Because I enjoy manipulating my dolls without fear of damaging, of the various doll mediums, I prefer vinyl. Its soft, warm, skin-like sensation and durability is favored over the cold, hard texture of porcelain or resin. With the promise of more lifelike texture of silicone-vinyl (SV) in 2004/2005, I rushed to add dolls of this new, amazing medium to my collection.
After the first doll arrived, I discovered that SV’s texture is indeed softer than vinyl. This valid claim prompted the purchase of other SV dolls. For years I enjoyed redressing them, holding them, and even tried my hand at re-rooting a couple.
I remained pleased with the dolls until recently when I noticed the gradual occurrence of furrows and indentations in the foreheads and other facial areas of several SV dolls. One or two indentations in one doll’s forehead have been followed by multiple. I recently noticed a depression in the temple area of two others and yet another has been afflicted with a permanently furrowed brow. It appears that the silicone-vinyl unevenly softens, causing very unsightly concavities.
My plan is to attempt a cure by removing the heads, using a blow dryer on a low setting to soften the areas enough for reshaping, and finally adding more stuffing to the heads before reattaching to the bodies.
This is an unfortunate occurrence that I hope no one else has experienced, but be forewarned: If you purchased dolls in 2004-2005 at the inception of silicone-vinyl’s use in doll making (most of my dolls were manufactured in China), examine your dolls to see if they too are furrowed or misshapen in any way.
I shudder to think what might happen or what has already happened to the pricier, solid silicone dolls.
