i used to drive by a 'doll hospital' in the city- it was just someone's house but they were a doll 'doctor' who fixed up dolls like what you were saying. that's actually a great idea
Goodness gracious she was in ROUGH shape!!! Those teeth... oh no. I am so glad you decided to salvage her curls. I've never attempted to use that method but you made it look so easy. You did such an amazing job restoring her!! ❤❤
It should be a criminal offense to abuse dolls! She looks so happy now! I hope you won't think I'm strange for saying this, but I've seen all of your videos, and I really think you should be (if your not already) a beautician! You have a natural talent for it! Seriously!😊 Thank you for sharing this transformation!
Nice job fixing up Mary Ellen! I like how you shared your process of learning from your own mistakes along the way. She is adorable and I love her curls. I have a thrifted Mary Ellen as well and her hair is quite dry even after washing and conditioning. I may try again and do some more curls like yours!
Just wanted to say I have really really been loving your videos I’m so happy I found your channel recently !!!💕 I’m getting a doll from fb marketplace for the first time and am excited to use this method to curl her hair. You’re an amazing content creator I can see the passion and love for these beautiful dolls!!💜💗
You’re the sweetest you deserve all the love!!!💗 p.s. i finally got my ruthie and curled with Bobby pins and her hair smells and looks AMAZING lol. 10/10 confirmed😂😂💜
we really appreciate this tutorial, we always look for a doll "in the wild" and now we feel like we can make a doll way better if we do find one!!! we (my daughter and i) have a chrissa that we did an "acne treatment" on for vinyl rot and it worked but we may need to touch up some of her blush!!! We love your channel!!!
Aww thank you so much for your super sweet comment!! I’m so glad this tutorial was helpful. It’s always so fun finding dolls in the wild there’s no better feeling than it. Thank you so much for watching and spreading love.❤️❤️❤️
I love these videos of yours. This is great! One day I hope to find a doll for cheap to fix up but it hasn’t happened yet. You give me confidence that I can do it. She turned out great!
her hair looks incredible, the steamer really seemed to help! i use conditioner when i restore doll hair, i’ve heard a lot of people recently saying you shouldn’t but i feel like it helps 🤷♀️
I absolutely loved how she has turned out almost brandnew, just a bit carefully loved, now she is a doll with history. I am happy you found her for that price, You are giving me the courage to do some face ups on AG dolls. I have found Mia, PC Molly , PC Kit and PC Samantha, quite messed up, Samantha cleaned up so easily she is in better condition now than my original PC Samantha I bought off a collector. Kit needs a faceup. Mia hair fell out and apart, I kept the wigcap but after looking several years I found finally a replacement wig. I have a very early skin tone Kirsten that was a mess for 10$, her hair was in worse condition then you find the cheap Disney Wal-Mart dolls when thrifting. She was my first AG doll, even magic eraser couldn't get her clean, I don't know what her owners used to clean her but it has taken the color out of her toes and fingers. I am thinking about carefully touching them up and sealing them, but I love her bubble eyes and all. I finally used original Gojo(the kind that has no abrasive stuff in it) and got her clean (it is what they use for composition and antique doll cleaning), I actually have just bought her her second wig, the first replacement one wasn't that good quality and kinda disintegrated. I always keep the AG wigs even if in terrible shape bagged and tagged.
Thank you so much ! I always have so much fun fixing up dolls is really is like therapy for me. I could spend time with my dolls all day dressing them up, doing their hair, cleaning them and I will never get tired 😅that’s the fun of thrifting you never know what awesome items you’ll find than you get to come home and start the clean up process im ready to go thrifting again !!
I got Juniper (renamed Maryellen) at a thrift store with Aurora (renamed Camille) and a bunch of dolls clothes and shoes all for $35! Maryellen is such a beautiful doll and I think she looks even better when her side bangs are brushed down to make full bangs!
