Monday, March 20, 2017

DIY Custom WellieWisher BOY Doll

My son asked for a custom WellieWishers boy doll.  He loves all of his 18' buddies, but wanted someone who could do all of the same things that the girls' WellieWishers could.  Namely, to have a boy doll that could engage in water play.  Previously he used his superhero action figures for water play, but wanted a kid doll like him.

Brandy, from Brandy's Happy Home blog, recently created a boy WellieWisher from an Ashlyn doll, and that gave me helpful directions and the confidence to try my hand at creating a boy WellieWisher for my son.

For his custom boy doll, my son chose a WellieWisher Kendall doll from Kohls.  Our own WellieWisher Kendall was very excited at the prospect of getting a brother.





We spent a fair bit of time on the Monique website looking at available wigs in size 8-9.  They had some really cute options, like the Bebe, Cotton, Dutch Boy, Frankie, and Tomo wigs.  My son chose the Johnny wig (size 8-9) in Dark Brown.


Getting the wig off of the doll was pretty easy.  A metal baby spoon really helped get the leverage needed to lift the wig cap off the doll without damaging the wig.  Once we had Kendall's wig off, we tried different placements of the Johnny wig to find the style my son liked the best.  I then followed the video tutorial by Beautifully Custom Wigs on rewigging a boy doll's wig with super glue, and that worked like a charm.  However, we recently learned that the superglue is not strong enough for water play (the wig loosened after a bath), so I will be redoing his wig with E6000.
  


Because we take our WellieWishers into water, we drilled holes for water drainage.  I used a 5/64 drill bit and put holes just behind both ears; the holes are covered by his wig.  He also has holes in the soles of his feet near his heels.

It became apparent that the doll had very feminine features, including long eyelashes, dark cheek paint and dark pink lips.  I used some 100% Acetone (after unsuccessfully trying non-acetone and partial acetone nail polish removers) and was able to easily remove or shorten most of the doll's eyelashes.  I muted the cheek paint and the lip paint with a Magic Eraser, and used acetone to change the shape of the lips.  Our boy WellieWisher, Mack, was joining our family!




We were incredibly fortunate and had a whole team of talented Etsy sellers create a custom wardrobe for Mack.  Larisa from Symbidollclothes created amazing jeans, tan corduroy pants, t-shirts and a hoodie. Julie from SewDolledUp81 created some fantastic cargo pants in khaki and camo fabric, dark chocolate brown corduroy pants, and some t-shirts and underwear.  



Amanda from FreekyChicBootique made us a custom Lawrence Taylor New York Giants jersey. Sandra from AbygailElizabeth made us the cutest spring hooded jacket in blue and green. And Laurie from JenAshleyDollDesigns made Mack a khaki hooded anorak jacket. These ladies were amazing to work with!  We found shoes on eBay from 2debsadorables, ds*dolls, and jujus5gkids.



It's been a joy to see how much my son has enjoyed having Mack as part of our family. 

17 comments:

  1. This is so nice. You really did a nice job. Mack is adorable.

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  2. Your custom boy looks wonderful! In terms of the re-wigging, I have an experience of my own that could be relevant. Maybe you've attached wigs with E-6000 no trouble, but I found an alternative that worked really well. A couple years ago I had part of my Samantha's wig detach while attempting to put on one of the AG braided headbands. When searching for what to use to reapply the wig, E-6000 wasn't recommended as highly as what I came across and ultimately used: Aleene's Gel Tacky Glue. You might find a different brand, but any gel tacky glue is the important part.

    I've used E-6000 for other projects and I can see why it could be less preferable--it can be more difficult to control, gets very sticky, and dries/gets gloppy very fast, which could be a problem if a mistake is made. I had to use what felt like a lot of glue for a section about the size of two quarters, and I was worried it would soak through the cap into the hair itself. But it didn't. To help it set, I tied the wig down with a shoelace. Some glue seeped out, but since it had a more liquid consistency I was able to wipe it off easily. E-6000 isn't as forgiving in my experience. Samantha's wig handled other headbands with no trouble once the glue was set.

    Again, if E-6000 has worked for you in the past, go for it. I found the gel tacky glue to be a safer and preferred method. I think I had a little got in Sam's hair but I was able to use water to get it out quickly--something I don't think could be accomplished with E-6000. My hands were shaking terribly and I was on edge the whole time as it's the only time I've done wig repair. -- Jen

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    1. Jen, thanks for letting me know! I haven't tried E6000 for wigs yet. This was only my second rewigging ever. For my daughter's MyTwinn I used Aleene's fast set tacky glue. Do you think the tacky glue will hold up to the water play?

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  3. Your little boy doll (Mack) is really adorable! Great job!

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  4. You did a great job with a complicated project. Madelon

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  5. You did a great job with a complicated project. Madelon

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    1. It helps so much seeing what others have done - what works, what to avoid, recommendations... This is such an incredible community because everyone seems so willing to share their ideas and projects and knowledge.

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  6. I am totally thrilled. We use Ashlyn in the tub and had to create a spot for her to tinkle out the water. I am so happy the did match bathing suits. This is a absolutely positively perfect post. Love everything you shared. You took all the fear our.

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    1. I agree, Maxine, the matching swimsuits are adorable! I just wish they ran bigger. There's no way they fit my 7 year old. The size 7 clothes (tops) barely fit my 3 year old. We bought Camille's skirt in size 7, that was a tad loose in the waist and will fit curly girly when she's four.

      I love the WW as water play companions. How cute you made it so Ashlyn could tinkle!

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  7. Replies
    1. Thanks Xyra! He's the perfect addition to our family.

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    1. Thanks! So much of the credit goes to the ladies from Etsy. Their vision and creation for Mack's wardrobe really helped bring him to life! He is all boy and as rough and tumble as my son :)

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  9. I'd have called him Ken (from Kendall) but I can see how that would be confusing since there's already a Kendall there.

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