The ’90s never looked so pretty

September 16, 2018 at 6:41 pm

My main hobbies in life have always been broken up into three main categories: books, video games, and dolls. Each has built a significant portion of who I am and how I’ve come to define myself — not one being less important than the next. I’ve been lucky in that my career has brought two of them together: books (which includes my love for reading and writing) and video games. Dolls is the wonderful and ever appreciated exception among the three. Why? Because my love and passion for them are purely recreational; dolls give me a sense of peace, and they allow me to step away from the work so I can breathe a little when I have a few moments to spare during a hectic work and family day. Don’t get me wrong — I adore my job as a video game journalist and editor, but my daily roles don’t always give me the opportunity to detach from the chaos of business… Every person needs an escape, and dolls are still and forever my own.

These days, my life has brought me new responsibilities, meaning I can’t always splurge on the expensive lifestyle of Blythe dolls — at least, not like I used to. So, instead, I’ve transitioned into enjoying my Blythes in smaller ways. I no longer buy the hundred to thousand dollar dolls on a whim, and I rely on the wardrobe I spent years building rather than continue to purchase new pieces left and right. I could never get myself to complain about the dramatic shift in priorities — I love my family and the happiness they bring me way too much to even think about having less time for dolls. I’ve found the perfect way to transition into a new way of appreciating different areas of my life: I’m combining them, melding them together in a really special way.

Bridging doll generations


My soon-to-be stepdaughter, Eva, is almost six years old and we have a blast playing with toys and dolls together almost every day. Lately, she’s become really fond of Barbies, which I feel is the perfect stepping stone towards Blythe and doll collecting in general. Modern Barbies have never really struck my fancy, but I came up with a really fun alternative for myself: Barbies from my childhood, ones that I never owned, but I saw from afar. They give me a new sense of appreciation for my childhood, while offering a small taste of nostalgia. (Because nostalgia is just SO in right now, you know?)

Jason’s been working hard on building his complete Nintendo 64 collection for a few months (he’s gotten far; I’m so proud of him!), and we’ve been going around to antique stores and thrift shops in the area to scope out deals for cartridges and boxes. In the meantime, I’ve been working on my own DS collection, acquiring titles I initially passed up back in the day. Doing that has led me to discover a plethora of Barbies from the ’80s and ’90s, dolls that I owned and ones that I never had as a child. A few months ago, I came across a truly gorgeous Hawaiian Fun Skipper from 1990 that made my heart skip a beat. Her super round, anime-esque eyes reminded me a little bit of Blythe, and I adored her neon color scheme. She was initially located in a somewhat empty stall at a local antique mall, never removed from her box, and in nearly mint condition (minus the deteriorated rubber bands in her hair). After checking out the entire mall, I found that she was the only Skipper available, with the rest of the selection only offering Barbie, Ken, and other variations of the more grown-up doll line.



Stupid me. Stupid, stupid, stupid me. I actually decided not to get the Skipper when I first saw her because (as usual) I was watching how much money I spent “frivolously.” Even though the doll was a fraction of what I’d ever pay for a Blythe. And she was in excellent condition. And buying her wouldn’t have put a dent in my wallet. I regretted my decision a few days later, went back to the same stall, and found that the Skipper was indeed gone. Heartbroken, I left and told myself the loss was my own fault.

To my surprise, just yesterday (a mere two months later, heh), I found the exact Skipper doll at the same antique mall in a completely different booth area, among dozens of other ’90s era Barbies. It looked as though someone had innocently misplaced Skipper back when I first saw her, and she was back in her rightful place! I was beyond thrilled about my luck and immediately snatched her up. I also took some time to admire quite a few of the other old school Barbies while I had the chance. There was something a little magical about seeing a few of them, dolls I know that are still buried somewhere among all my other childhood toys in my mom’s basement.

