Review of 18 Inch Carpatina Boy Doll Adam Including Knight Costume & Accessories

PRODUCT DETAILS

Doll Size:  18 inches, but slimmer in waist:  9" compare to the average 11" of most 18" dolls.

Company:  Carpatina

Website:  www.carpatina.com

        

Etsy Shop:  https://www.etsy.com/shop/CARPATINA?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Box Contents:  1 doll dressed in a long sleeved striped shirt, a white A-shirt under the striped shirt, white briefs, blue jeans, white socks, and black shoes.

Hair Color:  Blondish-brown.  Supposedly is a Kanekolan wig (don't know what that means).

Eyes:  Brown, fixed, has both painted and real eyelashes.

Nationality:  Caucasian--possibly half-oriental.  I don't know about the relationship fully, but he has a sister that is half-oriental...so he may be too.

Price:  It depends on where you get him, but he can start at $89.00.

Composition:  Full vinyl--supposedly made fully of environmentally materials.  Unlike other 18 inch dolls, they do not have a fabric lower torso.

Description in magazine:  Adam's handsome, determined face speaks to his fiery spirit.  Along with his sister Ana Ming and friend Carter, he travels to realms of fantasy on marvelous adventures.  There the daring, impetuous dreamer of heroics becomes a hero.  With light brown hair and hazel eyes, Adam has the classic good looks to capture the hearts in any era.  Slim-bodied with a 9" waist and made of high-quality vinyl, Adam stands 19" tall (possibly with shoes).  He has a kanekolan wig, fixed eyes, and movable arms and legs.

Movement:  Doll's head can rotate and nod.  Arms had limited movement sideways but can go back and forth.  Do not bend at elbows or wrists.  Do not twist at torsos.  Legs have limited movement to side but go back and forth.  Do not bend at knees or ankles.  Dolls can stand on their own and sit if propped by something or their hands.  Standing and sitting can be hindered by their outfits, particularly the girl dolls who have smaller feet.

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Excerpt from Carpatina Doll Magazine

On my quest to find 18 inch boy dolls, I first encountered a rather creepy looking doll named Carter.  The reviews of this doll were downright hilarious on Amazon.  People claimed it was demon possessed, that he impregnated their American Girl doll, that things flew off the shelves since he had entered their homes, and that their children had become possessed.  One man claimed he punished his children by forcing them to sleep with the doll if they were bad.  Frankly, it wasn't too hard to imagine any of this, as Carter was indeed creepy looking.

 

Excerpt from Carpatina Magazine

We discovered the doll maker and visited their web site.  Carpatina actually started out making capes and cloaks for adults as well as Renaissance costumes.  They still do this, and when you go to the website you are given a choice of exploring the doll clothes or the adult clothes.  They branched out into 18 inch doll clothes and sewing patterns for 18 inch dolls in 2002.

We were very impressed--the outfits were beautiful.  Even if some of the boy dolls were creepy, there was no doubt they were very good quality.  My mom and I decided to buy three dolls.  I chose the more benign looking (compared to Carter) Adam, and she bought Veronika and Ana Ming.  I also bought a Knight outfit and the accessories that went with it, as well as two doll stands.  Adam cost $108, the knight outfit was $44, the knight accessories were $24, and the doll stands were $14 a piece.  You get free shipping if your order is over $150, which mine certainly was.  The dolls are more expensive on the Carpatina website, but you can get free shipping if you order a certain amount.  The dolls are cheaper on the Etsy store link, but I don't know if free shipping is ever offered...and I'm not sure if the quality is the same.  The Carpatina website has a clearance tab where you can buy dolls and accessories cheaper than normal price because they have been put out of production, have a flaw like a lazy eye, or were used in photo shoots.  The Etsy store also has a tab called Liquidation that sells Clearance dolls. 

Adam in his original outfit.  He also has a white undershirt, white briefs, and white socks that you can't see.

Adam was not nearly as scary in person as he was in online pictures.  He was actually a rather pleasant doll as far as personality goes.  There are two reasons why the doll appears creepy.  The first is that he has small almond-shaped eyes.  Though he has whites in his eyes, they don't really show up because of how small the eye shape is--the color part pretty much takes up the entire space, giving him that black-eyed look so popular in possession horror stories.  Another reason why these dolls can be creepy looking is that they actually look more like adults.  Most 18 inch dolls are supposed to depict children between 9-13 years of age.  Adam certainly looks like a man more than a boy.

I actually thought he had a striking resemblance to the actor Ben Cross, who may not be as well known these days.  He played Barnabus Collins in the new Dark Shadows series.  My mom thought he looked like Kylo Ren, and I admit that he does a bit too--though his hair is the wrong color.

Actor Ben Cross as Barnabus Collins in the new Dark Shadows series, who I think Adam strongly resembles

If you are looking for a cheaper alternative to American Girl, Carpatina dolls are DEFINITELY NOT IT! In some cases, they can be more expensive.  Many doll brands are offering boy dolls, but with the exception of My Life dolls--Carpatina  is one of the few companies that offers more than one.  Aside from Carter and Adam, there is also Stephan and James William.  Of course, like most 18 inch doll companies, they make more female dolls than male counterparts.

