Giving a new look to a BJD-sized wooden dresser

The finished dresser

I started with a $5 wooden doll dresser (about 10" high) from a garage sale. I think it might have been a jewelery box at one time, but it needed a little aesthetic help.

You don't need a fancy workshop for this project - the entire thing was done on the balcony of my apartment with things I already had, or picked up from Home Depot. Safety first, though - remember to protect your mouth and eyes from sawdust and paint fumes. Oh, and don't hammer your thumb, either.

The dresser: before

Step 1: Peel off yucky gold velvet lining from the inside of the drawers. Throw velvet in the trash and hope never to see it again.

Step 2: Remove hardware from drawer fronts. A flat screwdriver worked well for me, but feel free to use a crowbar if they're not cooperating.

Step 3: Sand old paint off. (In retrospect, I would have just spraypainted right over top of it to save time - and arm muscle.) Wipe off sawdust for a clean painting surface.

Step 4: Spray paint surfaces with white glossy spray paint, to give it a smooth coating. Let dry. (I know it's hard, but be patient and let it dry.)

Step 5: Spray paint over with matte black spray paint. Let dry. My paint crackled as it dried to reveal the white paint beneath, which I actually like. If you don't want this look, you'll have to ask somebody else because I don't know how this happened!

Step 6: Spray paint hardware. If you want to spray paint the nails, push them half-way in to a piece of styrofoam or corrugated cardboard to told them upright.

Step 7: Re-attach hardware to drawer fronts.

Some "before" shots:

The inside of the drawers, rid of their YUCKY velvet!

Before shot of the detail on the top.

The dresser without its drawers - oh my!

Back of the old dresser

Some "after" shots:

The beautiful carved edges.

A beautiful pattern that looks like it's stamped into the wood, but could be carved.

A close-up of the entirely unintentional (but delightful) "crackle-effect"

The original dresser had 2 drawer pulls the large drawers, but was missing a couple of them, so I moved the large drawer pulls to the center, so that I only needed one per drawer. One nail was missing, so I found a similarly-sized screw in my glasses repair it!

Showing the replacement screw.

 Now, it's ready for one of my BJDs to store their stuff, use as a photography prop, or a display. And all for less than $10!

Christie's boyfriend talking Brad, stock #1114

Talking Brad was issued in 1970 and has sculpted black hair, brown centered eyes, and black brows. The lips on my doll have oxidized to brown but they were originally dark rose. He has dark brown skin, bendable legs, and is dressed in a multi-color pullover shirt and orange trunks.

His accessories included a silver foil wrist tag and a clear X stand. He has a pull-string talking mechanism located in his upper back. Brad's original phrases were: 1. My name's Brad, what's yours? 2. Christie is the greatest. 3. Baseball is my favorite sport. 4. Come on, let's go to the movies. 5. I dig the mod look. 6. Hey, let's all go for a ride. Talking Brad's original box graphics depict him in Breakfast at 7 and Rally Gear. There were no specific fashions issued for Brad but all of Ken's clothes will fit him.

Set sale on TonnerDirect, starts tomorrow - and a quick math lesson

First, a quick announcement that tomorrow, March31, 2011, beginning at noon EST, TonnerDirect will be having a special sale on five sets of dolls. Some are current dolls at less than retail, and some are hard to find from older collections, so you may want to check them out. Free shipping (or an international $9.95 shipping credit) is also being offered, with the promo code 2011SETS (or 2011SETSINT).

Here they are:

13" Women of Power includes Wonder Woman, Super Girl and Artemis of Bana Migddall. If you've been wanting to try the 13" Revlon doll, these might be a good opportunity for you. Retail $420, sale 20% off, plus an additional 20% off gives you a super sale price of $269.99.

LOTR Elven Gift Set includes Legolas Greenlef and Galadriel. Regular price is $320, set price is discount 20%. With the additional 20% off, and free shipping, it's on sale for $205.99.

Ladies of Oz set includes all three Antoinette-bodied friends of Dorothy: Beauty & Brains, Hear Me Roar and Heart on My Sleeve. $590 retail, sale is 20%, plus additional 20% off at $377.99.

Twillight New Moon set includes Bella's Birthday, Distant Devotion Edward and Alice Cullen. Retail is $420, sale 20% off, plus an additional 20% off gives you a super sale price of $269.99.


