We never know what's likely to land on our doorstep at Stylophiles. Sometimes, "surprise" is the only word that comes to mind. This is kind of one of those times.

The "boys" turned this project over to me on purely sexist grounds. "You're female," they said. "You can do it better than we can."

"But I never played with dolls," I responded. "I played cowboys and Indians. I played cops and robbers. I had only sons. I still avoid the Pink Aisle in toy stores as if it carried diphtheria. I don't know how to do this."

"Sure you do. You're a girl," they replied.

Since they are bigger and meaner than I, I acquiesced. So I'll do my best. But be aware: I don't do frou-frou, and I don't do dolls. Not very well.

That caveat aside, these little creatures might turn out to be a big fad. Called Squigglers, they're manufactured by You're A Star, Inc., of Mount Pleasant, Pa.

A sort of hybrid of miniature dolls and ball-point pens, with a smattering of Beanie Babies thrown in at the conceptual level, Squigglers have an engaging ambience. Each one is a molded polymer prepubescent girl whose feet are poised atop the fulcrum of the pen point, whose cap is soft plastic in a flesh-like color. Not all the body types are alike; of the five that knocked on the Stylophiles door, three are nearly the same height (about 5.5 inches) while two are much shorter.

One stands with one leg forward, while the others' legs are straight. Arms vary from at the side to on the hips to holding a bouquet to clutching an ice-cream cone. Four of the five have bare midriffs; three sport miniskirts and one a pair of pants as fashion statements. All outfits are in bright primary colors or at least bright colors, and all but one have very fine glitter all over their outfits.

Hair colors include sandy blonde, chestnut brown, and a bright blue (at least on our models), but all had long hair and all but one had it tied into two pigtails with various colors of ribbon or embroidery floss. Head position and facial expressions vary, though all the faces appear to me to belong to dolls somewhat older than the bodies would indicate; skin tones vary to some extent, but not as greatly as do skin colors on living, breathing people. But again, with only five samples, that may be an inaccurate observation.

The Squigglers resemble Beanie Babies (and other instant collectibles) in the edition sense and the identification tags: They are issued in new models, a certain number are manufactured, and the model is retired. This creates an almost automatic demand for older models, because when a new convert comes along she'll (I use "she" because I can't imagine a little boy or a man being remotely interested in these, where they're tailored directly to many little girls' and women's tastes--although research did turn up three early "boy" models) want all the models, not just the current ones. Each one carries a five-petaled pink flower tag with yellow center. When opened, it reveals the model's name, birth date, and a little bit about her, also a la Beanie Babies.

All the dolls' tags include the notation, "Dear Friend, Thank you for taking me home. While I am strong like you, I still need your loving care. Just like you, I can be hurt if I fall hard enough. Please take care of me so that we can be friends forever."

Our models came in five varieties, as I mentioned: Jill, Pamela, Heavenly Blissful (I think), Karen, and Lexi. A brief description of each follows.

Jill is one of the shorter ones. She appears as if she might be a more intellectual version; in addition to her ice cream cone -- wait, on closer glance, she's clutching to her side and her shirt proclaims, "Dear Diary." Her skirt is painted with open books and closed books with little hearts on them, and her pink-and-purple top looks very little-girl-like.

She wears purple platform sandals with pink ribbon wrap and her pigtails are bound with purple embroidery floss. Completing her ensemble are pink earrings. Her tag reveals that she was born Feb. 13, and adds, "Jill had very special things to write in her diary today. She worked at a church last week helping children of homeless families. She feels even more grateful for her family!"

Next comes Heavenly Blissful, whose birth date isn't listed but whose tag says, "My world smiles when I'm with you!" She's taller, posed with her left leg forward, and with blue hair bound in fine gold cording. Her long-sleeved, midriff top is in glittery blue with a gold star on the chest, augmented by a green ruffled collar and midriff ruffles along with green ruffles at her wrists.

In her right hand, she carries a purse or possibly lunchbox reading "Blissful"; her left hand is perched on her hip. Her flared blue pants boast five bright gold stars in graduated sizes down the left leg; the right leg is plain. Purple bands circle the pants legs, her hips, and her wrists; her shoes are springy green with blue soles.

Karen, born July 14, appears to be a sporty sort. "Karen is so fun to be with," says her tag. "She makes her friends laugh and feel comforted… if they need it. She really helped her friend Amy feel better when times were tough!"

Her brown hair is restrained by hot pink bows. A painted bicycle sits on her white midriff top, and her miniskirt's colorful zig-zag bands in rainbow colors are definitely eye-catching. She also carries a bag, though hers bears the bicycle motif repeated on a white background. Her shoes are hot pink with white toes, and spring-green socks circle her ankles.

The Squiggler that doesn't fit the others' mold is Lexi. She is in bridal attire--a white floor-length gown with pearlized circular designs and a matching white net veil with pearlized white tiara-style headband. Her long hair is unbound and falls nearly to her elbows. She carries a garland of glittered white roses, touched in the center with pink, and resting on a bed of garden-green, with pearlized ribbons trailing past her knees. Her white shoes match her ensemble.

Her tag says she was also born Feb. 13, and adds, "Lexi likes gymnastics, but getting dressed up fancy has become especially fun for her. Her mom is beginning to think that "Fashion" should be her middle name!"

Last in our lineup of dolls comes Pamela, born March 16. "Pamela is a Carolina girl with a very sweet accent and disposition to go with it. She loves long summer days with her buddies Kylie, Erin, and Annie, just hanging out by the pool." Pamela is also a cheerleader, complete with burgundy and white school colors, a V-shaped midriff top with white and burgundy stripes designed to resemble an heraldic shield.

Her pleated skirt has a lightly V-shaped waistline and is burgundy, with white box pleats. At her sides, she holds burgundy pom-poms at the ready, just waiting for a team to cheer. Her white shoes, with pink laces, and burgundy socks form the final accent to her outfit. While she has sandy-blonde pigtails, they're bound by red floss rather than burgundy or white.

Most people who buy these kinds of collectibles, in my experience, don't actually use them; they get their joy from collecting the various kinds rather than putting point ink on paper (or putting to its ostensibly intended use whatever the collectible is). But if you do use a Squiggler for writing and it runs out of ink, take heart--it's not used up. You can refill it. Directions suggest that you can replace the ink refill by removing the point with a pair of scissors--not by cutting, but by using them to lever the point out. Inside it will be the used refill. Cut about 1/3 inch off a Bic refill and replace it, cone-shaped finger guard and all. Voila! You're ready to write again.

As I said, these aren't my cup of tea, but I'm not normal. I suspect that many women will get a kick out of these, partly because they're cute and partly because they'll give them a chance to combine two hobbies--dolls and pens. Squigglers should give them a great time!

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