just a doll blog

They/them. Adult collectors only please. Obsessed with anything fantasy or space themed.

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Guess who showed up!

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I bought my first Mirror Mi doll today. Target had one Amora and a couple Blaze's. I've been telling myself I'd need to buy one in person to see their quality control for myself before thinking about buying any online, and since Shai is the one I like the most I kind of figured I'd buy her first if I could find her. But Amora was there and looking at me with those big shining eyes, so...

She’s lovely! The body construction feels sturdy though she’s very light. The rattling heart legs are silly fun, and her face and hair are beautiful. The hair certainly needs a wash to fall naturally and cover up her scalp in the back but the rooting looks good, it’s just exposed by the box hair. It’s not a solid block of gel either like RH used to do.

My first thought seeing her in person was, her head and eyes are so tiny! Because of course I’m mentally comparing them to Rainbow High, who could make just about anyone look like a tiny headed freak. She’s different than RH, which is both good and a little sad, because all her good makes me remember the best days of RH. But she’s her own doll, and she is lovely.

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Went around to four different Targets yesterday, all of them had very empty shelves, but two were clearancing out basically the whole doll aisle, while the other two had the spots laid out for new dolls. One even had a couple of the new birthday Bratz. Neither of them had any Mirror Mi, though it was late in the day so they may have just sold out of any they put out.

I love seeing what might be old production names(?) for dolls on shelves. The other barcodes had correct names for the other dolls, but they had “Lani Luna” and “Summer Graze” instead of Luna Skye and Shai Meadows.

And also the new holiday Barbie! I’ve not seen any pictures of her before I don’t think, so I was surprised to just run across her on shelves. She’s…okay.

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I've been slowly working on putting together a custom doll of the main character in my fantasy novel (who is a witch), which forces you to really hammer down a character's physical features. For a while I've been having trouble figuring out the hair I'll give her, and out of nowhere I suddenly realized why I've always instinctively pictured this light skinned character with thick curly brown hair.

I watched the original Broadway production of Into the Woods in like, middle school? And was obsessed with it. Still am to a degree, I took a class in college on folklore and fairy tales so my love for them is lifelong, and this novel has heavy fairy tale elements and themes. The main character being a witch who feels other-ed in society high among them.

So yeah, I've basically been casting her as Bernadette Peters in my head for a decade without even noticing.

[chimichangacongaline]

coughed and out came another cyber goth doll

Umas turn! finally the trio is complete <3

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LOOK at this doll and tell me that is a playline doll coming to Target. MirrorMi is gonna be something special man. She looks like an old school Rainbow High mixed with a BJD.

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MirrorMi

Close enough, welcome back Rainbow High.

But seriously these feel like such a spiritual successor to what RH used to be. It seems not everyone likes them from what I'm seeing online, but I'm enamored. I can't wait to see them on shelves.

Pictures are from kendoesdolls on Instagram, via YouLoveIt.

[rainbowhighfan]

Reina “Glitch” Crowne Prototype

[drawmyhearton]

x

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The dolls of Living Dead Dolls series 34 have been grails for me for years, and I’ve finally managed to pick up three of them for a great price.

But I had NO idea that Soot is translucent! What! All the stock photos make her look black, but now that I know there are a few where you can kind of tell.

I’m a bit disappointed just because she’s not what I expected, but it does make her so much more ghostly and unique to all other LDDs. I expect to like her more and more over time.

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I do appreciate that Bratz collector dolls are always trying something strange and interesting.

Doesn’t mean I’ll buy them. But I do appreciate it!

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I bought her :P

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Been feeling more depressed for a while and have been stacking up some dolls I’ve bought but haven’t opened, and finally realized I’ve been buying dolls I know I’ll like in the future when I like things again, so I’m saving them for when I’ll feel something positive. :/

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Oh, I actually like her I think. I mean, the longer I look at any individual piece the less I like it. But her face is great!

Not one I'm gonna buy for sure, but I think she's a delightful addition to the Skullector lineup on the whole. Even if it took them far too long to release actual photos.

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Amazing how quickly Wild Childz has pissed away good will and anticipation from doll collectors. I'm still not convinced these dolls actually exist and will ever release. 😂

[oceanicpride]

A behind the scenes video of a 2026 Ping doll from the creator of Wild Childz has been found as well as a Walmart listing for a Wild Childz Ping doll

[dollsahoy]

Husband and I were talking about things that people, who know about a hobby, know not to do, to the point that they take for granted that people know not to do it, so they never talk about it, but people new to the hobby look around and don't see other people doing it, so they assume that they're the first person to think of it, instead of wondering if it's known but not done for a reason

The first thing in the fashion doll hobby I thought of like this was using Sharpie to do fine lines on repaints. When you're new, that seems like a much better solution than using paint on a brush; when you've been around for a while, you know that the reason it isn't done is because the Sharpie pigment gets into the vinyl and starts migrating away from where it was applied

Another is using acetone to remove paint on bodies. It works fine removing paint from vinyl heads because the plasticizers protect the plastic from the acetone; there are no plasticizers in hard body plastic, so the acetone immediately starts dissolving it

Polypropylene hair fibers. New people think the old people just don't like how lightweight and prone to tangling it is, so the new people think that when they deep condition and gel it so it feels and behaves better, then they've thought of something the older people just haven't. Nope! People who have more experience with dolls know that polypropylene hair fibers will basically self-destruct after 20 or 30 years, due to polypropylene's inherent property of having its polymer chains basically starting to unravel after any exposure to a subset of the wavelengths of UV light

I know there are more things like this, but I can't think of them at the moment, so feel free to add--with the explanations of why it's not a good idea. Just telling people "You shouldn't do that" without explaining why (especially when it's a measurable physical/chemical reason) can often lead to people yelling "Rules are made to be broken!" and doing it anyway. In the case of doll customizing, it's not an arbitrary rule, though. It's materials science

[dollsahoy]

Cake pointed out using nail polish as a sealant. I know it's tempting, when you're new to the hobby and haven't bought any proper sealant and do have clear nail polish, but nail polish is actually not made for long-term use--I don't mean it's intended to wear away so you have to paint your nails more often, I mean its formulation isn't color stable, and even clear nail polish will start to discolor over time

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Old Wild Childz Ping prototype vs. 2026 behind the scenes video Ping