Doll Stringing Extravaganza

Merry Christmas, from my dolls to yours!

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 01:53:00 +0000

I have had a busy year and haven't been blogging or even working on my dolls very much — until recently. I have several projects I am currently working on or planning to work on, so hopefully there will be new stories to share very soon.

Here are a few of my Christmas presents to myself:

A bent-knee Cosmopolitan Ginger in the Disney mouseketeer outfit, and a Ginger clone in a MIB A&H Julie outfit...

...and a mint, unopened canister of Ginger shoes, part of a fantastic lot of Ginger dolls and outfits that I was lucky enough to win on eBay.

Have a very merry Christmas — and may there be dolls under your tree!

New additions to my collection

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:18:00 +0000

I have been too busy for many of my project dolls lately, so I haven't been posting here as much as I used to. However, I have been adding a lot of dolls to my collection.

In addition to fixing up "project dolls," I have a couple of boxes full of clothes that I enjoy finding dolls to wear. Just this week, I have found several nude dolls to dress. Here are a few of my newest additions.

The Ginger on the left is one I've featured before, #444 from 1956. The one in the center is new — a nude with perfect hair that I found and dressed in #226 from 1954/55. The one on the right is another I've had a while, but recently completed her outfit with hat, belt, and lavender socks. The accessories came in a boxed outfit and are correct for this dress.

This little sweetheart is a Ginger clone that I've dressed in one of my favorite clone outfits. I'm not sure who the doll is, or who the outfit belongs to. The dress closes with a Greek key snap, which was used by both Cosmopolitan and some of the companies that sold Ginger clones.

Next we have a pretty little brunette I just got and dressed in #441 from 1954/55. Although I put the outfit together myself, all of it is correct except the bloomers (she has white taffeta fat pants on, but they should be the same navy waffle weave as the dress). The belt has torn before and is a bit short as a result, but is otherwise correct for the outfit.

This one is probably my favorite of my new additions. She is wearing an outfit I've featured before: Ginger's sailor outfit, which I've since discovered is #333 from 1955. I found one for myself, then found the white belt and red ribbon necktie to go with it. The beanie is a lovely crocheted one made by Regitze to replace the original red felt beanie.

The doll has a broken walking post, which I might try to fix eventually, but for now I'm not too worried — she is lovely enough that I don't care if her head wobbles a little bit!

The trunk used as a backdrop for these pictures is a new addition too, incidentally.

I am hoping that in the coming weeks I will have an opportunity to catch up on my project dolls. Stay tuned for some posts on hair restyling and seam split repair.

Another year, another doll show

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:17:00 +0000

On Sunday my mom and I had a booth in another doll show. A fellow Ginger collector and good friend of mine from Denmark, and the owner of GingerDolls.dk, also had a few things (a few small dolls and a boxload of clothes) for sale in our booth.

This particular show ran twice last year — October and December — and we did both shows. This one, however, was more successful than both of last year's shows combined.

I've been slowly focusing my collecting efforts on Cosmopolitan Ginger, and as a result I've been getting rid of dolls that don't fit my collection anymore. There are some dolls that I won't get rid of no matter how my collecting changes, but there are others that I don't care as much for and that take up too much room to keep. My mom would call it downsizing, but I think techically a collection has to get smaller in order for that to be true — and mine is growing all the time.

Anyway, here is a listing of what we sold at the show:

My mom:

* 1930s Madame Alexander Madelaine DuBain
* 1950s American Character Tiny Tears with original trunk, clothes, and accessories
* 1950s magic skin baby with clothes and accessories
* Figurines from occupied Japan
* Carved wooden animals from Kenya
* Doll clothes

Me:

* 1950s 14" hard plastic "Made in USA" doll
* Madame Alexander Alexander-kins with the Maggie Mixup face and a 1960 tagged outfit
* Newer MIB Madame Alexander dolls
* Several "$5 dolls" — nude 1950s fashion dolls, Ginger clones, etc. — all needing TLC
* Doll clothes

Regitze:

* Ginny and Jill doll parts
* Doll clothes

One thing we have found about these shows is that it helps to have a combination of high-dollar dolls ("eye candy") and bargain stuff. So in addition to our nice dolls, we had a number of bargain dolls and several plastic tubs full of clothes (off to the side, out of the picture) for people to dig through. We set our prices fairly low, and by the end of the day our table was quite a bit more bare than what you see here.

