NKOTB! (New Kids On The Block)

NKOTB! (New Kids On The Block), No, not the boy band, although I have seen them in concert, in their home state of Massachusetts, back in the good old days. I have two new girls! Ramona and Rebecca have come to join Raleigh as part of my big eyed girls family.

The first girl who joined us is Ramona. She is a Middie Blythe, Jackie Ramone. I renamed her Ramona, to keep close to her stock name.

Middie Blythe dolls are only 8" tall. They are different from the regular Blythe girls in that their eyes are not different chips that can be changed with the pull of a string. Instead, they have one set of chips which can change from left, center and right gaze. They also have a tilt neck feature and their legs do not bend. I love this little cutie and think she make a great younger sister for Blythe.

Middies were actually introduced after the Petites were and currently, there seems to be less available for them. I have discovered that clothes made for the vintage 6" Holly Hobbie dolls fit her quite well. The outfit above was purchased on eBay and it was hand made to fit that doll.

In this picture, she is wearing one of Holly's original dresses. Although it is a little hard to see because of her black stand, Ramona is wearing black ankle boots made for Kelly, Barbie's baby sister. She can wear the shoes made for the modern version of Kelly, but not the older version. Although Kelly's clothes don't fit, some of the things that come with the doll work well.

Here she is with a scarf and Santa cocoa mug that came with a Kelly doll. As with any doll I have, I always look to see what I can borrow from others to see what might work. I came across this little dress, that also fit Ramona, but I don't know what doll it is originally from. Any help identifying it would be greatly appreciated.

My next new girl is Rebecca, who is a customized Jecci 5 doll. She is wearing an outfit I made for the January Sewing Challenge on Blythe Kingdom. It is also available on my new Etsy Store: The Black Onyx Boutique.

She was customized by Vertefae and I just love her. Jecci 5 dolls are approx. the same size as Blythe dolls. They have the color changing eyes and big head that Blythe is famous for, but the Jecci dolls are less expensive and the quality isn't as good. Being that I couldn't afford a custom Blythe doll, Rebecca presented a good option for me. Her customization includes matting, new makeup, carved lips, eye sockets and nose.

When putting Raleigh and Rebecca side by side, the differences become very obvious.

I have found that I do prefer the matte finish that Rebecca has on her face, but I would never change Raleigh's to be like that. Because Ashton Drake Galleries no longer makes Blythe dolls, I want to keep the original integrity as much as possible.

So now, with the Littlest Pet Shop Blythes and these girls, my Big Eyed family has grown to 7! I know that my collection will continue to expand, because I have my eye on several other dolls.

In the meantime, Raleigh, Rebecca and Ramona ask that you stay safe and warm, as this winter has been pretty rough for everyone.