Mimi Bobeck Review + Fat Dolls

While we are waiting on the new "curvy" Barbie, I wanted to review current available fashion dolls in a plus size category. I recently bought a Mimi Bobeck doll, a favorite collectable for those seeking fat fashion dolls. (I use the term "fat" because it is the preferred term of fat activists. I don't call individuals fat unless I know that is their personal preferred term.) Although I don't require or expect many/any of my dolls to have realistic human proportions, I do want to have curvy, fat, and other shapes of dolls to in some way reflect that world we live in. I believe all bodies are good bodies.

Mimi comes with a working bag and hand mirror; Drew gets a coffee mug and non-opening briefcase.

Mimi Bobeck and Drew Carey are characters from "The Drew Carey Show," which aired in the mid 1990s. Their doll personas were made by Creation Entertainment in 1998. I never watched the show myself, but I found this nice essay about Mimi while wandering the internet today.

The dolls are no longer being manufactured, but can be found on eBay and Amazon. I'm not generally willing to spend more than $20 on a doll, so patient shopping led me to purchase Mimi for $25 and Drew for $16. 

Mimi is not, at first glance, an appealing doll. Her brightly colored clothes and garish make-up make her look like a clown. It really doesn't capture the fierce look of the actresses.

However, merely removing the doll's lime green vest and shoes does a lot for her look.

Mimi's  purple pants are similar to scrubs, and could easily be replicated in another color. Her hot pink top is long-sleeved, with a v-neck and frills at the collar and wrists. I think it's cute. Of course, I was most interested in seeing the doll undressed. 

Although my Mimi has several purple stains on her hips (almost 20 years sitting in the box will do that for you) her body has a wonderful and interesting sculpt. This may sound weird, but I feel like the doll designers were brave to make an actual fat doll.  (I especially like her double chin.) 

Mimi is capable of standing up on her own, but her center of gravity is a bit hard to find. I think she has to be slightly leaning forward. 

I am, as usual, indebted to How to Play with Barbies for calling my attention to the variety of fat dolls. I have been unable to purchase the Turnblad dolls yet (their secondary market value is currently over $100), but I think Mimi's body sculpt is slightly more interesting and realistic than theirs. 

Mimi has the basic five points of articulation. Unlike most barbies, Mimi's joints are only rotational. She cannot "lift" her arms, she can only twist them upwards. When pointed down, her arms are not close to her body, and she's unable to rest her hand on her thighs. 

Mimi's body and head are made of hard plastic. (Most barbies have softer vinyl heads.) When her neck joint is rotated, she gazes further upward. 

The worst part of the rotational joints is noticeable when Mimi tries to sit. Her legs splay out, and she is unable to lean forward in a comfortable way. 

Here's Mimi with my other normal/plus size dolls and a regular Barbie for comparison.  Rosie O'Donnell is from the 90s, and seems to be the only "plus-size" doll Mattel has ever made. (She is much easier to find in the secondary marketplace- I bought mine for $4 at a doll show.)  Rosie can wear some of Ken's pants. 

My Lammily doll, Margot, was created to demonstrate the average proportions of a 19 year old woman. She and Rosie can share some shirts, but not pants, due to Margot's booty. So, it turns out that my Rosie doll isn't plus size after all. 

Mimi is much shorter than the other dolls, but height differences are common in real life too.

Drew gets a much more normal outfit than Mimi. He is wearing shoes, socks, and a removable jacket. His jacket opens with two buttons.

Underneath, in the tradition of Ken dolls, his business pants, formal shirt, and tie are a single piece. They open in the back with velcro. 

Undressed, Drew has similar hip staining like Mimi, plus some on his arms. His hip joint is very different than Mimi's, with a cut into his torso that allows his to sit with his legs straight in front of him.

However, he is still unable to "sit up straight."

Drew's shape is mostly concentrated in his pot belly, though his chest and arms are also thick.  He is noticiably taller than Mimi, and lacks her diameter or round thighs. 

Drew is shorter than the average Ken. (Also, his head looks strangely small.)

Drew's arms and legs don't add much to his sculpt. I wish there were a simple way to replace them with an articulated option. 

Mimi staring at the ceiling. Drew holding on couch for dear life.

Despite their poor articulation, Mimi and Drew are doing their best to get comfortable in my doll collection, and I'm very happy to have them.  I look forward to re-painting Mimi's face and creating some new outfits for her. 

Other collectors have use Mimi creatively. Limbe Dolls made a beautiful black Mimi with acrylic paint.  Many Blythe doll collectors have used Mimi's body with a Blythe head to make a cute chubby doll. Lola repainted the face of her Mimi, and gave her new hair. (She includes a warning not to boil wash Mimi's current hair because it will melt.) 

Update: My re-paint

Can't wait to see the new Curvy Barbie, and to all doll designers: more fat dolls, please!