Finally, Clash of the Titans includes both Andromeda and Pereus. They retail for $410, and are discounted for the set and an addition 20% for a sale price of $263.99.

Now, I have to point something annoying out from Tonner's email. It says, and I quote:

TONNERDirect  

Debuts Brand New Gift Sets...

... at 40% OFF!

Now, excuse me for being finicky, but let's sit down together to work on the math problem of the week, using the Clash of the Titans set as our example:

Regular price = $410
20% discount for set price = $328
Plus an additional 20% discount = $264

Now, let's see what an actual 40% discount looks like:

Regular price = $410
40% discount = $246

Wha?? That's an $18 difference! What the hell? That's a 10% lay-away payment!

Now listen. Just because your budget may be completely trashed doesn't mean your math skills necessarily have to be!

Actually, it's considered "moderately easy," according to eHow. It should be taught at least by sixth grade. You can get a little refresher here.

(Pardon my snotty remarks. They are meant to be "math humor." My mother taught math for elementary school teachers (till she retired), and Dad is an engineer. We talked math at the dinner table.) ;)

Safe doll shops an Amazon!

I need to know if you've had a good experience shopping for dolls on Amazon.com. Sometimes, you can get a great deal on a hard-to-find doll there, and Prime shipping can be convenient.

But sometimes, it's a risk, since not all sellers are professional, and some dolls are smokey or not in the condition described. Plus sellers are not required to use their own photos. Additionally, sometimes buyers leave negative feedback on the store's website because the buyer bought an inexpensive or cheap product, and thinks it's the seller's fault for making it available. It's a rather odd situation, I think.

Here is a growing list of doll shops I have had successful transactions with online. Again, this is a single transaction, so I can't be responsible for your happiness. But I have found these sellers reliable. I'll be adding more as I have more positive transactions.

Also, you should know I am a deboxer, so I don't care as much about the box being in mint condition.

888 ANIME - I bought a Dollzone BJD from this shop, and they packaged it safely and it arrived quickly. Excellent price and service, and lots of hard-to-find items that are actually in stock. I got my doll without a face-up, but they had some in-stock BJDs with face-ups also.

Auntie M's Book Sale - I bought an older Malibu PJ from this shop, and she arrived just as described, in mint condition. No smoke smells, no odors, not even a trace of musty smell. Packaged carefully and shipped quickly, I will shop from this shop again.

Challburt - I bought a hard-to-find barbie here, who arrived with super-fast shipping in perfect condition. No smoke smells or other odors, safely packaged, and a friendly note. Highly recommended!

Discount Toy Outlet - received two dolls, NRFB, as Christmas gifts from this seller. I couldn't tell that they were from any place other than a professional store. Arrived on time, as promised, in perfect condition.

Gifts by Liz - described her dolls well, ships quickly, and packages them safely and in even better condition than I'd hoped (in the box). Excellent prices, also, on hard-to-find or unusual play-line or lower-priced collector dolls (that's what I happened to find from her). I just placed another order at the beginning of May, with the same perfection in packaging, a perfect box and doll, and superfast shipping.

MEGA ToyLand - I bought a NRFB Silkstone from this shop, and I believe this shop is even Amazon Prime eligible. Very convenient, excellent service, and the doll was perfect.

Twist 'N Turn Christie doll

Twist 'N Turn Christie was issued in 1970 and has brown chin length curly hair, brown centered eyes, black brows, and rooted eyelashes. (My doll's hair has oxidized just slightly to red) The hair color on the box is marked "dark brown". Her lips are light red and she has hi-color cheeks. She has light brown skin and bendable knees.

She wears a one-piece v-neck pink, yellow, white, and orange abstract print tricot swimsuit. Her accessories include a blue foil wrist tag, a clear X stand, and a Living Barbie and Skipper fashion booklet.

Her box graphics depict Christie wearing Great Coat, City Sparkler, and Let's Have a Ball. There were no specific fashions made for Christie but all Barbie and Julia fashions will fit her. The original price tag is $3, marked down to $1.99. Wouldn't you like to buy her today for that price?

Sonja

Sonja, originally uploaded by alington.

Just spending some time enjoying the dolls I have. (Well, that's not all that went on this past weekend!)

Up close and personal, this is Sonja, an Haute Doll exclusive, white skin/small bust Wake-Up Goldie by Peak's Woods with a Val Zeitler face-up. I bought her pre-loved (and in perfect condition) from a wonderful collector in Spain.

