How to String Little MIss Dollikin

If you follow my Instagram you know I got a bunch of Dollikin dolls recently. These came in all different sourcing lots; it's funny how that happens! Every once in a while you find the same things over and over. In this case I found Dollikin dolls, but in all different sizes. Now I have every size except the ultra-rare "Squirt", as collectors call the 15 inch size.  The doll shown here is Little Miss Dollikin, who was also sold as "Tricky Micky" or possibly "Tricki Micki" by Woolworth's. I haven't been able to find any in the original package to see the correct spelling. You can tell the difference because the Dollikin dolls have a layered bob and the Tricky doll have very long straight hair. In the 1980s the doll became a "breakdancing" doll and sported a Princess Leia space buns hairstyle. All these dolls are a petite 6.5 inches tall, and like their 19 inch siblings they have complicated stringing. The 11.5 inch Miss Dollikin has pretty easy, straightforward stringing, so I don't think she will need a kit or tutorial but I could see it would be beneficial for the little one. I made some kits for her a few weeks ago but got behind on writing the blog. Blogger has been a total mess lately, just barely working at all, and I've had some trouble with Weebly as well. I decided to try to post here on Weebly and cross my fingers. My kits come with printed color instruction sheets. You can buy them from my eBay and Etsy shops (link from the Home page).

Little Miss Dollikin uses a ferrule or crimp sleeve to hold the string in place. The head is vinyl and just pops on the neck. If your doll has the ferrule you might be able to re-use it, which I recommend because the tiny ferrules are no longer made, as far as I can find. 

Bring the elastic through the neck and pull it out the arm hole.

Loop the elastic through the arm hook. Then pull it back into the arm hole. Draw it down through the body, so you are connecting the upper and lower torso pieces. Draw it out the leg hole on the same side as the arm you already strung. Loop the elastic through the leg ring (there are no original leg hooks used on these dolls). Draw the elastic back into the leg hole.

Draw the elastic through to the opposite leg hole. Thread on the second leg. Bring the elastic back into the leg hole. Draw  it up through the upper torso and out the arm hole. Thread on the second arm.

When the second arm is attached, draw the elastic through the neck. A curved or tapestry needle is helpful for this. I didn't have a needle with a large enough eye, so I sewed a piece of thread to the elastic and used it as a come along to pull the elastic up through the neck.

When the elastic was pulled through the neck I cut off the thread.

Re-shape the original ferrule if you have one to open it back up. Thread both ends of the elastic sticking out of the neck through the ferrule. My kits come with replacement ferrules. You could also use a bead or something to secure the elastic. Just make sure the head will fit over whatever you use as an anchor.

Knot the elastic. If you are using my kit you will need to ties a double or triple knot because the ferrule is larger than the original. You can also tie the elastic to the ferrule and knot it. You just need an anchor to keep the tension tight and prevent it from falling down into the neck.

Crimp the ferrule on the elastic with pliers, wire crimpers, or a multi-use electrical tool, found in the wiring section of the hardware store. The ferrule should be too small for the elastic to slide downward.

The ferrule is tight enough when it holds the elastic tight and the doll can pose without feeling floppy.

When the doll is properly strung it can hold many lifelike poses. Pop the head back on the neck and you're done!

My Little Miss Dollikin kit includes elastic cord and four hooks, in case you want to use hooks on the legs, one ferrule, and printed instructions. You could use the kit for other small dolls, like 4 to 6 inch dolls, as well. I couldn't find hooks small enough so I make them by hand! They are tarnish-resistant silver-plated copper. Each kit is handmade in the USA by me. I also sell kits for the 19 inch Dollikin dolls as well as general doll stringing kits.

I just love Dollikin dolls! They are like artist's mannequins. I can't believe I never saw the breakdancing one! I would have loved her back in the day. These are really rare, though, as you will see if you try to purchase one. I don't think Uneeda produced many. We also didn't have a Woolworth's in my hometown. We had a local general store called Barr's that was like heaven on Earth! You could buy everything from pets to craft supplies to oil paintings and they had an old-fashioned candy counter as well. The entire basement was given over to children's clothes and toys and I was hardly aware of the existence of anything not sold at Barr's. The Little Miss Dollikins can share clothes and shoes with Dawn dolls, who I also never heard of as a child. It's too bad because I loved miniature dolls and my dollhouse and I would have played and played with these.

Besides my blogging issues  I have had a bunch of problems with my hands recently. A few months back I was re-rooting a doll's hair so I could show it in my upcoming Art Dolls book and I injured my hand so bad my thumb was numb for a few months. It was like it was asleep. It made me very clumsy and prone to dropping things and it was very difficult to type. We were rushing to build a pergola and finish a patio at our tiny cabin so we could have a party there for our son's college graduation so I was doing construction on the weekends. I'm sure that contributed to the long recovery time. Then yesterday I took our dogs to the vet and Loki the huskimo had a panic attack and basically climbed up my body, scratching me all up and injuring my wrist. Thankfully it's better today!

We are back to crazy normal life around here, so we are finishing up soccer for one kid and starting swim team for another. We moved our oldest home while he searches for a job (his major is biology with a concentration in cellular biology and his minor is chemistry. He has years of management and clinical trial experience, if you know anyone hiring!). So all this has been taking up my time as well. I really hope to get my book finished soon. I've had the manuscript done for some time and just need to get the design completed.

My Memorial Day Sale is running through Monday on eBay, Etsy, and Depop. You can link to all my shops from the Home page.