MIKOS photos on Flickr

PERSONAL FUN FACT: The Miko doll in the middle of this photo is one of my dearest friends. We have been together since 2003 or 2004, when I rescued her from a random lot of dolls at the flea market. She was one of many childhood dolls that was purchased in bulk. Back in the day, Colleen and I began to find a passion for buying entire lots of Barbies. It all started when Colleen wanted certain 1987 mold Skipper dolls we would find, but the sellers wanted to sell their entire stash of dolls together, and not part them out. Dad, who spoiled us rotten, would buy all the dolls, so Colleen could get her hands on Skipper. After a while, we really enjoyed finding random discoveries in the lots and adding tons of unique friends to our collection. That is how I ended up with my first Island Friend Miko. Back then, I thought Miko was a Kira doll. But as an adult collector, I quickly sorted out my mistake. She looks so much better now than she did circa 2003/2004. I remember how her long, kanekalon hair used to frizzy up into a puffy ponytail. No matter how much I brushed her hair, it always looked unkempt and voluminous. Plus, she always looked a bit sad and vulnerable, and those leg splotches only added to her forlorn appearance. I loved transforming her into a beauty with the techniques I learned as an adult collector (it's amazing what hot water can do for doll hair). She's hardly recognizable, and yet she'll always be my sad little Miko doll. She's one of my favorite Asian dollies in my collection--in fact, she might be my most special (I love her even more than Ocean Friends Kira).

Miko number two came from a charity store--she is the doll on the right. You are probably perplexed by how different looking these dolls are. Yes, they are both Island Fun Miko dolls, they are just manufactured in different countries (see my facial closeups for reference). Dolls from the 80s are notorious for being produced in many starkly different variations. This girl looks most like the Island Fun Miko dolls I've seen in collector books. She has that signature curly hair too (it's saran, so it held its style for all these years). When I found her, she was in a large plastic container at a charity store. It was during the spring of 2017, when Colleen and I stopped in at this store after my dentist appointment. Miko and Ski Fun Ken were the two oldest dolls in said container, save the two 1970s Dawn dolls we also rescued. We think that Ski Fun Ken and Miko probably originated from the same place, since they were both in decent condition for their age. Granted, someone made the mistake of brushing through Miko's curly hair and making it into an Afro. But this was easily remedied with a boil wash. I had almost no doubt in my mind when I bought her that she was another Island Fun Miko, but I was excited about owning such a unique variation. She's definitely the prettier of my two gals, but my first, shabby friend will always have a special place in my heart!

The Miko on the far left stole my breath away in 2024. Colleen and I weren't having any luck at the local flea market one early November Sunday. We had hoped to bump into a seller we'd bought dolls from the week prior (she promised to bring more in). But either we missed the woman somehow, or she wasn't set up that day. Anyways, we wandered into the building we only check out a few times a year. There was a small chance we might find something cool. Well, we found something AMAZING...a case of 16 80s/90s Barbies. They were from an estate clean out, based on what the seller told us. All were wearing clothes, most dressed in their own factory attire. I immediately drooled over this Miko, who was donning her swimsuit. It was $20 for all of them...a bargain we couldn't resist. We dubbed this the "Great 80s Lot." This gal puts my other two to shame, in terms of her beauty. I love that she too is a saran variant.

Miko / AmicusDolls by Dolls Addict

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Miko by Oblivious Octopus

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Neo Blythe Daunting Drusilla

DSC_8328 by 啟民

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