She is currently wearing glass eyes (her default ones), enhanced eyelashes, and a wig and outfit (Renske) by DollHeart.

See the rest of her first photo shoot on Flickr.

Remaking an iconic Dior gown for a lucky 16" doll

Here is the completed dress, pictured on Tonner Doll's "Euphemia," from Tonner Doll's Cinderella Collection.

This was a labor of love for my wonderful friend (and fellow Fashion Doll Review writer), Carolyn, who asked if I could recreate this iconic dress for her small-bust Tyler. I'm always up for a challenge (especially when it involves fashion!), so of course I agreed!

I made sure to take photos throughout the creative process so that you could see how it all came together.

Just another hour to save 20% at Mattel!

Sorry for the delay, but you've got till 9 PM EST to save 20% off on all orders at Mattel.com (which actually has a few Barbies and Monster High dolls, outfits and accessories in stock).

The discount is taken automatically when you check out.

Skiya, your first BJD?

Skiya, originally uploaded by alington.

It's my personal belief that everyone needs to have a doll in her (or his) collection that she (or he!) simply falls in love with, swoons over, and truly loves and adores. Whether he or she be a grail doll, an amazing treasure, a terrific bargain find, or a precious gift, this doll should occupy a special place in your heart.

Myself, the rather wishy-washing, waffling collector I am, have come upon this realization rather slowly. But, upon taking a few photos today, I am realizing the importance of this special doll.

I have several candidates. This photo is my first: She is Peak's Woods Skiya, a Christmas gift from my husband. She was nearly my first BJD ever, but I fell for Sky instead (whom I also love and adore). She is very different from my other Peak's Woods girls, in that she is nearly cheerful. She has a downright pleasant look on her face, in fact.

Plus, it is very hard to take an unflattering photo of this doll, even with my lack of skill in the photography department and my husband's rented lens (oh--it's a dream lens. But even the best of equipment...).

I usually don't care for overly pink make-up, and Skiya has a face-up like cotton candy--pink, pink, pink--and I adore it. She can wear styles from rococo and regency to Lolita and contemporary. (More photos coming soon!) She's versatile and simply perfect.

At any rate--if you're considering falling for a face, let me recommend Skiya to you. She's near the top of my list. (Today, anyway!)

Close-up of Skiya's gorgeous face. I love her eye lashes.

Skiya in Rococo. A great look for her.

Growing, growing, growing...

Scary shelf #2, originally uploaded by alington.

One of my two Peak's Woods shelves. Maybe I have a small "problem." For sizes, the purple-haired girl is as tall as a Tonner Doll, or about 16" high.

From the left: normal skin Segi, white skin Wake-Up Cue, white skin Sky (in DollHeart), normal skin Mintie (Sky and Mints both have older-style stock face-ups), LE tan Briana (in Val Zeitler's Under the Boardwalk outfit), normal skin Lottie Real on FOB body, normal skin Mintie with current style face-up (yes, I had two when this photo was taken), Yeru the Soul with current style face-up, and normal skin Naomi (I just love her with lighter eyes!).

All outfits not mentioned above are nighties and pajama sets by the talented JennyGrey, and are for sale on her Etsy page, as of this post. (She's graciously let me borrow them for a photoshoot.) This is assuming I don't buy them before you, and you can get me to take them off my dolls, LOL!

But seriously, if you're interested:

Segi is wearing Georgiana, Wake-Up Cue is in the white cotton and lace two-piece, raven-haired Mintie is in Lydia, Lottie is wearing an MSD-sized two-piece, Mintie #2 is wearing Kitty, Yeru is in Mary, and little Naomi's isn't listed yet, but you could ask Jen about it. All pieces range from $35-$55, with most in the $40 category. They are really well made, lined, with snap closures, and very highly detailed.

They are just adorable. Yeru's headband is included with her outfit, too. Aren't they cute?

Close-up of Naomi, a YoSD size. This will also fit Fairyland dolls and other
similarly sized BJDs. See the working pockets and real pin tucks?

Magnificent Monogram

Magnificent Monogram, originally uploaded by alington.

From Integrity Toys' Monogram line, this is Magnificent. She is my first Monogram, if you can believe it.

In the box, upon opening her, I have to confess I was disappointed. I thought her face very cold, her eyes were set to wide, and her disdain was almost too much. I almost didn't remove her from the box! But I had to keep her gown, so I had to debox. (Plus is was raining, and what else calls you to deboxing dolls like a rainy day?)

