Meet Nandi (Fresh Doll)
I was looking through my local Wal-Mart for an 11.5/12 inch doll with an afro. I found a Barbie with one and almost bought it until my mom looked further down the aisle and found another that was slightly more expensive (by only about one or two dollars) and was fully posable unlike the Barbie Fashionistas (as I told my mom in the car, the one I got on clearance for $3 was only worth $3 - the plastic is really hollow-feeling to me, she has a permeant pose and a faux top and pants). It was a brand called 'Fresh Dolls'. - my upcoming Fresh Dolls Wednesday Wisdom, to be released on Valentine's Day.
I mainly wanted an afro-clad doll just to experiment with hair-wise. I never really thought I'd fall in love with her, but here we are.
Nandi is a Zulu name meaning 'sweet'. I chose the name over her original name 'Mia' because I like Nandi a bit more. She goes by 'Dee Dee' from time to time, but only rarely with her best friends. Nandi is also the name of Shaka (or Chaka) Zulu's mother. Nandi is studying in college to be a nurse but in the meantime, she's a model to help pay her way through college. She's a very humble person, not like the stereotypical 'sassy, diva, all about themselves' kind of African American woman. She loves both college and modeling but hates it when people ask her when/if she'll lose the afro. Her afro is her crown as she proudly will tell anyone listening. It is her one point of constant self-confidence, even on the days where she's the most depressed.
Believe it or not, this is not my first African American doll. For my 4th birthday (which I remember clearly... for some reason), I got an African American Barbie doll for my birthday. I don't remember much about how she looked but she certainly didn't have an afro and she came with a green inflatable chair and came out in the 2000s. I was an avid lover of Bratz growing up and had a Rubbermaid bin filled with them and my Barbies. I found their interchangeable shoes to be weird but I still loved them. Jade (the slightly Asian one, I guess) was my favorite but I had the other ones as well (Sasha, Chloe are the only two names I can remember though). But this doll may be my first one with an afro.
And what is the big deal about the afro? Have you straightened yet? Have you seen how unruly they can get? Actually, no. If anything this doll is the lowest matience one I've had. Her hair tends to 'stay together' if you get my meaning. Unnoticeable unless you're looking for it frizz and practically no tangles. I love her face paint (not too out there, the orange lip paint takes some time to get used to but it is not too vivid or odd), her disability (and at a price point of $9? Drop your $7 Barbie Fashionistas doll with the bent elbow pose immediately, guys) and body (a far cry from Barbie's obvious yet never spoken of anoxeric problems, Nandi has the thighs of a goddess).
I mainly wanted an afro-clad doll just to experiment with hair-wise. I never really thought I'd fall in love with her, but here we are.
Nandi is a Zulu name meaning 'sweet'. I chose the name over her original name 'Mia' because I like Nandi a bit more. She goes by 'Dee Dee' from time to time, but only rarely with her best friends. Nandi is also the name of Shaka (or Chaka) Zulu's mother. Nandi is studying in college to be a nurse but in the meantime, she's a model to help pay her way through college. She's a very humble person, not like the stereotypical 'sassy, diva, all about themselves' kind of African American woman. She loves both college and modeling but hates it when people ask her when/if she'll lose the afro. Her afro is her crown as she proudly will tell anyone listening. It is her one point of constant self-confidence, even on the days where she's the most depressed.
Believe it or not, this is not my first African American doll. For my 4th birthday (which I remember clearly... for some reason), I got an African American Barbie doll for my birthday. I don't remember much about how she looked but she certainly didn't have an afro and she came with a green inflatable chair and came out in the 2000s. I was an avid lover of Bratz growing up and had a Rubbermaid bin filled with them and my Barbies. I found their interchangeable shoes to be weird but I still loved them. Jade (the slightly Asian one, I guess) was my favorite but I had the other ones as well (Sasha, Chloe are the only two names I can remember though). But this doll may be my first one with an afro.
And what is the big deal about the afro? Have you straightened yet? Have you seen how unruly they can get? Actually, no. If anything this doll is the lowest matience one I've had. Her hair tends to 'stay together' if you get my meaning. Unnoticeable unless you're looking for it frizz and practically no tangles. I love her face paint (not too out there, the orange lip paint takes some time to get used to but it is not too vivid or odd), her disability (and at a price point of $9? Drop your $7 Barbie Fashionistas doll with the bent elbow pose immediately, guys) and body (a far cry from Barbie's obvious yet never spoken of anoxeric problems, Nandi has the thighs of a goddess).
I'm actually quite excited to see what Fresh Dolls is going to do next. I'll definitely be keeping tabs on them and their new releases. In the meantime, I guess I just have to make clothes for her... Yep. I went from 'I don't think I'll get attached' to 'YES SHE NEEDS MORE CLOTHES, A HOUSE, A BOYFRIEND AND A MILLION DOLLARS'. I made her a little denim skirt after testing out a Barbie/Hello Kitty collaboration shirt on her to see if it would fit (it does, I just don't know if it's supposed to be a shirt or a skirt...). When I make her a pair of longer pants, Nandi will be modelling the My Melody shirt I got. (Hey, if you slap a koala or Hello Kitty on something, I'm bound to buy it). The red bow was meant for my 18 inch dolls but I thought I'd try it on Nandi and it looks so cute! I put her hair into two buns (kind of) to match Hello Kitty's two ears. I did some photo editing (not to change her body, face or hair of course, just the backgrounds) and here we are... the edits aren't *that* good, but hey, I did better than Vogue with their Hollywood issue cover...
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