I’m starting the New Year with some dolly clean-up projects…

Recently I found some doll shoes wrapped up in a plastic bag full of various toys (including dollar store trinkets and Happy Meal gadget toys), and I bought it for $2.50 at the Goodwill, just because it had the two pairs of shoes, which were a heck of a find! — A pair of turquoise blue plastic sandals for Wellie Wishers and a pair of purple flats for my big 18 inch Fancy Nancy doll.

Among the trinkets and Happy Meal toys was this sweet little cutie pie! But who is she? I’m stumped! So I thought I’d reach out to all of you, my followers, friends, and fellow doll enthusiasts, to see if anyone can shed some light on this little teeny tiny doll.

First, let’s take some quick measurements.

The pink cutting mat (figure 1 above) uses the imperial method to show that our little doll is just a hair over two inches tall. The blue cutting mat (figure 2 above) shows that she’s a little over 5 centimeters tall.

Do you see that white chalky stuff in her hair? She was covered in that gunk when I first got her, which is why I didn’t notice her in the bag with the trinkets and gadgets. It looked like someone had dipped her in frosting and let it harden overnight. Yech!

But I’ve scrubbed her down with a toothbrush and some Dawn dish detergent, and we’re making progress. It didn’t quite get rid of all the white “doll dandruff” in the cracks of her hair, though, so of course I decided it was time to (as my daughters used to say) “pickle a Barbie.”

I dunked her in a little teacup that had some vinegar in it and left her there for a few hours. She wanted to float on top of the vinegar, so I taped her feet to the teacup. The poor little thing! (She must have been terrified.)

I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that she can swim, since she’s clearly wearing mermaid-like clothing.

And this clothing may be a clue as to who she is. I was expecting to see “Disney” on her, but instead, I found markings around her neck that say, “Copyright 2021, MGM China” and something starting with a letter C.

I took a dozen pictures, but I couldn’t get that final word to appear in the photos, no matter how I turned her head (and her head does turn, by the way, with a sort of swivel effect). I used my camera’s macro settings, but every time I took a shot of that corner of her head, it focused on something else — my thumb, her little leg, or the cutting mat behind her. UGH!

Now that I’m typing this, I can see that the text says, “MGA” not “MGM” so yeah, this lovely little lady is keeping her name and her maker as secret as possible! (Those letters are microscopic!)

Once I figure out who she is, I’d love to make her a little dress. I got these two vintage fabric squares from my mother-in-law, who is a quilter, but I wasn’t sure what I was going to make these tiny swatches into.

Now I have a sweet little dollie who clearly needs some clothes, and I think those tiny squares of white fabric with itty bitty flowers on them are going to be perfect for making her something.

But in order to post the patterns I create here on ChellyWood.com, I’ll need to be able to name my new friend. Does anyone recognize her? If so, please leave a comment identifying her (or offering any tips that might help me identify her). Thank you!

If you enjoyed this blog post, and you’d like to see my videos, you might want to navigate over to my YouTube channel, ChellyWood1 to look through my playlists.

If you would like to make a donation to this free doll clothes pattern website, please click here. There’s also a “Donate” button in the main menu.

For anyone who would like to expand their dolls’ wardrobes, you should really check out my “How to Alter Doll Clothes Patterns” course and my “Design Your Own Doll Pants Patterns from Scratch” classes on the Creative Spark online learning platform. Here’s my bio page on their website, where you can learn more.

For any class on Creative Spark, you don’t have to follow a schedule. Just sign up when you’re ready.

It’s a one-time fee for the course, and there’s no specific time limit to finish your course. You can just take your time and learn at the pace that suits you. So go check out my paid courses on Creative Spark, using this link.

As always, feel free to pin, like, or tweet about my free patterns and tutorials.

To read more about my free sewing patterns and tutorials, please visit the “Helpful Tips” page.

Disclaimer/Credit/Affiliate Marketing Link:

*Please note: when you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include Amazon, JoAnn Fabric, Etsy, and the eBay Partner Network. As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. To learn more about how my website uses affiliate marketing, please visit the website’s Privacy Policy page.

Chelly Wood and the ChellyWood.com website are not affiliated with any of the doll or toy companies mentioned in this blog post, but Chelly enjoys designing her doll clothes to fit a variety of dolls. To learn more about the doll companies mentioned in today’s post, please visit the doll or toy company’s website.