeping on the hump side, weren't getting any rest or relaxation. As tired as we were, we couldn't take that another night. So while Ken took a shower, I deflated the hump mattress and inflated the new one. The new one isn't very good. For one thing, it's too short, and Ken's feet hang off the end. For another thing, it's too squashy. We don't have the right pump for it, and it isn't inflating enough, and also the air sneaks out while I try to cap it. But Ken managed to sleep all night without having to get up and sit up on the couch for a while. So that's already a win.

  Anyway, by the time all that happened, and I took a shower, it was very late, and that's why I just didn't do a post yesterday. Whew!

 Today's doll is one of Emma's. She's a pose doll.

The little blonde girl in plaid, on the blue metal stand.

Pose dolls are bendable dolls, usually made in Japan, typically with big eyes and stockingette 'skin'. This doll fits that description perfectly.

She's wearing a plaid kimono.

Not all pose dolls are on stands, as this one is. Most of the ones I've seen are loose, often in sitting positions. The small metal stand she is attached to is not uncommon thought. She can't be removed from her stand. She bears a great resemblance to the pose doll I have that came on a music box, big eyes, yellow thread hair, and all. At 9 or 10 inches tall, she's even a similar size.

  That's the doll for yesterday. Check out today's other post for today's doll.    

Doll-A-Day 2023 #290: Futaba Fisher...man?

    Boy, it is always something! I mentioned yesterday that my camera battery died as I was taking pictures for today's post. Well, I put the battery on charge, and today I tried again. The battery charger had a green light, which means fully charged, but  my camera still won't come on! Ken had my phone because he had meetings with two electricians and a window person at the house today, so I couldn't take pictures with that. So you'll just have to settle for the few pictures I took yesterday. This guy is a Futaba.

   He's a fisherman, I think. I assume that's what the basket is for, and the stick he's holding over his shoulder.

If he were standing up he would be about 8 inches tall.

  The little sticker on the logs he's sitting on says 'Made in Japan'.

  You might have seen the post I did on a Futaba I used to have, (Before somebody on Flickr talked me out of it! It was a really nice one, and I wish I still had it.)  As I learned when researching for that post: Futaba creatures are mythical Japanese water beings, that are half human and half turtle. I think they are also called Kappa or Shibaten. 

  I just noticed that this guy is wearing a very similar shirt to my other one. Both shirts are blue and white plaid, with a brown placket. I know this one doesn't look like he's wearing a white and blue plaid shirt, but that's because he looks like he was probably previously owned by a smoker. If I could get him off those logs I might be brave enough to soak him in Stain Devils. It's worked before on dolls that were completely yellow from ancient cigarette smoke.

  That's today's doll. Sorry I couldn't give you more detailed pictures. My battery...or is it, my camera, went out as I was about to do a close up of that sticker. I'll figure something out for tomorrow's doll. At least I'll have my phone back by then. See you tomorrow.

Doll-A-Day 2023 #124: Traditional Japanese Dolls

 Today' dolls are a pair that belong to my sister. But, she doesn't collect dolls...

  These are obviously Japanese dolls, but I have been trying to figure out what kind of doll to say they are. I think at least the one in blue may be an 'oiran' doll.

 Wikipedia describes oiran thusly:  Oiran is a collective term for the highest-ranking courtesans in Japanese history, who were considered to be above common prostitutes for their more refined entertainment skills and training in the traditional arts.

 I'm thinking she may be an oiran, as opposed to just a Geisha, because she's holding a tsuzumi drum.

 The description further says: Oiran were expected to be well versed in the traditional arts of singing, classical dance and music, including the ability to play the kokyu, (the familiar Japanese instrument that looks a bit like a square banjo), and the koto, a zither like instrument.   

  Apparently Oiran were a higher class than Geishas, who came later. Let's go back to Wikipedia's information about oiran: Though regarded as trend setting and fashionable women at the historic height of their profession, this reputation was later usurped in the late 18th through 19th centuries by Geisha, who became popular among the merchant class, for their simplified clothing, ability to play short, modern songs known as kouta on the shamisen, (another square stringed instrument with only three strings.), and their more fashionable expressions of contemporary womanhood and companionship for men,^[4] which mirrored the tastes of the extremely wealthy, but for lower class merchants, who constituted the majority of their patronage.

