Mini Mart: KUKLA Fashion

Supplier: KUKLA Fashion
Website: Etsy Store

Products: So, Mattel kind of raised the bar for doll companies everywhere with their active bodies, and I was especially psyched to see the new curvy kind. Sindy stuff fits fine for tops and dresses, but the bottoms tend to be a bit short. Luckily KUKLA, based in Lithuania, sell a huge range of leggings and jeans for various dolls.

There's 10% off at the moment so I paid £3.13 for each pair. :)



Post and Packing: Free!

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Ten Must Read Doll Blogs

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Black Doll Collecting, run by Debbie Behan Garrett, is the place to go for info on Black dolls of all kinds.

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I've yet to see anything at the Littlest Sweet Shop that I don't want to own... One day I'll come into some spare cash and put in an absolutely humungous order! Until that day I'll just follow the blog and marvel at all the new creations.

For more miniature envy, I particularly like Modern Mini Houses and Mitchy Moo Miniatures, and then exploring the links on their blog rolls. :)

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Who doesn't love My Froggy Stuff? MFS teaches you how to craft your own playscale clothes, accessories, furniture, buildings... Just about anything and everything really!

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Ada is a Barbie collector from Romania who occasionally posts about other brands. Her blog, Papusile Mele, is great for keeping track of upcoming Barbie releases.

Another great blog for keeping up with Barbie's latest is Dutch Fashion Doll World.

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A different doll is showcased every day - I've learned about so many weird and wonderful doll lines from Planet of the Dolls!

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The dividing line between doll and action figure is much contested, but this blog reviewing female action figures is still a must see for dolls fans. She's Fantastic is brilliant for judging whether a figure is worth getting for heads, hands, accessories, or the simple potential to remove as much plastic clothing *shudder* as possible.

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If you're into Sindy dolls, the name Shimmy Shim is probably already familiar to you. The blog is a great resource for info and tips on Sindy and other vintage British dolls. (The other must visit site for Sindy fans is Our Sindy Museum.)

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Toy Ark is the place to go to hear about all the cool new action figure releases. (Your bank balance will not thank you...)

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The sadly defunct Toy Box Philosopher is still a wonderful archive of in-depth photo reviews of both playline and collector dolls.

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Veni Vidi Dolli offers regular and thorough reviews of new playline releases.

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If you're still hankering after more dolly goodness, here are another twenty blogs worth checking out:

★ A Philly Collector of Playscale Dolls and Action Figures.
★ Awesome Toy Blog.
★ Collecting Fashion Dolls by Terri Gold.
★ Confessions of a Doll Collector's Daughter.
★ Desperately Seeking Dolls.
★ Doll Edition.
★ Dolls, Dolls, Dolls.
★ Fashion Doll Stylist.
★ Fig Stop.
★ I Luv Dolls.
★ Inside the Fashion Doll Studio.
★ Lena Loves Dolls.
★ Life in Plastic.
★ Museum of Working Miniatures.
★ One Sixth Avenue.
★ Petalina Dolls.
★ Ruby Lane.
★ The Dolly Insider.
★ The One Sixth Scale Dollhouse.
★ Toy Haven.

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Enchantimals

First announced in 2016, Enchantimals was intended as a spin-off of Ever After High, going on to be released as a brand in its own right after EAH was discontinued. Although supported by a webseries, books, and a Nick Jr. special, the line failed to perform as well as expected and had been discontinued by 2019.

The dolls typically stand 15cm tall, though there are also 30cm and 6cm offerings.

This Week - 28/07/2019

My main feelings about this week is that it has been far too hot!! On Monday we went to town to start Marianna off on the summer reading challenge at Cwmbran Library. The prize this year is a £100 Smyths voucher so I'll be making sure she completes it and has a chance at winning. :D We also went to look around Tiger, The Entertainer - Marianna wanted the Bo Peep doll from Toy Story 4 - and Smiggle. Anthony even bought me a new shiny purse with unicorns on. It must be love.

Tuesday was another full council meeting - you can watch the webcast HERE. I tried again to go paperless but it still wasn't much of a success. I knocked my tablet on the floor at one point, and at another couldn't get to lock to tablet mode rather than laptop. Sigh. It'll get there.

