Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with dolls

Looking for a 15" African-American doll

not that girl — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:12:20 -0800

Alternatives to American Girl dolls that are also realistic-looking but less expensive? Extra-challenge: I want African-American. I am looking for a 15" doll with some outfits for my 2 1/2 year old daughter. I don't want a baby doll, but I don't want anything too Bratz-y or fashion-doll-y either. I don't want a 100% cloth doll. I don't want exaggerated features. I want an African-American doll, but not one with dark but straight hair. Those criteria rule out most of the dolls I can find.

However, these American Girl dolls are just about exactly what I want: cute, more-or-less realistic looking, good-quality, realistic textured hair. My hesitation is that this particular doll only comes in "twins," at $95 for the pair, which is more than I'd ideally like to spend. Also, additional American Girl outfits cost more than I usually spend on my kids' actual clothes.

Any recommendations for alternatives?

I should add that I'm not virulently anti-American Girls like some people; just hadn't expected to spend $100 on dolls. I have heard they are very high quality, so if that's the right choice, I'm open to it. I'd just like to know if there are alternatives first.

Painting dolls from drawing?

Marky — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 22:13:52 -0800

I had an idea for my sisters Christmas present, help me make it... I want to paint some nesting dolls to look like my nephew, from age 1 to 8. I have plenty of pictures, but going from 2-dimension photos to 3-dimension painting seems to be a bit over my skill level. I've faked sketching by drawing "over" photos in Photoshop, but I don't think that would work here. I don't need photo quality, I just would like the dolls to be recognizably him.

Can you recommend any feminist princess dolls I can buy for my 6-year-old goddaughter?

mythomane — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 03:22:23 -0800

Can you recommend any feminist princess dolls I can buy for my 6-year-old goddaughter? I don't mind getting her princesses, but they have to be awesome princesses who really are heroes in their own right! Mulan is the best of the Disney princesses, IMO, but I don't really want to give Disney my money. So far all I've thought of are Wonder Woman and She-Ra (not that I can find affordable She-Ra dolls nowadays anyway), but I worry that they won't seem 'princessy' enough for my goddaughter to really appreciate and love them. Lots of pink and fancy clothing is fine, but I want to show her princesses who save the prince (or don't need one, or ditch him for another princess, or whatever) and kick ass on their own. Any suggestions?

Where you find orangutang?

fontophilic — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 10:34:13 -0800

Did I see a little girl holding an orangutang on the streets of downtown Arlington, VA in early June 2008? Ok internets, I'm asking one doozy of a question, but I believe in your power. Please settle a year long argument between my BF and I.

About a year ago, maybe in early June of 2008 on a weekend afternoon, I was driving to an art exhibit in downtown Arlington, VA. I spied on the sidewalk, a young african-american girl of 10-12 years holding, what I believe was a live orangutang. The orangutang was facing the girl, legs around her waist, and arms over her shoulders. It was wearing a diaper, and appeared to be heavy in the little girl's arms. She was with other older boys that could have been her brothers and family. I believe she was wearing light colored shorts, flip flops and ribbons in her hair. I wish I had pulled over, but alas did not. I only saw this for a moment. The orangutang didn't move, in the short span of time I saw it.

My BF who was in the passenger's seat, also saw this and does not believe it was a real orangutang. Who can blame him? It's crazy to think a little girl would have an orangutang right? He does admit that the orangutang looked very realistic, this wasn't a fuzzy stuffed animal.

Here's what I'm looking for:

Maybe you grew up with a zoologist/primatologist parent and frequently went for strolls with orangutans or know someone who does. Maybe you collect life sized orangutang dolls, dress them in diapers, and can attest to their realism? Perhaps you know of a movie filmed in Arlington about a little girl and her orangutang?

Anything, even wild speculation is welcomed.