Of course, the result is that we will turn around and put a lot of what we made into buying more dolls. The cycle never ends!

eBay picture sharing

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 05:15:00 +0000

I know it's been a while since I've posted on this blog. The lighting in my makeshift studio went down and I haven't been able to fix it yet. But I'll get some new pictures and posts up soon.

In the meantime, I want to let everyone who sells on eBay know about a new policy regarding people's photos. eBay has change their terms of use so that unless you opt out, you are automatically agreeing to let them use your photos without notifying you or asking for your permission.

It's really best if you opt out before August 31st, which is when the new policy will take effect. After August 31st they can still use your old photos, just not any you upload after opting out. Problem is, eBay isn't being very proactive about letting people know — not that we're surprised. Why would they do that?

To opt out of sharing your eBay photos without your permission, hover your mouse over the Accounts tab on your My eBay page and click on the Site Preferences option from the drop down menu that appears. To the right of the selection "Share your Photos," click Show. Most likely your account has defaulted to "Yes." To change that, click Edit (under the link for Show) and then put a little tick mark in the box to opt out.

Doing this will protect the item photos you post on eBay from being used without your knowledge or permission!

Repairing a Ginger doll's broken walking post

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 18:16:00 +0000

A common problem among Cosmopolitan Ginger dolls from the 1950s is that they are found with broken walking posts. The post that connects their head to the walking mechanism in their hips is made of plastic, which makes it susceptible to breaking. If the post breaks, not only does their head not move back and forth when they "walk," but it only wobbles and can spin all the way around.

Several years ago, I bought a nude Ginger doll that arrived with a cracked walking post. The crack, which I could see through the arm holes, went about halfway through the post, so I knew if I wasn't careful it would break off the rest of the way. I decided to try gluing the walking post in the hopes of saving her.

I actually glued her twice. The first time I used super glue, applied painstakingly with the tip of a toothpick. Once I felt I had enough glue in the crack, I positioned her head to close the crack, held her like that for several minutes, and then very carefully laid her on her back to dry.

The super glue actually held for quite a while, but one day when I was dressing her or styling her hair, I wasn't quite careful enough and the glue failed. This time I didn't have any super glue handy, so I decided to try the glue I use for wig replacement and touch-ups. I think I used a little more glue this time, too. Again, I held her head in position for several minutes before laying her down to dry. So far, the Tacky Glue has held, and I haven't had to reglue her walking post again.

I took a couple of photos to show my repair job. In the first photo, you can see the crack at the top of the curve. If you look closely in the second photo, you can see the clear layer of glue over the outside of the walking post.

A little bit of work, and I was able to save a perfectly good Ginger doll from the trash bin!

Vintage doll wig replacement, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Fri, 29 May 2009 18:48:00 +0000

More than a month ago, I blogged about replacing the wig on one of my 8-inch Ginger dolls. Here at last is the rest of the story, as well as a few pictures.

As you'll remember, she wasn't the prettiest doll starting out — her crazy wig inspired me to nickname her Medusa. So I took the wig off of another Ginger doll with a walking post that was broken beyond repair.

Once I had the new wig in place (all of this is described in detail in the other post), I tied a ribbon around her head to keep the cheesecloth wig cap flush against her head while the glue dried. (I don't recomend fast-drying glue unless it's something that is reversible — too easy to make mistakes. Better to learn patience!)

After about 24 hours, I took the ribbon off. Although I had rebraided the wig before switching it, I did have do a little restyling after transferring it. Once the braids were how I wanted them, I put an extra spot of glue on each of side above the ear, so that the hair alongside her face stayed down instead of peeling up and making her look funny. That meant putting the ribbon back on again, of course.

When I took the ribbon off for the final time, I was duly impressed with my own work. Because I'd done such a thorough job of removing the evidence of glue and hair from the original wig, it's not immediately obvious that the wig is a replacement.

I also found her an outfit that I thought appropriate: #666 from the 1955 catalog. I bought the dress separately, so the yellow taffeta fat pants, yellow rayon socks, and white shoes are all appropriate vintage replacements. I'm still missng the hat, which I believe should be a lacy-looking white hat.

