The Quest for Perfect Articulation

I know that many of us are on a quest for the best articulation for our dolls. I mean, how many of us get a "stiff" doll and wait for the right skin tone on an articulated doll to really be able to play with that doll? How many of us watch for sales and stock up on articulated bodies just to have on hand for body swaps? How many tutorials have you seen out there sharing techniques on how to improve the articulation on a body with limited range or how to modify a head to make it work on a different type of neck knob (or visa versa) only with the goal in mind of giving that doll articulation? Why do we do it? For me, it makes telling a story with my dolls more plausible. It makes taking pictures of them more enticing. It makes playing with them so much more fun!

When I first started collecting dolls, I only did it for looking at them. I put them in a glass case for the pure pleasure of admiring them. With my vintage dolls, they still hold there place of honor in that glass case. I seldom would rebody one of them as there is something about preserving that aesthetic that won't let me modify them. 

One thing that finding the doll community on the internet with all of the wonderfully posed pictures and creative story telling and simply sharing a mutual joy of doll play and collecting is that my eyes were opened up to the possibility of telling my own stories and expressing my own creativity through my dolls. I found other adults like me who were not afraid of sharing their love for dolls. I feel as though I have made some truly wonderful friends through this connection. And although I haven't personally met any of you, I still feel that I know more about you and you know more about me than a lot of people I have met face to face! I do hope to meet some of you in person some day! Who knows, maybe at a doll convention or something similar.

Ok, I digress! The point of this post was to share what I believe is sheer articulation perfection! Without further ado, meet the latest additions to my little doll town (Hanaly Corners):

Meet Stephanie (Left) and Mayumi (Right). Just having a little girl talk and wondering about the possibilities of life in Hanaly Corners!

These ladies are both the new Phicen figures with the stainless steel skeleton. So far, these ladies have demonstrated the ultimate in articulation. The movement is like silk -- no clicking or "breaking" sounds, just free movement into a multitude of positions. And the feel of their skin is so realistic! Their bodies have realistic shading and they are anatomically correct! I had to be careful when posing them not to show off some of that correctness! They do not fit into most Barbie clothes, but they are seen here wearing dresses from my Mixis ladies. I do not know yet what their roles will be in Hanaly Corners. Will they be married and/or have children? Will they be single and play the field or will they have boyfriends? Their future remains to be seen! In the meantime, I did a photo shoot with them demonstrating some of the posing possibilities that they have!

Shoes are a bit of challenge for them. Mayumi is wearing a pair of high heeled pumps from IT Color Infusion

Stephanie is wearing a pair of red high heels for Cy Girl I found on eBay.

I hope you found this post interesting. I am going to try to post more often and work more on my town. I do have a lot of work to do and stories to tell!

Thanks for stopping by. I welcome your comments!

Remember the Gordons?

I still haven't been able to work on my dioramas because of health issues, but I did manage to build up more of the Gordon family story. Grandma and Grandpa Gordon are planning a visit to Hanaly Corners soon to see Michael and Sharmaine's new home and visit other members of the family living here. 

Michael comes from a large family. His parents were hard working and did everything they could to give their children the best life possible. Michael's father, Keegan Gordon worked in a steel mill near Chicago for over 30 years. Keegan's wife, Dasia, worked hard raising 9 children and worked from home as a seamstress. They are both retired now, but still live in the humble home that they raised their family in.

Meet Keegan and Dasia Gordon:

Keegan is a 1993 Hasbro baseball legend (I can't remember who though). Dasia is a Big Beautiful doll.

As I mentioned, Keegan and Dasia have 9 children. There are 2 sets of twins in the family.

Back Row, L to R: Louvenia (31), Shemar (40), Dant'e (20), Michael (37), Victor (34), Veronica (34)
Seated, L to R: Danisha (28), Nichelle (24), Nia (24)

I will tell you a little more about each family member and introduce you to their families, if they have one.

Shemar's Story:

Shemar is the eldest of the Gordon clan. He is 40 and is married to Kimani, age 38. They have 3 children: Courtney (14), Tamika (11) and Kadeem (8). Shemar has a degree in Architectural Design and Construction. He met Kimani in college -- they both went to Chicago University, but she was from Hanaly Corners. He was a very talented architect and worked for a firm in Chicago.  When Carter-Winthrop Enterprises built their headquarters in Hanaly Corners, the Chicago company was hired to oversee design and construction. Shemar was assigned to the project. Because of the magnitude of the project, Shemar and Kimani decided to move to Hanaly Corners which brought them closer to Kimani's family.  Shemar did so well, that Carter-Winthrop made a substantial investment to keep him in Hanaly Corners and he started his own Architectural Design and Construction company. 

Back Row, L to R: Courtney (14), Kimani (38), Shemar (40)
Front Row, L to R: Tamika (11), Kadeem (8)

Victor's Story:

Victor went to undergraduate school at the University of Illinois and Law School at University of Michigan. He specialized in Corporate and International Law. He spent the summer after his junior year in India and met a beautiful young woman named Jasmine. They kept in touch, and while Victor was in law school, Jasmine came to the U of M to complete a master's degree in mathematics. They married shortly after Victor was hired by Carter-Winthrop as part of their legal staff and they moved to Hanaly Corners where Jasmine is a professor of Mathematics at the local college. They have 2 children, Asia (6), Kalani (3).

