I tend to stumble across new dolls by accident rather than actively going looking for them. The latest to catch my eye was courtesy of @hipstapunz on Instagram (a Disney Rapunzel who’s had quite a makeover!) – McKeyla McAlister from MGA’s Project Mc2 range. Me being really quick on the uptake sometimes... (not!), it took me a while to realize that the two 'Mc's in her name were a reference to Mc2, rather than to a Scottish scientist or one named McAlister...!! I know... Oh well! Anyway, the dolls are characters from a Netflix series in which a group of girls use their science and tech skills working for a government spy organization called NOV8 (Innovate). Part of the aim of the series and doll line is to get girls more interested in S.T.E.A.M – Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math[s]. Articulated dolls come with an experiment/project suited to their particular character’s interests and skill set, basic ones don’t. There are five other girls in the range, but I’m sticking with McKeyla; I love her face and hair, and (mostly) her fashion choices. This McKeyla, as you can see from the photo of her in the box, comes with a lava light/lamp experiment, as well as a rucksack/backpack, comb, journal and AD.I.S.N. (Advanced Digital Intelligence Spy Notebook). As you’d expect, each girl’s box art* reflects her personality and interests, so McKeyla’s has a ‘journalling’/scrapbook theme, with mathematical diagrams, tartan/plaid (highlighting the ‘Mc’ in both her names), and owls – because her code name is ‘The Owl’. A self-professed hipster, there’s quite a lot of denim across her various dolls, and she is rather partial to hats (though the hat she came with is rather hideous in real life, and I felt compelled to give it a makeover – see my Instagram for now). McKeyla has a fondness for slogan t-shirts. Her preferred colours are blue, lilac, red, black and white. She occasionally wears a ring on her left hand – it has a stalk that slots into a hole in her fingers (ouch!) – the lava lamp one is a Scrabble square with Mc2 printed on it.
 Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister Lava Light experiment doll in box. |  Project Mc2 Lava Liight articulated McKeyla McAlister doll. |  Project Mc2 Lava Light McKeyla McAlister, with haircut! |
Unusually for a range of fashion dolls all the dolls (even the basic ones) have inset acrylic(?) eyes; this really gives them an extra zing and ‘realness’. Refreshingly they all also look fairly ‘natural’ for fashion dolls – pretty, but understated. They also all have 3D upper lashes (as well as the usual transfer ones that make up fashion doll faces). I found her hair way too long and lank, so I gave her a trim; she actually reminds me a bit of Rachel Weiss – which is not a bad thing. Now here’s a shocker: McKeyla McAlister has feet made to suit FLAT shoes!! I don’t know if any of the other girls do (I know that Adrienne Attoms LIVES in heels), but I was delighted with McKeyla’s feet! As well as having racial and cultural diversity in their range, Project Mc2 are saying you are more than valid as a female if you are geeky, quirky, and academic (though Monster High’s Ghoulia Yelps got there first), and don’t wear high heels and half a ton of make-up (sorry, Ghoulia – you’re still fabulous, though!).
 Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister Lava Light box details and character info*. |  Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister eyes and eyelashes. |  Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister hands and feet. Top left: McKeyla's foot compared to Adrienne's foot. Top right: McKeyla's rings. |
Now on to something I’m a bit obsessed with: doll bodies – I am FASCINATED by doll joints; I blame it on studying puppetry as part of my degree! The dolls that come with experiments have articulation at the shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and knees. The basic dolls (no experiment) only have shoulder and hip articulation. Both types have head movement. Lower arms, hands, and lower legs all attach with peg joints, like Pullip dolls; this means being careful when positioning your girl (especially if you are on outdoor travels), lest you lose one of her limbs! Speaking of which, the reason Kitty – my Pullip Catwoman – only has one hand in the photo is because doll joints can be VERY delicate… A couple of complaints: for all the sense of girl-power about this range, it’s rather concerning that the body moulding shows quite prominent collarbones and a couple of ribs – not the healthiest message for the target audience. And take a look at McKeyla’s lower arms… From one side they look fairly normal (for a doll), but from the other side they look like they’ve been steam-rollered! Fun bit of MGA doll modesty - the basic McKeyla in the comparison photo came wearing a skirt, so she has painted-on white knickers.
 Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister articulated and basic versions - front view. |  Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister articulated and basic dolls - back view. Basic was wearing a skirt, hence the painted-on underwear! |  Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister doll joints**. |
If you’re feeling like a spot of doll body-swapping or clothes-sharing, Project Mc2 girls have very similar proportions to Disney Descendants girls. And, though I make doll clothes myself – coming to my Etsy – I’m happy to give you a hot tip that Kosucas (also on Etsy, and on Instagram) makes gorgeous Disney Descendants clothes that you may end up lusting after for your science girls…
 Ever After High Cerise Hood, and Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister dolls**. |  Pullip Catwoman ('Kitty'), and Project Mc2 McKeyla McAlister dolls**. |  Disney Descendants Mal, and Project Mc2 Mckeyla McAlister dolls**. |
Well, that’s all for now. But expect more posts on the fashion adventures of McKeyla McAlister – both her official garments, and the ones I make for her. And I’ll post the Decopatch makeover of her black plastic hat soon (it’s on my Instagram, but here there will be more pictures and they’ll be bigger and all in one post)!
Links to my Etsy and Instagram are via the sidebar on this page.
P.S. I haven’t seen any episodes of Project Mc2, so thank you to Wikipedia for filling me in on codenames etc.
*Apologies – some of it got torn prior to me photographing it.
**Please excuse the way some of these photos ended up being cropped a bit weirdly – it’s me forgetting to leave enough of a border for the proportions needed for this blog format (lesson learned!).
Links to my Etsy and Instagram are via the sidebar on this page.
P.S. I haven’t seen any episodes of Project Mc2, so thank you to Wikipedia for filling me in on codenames etc.
*Apologies – some of it got torn prior to me photographing it.
**Please excuse the way some of these photos ended up being cropped a bit weirdly – it’s me forgetting to leave enough of a border for the proportions needed for this blog format (lesson learned!).
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