[Such a Doll] Elvis Barbie Doll

You all hate me now, don't you?

:(

I can't help it, new girls just keep arriving!

It's my job to greet them!

I have to do my job!

So, today, meet:

Elvis® Barbie® doll

Twig: AHHH! Zombies are attacking her!!! ... ... ... oh... oh, wait. No, those aren't zombies. My mistake. I guess that's Elvis.

Some might say she's a hunk-uh-hunk-uh burnin' love,

but I don't know what that means, so...

I say she's a girl with a headache!

 Look at that hair! It's almost as tall as she is!

I asked her if she liked it, and she said no.

She also said to call her Elly, not Elvis.

I told her that I thought her name was Barbie,

but she said that would be like her telling me my name was Mamachapp.

Can't say I'd want to be named Mamachapp.

I don't even know what Mamachapp means.

She originally cost about $35, but I found her on sale for $18 at Walmart.

Anyhow, she was very easy to take out of her box.

I used an Exacto knife to cut the tape and pull her cardboard backing out.

Elly: Oh boy, I hope she knows what she's doing with that thing...

She was entirely held in by ties like these:

Here's a quick shot of the back of her box, where they'd hidden her stand, and her Pink Label Barbie certificate.

Twig: Here's the back of Elly's box... with that zombie guy on it again.

and her hair was held down by a little string.

The back of her head had those plastic tags in them, like all Barbies seem to these days,

but instead of being attached to the box, they were attached to this plastic mold, and when you pulled the plastic mold from her, it took those little tags with it! That was the first time I didn't still have dumb plastic tags stuck in a Barbie's head!!

The first thing I did was take her hair out of the rubberband that was holding it.

The rubber band came out smoothly, without taking any hair with it, and Elly has very lovely, silky hair that is soft and smooth.

Next I flipped her hair up to see how in the world they had made that huge bump in her hairdo,

and I found this! Foam!

I removed that, and found it was held in place by another plastic tag, so I ripped that out too.

Then I gave her hair a good brush...

Elly: Ahh, that's better already...

and put it back in a ponytail. She already looks and feels much better!

There's not much more I can do, though, until I get her home for further styling.

Her outfit is a sparkly, metallic silver and gold suit jacket, shirt and pants.

(interesting, but probably not something she'll stay in)

She also has some pretty darn cute shoes!

Hmm, I wonder if these fit Mamachapp and Pure Neemo?

and funky earrings that seem a bit bulky for the new hair style she'll be getting.

They look like they weigh a ton!

Twig: Elly, are you hiding something in there?

She's just so pretty, though, with big soulful eyes, and jet black hair, and a fully articulated body... I just know with a little work, she could shake her goofy attire and hairdo, and become quite the beautiful girl! That will be our mission for tonight! Give Elly a makeover!!!

The only Elvis that Twig had ever heard of was Heather's (keeper of the Neemos) parents cat, Elvis. So she is very confused as to how Elly is related to him.

Elly: Thank you, Twig!

Twig: Hey, what are friends for?! So, how are you related to Heather's parents cat?

Elly: 0_0;;;

[Such a Doll] [ Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika | Kaname Madoka ] (school uniform)

Twig again... please don't hate me!

I've been here several times these last few weeks... more than anyone else... I think the other girls might be getting a little jealous. It's making me nervous!

Anyways, it's new doll time again!

You might have seen her around already, but I'd like to introduce you to Madoka, her official name is:

[ Mahō Shōjo Madoka Magika | Kaname Madoka ] (school uniform)

She is still available for purchase at places like Hobbylink Japan (www.hlj.com)

for about $180 USD shipped via EMS...

and trust me, you want EMS shipping.
[[Click here for a direct link to Madoka]]

I think she's still around because she's a little pricey compared to non-character dolls... but she's so cute (and so nice!) that, in my opinion, she's worth the extra dollars.

Here she is in her box, unopened:

Twig: *taptaptap* Hello, Madoka!

Her box was made of cardboard, which is not the usual for Pure Neemos. They usually come in quite the stylish plastic box. This box WAS shiny, however, and had holographic type on it:

Twig: Oooh, magical type!

All Pure Neemos come nestled into molded plastic that is shaped to hold them tight, with another molded plastic cover taped down over them. I hear it makes for a very comfortable trip.

However, unlike every other Pure Neemo that has ever arrived here, Madoka was the only one to show up without a "Pure Neemo Care" manual, or information booklet on that specific Pure Neemo.

Hmm, wonder why?

Twig: I'll get you out quick, Madoka! Don't worry!!

This Madoka comes dressed in her school uniform, which, in terms of Pure Neemo outfits, is neither the best nor most exciting. Don't get me wrong, the quality of the outfit is great, and I'm sure the skirt will be very useful for mixing and matching, but I was a little annoyed at how the big red bow was sewn onto the white shirt. 

Usually, Pure Neemo bows and neckties are separate, with a little hook in the back, so you can use them with any outfit... but not Madoka's big red bow, it's sewn directly onto the shirt. :(

Madoka comes with Kyubey (the show's magical mascot), extra hands and red bows for her hair.

The red bows are awesome, because they snap on, making them really easy to put on and take off, and then they won't become untied.

Madoka: Let's not let him out, ok?

Overall, I'm really thrilled to meet Madoka, and super happy that she's going to be living here now. She's so cute with her pink hair and stylized eyes. :)

The only major difference between her and the promo pics is her hair, which is not as stylized and messy when she gets to you. That can probably be fixed with some minor styling though!

[All That Glitters] Robot Mood Ring

 Good Morning, Everyone!

Sophie here!

I found the most amazing thing the other day while I was out shopping.

Do you ever just go into some random store you would never usually go into, and then just find the most amazing thing?

That is what happened to me!

I stopped into a 7/11, something I never do, because Pita, Bunny and Peapod wanted some potato chips while they studied, and it was the fastest stop on my way back from the mall.

ANYHOW! The point is, when I went up to the counter to buy the chips, I saw THESE!!!!

 

This picture shows just the one ring... it's the most changey mood ring I've ever seen!

It's so awesome!

But... what does a little girl like me do with a ring like this? 

(Too bad it's not going to fit on my finger)

The solution is simple :) I now have the coolest hair tie ever!

Adjustable rings make AWESOME hair ties!

 Have you ever tried them? 

You should!