Doll Body Comparison.

I had a request to do a comparison between the bodies of the more popular dolls. Since this is not something I normally bother with, I am going to apologize hardily for the photos. I'm afraid I just stuck the dolls on a handy surface and did this as quickly as possible. The results are a bit embarrassing for both myself and the dolls! At any rate .... here you see the Tonner switch-foot body with the reg. bust (Charlotte is wearing a wig ... and not her best one.). Antoinette (who was in the midst of a photo shoot and did not remove her jewelry). Urban Vita, and Gene on a WuBody.

Since it is virtually and really impossible for me to do something simple, I then decided to show the dolls sitting and posing. I sometimes wonder if I should be under care.


Antoinette had on her hooker shoes and had to swing her legs to the side a bit.



Now I'll make a personal comment or two since I'm here. I can't stand stands. I say that somewhat in jest because of course they are useful. But I can't stand dolls photographed on them. I try never to use stands when I'm doing a shoot because I don't think the poses are as realistic. Now. That is just me. But you can understand that balance is VERY important in my world!

My dolls are all my mini-actors. I like them to be as "human" as possible in photos, so the ability to assume life-like poses is very high on my scale of "must-haves". That said, a few comments.

Gene has a pretty body and poses so much better than she did for years when she had slipped behind the crowd, but I'd love even more. The Tonner switch-foot body is great! I love the ability to have a doll in flats or heels, and the rotation of the foot makes it very easy to balance the doll for photos. Antoinette is a joy. She has the most beautiful (in the Cameo) vinyl color I've seen. She balances well and poses well. Urban Vita. She wins posing hands down. Her vinyl is not as pretty as the other girls, but it really is just fine. I'm looking forward to having her own shoes for her, but even in borrowed shoes she seems to balance well. And she cost me $107 and that includes shipping from HEA. Such a deal! Antoinette was a bit less, but she only came in undies and hooker shoes (both very cute!!) and Trixie (Vita) had a whole outfit.

A Little Stretching in the Morning.

Hello! Trixie here! Hi, Everybody!

I had such a good rest last night. First night out of the box and all, that I felt like having a good stretch this morning. I feel it's important to maintain flexibility and strength! Don't you?

I thought I'd start with just a few gentle stretches before I move to anything too strenuous. Don't want to split any seams, now, do I?



Ah, now that feels good. Being in a box really does not let you stretch at all!!



Now for a few more and then I'm done. I'll be ready to start an exciting day here.


I think its important to stretch both backward and forward. I have a fantastic lower waist joint that will allow me to arch and (bad posture, I know) slump! combined with the joint under my bust, I really have a wonderful range of motion!


Whew. That's about it for me this morning. I'm going to take a shower and change clothes. Aunt Gene loaned me these shorts and this top, but her waist is smaller than mine and I can't breathe! Aunt Alex loaned me the tennis shoes. Gosh, I've gotta get more than one dress of my own. Even if it is Hot! A girl has to have more than one outfit.

Bye for now. Have a great day! I'll be back later with more news.

Urban Vita-- a new fashion doll by Horsman

I wanted to do a commentary on my newest doll in case people are curious about her. The reason I'm doing this is that I want this doll to be a success. I think Vita deserves it.

There are different versions of the doll, but the one I selected was called "Hot, Hot, Hot" and I chose her for a couple of reasons. I pre-ordered the doll back in March, she didn't arrive until today, September 8 (although her birthday is August 9 according to her blog), so I wanted to get a dressed doll instead of a basic because I was not sure what clothing would fit her. Also, I happen to love dolls with teeth, and this Vita had 'em. That made my choice pretty simple. So, I hear you cry, whys she necked? Well, she arrives that way in her box. The outfit is packaged separately, and this is Vita au naturale. Just as she comes out of the box.

The packaging was great. Simple. Just a nice box with a band that says Horsman which keeps the lid in place. Open the box and the doll is lying in moulded plastic with a plastic cover. Lift off the cover and she's out of the box. Love it. Shipped securely and easy to remove!

Vita's (Trixie's .. that's my dolls' name), outfit is very nice. The design allowed the dress to be worn as a cocktail length or as full length. The long skirt is separate from the top, and that adds a nice versatility to the gown. The shoes are super. Very attractive and very well made. Though I'm not a big fan of purses for dolls (because they usually fall off the doll's hands and annoy me) the little purse is very cute. It reminds me of a Chinese take-out box!

The bad news about the outfit was the neck ... part .. thingy. I don't really know what to call it. A chain goes around the neck and is attached to decorative metal squares on the dress. The design is very cute, but the execution was not so successful. I didn't even see the chain because mine was missing a jump ring on the end and had slid out of the dress completely. Luckily I noticed it on the table after I dressed the doll and figured out that it should attach to the dress. That meant finding a jump ring and attaching it, and then reattaching the C-ring which fell off while I was adding the jump ring. In spite of this PIA, I still like the dress.

There are a couple of down sides. I'm not terribly fond of the hair fiber. It has a bit of a greasy feel to it, and I'm not sure if it can be restyled. I won't try anything on Trixie, but I'll probably buy a basic and see what can be done with styling on her.

The other issue is the seams on the body of the doll. They could be much smoother and less obvious. That is just a general comment. There is also a separation issue where the upper arm and the thigh join the rotation joint. I mine is not bad at all, but I did see a basic at the Doll Market which had a very noticeable separation. I hope the company will address this right away, because it would be a shame if something like that affected the popularity of the doll.

I'm going to add more information about Urban Vita later, after I've had time to try some other clothing on her a play a bit more.