Toni dolls, HPD, dolls houses and Stardust.

My Mum had a Toni Perm doll when she was little and she passed it on to me. (She looked a bit like those two, but with real black hair!) Unfortunately with these type of dolls they can get something called hard plastic disease (HPD). I read up on it, scientists thought it had something to do with the metal hooks inside the dolls reacting with the plastic, but it could be the plastic breaking down after a long time, and to be honest that makes sense. Anyway sadly my Mums Toni doll has become very poorly, her arms have become misshaped, she's lost her colouring and her eyes have started to get bags under them. Now she looks like this. I don't know why, but I got quite emotional about it. I guess because we had her such a long time. Anyway I can't bear to see her disintegrate any more so I have boxed her up and given her to my Mum to look after, she's not as upset as me, she says that Toni has just got old like her.
I have won another one on Ebay but she is not as such good condition as my mums was, her wig needs a lot of attention and as her hands are discoloured, I'm wondering if she too will become diseased. I think she will, but it's my fault for not thinking more about her discoloured hands, I read the description a bit too late, all I saw was a Toni doll and the auction ending in about five minutes so I bid. Sometimes I am very rash and buy before I think! It was only after I won her I thought I better look up why these dolls have discoloured hands, found out about HPD, ran to check my Mums doll and saw how bad she had got. It's been a weird weekend.
On Ebay.com they have a listing of over 300 Toni doll items, so I wonder if they survive better in the U.S than here in the UK as we only have a couple listed (under pedigree) and they are not in very good condition. I think I shall stick to collecting Composition dolls. They seem to last a lot longer. I love the Toni doll face though, she's so pretty.
L has become Doll house mad, she is starting a 'dolls house' fund as she saw a gorgeous dolls house when we went to pick up my ebay doll at the doll shop, and now she is wanting to save up for it (She has a dolls house but she's had it a long time and it is a handmade one and not so easy to access). I said she could take charge of the money bottle and make sure any change got put into it, as we tend to leave a lot of small change laying around the house.
She has been busying herself with making food out of fimo and she says she'd like to start buying bits and pieces to go in the house. Here are some of the things she has made (one of the cakes (the chocolate one) and the jam jar are shop bought ;) ) I love the scotch egg!
I finally got around to watching Stardust the other day. How annoyed am I now that I did not go to the Cinema to watch it in all it's glory. I now officially LOVE that movie! But then again I am a Neil Gaiman fan and loved the graphic novel of Stardust, so I am biased I guess ;) I cannot wait until Coraline comes out. L has the book but made me read it first in case it was too scary, the parents with the button eyes... creepy.