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Tools you will need to re-create the box
- a: Utility Knife (for heavy cutting)
- b: Xacto Knife (for detail cutting)
- c: Ruler/yard Stick
- d: pencil
- e: Scoring Board (for making creases)
- f: rubber gloves (to minimize the oil from your hands from over handling.)
- g: glue
- h: Velcro with adhesive back
- i: silica packets (optional)
- j: poly bags/head wraps for dolls (optional)
To re-create my Rainbow Brite Doll box, I used an old one to get the measurements and parts.
The box consisted on the following:
- A: 1 Box
- B: 1 Cardboard insert
- C: 3 Lengths of plastic coated wire. (9 inches in length)
- D: 1 clear plastic window (9 ½ in x 6 ½ in)
To make each box, I need a hard template/stencil to re-use as I need a new box. I decided to buy some foam core board from my local hobby shop for this.
I clamped the old box down flat onto the foam core board and traced the old box onto the surface. The clamps keep the box from moving as I go around with my pencil. Include the center/window of the box as well. Once done I remove the old box and use a box cutter/utility knife to cut out the shape. It is best to use the Xacto Knife for the window, as you need to be detailed with the curve of the shape if you intend to duplicate the same curve.
If you do not have an old box to make your template from, you will find measurements below for what I used.
Now lets start making your box.
You need the following:
- A: Heavy Poster Board (minimum 18 3/8 in x 18 3/8 in is needed for each box)
- B: ¼ sheet cake board (or 10 x 11 6/8 in corrugated card board)
- C: Spool of clear plastic coated wire (9 ½ inch lengths are used to mount doll)
- D: Transparency Sheets
The box itself is made out of a thick poster board I got from an office supply store. Chip board is too thick, and regular poster board is too thin. The heavy poster board is the closest to the real box weight I was able to locate. You can make one box per sheet of poster board.
To create your box, clip the template to the poster board. I find putting it next to the corner of the paper will assure you get a straight and even line for two sides of your board.
After you have traced the outline, un-clip the template, and use a yard stick and the utility knife to get a straight cut around the other sides of the outline, so you have a rectangle. The other parts of the box are triangles, so use a ruler to assure those straight cuts, and finish cutting away the other negative areas of your outline.
Now that you have your box shape cut, you need to make the creases. The best tool for this is a “Scoring Board”. Martha Stewart has a nice large one available at most craft stores.
To score your box, lay the box on the scoring board, and using it's tool, press firmly and follow the groove from one end of the box to the other. Do that for all areas that need to be creased. This includes the folds at the top and sides (see picture)
When you make a crease it will darken the area but this will not be visible when you fold the box.
Next cut the window out of the center of the box if you haven't done so already, and the extra cut in the closing flaps. You should know where this is now that you have made your creases.
Next you will need to glue down your window. The transparency sheet is too wide to fit as it is, so you will need to cut off the extra width. Once cut in to the correct size, draw a line of glue around the inner window of the box about a half inch. Once it's done, place the clear transparency film down over the window. Press down on the glue trail, and move your finger out away from window. This will spread the glue out and make sure it lays flat.
Lay the box down and let the glue dry.
After it has dried, fold the box on the crease you created until it meets the end. Draw a line of glue along the end and use a pair of clips to clamp the two pieces together. Make sure the seam is flat and the glue is not leaking out the cracks. You can better assure the seam if you used two rulers on either side of the board and clamp that down so that it's being held down from one end of the box to the other.
If you don't do this, you just need to hold down the seam by hand until it sticks enough on it's own and the clamps on the ends will keep it from coming apart.
While this is drying, you can work on the insert.
The insert for the box was originally a colored piece of very thin cardboard, but I wasn't able to duplicate this. Instead I used ¼ sheet cake boards. It is the correct width. You will need to trim off the extra length from the top.
Next comes the detail cutting for the insert. To assure the proper folds to fit in the box you will need to make a series of cuts in the back of the board (the brown part). Only two have to go all the way through the board. The others are only for the folds, so only have to be through the brown part.
You also need to punch a few holes through the cardboard too. These holes are what the wire goes through to mount the doll.
Depending on what doll you are mounting you may need more then two. All of the box inserts will need to hold the doll body. You will need extra parts to hold hair. For example the one I am working with is for “Rainbow Brite”, and in addition to holding her to the board, I also need a wire and holes to hold back her ponytail. Also, if your doll has a sprite, you may need to punch a set of holes to mount the sprite.
After all boards are cut and the box is dried, it's time to put the box together.
Fold in the flaps of the box and secure the box with Velcro. This way you can open the box later to adjust or add items as you find them.
Next cut wire, 9 ½ to 10 inch lengths.
Before mounting your dolls you may want to adjust their hair and wrap them. If you do this, you can use 4 – 5 inch poly bags cut into 2 inch rings to wrap around their heads and keep their bangs down.
Once you know your doll is ready, put the wire under the dress and out the sleeves. Feed the wire around the back of the doll and into the holes you punched in the center of the board. Turn the board and doll over and twist the wire firmly. When you turn the board back over the doll is now firmly mounted in the middle of the board.