Wednesday was the start of Council recess which runs concurrent with the school holidays. On the one hand it's amazing if you have kids. On the other, by the end of summer you feel like you haven't had an adult conversation in years... Still, out came the paddling pool and the bubbles and the play-doh, etc, etc.





We've already watched what feels like 12 hours of Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures too. We did manage to see Hotel Transylvania 3 on Friday night though which was pretty funny, and last night I watched The Haunting of Sharon Tate with Hilary Duff as Tate. It's kind of weird seeing her outside a rom-com and the reviews weren't lying - it's bad. But, maybe not as unremittingly awful as they make out. It had a plenty passable made-for-TV vibe and at least we get the satisfaction of seeing what we all wish had happened: the Manson family getting their evil asses handed to them...

On the blog this week I've written about Mattel's WWE Superstars Fashion Dolls, July's Japan Candy Box, my favourite 1920s films, and how you can watch a ton of movies this summer without paying a penny.

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Song of the Week -

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Miniature Brands

Reviews and guides to various brands of scale miniatures...

☆ Hasegawa - 1/12 plastic furniture kits.

☆ PEPIN Press - pattern paper books.

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Friday Five: 1920s Films

FIVE FILMS OF THE 1920s

Here are five must see films from the roaring 20s!


#5. Nosferatu (1922)

Classic!


#4. The Sheik (1921)

Roller Mania; Bieber Fever; Directioner, er, Whateverer - none of them have a patch on the obsessive love of Rudolph Valentino's fans. His death in 1926, aged just 31, heralded mass hysteria. Up to and including an all day riot requiring 100 mounted officers and the NYPD police reserve to control. Add that to the sex sensation that was Edith Maud Hull's best selling novel and you can't help but have a winner.


#3. Metropolis (1927)

The storyline, depending on cut, can be overlong and unwieldy but the cinematography is so cool you end up not caring anyway!


#2. Sex in Chains (1928)

This one sounds like it's going to be really hardcore and, I suppose, by 1928 standards it is rather shocking. The original German title is Geschlecht in Fesseln - Die Sexualnot der Strafgefangenen, which literally translates into something more like 'Sexuality in Custody - The Sexual Distress of Prisoners'. Or, in other words, dudes have to turn to each other in prison because of the lack of conjugal visits. Most modern critics aren't keen on its generous helpings of melodrama but, if like me, that's your kind of thing, this is a gem of a film. Lots of emotion, tragedy, and close-ups of William Dieterle's wonderful bone structure as he angsts over Alfred (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski)...


#1. It (1927)

Until I hit my late teens the only silent films I'd ever seen were early Laurel and Hardy shorts which didn't do much for me at all. I never was a big fan of slapstick. It wasn't until I started seeking out vintage horror that I attempted to actually sit and enjoy silent film. And I found it hard work. I'm of a generation used to multitasking all day, every day. Normally I'd listen to a movie, look up occasionally, and write / draw / read / browse as applicable.

It was the first silent film that managed to hold my attention the whole way through. It was also the first silent film that felt like a modern movie to me. I laughed, I cringed, I hoped for a happy ending. If you have a secret - or not so secret! - soft spot for a rom-com, you'll love It just as much as I do. :)





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Free Movies

Streaming services are great but they can be a strain on the pocket. If things are tight, one option is to make your way around the free trials offered. So long as you cancel on time it won't cost you a penny, so just make a note of your start date and when you need to cancel by.

★ Netflix. Even if you've been living under a rock for the last 50 years, you've still probably heard of Netflix. It offers thousands of films, documentaries and TV shows, and as a new customer you can get 30 days free.

★ Amazon Prime Video. £7.99 a month or free with Amazon Prime Membership, so you can sign up for a free 30 day trial of the latter and watch away.

★ BFI Player. Get a 14 day free trial to watch their collection of classic and cult films.

★ Crunchyroll Premium. This anime streaming service offers a 14 day free trial of their premium service, as well as offering a free version with adverts.

★ Disney+. Glut yourself on Disney with a 7 day free trial. *currently unavailable*

★ Flix Premiere. Get a month free to watch their collection of independent movies.

★ MUBI. Beloved of film students and indie cinema fans, you can get a free trial for 7 days.

★ NOW TV. There are five pass types - sports, hayu, kids, entertainment and cinema - and you can get a 7 day free trial of the latter four.

