Doll Head Swapping! Tips, Tricks, and Skin Tone Matches
Apr 11, 2021 14:37:40 GMT -6
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Post by respositob on Apr 11, 2021 14:37:40 GMT -6
Thought this might be a neat thread: a place for us to share our tips for head swapping dolls. I think this could also be a great place to share dolls that have skin tones that match Made to Move Barbies. I know I used to struggle trying to find the perfect match for certain dolls, especially going off pictures online, so I figured that this might help others looking to head swap.
I've learned a few things in my head swapping adventures (I've successfully swapped over 20 dolls). First of all, always always ALWAYS heat up your doll's head before attempting to remove it. I didn't do this at first, and I can't tell you how much easier and less nerve-racking swapping has become. There are certain doll brand whose heads are made of a harder plastic and it's practically impossible to get their head off without breaking the neck peg. For example, dolls from the Disney Store. Their heads have no give at all, and even once they're put in hot water it takes forever for it to soften.
Speaking of hot water, that is definitely my preferred method for heating up doll heads. I've honestly never tried the blow-dryer method, but I've heard so many stories about people accidentally burning their dolls' hair that I don't think it's worth the risk. What I do is get a medium-sized microwave safe bowl and fill it about 3/4 of the way with warm tap water. I then heat up the water to just below boiling point in the microwave. For me this takes about 4 to 4.5 minutes, but since everyone's microwaves and bowls are different, you're probably going to have to adjust that a bit. As soon as I take the bowl from the microwave (use oven mitts!) I put it down on a towel and immediately dunk my dolls in. I let the dolls soak for a minute or two, then I pull them out and squeeze the heads to see if they're soft enough. Only when I'm sure that the head is soft do I remove it. Ideally, the head will get so soft that it comes right off without any issues.
If you don't want to get your dolls hair wet, I recommend putting a Ziploc bag over their head. Another thing I've learned is that the hot water will make the rubber bands in the doll's hair snap. That's where the plastic bag trick really comes in handy, but I still wouldn't let those dolls stay in too long. Also, certain synthetic hair types (especially Kanekalon) will go straight in hot water, so I'd be careful with curly haired dolls, too.
Anyway, here is a list of some Disney dolls and their MTM skin tone matches, or at least the ones I can confirm on with my own dolls. I'm not going to list matches for Fashionistas here because someone on Flickr has already created several visual charts doing the same thing. I put them in a Flickr gallery so they're all in one place. Here's the LINK.
Disney Store Dolls
MTM Purple Top
Snow White
Ariel
Asian BMR1959 with the neon motocross dress and jacket
Mulan
Charlotte La Bouff
MTM Baseball Player (and others with the same skin tone)
Cinderella
Aurora
Belle
Rapunzel
Merida
Megara
MTM Dark-skinned Soccer Player and MTM with Floral Pants and Updo
Jasmine (older versions)
MTM Yellow Top
Jasmine (newer versions)
Esmeralda
I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has to offer in terms of head swapping tips!
I've learned a few things in my head swapping adventures (I've successfully swapped over 20 dolls). First of all, always always ALWAYS heat up your doll's head before attempting to remove it. I didn't do this at first, and I can't tell you how much easier and less nerve-racking swapping has become. There are certain doll brand whose heads are made of a harder plastic and it's practically impossible to get their head off without breaking the neck peg. For example, dolls from the Disney Store. Their heads have no give at all, and even once they're put in hot water it takes forever for it to soften.
Speaking of hot water, that is definitely my preferred method for heating up doll heads. I've honestly never tried the blow-dryer method, but I've heard so many stories about people accidentally burning their dolls' hair that I don't think it's worth the risk. What I do is get a medium-sized microwave safe bowl and fill it about 3/4 of the way with warm tap water. I then heat up the water to just below boiling point in the microwave. For me this takes about 4 to 4.5 minutes, but since everyone's microwaves and bowls are different, you're probably going to have to adjust that a bit. As soon as I take the bowl from the microwave (use oven mitts!) I put it down on a towel and immediately dunk my dolls in. I let the dolls soak for a minute or two, then I pull them out and squeeze the heads to see if they're soft enough. Only when I'm sure that the head is soft do I remove it. Ideally, the head will get so soft that it comes right off without any issues.
If you don't want to get your dolls hair wet, I recommend putting a Ziploc bag over their head. Another thing I've learned is that the hot water will make the rubber bands in the doll's hair snap. That's where the plastic bag trick really comes in handy, but I still wouldn't let those dolls stay in too long. Also, certain synthetic hair types (especially Kanekalon) will go straight in hot water, so I'd be careful with curly haired dolls, too.
Anyway, here is a list of some Disney dolls and their MTM skin tone matches, or at least the ones I can confirm on with my own dolls. I'm not going to list matches for Fashionistas here because someone on Flickr has already created several visual charts doing the same thing. I put them in a Flickr gallery so they're all in one place. Here's the LINK.
Disney Store Dolls
MTM Purple Top
Snow White
Ariel
Asian BMR1959 with the neon motocross dress and jacket
Mulan
Charlotte La Bouff
MTM Baseball Player (and others with the same skin tone)
Cinderella
Aurora
Belle
Rapunzel
Merida
Megara
MTM Dark-skinned Soccer Player and MTM with Floral Pants and Updo
Jasmine (older versions)
MTM Yellow Top
Jasmine (newer versions)
Esmeralda
I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else has to offer in terms of head swapping tips!