Next, use another length of wire to secure the doll's hair if it needs it the same as you secured the body of the doll.
Now, secure the doll's sprite if available.
Lastly, slide the cardboard insert with mounted doll into the box.
Secure the other end of the box with Velcro. Add a silica packet if you like to keep away moisture, and you are done.
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The following instructions are to assist collectors, not only or Rainbow Brite items, but any collectibles they want to preserve. These are just guidelines, not rules. You may or may not find these helpful.
Preservation Guidelines
Rainbow Brite items are colorful and happy images that bring a smile to your face, as do colors in general. As we get older we want to preserve our childhood memories not only for ourselves, but also for our own children and loved ones. Hopefully this guide will help you in doing this.
There are a few regular rules that will apply to just about any item you wish to preserve, not only prints, but fabrics, etc. Please keep these in mind when creating your displays.
1: Colors fade over time. It is best NOT to display your items to prolonged bright light, sunlight or florescent lighting.
If you have them in a room, keep the drapes drawn, or use “Ultraviolet shields” on your windows, and keep your lights off when you do not need them.
If you have a collection you want to display, but do not want to darken a whole room, use a cabinet with doors or curtains to cover your items so they do not fade. This also assists in minimizing dust on your items.
2: Heat and humidity can cause paper, fabrics and other items to rot. Keep your temperatures in your homes or display spaces cool, and dry. In the case of plastics, prolonged heat can cause them to yellow and become brittle.
3: Avoid chemicals or other things that could promote damage. Do not use wood boxes, these can be chemically treated woods which can cause your items to decay.
4: Light can also make paper degrade or fade. When displaying posters, or other arts make color photo copies and keep the originals stored out of light. If you want to frame the originals, please use UV glass or plexiglass, which are resistant to UV light and will help prevent fading. Make sure you use a padding thick enough when framing so that the images to not touch the glass. This will reduce damage and prevent the image from sticking to the glass over time.
Do NOT do the following:
Fold pictures
Laminate pictures
Stack books or store items pressed together.
Storage Tips
If you store your items in a storage space, be mindful of what you store things in.
1: What kind of material to store things in: Look for “low-acid” boxes. If you are going to store in plastic, either baggies or in boxes look for Mylar Type D or Polyethylene. No not use PVC or PVA plastics, these will degrade over time. Keep boxes off the ground.
2: Where to store items: Do not store in an attic or basement. Attics and basements are rarely insulated, so your items are exposed to extreme heat and cold temperatures, moisture, and in the dark this can promote mold, foxing (brown spots) on your items. In the case of basements, they can also be subject to possible flooding.
It is best to store your items in a centrally located area in the middle of your home or inside a closet.
The walls inside your home aren't as exposed to moisture or humidity as the outside walls and don't get as hot or cold as the outer walls of your home would. A closet in your home, bedroom or office would be a great place to store or even display your items. Do not sit items on the floor. Keep them up on something, either a shelf or small platform.
Keep items away from windows, pipes, air conditioners or any source of moisture. To minimize moisture, place packets of “Silica gel” inside any containers you use. You may want to consider using a dehumidifier in the room you would like to store in.
Hopefully you have found these basic ideas helpful with storing or displaying items. Please look for more instructions on how to store your items based on where you live. Check with your local library or museums to see what they do based on your geographic location.
We will be going over more specific things soon.
Until then, have a Rainbow Day!
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As a recent project we took a couple of 10” Patty O'Green dolls and decided to show you how to restore and clean them.
The two dolls we have are in different conditions.
One Patty has been exposed to air and dust for over 15 years, and has a gruesomely stained dress. Another Patty has loose hair, but a good dress. We are going to start with cleaning our dolls then restoring them.
Patty O'Green #1: Her dress and backside, as well as her body is very stained. The white satin ribbons and accents on her dress and boots has yellowed. Her hair however does have it's original hair ties. The tied themselves are stretched, but keeping an original hair tie is a request of many fans so we won't remove them. She doesn't have her hair ribbons though, so they will need to be replaced.
Patty O'Green #2: has a good dress and body, but has loose hair.
Because Patty's body and clothing are made out of different materials, we have to keep those materials in mind when cleaning her or you could damage the fabric.
For example: Patty's dress is metallic lame, white satin, and green nylon. Warm or hot water could be damaging to the nylon, so cold water would be best. It will also take a long time to clean because we have to be patient with the fabric while cleaning.
What we will need:
- 2 tablespoons of Wool wash
- 4 cups of cold water
- 1 white pillowcase
- 1 rubber band.
First thing we need to do is remove the yellow from her body and her dress. Remove the dress from the doll. Taking cold water and wool wash, we make two bowls of solution.
Submerge the doll into one bowl and let her soak for an hour. Depending on how stained she is, you may need to let her soak longer. Rub any stained spots with the solution gently, do not scrub the satin parts because that can fray the material.
In the second bowl of solution put the dress in it. Let is sit for five minutes, then rub the stained areas with the cold water solution. Squeeze, but do not wring the dress in the water. Allow to soak for another 30 minutes before again, rubbing the fabric, gently with your fingers.
