Two Awesome Thrift Store Finds: Hearts For Hearts Consuelo and Robert Tonner Tyler Wentworth

Hello everyone!  I hop you're all having a wonderful weekend. :)  Before I get started with my "squee" post, I'd like to mention a couple of things.

First off, a HUGE apology to those of you who have emailed me in the past few weeks.  I've been horribly behind and I know there are at least 4 or 5 of you that have been waiting on responses from me.  I normally try to be right on top of my email responses, but this month it just wasn't possible.  I like to have enough time set aside to give each person who emails me a detailed answer that is informative and personal, and the time for that just wasn't there these past few weeks.  I apologize for the delay.  My goal is to get caught up this weekend.

Secondly, I have several eBay auctions up again this weekend.  There were a few things that didn't sell.  Also, the buyer for my American Girl Samantha doll was unable to go through with the transaction, so she's been relisted.  And I have another special listing...but you'll get more details about that in a minute. ;)  You can see all of my current listings HERE.

Finally, another warning:  this post will feature an undressed doll with a developed figure for the purpose of reviewing the doll's articulation.  If this is offensive to you, please skip this post.

Okay, now that that's out of the way, on to the fun stuff! :)  I have two special thrift store finds to share with you.  First is this lovely Hearts For Hearts Consuelo that my mom found:

Isn't she a cutie? :)

[Side Note Here:  I'm rather embarrassed to have to announce that the dolls are actually "Hearts For Hearts Girls", not "Hearts 4 Hearts Girls" like I've been calling them. :{  I think the web address threw me off (the website is hearts4heartsgirls.com).  Anyway, I feel quite sheepish about this error and will be referring to them correctly from now on.  I'm not going to change any of the labels on my previous posts, but I'll eventually add "Hearts For Hearts Girls" as a label as well.  Good grief.  Just goes to show you that we all have our unobservant areas.] ;)

Consuelo has a few shiny marks on her face, but other than that is in pristine condition.

Her shirt was even still attached to her skirt!  I don't think she was played with very much.

Here she is wearing a Dora outfit my mom found at Goodwill.  (I know...my mom is awesome!) ;)

The dress is a little snug in the back, but it still works, and her hair covers the Velcro.

I've always been partial to Consuelo, and my mom's not interested in adding another line of dolls to her collection, so Consuelo will be joining Nahji and Zelia and becoming part of my doll family. :D  Thanks, Mom! :)

And now for the find that completely blew me away:  a Robert Tonner doll!!  

Isn't she pretty?

I've heard a lot about the Tonner dolls, but they were a line that, like the Pullip dolls, were so far out of my price range, I figured I'd never have the chance to see one in person.

I'm not an expert on these dolls by any stretch of the imagination, so when I got home, I began researching this doll to figure out who she was.  

As far as I can tell, she is a Tyler Wentworth Standard Redhead from 1999.  She has the original body with articulated knees and straight arms, and she is wearing the Tyler Wentworth "Central Park Benefit" outfit, shoes, and nylons.  I got most of my information from the Tonner website HERE.  I was able to identify the outfit from this eBay listing.  If any of you have additional information about this doll, please feel free to leave a comment. :)  

Here's a closer look at her pretty outfit.

And an even closer look at the detail.

The jacket has double snap closure.

It is very well made and completely lined on the inside.

Even the sleeves are lined. 

Her nylons are in great shape.

She even comes with matching pumps.

Unfortunately, the base of her right pump came unattached.  Her shoes had been coming off in the store, and when it happened again at the cash register, the cashier at Goodwill, trying to be helpful, attempted to put her shoe back on and ended up pulling the base off of the shoe. :(  It's an easy fix...it just came unglued.  It was still a little disappointing, though.

Her hair is nice and smooth.

It looks like it was originally in some sort of twist style.

A view from the other side.

This Tyler Wentworth has the original body.  Aside from her articulated knees, her joints are fairly simple.  I was surprised to find how hard her vinyl was.  She felt more like a porcelain doll.  

Back view

Her arms stay straight by her side...

...can go out (this is as far as they will go)...

...and can go up.

A closer look at her hand.

 

She has identifying marks on the back of her head (I found it interesting that the date was actually under the rooted hair.  I don't know if this is typical for these dolls or if this is a unique scenario.)

She also has marks on her back.

She can sit with her legs straight...

...or with her knees bent.  I think she sits very nicely.  Her hip joints are such that she can only move her legs back and forth.  She can't do the splits or spread her legs apart.

The only thing I found slightly frustrating is that her clothes are so fitted that when she wears them, this is the closest she can come to a natural sitting position.  She's going to have a very sore back by the end of the day. ;)

She has natural, subtle face paint that is very pleasing.  I had fun capturing her face at different angles:   

I did notice that her head did not move the same way on both sides.  It seemed to be stiff on one side and overly mobile on the other side, so she may need some restringing at some point.  It's not floppy at all and still holds a pose.  

Overall, I was very pleased to find such a high quality doll for such a great price ($2.99, in case you're wondering!!).

After thinking about it for about a week, I decided that I would not keep this doll in my collection.  She's very pretty and unique, but I don't really have a place for her right now, and most places I have for her would require her to sit.  Having her sit in such an awkward position would drive me crazy, and having her sit in my room naked is also not an option. ;)  And to be perfectly honest, I'm so spoiled with my dolls with super articulation, that I have a hard time enjoying a doll with more limited poseability.

As a result, I decided to list her on eBay for someone else.  I started her at $6.99, which should cover what I paid and at least most of the eBay and Paypal fees.  So, happy bidding everyone! :)

Sometime in the next week, before she sells, I will get some pics of her next to some of my other dolls to give you an idea of the size differences.  

I have more fun posts coming up in the next few weeks, so stay tuned! :)