Domino Effect -- Update!

Daddy Steve:  Giancarlo can be a very persistent and persuasive little guy.  He wore me down. Fortunately, we had just bought a new cardigan from Etsy seller TriciaSixT.

Giancarlo thinks he looks quite smart in it and I have to agree.

Giancarlo: Che bello!

Domino Effect

Daddy Steve:  It never fails.  I get some new clothes for the boys and intend to spend only 10 minutes changing outfits on one...then one of the other boys wants to put on the first boy's outfit and then another boy wants what the second one was wearing and etc., etc.

Before I know it, I've spent a full hour redressing half of them.  All in all, not a bad way to spend an hour and we often hit on some great combinations the leave us all feeling absolutely brilliant.

Sasha often gets first crack at new clothes, since he had to spend such a long time wearing pajamas.  I recently ordered a new outfit from Ginny of A Passion For Sasha with him in mind.  I think the mustard colored corduroy slacks and powder blue shirt really compliment his coloring.

However, this meant that Robin wanted to change into the khaki slacks and white dress shirt (also made by Ginny) that Sasha had been wearing.  Outside of Anthony, Robin is probably the most fashion conscious of all the boys and this new (to him) outfit matches his 'preppy style' perfectly.  It also pairs especially well with a wonderful wool coat that I bought a while ago (when it comes to coats, we don't get too concerned over which side the buttons are on).

Newcomer Blake (a 1978-1979 Caleb) was quite eager to change out of his yellow sweater and flared trousers.  Robin had been wearing the purple and white patterned sweater and blue cords, but we suspected that they would look smashing on Blake.

We were right!  The colors in the sweater really compliment his beautiful plum colored lips.  

What a handsome trio.  What's that?  Oh dear...Giancarlo is moaning that he's been wearing the same outfit for simply ages now... 

A Wee Scotsman

Daddy John:  I've been doing some heavy genealogy research lately, and Pete Dakota has now expressed an interest in it as well.  He was utterly captivated to learn some of my heritage is from Scotland (starting with my great grandfather on my father's side).

He's busy discovering all things Scottish.

Pete: A am nae a sassenach!

I found him a great kilt on Shelly's website Sasha Doll UK.  I think he looks well smart.  I dug through my grandmother's steamer trunk (in which I keep the family 'heirlooms') and found him a hat to go with.

The hat was purchased by my great-grandfather on a trip back to Scotland in the early 1900s.  He bought it for my grandmother and her china doll.  It's a little big for Pete.

Of course, cultural immersion would be nothing without sampling the cuisine...

Pete: Haggis is what?!  I'll stick with these biscuits, ta.

Or reading up on historical figures.

Pete: You've actually been to Loch Ness, Da' John?

Daddy John: Aye, laddie.  But we dinna see the monster.

Benjman Roy: Do you believe in Nessie, Pete Dakota?

Pete: Oi, mate, call me Pete McGregor noo.

Happy St. Valentine's Day 2017!

It's St. Valentine's Day and the boys have been hard at work making valentines: cutting, pasting, coloring!  What fun!

Tyler has made a valentine for Daddy John.

Tyler: Do you think he will be surprised?

Anthony is showing Mikko how to make a paper heart.

Anthony: ...and then you cut like this.  Then, when you unfold it, you have a heart!  

See? Now, you try it.

Mikko has a little trouble at first.

Mikko: Hmmm, my heart came out a little pointy.

Anthony: Try another.  You'll get the hang of it.

Bowie has put a lot of work into a very special valentine.  He's obviously quite smitten!

Bowie: I hope she likes it.

Meanwhile, Frank has already found his true love.

Frank: Mmmmmm...orange cream!  My favorite!

Happy St. Valentine's Day from all of us in Gregoropolis!

Here Come The Götz, Part 2

Daddy Steve:  I had barely gotten Rolf packed up and sent off to Dr. Pat when another Götz boy appeared on eBay.  He was Gregor from the second Götz production.  I put in a bid and managed to win him for a very reasonable price.  Like Rolf, this new boy needed attention.  He had only been displayed and, aside from being dusty, was virtually brand-new.