A lot of doll collectors shy away from dolls with replaced wigs, but I think the key is finding an appropriate vintage replacements. Most modern replacement wigs will be glaringly obvious, but you can easily find an appropriate vintage replacement by buying a parts doll with a good wig.

Of course, replacing the wig does affect the value — my doll might be worth more than she was with a Medusa wig, but not by much, and definitely not as much as if it were her original wig. Therefore, I don't necessarily recommend doing this on a doll you plan to sell; but if it's just a doll you plan to display and enjoy, I think you'll be pleased with the results.

Catching up

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Thu, 28 May 2009 05:11:00 +0000

A friend scolded me lately for not having updated my blog lately, so I have to apologize — I've been extremely busy lately with work and my other hobbies, which involve enjoying the nice springtime weather.

However, today I bit the bullet and took a whole bunch of really great pictures, so you can expect new posts again! I'm especially excited about these pictures, because I've put together a new backdrop and studio setup, and I'm extraordinarily pleased with the results.

Check back soon for updates and more eye candy!

Vintage doll wig replacement, part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:16:00 +0000

A couple weekends ago I did my first wig replacement on a vintage doll.

I had two Ginger/clone dolls: one doll with a broken neck but a good wig, and another with a great body, great face paint, but Medusa hair.

Photo by dallcm

Getting the bad wig off of the good doll was pretty easy, because the only thing I had to worry about was holding her head still so that I wouldn't break her walking post. Once the wig was off, I used my favorite doll cleaner to remove all of the glue residue. It took a little elbow grease, but the cleaner removed the glue!

Taking off the other doll's wig was a little trickier, as I had to be careful not to damage it. Luckily it is a genuine Cosmopolitan Ginger wig, with a full fabric cap (as opposed to the clone wigs, which generally just had a strip of fabric under the stitched part). I was therefore able to just focus on working the cheesecloth fabric away from the head. I didn't use water or doll cleaner to loosen it, just carefully worked the tip of a spoon under the fabric and avoided tearing it as much as possible.

Once I got the wig off, I put it on the other doll's now-shiny bald head, and moved it around a bunch to see how it looked in various positions. Once I had decided how I was going to position the wig, I had my husband hold the doll while I did a "practice run" without glue. I wanted to be certain I got it right the first time!

Finally I was ready to glue the wig on. I applied Tacky Glue directly to the inside of the wig — a circle all around the outer edge, a line of glue down the stitching for the part, and a little squiggle on each side of the part. I wanted to be sure I used plenty of glue, but I also had to be sure I didn't overglue.

When I put the wig on, I positioned it and then held it tight with my fingers for several minutes. When I was confident that it was starting to set, I tied a ribbon around the doll's head to keep the wig in place.

Stay tuned for the unveiling — my next post will address restyling her hair and putting the finishing touches on the replacement wig!

Doll cleaning and a mystery doll

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 18:35:00 +0000

It always amazes me how much you can transform some dolls with just a little cleaning. This doll — a little mystery doll that I haven't yet identified — was so dirty that it actually affected whether I liked her, and as a result I was planning on selling her. But then I decided to clean her up first, and guess what? It turns out I like her after all!

In this picture, you can see how dirty her face was before — and how clean and pretty a little doll cleaner made it. The darker half of her face is not in shadow or Photoshopped — it's dirty! Amazing, isn't it?

Now to explain the mystery. This little strung 8-inch toddler doll is clearly made using the same mold as the medium- and large-eyed Gingers and clones. She is also dressed exactly like Carol Sue, a strung clone that used the Ginger body. However, she is made of a much lighter plastic, her eyes are different, and she is stamped on her back with:

A 175

A.T.C.

MADE IN HONG KONG

So who is she? I have no idea. Maybe someday I'll be able to find out. But at least she is clean now!

Waste not, want not

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:59:00 +0000

Even doll collectors can benefit from the wisdom of "Waste not, want not."

The other day I was trying to decide what to do with my extra Frontier Girl Ginger from my Disney dolls display. I have two of these dolls, but the other one is mint in box so I haven't displayed her before. However, she has blond braids just like my new Davy Crockett doll, so I decided to put her into the display.

