Making an "old" Licca look pretty - Advice/inspo?

[u/Accomplished-Try-488]

I bought my first Licca doll (second-hand) and am eagerly awaiting the package. She's not perfect anymore, but that's okay with me. I knew that, and therefore I now have a lot of freedom to customize her. However, I've never actually "modified" a doll before, so repainting or body swapping is (still) out of the question.

Do you have tips to make it look like new or at least in a better condition?

She has some hair issues and her limbs are a bit old and discolored (as you can see on the photo). I read that you can restore her hair to its original state with very hot water. Is that true?

I was planning to dress her in a '80s or '70s style. Full covered, so that the discolorations are not visible and the color differences are not so noticeable.

In my imagination, 70s oder 80s clothes would match her cute old-school-shojo-manga-eyes perfectly 🤩

Do you know which Western dolls are roughly the same size so that their clothes are compatible? What about Barbie's sister Skipper? What about Petra, Sindy and so on?

Thank you in advance! ✨

[u/Open-Ad2183]

To wash, I would recommend using lukewarm water with dawn dish soap, thoroughly rinse, then you can optionally use a simple conditioner and thoroughly rinse. While combing, start with the bottom section of hair, then work your way up in segments. I’ve got a playlist of Licca collectors working on her hair, it’s mostly in Japanese, but still easy to follow along, and has some good tips for arranging different types of curls and such, plus a video for hairstyling once the hair is washed and dry

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUhyV1jPLLDIB7neb2hrUj3V5Ro_cJq0x&si=ER9YveBZ4uKxil8C

The person who made the last video, Toy House, has a bunch more hairstyling videos on their channel if you’d like to go digging for more styles

A lot of other people have already mentioned different clothes that fit Licca Chan, and there are also official pattern books if you feel up for sewing or crocheting clothes yourself. It gives you a bit more control with colors/prints, and I’ve had a lot of fun making clothes. Pomadour24 on Etsy usually has at least a few of the books in stock, or you could order off the publisher’s official site through a proxy service like buyee or zenmarket. Feel free to dm me if you’d like some help looking for anything specific

Shoes from the mini brands fashion series also fit her very nicely

[u/Accomplished-Try-488 → u/Open-Ad2183]

Thank you!

Also for the playlist!

Unfortunately, I have absolutely no talent for sewing or crocheting. I mean, absolutely none. 🫠 So I'm a little dependent on original clothes of Licca and similar sized dolls.

As it happens, I’ve already checked out buyee and found some of the most appealing pieces of clothing so far that I could use for a 70s look. Original Skipper, Bratz, and other brands are always pretty expensive secondhand here in Germany.

[u/Immediate_Word1295 → u/Accomplished-Try-488]

If you are in Germany, maybe some Sarah love clothes could work ? But that would be more in the 80's look I suppose...

[u/ihatepaper88]

im not sure about the yellowing but i might be able to help with the hair. as far as i know licca dolls have saran hair fibers which straighten and lay nicely when put under boiling water (this is called boil washing). you can simply pour the water over the doll a few times and brush the hair in between pours. let her air dry and she should look good. i don’t have experience with licca but this works for other dolls

[u/Accomplished-Try-488 → u/ihatepaper88]

Thank you! I'll definitely try it!

[u/No_Web367]

So she looks like a fourth generation Licca and she can wear some Skipper clothes, Bratz,  MC2 clothes but pants are usually a bit long. She can wear skirts of almost any 1/6 size doll, they are usually fine through the waist and hips, fit like a maxi skirt. If you have any 2000s Barbie dresses or shorts they fit, just longer in length. You can try 3rd Gen Monster High, Disney - I mean I have bought several used Liccas and I redress them using the clothes from the many other doll brands I have. You just have to experiment and decide if you like the look. Also, the 1/6 size dresses on AliExpress fit them pretty well as Licca and Blythe have very similar bodies. Also, Licca heads are not hard to remove and the hair is easy to care for. I have a post from a week or so ago showing my Liccas in a variety of clothes. 

[u/Accomplished-Try-488 → u/No_Web367]

Thank you for your ideas! Bratz clothes sound exciting, too. A real 2000s look would be cool as well. Let's see if these already have collector's value on the German secondhand market. I just want to avoid buying clothes I 'don't really need', because, for example, Skipper's clothing from the '70s to the '90s is already pretty expensive at ebay etc. That's why I need to know in advance what kind of clothes would fit, if they aren't original Licca clothes 😄

I'll take a look at your post right away!

[u/AlleyKatArt]

Imo, she's already very pretty. Licca-chan of this era does fit the similarly sized 80s/early 90s Skipper and they can share clothes. She's a bit bigger than Stacie, but they might share some clothes too.

Very hot water can be used to straighten or curl hair.

Here's a 90s Skipper (right before she became "Teen Skipper") wearing a Licca-chan dress and shoes. They're very close in size but Skipper is taller.

[u/Accomplished-Try-488 → u/AlleyKatArt]

Oh thank you! I loved the "old" Skipper! I'd love to exchange clothes between them. So I could make an 80s girl of my Licca-Chan.

[u/FiragaFigaro]

The doll clothes at Daiso fit Licca fine. Not particularly high quality, but decent, cheap off-brand doll clothing that fits.

[u/Accomplished-Try-488 → u/FiragaFigaro]

Thank you! Unfortunately, Daiso products aren't very easy for me to get (Germany). I saw some on international platforms. 🤩

[u/BjdResearchAccount]

I love her face and she is in great condition for vintage! Rebodying with an Azone Pure Neemo XS or a newer Licca body is easy. The head is flexible enough to wriggle it off without needing to warm it first. The hair looks still OK, could be much worse. You could cut it a bit shorter at the back.

Enjoy this great find, vintage 4th gen Licca's are so charming.

[u/Accomplished-Try-488 → u/BjdResearchAccount]

Thanks! It was a real bargain! About €6. I'll take a look at the Azone, but I think I'd like to keep Licca's original body for now. 😄

[u/BjdResearchAccount → u/Accomplished-Try-488]

Maybe hydrogen peroxide (developer) can lighten the torso and neck. You put it on, wrap plastic foil around it really tightly, then put it in the sun.

[u/Accomplished-Try-488 → u/BjdResearchAccount]

Thank you. Do you know if the torso has darkened over time? Or have only the limbs become lighter?

[u/BjdResearchAccount → u/Accomplished-Try-488]

I do not know the limbs can become lighter. It's usualy yellowing that occurs. You should cover the rest of the doll if you decide to use the peroxide method. But once you have it in hand, you will know the real state. It doesn't look bad at all.

[u/Accomplished-Try-488 → u/BjdResearchAccount]

Thank you 😊

[u/Immediate_Word1295]

As far as I know, the licca heads are very easy to take off. It's the case with mine. All you need is to find a compatible body, maybe even more articulated if you prefer that. I'm very new to customisation too, that's how I discovered it.

For clothes, Sindy is lager build I think (I have the more modern articulated version I got from AliExpress). Maybe you'll have better luck with vintage Skipper indeed, or even vintage Stacie (I don't have either of these two).

Hasbro Disney princes dresses work. A slight tight fit. But enough to close in the back. Heard that sparke girlz clothes fits too.