strawberry yume

New J-dolls: Picasso Street East & West

2008-11-22T23:03:00.000-08:00

Came home today and had a lovely package waiting for me - my new J-dolls! I wasn't expecting them so soon, so this was a nice surprise.

The dolls are gorgeous and very close to the prototypes, which is nice. (If you haven't seen the prototype pics yet check them out here & here.) The coloring on the purple-haired doll is amazing! She's got turquoise eyes that really pop against her hair color.

I've decided to name them Rose Red (purple hair) and Snow White (pink hair) after the fairytale. Not Snow White - this is a German fairy tale about two sisters and a bear. And, no, I didn't get the names backwards: Rose Red is the wild sister and Snow White is the gentle one, so going by their hairstyles the names seem to fit.

Check out the hair on the purple-haired girl: the back was standing straight up! Um, hello, Jun Planning, that's not a hair style! If she was punk, then sure, but this was more like leftover hair after they curled her hair into the two buns. Poor girl went to the hair salon the moment she was deboxed.

The outfits are so cute, except for the horrid cowboy boots. Ugh! I plan to replace those ASAP. Not sure with what . . . I need to look around and see what I can find.

So Excited! Premium Calendar Girl Jenny

2008-11-17T21:51:00.000-08:00

Just won this doll on eBay and I'm totally doing the happy dolly dance! Love the hair and dress - she makes me think of candy for some reason. Very yummy!

Pic is from the auction . . . I'll be taking more pics when she arrives.

New Dolls

2008-11-12T21:43:00.000-08:00

I haven't had time to post recently, but new dolls have still been arriving!

Above is the 2008 Premium Excelina doll. This was the first time I got a premium doll! *_* Her outfit is really cool - the fabric is velvety, the pleated part of her skirt is silky, and yes, she's wearing bloomers!

I finally managed to get my hands on a green haired Color Change Kira. I've been searching for her for 2 years - can you say obsessed? hee!

Here's the 2008 Club 67 Birthday Jenny in a super cute Alice in Wonderland themed outfit.

Yes, the bunny is attached to her skirt. Pffft! Could you imagine someone walking around in this outfit in a human size?

Finally Giving In . . .

2008-09-11T23:45:00.000-07:00

Just saw this Dal and I may finally break down and buy one. The Pullip & Dal dolls are super cute, but I haven't bought any yet as I've got too many other collections I'm trying to keep up with. Takara and Pullip producing so many new dolls is both awful and wonderful. Gah!

Anyway, I have a thing for platinum-haired dolls and this one is calling my name! ^_^

Fiona's New Dress

2008-08-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

The lovely Miss Fiona just got this Sugar Mag dress and wanted to show it off. It's actually two pieces (top and skirt) and the fabric is satiny. Click on the pics below for a closer look.

And she's also wearing combat boots from Ixtee (from the This Is Blythe online shop), which are probably the coolest doll shoes I've ever seen. They really lace up and come in tons of cool colors.

Update on Kitty Cape

2008-08-17T15:25:00.000-07:00

I finally had the time to take pics of the Kitty Cape I got from Follow the White Rabbit. That's Nimue on the left in the cape and Oona on the right. It's made out of a plush felt or something and fits like a dream.

Remember when you were a kid and got new shoes and loved them so much you refused to take them off? Well, it's pretty hot here, but Nimue won't take the darn cape off!

And that's Strawberry-chan in the background, looking out the window. Also from Follow the White Rabbit. ^_^

New Castle Doll - "Goldilocks"

2008-08-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

My new Castle doll is finally here! And, yes, she's really Erika, but I'm calling her Goldilocks. I don't normally rename my Castle dolls, but the combination of all those curls and the sweet red ribbons is too fairytale-ish for me.

She's wearing a custom outfit that I bought just for her. Not exactly the dress I have in mind for her - I'm picturing red velvet with a laced corset, but it'll do for now. It's actually a very cute set . . . comes with a petticoat to puff out the skirt nicely and a headpiece with lots of lace, but I couldn't bear to cover up her ribbons.

Awesome New J-dolls: Picasso East and West

2008-08-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

Just preordered these from Valley of the Dolls. So cute! They remind me of Benetton ads from the 90s.