The newest edition to Carpatina boy dolls--James William

Prince Stephan

Stephan and the girl doll Julia seem to be characters in a book that Carpatina also sells titled The Magic Moonstone by G.M. Browning.  From what I could gather, the plot is about a magic moonstone that allows the wearer to travel anyplace they desire in time.  I haven't read it, though I probably will put it on my to-read list.  From the descriptions in the magazines, I thought the other dolls were characters in the books as well.  However, when I contacted Carpatina, the woman said that the other dolls are considered relatives and friends of Stephan and Julia...but they do not appear in the book.  The book is not widely available.  As far as I know, it only is available from Carpatina and Carpatina's Etsy store.  Etsy sells a PDF version, but Carpatina sells a hard copy.

Carpatina dolls are exquisite as far as quality--even better than American Girl.  As mentioned in the product descriptions, they are slimmer than most 18" dolls, with 9" waist lines rather than the usual 11".  Though they can wear clothing of other 18" doll brands, most of their close-fitting outfits will not fit other 18" dolls.  Adam can wear Get Ready Kids sports outfits.  His loose fitting, long sleeve shirt can fit some of my other dolls, but his close-fitting jeans probably would not.  Carpatina sells clothing for their dolls, as well as clothing for regular 18" dolls like American Girl.  They also sell sewing patterns, which can make clothes for Carpatina dolls, Magic Attic dolls, Stardust Classics, and 18" dolls like American Girl.  You can buy PDF patterns from the Etsy Carpatina shop--and these seem to have more of a selection than what is sold by the company.

Sewing Patterns offered by Carpatina (hard copies)

If you don't sew, Carpatina also sells additional clothes for their dolls.  They also sell clothes for other 18" dolls like American Girl, which are part of the Girlfriends Collection.

Adam's hair was a little on the dry side, but it was nicely cut.  Many 18" boy dolls look like they got a home hair cut with dull scissors.  Adam actually looks like he went to a hair salon.  Nothing but the best for him.  You can wash their hair, but they don't recommend exposing it to heat.  They recommend wire-bristle brushes for combing.

Adam in his underclothes which he comes in but are not usually visible.

Adam looks like he has shorter legs than his torso in the picture, but this is only because I was looking down on him.  He is evenly proportioned.

He's got a cute little butt

Carpatina clothes are done in very good fabrics and are very well made.  They are breathtakingly beautiful! They recommend dry cleaning them, though they claim you can wash them in cool water with a mild soap.  It is possible the dry cleaning is due to the type of lining the clothes have.  I remember my mom talking about how people would have wedding dresses that had a washable outer fabric, but the lining was not washable...and it would shrink, bunching up the dress.  I thought it was a funny picture imagining myself going to a dry cleaners--because I personally never wear anything that can't be washed in a washing machine--and handing them a bunch of doll clothes.  That may just cross the line between being a collector and just being nuts.

You pay, though, for quality.  The cheapest outfits they have usually run $20.00.  As lovely as the clothes are, I probably won't be bothering with them.  I took Ana and Veronika out of their clothes almost immediately.  I may buy their sewing patterns and make the clothes.  I have one major beef with the clothing.  If you just display your dolls and don't change their clothes frequently, then probably my complaint is not a big deal.  However, if you are like me, and you like to play with your dolls and change their clothes...then it is a problem.

My complaint is that the clothes are not practical for undressing and dressing the dolls.  They never use VELCRO.  They use snaps, zippers, buttons, and ties.  Now, I admit that the clothes are more attractive because of it...and they are probably more authentic--but it is a nightmare dressing and undressing these dolls!  As a child of the 1980s, when all doll clothes had snaps, I said good riddance to them when VELCRO came out.  Snaps can easily tear off--and worse secure to their partner, which then makes them difficult to separate.  Some of the Renaissance clothes have you putting very tiny laces through very tiny holes and tying them together.  I am always certain I'm going to rip or tear something.

No VELCRO for this dolly!

THIS WAS A NIGHTMARE!

I was disappointed at first in the knight costume I bought.  The knight costume costs $44.00.  It comes with a hood, top, pants, tunic with a bird applique, belt, and boots.  The material was flimsy, though that doesn't necessary mean it was cheap.  The inside lining was rather annoying--similar to like a panty-hose fabric.  The tunic has snaps on one side.  I found the outfit rather difficult to put on, and I was worried I was going to destroy it.  The tunic is actually pretty sturdy, but the silvery, tinsel-like fabric is very fragile.  The boots are a felt, and yes...I had to lace them up.

The knight costume costs $44.00 and comes with:  long sleeve top, pants, tunic, belt, hood, and boots.

For an additional $24.00, you can buy the accessories for the knight costume that includes a shield, sword, and scabbard.  The scabbard can hook onto the belt.  The shield and sword are made of polymer clay, and they only recommend it for display as they are easily broken.  Adam didn't hold the sword well.  The shield has two straps, one that loops around his shoulder and the other that loops around his hand.  The hand loop broke immediately.  It was super cool--and it did much to make Adam look a little less menacing.

Sold separately from the knight costume for $24.00, you get a shield, sword, and scabbard.

Carpatina sells many accessories for their dolls, including backdrops and jewelry.

Despite my complaints about the dolls, they have become my favorite doll brand.  Tonight I just bought twin Indian (from India, not Native American) dolls that were on the Clearance shelf because they had chimera eyes (one eye was a different color from the other).  I try to be good and not splurge, but just how many dolls are chimeras?

Stay tuned! I intend to do reviews on all my Carpatina dolls...as well as other dolls I have since acquired.  I'm quite backlogged!

Here is my YouTube video review--part 1:

I had a lot to say--here is part 2: