Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Sometimes princes need to be rescued too.

At first I thought it was just an isolated incident.  Maybe an accident.  Random. 

Then I found another.  Yes, something is going on in the Memphis area.

Someone is mistreating Disney Men.

It's okay, take a minute to compose yourself.  I was shocked too.  It started when I found a Pocahontas John Smith in the Bargain Barn at Goodwill.  He had been gnawed on by something or someone and had a bad haircut. 
I brought him home planning to revamp him later.  He got put on a shelf and forgotten for awhile. 

Then at a church yard sale (a CHURCH of all places!) I found poor Li Shang who had been similarly abused. 
 Not only had someone given him a bad haircut, but they gave him a Hitler mustache. WHY?  Why would you do that to him? 
I mean come on!  Who would DO such a thing to the poor guy?  I had to rescue him.  So then I had two Disney men fallen on hard times. 


So I started with Li Shang, since his body at least was in decent shape.  First, I cleaned his face with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.  Then I got him ready for his haircut.

Haircuts are not my forte, so I just gave him a trim to even him up, and gelled him a little.  I may revisit if I get better at cutting hair, but for now, he's at least presentable. 

Next I turned my attention to Mr. Smith.  His body was in bad shape, and it was one of the older ken-style bodies with almost no movement, so I decided to body swap him.  When I bent poor John's head back to get a look at the connection, his neck ripped!  His day just keeps getting worse! 
So my first instinct was to just glue his head to his new body (I've done this for my kids' barbies) but then I was inspired to make a neck-join to try to keep some mobility. 
Basically I made a post out of some plastic packaging and glued it down on the little 'post' that sticks up out of the neck.  His head actually fits on pretty snugly, and since he wont be played with by kids, this is acceptable for now. 

"Yay!  Look at me!"

I washed his face and decided to tackle his hair. It is a strange texture and I don't have a lot of donor blondes, so I didn't find an exact hair match.  Luckily, it was only about 10 plugs in the front that needed to be replaced.  I found another doll who could lose a few strands without missing them, and rerooted the front section. 

Quick douse with boiling water to lay it down.



And they're all done!  
Now that shirt/ pants combo could be considered abuse, but it's all I could find at that moment.  Soon enough I'll get them all dressed up and ready to find some thrift store princesses. 


16 comments:

  1. I just did some work on my John Smith, but he wasn't in the shape your fella was in. LOVE your neck post idea. How far did you cut it down? The guys look much better! Wish I could find a Li Shang in need of a rescue.

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  2. Great Job! Whenever I try to cut hair it is never even.

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  3. Looking good! You are a hero! You know, kids just shouldn't be allowed to play with dolls. Hee hee!

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  4. Great job and rescue! They both came out looking fantastic. I love the neck joint idea. Quick thinking lol.

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  6. @Cat, After I stuck the post in his neck, I cut it to length so that the top of it would hit the top of his head, thinking this would be a bit more secure. But his neck hole fit tightly enough around the post that it really didnt' matter. His head will still come off easily but not just fall off.

    @Frannie--the only time i've had a haircut turn out really well was once when I was planning to cut the hair off completely and flock. Somehow that time the hair cut I gave her before I pulled her hair out was awesome, so I just left it. Haircutting is something I'd definitely love to learn.

    @Vita--my own collection of barbies started when my kids tried to trade away one of their dolls...I loved it too much to let it go!

    @Chyna--the neck join was not planned at all, but I can actually probably use it in other cases too.

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  7. Hi, Miss_Lola_77!

    I'm chiming in about the neck post - thanks for sharing that photo and idea. I have a Flavas P Bo long overdue a secure connection to her new body.

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  8. Hello from Spain: very good aesthetic operation Disney princes. We were like new. Very good job. We remain in contact blog blog

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  9. I have a head that I have been holding onto who needs this treatment. Thanks for the idea. Now I hope I can find where I put it!

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  10. @D7ana--I am not always as careful as I should be when beheading, so I have a lot of necks that need repairing:/ This was a great find.

    @Marta--thanks!

    @Ms. Leo--squirreling things away and not being able to find them again is one of my main problems:D

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  11. Wow! Great Job! you pleased the two men-see their smiles? Love it!

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  12. Totally Awesome! That Li Shing doll is cute--I never saw that one before :)

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  13. Bravissima!! I love it. Of course the next post idea is great. This line is a keeper, "I'm not always as careful as I should be when beheading."

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  14. Wow! John Smith got a major upgrade! Success!

    I would totally buy some neck join supply off of you. That could turn into a nice little business, as I'm guessing I'm not alone! I NEED me some of THAT! But have NO idea how to find/make my own.

    Yeah, I'm more into pose-ability of Kens than even Barbies (for now) because the girls want their hugs. LOL. Barbies start off better than immovable Kens, anyway (and SOME old Kens were pretty decent, esp. my Steven [I think he's Steven anyway]). However I worry about not being able to move their heads. I want those guys to look to the side at their ladies then look forward again. Sighhhhh.

    Here's hoping I can make this thang work!

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  15. Welcome, Cosmo! I could never sell the neck join thing--it's just a piece of rolled up plastic packaging. I can make one and mail it to you for free--i've always got some packaging around.
    I don't know why Kens have been getting the short end of the articulation stick lately. They used to have the ones with the rubber band waist and click legs...then a lot of them went to the hard plastic legs. And forget about arm movement. Of course we have fashionistas now, but their neck join isn't the same as older neck joins. At least barbie's necks have stayed consistent for a couple of decades now.

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