After an hour has past, squeeze, but do not wring the doll's body out. If the doll's body is not clean from a spot cleaning they will most likely need a run in the washer. For Patty, you want to try and avoid this. Her sleeve accents match her dress which are a metallic lame, and this can rub off while in the washer. But, if you do not mind this and want your doll clean, this is how you will need to prep her a run in the washer.
First you want to wrap her up. If left loose the dolls stuffing can shift to the hands, feet, or clump unevenly. You do not want this, because the doll will be more of a “rag” doll. You need to wrap the dolls limbs towards it's center. Carefully wrap the dolls arms to it's chest, and lift it's legs over it. Put the doll inside a pillowcase and either knot the case or wrap a rubber hand around the case at the base of the doll. The goal here is to wrap the doll up as tightly as possible so that it's stuffing doesn't shift around.
After your doll is soaked, then wrapped up, put it into the washer, on a cold gentle cycle.
With your doll taking a rinse in the washer, remove your doll dress from it's soak and rinse it in cold water and lay out to dry.
Once all washing is done, allow the doll and the dress to dry over night.
After you are sure doll and dress are dry, it's time to dress and fix the doll.
Look over Patty's face. This particular doll has some white paint and dirty spots. We will need to remove this. Using part of an erasure block (Mr Clean Magic Erasure, or similar product), wet the corner and rub the marks you want to remove. Be careful, this will remove the marks, but if you rub too hard you could remove the face paint too.
Now the face is clean, look over your doll. Does she have any linted areas? The yarn in her hair may have some lint balls, and in this case her hand did also. With a pair of small scissors carefully cut the balls away. You have to be careful not to cut the hair or fabric of the hands while doing this.
Also, use tweezers or your fingers to remove any lint from the Velcro in her right hand.
As you can tell, these braids are loose from age, but since we aren't replacing the ties, we won't re-braid them. However will will re-ribbon them. But since we are doing two Patty dolls, we will show you have to re-braid hair from our second doll, then show you how to ribbon them both.
For our second Patty, her hair is already loose, so we will dress and re-braid her hair.
You will need the following to fix her hair
- 4 5inch cut elastic cord.
- 2 11inch ¼ width greed ribbons
First fold the cord together and knot the end.
Then we will need to part her hair. All the dolls were given a natural part in their hair, so you need to find this part in the middle of the head. Once you have found it, slowly part and straighten the hair out.
Pull once side of the parted hair up high on her head. The pigtails on the Patty O'Green dolls are located on the very top of her head right next to the parts. Once you have found this place, you will need to smooth the yarn hair out so that it lays flat and even all the way around. Then wrap your fingers around where the tie will be and wrap the knotted tie around the hair.
It should wrap around twice, if not 3 times depending on how stretchy your elastic tie is.
Once you have both pigtails tied, divide the hair in to 3 sections and braid tightly.
Do not be afraid to pull it tight. Once you have it near the end, tie the end of the braid with another elastic tie. You should now have 2 braids which stick straight up. This is normal.
Now we will need to tie ribbons to the hair.
How to tie the hair ribbons:
To tie the ribbon it's best to tie them upside down. Have the Patty doll laying with her head toward you.
Wrap the green ribbon around the hair tie at the base of the braid.
Make 2 loops and then knot the loops together.
Do this for both braids, then turn the doll right side up.
Here are both of our Patty O'Green dolls. Cleaned and fully dressed.
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One of the largest figures first created was a plush Starlite horse for your 10inch Rainbow Brite doll.
The figure we are going to be working with today is a vintage Starlite which has been kept in storage, exposed to dust, moisture and heat. These conditions caused the horses fur to yellow and darken in spots.
We want to be very gentle with treating and caring for him, so we begin with a pre-treat.
Items used:
- 2 tablespoons of wool cleanser
- 2 cups of cold water
- 1 wash cloth
- 1 tooth brush (Soft bristle)
- 1 white full size pillowcase
Put the cleanser in to one bowl with 1 cup of cold water.
Put the remaining water in another bowl by itself.
Using the toothbrush, mix the water and cleanser together then brush the cleanser/water mixture on the plush fur. Careful not to scrub too hard, do this over the whole body, minus the hooves and hair.
Using the wash cloth blot away any excess foam the brush may make and rinse it back in the bowl of clean water.
Then dip the mane and tail in the cleanser mixture, submerging it for several second. Let the cleanser fully saturate the yarn, but do not brush them.
After this is done put the Starlite plush in the white pillowcase. (white is not required, but it's best to used one that does not have a dye that could bleed)
Make sure the head is toward the corner and put all four hooves together. Knot the pillowcase at the hooves, but NOT around the hooves. This will allow Starlite to stay in his natural shape without damaging him.
Once tied up, put him in your washing machine on warm water gentle cycle.
When the gentle cycle finishes it's first wash, BEFORE it goes into spin to rinse, bring the setting back to the beginning and allow him to wash again. Put fabric softener in if desired to keep him soft after his wash, and allow to air dry.
Now that your Starlite is clean, try to maintain his cleanliness because overly washing him in this manner could prove damaging to his hooves, which are very fragile.
Hope this works for you!