I was planning to sell my extra Frontier Girl. I even took pictures and wrote out the description for the listing, but I started having major second thoughts. Even though this Ginger doll's hair is down, her face coloring is gorgeous. Really, her hair being down is her only flaw.

After some agonizing indecision over whether I ought to be selling her, it occurred to me that I have several Ginger outfits just waiting for a doll to wear them. Rather than selling this doll and then spending more on a new doll with mint hair, why not just redress her in one of them? Even if I decide to put a different doll in the dress later, at least I will get some more enjoyment out of her — and get a great outfit on a doll.

I will keep her original Frontier Girl outfit, of course, in case I decide to redress her in it — or even sell her — at a later date. In the meantime, she looks darling in the outfit, and I am very happy with my decision!

Rags to riches, part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:15:00 +0000

One of my favorite parts of complete a project doll is finding the correct clothes and accessories to complete the doll, as I did with the Davy Crockett doll that is now in my display of 1950s Disney dolls.

My last post about this doll demonstrated how much a doll can be transformed by cleaning and restyling its hair. But that transformation is not complete until the doll has appropriate clothing, too.

I actually did not intend the Davy Crockett outfit for this doll when I first saw it — I just knew that I wanted the outfit. A couple of days later, I restyled this doll's hair, and knew then that she would be perfect for the outfit.

The outfit was boxed — in the wrong box, but as I discovered when I got the outfit, it had probably never been on a doll. It was therefore very stiff, as the suede material they used didn't really age very well. I steamed the outfit to make it flexible enough to get on my doll, but even so, it took a lot of coaxing. Now that it's on, I am never going to take it off!

The outfit is great — it includes the suede fringed skirt and top, red suede boots, a red belt, "saddle bags" to hang on the belt, and of course a darling rabbit fur "coonskin" hat with a little "tail." The outfit also has the rifle, which I was thrilled about, of course!

Even with her pale face and rebraided hair, this outfit transforms this little Ginger from a six-dollar doll into one of the sought-after Disney Gingers. I'm very proud to have uncovered this little diamond in the rough!

Rags to riches, part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:52:00 +0000

My "Ginger as Davy Crockett" or "Pioneer Girl" (depending on which Cosmopolitan catalog you are looking at) is a true rags to riches story as far as dolls go, as I noted in my post about my 1950s Disney dolls display.

When I got her, I had no idea she would become one of my favorite dolls overnight. A friend of mine, who also collects Ginger dolls, sent me the auction on eBay (thanks, Regitze!). She didn't look like much, and wasn't identified as Ginger, but I decided to take a chance and bid on her anyway. I ended up winning her for $6.50.

Photo by hytenjr

When I got her, I was delighted to find that her hair is parted for pigtails. That made me happy because I can easily restyle pigtails. Ginger's hard rolled flip, though, is difficult to duplicate. I've done it once and will probably never try it again, it was so frustrating!

Restyling her hair was one of the doll projects I worked on a little more than a week ago. I was able to fairly easily repart the hair. I also found that the hair was still a little crimped from the original braids, which made it easier to rebraid it.

I also cleaned her up a little bit, as she had some play soil on her, especially on her face.

In my next post I'll talk about finding her an appropriate outfit to complete her transformation!

My vintage Disney doll display

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 22:28:00 +0000

I have eight dolls in my collection right now that represent Disney characters or were sold using the Disney name. I have put together six of them on one of my shelves in my doll cabinets as a vintage Disney doll display.

They are, clockwise from upper left corner:

Alice in Wonderland by Madame Alexander, 1951
Cinderella by Madame Alexander, 1950
Prince Charming by Madame Alexander, 1950
Snow White by Madame Alexander, 1952
Ginger as Davy Crockett by Cosmopolitan, c. 1954; also called Pioneer Girl in 1956 catalog
Frontier Girl Ginger by Cosmopolitan, c. 1956

Disney put their name on a whole bunch of Cosmopolitan Ginger dolls in the mid-1950s. The Davy Crockett doll is actually a new addition to my collection, and a true rags to riches story. I'll be blogging about her in a series of posts to come!

Washing vintage doll clothes

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 18:31:00 +0000

Washing vintage doll clothes is a tricky business. Washing a doll's clothes typically detracts from a doll's originality and lowers the doll's value, particularly if you can really tell the clothing has been washed. However, dirty clothing also reduces the value.

