Maryellen Doll
Sept 6, 2015 20:53:09 GMT -5
Post by ralphie50 on Sept 6, 2015 20:53:09 GMT -5
Maryellen is a girl that I wanted to like, being a child of the 50s myself. Her advance publicity was less than exciting to me personally. We had nothing in common at all that I could find. When I saw her in person after launch, I was even less enchanted. Those bangs--what were they thinking? Still, after I read her story, which was pretty cute and not entirely plain vanilla, I was willing to give her another chance. Well, first, we share the same birth date. How could you turn your back on somebody like that? The $10 off $100 coupon in the Jill's Deals box was the tipping point. I set out to find a Maryellen I could live with.
First, no two Maryellens are alike, and I looked at at least a dozen. There were many more. If you're planning on acquiring one and can, my advice is to pick her out in person. Because of the big variation in bangs, even their expressions look entirely different. She doesn't seem to be a hot seller, although somebody else was paying for one at the same time as I was. One caught my eye. She just looked like a girl who was trying to imitate her favorite movie star, and her bangs had a gamin, pixie quality the others lacked. Instead of being hacked straight across, they were feathered and kind of cute. She wasn't my first choice, but she wouldn't let me put her down after I opened the box.
Maryellen's eyes have a surprising amount of color depth to them that isn't readily apparent until you look more closely. It doesn't really show up at this picture size or resolution, but her eyes look much more detailed in person.
Straight out of the box, she's pretty hard to adjust to. Her hair is a hot mess. It isn't in a hairnet, so it's very mussed. They're all looking over their left shoulder at the side of the box, which isn't very engaging.
Her dress is worse. It's all wrinkled and creased. Her hairbow was askew, listing heavily right instead of sitting perkily atop her head.
I set to work pressing her dress and giving her a more Barbie-like 50s ponytail silhouette, although Barbie didn't make the scene until the latter part of the decade. I straightened her bow. She began to look almost human. I put on her meet accessories. The necklace was easy to fasten since it's strung on elastic. I'm sure that won't last over time, but it looks cute now and, as an added bonus, covers up that crease between her neck and body nicely. :)
I also didn't care for her shoes. They just didn't seem to go with the dress, and I know for a fact that no little girl would be wearing shoes without socks back then. Sandals, maybe, but shoes, never. So I switched her to a pair of white sandals. They weren't perfect, but they looked better to me. The accessories were a no-brainer because of the cute beads, but I didn't know a girl in the world who carried a knitted purse. Patent leather, maybe, but knit, naw....
The light was fading fast, but she was finally ready to meet the world. Her pedal pusher outfit had already been usurped by #61, a formerly nameless girl who was on the chopping block--caught between periods and never with a place to call home. She had one foot out the door until that outfit arrived on the scene. She grabbed that outfit and declared herself "Lorelei," a new friend of Maryellen. I caught Maryellen in this wave, so apparently they've bonded already and Lorelei has found a permanent home by Maryellen's side.
In summary, Maryellen is a girl I was determined not to like, and ended up finding a place for her regardless. Her clothes are well made. The lace bolero is a clever touch, and the stripes running in two directions on her dress remind me of one of my own from that period. Everything fits her well. Her white underpants could cover a little more territory. They look suspiciously more like hiphuggers than briefs, but at least they are white. She's not flashy or stunning, but she's a solid addition to the historical line. Her hair is a pretty color, and it goes well with her coloration. I like that her face paint is subdued so she doesn't look like she's wearing makeup. I'd give her a solid B+ to A-, but I'm kind of a tough grader.
I have no plans for any more of Maryellen's clothing or furnishings, unless the sofa bed happened to be slashed at some point in the future. I sew, and I can easily live without the rest of her furnishings. We have the OG diner and camper where she can hang out and feel right at home.
First, no two Maryellens are alike, and I looked at at least a dozen. There were many more. If you're planning on acquiring one and can, my advice is to pick her out in person. Because of the big variation in bangs, even their expressions look entirely different. She doesn't seem to be a hot seller, although somebody else was paying for one at the same time as I was. One caught my eye. She just looked like a girl who was trying to imitate her favorite movie star, and her bangs had a gamin, pixie quality the others lacked. Instead of being hacked straight across, they were feathered and kind of cute. She wasn't my first choice, but she wouldn't let me put her down after I opened the box.
*mod edit to delete inaccessible image links*
Maryellen's eyes have a surprising amount of color depth to them that isn't readily apparent until you look more closely. It doesn't really show up at this picture size or resolution, but her eyes look much more detailed in person.
Straight out of the box, she's pretty hard to adjust to. Her hair is a hot mess. It isn't in a hairnet, so it's very mussed. They're all looking over their left shoulder at the side of the box, which isn't very engaging.
Her dress is worse. It's all wrinkled and creased. Her hairbow was askew, listing heavily right instead of sitting perkily atop her head.
I set to work pressing her dress and giving her a more Barbie-like 50s ponytail silhouette, although Barbie didn't make the scene until the latter part of the decade. I straightened her bow. She began to look almost human. I put on her meet accessories. The necklace was easy to fasten since it's strung on elastic. I'm sure that won't last over time, but it looks cute now and, as an added bonus, covers up that crease between her neck and body nicely. :)
I also didn't care for her shoes. They just didn't seem to go with the dress, and I know for a fact that no little girl would be wearing shoes without socks back then. Sandals, maybe, but shoes, never. So I switched her to a pair of white sandals. They weren't perfect, but they looked better to me. The accessories were a no-brainer because of the cute beads, but I didn't know a girl in the world who carried a knitted purse. Patent leather, maybe, but knit, naw....
The light was fading fast, but she was finally ready to meet the world. Her pedal pusher outfit had already been usurped by #61, a formerly nameless girl who was on the chopping block--caught between periods and never with a place to call home. She had one foot out the door until that outfit arrived on the scene. She grabbed that outfit and declared herself "Lorelei," a new friend of Maryellen. I caught Maryellen in this wave, so apparently they've bonded already and Lorelei has found a permanent home by Maryellen's side.
In summary, Maryellen is a girl I was determined not to like, and ended up finding a place for her regardless. Her clothes are well made. The lace bolero is a clever touch, and the stripes running in two directions on her dress remind me of one of my own from that period. Everything fits her well. Her white underpants could cover a little more territory. They look suspiciously more like hiphuggers than briefs, but at least they are white. She's not flashy or stunning, but she's a solid addition to the historical line. Her hair is a pretty color, and it goes well with her coloration. I like that her face paint is subdued so she doesn't look like she's wearing makeup. I'd give her a solid B+ to A-, but I'm kind of a tough grader.
I have no plans for any more of Maryellen's clothing or furnishings, unless the sofa bed happened to be slashed at some point in the future. I sew, and I can easily live without the rest of her furnishings. We have the OG diner and camper where she can hang out and feel right at home.