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Doll Shoes ! Even if you're not into amassing a huge
pile of designer footwear for yourself, you may find that you're obsessing over your dolls' shoes ! Especially if you find
unusual nude dolls that need shoes...but you either can't or won't pay doll shop prices, or aren't sure that $8. pair of miniature
sneakers will fit your doll.
Here's a few things I've found for your more rare dolls - readily available shoes that
fit your not as readily available doll ! Feel free to add your information to the pile - I'll make sure you get credit for
it !
We'll also get into making our own shoes that are darn near guaranteed to fit. It's not as difficult as you might
think !
Now then, on with the 'who fits what' !
(*) The vintage 1978 11.5" Kenner Princess Leia doll
has flat feet that won't even come close to fitting Barbie shoes. She does, however, fit Ken's shoes great ! While Ken doesn't
have the girliest of shoes out there, Leia can easily wear his sandals, sneakers, and loafers - and it's easy to trim plastic
and vinyl...so you may end up cutting up a set of loafers to make some lovely flats ! She can also wear most Ken clothes.
She can also fit Dusty clothes and shoes - it's basically the same body, Leia just didn't get all the gimmicks Dusty
did - but it's far easier to find Ken shoes, as most of Dusty's are sneakers and tennis shoes.
The male dolls of the same vintage - Han and Luke - don't fit the Ken shoes well. It ends up being a cram-fest. The
Dollar Tree GI Joe dolls I bought for clothes had boots that fit.
(*) I've recently become the proud owner of a Susie
doll, from R & D Collectables. Her ankles bend, but her feet don't fit a lot of Barbie shoes. Babs shoes tend to
have angles that Susie's flat feet don't. She fits flat vintage Skipper shoes fine, but beware - those often split.
I recently found some great Fashion Fever shoes that work beautifully for her. If the 'foot
bed' on the shoe is flat, the FF shoes will work, even if it's at an angle. The ankle tie ones - they come in numerous
colors in various sets - are a good example. Mine can even stand unassisted in them.
(*) Shrek Princesses came out in 2007. MGA also makes other non-trademarked (i.e., not Disney)
fairy tale princesses that probably have the same legs and feet. They wear Ken shoes - her foot is flat and a bit thick -
fairly well. Even the sandals work, if you push the doll's foot forward, which leaves space in the back. Barbie 'gymnast'
shoes are too narrow and short.
Surprisingly, Jem and Princess Leia can wear my 'Princess Fiona' doll's green shoes. They just
look a bit awkward on them - the heel's too tall for Leia, and too short for Jem. For a seated doll, though, it'd look OK.
(*) Beautiful
Crissy also has a few options. She can easily wear Scholastic's 'Babysitter's Club' doll shoes and clothes. Just keep in mind,
when you're bidding on auctions, that there are two lines of BSC dolls - one is Crissy sized, and one is Barbie sized. For
clothes and shoes for Crissy, you definitely want the larger dolls !
She can also wear shoes from Playmates' 'Interactive
Belle' and 'Interactive Cinderella'. The shoes are a bit big, but a small bit of tissue or a cotton ball in the toes helps.
Their clothes also fit Crissy, but won't close over her hair knob.
(*) Baby Crissy and My Size Barbie have
something really great in common. They can wear real kids' shoes ! Baby Crissy wears about a 9 months - 1 year shoe size,
but that varies greatly. If you don't want to take your doll into the store, you may want to trace her feet on thick cardboard,
cut out, and store in a purse or pocket. That way, you can slip the foot-shape into the shoe, and if it fits, the shoe should.
Baby Crissy does, however, have thick ankles, so make sure any strappy shoes have really looong straps.
My Size Barbie has a five-inch long foot. This often equates to a todder size four or five, sometimes six. Yet I have a
pair of foam sandals that fit my two MSBs great - and they're labelled '18 mos.'. Her foot is also a bit more narrow than
a real child's. Again, you may want to do the cardboard foot, just to make sure.
I have several shoes I bought for both doll types at yard sales that are too big. A little tissue paper can help fill out
the shoe - and don't forget socks !
(*) Baby Face, Timey Tell, and Hi, Dottie all have
something in common, too. They're very lucky - because they can wear most American Girl - clone shoes ! They're a bit long
- the dolls have about a 2.25" foot, and AG Clone shoes tend to fit a 2.5" foot - but the width has been spot-on. Even the
ones with straps have fit over the BF thick ankles.
Open-toe sandals tend to not look right, as the toes are too far
back, but most closed toe shoes look fine a bit big. I have numerous second-hand 'My Generation' shoes and clothes that originated
at Target, and even some of the MG clothes fit Timey and Dottie. Skirts and pants, though, are too long and will need to be
altered.
(*) Irwin 'Sailor Moon' dolls and Matchbox's Lisa Hayes 'Robotech' doll can fit the flat-foot 'Gymnast'
Barbie body shoes, but these are getting harder to find. They also fit the 'Teen Skipper' shoes, but those are also drying
up. Some of the larger Barbie sneakers can fit, too.
Beware, though - Mattel makes some Barbie sneakers with an inside
shape that fits the high-heel foot, and those won't work with the Sailor Soldiers. You want the hollow, empty inside sneakers,
and the squishy-textured ones are the easiest to put on.
The male dolls of both lines - Tuxedo Mask and Rick Hunter
- can wear standard Ken shoes, even if they are quite large on Tux-Boy ! Same goes for Ken clothes. I'll soon know if the
same goes for Ken patterns !
(*) The Kim Possible fashion doll (the one with brushable hair) can also fit the
Barbie 'Gymnast' and 'Teen Skipper' shoes. I understand she can also fit some Bratz clothes, but can't verify that - I just
have Kim !
(*)I've yet to find an identifiable shoe that fits the Disney Princess 'Before Once Upon A Time'
( toddler ) dolls. Found a few pairs at yard sales, but I have no idea what doll they originally went to.
I did, however,
find car air fresheners shaped like thick-soled vinyl sneakers...and those fit ! It's a bit of a squeeze, but for 99c, I bought
both the red and black set ! Scent's nearly gone now, thank Everything. Goes to show, you can find doll shoes in the oddest
places - even in the automotive section of Big Lots !
So, in conclusion, you can find doll shoes to fit your
most unique dolls. You may have to be creative about it, and check out second-hand sources, but it's possible. Check dolls
at places like Dollar General, Family Dollar, or Dollar Tree - for $5., you might find shoes and a dress to fit your doll
on another inexpensive doll !
Coming soon - directions to make simple shoes for any or all of your dolls !
But for now, keep those cardboard feet handy, or make sure there's a ruler or tape measure when you go looking for treasures.
I keep a database of doll foot and waist/shoulder/height measurements in part of my dayplanner. You never know what you'll
find - or when !
Good luck ! And feel free to add to the doll shoe database here - e-mail me at elphiejaye@sbcglobal.net
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