A Very Gregor Christmas

All of Boo's dolls were dressed in red and green on Christmas Eve, awaiting the arrival of Santa. Little did they (or she) know what was in store on Christmas morning.

Boo asked if she could decorate a little tree for the dolls, and I agreed (this saved me having to do it myself once she was asleep, because I had a surprise planned). Here is how the tree looked when she went to bed, with a stocking for each of her dolls. The gifts under the tree are empty boxes just for show, but she put a few old items in the stockings: coins, a hat, a toy car... I intentionally rushed her so that she didn't have much time to set out gifts because that was part of my surprise.

Here is how the tree looked when I went to bed, with the addition of two Gregors, two more stockings, and lots of doll-sized wrapped packages.

Boo glanced at the little tree when she woke up, but didn't seem very excited. In fact, she was a bit miffed that I'd removed what she put in the stockings. She thought that the Gregors were mine and that I had created a scene for my blog with empty packages. Boy was she surprised to discover that the boys were hers and the wrapped packages all contained gifts for her dolls! I had labeled the packages with their names, so before she unwrapped her own gifts from under the big tree, Boo helped the dolls unwrap their gifts from under the little tree.

Unwrapping some new clothes for the boys from etsy shop A Passion for Sasha:

Kitty and Kelly helping to unwrap their gifts (with a view of both our trees in the background):

The babies in their new sleepers from etsy shop Nomacustom:

The boys redressed, getting acquainted with the girls:

And yes, the discovery that the boys can also become short-haired girls when desired.  :-)

When she told me she wanted a Gregor "some day", Boo came up with a list of prospective names: Daniel, Ethan, and Trevor. Of course she decided that none of those worked once she had dolls in hand, so names have not yet been determined. The current front runners are James for the brunette and Caleb for the blonde.

She has been playing dolls with a friend from the neighborhood the past few days, and having fun with the added dimension that males add. They can be brothers, boyfriends, husbands, fathers, kings, and even male house servants (apparently the girl dolls love having the boy dolls wait on them).

Adios Amigos

These pictures of "The Five Amigos" (formerly three, then four) were taken at the same time as the pictures in my previous post. 

I wanted to document these five as a group one last time. Unfortunately I needed to sell a few dolls, since I'd decided to fund all new Sasha purchases through the sale of other Sashas. Hard to say goodbye, but two of these five are gone now, along with two babies (Cleo and an unnamed nightdress boy). Adios my lovelies, and best of luck in your new homes.

80's Girls Original Outfits

A while back I was perusing Sasha group facebook posts and realized that the newer dolls are so often overlooked in the excitement surrounding the older dolls. Of course the newer English dolls aren't all that new, since they're 30ish years old themselves. And while they lack the hand painting of the earlier dolls, they are still gorgeous in their own right.

Here is a group shot of all the 80's dolls in the house at that time, my six and Boo's two. From left to right: Cathy, Rose, Cameo, Calla, Cybil, Chloe, Cindy, and Iris. This picture is currently on the main page of the sashafestival.com website. 

It was a long photo shoot, with lots of chatting between takes.

And here are just my six, the Five Amigos and Iris (who never really warmed to the idea of being an Amigo). The size differences are really apparent when they're all lined up.

Cathy: Blonde Sweater. She has the most serene face, and just might be my favorite of this group (but shhhh, don't tell the others). She wants to be a pilot someday.

Cameo: Honey Blonde Silk Dress. She is so petite compared to the others, and likely from the early 80's. She also likes to stand with her toes pointed out - ballet training in her past?

Cybil: Redhead White Dress. She came to me in mint condition, still strapped into her box. Not a great way to spend 25 years in my opinion, but she's made up for it since.

Chloe: Cora Flower Dress. She came to me in gingham, but given her age this is the correct outfit for her. She is the first Sasha doll that I ever bought. Hard to capture in photographs, but very pretty.

Cindy: Brunette Red Pinafore(?). She came to me nude, and could possibly have been a Dancing Dress, Marina, or Red Pinafore. She toyed with being Marina, but decided the pinafore suited her style.

Iris: Black Haired Sari. She was named for the color of her sari. At one point I had four of these girls, ~1% of all made! When I decided to sell all but one, she wasn't the one I originally planned to keep. But she was my mom's favorite, which prompted a second look - and a second decision.

Meet Opal

I know I said I was going to introduce my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, but I decided to save the one I'm keeping for last. The other three will be sold, but Opal is going to become one of my "Amigos" -- an assortment of late 80's girls who I dress and display.

It wasn't easy to choose, and there isn't a solid reason why she is my choice. I like the rose pattern on her red, white, and blue sari, yet I think the color is the least flattering of the four. I like the shape of her bangs, yet they all have nice hair now that it's been washed. Perhaps it's that she appears to be more petite than the others, though appears is the operative word here. I even hesitate to say she is my "favorite". They all call to me in different ways, yet she spoke to me the loudest.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Opal seems the most reserved.

