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.
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.
Your Kim is so gorgeous, and the restyle fits her so well! Very good use of contrast to accomplish an edgier yet sleek and fashionable look!
Representation like this is very important, and hopefully more vietnamese dolls from other brands like Barbie, MH, and OMG are on the horizon!
Also tysm for the Vietnamese lesson, as a white person Im often very inept at these things and I greatly appreciate the help in pronunciation ^^;
thank you so much ?!! yes, it would be so lovely to get more representation in general. brands have definitely improved over the years, but i know they can always go beyond and better!
and i appreciate your sincerity, i’m always happy to share my culture and my language ? i hope the explanation wasn’t too confusing, it’s always a bit hard to convey phonemes over text haha
So cute!! It’s so cool to see dolls of different ethnicities. Thank you for teaching us how to pronounce her name! 🙂
thank you ?!! it really is so cool to see how these dolls are capable of making a positive impact for people. and the pleasure is all mine, i hope the explanation made sense haha ?
I appreciate how this post taught me what her name meant and how to pronounce her last name! Btw the piercings you gave her are so cool, I also appreciate you told us what you used to glue them on because I was literally wondering
i appreciate you for reading ?!!! i totally forgot and left out that “kim” as a name means gold, but my brain immediately went to its literal translation as a word and thought it was such a cool coincidence!
i’m too terrified to make permanent modifications on my dolls, and i had plenty of hair gel so it made the most sense to me! you have plenty of time to reposition, and can always wash it off if you change your mind ?
Kim is such a beautiful doll! Thank you for sharing your photos with us and your thoughtful write-up. ?
she really is ? thank you so much for reading ?!
wow this is such an insightful post! thank you for sharing! loved reading all of it, really feel like it gave me a whole new look at her! ˚ ༘♡ ⋆。˚
thank you sm ?!! to me, kim tends to be glossed over in the super strong s5 lineup so i’m glad that people are able to take another look at her ?
Your Kim is beautiful and I’m so happy she made her way to your collection. Thank you for sharing your journey with her. I think Kim has such a stunning face and was a must have for me too.
thank you ?! im very biased but i definitely agree, haha. stunning is the most perfect way to describe her ?✨
I forgot to say I love how you styled your Zooey as well. She’s another favorite.