Congratulations! Maryellen looks so much better! You did a really great job restoring her! As someone who has been rehabbing dolls for years I completely agree about how hard repairing the face paint is! Honestly I think eyebrows are my least favorite part😂 but yes seeing the doll goes from yikes to wow is an amazing feeling 😊 it's so satisfying seeing the transformation! Also, I love the way you explain things for people who might want to follow along and not really understand exactly what to do. You're very detailed and easy to follow. I'm now subscribed!
Ahhh thank you so much for your amazing comment!! This means so much 😊it really is so satisfying and rewarding at the end 😌and I’m so glad I was easy to follow I try ! I hope to keep getting better at it 🤗thank you for subscribing and being so supportive Kelsey !❤️
I just saw a video on a AG restoration and a viewer recommended using hand sanitizer to remove magic marker. Has anyone tried this? I had used acne cream on a doll, put her out in the hot Florida sun, within two hours the spot was gone! The vinyl was very very soft, I am glad I checked and rescued her from becoming a glob of plastic. Yikes!! You did a great job restoring Mary Ellen.
I can't believe your good fortune of finding a doll so cheap! You did an amazing job fixing her up! Are you going to keep her as a duplicate in your collection? Or changing her name or something? Soooo cute! I enjoyed seeing your process and it was helpful for inspiration for customizing
Thank you so so much🥰 I still can’t believe the price that I found her for honestly at first I was thinking of selling her but after the time spent fixing her up, I think I might just keep her as a twin in my collection. I’m glad it was helpful and inspired you best of luck if you decide to do a customization much love!❤️❤️
You did such a great job! Did washing the hair take out the frizz? I definitely am the type to flat iron the hair and then re-curl, but I do hate to lose the AG curl pattern. It’s so hard to do lips and teeth! I struggle to mix up the right color. You did so good! Maryellen looks so much happier. Are you keeping her as a twin to yours, or are you rehoming her?
Thank you thank you 💗💗!! So I wouldn’t say washing her hair completely got rid of the frizziness. What really helped was the steamer because it helps to make the hair a lot softer and to not feel so dry. I plan to actually repeat this process on her hair sometime soon maybe in like two weeks to see if that makes a difference and helps make her hair even softer. It was definitely a struggle to do the lips and teeth, but I couldn’t be happier with her she came out. Thank you so much again and honestly after all this time spent on her I plan to just keep her as a twin in my collection ❤️
Wow, what a big difference! The new Maryellen looks great! She looked pretty scary before lol. You did a great job restoring her. I purchased my Maryellen in November.
I’m wanting to restore my old Julie and I was worried about leaving her outside. I don’t have anywhere to sit her. Will it work if she sits inside or if sit her by a window?
Her scalp definitely got a little wet although it wasn’t my intention. It’s okay for their scalp to get wet just don’t let it soak in the water if that makes sense 😊a small amount of water won’t hurt !
i bought some curlers at the dollar store cause i straightened her hair but just curl her hair around the curler or bobby pins work and just boil wash her curls and it should be curly again
Lol ; I got a thrift store barbie once washed her and I COULDVE SWORE SHE CLOSED HER EYES WHEN I PUT HER UNDER THE RUNNING FAUCET WATER AND THE SIGHED FROM RELIEF. I died lol
What’re you gonna do with her now, since you have a Maryellen in your collection already? Also where on earth can I find one of those steamers you used on your dolls hair?!? 😮
for anyone who doesn’t have acne cream on hand: another thing that can be used to help get rid of marks including i think pen/sharpie marks is baking soda! i’m not sure of the exact measurements but i remember seeing a video on it when i was a kid when looking up how to get marks off and after some scrubbing with a baking soda+water sort of paste i remember it working very well! i hope this helps^^
Wow, I can’t believe you got her for $3.99! My local Goodwill had a Maryellen doll with marks on her legs, no shoes and they were charging $49.95 for it so I left her behind for that price on a damaged doll 😢 Great job on the transformation!
