As a fellow doll collector I feel like this product listing is missing detailed information in the official info., so apologies in advance for a long review! I absolutely loved a little Monchhichi monkey my dad gave me as a little girl, and it remains one of the things I most regret selling at a garage sale. So like many adults pining for the good old days, I've been grateful to see the availability of rereleased vintage toys, and now have a reproduction Monchhichi. Gege and Monchhichi were made by the company Sekiguchi, and the similarities are obvious, especially the chubby cheeks and open mouth. This Mademoiselle Gege is made by popular doll manufacturer Lotus Onda Industrial Co., Ltd. (maker of doll lines like Journey Girls and My Sibling) rather than Sekiguchi, but the doll looks like the original Mademoiselle Gege, and is dressed in similar Pioneer-esque clothing. Clothing: The clothes are quite cute. The dress closes with a Velcro-like closure (snaps or buttons would be nicer). The pinafore ties on, and the bloomers are on with elastic. The dress has floral fabric accents (sleeves and lower trim), but the main body of the dress is tan. Perhaps this is so the flower print doesn't show through the thin fabric of the pinafore, though I think the dress would look cuter if all done in the floral print. I uploaded a photo showing the dress without the pinafore. The pinafore and bloomers are made of pretty fabric, thin and gauzy, with decorative stitching. Eyelet trim is at the top of the pinafore and its arm openings. The boots are plastic, and I'd rather they had been made with a fabric or vinyl, but I like how they gave them the detail of having real laces. She also wears plain white jersey socks. Face: The face painting is done well, with big painted eyes, freckles, and rosy cheeks. The face is unique; it seems without the thumb in the mouth she is surprised; with it in she looks sad or worried. Hair: Here is where I have to unfortunately be a bit critical of this Gege. Mine had a severe case of hat hair. Even if she hadn't, however, the hair plugs are sparse, and the hair seems to contain an oily styling product (shown in close-up photo of hair/head). Some of the hair plugs easily pull out with a quick tug. The curls were smashed in the box and a mess. I'm not a big fan of rooted Saran hair (what this feels like) to begin with, but this doll's hair was worse than expected. I ended up redoing her hair with a dark bob to resemble some vintage Geges' hair (though using a doll wig), seen in one pic. I worry the hair won't stand up to play with brushing from kids (the curls will get frizzier and the hair may pull out), though adult collectors might not mind it. Jointing/poseability: The only place Gege is jointed is at the neck (her head can turn from side to side). Her arms are plastic to around the elbow area, and her legs are plastic to about the knee area. The rest of the body is stuffed fabric, so there's some poseability due to that. However, the thumb sucking feature can be a bit tricky since the body is stuffed firmly. Mine has some trouble holding the pose, so it takes some effort, unlike with my Monchhichi, who can easily hold the pose. Often the thumb just falls right out of the mouth. In conclusion: Even though it has been made both for children and adult collectors, I think Mademoiselle Gege is a play quality doll. That doesn't mean adults won't like Mademoiselle Gege, but expectations need to be a bit lower for things that are play quality. Due to her hair situation I deducted a star, but I do like the doll and am an even bigger fan with the hair change. The thumb situation will hopefully improve as the polyfil compresses a bit in the arm. Overall this is an endearing doll, and it's always nice to see what's old become new again.