Deciding whether to wash a doll's clothes therefore entails weighing the pros and cons — whether the doll's value will be affected more by dirty clothes or washed clothes. It can also be affected heavily by personal preference — i.e., whether you prefer a doll in your collection to be as original as possible, or as clean as possible.

In any case, whether to wash your doll's clothing is a very personal decision, so I won't give you advice on when you should or shouldn't. If you do decide to, however, this is how I prefer to wash my doll's clothing.

You will need:

* Biz laundry soap
* A large bowl or a mixing bowl
* An upside-down bowl, or a clean bottle, on which to dry the dress.

Note: Always remember to use cold water when washing vintage doll clothes. Some of the dyes were not very colorfast, and warm or hot water can cause them to run.

1) Put a small scoop of Biz into the bowl and fill with cold water, stirring to mix the detergent in as well as possible. Put the clothes in, stir again, and allow to soak. Do not scrub spots.

2) Check on the clothes and stir the water periodically. You may want to turn the clothes so all of it gets immersed in the water at some point. Change the water and Biz if the water becomes dirty or clouded.

3) Soak for up to 24 hours, checking the clothes frequently for damage caused by soaking too long, such as bleeding dye or tears in the fabric. Remove the clothes immediately if you see any of this. In my experience, cotton and taffeta hold up over 24 hours pretty well, but the more fragile organdy and satin should be taken out sooner.

4) Remove the clothing from the water and rinse under running cold water. Scuff the fabric lightly with your fingers as you rinse it to make sure none of the detergent is left in the fabric.

5) When the clothes are rinsed, you can press the clothes gently to squeeze out the extra water, but do not wring. This is very important, as wringing causes wrinkles that often do not come out again!

6) Arrange the clothing how you want it to dry. For instance, if the skirt is full and you want it to stand out a bit on the doll, arrange it flat, in a circle, with the bodice of the dress standing up. If you don't want it to stand out as much, arrange the dress over a bowl, so that the skirt hangs down around it. Be sure to puff out sleeves, etc., so that they don't dry flat or creased.

7) Allow the clothes to dry overnight. Do not use heat to dry them faster.

In my experience, this method of washing will not remove the sizing (the factory stiffness in the fabric, desireable in mint or near-mint dolls). Sometimes I've even found that vintage doll clothing that has been machine washed or ironed (which makes them limp) regains some of that desireable stiffness with this method.

Good luck!

Cleaning vintage doll shoes

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:44:00 +0000

Sunday and Monday were doll project days at my house. I have a whole list of things that I fixed and that I will blog about in the coming days, so be sure to check back!

One of the things I did yesterday was to clean a pair of vintage doll shoes, the vinyl or plastic Mary Jane types that fit Ginny-sized dolls. They were seriously the filthiest pair of doll shoes I have ever seen, but they were one of my Ginger doll's originals, so I wanted to try to salvage them.

They had a lot of play soil on them, as well as some kind of glue or varnish that had made shiny discolored spots:

I started out using a little of my favorite doll cleaner, but even that stuff — as good as it is — wouldn't cut through the glue or varnish that was on the shoes.

I happened to be soaking some doll clothes at the time, so I decided "Why not?" and threw the doll shoes in with a dress. They soaked overnight in Biz (I'll blog about my clothes washing method another time). When I rinsed them off the next day, I scratched the spots a little with a fingernail and found that I was to peel up the varnish or glue.

The shoes were still a little discolored, especially under where the varnish had been, so I used the doll cleaner on them again. I was surprised and delighted at how white they turned out!

It's definitely worth a little time and effort to clean vintage doll shoes!

Stay tuned for new posts and pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:59:00 +0000

I must apologize for the lack of posts lately. My husband and I just returned late Saturday night from a trip to Europe. I was so busy in the weeks leading up to the trip, that I wasn't able to get any posts ready and scheduled for while we were gone. But I'm back now, and will be getting back into the swing of my "real" life this week — so stay tuned for some new doll pictures and posts!

Cosmopolitan Ginger sailor outfit

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:21:00 +0000

It's been far too long since I posted any pictures or stories of dolls. I've been busily getting back to collecting, though, so it's not for lack of material!