 The doll in red may be an oyama doll. Oyama is Japanese theatre, The word oyama can also mean an actor in kabuki theatre, a male who plays female parts. 

She's carrying what seems to be a long string of leaves or flowers. I think these may be meant to ward off evil. Usually those are wisteria flowers, which are purple.

 From what I have seen, in researching, typically dolls wearing the large hat this one is wearing, also have several hats they are carrying, to perform a 'hat dance'.

  Some dolls like these have silk faces over a form. These seem to be more like dolls who have faces made of a paste of crushed oyster shells.

They have painted hairlines and glass eyes. 

  They both have beautiful, detailed kimonos.

The strip of cloth around the waist is called an obi, which I only know because they use the same term for the paper strip around the cover of a Japanese record or CD!

 Both of these dolls are fairly tall, around 16 or 18 inches. It was hard to tell because they're on top of a tall bookcase. If anybody has any information to share about these dolls, please leave a comment.

  See you again tomorrow.

Doll-A-Day 2023 #107: Takara Who?

     I had Ken bring the amaryllis out of the house so they could get started when I was there mowing the grass the other week. They only got to stay out a couple of days, which was long enough for them to get some rain at least. Then they had to go right back in because we've had freezing temperatures on and off at night ever since! Those things are never going to start. Of course, there's no heat in the house either, so they may already be dead. That didn't occur to me at first. I hope they're alive. With my black thumb they are just about the only non-yard plants I've been able to keep alive. Emma and Fuzz and I all carried one home on the way from their elementary school one day. A lady who always had a yard full of plants had died, and there were paper grocery bags of amaryllis in her front yard with a 'free' sign on them. So we each brought one home. We didn't have Ivy yet, so Fuzz, who just turned 28, must have been 3 or 4 years old. The amaryllis have propagated very well over the years and I have given many of them away. I think I had 13 at one time. Ivy hates them and has been wishing they'd die for years. She may have gotten her wish. Now on to the doll!

  Today's little girl is from Saturday's doll show too. Let's have a look at her.

  I thought she was worth the $2 the dealer was charging, especially since I think she has her original outfit. 

My sister was pressuring me to get the Talking Bill Clinton doll, so I could hardly think straight anyway.

 She's had a haircut. But she's still cute.

  I've seen repaints of some dolls with this face sculpt, and they were really cute with blushy faces and darker, more realistic lips. Since she's not all original now anyway, with the hair cut, I might not feel too bad about customizing her.

  I don't know which doll she is. Is she Jenny? There were a bunch of Takara dolls with these markings.

I have looked the markings up and it looks like she's from the 80's though. I can say that much...I think.

  If you're familiar with Takara Jenny dolls and such, you'll know they are a little small compared to a Barbie. This one isn't the little 9 inch doll, (Like the one I have that you may have seen HERE.), but she's a smaller overall doll than a Barbie.

  So there she is. 

  That's the doll for today. Tomorrow we'll check out a doll I got at the show before this one. She's been hanging around, waiting for her day. It's about time she got it.

Doll-A-Day 2023 #105: Japanese Midge

   Today we're looking at a doll you don't see often. I saw her at the doll show last Saturday. 

  Midge is, of course, Barbie's first best friend. She was introduced in 1963. She came as a red head, a blonde, or a brunette. She had freckles and a friendly face, much less sophisticated looking than Barbie. She was discontinued in 1967, when her head sculpt was turned over to Barbie's new best friend, PJ. But in between the introduction of Midge and the introduction of PJ, there was another Midge.  Her name was New Midge, but she's known to collectors as Japanese Midge.

That's because she was sold only in Japan, and only in 1964 and 1965. (I've also seen it as 163 and 1964.)

  She had the same body as U.S. Barbie and Midge, but her own unique head sculpt, which was never used for any other doll.

This doll has had her rubber head band replaced with a ribbon. The head bands on Fashion Queen Barbie and Wig Wardrobe Midge are actually removeable, (and can be put back on), but why would you do it?

   Another fairly unique feature was that she was a wig doll. She had a sculpted head of hair, like Fashion Queen Barbie, or the lesser known Wig Wardobe Midge. She had the same rubber headband they had, in blue, and she came with a brown wig.

  Most Japanese Midge dolls seem to have come in the brunette wig. This rare Japanese dressed box doll has a blonde one.

