Dollcraft

Every now and then, Mattel reads my mind. I had a vision for a construction doll I could display in my office (two guys in my office have toys on their desks, so I figured it was socially acceptable). I planned to make safety gear myself, but I needed a hard hat. And in 2017, the same year I started working in construction, so did Barbie. The hard hat! The safety vest! The tool belt! Just one change... I'm working in Hawaii, and I wanted Moana, a Polynesian doll,  to be my carpenter. Moana is a Disney doll made by Hasbro. Her body is a little shorter, and her proportions are more teenage than Barbie's. Although her waist is slightly smaller than Barbie's, her arms and legs seems more muscular.  This Moana has elbow and knee articulation, which seems important for construction work.  In construction, proper attire is call PPE : Personal Protective Equipment. Barbie makes it halfway to fitting these guidelines. hard hat steel-toed boots safety v...

I've long admired Gloria doll furniture on ebay, but haven't been able to discover much about it. It seems to be a Barbie knock-off, made and sold in China, and the boxes have a 1990s style. I finally bought two sets I'd been admiring, and didn't realize until receiving them that my dining table was "My Fancy Life" brand. However, it's obviously the same design as Gloria, as the wine glasses and bottle are identical. (If anyone knows anything about these brands, please tell me!) I paid less than $30 for the two items. Yes, Chinese Barbie is allowed to drink, clue #1 that this wasn't sold in the US when I was a 90's kid. But I feel rude calling these designs a knock off; although they are Barbie-sized, they seem to all be original designs and are both clever and practical. Making a doll house is a big desire of mine, and Mattel products haven't filled that void in the way Gloria does.  The dining room set comes in pieces, cle...