I usually hold off on J-dolls until I see actual photos of the dolls as a few dolls have really differed from their prototype pics, but there's no waiting on these! I'm a sucker for weird hair colors and the outfits are awesome!

Special Edition Castle Jenny

2008-08-01T00:51:00.000-07:00

Licca Castle just announced a new Jenny doll:

"August 1, is Jenny's birthday ♪ To celebrate the birthday of the 2008 edition, released KYASSURUJENI. The elegant and chic wrapped dress, and always appeared a little different from adult-Jenny."

Hmm . . . not sure why there's two Birthday Jennys this year, but who cares? She's way cool!

New Castle Olive

2008-07-20T20:45:00.000-07:00

Just got my new Castle Olive and a sweet new Sugar Mag dress for her to wear. Love her hair! Now I just need one like this with pink hair. ^_^

Hmm . . . is it just me or does she remind anyone else of Nellie Olsen from Little House?

Super Cute Kitty Cape!

2008-07-15T22:33:00.000-07:00

I just ordered this Kitty Cape from Follow the White Rabbit - she normally makes them for Pullip dolls, but she was kind enough to make me a custom one sized for a J-doll.

Me-ow! I want one in my size! And, yes, I really would wear it . . . hee hee!

Note: all photos copyright of Follow the White Rabbit.

Birthday Jenny 2008

2008-07-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Birthday Jenny is here and she's awesome! She's available from Hakuhinkan Toy Park and has a super cute Alice in Wonderland theme.

Love all the details on this doll! I just hope the bunny is not permanently attached to her dress - it'd be great for photo ops. My other dolls are already clamoring for their very own pink bunnies! ^_^

Click on the photos below to get the full size versions.

All photos from Hakuhinkan Toy Park's web site.

New stuff on the way

2008-07-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

Just ordered the new Castle Erika doll from Jennyland. She's a little more expensive than the usual monthly dolls, but so worth it. Look at that hair! She looks like Goldilocks!

I'm already shopping for outfits for her - she definitely needs a cute fairytale Lolita outfit.

Hmm . . . maybe this?

I also ordered a bunch of stuff from This Is Blythe for my J-dolls:
a cute black dress with buckles. . . black bunny dress & cape set . . . and these completely fabulous combat boots!

I don't own any Pullips yet, but I think I'm going to have to buy a Dal just to wear the bunny set - the hat is so darn cute!

Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Pinkys are here!

2008-06-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

They're here! The last two finally arrived today, so now I have the full set of Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Pinkys, from left to right: Haruhi, Tsuruya, Yuki, and Mikuru. Yuki comes with cool eyeglasses, but she's not wearing them here.

Sanrio Pinkys are supposedly coming out next month - can't wait to see them in person! Although I wish they'd done one with outrageous hair instead of plain brunettes. I need another pink-haired Pinky!

Malwyn and Chocolat

2008-06-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Here's Malwyn (J-doll Via Sant'Andrea) and her bear Chocolat. Malwyn has romantic notions of moving to Paris one day and likes to dress up like a French schoolgirl.

Castle Jenny with silver hair

2008-06-03T22:04:00.000-07:00

My new Castle doll just arrived - Jenny with silver hair and an old style face. Love those low side pigtails. Very seventies!

This makes 4 dolls with silver hair now - one of which is the Olive with silver ringlets I've got on order at Jennyland. My favorite is definitely the Shion with red eyes. She's got that vampire thing going on. ^_^

Ciao Jenny - finally!

2008-05-17T11:07:00.000-07:00

When this doll came out I was in grad school and couldn't afford to buy many dolls, so I didn't get her. I couldn't get her out of my mind though - she became "the one that got away". Well, not any more! I got a big box from Rinkya today and she was in it. ^_^

I have to say she's even cuter than I expected. Love those long luxurious curls! And I had no idea there were little wings on the back of her dress . . . very cool. See below for closeup of wings and her very girly sneakers.

Pinky St Victorian Angel outfit

2008-05-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

Caine models her brand new Victorian outfit with angel wings from Yahoo Japan. I'm guessing it's a custom as there's a signature on the back, but I could be wrong. The auction didn't really say what it was.

I'm having a hard time finding the right shoes to go with this . . . might need to buy a new Pinky just to get good shoes!

