Boxed Pam dress set for doll identification purposes

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

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?

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

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

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

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!

Props for doll photography

This is an area where I'm still learning, but I still have some ideas to share for finding props for doll photography.

Obviously there is plenty of doll-sized furniture to be had. My mom has some of her childhood doll furniture from the 1950s, and I plan to use it as props in some of my shots. Nowadays there are all kinds of other things you can get, though, from Re-Ment rooms (little display rooms that you can decorate and furnish yourself) and Re-Ment miniature food, to every little accessory you can think of.

I personally like the free or homemade kind of prop, because I spend enough on my dolls that I don't really have much money to spend on accessories too. One source of props that I've found for bigger dolls (such as 16-inch Madame Alexander Elise) are gift card wrappings. For instance, this year Whole Foods has a miniature paper shopping bag for putting gift cards in, and a few years back Old Chicago had miniature cardboard pizza boxes. You can see both of these used as props in my last post.

Homemade props are good, too. See the bed in the last picture of my last post? I made the quilt and pillow for that bed (it had a really ugly quilt on it originally), and I plan to also make a dust ruffle and mattress for it. I've been recycling old clothese for these projects: the quilt and pillow are made out of old flannel pajama pants that ripped at the waist, and I'm planning to use a white eyelet lace blouse (also damaged) for the dust ruffle. A couple of my husband's old white T-shirts will probably be sacrificed for the mattress.

I've also been scouring free sources such as Freecycle.org for things I can use as props. Just the other day I got an 18-inch Christmas tree, which I will use for holiday photos with my bigger dolls. I'm also looking for things such as wallpaper, which I can use to create realistic-looking backgrounds for my dolls.

Like I said, I'm pretty new at this prop thing, but I'm getting some great ideas from other doll collectors and from my own imagination. I'd love to hear suggestions from my readers. What do you like to use as props?