Tea with Lena: Skiing Dolls and Wedding Plans

It was really fun to chat with you about different kinds of head-swapping dolls.  And since my You Create kit arrived just today (!),  I'll be back to re-visit that concept soon.  Based on my experiences with the head-swapping series, and also Barbie Month back in 2023 and the advent calendar focus last December, I'm finding that I enjoy writing groups of themed reviews.  They allow me to immerse myself in one subject matter for a relatively long period of time, and tend to make each individual review shorter than average.  I wonder if this is something that works for you as readers?  If so, I have a few ideas for future series that I think could be interesting.

The problem with these grouped reviews, though, is that they can take a month or more to complete, and so I get pulled away from other things--like Lena.  She's been frustrated with me lately because I haven't had a lot of time to check in with her.  So, in an effort to mend some bridges, I'm going take a little break from serious reviewing and turn today's post almost entirely over to Lena and Ian--with a few mini reviews tucked in for good measure.

Lena with the Pink Passport Made to Move Winter Sports equipment.

Bratz Head Gamez by MGA Entertainment

If you've been tuning in since the beginning of this head-swapping saga, you might remember that I originally planned to review the Moxie Girlz Magic Hair dolls from 2009, but then discovered that there was an even earlier (and more famous) MGA line with removable heads: the Bratz Head Gamez girls.

I considered doing a review that included both Bratz and Moxie Girlz, but decided to keep things simple and just focus on Bratz.  The Moxie Girlz were never super tempting to me, but I did enjoy Kellen and her pooping unicorn and the tiny, adorable $3 Moxie Girlz Friends (a few of which I still have).  I much prefer the larger and more articulated Moxie Teenz.  Too bad those dolls never had a head-swapping variant!

I might do a really quick post on the Magic Hair Moxie Girlz at some point in the future, especially if there's interest, but today's going to be all about Bratz:

Bratz Head Gamez Yasmin by MGA Entertainment (2005).

Surprise Swap Tweens (and Tots!) by MGA Entertainment

I'm in the middle of another mini series right now, and this time it's all about dolls with swappable heads.  I started the series by talking about Mattel's Swappin' Styles Fashionistas, and today I'll be looking at MGA's Surprise Swap Tweens line.  There's no rational order to these reviews, unfortunately.  I probably should have approached the dolls chronologically, but I'm always tweaking what's in each review and waiting for things to arrive in the mail, so broad scale organization doesn't tend to work for me.

Also, several of you had excellent suggestions for head-swapping doll lines that weren't on my radar (thank you!), so I might have to slot in a few more reviews than I'd originally planned.  I love the unpredictability of this type of series, though.  It's like a chose your own adventure novel or something.

Today's review is a good example of the chaos, because only when I was uploading pictures of the Tweens dolls did I discover that there are Surprise Swap Tots as well.  These are versions of the classic 3-inch L.O.L. Surprise dolls, and they look interesting.  So I had to hustle to include them at the last minute.  But most of this review will focus on the head-swapping Tweens:

Surprise Swap Tweens by MGA Entertainment, $29.99.

Barbie Swappin' Styles Fashionistas by Mattel

I've been thinking about dolls with swappable heads for a few weeks.  It's a strange thing to think about, granted, but I feel like I have some good reasons.  First and foremost, Lena is getting married at some point this year (they haven't chosen a date yet), and I know she'll want some fancy up-do for that occasion.  Frankly, I wish I could just swap her head with one that already has a fancy up-do.  Don't tell her I said that, though!

The other reason I have swappable heads on my mind is that they keep popping up in my life.  For example, as I was getting some of my older dolls out of storage, I found a My Scene Swappin' Styles set that I never took out of the box.  I should probably do that.  Also, MGA recently came out with a line of Tweens dolls with interchangeable heads, and those reminded me of the Moxie Girlz Magic Hair dolls and their predecessors, the Bratz Head Gamez crew from 2005.  And of course there are the Swappin' Styles Fashionistas from 2010.  I've already done a brief review of these Fashionistas, but something popped up on eBay a month or two ago that got me excited about them all over again.  More about that in a sec.

