So a while back when I was giving my room the deep-cleaning which it desperately needed, I decided to actually take all the stuff out of my closet to clean it for the first time in forever, and in the bottom I found this doll that I had forgotten existed but that I suddenly and violently remembered from my childhood the second I dug it out.
It’s a Mulan doll. I didn’t usually like Barbies because they were Too Girly (latent unrecognized trans feelings yeehaw) but I loved Mulan, which originally belonged to a friend, who didn’t especially like the doll and gave it to me instead. I’m not sure if the sweater was part of the original costume but no other pieces of it came with it. I don’t remember if I’d had the dress already or if it was from my friend…. anyways as you can see the hair is COMPLETELY destroyed, but seeing it made me feel some kind of way so I brushed it out enough that I could at least see what I was dealing with,
Some of the hair came off in clumps but it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought. The worst part was a bald spot right above the forehead:
You can’t see it very well but enjoy this blurry cameo from Buster.
I cut the hair short enough to easily manage and then washed the doll and the jacket both.
Cut hair while it was wet, which was a questionable decision because it got much fluffier as it dried. Got him some new clothes and
this is Hua Jun he’s trans like me
Update: I figured out you can remove the factory paint from dolls with acetone. Removed the red lipstick, painted his teeth back in (oh that was so frustrating but I finally got it to look okay)
He looks so much better aaaaa
Also, he has a friend now!
this is Autumn and I purchased her, along with the pants she’s wearing and the plaid shirt that Jun is wearing, at my aunt’s church’s rummage sale for one whole dollar! I believe she’s a Skipper doll, she had some weird goop caked into her hair and on her arm when I got her, but she at least smells nice–maybe it was lotion or something? conditioner? anyways, it washed off fairly easily and here she is!
frens…
It’s been awhile! I moved out of my parents’ house, got and lost a job, got top surgery, got a new job, started T, and have been gradually increasing my doll customization knowledge. I gradually did a lot of work on Jun that I had been meaning to do–none of it is perfect, but I think it’s progress and I’m pretty proud I got it done.
I rerooted and cut his hair, completely removed and re-drew his face.
Previous to this, I also gave him doll top surgery. (You can see how… less good his face looks in these previous ones)
I should’ve thought to smooth out the edges to blend with his skin better, and the paint didn’t match his skin tone when it dried as much as it looked like it would at first, but it looks fine under a shirt. A lot of this, I may try to redo later, but for now, it’s good enough and I’m just happy it’s done.
AAaaand I can’t figure out how to post this to the doll blog so it’s going straight to my blog first. happy pride!