After taking her out of the box, it occurred to me she is more like a mannequin than a character, and I really have become attached. Plus, with her jewelry, and her giant closed lips, she is pretty fantastic--cool, calculating, haughty look and all. I think she's pretty darn cool.

I think she's going to be staying for quite a while.

Capture of Magnificent's gown from the rear.
Could use some pressing. But really--shouldn't I do my own clothes first? 

Who wouldn't be able to identify with her expression?
This photo will enlarge (I hope) if you click on it. Check out her left fingers.

Top 5 reference books for Vintage Barbie collectors

#1. The complete and unauthorized Guide to Vintage Barbie Dolls by Hillary James. The most up-to-date price guide available for vintage Barbie and family dolls. In addition to the dolls, all the original accessories, liners, and boxes are listed as well as the type of swimsuit the doll was originally wearing. Barbie and Skipper fashions and gift sets from 1959-1972 are listed with each entry presenting all the accessories with the current average price range. Paperback. 160 pages with index.

#2. Barbie Fashion by Sarah Sink Eames. The complete history of the wardrobes of Barbie doll, her friends, and her family. Wonderful photos. Covers the years 1959-1967. Hardcover. No index. 255 pages.

#3. Barbie Doll & Her Mod, Mod, Mod Mod World of Fashion by Joe Blitman with photography by Kevin Mulligan. Covers the years 1967-1972. Fashions are photographed on a doll as well as laid out so that you can see all the accessories. Several variations of many ensembles are shown. Photos are clear and many are humorous. Hardcover. 224 pages with index.

#4. Barbie In Japan by Keiko Kimura Shibano. If you are interested in Japan Exclusives this is the book for you. Includes a history of the manufacturing of Barbie in Japan. The photos are simply yummy. American Girls, Sideparts, Japanese Francie's and Skipper's, and other rarities are included. Hardcover. 144 pages. No index.

#5. Encyclopedia of Barbie Doll Family & Friends Licensed Products, 1961-1971, Identification and Values. Comprehensive and accurate. As I am collector of Barbie licensed products, this is my most used reference book. Hardcover. 512 pages with index.

All five of these books are readily available on the secondary market. Happy reading!

Leaving feedback on doll sales boards

Leaving seller and buyer feedback is an essential part of any doll sale or trade in the doll community. Don't forget this important part of netiquette after a transaction is complete.

Before you consider leaving feedback, if your transaction was less than satisfactory, contact the seller first. Make sure you have resolved any issues up front before you leave feedback. Most sellers value positive feedback highly, and will often go out of their way to make sure their buyers are happy.

Also consider the original item description. Did you ask the right questions and request all the right photos? Not all collectors collect the same types of dolls. If you are a mint collector, you need to be extra careful when purchasing pre-owned dolls. If odors both you, make sure you ask before you buy.

On to the feedback forums...

Sears Exclusive Mod Standard Dressed Barbie Doll

Here's a recent acquisition, a mod standard dressed Barbie doll.

This rare standard Barbie doll is dressed in a complete Movie Groovie fashion and has her original head cello and wrist tag intact.

She came packaged in a plain brown box marked "Sears Gift Set Sample". She is tied into the box liner with white vinyl-coated wire. Also included is a living Barbie fashion booklet. She has a blue hair ribbon. "Regular" standards had a pink hair ribbon. She has side-glancing blue eyes. Very little is known about these mod standard dolls but other Sears exclusives have been found with this simple brown packaging and were from catalog sales. This doll was probably a store sample to advertise the Twinkle Town Gift set which consisted of a blonde, brunette, or brownette Standard Barbie doll, a blue 2 piece swimsuit exclusive to this set, and the Movie Groovie fashion. In researching this post I was unable to find any photos of the original packaging of this gift set.

Renegade Dasha, W Club exclusive FR2 doll lottery!

Beginning March 21, W Club members were giving the opportunity to enter the lottery for an exclusive FR2 doll, Dasha "Renegade."

She is a limited edition of 300 dolls and retails for $175 plus shipping, handling and tax.

She is a blonde Fashion Royalty Squared body with blue eyes, and a gorgeous belted couture gown, and her accessories are scrumptious: an oversized "ruby" ring, a silver bracelet, matching chandelier earrings, and amazing beaded strappy shoes.