With all of these thoughts of head-swappers on my mind, I figured I'd do a mini series to highlight each of the four types of doll that are on my radar: My Scene Swappin' Styles, Tweens Surprise Swap, Bratz Head Gamez, and the stars of today's review, the Swappin' Styles Fashionistas:

Swappin' Styles Fashionista Sweetie...with an extra head (2010).

Advent Calendar #6: 3D-Printed Animals from Crafts3Dcom

All of the advent calendars that I've looked at so far have been mass-produced items by big, well-established toy companies.  Those tend to be the calendars that are most relevant to the doll world.  However, I didn't want to let this entire series go by without featuring something a bit off the beaten path.

Since I've been thinking a lot about advent calendars over the last few months, I also hunted down a special calendar for each of my kids.  The one I chose for my eldest is from an Etsy store called Crafts3Dcom, and has a 3D printed dragon behind each door.  This concept was so appealing that I bought a second calendar to show off here on the blog:

Petra with dragons from a Crafts3Dcom advent calendar.

Advent Calendar #3: L.O.L. Surprise by MGA Entertainment

I haven't talked too much about L.O.L. Surprise dolls since they first came out in 2016, but from what I can tell, the toys are still going strong.  At Target, there's still an entire half of an aisle that's dominated by these little surprise ball characters and the larger OMG dolls that followed them.  Granted, the Miniverse toys have recently started to take over, but there's never a shortage of L.O.L. varieties.

So, the third advent calendar that I'm going to look at this month is focused on a cute L.O.L. doll and her expansive wardrobe.

If you're new to this advent calendar mini series, you can read about my motivations and expectations here, and see the second calendar here.

Makeover Babe 2.0 from the 2023 L.O.L. Surprise advent calendar.

Advent Calendar #2: Mini Bratz by MGA Entertainment

For the second advent calendar, I figured I should show you the one that started this whole idea: the Mini Bratz calendar from 2023 that Lurkins suggested to me.

I've had bit of experience with Mini Bratz dolls, but have never featured them here on the blog.  I really love their size (good for Lena), their detailed features, and their intricate, re-usable packaging.  Lena and I were both excited to get a calendar filled with these little gems!

Lena holding her favorite Mini Bratz doll from the 2023 advent calendar.

Advent Calendar #1: Mini Brands by Zuru

It's December!  So now I can dig in and start this advent calendar feature that I've been dreaming about.  I have about ten calendars that I'd like to open throughout the month, but with the way I ramble on and the number of pictures I insisted on taking, I can't promise that I'll get through all of them before the 31st, let alone the 25th.  But I'm sure going to try!

I stumbled onto this idea when a Patreon friend, Lurkins, linked me to an eBay auction for the Bratz mini calendar.  Lurkins thought that Lena might appreciate the minis for her doll collection, and the price was excellent at around $15.  So, I purchased the Bratz calendar and then got curious and searched around to see what other doll and toy-themed advent calendars I could find.  Turns out, there are a lot!

So this month, I'm going to walk you through as many of the calendars as I can, starting with the Zuru Mini Brands advent from 2024:

Lena with a toy from the Zuru Mini Brands advent calendar.

Anne Fitzpatrick by Robert Tonner

While I was writing the Ellowyne and Neema review, I spent a lot of time browsing the Virtual Doll Convention (VDC) website--both tracking the Ellowyne and Neema dolls that were available, and also looking at the other types of doll that are offered in that shop.  

In addition to Ellowyne and Neema dolls, VDC sells Amazing Grace, a 16-inch fashion doll who looks like Tonner's Sydney on an RTB-101 body.  They also have some cute exclusive Ruby Red Fashion Friend Siblies.  But the character who really caught my eye is Anne Fitzpatrick.  She's a little girl who's Marley-sized, so about 12 inches tall, with a bright smile and what looks like a lot of joints.

I bought Anne at the same time that I bought Neema, so I thought I'd do a little bonus review of her now, while I'm still in a Robert Tonner kind of mood:

Anne Fitzpatrick by Robert Tonner for VDC, $175.

