Yesterday at the store, Matt and I saw one of those wooden puzzles for kids, you know, the kind that's more a "match the shape to the hole" than "make a pretty picture," with the little red knob-handles on the pieces. The theme was vehicles....and it MADE NOISE. I looked at it for a long time, wishing the store'd had one on display, so I could hear how loud it was. I mean, it had police cars and fire trucks!

Not knowing the volume level, I didn't get the puzzle. I mean, I can only buy noisy toys for my nephew on the other side of the country if they're sufficiently loud enough to annoy his daddy (my younger brother).

Then again, knowing my brother, the "loud, noisy toy from Aunt Jen" would get left at Grandma's house, to annoy my mother to no end.

Oooohhhhh.....I've been jonesing for the US-release Re-Ment sets since I first read about them here back in July.  It looks like so far, they're only available in California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Hawaii and Michigan.

I want to know more about these.  Specifically, how much they cost.  If you live near one of these stores, could you maybe do a recon mission for me, let me know how much a single set sells for?  I know they're most likely blind-packed, so you don't know what you're getting, but I still desperately want to know how much one shot is.

Always there's just one more thing lurking out there that compells me. Whispers to me, "You must have me...I must come home with you."

Tonight, that thing is a 60cm Obitsu doll.

For those that don't know, there's a large community of ball-jointed doll (bjd) collectors, afficionados, "parents," etc. To some of them, getting bjd's was a "logical" next step from collecting and customizing 12" action figures.

Damn. These people are GOOD. There are a handful of them that I knew from Men With Dolls, who hang out on Den of Angels, and Idolism. I followed them to Idolism. And them I saw the info on the Obitsu 60cm dolls.

Most bjd's are strung, meaning their limbs and whatnot are held together with elastic or suede cord. Vintage GI Joes were strung. The Obitsu dolls, however, are made like their 1:6 scale dolls, with an internal resin/plastic skeleton and a softer outerskin. Again, most bjd's are heavy resin, with some of the newer ones being plastic.

This means the Obitsu dolls look more like action figures and less like dolls. A lot of showy joints. But I like them (the fact that they're cheaper than the Volks bjd's helps, too). I think the fact that they look more like adults helps, too. Heck, there's a third-party bust replacement for them that's frickin' huge (and me want, too).

But what's stopping me from going out and buying? Well, a number of factors. First is lack-of-funds. Yeah, hubby still isn't technically on the sales lot yet. Still getting all certified and everything to sell those Fords. And 60cm dolls, even these less-expensive Obitsus, are costly. The body for an Obitsu runs about $250-$300 depending on where you look. A head with one set of eyes is another $50 or so. Then you have to factor in wigs, clothing, paint (because they're blank-faced, no makeup or coloration), shoes... Clothing I can sew. Paint I can get locally. But shoes for these feet...they cost as much as shoes I buy for myself! And then there's shipping, which brings us to point two: these are only available in Japan (as far as I know). So, shipping is EMS from JAPAN. I'm looking at a total cost of at least $400 for the start of my large-scale doll obsession.

But...I hijacked a photo of the blank head and took it to an online makeover site, played with hairstyles, colors, makeup (called "face-ups" in the lingo)...and she looked so cute. Me want. (sigh)

I'm going to have to be patient, and see if I can't finish some of the 1:6 projects I have on hand, see if I can't get enough of them done to start a "seed account" for fulfilling my desire for a 1:3 mini-Zeo.

In the meantime, I can still hunger for Sims 2 University. Only $25 at Sam's Club.