New arrivals from China!

Gertrud and Abbie are excited about a box from China. Gertrud is especially excited because she came from China in a padded mailer, so a box seems very posh.

Abbie, I think it's a friend for one of us.

 Gertrud was, by the way, billed on AliExpress as a MacMillan doll for sale in Germany. I can find nothing about this line, but she's on a Fashionista body with what is clearly not a Fashionista face.

Let's open the box and see what's inside.

Maybe we're supposed to take the bubble wrap off this... whatever it is.

 Rub-a-dub-dub, there's a mysterious tub! And some other mysterious things in bubble wrap!

She's... do you think she wants OUT?

She does! Meet Albemarle, who is a second Abbie. The gals are very, very distant cousins.

Somehow, I think Great-Great-Grandma may have had some secrets.

I'd had time to forget that the reason I chose this Abbie variant was that she came with a younger sister. Little Fiji is startled to meet Gertrud's younger sister Veronica.

Oh hi! Do you like to swim?

 Yes, I've been bitten by the Sparkle Girlz Mini bug. I have... four of them. They will all be introduced in due time. Veronica is a little larger than Fiji and has a bigger head (but much smaller hair).

Do you see those rubber duckies in the distance?

 Albemarle is pleased to have a new home in the United States and is contemplating trying out for the Olympic swim team.

At least I didn't have to swim to get here.