★ Shudder. Sign up for a 7 day free trial with this horror movie streaming service.


There is so much free content available on the net too, including public domain movies, original shorts, and all sorts of TV material. Check out this list of 45 classic movies you can watch free on YouTube, and free streaming services like SnagFilms and PopcornFlix.


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Japan Candy Box

We've tried Japan Candy Box a few times over the years; first back in November 2015, and then again last June. They're always so much fun and we were really looking forward to this month's box. Marianna is still pretty fussy when it comes to trying new things, but she was super excited to open the box and see all the bright colours and, to her credit, she gave everything a go.



This month's theme was Japanese Ice Cream Snacks, and the box contained:

★ Picola Coconut Milk Straws. I really liked these - but Marianna liked them more. I did not get to go back for a second helping!

★ Lotte Crunky Crunch Ice Cream Chocolate Bar. Okay, so I have to admit I was dubious but, omg, this really did taste exactly like vanilla ice cream. It was so good!

★ Ramune Grape Soda Candy. 10/10. I think these were Anthony's favourite.

★ Fizzy Grape Ramune Ball. It was too sour for everyone!

★ Tohato Anpanman Potato Snacks. Just a plain savoury snack, yum.



★ Calbee Cheese Bit Corn Snacks. They tasted exactly like Quavers. :)

★ Yaokin Colorful Baby's Marshmallows. As sweet as they were cute.

★ Mr. Ito Mini Chocochip Cookies Mint. I'm not a big fan of mint so these were just too much for me.

★ Tohato Bino Bold and Hard Salted Edamame Snacks. These were my favourite; I could have eaten a box full of them.



Nobody else got a look in at the final item, Strawberry Soft Ice Cream Marshmallow, because Marianna - disguised as a My Little Pony - claimed it for herself the moment the box was opened!

Have you tried any of these? What did you think of them?

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WWE Superstars Dolls

Launched in summer 2017, Mattel's WWE Superstars line combines the wrestling fun of action figures with the dress up-ablility of fashion dolls. The dolls have a more athletic build than a regular Barbie, and one of their selling points is their ability to stand unaided with their shoes. (They've no hope without them - the dolls have fixed ankles and fashion feet.)

Despite the fashion feet I really am a fan of this line - I love the diversity of face sculpts and hair colours!

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Five Pack of L-R: Nikki Bella, Brie Bella, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Natalya - box front / back.

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Five Pack of L-R: Stephanie McMahon, Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks Bayley, Becky Lynch - box front / back.

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Superstar Fashions

★ Brie Bella - box front / back.
★ Sasha Banks - box front / back.
★ Nikki Bella - box front / back.
★ Natalya - box front / back.

★ Naomi - box front / back.
★ Sasha Banks - box front / back.
★ Alexa Bliss - box front / back.
★ Charlotte Flair - box front / back.


★ Bayley - box front / back.
★ Becky Lynch - box front / back.
★ Ronda Rousey - box front / back.

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★ Charlotte Flair - box front / back.
★ Becky Lynch - box front / back.
★ Alicia Fox - box front / back.
★ Eva Marie - box front / back.



★ Lana - box front / back.
★ Carmella - box front / back.
★ Asuka - box front / back.
★ Natalya - box front / back.



★ Bayley - box front / back.
★ Naomi - box front / back.

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★ SDCC 2017 Exclusive Charlotte Flair vs Sasha Banks - box front / back.

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Mattel also released a range of stylised six inch action figures. In contrast to their regular WWE line, these were aggressively marketed towards girls, something reflected in the packaging and the accompanying 'for you' accessories.


★ Alexa Bliss - box front / back.
★ Natalya - box front / back.
★ Brie Bella - box front / back.
★ Nikki Bella - box front / back.



★ Naomi - box front / back.
★ Becky Lynch - box front / back.
★ Charlotte Flair - box front / back.



★ Asuka with headband - box front / back.
★ Bayley with headband - box front / back.
★ Sasha Banks with necklace - box front / back.
★ Charlotte Flair with necklace - box front / back.


★ Bayley Ultimate Fan Pack - box front / back.
★ Sasha Banks Ultimate Fan Pack - box front / back.



★ Ultimate Entrance Playset w/ Nikki Bella - box front / back.

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