Awwww . . .

2008-05-05T22:22:00.000-07:00

Can you get a nosebleed from cuteness?! This girl is just so darn CUTE!! She arrived today and is already taking over the household with those big puppy dog eyes. There's something about her face that makes her seem more winsome than most Pinkys.

And here she is with a friend, showing off her extra outfit . . .

BHC = unbelievably awesome!!

2008-05-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

I just discovered BHC (Brilliant Haute Couture) and I'm in seventh heaven! I bought the Chinese New Year set above for Licca and it fits her like a dream. It also comes with a mini-cape with fur trim. Uh, no pics, yet . . . sorry!

The Hello Kitty kimono below is already sold out. GRRR! See more outfits here.

Photos from BHC's web site.

Color Change Izumi

2008-05-01T14:55:00.001-07:00

Yay! Just woke up and found that I won this Color Change Izumi from Yahoo Japan for only $25. I'm loving her dress - it looks so Alice in Wonderland with the big collar and buttons.

The doll at the top of my wish list right now is the green-haired Kira from the same series pictured below. I've been drooling over this photo for several years and I'm determined to track her down!

Note: I can't remember where I saved the Kira pic from, apologies if it's yours!

Reina in Bunny Suit

2008-04-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

Haruhi finally arrived and Reina made off with her bunny suit. She's looking awesome and no, she's NOT giving it back!

New dress!

2008-04-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Meirin got a new dress from SuperBlythe! It's a bit too small for her (doesn't close in the back) as it's made for Blythe/Licca, but she doesn't care. This is the first dress I've bought from SuperBlythe and I'm thrilled with it - it's just so well made.

Sugarbunnies!

2008-04-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

I just discovered Sanrio's Sugarbunnies . . . don't know how I missed these cuties - they have whole fan sites devoted to them! Basically, they're bunnies who make magical cakes that transform whoever eats them. The cakes, that is. No eating the bunnies. ^_^

Check out this movie, La Petite Ballerine, on the Sanrio site. The ending is making me hungry! I need to bake something fabulous very soon.

p.s. If you like the pic, click on it to get a nice wallpaper-sized pic courtesy of Sanrio.

New Dolls

2008-04-05T20:10:00.001-07:00

My package from Jennyland arrived today! Got home from work a few hours ago and I've been busy playing with my dolls. First of all, the outfits had to go (one of the Kisara's original outfits was S-C-A-R-Y!) and then I admired them all and took some photos to share.

The Kisaras are both Castle dolls and they have truly fabulous hair. Check out the photo below for a good look at the bride Kisara's hair - it's actually a mix of platinum and pink. She's wearing a Barbie outfit from my childhood, which can just about be called vintage now. The doll in the back is a Cute Casual Jenny. She's wearing her original outfit which also comes with a cute striped hat.

And last is my absolute favorite . . . a Castle Marine redressed in a Castle outfit I was lucky enough to buy from another collector. This outfit also comes with an oversized pink bonnet, but as the bow is really hard to tie I usually leave it off. The last pic at the bottom is (I think) from the old Biscuit's Club web site and was taken during a visit to Licca Castle; you can see a couple of dolls wearing the same dress.

The Life of the Party

2008-04-04T12:17:00.000-07:00

Here's Evil and Saki, at some party they didn't invite me to . . . grrr! I love Saki in Pucchi's outfit, she looks like a little rave girl.

I'm slowing building up my Pinky collection and buying the figures that I missed. Murata Caine and Nazuna are on the way and I managed to get my first Post Pet (Reina) super cheap on Yahoo Japan. And I just heard from HLJ today that my Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi Pinky is in the mail! Although I'm really more excited about the Mikiru and Yuki figures as their faces are really sweet.

The Lost One is Found

2008-03-27T19:34:00.000-07:00

I moved a few months ago and somehow my Swan Pullip got misplaced. I turned my whole apartment inside out looking for her - twice! - and finally gave up. Today I unpacked my computer speakers and guess who was in the box? Miss Swan-kins! Don't know what the heck she was doing in there . . . what a weird place to pack a doll. Anyway, we whipped out the box of outfits Pam sent a while back (thanks, Pam!) and had a fashion show. Poor girl, her hair is a bit messy from being in storage so long, but hopefully these new outfits will make it all better.