LUV Dolls by Far Out Toys

Life has been even more hectic than usual for me these last few weeks, so my productivity has declined further.  Sorry.  I blame it mostly on the fact that I have eight foster animals in the house right now (yes, eight), and four of them are kittens with underdeveloped brains who make a huge mess and have to be hand-fed.  They're really cute though.  

I've been stealing moments in between my work and feeding kittens to investigate a new brand of fashion doll.  This brand has been on my mind since an anonymous reader mentioned it in the comments section of the Unicorn Academy review.  That was way back in June, which I find slightly hard to wrap my head around.  It feels like last week.

The new brand is called LUV (which reminds me of LIV!) and has been around for about a half a year.  These nine-inch dolls are made by Far Out Toys, which is the company responsible for the Glo-Up Girls.  I couldn't think of any other dolls that this company has produced, so I poked around on their website for a little while.  Apparently there are also a few surprise doll brands, like Squadz Place and Love, Diana under the Far Out Toys umbrella.  The Love, Diana dolls look pretty cute and come in little ice cream cone packages, but I absolutely cannot add anything else to my review queue right now!  So I'll try my best to stay focused on the LUV girls.  Here's Brooke:  

L.U.V. doll, Brooke, by Far Out Toys, $29.97.

Mini Sara from Ruby Red Fashion Friends

When I wrote my initial review of the Ruby Red Fashion Friends back in April of 2022, I figured I'd said everything I wanted to say on the subject.  I really enjoyed spending time with Jennifer and Scarlett, but didn't really have much desire to purchase any more of the Fashion Friends; a bit because their larger size is hard to accommodate, and also because the price of each doll is pretty high.  I didn't want to get sucked into another expensive corner of the doll collecting world.

But then, a few months ago, I got a promotional email from Ruby Red Fashion Friends announcing their "biggest clearance event ever!"  I get a lot of emails like this, most of them dismissible, but this one wasn't kidding.  The 15-inch Fashion Friends, who typically retail for $129, were all on sale for $49.  Insane, right?  I could basically get three dolls for the price of one...which I did (insane, right?).  I think there was a Ruby Red collector in me all of this time, just dying for an excuse to indulge.

Propelled by the exhilaration of welcoming three new Fashion Friends into my collection (Sara, Kayla, and Stella), I spent a fair amount of time online searching around to see what else the brand had produced over the last two years.  This research led me to the most exciting discovery of all: there are now miniature versions of a few of the Fashion Friend characters!  And you know how much I love miniature versions of things.

Mini Sara by Ruby Red Fashion Friends, $249.

Junior High, Littles, and Basic Dolls from Rainbow High

I hope everyone is doing okay with the heat of summer so far.  Here in New Jersey, we've been facing excessive and unrelenting heat for weeks.  It's not a lot of fun, especially because my air conditioner decided to give up the ghost last weekend.  We've rigged a temporary solution (a few window units), and the cats seem to think this is fine, but the dogs and I are not happy.  The nice thing is that I've been uplifted throughout this unpleasantness by the bright and colorful company of a few Rainbow High dolls.

I haven't talked about Rainbow High in quite a while.  I actually figured that the couple of reviews I did over the last few years would cover the brand adequately, but MGA has come up with several new products that forced me to re-think.

I've known about the nine-inch Junior High dolls for a few years now, of course, and I've even bought a few of them, but I never quite found the motivation to do a full review.  Lately, the release of the low-cost Swim & Style line and the six-inch Littles got me curious enough that I made some space in my review queue for the Rainbow High kids once again:

Rainbow High Littles Indigo Bailey ($9.99) and Junior High Krystal Bailey ($24.99) by Rainbow High.

Unicorn Academy Dolls by Spin Master

I've been excitedly waiting for the Unicorn Academy merchandise to hit the shelves for several months now.  Not because I'm an avid reader of the original book series by Julie Sykes (although I recently read and enjoyed the first volume), but because I tend to be interested in everything Spin Master does.

I'm a fan of Spin Master primarily because of their Liv line, which came out way back in 2009 and jump-started my enthusiasm for dolls and doll reviewing.  I was also amused by the flamboyant La Dee Da dolls, despite their minimal articulation, and kind of wish I'd kept a few of those girls in my collection.  Most recently, I reviewed Spin Master's Mermaid High dolls and found them to be versatile and whimsical little play companions.

