Very few companies have created dolls from different cultures, with as much care and attention to detail as the doll I’m about to review. More often than not, collectible dolls are marketed with a standard product description, and the rest is tabula rasa — their stories are completely up to the imagination of the doll collector.
Then there’s Mia, who came immediately with a story, and a purpose.
And so begins another chapter at Plum Village Productions. If you’re new here, welcome, Dear Reader! You’ve discovered the little world of Plum Village, Fairyland — where dolls and fairies have whimsical adventures together. These stories are told through stop motion animation and miniature photography, created by a team of Dolls, Fairies, and one human named Orchid (Yours Truly 🙂 ).
The Beginning
Last year, I was vaguely aware of the Ruby Red Fashion Friends, a sister company of Ruby Red Galleria. Photos of these dolls and their handmade outfits were appearing all over doll blogs and social media. But I hadn’t yet discovered the Ten Ping and Friends series, or any other dolls from Ruby Red Galleria.
Until last month.
Within the first few seconds of browsing through the RRG website (here), I was impressed by the quality and story of each doll. These characters somehow looked so familiar, so real.
The Ten Ping and Friends dolls were created by Ruby Ho, the founder of Ruby Red Galleria, and the stories are based on her own lived experiences. Each edition of Ten Ping, with different outfit and accessory combinations, reveals a different part of her life, forming a much deeper connection with Ten Ping and the other characters.
Over the years, Ruby Red Galleria has created an ever-expanding line of dolls, including Ten Ping’s little sister, Yu Ping; her best friend, GiGi; her distant cousins, Sophie and Tung; her husband, Paul; and more recently, her little brother, Shan.
Mia is part of the Four Kindergartner series, where each doll represents a different Asian culture. There’s Miki from Japan; Jar-Lu from China; Ishara from India; and Mia from Malaysia. Subsequent Kindergartner dolls also include: Bomi from Korea; Lisa from Thailand; Erdenchimeg from Mongolia; and even a Cleopatra. The clothing and accessories appear to be very thoroughly researched, and beautifully detailed. (I believe Ten Ping and the Four Kindergartner dolls share the same sculpt, painted differently.)
This particular Mia is from a 2017 edition, with the theme “Love of life” — and a corresponding story about her kindness in saving a sea turtle’s life. (Mia’s entire story is in the product description on the Ruby Red Galleria website, here.)
I’m very grateful to have found a Mia available online… these dolls are extremely popular, and sold out everywhere. Now here she is, peeking over my shoulder, making sure everything in this review is just right. 🙂
Alright, here we go!
Box Opening
(Note: After the initial box opening with Mom and Dad, everything went back in the box for the video. I’m 90% sure this is how Mia and her items were packaged, to the best of my memory. 🙂 )
Mia came in a brown box, with an image of her product photo at the top:
In this box was another box, this time with Mia’s full product image across the front:
Both of these boxes have a certain feel to them, like opening a window to the past.
Upon lifting the lid, the first thing I noticed was a warning about dye transfer, and how to correctly store the dolls:
(The words are a little fuzzy, but the message is clear. 🙂 )
Dye transfer is one of the biggest problems for dolls over time (aside from paint fading, loose elastic, etc.). It’s something I wish other companies made doll collectors more aware of, and highlights how Ruby Red Galleria deeply cares about keeping the dolls in the best condition possible. (Note: The limited edition Ruby Red Fashion Friends also have removable wigs, but not the core line dolls. Something to keep in mind if you’re going to adopt one. 🙂 )
Next was Mia’s book, revealing the story of her and the sea turtle. The booklet quality is great, and the story itself looks to be the same as on the website. Here’s the cover:
I really, really appreciate that Mia’s wig and clothing are packaged separately, and that she wasn’t standing in them since 2017. The packaging overall is very carefully thought out:
Mia’s skirt, vest, and jacket, were wrapped together delicately:
Next was her hat, wrapped in plastic with her sandals, jewelry, and other accessories:
Her wig was wrapped separately, tucked in next to her head:
And finally Mia herself emerged, looking a little sleepy in her traveling bag:
The bag itself is very soft, and has a silken feel. It’s secured by two larger ribbons at the front, and smaller ribbons within, so Mia will be very comfortable when she travels. The bottom of the bag has a pocket-like space for her feet. There’s also extra room in the bottom corners for a change of clothing.