Unfortunately, he had spent some time in a doll stand that was much too tight.  It severely deformed his torso; so badly that he could not even hold up his head.

Götz:  Ouch.  Might I have an aspirin?

It was painful to look at.  The seller was completely upfront about the damage (hence the low sale price).  I was not 100% sure he could be fixed, but I took the chance.  

While Rolf was being rejuvenated down in Florida, the new Götz boy traveled to Jan Johnson in California.  Jan also retores Sashas, including the later Götz dolls.  If you know anything about them, you are probably aware that they are kind of a nightmare to disassemble and re-string.  Jan was able to completely restore him!  You would never even guess what he looked like before.  She also washed and reset his hair in its original style.  He returned home looking like a brand new boy.

An amazing transformation!

While Bowie has rock star looks, this new boy reminded me more of a hippie folk singer.  I decided to name him Sebastian, after John Sebastian of The Lovin' Spoonful (yes, Daddy Steve is showing his age).  He's a mellow, easy going chap.  Sebastian lacks the Sasha logo on his back, which dates him precisely to the middle of 1995.

Sebastian:  Hallo!

Now Gregoropolis has two Götz boys representing the first and last boys to be produced.  They're like bookends!

Rolf: Guten tag, Sebastian

Sebastian:  Guten tag, Rolf.  Wie gehts?

Rolf:  Danke, gut.  Und du?

Sebastian:  Sehr gut.  Ich habe einen torte gebacken.

Many thanks to Pat Pellerito and Jan Johnson for their help.  The Sasha community is very lucky to have such talented folks to keep our kids well!

Here Come The Götz, Part 1

Daddy Steve:  You may have noticed that Gregoropolis is a veddy English village.  This isn't by design.  I love the Götz boys, but they just aren't that easy to find in the U.S. (at least, not at a price I can afford!).  The later 1995-2001 boys rarely turn up on eBay, while the earlier 1960s boys are practically never seen.

For this reason I was very surprised to find an early no nose boy on eBay with a very low Buy-It-Now price.  It was Christmas Eve and I had intended to only check my email before going to bed, but then decided to take a quick look at eBay.  There he was: naked except for his schoolboy jacket and looking quite grubby.  However, the price was right. So...I bought him.  As I clicked the Buy-It-Now button, I could hear Santa Claus downstairs dumping out my stocking and refilling it with coal.

Sometimes you have to be your own Santa.  Who could resist that sad face?

When the package arrived, I was sure the seller had sent the wrong thing.  There was no way a doll could fit in such a small box!  But when I opened it up, there he was.

Götz:  Ouch!  I'm quite sure I requested Business Class!

It's a good thing his stringing was very loose.  There was no packing material in the box, either!  This is not the way you want to ship a doll.  Obviously, this little guy was a survivor.  While dirty and a bit smelly, he was basically in good shape with none of the issues that plague older Götz dolls.  He had no caving to his body, nor splits or bulges at his joints.  His hair was thick and intact, although he looked like he had stuck a wet finger into a light socket.

He really needed expert attention, so I packed him up (much more carefully) and sent him down to Pat Pellerito (aka "Dr. Pat") for a re-stringing and spa treatment.  Emile tried very hard to convince me to send him along as chaperone.  I suspect he really just wanted to lounge about by Pat's swimming pool.

Emile: You know ze trouble zese Götz garçons can get into.

Our new boy, now named Rolf, after a German relative, is back and I must say that the transformation is nothing short of amazing!  Pat did an absolutely beautiful job of cleaning him up and styling his hair.  She was even able to clean his jacket, which I thought was beyond saving.

Rolf: Ah...may I have some clothes, please?

So here's Rolf, our new button-nosed boy (he prefers that term).

Rolf: Ich habe eine nase!

Turns out Rolf would not be the only Götz boy in Gregoropolis for very long...