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Elf Ears – Please Read Before Adopting a Pair

A little warning before you buy

We don't recommend these elf ears for most folks.

Unlike many of our other accessories, these ears are not something you can simply take out of the bag and pop onto your Smart Doll.

Every Smart Doll head has slightly different contours, which means you'll need to spend some time heating and reshaping the ears to get them to fit reasonably well.

And even after all that effort, there will probably still be a visible gap between the ears and the head.

If you're looking for elf ears that attach effortlessly and sit perfectly flush against the head, these are probably not the ears you're looking for ;-)

What you're signing up for

Before adopting a pair, please make sure you're comfortable with the following quirks.

• Some DIY is required. You'll need to soften the ears using hot water or a hairdryer and reshape them by hand. You may need several attempts before you're happy with the result.

• Gaps are to be expected. Even after reshaping, the ears may not sit flush against the head. You can try hiding the gap beneath the wig, but there's no guarantee it will disappear completely.

• They may appear to float. These ears sit slightly in front of your Smart Doll's original ears rather than replacing them. This is intentional.

• No two ears are exactly alike. Each ear is handcrafted using one of eight molds (four left and four right). The overall shape and inner hollow vary between molds, so even the left and right ears in a pair may look slightly different.

• They can come loose. The ears rely on the wig to hold them in place. Depending on how snug your wig is, you may need a little Blu Tack to help keep them secure, especially if the wig has loosened over time.

These characteristics are part of the product rather than manufacturing defects. For this reason, we're unable to offer replacements or exchanges due to gaps, fit issues, or differences in shape between ears.

We'd much rather you decide these aren't for you now than discover that after they've arrived.

How to attach them

The ears use the same over-the-ear, under-the-wig method as our glasses.

The wig helps hold the ears in place, but you'll probably need to reshape them first.

How to reshape them

1. Place the ear in hot (not boiling) water, or gently warm it with a hairdryer until the vinyl becomes flexible.

2. While the vinyl is still warm, carefully press the ear against the side of your Smart Doll's head to help it follow the contours.

3. Hold the ear in position until it cools, or use cold water to help set the new shape.

You may need to repeat the process a few times. Patience is part of the adventure.

Please be careful when handling hot water or heated vinyl. We would prefer that your elf transformation doesn't involve a trip to the hospital.

A few more things worth knowing

• These ears were developed for Smart Doll. We haven't tested them on other dolls, so we don't know whether they'll fit.

• We recommend removing them when taking your Smart Doll out and about. The ears can come loose, and discovering that one has gone missing halfway through your adventure probably isn't the memory you wanted to make.

• They're pointy, so please be mindful of other people's eyes.

• While they may resemble some sort of exotic snack, they are not edible. Adding Tabasco sauce will not improve the situation.

Why on earth did we make these?

A little elf once told me that there weren't enough manufacturers making elf ears for dolls.

She then informed me that unless I made some for Smart Doll in soft vinyl, she would rearrange my face.

Naturally, I agreed.

The elf seems reasonably pleased with the result.

Whether you'll be equally pleased depends entirely on how comfortable you are with all the quirks mentioned above.

These ears aren't perfect, and we never intended to pretend otherwise. But for folks who enjoy a little tinkering and don't mind working around some limitations, they might just be what you're looking for.

For everybody else, we'd genuinely recommend giving these a miss.

The elf may disagree, but fortunately she's not in charge of customer support ;-)