This past weekend was the Chicago Doll and Toy Show at the Kane County Fairgrounds. My mom and I have gone twice a year for the past few years. It’s an amazing day of shopping for doll and toy collectors. For a look into the show and atmosphere, check out my Dolly Field Trip post from last year.
This years show had a different feel than past years. The usual dolls we see weren’t there– Patti Playpals, Little Miss No Name’s, even Madame Alexanders. Nothing really screamed ‘buy me’ or ‘you need me in your collection’. Not to say we didn’t leave with a bag full of items, but the items we picked up weren’t the usual sort we traditionally do. We didn’t pick up any big ticket items, but we did manage to snag some cheaper, smaller items from this October show.
To hear fun banter about the show and our items, make sure to check out the video reveal, featuring my mom.
Giggles
My first purchase was a very affordable Ideal Giggles. I’ve rerooted a handful of giggles for my mom’s collection, but this is my first Giggles. I picked her up with the intention of giving her a new head of hair. At $15.00, she was a steal.
Amelia in her new dress
At a booth featuring American Girl and other 18″ fashion doll clothing, I purchased two reasonably priced American Girl outfits. I didn’t actually get these for my American Girls, however! I bought them for my A Girl for All Time. I know there are some amazing patterns out there for the A Girl for All Time dolls, but as I can’t sew, I have to go other routes for outfits. Amelia is wearing Julie’s Calico Dress, minus the leggings. Not all American Girl outfits will fit A Girl for All Time, but certain ones, ones that were meant to be baggy looking and that have just the right shoulder, look pretty good! This Calico Dress sure looks amazing on her!
My Girl of Today’s outfit
The second outfit didn’t fit my Amelia, so it ended up on my Girl of Today. Surprisingly, it doesn’t even fit my Girl of Today very well. The bodice is super tight and the neckline doesn’t look right, either. It seems the Pleasant Company Girl of Today dolls must be a little larger than the current Just Like Me and My American Girl dolls. Still, with this white sweater from the American Girl Store, the outfit looks just fine. (And I am very happy to know that not all American Girl outfits will fit my dolls well.)
Quints
By far, the best deal of the day came at the same booth I picked up the American Girl outfits. The seller had Quints merchandise mint in box! Any kid who grew up in the 90’s had, or at least knew of, the Quints line. It consisted of five babies and their corresponding play sets. I had a bunch as a kid and, knowing my cousins enjoy playing with them, was super excited to see them represented at the show this year. I picked up two mint playsets and a handful of Quints that were in played with condition for the grand total of $6.00! She had two Cousin playsets at $2.00 each, but I passed on those. In hindsight, I should have picked them up, too!
Ningyo like doll
With all my recent coverage of Japanese dolls, I picked up this cute Japanese doll. It’s dated 1938 on its tag, but I’m not sure if that is accurate or not. I still have to research him a little bit. This little asian boy ningyo-like doll isn’t in the best shape, but he’s adorable and that’s all that matters!
Popples Puzzle
I also picked up a few puzzles, including one with two Popples playing in a gumball machine. I love quirky puzzles like this. They make great wall art!
Skooter
Skipper Outfit
Because no shopping trip is complete without a Skipper item, I picked up this adorable Skooter in titan hair and this fun mod outfit for her.
My Mom’s Goodies
My mom left with some fun items, as well! She found a Soul doll from Hasbro’s 1970’s doll line World of Love. She also found a replacement body for her Peace doll, from that same line. My mom found a Buffy and Baby Go Bye Bye doll in nice condition, as well.
While neither of us left with what we imagined we would, this October Chicago Doll and Toy Show was still pretty awesome. Have you found anything fun at your local doll show? Share your thoughts below!
November 7, 2014. Tags: american girl, convention, Giggles, hasbro, impulse. Category: Articles and Doll Histories, Category: Uncategorized.