Wow ! That price is WILDDDD that’s inane im so sorry I hope you find a doll for such a great price and bring her to a loving home thank you for watching my video !❤️
🤩❤ She looks amazing! You did an excellent restoration! We always need new doll doctors! 🫶💗 This is also my hobby to restore 18 inch dolls, and it is so much fun to do other doll lines too! As you find or wait on other thrifted AG girlies, OG are pretty common and nice to work on to get the practice in. Plus, once you get into eye swaps and replacing wigs, your creativity will just flow! I recommend drdolldesigns for more how to videos. She’s my doll guru! 😊 The face refresh is always nerve wracking for me too! 😂 I just want them to look endearing still and not overdone…I’m sure we’ve all seen those customs that look like they have way too heavy of makeup 💄😅 Again, thank you for another great video! ❤
OMG I really want to expand my knowledge on eye swaps and replacing wigs ! Hopefully that can be some thing I do in the future and also thanks for the heads up on a new UA-cam channel. I’ll be sure to check her out.❤️and aww anytime thank you as always 🤗
PLEASE be careful with tightening the neck strings!! I was tighten Marie grace neck strings and her neck spring ended up snapping and I had to replace it with a zip tie!! Please be careful!
i used to drive by a 'doll hospital' in the city- it was just someone's house but they were a doll 'doctor' who fixed up dolls like what you were saying. that's actually a great idea
That sounds AWESOME
Goodness gracious she was in ROUGH shape!!! Those teeth... oh no. I am so glad you decided to salvage her curls. I've never attempted to use that method but you made it look so easy. You did such an amazing job restoring her!! ❤❤
She was looking SCARY😂😂thank you so much 🤩give it a try someday I love it ! Thank you again 🥰
You did a phenomenal job fixing up that poor Maryellen! She looks so pretty now 😊😊
I love fixing up dolls too, like you said, it's super satisfying! ❤
Aww thank you!!!🥰🥰🤗❤️
This is the best doll restoration I’ve ever seen
Just wanted to pop in and say thank you all who joined the live chat it was so much fun talking to you all ❤️!!!
It should be a criminal offense to abuse dolls! She looks so happy now! I hope you won't think I'm strange for saying this, but I've seen all of your videos, and I really think you should be (if your not already) a beautician! You have a natural talent for it! Seriously!😊 Thank you for sharing this transformation!
Ikr 😂and omg ! You are so nice to say this thank you so much you just made my day truly 😊💗and of course thank you for watching 🤗
Oh wow! You got her at a killer price and you did an awesome job restoring her! I love it! You are very talented. 💗
Thank you 😢💗💗💗💗
Nice job fixing up Mary Ellen! I like how you shared your process of learning from your own mistakes along the way. She is adorable and I love her curls. I have a thrifted Mary Ellen as well and her hair is quite dry even after washing and conditioning. I may try again and do some more curls like yours!
Thank you !!😊I hope you can help bring back her curls best of luck (: also it’s so cool that we both thrifted Maryellen ❤️
More of these videos and thrift trips please 🙏💗
You got it!❤️
This was wonderful! She looks amazing. I'm so impressed with her price and with what she looked like when you were done. WOW! Thanks for sharing!
Right?! Thank you so much Beth 😊I can’t believe how far she came !
Just wanted to say I have really really been loving your videos I’m so happy I found your channel recently !!!💕 I’m getting a doll from fb marketplace for the first time and am excited to use this method to curl her hair. You’re an amazing content creator I can see the passion and love for these beautiful dolls!!💜💗
Thank you so much!! Ahhh you just made me day !!😭i absolutely love this hobby and everyone here it’s just so awesome 💞
You’re the sweetest you deserve all the love!!!💗 p.s. i finally got my ruthie and curled with Bobby pins and her hair smells and looks AMAZING lol. 10/10 confirmed😂😂💜
Amazing!!❤
Thank you! 😄
You did a great job ❤and that business idea sounds great
Wow! Super great tips. I would love to revamp some of the AG's that my daughter loved so well.
Glad you enjoyed ! You should definitely give it a try it’s so fun and motivating !