This outfit actually belongs to a friend of mine who has a Ginger dolls website, but she was kind enough to let me photograph my doll in it.

The outfit is a tagged Cosompolitan Ginger sailor outfit. Neither of us have seen any documentation on this outfit, so we don't know much about it. The hat is vintage Ginger or Pam and is our addition. The purse, socks, and shoes are mine.

Here are a few detailed pictures of the outfit. It has matching bloomers and bears the Jackson Heights tag, both of which I forgot to photograph.

Does anyone have any information on this little blue sailor dress? It is tagged Cosmopolitan Ginger, but we haven't seen any documentation on the outfit.

1986 Vogue Ginny Bride and Groom MIB - SOLD!

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 21:42:00 +0000

I was going through my more modern dolls, and decided to get rid of some of them, since I don't really care for them anymore — I much prefer the vintage dolls. I'm only asking $30 for this Ginny Bride and Groom from 1986. The Vogue company did a series of romantic couples in this year that also included Romeo and Juliet, and I think I've heard of a king and queen as well.

This set is mint in box. I removed them from the box when I bought them, but I was the first to do so. I put them right back in without displaying them. The box is in great shape with only a little bit of shelf wear, and of course the dolls are mint.

Greek key snaps on vintage doll clothing

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 20:01:00 +0000

Greek key snaps, or "P" pattern snaps, were often used on vintage doll clothing in the 1950s and 1960s. Sometimes they were painted, sometimes they were left unpainted. The unpainted ones could be made of either silver or gold-colored metal.

They are often referred to as "Ginger snaps," because they were used so much on Cosmopolitan Ginger clothing. However, they were also used by other clothing manufacturers on shoes and clothes.

Here are a few of the places you can find Greek key snaps:

On a tagged Ginger dress:

On a mint in box Fortune Ninette's clothing:

On a Fortune Pam's dress:

On an A&H Gigi outfit (identified in Small Dolls of the 40s & 50s by Carol Stover, pages 11 and 13):

On an unidentified Ginger clone's dress:

On a pair of fuzzy-bottomed center snap shoes from the early 1950s (worn by an 18-inch Madame Alexander doll, but may not be original):

On a pair of replacement side snap shoes for a Madame Alexander Alexander-kins:

On a pair of center snap shoes worn by Ginny, Muffie, Ginger, Ninette, and other high quality toddler dolls in the early 1950s:

Boxed Pam dress set for doll identification purposes

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:35:00 +0000

The same seller that had the boxed Pam shorts set on eBay this week also had a boxed Pam dress set. I got the seller's permission to post the photos for this one, too.

The dress is a pretty white print with multicolored diamonds on it, green loop trim, and a white painted Greek key snap to close it in the back. It came in the box with white socks, red vinyl Mary Janes, and a deep pink straw hat that might have been red once, trimmed with a white ribbon. The dress reminds me of one of the Cosmopolitan Ginger dresses, and the hat is identical to the hats found on many Ginger dolls.

The box number reads: "6/11 afternoon - 98" with the 98 crossed out and "49" handwritten next to it. I'm guessing that means I'm correct that this last number is the price, and this particular outfit was discounted.

Here are the pictures:

All photos by Teresa Lehmbeck, ebay: the2sisters

As I mentioned in my last post, Ginger clones were often used for Pam, which is why I thought Ginger collectors would like some identification for outfits like these.

Boxed Pam shorts set for doll identification help

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Regular readers probably already know that I am an avid collector of Cosmopolitan Ginger and Ginger clones. One doll company that used Ginger clones was Fortune, which made Ninette and Pam.

This boxed Pam outfit was on eBay this week: a shorts outfit that is marked on the box as "6/12 shorts - 98". I asked the seller for permission to use the pictures here, because I think this is such a great opportunity for collectors to identify outfits.

The MIB, complete outfit consists of a white cotton waffle weave shirt with blue trim, like a tennis shirt, which closes in the back with a Greek key snap; a pair of matching blue shorts, also closing with a Greek key snap; white rayon socks; and white unmarked vinyl Mary Janes.

All photos by Teresa Lehmbeck, ebay: the2sisters

Interestingly, the shorts appear to be the exact same ones as this MIB Fortune Pam (a Ginger clone with bending elbows and knees — scroll about halfway down the page). The outfit number on the MIB doll is "8/12 shorts - 198" (I'm guessing the 98 and 198 are the price).

