Dozens of minor discrepancies between Avon dolls...

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Dozens of minor discrepancies between Avon dolls...

         A dozen or more fixes were needed in order to transform these inexpensive display dolls into dollhouse dolls. I selected them because of their charm, small size and diversity. Also, these particular dolls are relatively easy to acquire online or in resale shops. The dolls are porcelain and must be handled gently, but older children could play with dolls like these without breaking them I think.
       I purchased this set specifically to alter. These had already been played with and therefore the dolls were slightly damaged and no longer collector's items. Those people who collect Avon dolls for display only, would insist that the dolls remain in perfect condition in order to retain their value. So parents should not need to pay top dollar for imperfect dolls in the market place. However, by the same token, they should not expect to get top dollar for a collector's doll that has been obviously played with either.
       Our Lupita doll representing Mexico required the most restoration. I removed her dress, as seen below, to show readers here just how over-sized her costume is in comparison to the actual doll! The dress actually fit our 11 1/2" Esmeralda doll perfectly! I think it may have belonged to an entirely different doll before it was attached to the Avon version. Perhaps the fulfillment company was looking to use a cancelled order from a prior dissatisfied client? I guess we will never know.
       In the center photo you can see that the Lupita's breastplate has been glued directly onto the stuffed body instead of stitching being sewn through the holes. Perhaps a child loved her to pieces and a mother made a quick fix?
       The body of Lupita was also so much shorter than all of her other sisters that I needed to add more fabric to her torso in order to restore her length. However, even this adjustment would not have made her dress fit properly! I also needed to adjust the costumes of two other dolls from the International series in order to make them useful and attractive in our dollhouse displays. I've included my check list below for all of the necessary fixes needed to transform our Avon doll collection.

I chose to alter these particular dolls for play because they where already damaged.

Garments soaked in vinegar water to clean away stains.

One Dozen Little Fixes:

Altering dolls so that they are all approximately the same height. See photo above.
Removing yellow foam padding glued to the breastplates and replacing it with something that won't discolor garments. See below.
Stuffing the bodies beneath the shoulder plates so that the doll's heads will have extra needed support.
Soaking garments in vinegar and hot water to remove yellow staining on the costume of Colleen from Ireland. just right...
Washing off grime on five of the eight doll costumes and their bodies with hot, soapy water.
Restringing shoulder plates to the bodies after removing hot glue dried to the porcelain.
Sewing seams into lower torsos of each doll's body so that they can be made to sit as well as stand for play and photography. See below.
Alter the costumes of dolls that have disproportionate garments that do not fit their bodies. These garments belonging to: Masako from Japan, Lupita from Mexico and the Victorian doll dressed in blue.
Sew a new left leg for Masako from Japan to replace the broken one.
Remove those accessories that are hot glued into the hands of dolls so that they may be posed naturally with new objects for play and photo opportunities.
Replace worn clothing or broken doll accessories with newer versions. This requires a bit of research into what the dolls looked like originally.
Clean and reapply paint to the rusty enamel paint on the doll's stands as these will be needed for displaying the dolls when they are not in use.