The toy set is coming along nicely. We’re still waiting on Noowt’s new head and all the little parts we need to finish it up. Ella got her Colt Python, and it’s resting comfortably in her holster. And happily, Sinoe is finished, and joined the group yesterday. This is her story…
Making Sinoe: The Seirene
In the book, Sinoe is described as a beautiful woman with straight, black hair and ivory skin. She’s a siren, from Greek myth, and wears a gown associated with that era. Luckily, Barbie dolls were the obvious starting point for Sinoe. Unluckily, there aren’t a lot of options with straight, black hair. It was surprising how difficult it was to track down a doll that fit the bill, and even then, she has red streaks in her “obsidian” black locks.
After many searches on Amazon and Ebay, I finally found the perfect doll from a series called Stardoms. She was the raven-haired ‘fallen angel’, and she had the right color hair, the right complexion, and the look that I always imagined for Sinoe. I found a used doll on eBay, and before long, she was on her way.
The next problem was her clothing. Sinoe’s Ancient Greek outfit was so specific, I worried that it was something that simply didn’t exist in the history of the doll. I was wrong. After a few searches, I found two outfits that worked… The Ancient Greek Goddess clothes and the Grecian princess outfit. I chose the latter, and had that it’s way.
Both the doll and the clothing arrived separately a day apart, and my daughter dressed the new Barbie with her new clothing. The result was perfect. It was Sinoe, as if she’d fallen straight out of my brain and into my hands. Pretty cool, and much easier than Noowt or Ella. Here’s the final product:
And here’s another group picture. Squelch is hanging back in the darkness, but he’s still there:
Final Thoughts…
There’s still work to be done! Noowt needs its head and abdomen tank. I have to find a Barbie with wavy red hair (harder than it sounds) and purchase the other Greek outfit to dress her in. Most difficult of all, I have to find an overweight African American doll with a white shirt, bowtie and glasses to finish the team. Thanks to structural racism and body idealism, those kids of dolls just don’t exist. That said, I’m going to find a good Mukasa if it means we have to chisel them out of a block of marble!
If you’d like to read the book that these characters are based on, you can buy it on Amazon here, or search for it at other outlets beginning March 1st. If you’d like to follow me on Twitter, my handle is @SViolaAuthor. Feel free to DM me any time.
Take care! S. Viola
S. VIOLA 