Floppy Leg Syndrome

First I would like to say that I absolutely love these dolls.  I think they are gorgeous and I have no complaints except one…their elastic joints. 

Actually it’s not that I’m wholeheartedly complaining, the elastic joints make them articulate, which I like, however, it’s simply that I realized the beauty of these dolls after the fact and none of my dolls are new.  A used doll most always has some issue to contend with. 

Floppy Leg Syndrome (FLS) is a term I coined for the affliction that plagues Teen Trends dolls.

Not one of my dolls are brand new.  Every one of my girls has been played with, some gently, some enthusiastically.  With the elastic joints there is no surprise that the elastic will stretch the more the doll is played with.  I am a little surprised that the arms of my dolls have been spared the suffering.  There is always a fear that this affliction could spread and the doll may have Floppy Arm Syndrome as well.

Of my girls, Summer, Amber and Rowan suffer from FLS.  The more I use Rowan as my model, continuously fitting on the outfits as I make them, the worse her FLS becomes.  I knew that Summer and Amber would require surgery to fix their legs as soon as I examined their bodies.  When I got Rowan I didn’t think that surgery would be needed.  Now I know that she will need to be fixed along with the other girls.

All but Wiccah and Tierra have the elastic stretched in their legs to the point that they are floppy to some degree.  Floppy legs equates to trouble sitting without falling over; and standing alone is sometimes difficult to set up correctly.  One of the things I like about the dolls is they are able to stand without a doll stand.  Their feet are perfectly formed and as long as their joints are tight, their balance is very good.

I have spent many evenings examining their legs; trying to determine the best way to fix this problem.  I searched the internet for instructions on restringing them but there are no sites that deal with restringing Teen Trend dolls.  I even wrote to Mattel and actually got an answer.  Not one that helped me out, but at least they took the time to write me back.

The problem with restringing them is that the end of the elastic is sealed in the lower half of the leg from the knee down.  I took a photo of what the problem seems to be.  

It appears that the end of the elastic has a stopper (larger than the hole) and was glued (?) in the hole.  I cannot get it out.  On a couple of the dolls the glue has let go in one or both legs and the stopper is able to be moved about.  Still, because of the stopper the elastic is attached to, I cannot remove it.  To make matters worse, the elastic has gone hard.  At some point it may break.

Because I am not “playing” with the dolls in the conventional sense, the elastic may last a very long time and not break.  That still does not solve the fact that the remaining elastic is stretched and the legs are floppy.

I have asked my sister and my mom (who make porcelain dolls and no stranger to ball jointed dolls) what their thoughts were on fixing the floppy leg problem.  They are stumped as well.  The biggest hurdle seems to be that the elastic is sealed in the legs.

At this time my girls are living with the affliction of Floppy Leg Syndrome and I am always thinking about how to fix this issue.  If anyone reading this has any experience in restringing these dolls, I would sure like to know what you did.  I know I will figure out a solution but at this time, I am stumped.  One day soon….

As always, let kindness and positive energy

fill your mind, body and soul.

Blessed Be, My Friends!