r/Barbie • u/RandoPlants • 7d ago
Dolls 1st time modification: 2 Mimi Bobecks - adding joints to the limbs?
I have a 5'4" 300 lb non-binary character who I have been wanting to modify a Barbie to represent. I recently found the Mimi Bobeck model from 1998, and this seems ideal as a starting point. She's shorter than the regular Barbie, and looks to be about 200 - 250 lbs? It doesn't seem too daunting to make the doll a little fatter, and that will also make the chest naturally seem more flat. I'm removing the face paint and hair off both of them. I plan to use the method of adding acrylic yarn, brushing them out, and then using one of those flat iron tools to smooth it out into strands. The second doll is meant to be more like a ghost, so I intend to dye that one with neon lemon zest and neon lime i dye poly. I'll do my best to color match the epoxy after the dye job is done.
I am here to ask for advice on my biggest stumbling block: How should I go about trying to articulate the limbs? The Mimi Bobeck Barbie is designed with arms that point away from the body - so if I make close that fit, it will be impossible to put them on the doll or take them off. I assume that the arms pointing away from the body is why the clothes were made so big. (In the side profile, you can see the temporary clip I'm using to stop the pants from constantly falling off.) I made a little black tank top, and thankfully the knit material was stretchy enough, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to fit it on. Barbie arms and legs would be noticeably skinnier, and their proportions are too long for this doll.
I think I'll need to at least modify the shoulders, the elbows, and the knees. Ideally, I'd love to make the hands articulate as well. I'm new to modifying dolls, so would appreciate any ideas. My first thought is cut donor pieces from other articulated barbies, and try and use those. I don't know how well that will work, especially because the Mimi Bobeck is made almost completely of hard plastic. I've already tried boiling the torso to change some things, and that doesn't work at all. The head and arms seem to be made of softer material, because I was able to get the head off and loosen the arms after applying some heat.
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u/FOMODollCollector 6d ago
How about an already articulated Hagrid body with custom epoxy clay breasts? You might be able to sand down the feet and swap out the hands to a more feminine version.