Sense of Size

Is my Lois Lane doll head really big? I thought it looked good on a skinny model muse body. I saw pictures of the same doll head on a belly button body and the head looked out of proportion. Then again, it could be just the angle of the camera or the way the hair was styled.

I had to try placing a big head on a model muse body and check if it can look "okay" on a skinny body. The big head (rightmost above), to me, seems okay on a model muse body. The angle of the camera may have something to do with it again. I was asking before if there is something different about my Lois doll worth noticing. I tried shrinking it, that's why. I guess the shrinking for that doll head was not noticeable enough.

I have learned the three basic words (acetone, soak, overnight) associated with shrunken Barbie heads even before I started repainting. I was just afraid to try it since I know acetone can be bad for dolls. I try to avoid it even for erasing the factory paint on my dolls. I don't know the long term effect of acetone on dolls and on my health, more importantly. With the recent abundance my big headed dolls in my collection, I had to give in. I was fine ruining them since I don't feel like playing with them in their current state anyways.

I tried soaking the big heads from the Fashion Fever line. That didn't work! They remained big. One of my later attempts was on the Sporty Fashionista doll head. I thought it didn't work... again. It was really hard to tell if it I cannot compare it with a same doll in the original size. I guess the shrink was not noticeable so I kept her stored for a while. I got the chance to look at her again after a while and that time I noticed that her head has shrunk.

Having found success on that Fashionista head, I tried it on another one, this time the Artsy doll. The middle head (below) is in the original size (although the mouth was closed). The doll on the right is from the Barbie Basics. The shrunken head (left) now has almost the same size as the Basics head.

Other that the three basic words on shrinking Barbie head, one must also be concerned "concentration" and "airtight". I failed to cover the acetone so the acetone must have evaporated over time losing its effect. Simply covering the container won't do. It had to be airtight since acetone is volatile. The concentration also affects the outcome. I read some people had bad results with this procedure but some attributed it to the high concentration of acetone. It is best to use a lower concentration although it may mean having to soak longer. I soak my Artsy head for 48 hours. The reduction in size will be noticeable after about 24 hours drying and the head feels more rigid. Head swapping and rerooting will be a little more difficult.

Going back to my Lois doll, she was soaked for 24 hours with low concentration acetone. She may still have a slightly bigger head and I can further soak her but I thought that won't be necessary.

Notice Something?

Below is a comparison photo of a doll using a Steffie face mold and the Lois Lane doll (with partially repainted eyes on a model muse body). The dolls were posed back to back but judging from Lois' arm, she is slightly in front.

Do you notice anything? If you notice anything, I'll explain next week on another post. If there is nothing worth noticing, I guess it's not worth blogging about, right? =)

Clues:

1. The grid lines were superimposed on the image as a clue.

2. Here is another photo including the same head molds as above. I didn't took it but I thought it is another good comparison photo.

That will be all the clues I can give for now. In the mean time, you might also enjoy this photo. (It's from an old event but if you have been reading this blog for a while, you'll know that this is not a "what's new" blog.) I just thought that using human size Blythe dolls in a fashion show was a cool idea! Whether you love or hate those dolls, I must say the size of their heads are really interesting, to say the least.

I was wondering...

Lois' eyes were partially repainted.

... if the Zac Posen Barbie uses the same face mold as the Lois Lane doll. The Lois Lane head doesn't have the Mattel mark (only the original body).

Update:

I now think they are not. According to this site, the Zac Posen doll uses the Nichelle II face mold. Clearly this is not Lois Lane's mold.

tags: Courtney Skipper 1987 Barbie Mattel

Mixed Emotions on the Asian Ken

It has been a long wait for the first Asian male doll in the Barbie line. Now that he will be released soon as the first male doll in the Dolls of the World line (representing Japan), it is difficult to tell if I should be pleased or not. Clearly authenticity nor cultural accuracy is not the goal here. That being said, he looks like an anime villain sans the big eyes. He also looks fat (not that it's bad).

I guess I was expecting the first Asian Ken to have that oval face and androgenous look like a lot of current Asian male pop celebrities. I'm not a fan of the wide jaw in earlier Ken dolls. This is of course a personal preference that does not reflect all Asian doll hobbyists' view. The mean looking sword wielding doll, of course, doesn't help with the image that Asian men are traitorous.

This doll was made to be sold so the more important question should be, will I buy it? Had it been just another Asian Ken, I definitely won't, but this is the first Asian Ken and judging from the things that went wrong with that doll, there might not be another one, so I guess I have to buy it. I did ask for an Asian Ken and Mattel might get the idea that Asian dolls don't sell like what some blogger proliferates (although I'm doubting if ethnicity has something to do with it or there might me something wrong with the design or the marketing strategy), so I guess I have to buy it.