A new era


I got Skipper with the intention to just have fun — I wanted to play dolls with Eva like I used to play dolls with my sisters. As usual though, the experience turned into something more. I got home and unboxed Skipper, which was the first time she’d ever been freed from her cardboard confinements for roughly 28 years. What a day! Clothes weren’t a problem whatsoever since I have hundreds of items in my Blythe collection, and I went into this fully aware that nearly all the clothes would fit the Skipper body perfectly. (In fact, I spent a lot of time years ago buying vintage Skipper clothes for my Blythes. I suppose it’s all come full circle now!) Plum’s wardrobe in particular came in handy for my new/old doll, especially with it containing so many gorgeous neon fabrics. In the end, I paired Skipper with the very last dress I bought Plum. While I’d liked it on my favorite Blythe in the world, I wasn’t in love with it on her. Purchasing it must have been fate though, because it looks absolutely stunning on Skipper.



I spent a good amount of time fixing the doll’s hair, which ended up being incredibly therapeutic. I’m used to handling saran hair on Blythes (which can often be smooth and greasy) and Eva’s Barbies’ hair — a tangled mess of modern plastic strands. It turns out that Barbie/Skipper hair used to be much better quality. It’s especially soft, shiny, and fluffy; and it maintains its shape nicely with very little primping needed. Modern day Barbies have got nothing on dolls of yesteryear, that’s for sure.



Looking at Skipper now, I’m totally thrilled about my decision to bring her home with me. She’s special in that she easily maintains her ’90s look with her makeup and bouncy hair while having the virtue of donning a newer, more unique wardrobe. On top of that, this hybrid hobby is so wonderfully in expensive compared to Blythe collecting, and I love the fact that I can actually hunt down dolls in brick and mortar stores over relying on the internet. I’m very much looking forward to this new hobby, and I’m even more excited to share all of this with Eva.


Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has won my heart

April 20, 2018 at 1:39 pm

Creating worlds and characters has always been a passion of mine. From Gaia Online, to Guild Wars, to Maple Story, I’ve had an affinity for becoming completely immersed in the act of building original and personal pieces of online content for over two decades. If all the sections of time I spent designing were grouped together into one massive, tangible chunk, people looking in on my projects would have years upon years of of my life to watch. After viewing all those memories, I think they’d have a pretty solid gist of how my mind operates — the intricacies of how I’m continuously crafting ideas, even when I’m on the brink of sleep, or even fully submerged in dreamland. I simply can’t stop making pretty things, and that’s something about me that will never change.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, Nintendo’s newest foray into the world of mobile gaming, is the latest and greatest obsession I’ve poured my time into. What started off as a basic, simplified version of the Animal Crossing series back in November of last year has grown into a much more massive offering from my favorite gaming company. I knew Nintendo wouldn’t disappoint, and with every little and big update that’s added to the game, I become more convinced that this installment is something really special — just a hint of what’s to come when Animal Crossing finally makes its way to Switch.

 
Featuring: Sugarby’s Tea and Pastry Party


Until that happy day arrives…

I’d like to introduce you to Sugarby’s Tea and Pastry Party, the little world I’ve created in Pocket Camp. Just like all the previous games and sites I’ve fallen hard for in the past, this one is giving me that extra something I can look forward to when I wake up in the morning. Even when the game was in its infancy, I had the best time crafting and collecting furniture and clothing items to make my character and campgrounds perfect in my eyes. Now that Pocket Camp has grown (and it’ll continue to grow even more from here on out), I’m finding myself even more engrossed with everything it has to offer. As much as I cared for the animals within the world in the past, getting to know them all over again through a world that’s continuously evolving has given me the opportunity to really appreciate them on a different level. Animals I’d never looked twice at before, like Lily and Bluebear, are suddenly favorites of mine. With the ability to customize the clothes they wear now, I find myself attached to them because, well, they’re friends of my character, Sugarby.