I'll be sure to keep you posted if I'm lucky enough to win this doll.

Photos are property of Integrity Toys.

Special status of dolly dollars.

Can someone please tell me what's up with dolly dollars? They seem to have magical qualities within my regular house budget. Let me share their "magical" traits with you:

• If there are any dolly dollars in my Paypal account, they seem to magically disappear almost as soon as they arrive--regardless of their intended destination. 
• They seem to frequently be pre-spent a month or two ahead of time. I might as well call "pre-ordering" "pre-spending."
• If I bring any cash to a doll show, it seems imperative that I leave with no bills in my wallet. Hopefully I won't have to pay for parking on my way out!
• Even when I sell dolls to pay for others--I rotate my collection pretty frequently--those dollars seem to be spent even before I get a chance to think about how to spend them!
• I have a doll budget, with planned pre-orders and my doll "allowance" per month, and what my estimated costs will be, planned out for the entire year. Even this doesn't seem to help me.
• When I pre-order dolls, I try to treat them as lay-aways, and set aside or pay them off early when possible. This year hasn't been a great success, however, thanks to a giant Peak's Woods order I placed. 
• I have a list of BJDs, sorted by priority and the maximum I want to pay, and I won't buy a BJD that isn't on that list first. Well, unless I find a really good deal. (That's my problem, I suppose!)

It's simply ridiculous. I'm a grown woman. I can budget for household expenses. I can budget my four children and make sure they get their allowance each week. I can feed us. We make plenty of money--especially compared to the rest of the world.

And here I am, complaining about a doll budget? It's just silly. (It occurs to me here that perhaps it isn't the dolly dollars themselves that have the problem... perhaps it might have something to do with me.) 

(... moment of reflection...)

Oh, no. Of course not! That would be too easy! ;)

Gorgeous new photo of Lavin is up on Peak's Woods site!

Lavin, FOC BJD by Peak's Woods.
Photo property of Peak's Woods.

A gorgeous new photo of Lavin, Fairy of Color BJD (58 cm) is up on Peak's Woods home page this morning. She's not yet available as a basic doll, but she should be soon.

Not to brag or anything, but I have finally paid off my lay-away with them (Hooray!) and have a fun order coming soon. And my husband actually snagged one of the full-set Lavins for me as well. I was so surprised--and shocked--since I do have a lot of dolls. (But one can never quite have enough, can we?)

Ah--the things we do for love...

Preorders or in-stock dolls? A doll enthusiast's dilemma

Last week, I received a notice from TONNERDirect, delivered to my email. Basically, it announced a production delay in its Vintage Revlon™ dolls, whose production has been set back to May 2011. That delay, and the recent crazy release of the Integrity Toys line, got me thinking about the nature of pre-orders and why doll manufacturers use them.

I understand the need for expensive or made-to-order ball-jointed dolls, which can only be poured during certain times of the year, or according to a company's cash flow, and have a long wait and lead time. After all, the doll is being made to your specifications. Still--it seems some items, such as a standard body and several head sculpts, might be kept in stock, as inventory for the next customer's order. But I'm not familiar with the process, and perhaps the parts risk yellowing or damage.

When it comes to vinyl massively-produced dolls, I also understand the excitement a manufacturer's design team must feel when they see a completed prototype. It must be extremely difficult to keep a prototype under wraps till its release date. I'd be proud of my work, too. However, for me, as a private person, I don't pre-sell dolls. I wouldn't sell a pre-ordered doll until it was in my possession. What if the doll were damaged in shipment? What if the actual production doll looked significantly different than the prototype? What if there were a production delay?

Tonner's Fall/Holiday 2010 release had some significant fabric changes. I understand there can be unexpected changes sometimes. Manufacturers have an easy, yet radical, solution to this problem. That would be to stop pre-orders and previews of dolls. 

Of course, there are pros and cons to this approach. The benefits would be: 

• Production delays would become invisible to the customers, as long as dealers didn't discuss delays with customers. This might benefit the company's image, as it would appear to be more reliable. 
• Second, last-minute fabric and body changes to the prototype would also disappear, since customers wouldn't have seen the prototype. Therefore, griping about lesser quality fabric and disappointment in the actual production doll would also be less.

The cons might be too costly, however. 

