USER POST: Doll Ramblings: Kim Nguyen

Hi everyone!

 

My name is Nana (or Hwall), and you can find more info about me on my profile. I’m so happy to have found a community like Dollect, as I’ve been wanting a place to talk about my dolls for a while now. While the people in my life are indifferent to me having a doll collection, it gets a little lonely when you have no one to enthuse about the things you like… So I’ve decided to use my page as a blog where I can ramble as much as I want about the dolls I have in my collection for anyone willing to read!

 

For my very first blog/post on Dollect, I’ve decided to feature my most favorite doll in my collection: miss Kim Nguyễn!

 

As much as I love her, Kim wasn’t my first doll; my first was actually Zooey Electra (who I hope to write a blog about after I’ve fixed her up a little). It was only after I bought Zooey where I fell into the rabbit hole and began researching Rainbow/Shadow High. While on the Rainbow High wiki, I saw the name “Kim Nguyen” and I was left speechless. A Vietnamese doll! I went back to Target the next week and bought her immediately. I couldn’t NOT have my daughter in my collection!

 

^{My two daughters, Zooey and Kim.}

 

Words truly cannot describe the emotions I feel when I look at her. She’s Vietnamese, just like me! I’ve admired dolls since I was a kid, but have never seen a Vietnamese doll before. Many East Asian, some Southeast Asian inspired, never explicitly Vietnamese (I could be wrong though… maybe I never looked hard enough?). Regardless, Kim is so so special to me, and I hope Vietnamese kids can see her and feel the same joy I feel, too.

 

^{A photo I took the day I bought Kim. I didn’t know much about possible screening errors at the time, so I feel lucky to have picked up a Kim I connect with very deeply ?.}

 

Fun fact: the word kim in Vietnamese (pronounced “keem”) means needle! I’m not sure if the designers at MGA did this intentionally, but it’s such a perfect Rainbow High name for my perfect girl. Also, I’ve seen many people have trouble pronouncing her last name. Some may suggest just saying “win,” or “new-win”, but the Vietnamese “ng” sound is actually a lot easier to say than you’d think. Say the word penguin without emphasis on the “g.” It should sound like “peng-win”. Now omit the “peh” sound, and there you go! It may be easier to say “win” and call it a day, but I think taking the time to learn the pronunciation of ethnic names should never be too big of a task.

 

Impromptu Vietnamese lesson aside, here are some restyles I’ve done with her! I’m not a very fashionable person, so most of my restyles rely heavily on black and white pieces. Kim may be from Rainbow High, but I think a little bit of edge really suits her! She’s my honorary Shadow High student ?.

 

^{My first ever Kim restyle! Inspired by restyles I saw on r/RainbowHigh, I bought some Rainbow High clothes from eBay.
I had washed her hair, but didn’t know to set it correctly at the time. To hide the bald spot I made, I pulled a strand of hair across the top of her head and secured it in the back with a mini hair band.
Kim is wearing Natasha’s top (second outfit), Ainsley’s skirt (“Jewelry Completes the Look” outfit), Heather’s boots (main outfit), and her own jacket and earrings.
*Since this a blog about Kim, I’m only including the details for her outfit.}

 

^{Rewashed her hair and learned how to set it; no more bald spot! Hair looks extra shiny because I accidentally used too much Volks Treatment Mist.
Kim is wearing Natasha’s top and skirt (second outfit), Heather’s boots (main outfit), and her own earrings.}

 

Found a cute skirt on Etsy and fell in love! I have no affiliation with the owner, but I’ve made multiple purchases and I cannot recommend their shop enough.
Kim is wearing Krystal’s top (second outfit), a black pleated skirt w/ a chain and cross charm (JustincanarttStore on Etsy), Heather’s jacket and boots (main outfit), her own earrings, and a 2cm snap clip (ISewForDoll on Etsy).

 

… And that wraps up everything I have to show about my Kim! She has a permanent spot on my desk so she can keep me company, and I can spend all day posing her and brushing her hair. I could keep on going about how pretty I think she is, but I hope that my restyles speak for themselves and that perhaps you’ll find a spot in your collection for Kim, too.

 

^{What my Kim looks like currently.
Kim is wearing Krystal’s top (second outfit), a black low-rise pleated miniskirt and a low-rise waist chain (JustincanarttStore on Etsy), Heather’s jacket and boots (main outfit), her own earrings, a 2cm snap clip (ISewForDoll on Etsy), and a 1/8 in. black ribbon as a choker. 1.4 mm clear rhinestones were glued using Got2B Glued Styling Spiking Glue to imitate a nostril piercing, a vertical eyebrow piercing, and a bellybutton piercing.}

 

If you’ve made it this far, thank you so much for reading. I really do appreciate it! I have so much more to say about my dolls, and I definitely plan on writing blogs for them, too. I hope you see you in my next ramble!

 

*I apologize if the formatting is clunky: I’m relearning the very little HTML I know.

 

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All images are my own. I am not associated with any brands mentioned, but I believe it is still considered an advertisement if I mention brand names. I believe that much should still be disclosed.