Will the child lead law affect doll collectors?

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:43:00 +0000

I heard about the child lead law earlier this week. The law requires that sellers perform lead tests on children's toys and clothing, and will go into effect on February 10.

There has been some controversy concerning how this law will impact thrift stores and consignment stores. These stores can't afford to do the expensive testing, and are therefore worried about not being able to stay in business.

This article claims that the child lead law isn't intended for thrift stores, and won't affect how they do business. However, a few lines in this article hint that the law is vague enough that it could still be used against resellers.

Here's an excerpt from the second article:

This week they issued a clarification to the law for re-sellers of children's products. It stated, "the new safety law does not require re-sellers to test children's products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, sellers cannot sell children's products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content, unless they have testing or other information to indicate the products being sold have less than the new limit. Those re-sellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties."

"When I first read it, it thought, this is nice," says Radicella. "It says, yes, you may sell things. You don't have to test for lead, but you can't sell something that has lead. Well, if we don't test, how do we know if it has lead?"

I've been worried about this because of the way it could possibly affect vintage doll and toy collectors. I don't think it would affect private resellers, such as eBay sellers. But how will it affect the antique stores and thrift stores where some of us collectors get vintage dolls and toys?

The problem is that many vintage toys do have, or can be suspected of having, lead in them. And the law specifies that thrift stores shouldn't sell "products that are likely to have lead content," or they could be at risk for "civil and/or criminal penalties."

I don't know if there is anything in the law exempting selling these items as collectibles, but there should be.

Vintage doll furniture from my mom's childhood

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 23:04:00 +0000

When my husband and I visited my parents on Christmas Eve, my mom gave me a very special present: her doll furniture from when she was a child.

When I was a kid, my mom would occasionally allow me and my sister to play with her childhood dolls — including this doll furniture. I remember loving that the doll's dresser looked a lot like the one I had when I was growing up (which, incidentally, was my mom's when she was a kid).

The furniture set includes a matching dresser and washstand, a table and two matching chairs (one of them a rocking chair), and a bed. I think they are possibly from the 19th century, since the dresser is very Victorian, washstands haven't been used since indoor plumbing became common, and the painted style is similar to Pennsylvania Dutch.

The height of the dresser, washstand, table, and chairs are all about right for the 10 ½ inch fashion dolls and the 8 inch toddler dolls, if you figure that the latter are supposed to be children and therefore kind of small for the furniture. The bed is a little too big but will do, though I'll have to make a mattress for it.

I am planning on using them to stage some photos. Now all I need to do is come up with something for a background...

Mattel's lawsuit against Bratz

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:24:00 +0000

While I was searching online for other Bratz stuff I could use as props for my dolls, I was reminded of the lawsuit that Mattel recently won against Bratz. Not only was Mattel awarded $100 million, MGM also has to discontinue Bratz after the holiday season.

I have serious issues with the outcome of this lawsuit. It was based ostensibly on the fact that the creator of Bratz, Carter Bryant, worked for Mattel (Barbie) when he came up with the idea... But we know the real reason for the lawsuit is because Bratz were causing Barbie's popularity to slip.

So what are we saying here? That when you work for a company, they own every creative idea you have while on their payroll? As a freelance writer, I believe wholeheartedly in a person's rights to their intellectual property, so to me this sounds like intellectual slavery.

And in any case, what entitles Mattel to total domination of the toy market?

I think a company's business practices have a lot of impact on how people — parents especially — view their toys. Mattel has pretty much sealed their fate: My kids will never own a single Barbie!

Bratz World house sets make great photography props

noreply@blogger.com (Katharine Swan) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 22:33:00 +0000

Last night, while I was shopping for Christmas presents for the kids I babysit for, I ran across the perfect props for my small fashion dolls: the Bratz World House Bath Set. The set includes a claw foot tub, a mirror, a coat tree (for hanging towels and robes on, I guess), a few little bottles, a towel, a washcloth, and a pair of fuzzy slippers — all the perfect size for small 1950s fashion dolls!

At the last doll show I bought a Toni. She's in good shape but needs a cleaning and restringing. I think she'll be the first one to try out the new bathroom set... Stay tuned for pictures!