Your intro reminds me of intro of my fave youtube couple "Sign Duo" , so nostalgic 🥺
I’m so late, but wowww. Incredible transformation!
Well done!! Beautiful job!!❤
Thank you so much !💕
Nicely done! I've seen dolls with way worse hair. I used fabric softener to tame the nest and it works pretty well.
Thank you so much ! And also thank you for the tip 😊
Maryellen looks great. 💕 The before and after is amazing
It really is!thank you !
we really appreciate this tutorial, we always look for a doll "in the wild" and now we feel like we can make a doll way better if we do find one!!! we (my daughter and i) have a chrissa that we did an "acne treatment" on for vinyl rot and it worked but we may need to touch up some of her blush!!! We love your channel!!!
Aww thank you so much for your super sweet comment!! I’m so glad this tutorial was helpful. It’s always so fun finding dolls in the wild there’s no better feeling than it. Thank you so much for watching and spreading love.❤️❤️❤️
Fantastic job!❤
Thank you! 😊
You did an awesome job on fixing her up! Thank you for the tips!😊
Thank you for watching!🤗
I love these videos of yours. This is great! One day I hope to find a doll for cheap to fix up but it hasn’t happened yet. You give me confidence that I can do it. She turned out great!
Awww I’m sending you thrifting luck here’s some pixie dust 🧚🏻♀️✨✨!! Hope you find one 😊I’m glad I gave you the confidence!
She looks 100% better! Good job!!!
Thank you !!🥰🥰
her hair looks incredible, the steamer really seemed to help! i use conditioner when i restore doll hair, i’ve heard a lot of people recently saying you shouldn’t but i feel like it helps 🤷♀️
I always use conditioner too!! I can’t imagine not lol 😅
I absolutely loved how she has turned out almost brandnew, just a bit carefully loved, now she is a doll with history. I am happy you found her for that price, You are giving me the courage to do some face ups on AG dolls.
I have found Mia, PC Molly , PC Kit and PC Samantha, quite messed up, Samantha cleaned up so easily she is in better condition now than my original PC Samantha I bought off a collector. Kit needs a faceup. Mia hair fell out and apart, I kept the wigcap but after looking several years I found finally a replacement wig. I have a very early skin tone Kirsten that was a mess for 10$, her hair was in worse condition then you find the cheap Disney Wal-Mart dolls when thrifting. She was my first AG doll, even magic eraser couldn't get her clean, I don't know what her owners used to clean her but it has taken the color out of her toes and fingers. I am thinking about carefully touching them up and sealing them, but I love her bubble eyes and all. I finally used original Gojo(the kind that has no abrasive stuff in it) and got her clean (it is what they use for composition and antique doll cleaning), I actually have just bought her her second wig, the first replacement one wasn't that good quality and kinda disintegrated. I always keep the AG wigs even if in terrible shape bagged and tagged.
Thank you so much ! I always have so much fun fixing up dolls is really is like therapy for me. I could spend time with my dolls all day dressing them up, doing their hair, cleaning them and I will never get tired 😅that’s the fun of thrifting you never know what awesome items you’ll find than you get to come home and start the clean up process im ready to go thrifting again !!
Very nice. Thanks for the tips!
You made a amazing restoration work, congratulations 👏☺
Thank you very much!
So awesome !!
Thank you !!
She looks gorgeous! I wish I could've been here so I could be in the live chat but I was at my grandparents.
No worries that’s okay !! Thank you so much for watching 😊
Anytime!
She looks great!
Thank you I’m so proud of her ! ❤️
Really impressive restoration!
Right? She came out much better than I even anticipated😊😊❤️
Terrific job! Definitely would send you my doll for a redo.
Aww how kind of you ! Thanks so much means a lot (:
I'm impressed!
What is the best American Girl Doll to get at a thrift store
I got Juniper (renamed Maryellen) at a thrift store with Aurora (renamed Camille) and a bunch of dolls clothes and shoes all for $35! Maryellen is such a beautiful doll and I think she looks even better when her side bangs are brushed down to make full bangs!
