Dolls Archives - Page 11 of 14

My Dolly Week #32: Is it Halloween already?!

Welcome everybody at the very beginning of my favorite month: October! The air feels fresh and crisp with the excitement of Halloween being only a few weeks away. Unfortunately, Halloween is not really a thing in Central Europe and is pretty much looked down on as imported holiday-which has never stopped me to absolutely love it! 😀 Pumpkins, black cats, witches, bats and ghosts are seriously my thing. This is why I am so thankful to be finally able to share my love for Halloween this year through blogging and taking pictures. Etsy also is kind of a dangerous place for me at the moment…but I am digressing. ><

Last week everyday life started to set in, which also means me making plans for the future of Komonogatari and trying to work on a schedule, which I will be able to fulfill on a weekly basis. I am not completely sure yet, which days besides Sunday will become regular posting days, but if there is something, which I am not lacking anything of, it is blogging material with lots of different projects, hauls and reviews. I might have amazing news in the following week, but I do not want to jinx it right now. Please be patient for a little while longer! <3

No secret is that I am gathering all of the tools that I will be needing to customize my MIO kits. Right now, I am still missing some acrylic colors and sanding paper, but I finally need to conquer my fear of failing and start these projects. I have some concepts in my mind, but I know that the really troubling part for me is to decide on one. Basically, if I have finished on one concept of a doll that would add beautifully to my collection, the next one follows immediately. >< Continue reading My Dolly Week #32: Is it Halloween already?!

‘Neko no Kaburimono’: The most perfect Gashapon for your Dolls!

‘Neko no Kaburimono’ from Kitan Club are little hats for your cats that you can get from gasha or capsule toy machines. Unfortunately, I have no patient kitty cat on hand to tell you, how those hats fulfill their purpose on a living and breathing cutie, but when the right kind of gashapon machines finally crossed my path, I initially had to get some for my dolly collection. These hats have actually been around for quite a while, but when I was visiting Tokyo, there were several series available, which I am going to show you right now!

The newest series is a set out of four different Halloween themed designs, which I was so extremely happy about, since it is my favorite holiday! 😀 I managed to get three different hats for 500 Yen each (sadly, I missed out on the bat) and I was super suprised how detailed each of them is! The hats from this series are a little big on a Pullip and a little snug on a Blythe, but still very adorable on both! The Halloween hats do come with more fabric than the hats from other series, which covers the neck and upper part of the shoulder area. They are all soft and plushy. My ghost hat still looks a bit wonky, since it came out of the capsule, but I love it nonetheless and cannot decide on a favorite! Continue reading ‘Neko no Kaburimono’: The most perfect Gashapon for your Dolls!

Visiting the Junie Moon Store in Daikanyama!

After I was super impressed with the Shinjuku Junie Moon store, I could not wait to visit their main store in Daikanyama. I have to be completely honest and tell you that it is not that easy (for us at least) to find because it is pretty much on the complete opposite side of Shibuya’s famous Hachiko exit and Shibuya crossing, so be adviced to have a map available to you, since it is going to be your best friend!

Instead of being inside of a department store, Junie Moon in Daikanyama is located in its own tiny pink house, which is so lovely that it is hard to describe, how much excitement goes through a dolly fan, when you finally spot it.

Their side window display was Halloween themed, which immediately struck my heart. The dolls were wearing outfits that went on sale with a 50% discount a few days prior and were available inside. Just darling!

Another interesting aspect of the Shibuya store are the lotteries for artists’ clothing that are regularly being held. It basically means that you have to enter a lottery to be able to purchase one of those special outfits – a procedure which is also used for Blythe dolls, which are limited and/or in very high demand. When I visited the theme of the next lottery (which is going to be held on October 1st) was Forest Friends 2 and only featured clothing for Middie Blythes. This was also displayed at the shop’s front window, but was even more impressive once you saw the whole presentation on the wall next to the cash register. The outfits were so cute, special and beautifully made, I had to take some detail shots of super cute Middies!