Based on that history, I tend to have a high level of enthusiasm when I learn about a new Spin Master doll line.  And with the Unicorn Academy release I was doubly excited because not only are there a bunch of new dolls, in two different scales, but there's a wonderful selection of unicorn characters to accompany them:

4.5" Sophia and Wildstar by Spin Master, $14.99

Tea with Lena: 1:6 Scale Horses

I have animals on my mind most of the time.  That's in part because I have eleven of them living in my house, but also because I spend my days at work taking care of another hundred or so homeless creatures.  But I also just like thinking about animals, especially horses.  The impressive size and graceful movement of horses has always been spellbinding to me.  Realistic 1:9 model horses like those made by the Breyer company are able to capture a lot of the things that I find so beautiful about horses, and so I've always admired them (and also reviewed them a few times).  I was even more obsessed with Breyer models when I was a kid, and amassed a collection that covered an entire wall of my room.

Back in March, when I wrote the Horse Foal Surprise review, I was reminded of how much I enjoy model horses.  That inspired me to do some investigating into what 1:6 scale horse options are available these days.  And my research turned out to be timely, as you'll see, because of something exciting that happened to Lena.

Lena with Hanoverian Horse by JXK, $130.

LULUPOP Dolls by SAMG Entertainment

Spring has definitely sprung here in New Jersey, with temperatures creeping into the 80s and lots of flowers everywhere.  The beautiful weather makes me eager to get back outside with my dolls, and that's on the agenda for next time, but today I want to share a review that I've been meaning to write since September of last year.

During one of my random browsing sessions on Amazon, I found a big-eyed fashion doll that I'd never seen before, from a South Korean brand called LULUPOP (also written "Lulu Pop").  The LULUPOP dolls are based on virtual K-pop idols, so there are a few full-length songs and music videos featuring the animated idols.  From what I understand, the dolls used to be available exclusively in Korea, but they made the jump to Amazon about a year and a half ago.

I'm always fascinated to explore brands from other countries, because they often have a new aesthetic or offer a window into a different culture.  In this case, the aesthetic looks very familiar, but the songs and videos definitely offer up something new and fun.  So, with high hopes, I purchased one of the girls, Tania, to see what the brand is all about:

LULUPOP Tania, by SAMG Entertainment, $25.99.

Diva Starz by Mattel

I'm excited to be sitting down to write this review for the second time!  As you might remember, last time around I realized I'd forgotten some important versions of the doll, and felt like I had to start over with a new approach.  Ordinarily, I wouldn't be concerned about creating such a thorough review of a brand, but these particular dolls hold an interesting place in the evolution of icons like Bratz and My Scene, so I felt like they warranted a more careful look.

So, who are the dolls?  They're Mattel's Diva Starz, a varied range of electronic-themed dolls that were first released in the fall of 2000.  The original dolls were designed to fit into a market that was obsessed with electronic pets.  For example, Furby, an interactive fuzzy creature made by Tiger Electronics, was at the peak of its popularity in the late 1990s, with more than 40 million units sold between 1998 and 2000.  The early Diva Starz had more in common with Furby than they did with most fashion dolls, but by the time they were discontinued in 2005, the dolls had gone through two major transformations and looked significantly different. 

In today's review, I'll look at all three main iterations of the Diva Starz, which means it's gonna be a long one!  So, settle in with your favorite beverage and take a trip down memory lane with me.

Fashion Diva Starz Nikki by Mattel, 2002.

Blind Box Mermaids by Penny's Box and LuckyDoll

I was happy to read in the comments of the World Peacekeepers review that some of you are as excited about Lena and Ian's relationship as I am.  Lena doesn't really want me to talk too much about it here yet, but I can tell you that they've been chatting on the phone and have made tentative plans to get together again.  I hope the romance can stay alive without the beautiful sunsets of Culebra!