Omg that is AWESOME ughhh I love finding ag items at the thrift store I just get so excited!!! Thank you for sharing that 😊❤️
Here in New Zealand we can't get the magic wipes. What do you suggest. I have marks on our generation doll like mould marks on the legs and fingertips
Hi ! I use Clorox wipes when I don’t have access to a magic eraser. You can also try baking soda with hot water (: !
I would suggest a regular washcloth with baking soda.
Congratulations! Maryellen looks so much better! You did a really great job restoring her! As someone who has been rehabbing dolls for years I completely agree about how hard repairing the face paint is! Honestly I think eyebrows are my least favorite part😂 but yes seeing the doll goes from yikes to wow is an amazing feeling 😊 it's so satisfying seeing the transformation!
Also, I love the way you explain things for people who might want to follow along and not really understand exactly what to do. You're very detailed and easy to follow. I'm now subscribed!
Ahhh thank you so much for your amazing comment!! This means so much 😊it really is so satisfying and rewarding at the end 😌and I’m so glad I was easy to follow I try ! I hope to keep getting better at it 🤗thank you for subscribing and being so supportive Kelsey !❤️
wow what a transformation
I have a Kaya that I want to restore. She is my first American Girl doll and I am so nervous that I am going to mess up. You did an amazing job!
You did a great job ❤
Thank you !❤️
I just saw a video on a AG restoration and a viewer recommended using hand sanitizer to remove magic marker. Has anyone tried this? I had used acne cream on a doll, put her out in the hot Florida sun, within two hours the spot was gone! The vinyl was very very soft, I am glad I checked and rescued her from becoming a glob of plastic. Yikes!! You did a great job restoring Mary Ellen.
I’ve never tried that method I gotta try that thank you for the tip ! And thank you so much for watching 😊
I can't believe your good fortune of finding a doll so cheap! You did an amazing job fixing her up! Are you going to keep her as a duplicate in your collection? Or changing her name or something? Soooo cute!
I enjoyed seeing your process and it was helpful for inspiration for customizing
Thank you so so much🥰 I still can’t believe the price that I found her for honestly at first I was thinking of selling her but after the time spent fixing her up, I think I might just keep her as a twin in my collection. I’m glad it was helpful and inspired you best of luck if you decide to do a customization much love!❤️❤️
You did such a great job! Did washing the hair take out the frizz? I definitely am the type to flat iron the hair and then re-curl, but I do hate to lose the AG curl pattern. It’s so hard to do lips and teeth! I struggle to mix up the right color. You did so good! Maryellen looks so much happier. Are you keeping her as a twin to yours, or are you rehoming her?
Thank you thank you 💗💗!! So I wouldn’t say washing her hair completely got rid of the frizziness. What really helped was the steamer because it helps to make the hair a lot softer and to not feel so dry. I plan to actually repeat this process on her hair sometime soon maybe in like two weeks to see if that makes a difference and helps make her hair even softer. It was definitely a struggle to do the lips and teeth, but I couldn’t be happier with her she came out. Thank you so much again and honestly after all this time spent on her I plan to just keep her as a twin in my collection ❤️
@@agdollies4ever yeah! I’m glad you’re keeping her! The steamer makes sense. I haven’t tried that yet.
Wow, what a big difference! The new Maryellen looks great! She looked pretty scary before lol. You did a great job restoring her. I purchased my Maryellen in November.
@@Sandy42800 she definitely did look scary 😂😂glad I got to make her look cute again 🤗thank you so much!
I’m wanting to restore my old Julie and I was worried about leaving her outside. I don’t have anywhere to sit her. Will it work if she sits inside or if sit her by a window?
are you getting her “scalp” wet? i need to rehab my own doll and am confused about that part
Her scalp definitely got a little wet although it wasn’t my intention. It’s okay for their scalp to get wet just don’t let it soak in the water if that makes sense 😊a small amount of water won’t hurt !
I have a Mary Ellen and her curls are almost gone can I restore her curls?