Licca Castle Schoolgirl Dolls

2008-03-24T21:45:00.000-07:00

These two beauties are limited edition Castle dolls and they are completely SOLD OUT. Apparently they're only making 100 of each doll. Wah! Excuse me while I go cry in the corner. Those hats! Those pleats! These are the coolest outfits I've seen in a long time.

Check out the closeup photos of the outfits here and here. The white one has the sweetest lace across the top of the undershirt.

Photos from Licca Castle web site.

Swarmed! Or, Pinky loves chicks

2008-03-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Miss Saki had some visitors today . . . she could barely move without stepping on some fluffy chicks. Poor girl, she was really glad when they finally left.

Note: Photo enhanced for Maximum Fluffiness.

Alternate version below . . . if you're wondering why the heck the text looks so funny, you need to check out icanhascheezburger.com. Warning: it's completely ridiculous and really addictive.

J-doll Nimue in Sugar Mag

2008-03-14T01:17:00.000-07:00

Here's Nimue, the lovely and perfect one, showing off her new Sugar Mag dress. She's feeling very supermodelish today . . . and she brought her bear!

Nimue is my favorite J-doll. She's a Crescent Road and is even more stunning than the official Jun Planning photos. She's got the most beautiful big tawny brown eyes and TONS of hair.

Licca Bunny capes at Hakuhinkan

2008-03-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

Just saw these bunny capes at Hakuhinkan Toy Park - too darn cute! Love the black one. It'd look great on a pink haired doll.

They also have some sweet Gothic Lolita outfits that come with miniature stuffed animals, but they're pretty expensive (about 6,900 yen).

Pics from Hakuhinkan Toy Park

Two new Kisara dolls

2008-03-12T20:55:00.001-07:00

Helina over at Jennyland is selling a bunch of dolls from her collection and I was lucky enough to get these two Kisaras and a Cute Casual Jenny with a sweet outfit. The Kisara on the right actually has silver and pink hair . . . I can't wait to see her in person!

Pics courtesy of Jennyland.

Licca Club 67 3rd Anniversary Premium Licca

2008-03-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

This Licca is my current favorite - she's got HUGE hair and the sweetest eyes. She's wearing a Licca Castle dress here . . . see the photo below for a look at her original outfit. It's actually darker than the photo shows, more of a shocking magenta than a neon pink and it comes with a hat, an armband with a flower charm on it, and super tall white boots. Sorry, no pic of the hat or armband. My J-dolls made off with it the moment I opened the box. ^_^

Photo courtesy of Jennyland

Lovely Kimono

2008-03-06T20:55:00.000-08:00

This custom kimono is one of my favorite outfits - any doll who wears it looks stunning! And it comes with a cute hairbow (shown below on a Calendar Jenny).

I have several awesome outfits by the same person (Athena Shrine of Dolls), but I think she's no longer on ebay. Too bad! She makes really cool gothic lolita outfits with cute hair accessories.

Absolutely Beautiful: Club 67 Limited Edition Licca

2008-03-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

This doll is driving me completely crazy! First, she goes for 31,500 yen, which is a lot of dollars. And two, the Hakuhinkan web site displays a beautiful close up pic of the doll, but you can't save it. The web site is set up with Flash or some such, and you can only save half of the photo. Tease! To get the photo above, I resorted to some trickery: I saved both halves of the photo and put them together for some beauteous eye candy. Not very ethical if they're trying to limit distribution of the photo, I guess, but come on . . . this is a super limited edition doll whose price pretty much cancels out my getting her and I can't even save a photo to drool over?

Anyway, she is lovely and looks like an anime princess with her crown and hair bows. More info on the official web site.

Sweet Excelina Baby

2008-03-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

I just received my Anniversary Sweet Excelina Baby doll & bear set. AND IT'S SO DARN CUTE! Love the details on this doll (check her bloomers in the photo below) and her head tilts, which is nice for posing. Did I mention that I'm a sausage curl junkie? ^_^ Of course, now I want the blonde one, too.

The bear is excellent too - jointed arms and legs, which was a nice surprise. And he has a heart on his nose! Drowning in cuteness here . . .