When it comes to the range of outfits available that were to be purchased immediately, the Shibuya store definitely wins, concerning outfits by Azone International and their selection of shoes. They also had a bigger variety of hair clips, but when it actually came to ‘Junie Moon Dollywear’ the stock was basically the same. So, if you can only go to Shinjuku and are piorily interested in Junie Moon’s own line of dolly clothing, you won’t miss out.

That being said, I think that their selection of custom dolls was more impressive. The Shibuya branch definitely has the show stoppers! So many cute, interesting and colorful girls! But just like in Shinjuku I noticed that their faces were barely carved. Very interesting!

What really made my day, was the display of new Middie Blythe release Cute Little Dee, right there on the cash register. Her name 100% falls into the category of ‘Nomen est omen!’.

The dolls available for purchase were exactly the same like in the Shinjuku location, with the exception of Devi Delacour, while Pineapple Princess was only to be found restyled in a summer setting on one of their shelves.

All in all I would say that the Shibuya main store definitely tops the Shinjuku location, when it comes to size, displays and selection. But the one in Shinjuku is easier to access and inside of a fun department store, with a selection of ‘Junie Moon Dollywear’, which has outstanding quality and is fun on its own.

I really hope that you found my posts helpful and/or fun to look at! 🙂 It was an amazing experience to visit both stores!

Thank you so much for reading!

Theri

Where to buy Pullips in Tokyo!

I have visited Tokyo four times now, twice as a Pullip admirer and twice as a Pullip collector. Seeing Pullips in person in different stores is something very special and definitely influences your view on certain models, when you see their individual beautiful faces in person. As I have found out in the past, there are places, which are overwhelmingly amazing and some are a little disappointing, when it comes to your expectations. That is exactly, why I am writing this article to give my honest insights to help you get the Pullip experience you want.

Radio/Rajio Kaikan in Akihabara

Radio Kaikan is a big complex of different Japanese hobby related stores, full of figures, gashapon and goodies for doll collectors! Fans of BJDs might already have heard from it, since the Volks Store is on the 8th floor, but there are three stores on three different floors in total, which sell Pullip dolls.

The most famous one is the Azone Labelshop on the 7th floor, which primarily sells its own brand of cute dolls, but also carries a nice selection of recent Pullips next to a cute display case. They also sell MIO products and nude dolls, even though they do not come cheap for a price of approximately 8000 yen. Super exciting is the big selection of obitsu products and Azone’s own Pure Neemo clothing, which can also fit Pullips. My favorite pieces are two kimonos, which I will show in a separate dolly haul soon. If you are a fan of other dolls than Azones or Pullips, you also have a selection of Cu-Poche, Blythes, Momokos and Rurukos. It is also wonderful to browse their lovely displays, which you are allowed to take pictures of. There goes a lot of detail into these and you can basically feel the dolly love! Continue reading Where to buy Pullips in Tokyo!

Visiting the Junie Moon Store in Shinjuku!

The Junie Moon shop inside of Shinjuku’s Marui Annex building was the first I have ever visited, but I do not believe that I will not sneakily stop by once more (Edit: I did a few days after I wrote that! 😀 ). Their main focus are Takara Tomy’s Blythe dolls and they sell lots of accessories; even cute stationary, bags, wallets, etc. for super fans.

The Neo-Blythe dolls available were Vera Florentine, Joanna Gentianna, Gracey Chantilly, Ufo A Go-Go, Varsity Dean and Playful Raindrops, along with Middie-Blythes Dainty Meadow and Rampion of the Valley.

Junie Moon also produces their own doll clothes, which are mostly on a 1/6 scale and will also fit dolls like Pullip or Momoko. Their label is called ‘Junie Moon Dollywear’ and often collaborates with different brands. Right now they sell two gorgeous sets designed by Japanese lolita fashion brand ‘Alice and the Pirates’ and four lovely sets in collaboration with Sanrio’s ‘Little Twin Stars’ characters. Their doll clothes are not cheap, but they are lovely and well made. Definitely worth a splurge!

My most favorite part of the shop, was the corner with lots of pretty hair clips for super reasonable prices. I cannot imagine more kawaii hairclips than those available in Junie Moon! Almost as exciting was their tiny selection of doll clothes created by other creators, formost Jiajiadolls. I had a hard time resisting, but I have so many items from Jiajiadolls on my wishlist that I plan to order them through her Etsy shop.