I’m sure you can I believe all dolls can be restored with lots of love and TLC !
i bought some curlers at the dollar store cause i straightened her hair but just curl her hair around the curler or bobby pins work and just boil wash her curls and it should be curly again
Good job. I learned a lot.
Glad you enjoyed it!😊
You SHOULD open a doll hospital, what a great idea 😊!
Excellent job
Thank you very much!❤️
Lol ; I got a thrift store barbie once washed her and I COULDVE SWORE SHE CLOSED HER EYES WHEN I PUT HER UNDER THE RUNNING FAUCET WATER AND THE SIGHED FROM RELIEF. I died lol
LMAOOO
What’re you gonna do with her now, since you have a Maryellen in your collection already? Also where on earth can I find one of those steamers you used on your dolls hair?!? 😮
Keeping her as a twin for now at least ! And steamer is from Walmart 🤗
for anyone who doesn’t have acne cream on hand: another thing that can be used to help get rid of marks including i think pen/sharpie marks is baking soda! i’m not sure of the exact measurements but i remember seeing a video on it when i was a kid when looking up how to get marks off and after some scrubbing with a baking soda+water sort of paste i remember it working very well! i hope this helps^^
Good Job on the face paint
Thanks so much !
How can I find an American Girl Doll at a thrift store
This happened to my jade doll so I was able to fix her hair almost the same you fixed her hair.
I loved this!! I think it would be so cool if you started a doll restoration business!!!😋😋 ~Sofia
Thank you so much Sofia !!Hopefully that’s a project for me in the future😊
Wow, I can’t believe you got her for $3.99! My local Goodwill had a Maryellen doll with marks on her legs, no shoes and they were charging $49.95 for it so I left her behind for that price on a damaged doll 😢 Great job on the transformation!
Wow ! That price is WILDDDD that’s inane im so sorry I hope you find a doll for such a great price and bring her to a loving home thank you for watching my video !❤️
Nice I like dolls
Please make that video
It’s out now !
The same doll is on e-Bay right now, in about the same condition you found yours, but priced at $120.00!
🤩❤ She looks amazing! You did an excellent restoration! We always need new doll doctors! 🫶💗
This is also my hobby to restore 18 inch dolls, and it is so much fun to do other doll lines too! As you find or wait on other thrifted AG girlies, OG are pretty common and nice to work on to get the practice in. Plus, once you get into eye swaps and replacing wigs, your creativity will just flow! I recommend drdolldesigns for more how to videos. She’s my doll guru! 😊 The face refresh is always nerve wracking for me too! 😂 I just want them to look endearing still and not overdone…I’m sure we’ve all seen those customs that look like they have way too heavy of makeup 💄😅
Again, thank you for another great video! ❤
OMG I really want to expand my knowledge on eye swaps and replacing wigs ! Hopefully that can be some thing I do in the future and also thanks for the heads up on a new UA-cam channel. I’ll be sure to check her out.❤️and aww anytime thank you as always 🤗
Great job! Do you need a pearl necklace for her? I would love to send you one!
Omg🥺that is so nice of you !!!
@@agdollies4ever
Where can I mail that to you?
@@dianaflener5616message me on Instagram ! @agdollies4ever_
I have a Mary Ellen that doesn’t have curls in her hair anymore
I hope you can try one of these methods to get those pretty curls back !
PLEASE be careful with tightening the neck strings!! I was tighten Marie grace neck strings and her neck spring ended up snapping and I had to replace it with a zip tie!! Please be careful!
I’m always worried about this thank you !
@@agdollies4ever no problem! I started trying when Marie grace neck strings snapped because she was a dream doll for several years
3.99😂😂😂 that's nothing. I recently bought an original Addy American Girl doll for $2 at my local thrift store.🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Ui
You did well come
I’m a year later but I could CARE LESS!!!
Great video! And the best part was the “BAM 🫰🏼” that should be your signature move!
Thank you so much ! ❤️And you’re right !😊