Where can I purchase male baby dolls online for my grandmother?

slavlin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:36:24 -0800

Where can I purchase male baby dolls online for my grandmother? My grandmother doesn't really recognize anyone due to Alzheimer's but one thing that does make her happy is holding a baby doll. For some reason, she likes boy dolls better, but all of the dolls I can find online seem to be female dolls.

Can anyone point me in the direction of a good place to find male baby dolls online? Preferably a place with a good selection so that I can find more in the future. I have tried places like Amazon and Toys-r-us, but I can't seem to whittle out all of the dolls in pink dresses and bows to find some blue.

The dolls need to be soft and washable if possible so that the nursing home can clean them up if needed.

Thanks ahead of time for any help. It is nice to see her happy and excited about something.

Questions about making dress-up games in Flash

shirobara — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:44:56 -0800

I draw paper dolls, and I would like to be able to make a dress-up game in Flash out of them. I can find tutorials about making simple dress-up games easily enough, but I have two questions that none of the tutorials seem to answer: one about linked layers and one about "snapping" the outfit in place. Is there a way to link two layers together such that they can be dragged together, but one layer goes over the doll layer and one layer goes under the doll? For example, look at this image's headdress. The fabric goes both in front of the face and behind the head, so ideally that'd be two different layers stuck together.

Is there a way to "snap" the clothes to the doll? (I hate trying to get them just right, myself.) If so, is there a way to control how close you can be before it snaps?

Thank you very much!

Who made these "flesh" dolls?

louche mustachio — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:57:53 -0800

I'm being driven crazy by what is most likely an interesting, artistic hoax. I was just dropping by one of my favorite bookmarked blogs yesterday, and saw this intriguing post. Dolls made of the flesh of dead and stillborn children, used to frighten away evil spirits? And such dolls! Such frightening dolls! Such... self consciously scary, very Western-looking dolls... like the baby in Eraserhead...

OK, the needle of my bullshit detector is buried in the red, especially considering some details in the the original source (a 4chan thread linked in the Monster Brains article, might be a titch NSFW, fascinating nonetheless.) Nobody seems to be able to provide any details about this "tradition." However, the artwork is interesting and looks a bit familiar. Can anyone identify the artist or otherwise point me toward the truth?

Please help me identify this porcelain doll.

tomatofruit — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:57:13 -0800

I picked up this porcelain doll at a thrift store a couple years ago hoping to sell her, but I was never able to identify her age, name, or manufacturer, so I've got no idea what she might be worth. Can you help me identify her? Photos and more details inside. She stands about 19" tall, and has a soft torso with porcelain arms and lower legs. Her only identifying mark is a stamp in the porcelain at the base of her neck of the letters "FHD". She has a sewn pocket in the back of her torso for a doll stand to slip into.

Here are some photos of the doll. I would appreciate any information that would help me price the doll correctly.

How to design a stuffed animal?

apfel — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:06:01 -0800

Sewingfilter: Please show me how to design a stuffed animal for my young niece. She wants a doggie doll, but I've never done anything with a snout before. I've tried, unsuccessfully, to design a pattern on my own. I've botched several attempts and am running low on scraps. I have a specific idea in mind but I can't seem to transfer it to fabric.

Specifically, I want to design a dog shaped ragdoll. Dog head, human body. Something simple, classy, similar in shape to this but with a long, upturned snout. The 3D aspect is throwing me off. I can't seem to get the crest/top of the snout to match up with the sides of the face. Usually the head comes out too fat and the nose comes out too thin.

Can any crafty design veterans recommend how to approach this project? Or at least good resources online on making your own pattern? None of my searches have brought up much.

I appreciate any help you guys are willing to throw at me.

