Frankie-dolly

When one of my friends read my blog, they asked me, "Do you really pop their heads off?"  She was referring to how I switch doll bodies, and I had to explain how I perform my "Frankendolly" surgeries.  I decided that this would be a good blog topic (while giving The Committee time to calm down).

I am going to FOCUS on Mattel dolls in this blog.  (You must use a heating pad for Fashion Royalty or Silkstone dolls).

First, I use a Phillips Head Screwdriver to help pry the head off the doll.  I pull the head back and slip the screwdriver inside the head.  I find the "tabs" and pull them toward the hole with the screwdriver.  This allows the head to pop off.

This Crescent Cutting Tool is important once I get the heads off.  It is a great cutting tool that I purchased for my miniatures many years ago, so I'm not sure where you can buy it. (NOTE:  Always wear safety glasses when doing anything like this.  There will be small flying pieces of sharp plastic!)

It is good to take the tabs off these neck knobs, so you can switch heads easily.  Once you pry one of these heads off using a screwdriver, you don't want to do it over and over again on the same body - sooner or later the neck knob will break completely off!

If you are doing a Fashionista body, the neck knob is a long pronged piece.  Here is how you cut it off.

Then you have a nice like knob to slip a doll head over easily.

The Model Muse and pivotal bodies have a smaller tab, so it requires three cuts.  First you cut the small tabs off.

Then you cut the taller part off.

So ...  I had taken the Elvis Barbie's head off its pivotal body.  Since I had purchased multiple Frank Sinatra dolls for their bodies, I decided I would put together a "Frankie-dolly" - (pun on Frank Sinatra/Frankenstein dolly).  I boil permed the Elvis Barbie's hair (by the way, the big beehive is actually a piece of foam stuck under the hair!).

I think the hair looks pretty good down!  I took the head and put it on a Model Muse body.  Then I added the Frank Sinatra outfit.  I think she is darn cute!

Now, for those who were wondering which doll won rights for the Grace Kelly "The Romance" extra ensemble ... I give you Victoire ...

This is so perfectly vintage and right with her style.

And a final closeup!

The Committee

It's time to get organized, and it's obvious I need assistance in that matter.  So, I have enlisted the aid of some of my most special dolls.  These dolls will form "The Committee".  They are going to be tasked with critiquing the dolls who live here (both in and out of the box) and help me decide their fates.  The Committee will also decide which dolls get to wear the loose outfits when they arrive.

Choosing the members of this esteemed committee took a great deal of consideration.    The first member of The Committee is a doll that is very dear to me.  She represents the NuFace and Dynamite Girl sections of the collection.

"Hello, my name is KiKi.  You may remember me from Doll Diva's Next Top Doll contest a a few years ago." 

"I am the Colette from the 2007 BIC Exclusive Giftset Paint In Black."  KiKi was purchased through an Integrity Lottery, which was the first lottery I ever won.   She is the first doll given a name different from her mold name.  "I am going to take this responsibility with the seriousness that it requires.  I will do my best to make the correct decisions for all dolls in this collection."

The next doll introduced me to diorama staging and story development.  If you've been in the collecting community for a few years you may remember her.

"Hi!  I hope you remember me?  I'm Honey, and I was recently reunited with my lavender poodle Henri (Thank you Dawn)!" 

"I traveled to Paris to study design.  I found Henri one day while I was out sightseeing." 

"I fell in love with this little pup while trying to locate his owner."  

"Seeing the bond between Henri and me, Henri's owner gave him to me."  Honey is a 2006 Misaki Honey Harajuku.  She was the first Integrity "playline" doll I owned.  Honey (and Henri, since they are inseparable) will represent the Misaki, Poppy, and Audrey Hepburn doll lines.  Two seats of The Committee have been filled.

It seemed only natural that the doll chosen to represent the Fashion Royalty and Monogram lines would be the doll that was the most difficult for me to acquire - the holiest grail (and my biggest nemesis for years) in my collection.

"I am Vanessa Perrin.  I am the raven-haired version of A Fashionable Life, a 2006 FAO Exclusive of only 300 dolls.   I appear on many collectors' most wanted list.  I will hold very high standards from which to judge the dolls to continue residence here."

And, of course, The Committee would not be complete without the strongest character in my collection. She just got back from a recent photo session, so she arrived a little late.

"It's me Chaundra.  I represent the play line dolls.  That will include Barbie, ITBE, Star Dolls, Frankendollies, etc.  I have been here a while and will be here long after many of the other dolls have left.  I know what it takes to be in the spotlight and keep it."

This is going to be a very difficult job.  Maybe we should start with something easy.  At the bottom right side of this blog there is a "Want List".  One of those items was recently acquired in MINT condition at a great price and was delivered this week.  Our first task will be to decide who will wear the Silver Society ensemble.  It is quite extraordinary.

"Wait ... Wait .... Wait ... hold the presses!  I have already solved your first task for you ...."

"You didn't think that a committee was going to be formed without a representative from the House of Weiss?  What is this?  Three children deciding the fate of FR dolls? ... and a DOG!?"

"Vanessa, you should have contacted me directly.  Shame on you.  Now, I'll just take a seat at the table ..."

".... But all the seats have been filled ..."

"Sorry, dear.  I didn't see you there."