'Tis the Season!

'Tis the season to be jolly or, at the very least, to try to. And nothing beats a brisk walk to your nearest downtown to take in the window displays that so easily provide a dose of escapism from life's travails. The holiday season in our capitalist world is certainly manipulative of our hearts and pocketbooks, but all cynicism aside, a beautiful window can surely take us into realms of fantasy that need not end in a purchase. Looking at the colors, the composition, the ideas, and the viewer is transported. As children, nothing was more enchanting for many of us at Dolldom. 

With such a memory as our guide, this year's holiday entry pays tribute to the window displays that have and continue to provide delight and a respite from reality's challenges. When preparing for photography, our editors selected dolls in the 1:6th scale and proceeded to design two festive sets for the dolls to show off the respective styles of their makers and, in the case of vintage dolls, time periods. From Licca-chan to Momoko, this year's holiday celebration is, first and foremost, meant to provide you, dear readers, with a message of hope and peace. When the going gets tough, dollectors can count on their dolls to provide a little solace, a little time for escape, and a more than a little joy. 

May your holidays bring you serene delights, even if fugacious. Carpe diem!

Window fabulous #1 - Joey Versaw's Doll Universe

Miss Mary, brother Miles, Hildy, Tallulah, Irma, Meadow, Lace, and of course, beloved Maxi the poodle!

Window fabulous #2 - The Dolls of Nad Sikand!

Anouk and Fanfan! 

Window Fabulous #3 - JAMIEshow Muses

In a dress by A&D Doll Atelier, Astrid is the definition of festive. 

Aiden agrees. 

Window Fabulous #4 Vintage Barbie

Barbie, Ken, Julia, and Midge exemplify the high standards of design and manufacture of the Japanese workforce and of a Mattel long gone. 

Window Fabulous #5 - Julian Kalinowski's Doll Universe. 

Lilli Lalka, versions 1 and 2, Séverine, Sylvain, and a prototype Sylvain all don their gayest apparel. 

Window fabulous #6 - Barbie Fashion Model Collection

Gorgeous dolls and fashions from a period - also now extinct - when Mattel stood for quality. 

Window fabulous #7 - The Dolls of Petworks

Momoko, Eight, and Nine, all fabulously tanned, exemplify fashion doll fun, Japanese style! Momoko wears a gown by Kosucas and Nine dons fancy plaid slacks by Cindy Marut for Sewing by Cindy. 

Final window fabulous - Takara's Licca-chan and Her Realm of Inimitable Kawaii! 

The whole gang's here to close the show: Pichi-Pichi Licca-chan (in a heirloom dress by Cindy Marut), Rie-chan, Wataru-kun, Izumi-chan, Goro-chan, and Kurumi-chan!

May you find peace this holiday season!

Pichi Pichi Licca-chan!

"おしゃれ な 行動は ぴち ぴち ぃっか" 

("Stylish behavior is cool!")

1971 was the year when Takara's Licca-chan doll became - not unlike Mattel's Barbie - a lover of sun and fun as Pichi-Pichi Licca. Suntanned and sporting a blonde side-parted, straight hair style, Pichi-Pichi Licca and her outfits brought an outdoors-oriented perspective to the world of fashion and fun that began in 1967 for Licca Kayama, her family and friends.

Pichi-Pichi Licca was offered concurrently with the main Licca-chan line and featured a neck knob design that imparted a diagonal orientation to the dolls' head movements. Although the doll's face-up design remained the same, the vinyl color and hair style created a unique persona that emphasized the outdoors with playsets for sailing, scuba diving and mountain hiking. But, as production was limited to 1971, Pichi-Pichi Licca dolls, fashions and accoutrements are considerably hard to find in the secondary market.

For this Dolldom exclusive, Pichi-Pichi Licca models one of her original dresses and a sensational wardrobe made especially for her by the ultra-talented Cindy Marut of CindysBarbieBoutique on Etsy. Marut, so incredibly generous with her talent, designed and produced a set of dresses in a saturated palette that evokes fragrances and flavors associated with tropical lands. It's a world of summertime fashion fun for Pichi-Pichi Licca!

Dolldom thanks Cindy Marut whose talent made this feature possible.

Cindy's Barbie Boutique 

Lime and guava combine in this delightful dress with lace bib by Cindy Marut. 

Orange and lemons and Gerber daisies appear in Pichi Pichi Licca's fabulous dress by Cindy Marut. 

Sometimes, it's cool to reference the greats as is the case with this tribute to YSL's Mondrian dress. Cap and dress by Cindy Marut. Vintage Malibu Skipper glasses. 

Dream sequence! A gown of tangerine sorbet and frosty tulle with printed daisies for Pichi Pichi Licca's glamour fantasy. Gown by Cindy Marut. 

The sky's the limit with this ocean blue mini with verdant lace bib. A vintage Japanese straw hat, decorated with tiny seashells, completes a look ideal for summering on Iki Island. 

Dress by Cindy Marut. 

For our final, Pichi Pichi Licca wears her original halter dress with cream lace detailing. But it is Wataru-kun who rocks a heather grey jumpsuit with faux leather finishes and felt cap by Cindy Marut.