In college, I bought a Glitter 'N Gold Jem doll as a graduation present to myself, and I proudly displayed her in my dorm room, to the ridicule of my roommate and a few other girls on my floor... they may have laughed, but I know they played with my Jem doll while I was out, then tried to put her back so I wouldn't notice (nice try, ladies!)... Jem was eventually joined by many more friends from different toy lines over the course of my college career, and my "regression" was in full swing!
Since I discovered the Internet, I've come across dolls and toys that were taken from me and either thrown out or given to my cousin, or that I had forced myself to give up before, or that I was never allowed to have in the first place, and, of course, nostalgia has hit, and every now and again, I go searching for them... the thing that I'm running into nowadays with wanting to rediscover the toys that I wished that I had is the high cost of obtaining them! eBay... has been a great place for me to find most of the stuff I want...
The following are some of the collections that I like best... I collect little pieces from here and there, but there are a few pieces that I'm particularly happy with...
Dawn dolls
From 1969 to 1973, a little doll named Dawn gave Barbie a run for her money... only half the size of Mattel's number one girl, Dawn and friends were affordable and portable, with fashions and playsets galore... the only thing stopping them from totally running Barbie out of the market was the bankruptcy of Topper Toys, their manufacturer... when I was a wee toddler, I seem to remember having a Dawn series doll, along with at least 3 outfits... the doll is long since gone, but the memory stayed with me, and some time ago, I stumbled upon a picture of Dawn dolls, and something in my head clicked... I soon learned that the name of the doll I had way back when was Maureen from the Dawn Model Agency series, and I soon discovered Maureen's other model friends, and Dawn herself... since my re-discovery of Dawn, I've acquired a few of the dolls and fashions, both vintage and the contemporary redux from Checkerboard/Toy-O-Rama, including Maureen herself in her lovely golden gown... when I have the means to do so, I'll post pics...
Bratz dolls
In 2001, another doll stepped up to challenge the Barbie machine... Bratz! I actually didn't start collecting them until 2004, when I took notice of Sweet Heart Dana in her 80's-inspired pleated miniskirt, and I thought she was cute... and when the Twiins and the Flashback Fever and Tokyo-A-Go-Go series hit the scene, that was it... I've now got that Dana, all 4 Twiins sets, plus over 150 more Bratz dolls from the various newer series... and I've even got a few Bratz Kidz now *points to Princess Cloe on the right, with my chibi Barasuishou lurking in the background*... this is probably the one collection of mine that M-Chan's not hip on, but he's being a good sport about it... *pecks M-Chan on the cheek*
Pokemon Special Edition Game Boy Colors and Game Boy Advances
This was probably my most pointless collection... it started with the yellow Pikachu edition GBC, then the Pokemon Center Japan edition GBC and the domestic Pichu and Pikachu GBC... then I bought the two GBAs in the top half of the picture... both are Pokemon Center Japan editions... the gold one on the bottom is the New York City Pokemon Center edition... not pictured are my two most recent acquisitions: the Pokemon Center Japan edition featuring Latios and Latias, and my first GBA SP, namely the Pokemon Center New York Torchic edition... I haven't been collecting new GBAs or DS units now that it's possible to customize the look with new console skins, so this section is just for historical purposes...
Charmkins!
I just LOOOOOOOOOOVE Charmkins! (if ANYONE has any info about where I can get purchase the oh-so-mysterious and elusive Starshine Balloon playset, PLEASE let me know... and though
the figure on the right IS a Charmkin (Mollyberry), the one on the left is a handmade (by me!) polymer clay charm of
Cyprine of the Witches 5 from Sailor Moon S...)
(especially from Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Cutey Honey, and Wedding Peach)
Polly Pocket rings
(JUST the rings; I have all 33 individual rings that were released in the U.S., plus two that were part of the U.S. release Polly jewelry box)
Honey Hill Bunch dolls (collection complete)
(ESPECIALLY big thanks to the Coxes!)
(Top row, from L-R: Hayseed and Chum [in the box], Richie
Robbins, Bunny Baskin, Darlin', Solo, Spunky, Irish Eyes,
Slugger/Battie)
(Bottom row, from L-R: Sunflower, Sweetlee, Curly Q, Miss
Cheevus, I.Q., L'il Kid and Good Dog)
Virtual Pets
Anyone remember when people would shell out hundreds for just ONE of these little dudes? I must have spent a couple hundred on about 20 of the creatures... my collection is almost completely Bandai's Tamagotchi, but I did get a Pocket Pikachu...
I haven't gotten into the newest Tamagotchi Connection units, because I just don't have the energy or time to devote to the little guys anymore...
Thanks for droppin' by!