Meet Ruby

Since I'm introducing my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, third up is Ruby.

Ruby wears a red sari with a black, white, and blue pattern that looks somewhat Oriental (both the color and the pattern). I think she has the straightest bangs/fringe of the four, though she also has a piece in the center that wants to stick up.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Ruby seems the most serene.

Meet Iris

Since I'm introducing my Sasha Saris in alphabetical order, second up is Iris.

Iris wears a purple sari with a black and grey floral pattern. I love this vivid shade of purple, and think it looks lovely with her black hair. Speaking of her hair, it looks slightly longer than the others, though that may be because it has slightly less curl.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Iris seems the most aloof.

Meet Beryl

It has been so long since I bought my Sasha Saris that I don't recall the order in which they were purchased. I've decide to introduce them in alphabetical order, so first up is Beryl.

Beryl wears a blue sari with a pink and white floral pattern. I think she has the thickest bangs/fringe of the four, and also appears to be slightly taller than the others. Her sari is damaged, with a piece missing along one edge, but it isn't particularly noticeable when wrapped.

While my Sasha Saris are all quite photogenic, Beryl seems the most feminine.

Sasha Saris

I currently own four Sasha Saris, each wearing a different color sari. I have been holding out on introducing them on my blog because I wanted to wash their hair first, and with four of them that's a time-consuming project. Each of them had bangs that stuck out in several directions, and their hair seemed clumpy in back. I finally dug out my mild shampoo last week and made time to wash and dry their hair. Wow, what a difference! I was planning to sell all four as part of my consolidation, but they look so lovely now that I've decided to keep one as my sixth Amigo.

When I redressed them I wrapped their saris differently, to go over the shoulder and not the head. This is more in keeping with how I've known people to wear their saris, plus it keeps their hair from getting so mussed.

Isn't their black hair gorgeous?!

They are from 1986, the final year of production for the English Sashas, and only around 400 were made before the factory closed. That means these are roughly 1% of all the Sasha Saris made. They lack the hand painting of the earlier dolls, but they still look slightly different from each other.

I will introduce them individually shortly.

Royal Duo

A modern fairy tale starring Prince Gregor and Princess Sasha (who make a very cute couple).

Boy meets girl ...

... they fall in love ...

... she borrows his clothing.

Meet Prince Gregor

When I bought Princess Sasha, I also bought Prince Gregor from the same seller. His outfit might seem a bit silly (though it coordinates well with Princess Sasha as you will see in my next post), but his haircut and blue eyes are adorable. Unfortunately I didn't warm up to his wig either, and he was sold on to a new home as well. He is also a limited edition, though far less rare since about 3000 were made in 1985.

I don't plan on buying any more wigged Sashas, though I may change my mind someday. I love my two re-roots though, and have already been discussing a potential third with Bettina.

Meet Princess Sasha

Like many Sasha collectors, I longed to own a rare Sasha Princess from 1986. She was intended to be a limited edition of 3500, but fewer than 400 were made before the factory in England closed. She has such a sweet look in all the pictures I've seen, with her distinctive blonde wig and brown eyes. I was thrilled when I found one for a reasonable price, complete with her box and certificate. When she arrived, I was surprised by how little attention I gave her. She and I just didn't connect -- a first for me with regard to Sashas. I finally concluded that it was her wig I didn't like (yes, that beautiful wig). I love wigged dolls in pictures, but apparently not so much in person. After months of contemplation I decided to sell her on for another collector to enjoy, but not before taking a few pictures.

Her outfit is elegant yet understated, and I love how all the pieces pull together. The pale pink and navy blue contrast nicely, and the hooded cloak and jeweled neck ribbon are perfect accessories for a princess.

I still think Sasha Princess looks sweet in pictures, but I also think I made the right decision for me when I sent her off to a new home.

Two Marinas

There are two distinctly different Sasha dolls known as Marina. The Early English Sasha dolls are often referred to by their original clothing, in this case a sailor or "Marina" outfit. These dolls were produced from 1981 to 1986. The later Gotz dolls were given unique names, and their similarly-dressed girls are named Marina. They were produced in 1999 and 2000.

I call my 1980's brunette Cindy. She was purchased nude, and I have no idea of her history. She may or may not have been a "Marina" as she could also have been a "Red Pinafore" or "Dancing Dress" (the other brunettes from the same time period). I found her an original "Marina" outfit and have dressed her as such for these photos with my Gotz Marina.

The dolls themselves are quite different. Gotz Marina is a green-eyed redhead with freckles, while English "Marina" is a brown-eyed brunette who is considerably taller (as is the case with most of the dolls from the 80's). They both wear navy blue and white sailor outfits, but with the top and skirt colors swapped. Gotz Marina has a tie with long tails attached to her collar and low ankle socks, while English "Marina" has a tie with short tails around her neck and tall knee socks. Their shoes are completely different styles; Gotz Marina wears blue ankle-strap shoes, while English "Marina" wears black laced shoes.

I think they look marvelous together: