J_Sea Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I’ve only seen one modern 1/12 family of color and they’re kind of scary looking. Does anyone know of alternatives? Should I just paint other dolls and buy/make a better mom hairstyle? Trying to make a dollhouse for my daughter and want dolls that look like our family Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Joey, I make a lot of my dolls and while they aren't beautiful, I do make them to look a lot like the people I see: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Roxy_ Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 I've also "made" my own dolls, by 3D printing a head to put it on a body I painted. The paint do tend to flake off a little, but at least that way I got the exact skintone I wanted ! My style is more "chibi" with no defined nose and big eyes, but I'm sure someone skilled in 3D scultping could do a realistic head. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Sea Posted January 9, 2022 Author Share Posted January 9, 2022 Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 How old is your daughter, and how realistic do you want them to be? Did you see this Melissa and Doug set? https://www.ebay.com/itm/115174025082?hash=item1ad0e8277a:g:ZeEAAOSw8Jxh152A The hair isn't great, but I think they're a little better than the ones sold on Miniatures.com (I'm not sure if that's the scary family you mentioned). If you're going to try to replace the hair on an existing doll family, try bunka. It looks braided initially but you can unravel it to make curls or waves. Stewart Dollhouse Creations has a nice selection: https://stewartdollhousecreations.com/bunka06 If they don't have to be super realistic, there's an Etsy seller named Prairie Crocus Studio that makes beautiful cloth dolls with different skin tones: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrairieCrocusStudio?ref=shop_sugg She sells patterns and kits and also does custom orders. Years ago she made me a custom Ingalls family for my Little House in the Big Woods cabin and she created them to my specifications: https://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=6133 Most of the product images in the store right now show white dolls, but here are the different skin tones: https://www.etsy.com/listing/226221054/fabric-9-x-24-cotton-stretch-knit-cloth Another thought is to look for 6" action figures, but it will be a challenge to find ones that are dressed like regular people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Roxy_ Posted January 9, 2022 Share Posted January 9, 2022 Another option that could be good for a child ; I recall someone saying Barbie's little sister Chelsea was around the right size for 1/12. If that is true, then there are "Club Chelsea" dolls in various skin tones and hair types. They're very plastic-y and might not pose very well though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted January 10, 2022 Share Posted January 10, 2022 I use viscose for my dolls, but it is not good for play. You can find doll hair at JoAnn and Hobby Lobby. There are many videos about re wigging dolls if you are thinking about doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Sea Posted January 12, 2022 Author Share Posted January 12, 2022 Thanks for all the suggestions! I think the Melissa and Doug dolls will work. Not as scary as the others 🤣 the viscose doll is gorgeous but probably too fancy for my kiddo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 12, 2022 Share Posted January 12, 2022 I think it was Better Homes and Gardens that published a book of doll patterns that included a 1:12 family of little rag dolls. The first dollhouse I helped the hubs build for our eldest son's first daughter was a scratch-build and I finally found a lovely brown fabric to use to make the family for her house. All of our grandchildren are people of color (our eldest, adopted son, is also a person of color) and that's how I got started with multi-racial dolls. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shy Spirit Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 What a good question! I recently needed a female doll with brown skin and couldn't find any suitable - except for a "Mummy-to-be" doll. She has a slight tummy, but could pass for a non-pregnant doll in a pinch. I gave the dollhouse a little nursery for the coming baby, but no baby doll. Even if there were a doll in the crib, the little tummy on the doll is no more than a post-partum mother's stomach would be! The girl who received the dollhouse has a mother with Trinidadian heritage, and a "white" Canadian father. I didn't want to give her a single race dollhouse couple, because that wouldn't fit her family identity. Finding a white daddy doll was easy, but I would very much like to source some other options for dolls with brown complexions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 14, 2022 Share Posted January 14, 2022 The reason I began making all my little people for my dollhouses is that when I worked for the local health department my coworkers who bought some of my houses were people of color, so of course they wanted the residents to be, also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shy Spirit Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 I made a miniature thank-you gift for a nurse who looked after my aunt. The nurse was a person of colour, and so I ended up making the nurse doll for the little vignette. That was okay for an enclosed scene, but I wasn't sure that I could make a doll strong enough to withstand a young girl's play! It seems odd that there are so many white dolls commercially available, but very limited options otherwise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 15, 2022 Share Posted January 15, 2022 I discovered that I can color polymer clay with miniscule amounts of acrylic paint from the tube to get various skin tones. Joey, see if your local library has Sue Heaser's Making Miniature Dolls with Polymer Clay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Sea Posted January 23, 2022 Author Share Posted January 23, 2022 Thanks again everyone. Was out of town for a week but excited for the kids to go to bed so I can get back to work! I’m just starting the build so a long way off from needing residents but these are all great suggestions and comments. Thank you!! It’s a lovely community here! ❤️ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyckedWood Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 I cast porcelain dolls in all shades. A finished porcelain doll can get expensive because of the vast amount of work involved from start to finish. So probably not suitable for kids, depending on age and the way they play. But if someone is willing to paint, assemble and costume their own, or at least assemble and costume their own, they can be much more affordable- and by the way very fun to make and a potential rabbit hole for you to fall down....right Carrie? Lol KarinLambert/BlueMoonDollStudio Instagram 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 1 hour ago, WyckedWood said: very fun to make and a potential rabbit hole for you to fall down....right Carrie? YEP! I have made a few dolls of darker ethnicity.... I saw a documentary about The National Negro Doll company in Nashville (I have family there) it was a company that made dolls of color for little girls it really interested. I found, in miniature, it is hard to find pretty dolls of color that aren't in some servant type of roll. I think it is an untapped market. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qubanqtee Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 2 hours ago, WyckedWood said: I cast porcelain dolls in all shades. A finished porcelain doll can get expensive because of the vast amount of work involved from start to finish. So probably not suitable for kids, depending on age and the way they play. But if someone is willing to paint, assemble and costume their own, or at least assemble and costume their own, they can be much more affordable- and by the way very fun to make and a potential rabbit hole for you to fall down....right Carrie? Lol KarinLambert/BlueMoonDollStudio Instagram 30 minutes ago, Mid-life madness said: YEP! I have made a few dolls of darker ethnicity.... I saw a documentary about The National Negro Doll company in Nashville (I have family there) it was a company that made dolls of color for little girls it really interested. I found, in miniature, it is hard to find pretty dolls of color that aren't in some servant type of roll. I think it is an untapped market. Before Carrie fell into the Rabbit hole I purchased a few dolls of color from Karin....they are beautiful and honestly if one of them was to cast a baby and a gentle men I'd be inline to purchase! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steiconi Posted February 1, 2022 Share Posted February 1, 2022 I painted a porcelain doll with craft paint mixed with a little tacky glue to make it stick. The finish was a little too shiny, but held up well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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