Speaking of Culebra, before we went on our trip, I hunted around for water-themed dolls that I could bring with me.  The best options were some blind box BJD mermaids that looked like they might be waterproof.  I've written a lot of reviews of this type of doll lately, namely the Street Series Adou boys and Natural Wonderland Antu girls from Penny's Box, and the Come4Free Bonnie dolls.  But I figured it couldn't hurt to explore one more style of blind box BJD.  

This time around I'm going to introduce a little competition into the mix by comparing the Penny's Box interpretation of a mermaid to similarly-sized mermaid characters from LuckyDoll.  This is a bit of a surprise-themed post since I'm not going to reveal which mermaids I got right away, but the timing didn't quite work out for a Sunday Surprise.  Nevertheless, here are the two contestants, still hidden away inside their boxes:

Tidal Secret Language by Penny's Box ($39.99) and Mermaid Chuchu by LuckyDoll ($29.99).

Style Bae by Just Play

Happy New Year's Eve eve!  The December Virtual Garage Sale event was a great success, so thank you to everyone who made a purchase and helped support the blog.  Now I feel ready for 2024!  There are a few higher-priced dolls that didn't sell, understandably, and so I'll probably move those to eBay at some point.  For now, I'm enjoying a break from packing and shipping so that I can do some writing and animal wrangling.

This will be my last review of 2023, and I had a hard time figuring out which doll should hold that special place.  I contemplated some rarer, more expensive goodies, but in the end opted for a relatively simple and affordable playline doll.  It's been a month since I've written a review, so I figured this would be a good way to ease back into things.  Also, the doll I'm going to talk about today is unlike anything I've ever owned.  She's from a line called Style Bae, and is made by Just Play:

Style Bae Harper by Just Play, $19.99.

Rainbow High's Day of the Dead Doll: Maria Garcia

I can't believe that a big chunk of November is already gone!  Ack!  For anyone who noticed the announcement on my Virtual Garage Sale page, my plan has been to hold two big sales events during the year: one in May and one in November.  November is looking very crowded at the moment, though, thanks to Larvie swanning in and bumping other dolls from their scheduled slots.  Also, I'll have a full house for the holidays...including a foster dog and two foster kittens, so not much will get accomplished then.  Being realistic, at this point I'll probably have to shift the sale until after Thanksgiving, but I'll keep you posted.

Today I want to rewind and pretend it's November 2nd again: the Day of the Dead.  The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, is a multi-day celebration to remember and re-connect with those who have died.  The basic idea of this holiday can be traced back to old Aztec customs, which were adopted by Spanish settlers and merged with the Christian All Soul's Day.  Currently, the Day of the Dead is celebrated mostly in Mexico, with colorful, joyful festivities that have attracted increasing attention from tourists in recent years.  The broadening fascination with this holiday is probably also responsible for several new Day of the Dead dolls, like MGA's Maria Garcia, who is the subject of today's review:

Rainbow High's Maria Garcia, by MGA Entertainment, $124.99.

Ily 4EVER Fashion Dolls by Jakks Pacific

First of all, I want to thank Hannah for stepping in and reviewing the 18-inch ily 4EVER dolls last week! I've been learning the ropes at my new job (and bringing home rag-tag foster animals in the process...) and was grateful for a helping hand.  I thought it was especially fun to learn about all of the different face molds.  I love the newest Stitch face, and because that doll is a freckled redhead, of course I had to add her to my collection.  Her presence in the house will probably prompt me to watch Lilo and Stitch, finally, which is something I'm embarrassed to say that I've never done.  So thank you to Hannah for that enrichment, too!

Since we're on the topic of ily 4EVER dolls, I want to take the opportunity to talk about the newest 11.5 inch fashion dolls from that line.  For anyone unfamiliar with the brand, ily 4EVER dolls are characters dressed with inspiration from their favorite Disney character.  So they're not meant to be Disney Princesses or anything like that, just Disney fans.  Anyway, I reviewed the original Shop Disney version of these dolls already, but the new dolls, which are made by Jakks Pacific, are different enough that I think they deserve their own review.  I decided to focus on a doll from this collection who is inspired by a sweet character who stars in a movie that I have no desire to watch again, Bambi:

11.5 inch ily 4EVER Bambi doll by Jakks Pacific, $29.99.