Also very interesting is their small selection of glasses (or their plastic frames) and shoes, which are mainly by the obitsu brand. My favorites were cute ballet flats in baby blue and pink that I had already seen on Etsy. I don’t know their exact label, but they were also available in black and white, as were other pleather platform heels and boots. Super cute is their 3-pack of cute dolly panties for just 1000 Yen.

If you want to own lots of accessories with cute Blythes on them, you are in luck: You have a wide selection from washi tapes to notebooks and various calendars. You can even go as far as purchasing totes, shopping bags and wallets.

There is also lots of eye candy in the store, starring stock Blythes redressed with new hairstyles. This is how I spotted a wildly popular and therefore sold out Neo-Blythe Pineapple Princess. You can even bring your doll to the store as well and use one of their petite and über cute photo backgrounds.

With a logically higher price tag, there are also some custom dolls available, which were so interesting to check out. Especially for me, since I have never had seen a custom Blythe in the wild before! 😉

Before you visit the store, I can absolutely recommend you its Instagram account, which gets frequently updated and where you can check out any sales or promotions. Actually, the next day after my shopping tour, lots of Halloween and even some Christmas outfits became available in the Shinjuku location with a 50% off discount tag.

I also visited their Shibuya location as well and do a detailed dolly haul separately! 😉

Thank you so much for reading!

Theri

My Dolly Week #30: Summarizing my 2nd Week in Japan!

Welcome to the latest Dolly Week yet, which gives me the chance to catch up on my second week in Japan, after I was crashing super hard due to jet-lag. I cannot remember ever being this tired and having my bio-rhythm destroyed after my previous Japan travels. Also I was trying to make the best out of the last days there and tried not to get super sad because I love Tokyo so much! Tomorrow I will post a full on Dolly Week post with all new announcements and how I plan to work through all of the material, I have gathered while being away.

This leads me to say that the second week of my honeymoon passed way too quickly. I managed to daily update my Instagram account (all posts will be listed after the jump), but it just got super hard to concentrate on the writing of this Dolly Week’s post, which I want to apologize myself for. The same applies to the answering of comments.

When it comes to dolly purchases, I have been pretty good by mostly buying the three missing obitsu bodies for my type-3 girls and some more shoes. Because, if there is one thing a dolly collector always seems to be missing, are a proper pair of shoes to fit a certain outfit. I really wanted to take Pullip Eternal Sailor Moon home with me, but resisted, since it is a way more sensible option to get her through Western retailers. I did had to put in all of my restraint, though – like for all the gorgeous Azone dolls in the Azone International Store, but my luggage space simply said ‘no’! (Ask my hubby, how the packing on the last night went…haha!)

I will now go to work on writing my post on the Junie Moon store in Shinjuku and also hope to see everybody tomorrow in Dolly Week #31! 😉

Thank you so much for reading!

Theri Continue reading My Dolly Week #30: Summarizing my 2nd Week in Japan!

My Dolly Week #29: Happy in Japan!

Welcome to Dolly Week #29, which is released a few hours too late because time in Japan flies. I love being here so much, there really are no words. It is my fourth time being in Tokyo and it still does not get old or less exciting. Especially, when you are a dolly person!

Last week was a whirlwind. We travelled more than 24 hours to arrive in Ikebukuro on Tuesday night and thanks to my amazing husband our first adventures on Wednesday were mostly dolly related. This is how Miss Poppy was welcomed into my Pullip family on the first day. She is a Pullip Summer Purezza and I simply could not help myself, when I saw her sitting NRFB on the shelf. Now I think the reason, why I instantly liked her so much, is that she reminds me of Groove’s upcoming Belle release. Do you agree?

Poppy also was my first Pullip ever to come to the beach, when we went to Kamakura. I did not think a lot about her outfit, when I bought her, but her yellow shorts and bandeau top, which can be covered by an emerald green top, are really nice quality and won against the test of time! (Her necklace was another story, but more about this issue in her upcoming review.)