Back, L to R: Victor (34), Kalani (3), Jasmine (33)
Front: Asia (6)
Jasmine is the new Disney Store Princess Jasmine doll rebodied on an older Nikki Fashionista body

Veronica's Story:

Veronica is Victor's twin. Discovered by a modeling agent while in high school after winning a modeling contest, she embarked on a career in modeling while in college. She quickly rose to being a top model and moved to New York where she met and married Remi Townsend who is a news anchor for a national news network headquartered in New York. They have 2 children: Pasia (6) and Sidney (2). Veronica continues to model on a limited basis while she now heads a New York based modeling agency.

L to R: Veronica (34), Sidney (2), Remi (36), Pasia (6)

Danisha's Story:

Danisha graduated from Chicago University with a degree in Engineering. She accepted a summer internship starting in her sophomore year with Carter-Winthrop Enterprises. She met Henry Conlin who was also a summer intern with Carter-Winthrop. They married and both accepted positions at Carter-Winthrop Enterprises upon graduation from college. They do not have any children ---- yet! They live in Hanaly Corners.

Henry (27), Danisha (28)

Louvenia's Story:

Louvenia (everyone calls her Lou) is single and is a doctor. She is doing her residency at Chicago Memorial Hospital in Women's Breast Health & Surgery. She works very long hours and is very busy! She shares a house in Chicago with other residents.

Nichelle and Nia:

Nichelle and Nia are identical twins. They are both attending the University of Illinois. Nichelle is studying to be a nurse and Nia is attending Law school. They live together with 2 other students at the University in a house off campus. They are both very active and single.

Dant'e:

Dant'e is the baby of the family. He has taken after big brother Michael and is attending University of Michigan on a basketball scholarship. He dates, but no steady girlfriend.

L to R: Dant'e (20), Nia (24), Nichelle (24), Louvenia (31)

The Gordon's are a very close knit family. When they get together, they have a lot of fun and make a lot of noise. Hope you enjoyed this intro!

Here is the whole family all together for a photo session. This was very challenging for the photographer, but she managed to get a few good shots. Below are photos from the session. 

The clan with no spouses or grandkids

The complete Gordon clan!

Grandpa and Grandma with all the grands

All the grandkids!

Introducing . . . the Carters!

A while back, I showed you all a picture of my Society Hound Barbie who has been renamed Penelope Elizabeth Winthrop Carter. I teased a little of what her story would be about - some mystery, some tragedy. I am still working on the dios for the first story, but I thought I would introduce her family and give you all a little background so as to set up the first episode of her story! Here she is with her children:

From L to R: Eldest son Charles Herbert Carter (25), Penelope Elizabeth Winthrop Carter, Callum Michael Carter (21), Danielle Theresa Carter (23)

Penelope is the eldest daughter of Elizabeth Anne Winthrop and Herbert Michael Winthrop who are a very wealthy and prestigious family in Hanaly Corners. They were the principals of a large conglomerate of companies dealing in commercial real estate, manufacturing and financial services. Their company, Winthrop Enterprises was a major employer in Hanaly Corners. They also have another daughter and son. The Winthrops are pictured below:

Front Row, L to R: Herbert Michael Winthrop, Elizabeth Anne Winthrop
Back Row, L to R: Penelope (48), Roger Herbert Winthrop (40), Annabelle Josephine Winthop Bloom (45)

The Carters were another very wealthy family in Hanaly Corners. They were the principals of a large firm that specialized in Engineering, Architectural Design and Technology. Carter Design & Technology Corporation was also a very large employer in Hanaly Corners.

The Carters have 2 sons and 2 daughters:

Seated L to R: Samuel Elliot Carter II, Helena Boatwright Carter
Standing L to R: Charlotte Mary Carter (40), Samuel Elliot Carter III (53), Phillip Coleman Carter (50), Felicity Georgia Carter (35) (Note: this photo was taken 2 years ago, but I am showing their current ages)

In 1984, Mr. Carter and Mr. Winthrop, who were friends, started talking about a merger that would combine their companies into the single largest employer in Hanaly Corners and set the stage for expansion along both national and international lines. As part of the merger discussions, the two men had decided that having their two eldest children married would seal the deal. They set about "introducing" Penelope and Sam Jr. Throughout their courtship, they were strongly urged by their parents that their marriage would be in the best interest of both families. Two years later, Sam and Penelope "sealed the deal" and were married in an extravagant affair that all of the high society members of Hanaly Corners attended. The companies merged and became Carter-Winthrop Enterprises, Inc.

Penelope and Sam had become very good friends during their courtship. While they knew that their marriage had been arranged by their parents, they made the best of things and knew that they would be expected to produce heirs. Penelope became pregnant within the first year, however, she miscarried the child. What she discovered during this time was that Sam was a very caring and attentive man. He grieved the loss of the child with her and this drew them closer together. He did everything he could to comfort her and to make her feel wanted. Soon, she realized that she really was in love with him and he saw her as his fragile, precious princess and knew that he was hopelessly in love with her. In time, she was again pregnant and during this pregnancy, he watched her closely and they were blessed with their first child. They were so happy and excited that there first born was a son! Charles Herbert Carter. 2 years later, Danielle Theresa Carter was born and 2 years after that, they gave birth to another son, Callum Michael Carter. 10 years ago, both the senior Samuel Carter and Herbert Winthrop retired leaving Samuel Elliot Carter III as the President and CEO of the company as he had been groomed to be. Many of the family members are also executives in the company and both Charles and Danielle hold positions with the company. 

Two year ago, Sam took off on a private jet with his Director of Manufacturing to look at a site in Mexico. There was a terrible storm and the flight never arrived at its destination. It fell off of the radar and to date, there has been no trace found of this ill-fated flight or its passengers.

I hope you are intrigued by this introduction! We will pick up this story with a family meeting to discuss matters of Sam's disappearance! Stay tuned.