Where to find "Mr. Clear sealer" in the US or Europe?

arishaun — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 04:44:22 -0800

Doll customization-filter: Where to find "Mr. Clear sealer" in the US or Europe? So a friend of mine in Ireland is wanting to do some doll customization. She emailed me asking if I knew of any place to find "Mr. Clear" sealer here in the States, as she couldn't get it over there. A plus would be a place either here or in Europe where she could get it shipped to herself in Ireland. Thanks in advance! :-)

Help! My doll has a tan!

bristolcat — Sun, 10 Sep 2006 16:34:26 -0800

I just bought an antique Japanese doll and she's in fair condition except for one thing--her silk "skin" is very discolored. How can I make her snow white again? I have a few of these dolls and I find them fascinating. I know they probably aren't worth much in the grand scheme of things, but I like to have them around.

Most of the dolls I have are pristine white. This particular doll must have either been in a smoker's house or around heavily varnished furniture, as she has turned practically brown. Is there a way to return her to white? Everything is silk, including her skin. She's probably about 50 years old. As is, she is probably not very valuable so I'm willing to take a chance with her if it means I can restore her.

I know that I can't use bleach and I know that I probably shouldn't even get her wet. I had heard a tip that gently swabbing vintage silk with rubbing alcohol worked, but I want to get the opinions of the hive mind first.

Also, are there any ways to halt dry rot on silk? She's starting to show some deterioration in the back.

Here are some pics:

Face of doll
Doll comparison
Dry rot?

Thank you!

Looking for weird stuffed animals

terrortubby — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 09:01:01 -0800

Looking for a site with weird dolls/stuffed animals made with parts of a few dolls into weird hybrids. Remember seeing a site like this a while ago - hopefully your googlefu is stonger than mine.

Book title for girl and dolls come to life?

scamper — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 23:17:33 -0800

What's the name of the 1970/80's era junior's book about a girl living with her old Aunts, discovers a secret room with dolls that come to life? Points that I recall:
Aunts made her drink warm milk, which she hated.
She had to wear garters with her stockings, they had rubber buttons. Hated them, too.
In the end the room is upturned somehow, the china gets broken, the dolls become inanimate.

Reputable Asian Ball-Jointed Doll Vendor?

vanoakenfold — Tue, 09 May 2006 08:48:58 -0800

Asian Ball Jointed Dolls Filter -- Can you recommend a reputable American seller/dealer, and what has been your experience with them (the vendor)? It seems like the only ones I can find are foreign companies and I'd rather buy from someplace stateside if I can, unless I'm confident enough in them from recommendations.. Only just today I came across a couple of livejournal entries when surfing toothpaste that had people making fiction shorts with these dolls, posing in different ways to act out comic-like panels with a caption. I found Gigglegeek.dk that has loads of sites to buy from, but pretty much all of them look foreign and I don't know one from the other as far as reliability.

In addition (although the recommendation is what I'm really after) -- How expensive would you say they are generally? I'd like to get one just to set on my desk. Is it possible to get customized eyes? I'd rather have one with cat-slit eyes than the regular kind.

American Girl: Creepy or Cool?

hendrixson — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 11:32:44 -0800

Can someone explain the American Girl phenomenon? Are they creepy or cool? I first heard of the dolls on an episode of This American Life. For those similarly in the dark: fast facts, the Wikipedia article, and the inevitable protest.

Why are stuffed animals attached to trucks?

swift — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 10:37:54 -0800

So what's the deal with garbage trucks, tractor trailers, construction equipment and other imposing vehicles driving around with dolls and stuffed animals attached to their grills?

Super booby barbie?

tristeza — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 14:22:57 -0800

Did I dream this, or did there exist a Barbie-esque doll in the 70s whose breasts would grow when you windmilled her arm?

I'd like to have some custom action figures made, and then mass-produced on a smallish scale....

mudpuppie — Fri, 21 Jan 2005 10:17:55 -0800

I'd like to have some custom action figures made, and then mass-produced on a smallish scale.... Google turned up links for companies that will make a likeness of me for $500. What I'm looking for is something like this, sort of.

Anyone have experience commissioning these, procuring an artist, etc? Have an idea of the cost? Know where I can get it done?

Thanks much.