The box is unusually large, and she comes with a very rare black plastic stand with her name on it, like the earliest Barbie stands. Not all the Japanese dressed box dolls came with the blonde version of the New Midge wig.

   That's the doll for today. And that's the last of our posts on dolls from the most recent doll show, except for the few things I brought home. We'll see them starting tomorrow. 

Doll-A-Day 2023 #26: Sun Sun Skipper

   Today's doll has a tale behind it. I spotted this doll online somewhere a few years ago. I don't remember where. Facebook maybe. She was for sale for an amazing price, especially considering she is worth quite a bit. She is pretty rare, and is the Holy Grail of Skipper dolls. She's the most valuable Skipper doll out there. I was super lucky to find her. I figured I would enjoy her for a little while, but she was too valuable to keep. But I expected to enjoy her longer than this.

  I bought her from the lady, who lived in England. To save shipping costs, and to ensure she would arrive safely in the U.S., I had her shipped to our niece Jane, and planned to pick her up when we went over for our next visit. Ken was determined we weren't going to wait another 30 years to go to England. So we started saving and planning. We were going to go over, and then Covid hit. So we waited Covid out. We didn't want to risk picking anything up on the way and passing it along to Ken's sisters, who are all older than we are. Finally as you know, we managed to go last October. Jane handed Skipper over in two heavy plastic bags and some bubble wrap. Thank you Jane! I don't know if Jane put her in those bags, or if she arrived that way, because I'd had Jane open her package when it arrived to make sure the doll was right, and still in one piece. But thank goodness she was packed that way. I think it saved her life. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

  Skipper stayed safely in my carry on bag for most of the trip. As we travelled I kept her in sight. On the plane, she was in the carry on stuff. There was no way I was sticking her in a checked bag. Even when we lost our luggage, (Oh. I haven't gotten to that yet.), she came home with us. 

   I had been pretty good on the trip as far as not eating things I shouldn't. I ate some chocolate, and half of a chickpea curry. But overall I was pretty good. I did eat a few tiny cherry tomatoes in Iceland But once we got home, it was Thanksgiving, and then Christmas, and I had goodies to eat from the trip. I over did it.  I felt bad, and got a cold...or did I? When I eat too many things I'm not supposed to, it affects my lungs. So I was never sure if what I had was a bad chest cold, or just my LPR, because I had been eating things that cause the aggravation to my lungs. But in any case, between that and the last of my leg pain, which is all gone now, I didn't feel up to cleaning Skipper and doing her photo shoot, even though I was excited to photograph her. So Skipper lay untouched on the landing, upstairs, outside my bedroom door, near the bathroom so I could clean her up when I felt like it. But then, a couple of weeks ago...you know what happened.

  Fuzzy's room caught fire. Our landing became a mess of water, and smoke damage, and melted things. I haven't shown you that stuff yet. Just wait. But what became of Skipper? The night of the fire I was concerned about the Skipper doll. Not why you might think. I was worried that she had burned or melted, when we needed most to sell her. Emma went back to our house a second time, after rescuing things we'd need, (My comb and brush! Emma, bless you!) , and looked for Skipper. 

  Emma found a bundle of melted plastic bag in the floor, near our bedroom, what she described as a 'plastic mummy'. She was scared to open it. She peeled away one melted bag. Then another. Inside was the bubble wrap. And inside that, totally unharmed, was Skipper. She doesn't even smell like smoke! I have wondered if it was the air inside the bubble wrap that helped protect her. But anyway, here she is, none the worse for her ordeal. Sun Sun Skipper.

Sun Sun Skipper was only sold in Japan.

 She's very rare. Her combination of the Malibu skin tone, dark hair, brown eyes, and rooted eyelashes makes her unique amongst Skipper dolls.

Sun Sun Skipper was available in 1971, although her body mold is marked 1967, She's also marked Made in Japan.

There weren't any regular Malibu Skippers with rooted eyelashes.

  Her long brown hair is way more silky than Malibu Skipper's course blonde hair.

 

 She has a twist waist and click bend knees.

  Sun Sun Skipper is already for sale. I have offered her on a Skipper Facebook page I'm on. She's very expensive, so it may take a while to sell her. If she doesn't sell there in a week or two she goes to Ebay. 

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