• First, the way things are now, doll companies have an excellent change to see how each seasons' dolls are received, before placing a single one into production. They can make changes to price, fabric and face paint, before starting the production process. 
• Secondly, manufacturers require dealers to front money (with pre-orders) and alleviate cash flow issues (especially with the limited editions of dolls that are suddenly all the rage these days) by forcing collectors to decide whether they want to risk a pre-order now, or wait to see the produced doll in real life and risk it selling out before getting a chance to buy it upon its release.
• Third, there would be no additional feedback time for manufacturers to collect feedback from collectors on specific dolls or outfits, and to decide whether to cancel a specific production doll or line.
• Trade shows would require that manufacturers actually have to show produced dolls now available for sale, and not just prototypes. They would become larger and a much bigger deal than they are today.

I was wondering if either of these options would be better or worse for collectors. Perhaps we have a bit more influence over the design of the doll the way things are currently. (Doll manufacturers, believe it or not, really do want to make things collectors want to buy. That is how they make their living. Keep that in mind during the next big release--and then you'll see if you're that company's target customer or not.) 

The issue came up because I tend to over-order on pre-orders, and then budget my doll allowance according to the date the orders are supposed to arrive. If the dolls don't arrive on time, it often looks like I have more money than I actually have, and I end up spending it twice. (At least, that's my excuse.) It's annoying. Well, not that annoying, I have to admit. 

Ideally, the system I would like to have is this:

• Prototype doll (one collection line at a time, posted monthly)
• Suggestion box on how the doll could be better/worse via an online comment form, posted at the same time as the doll's release.
• Manufacturer actually takes the comments into consideration upon production.
• Pre-orders are allowed, and edition size and price is determined by the number of pre-orders. 
• Doll is released within three months.
• In the meantime, the design team should have another doll or line up the following month.

I think we'd all win then. But is that too friendly for doll collectors? Would it take the "value" out of dolls? Who knows? Just my own humble know-it-all opinion. Just send me some more Steffie-faced dolls, and I'll shut up. 

My Steffie Obsession

The Steffie shelf

While we're going through all the weird things about me as a collector, I thought I'd take a moment to dip my toes into what has become a massive Steffie obsession.

Goddess of Asia

DOTW Spain

I wish I could be one of those collectors who adores vintage barbies (I love them), or just collects BJDs (my BJD collection is getting more narrow, but it's growing too rapidly), or the collector who likes only a particular type or brand of doll (Fashion Royalty or Poppy Parker). But unfortunately, I have my hand in too many pots.

One of these pots has grown to the size of a witch's cauldron and includes the Steffie sculpt. I love her. Vintage, 1980s or new. I love them all. I like that she has been used in so many skin tones, and that she varies so much. Allow me to take a moment and share my irrational collection with you.

A few grails on my list include:

Sweet Roses PJ

Top Model Summer
Assignment Hair

1972 Busy Steffie
1972 Busy Talking Steffie
1972 Walk Lively Steffie
1973 Yellowstone Kelly
1974 Ballerina Cara
1974 Free Moving PJ
1974 Quick Curl Cara
1975 Hawaiian Barbie
1975 Deluxe Quick Curl PJ
1975 Free Moving Cara
1976 Deluxe Quick Curl Cara
1978 Fashion Photo PJ
1978 Sun Lovin' Malibu Christie
1979 Parisian Barbie
1979 Hispanic Barbie

Malibu PJ

1980 Golden Dreams Christie

Walk Lively Miss America

1982 Dream Date PJ
1982 Pink & Pretty Christie
1982 Tracy Bride
1983 Irish DOTW
1983 Sun Gold Mailbu PJ
1985 Peruvian DOTW
1986 German DOTW
1986 Feelin' Groovy Barbie
1980s era Whitney dolls ( a few of them, and I'd need to see their outfits first)
1992 Peruvian DOTW
1996 Oshogatsu Barbie
2004 Paul Frank Barbie
2004 Modern Circle Simone (evening wear and make-up artist)
Modern Circle Simone
AA Birthstone Barbie Emerald and Diamond

Oh, and of course, I'll have to add the Tokidoki Barbie (a Steffie with pink hair!) this year. And I have a very good condition blonde Miss America on her way to me soon.

Barbie Basic Jeans, Model 3.0

What do you think? Am I missing any essential Steffies on this list? My daughters have both Hello Kitty dolls and My Melody Barbie. Leave me a comment if there's a favorite of yours that I don't have listed yet. (I may already have her.) :)