Mia’s face was protected by both a hairnet and a plastic face protector:
“Who are you?” 🙂
Mia was wearing her undies, and she wanted to be properly dressed before her first photo session, so she waited patiently while I unwrapped each item of clothing.
Clothing
Her skirt is beautifully detailed, and fully lined. No shortcuts whatsoever:
Mia’s vest was next. (For some reason I can’t find the photo of it… will retake and update this post. 🙂 )
The pleats on her vest are equally detailed, with a lovely choice of fabric.
And there’s more….
Her skirt and vest both have hook-and-eye closures. No velcro, no buttons, not even snaps. I’ve never, ever seen doll clothing like this before, in such tiny and detailed scale. (Will update this post with close-up photos of the sewing and design.)
Mia’s jacket has many different fabrics, trimmings, and it even closes at the front with a frog button!
The pleats look hand-stitched, in a style similar to Grandma’s sewing.
The teeniest, tiniest product tags are sewn to each clothing item. It’s truly remarkable how much work goes into each piece.
Important note: Mia’s clothes are quite tight on her. They fit eventually, and feel durable… but because of the intricate nature of each piece, I’ve decided not to frequently change her in and out of the clothes she came with. Mia’s clothing and accessories are going to be kept in a very special place, while she wears “everyday” clothes crocheted and knitted by me. 🙂
Wig
Mia’s wig was wrapped in a hairnet, and padded with tissue:
The wig is made of mohair, styled in two plaits. It’s soft, and looks realistic.
Once again, I’m impressed by her wig. It’s also lined on the inside, with several rows of stitching. This is the only wig I’ve seen that is lined, which helps immensely to prevent dye transfer:
Accessories
Her sandals feel like leather, with the Ruby Red logo engraved on the soles. There’s an elastic band at the back, which makes it much easier to slip the sandals on and off. I wish all doll shoes were like this!
Mia also came with a necklace:
And she has what appears to be an apron, though I’m not 100% sure. The product description lists everything else, except this one:
Her earrings are unique, and while she does have pierced ears, I’m going to leave these in Mia’s box for now. Don’t want to risk scratching her head trying to get these on. 🙂
Quality and structure + range of movement
At 8 inches tall, Mia is similar in height to Madame Alexander Wendy dolls. She’s incredibly versatile – a nice balance of lightweight and robust.
Mia also has 26 points of articulation, on what’s called the InMotion body. She can do very human-like things, such as touch her face, cross her arms and legs, bend backwards and side-to-side, and point her toes. For stop motion, this range of motion is truly wonderful.
These dolls are categorized as ball-jointed dolls (BJDs). I find it very interesting that the Ruby Red Galleria dolls have injection-moulded bodies, whereas the Ruby Red Fashion Friends and Siblies etc. (12 inch to 14.5 inch dolls) are made entirely of vinyl. (This info is from the My Doll Best Friend interview with Ruby Red Galleria, here.)
Speaking of unique design, her elbow and knee joints in particular are quite different than other dolls. They’re more noticeable, which I actually see as an advantage, in a world where it’s becoming harder to tell what’s real and what’s artificial.
With her outfit and wig on, it was time for Mia’s outdoor photo session. She looked deep in thought as she reclined in the garden chair. (The same chair Plum found when she arrived last summer.)
Expression
I love Mia’s neutral expression. She has the right amount of blush and lip color — not too made-up, not too subtle. Her eyebrows have a lovely feathered look, and her side profile looks great too.
She also looks very familiar, with her calm and contemplative gaze. She’s just… so relatable. Hat’s off to Ruby Ho for sculpting such a lifelike doll.
If you have a Ten Ping doll and are wondering what the difference is between the two, I think the main difference in painting is the eyebrows, and the addition of lower eyelashes for Mia. In person, Mia’s upper eyelashes are more auburn than brown, and seem to change color at different angles.
Based on this first photo session, Mia holds poses incredibly well. She’s light enough where I can make an animation rig more easily, and heavy enough to hold a pose and not move out of frame.
Conclusion
The level of thought and care that went into Mia (and all the other dolls, for that matter!) is beyond amazing. I hope Ruby Red Galleria continues to expand their doll line, because from the very beginning it’s clear that customers aren’t just buying a product. There’s the craftsmanship, the story, the entirety of what each doll represents.
Is she worth the price? Absolutely.
Will more dolls be joining the family? Without a doubt, yes.
Welcome, Mia. Here’s to many, many wonderful adventures ahead.