Like with all the other games in the Animal Crossing series, my adventure here isn’t one I’ve traveled through alone. My mom (Snowberry) and sister (Goblin) are also dedicating generous amounts of time towards designing their campsites and collecting items while helping animals acquire just about every fruit, fish, and bug their heart desires. And while we’re all absorbed in our own, separate worlds we’re still connected to each other — through texting screenshots, visiting each others’ camps to buy items from market boxes, and to (of course) give daily kudos. A new update means we’re on the phone talking about what we’re excited about the most, or we’re sitting around my mom’s kitchen table laughing over some of the little pranks we pull on each other during events in-game. For me, Pocket Camp isn’t Pocket Camp without the connection I have with my mom and sister — or my friends, who I also have fun with in the game.


Featuring: Sugarby (left) and Goblin (right)


I’m still amazed at how quickly the game is expanding. Even on the days that don’t include updates, I keep myself busy in the game by spending my free time experimenting with design. With so many dessert and cute items readily available, I have a huge number of items to pick from when it comes to designing my campsite and my camper’s interior. As always, the process I use to decorate is… very particular, to put it lightly. In fact, as much as I love the process, I also feel like it can be somewhat of a weakness for me, as I become completely consumed in making sure every detail of every corner is absolutely perfect. Until that’s accomplished, this terribly unsettled feeling fills up inside me — all because of that notion of imperfection. To counteract that, however, is the satisfaction that washes over me once I see that what I’ve been working on is the way I’d envisioned it.

The most recent examples of this can be easily seen in both the capture of my campsite above and the screenshot of my camper’s interior below. My overall theme across pretty much all games is sugar, spice, and everything nice — with a pinch of tea and prettiness. That’s how Sugarby’s Tea and Pastry Party came to fruition throughout my campsite. As for my camper though, that’s where I decided to deviate with the theme a bit, while still keeping the design itself strong. I’ve been aching to incorporate all the gorgeous flower items into my overall theme more, and I found I was able to do that through my camper. The grounds display an array of bakery goods in the style of a cafĂ©/dessert theme park, and the camper’s dedicated to Sugarby’s Tea Garden Sanctuary. The exterior is where animals can socialize and find a second home, and the interior is for Sugarby to find her inner peace through prettiness… and fragrance.


Featuring: Sugarby’s Tea Garden Sanctuary


I love incorporating certain lamps into my layouts, as they provide a sense of warmth, especially at night when those cool tones are added to the screen. For this particular scene my focus was the paper lanterns, and after they were in place I filled in areas with flowers and greenery. While the same sentiment was kept in mind for my campgrounds, I ended up sprinkling in the lamps after all the sweet items were in place — with the warm lights offered through the pastry-shop cake cases, I didn’t have as much of a need for light coming from other sources. Just like in real life when it comes to basic living and photography, the perfect lighting in a room or space means everything!

Ideally, I’d like to keep up with my Pocket Camp progress more regularly through blog posts, but I can’t say for sure that will happen with how busy my work and personal schedules are at the moment. At the very least, I’ll try to pop in with some updated screenshots every now and then. And if all else fails, I’ll continue to share progress with Sugarby’s camp on my Happily Candied Twitter account!


Make way, folks, Retsuko has entered the building

February 10, 2017 at 5:34 pm

Heart Day is almost upon us and the celebrations have already started at the Happily Candied headquarters! The funny thing is that I’m honestly not that into celebrating the holiday. The general concept is nice, but I also think the whole thing is a bit overhyped. That’s why I keep celebrations simple, and I don’t even celebrate Valentine’s Day every year. This time, however, I was feeling creative with gift giving and decided I needed to extend happy-love feelings over to Jen, my long-lost twin. We might not be related by blood, but we’re the same person in heart, mind and soul.



Jen’s gift was a two-part package, the first of which was edible (cookies!), and the second being the main topic of discussion: Retsuko, Sanrio’s newest character. Retsuko, also known as Aggretsuko (short for Aggressive Retsuko) is a 25 year-old red panda who landed a job in the corporate world. She was just introduced to Japan early last year, and to the rest of the world months later, through an introductory video (below). A series of similar shorts about Retsuko followed by airing on TBS in Japan.

