Third, the arrival of Betty Teen

Sophie looks startled to greet Betty Teen, who turned up at the same thrift store where my mother and I found Sophie herself last spring.

So you were seriously an alternative to Barbie? So am I.

I had no idea what she was, other than a mass of curly hair and had to be talked into acquiring her. While I gather from context and more context that, as far as doll-accumulating goes, this reluctance was very foolish of me, I consider any show of choosiness in a thrift store to be a sign that I'm not at immediate risk of becoming a hoarder, and since we also watched a couple episodes of the depressing Hoarding: Buried Alive, this is necessary reassurance.



So here she is, in what's probably her original dress. (Or, in my mother's immortal words: "Didn't I once make you that same dress, out of sheets?" She did, too. Mid-1980s sheets were much more exciting than today's sheets and were tremendously helpful in constructing full skirts that didn't go limp.)

How did a nice girl like me fall in with all these big-headed divas?

Her outfit is really well-made, with real seams instead of a total reliance on serging.

She has a wasp-waist figure and -- here's a blast from the past -- separate underpants.

It's really chilly for tanning today!

On her back, we can see the remains of her "M&C China" sticker.

And here's the (c) Tong marking that allowed me to identify her, as I had no idea who she might be.

On my jaunt to Walmart to pick up a crock pot, I finally caved and bought one of the new Barbie Fashion Packs, partly because playing with my bar code scanner was pointing to the conclusion that these might not be $7.97 forever. I chose the one with the most items I'd be likely to use and then thought maybe Betty Teen could wear the skirt outfit, since it has a sort of 1980s emo vibe.

Clothes Barbie can actually wear to some of those professions she has!

From the front, things look pretty good. Definitely form-fitting, but the overall look goes with the big hair. The Barbie shoes fit perfectly.

It's possible that I'm going to need to dominate a mid-sized corporation.

From the back... things are a little tight. I'm not shocked, since wasp-waisted dolls tended to be bigger across the back than the current Belly Button body.

Sophie thinks that her new friend looks more confident in a fresh outfit. Betty turns out to have click knees -- well, one working click knee. Apparently there was also a version with a full "pivotal" body, including jointed ankles.

You wear shoes? Wow. Hardly anybody around here wears shoes.

In identifying the new girl, I also learned that Betty was sold in some countries as Gloria, being the same Gloria as the inexpensive furniture sets. 

Wow, bathroom set! You've changed.

She therefore joins the community as Elspeth Podrostok, furniture designer.

Elspeth got her own post partly because, being dressed in the first place, she'd gone upstairs at my parents' house with the official Christmas presents, rather than being downstairs with the thrift finds, some of whom were undergoing body transplants and boil-washing. So she came home in my purse with the Action Heroez and Jane Boolittle.

Before packaging up my portion of thrift finds to ship to me (since I don't believe in luggage and neither does Frontier Airlines), we took a group photo of my accumulations, presumably after their New Year's Day Polar Bear Club swim.

I'm pretty sure the Skipper head raised on high was my dad's idea.

Next post will be the unboxing of the Polar Bear Club!