Until right now, I have checked out several dolly places so far, but I have to say that Akihabara’s Radio Kaikan building wins every time, when it comes to availability of different dolls and accessories. I definitely have to go back this week, also due to the fact that Groove announced the release date of Pullip Eternal Sailor Moon, which will be this Wednesday, the 13th of September!

Another girl that was on my mind a lot during the week, was Pullip Prunella. My biggest problem with her was the look of her wig (which I am even less fond of now that she is unboxed), but thanks to the internet and mostly instagram, I was completely blown away with how pretty her eyebrows are and how good she looks in different wigs. I still need a name for her, but I am leaning towards a Japanese one.

I need to stop writing now because the bustle of a city like Tokyo is making every day so fun and exciting that I am super exhausted every evening. ><

Thank you so much for reading!

Theri

PS: I will embed all of my Japan Diary Instagram posts so far at the end of this article. So please click ‘read more’, if you haven’t seen them already!

Continue reading My Dolly Week #29: Happy in Japan!

Wig Haul #1: Leeke World & MIO

When I started collecting Pullips, I was sure that I was never going to change them out of their stocks. Little did I know, how much fun lies in customizing and how much creativity is truly involved for a cute result. Today I want to show you the first wigs that I got for my Pullips. I got five wigs from Korean retailer Leeke World and one from Groove’s own MIO line. All Leeke World wigs in this post are in the size 8-9 inches! Continue reading Wig Haul #1: Leeke World & MIO

Review: Azone Twinkle à la mode Aquamarine Alisa

Azone International is a Japanese doll company that releases a lot of dolls on a regular basis. They have different series and sizes with adorable designs. They are also known for their high quality stock outfit and love for details. It is not that easy to get your hands on Azones in Central Europe because retailers only get extremely limited stock, but things are changing, since Azone just recently started expanding their market by releasing their first North American exclusives, which makes me optimistic for the future. Today I am going to show you my first Azone doll, Aquamarine Alisa, a release from 2016!

Alisa is part of Azone’s series SAHRA’S à la mode. Sahra is an original character from Azone and she is a highschool girl, who loves to dress up with her friends. At first they were four girls in total, but now they are a group of five. Each year there is a new theme and it is so interesting, how the style of each individual doll differs from the year before. Last year’s theme of the SAHRA-series was Twinkle à la mode and was centered around gemstones. Alisa’s stone was the aquamarine, which compliments her eyes beautifully. As you can see, she is quite different from Pullip or Blythe dolls because she does not have an über dimensional large head. Although she has the same scale bodywise (her clothes fit my Pullips perfectly and vice versa), she seems a lot tinier to me. Also her eyes are painted on, which makes her a lot manga- or anime-like. Getting an Azone doll is definitely a new experience! The dolls in this series are on a 1/6 scale. Continue reading Review: Azone Twinkle à la mode Aquamarine Alisa

The Halfiversary Pullip and Pullip Family Wishlist

Yesterday my blog turned half a year old! Yay, I cannot believe how happy this little project of mine makes me and how many ideas are still piling up in my head. Almost a month ago, I shared another wishlist full of Pullips that have already sold out. Today I want to show you my wishlist of mostly readily available dolls and hope to hear about the Pullips on your wishlist in the comments!

Pullips from the Sailor Moon Series (2014-2017)

If you know my blog, you will know about my obsession with Sailor Moon and everything that is also remotely related. The fact that Groove does not stop releasing dolls from this franchise, makes it hard to choose. So far I own Pullip Princess Serenity and Pullip Sailor Neptune. We only have to wait a little bit longer until Pullip Eternal Sailor Moon’s release in mid September, which will be the only Sailor Moon Pullip I’ll be getting. As a completionist I want her to have the whole gang of inner senshi around: Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus.

From the outer senshi I am interested in Sailor Uranus and Sailor Pluto, who will look so nice next to Sailor Neptune. The final doll from this series on my priority list is Luna in her human form. She is quite seldom included in merchandise and she just makes a beautiful and sweet Pullip. She is often presented next to Princess Serenity and those two are an adorable pair! Continue reading The Halfiversary Pullip and Pullip Family Wishlist