“She is a cute Red Panda, working as an office associate in the accounting department of a highly respected trading company. She works in one of the biggest metropolitan areas of Tokyo. It’s always been a dream of hers to work in this field, especially in this part of the city. But in reality, her bosses are unsympathetic and give her harsh deadlines.

She ultimately has become a pushover within the company. When she gets pushed to the limit, she goes out after work and takes out her frustration and stress with heavy metal Karaoke sessions!”
Sanrio




That rage face! I can’t get enough of her singing heavy metal. I laugh every single time I watch one of her videos.

What I love most about Retsuko (translated from Kanji to “rage child”) is that she’s incredibly expressive– and because of that, she’s also relatable to just about everyone. Even if you’ve never worked in an office environment before, her natural ability to show human feelings through very honest facial expressions and body language is something that every person understands. Westernized culture is overly prudent in many respects, causing people to quickly hide their true feelings for the most basic situations. While sad in retrospect, that’s also the reality of an American’s emotional makeup. I know I might come across as a primarily positive person– and for the most part I am– but that doesn’t mean I don’t experience moments of intense rage. There are days when I feel pure anger, sometimes for rational reasons and other times not so much. That’s what makes me human. Somehow, this red panda cartoon is able to capture that private, inner part of myself that’s difficult to show in a solid, visual form. That’s why I find Retsuko so fascinating and lovable: her honesty reflects my inner identity, even the seemingly negative parts that make up who I am, and that adds a humorous and forgiving nature to the whole package of human emotions.

Like most pairs or groups of friends, Jen and I relate on a number of levels. When I watched Sanrio’s introduction of the new character back in December, I immediately thought, “Oh my god, yes. This is me.” And I know that’s how a lot of Retsuko fans feel. I had the urge to share this new favorite character of mine with Jen, so I jumped at the chance to find the perfect plushes for us both. Kind of like those friendship necklaces teenage girls exchange and share in high school, but in plush form!


Note: I took this photo of the two plushes together right before I sent off the left one to Jen.


Because of Sanrio’s staggered release of Retsuko products over different regions, affordable items are shockingly difficult to find at the moment, especially the ones showing Retsuko’s rage face. Most of the items on eBay and Amazon are terribly overpriced. A simple stamp or small keychain, for example, are priced over $100 on Amazon. Supply and demand, I suppose… A couple products with decent price tags have been popping up every now and then on eBay though, and that’s where I’ve been able to take advantage of “deals.”

Obviously, Retsuko’s much easier to come by in Japan, and that’s where I ended up importing the two 13 inch plushes from. From what I understand, however, these particular large pieces of stuffed sweetness aren’t even available in Sanrio stores as regular items; they’re only attainable in UFO catchers (claw machines for those of you in the US). And like most Japanese UFO catchers, the quality of the two do not disappoint! They’re much better quality, and a lot more cuddly, than a lot of plushes found on actual store shelves everywhere else in the world.

What a lot of people don’t realize about Hello Kitty-centric company Sanrio is that it’s actually produced dozens of “strange” and unique characters ever since its entry into the Japanese world of marketing, most of which received quieter, low key releases. So as much as Retsuko might seem to stray from the lovable Hello Kitty norm, she actually fits right in with the bunch because of her dynamic and genuine nature.

So how did I choose which one to give Jen and which one to keep for myself? I honestly loved both plushes to death when I first saw them, and I knew Jen would feel the same way. In the end, I kept the blushy cutie for myself since her facial expression is my favorite to use among all emotes/Emojis. The happy, bashful appearance represents who I am inside and out, but that doesn’t change the fact that she has an inner rage underneath all that sweetness– and that’s what I feel like I can relate to the most. I’m human, after all, and my emotions are all over the place!