~The Petite Invasion~

Second Life has recently been overrun with very small avatars!  I use the term lovingly because I, myself, can't get enough of these miniscule marvels.  They are Petite Mesh Avatars and they come in the form of fairies, pixies, imps, whatever you want to call these little flittering cuties.  The bottom line is: they are ADORABLE!

Ever since Linden Lab incorporated mesh into the daily lives of many SL'ers through their release viewer 3, many amazing things have happened.  A Mesh Revolution has certainly sprung some new life into SL.  I could go on and on about the stunning new lines of mesh clothing available in so many stores - maybe another time - but this post is all about the little things - those Petites!

Not long ago, resident Yabusaka Loon assembled the first darling Petites in a successful attempt at shrinking the avatar body and shape down to about 1/3 the size of a "normal" avatar.  The entirely-mesh design includes a body, a pair of feet, two hands and three heads (all of which are part of the main body object) with lovely trim like eyelashes, nails and cute-as-a-button pointy ears that stick way out from your head.

The way they work is marvelous and slightly complex, but using them is simple enough.  HUDs control the color of the skin, different makeup and skin options, facial expressions (there are three; one for each head mesh) texture properties like Shiny and Glow and even which parts on the body mesh can be made invisible so that your Petite outfits work better.

There are no shortages of outfits.  Already, there are dozens of merchants designing and selling clothing and accessories for Petites.  You might assume it would be difficult to manufacture mesh goods for these little characters but Yabusaka Loon did something very crucial (and genius) that helped make the Petites boom possible: release a set of mesh development tools that creators could obtain ~for free~ that would ensure maximum compatibility and a reasonable assurance of quality potential.

Some creators have been fortunate enough to enter the inner sanctum of Petite design by releasing their own Petite avatars under the Yabusaka umbrella.  Fallen Gods has a fabulous selection of unique Petite Mesh Avatars in their lineup including Elves, Dracos, Fairies and my favorites, the Royales.  Also joining the fold are Skinthesis and Al Vulo.  Most have male and female avatars available in their own particular styles.  Others are joining in with avatars of their own including brilliant designs by ND/MD, Mynerva and more.

Much of the featured products can be found in sampler vendors at the Petites Kingdom - Yabusaka's courtyard dedicated to all things Petite.  In another measure of generosity and brilliant marketing, Loon has made space available for approved merchants at no cost to show the best of what they have to offer and to keep interest in Petites as well as their own shops at a high level.  The courtyard is always busy with foot traffic and eager fans.

~Jeanette's Joint~ could not resist bringing some of the best designs and even some new ones to the world of Petites.  ~JJ~ has opened a new wing of it's catalog called ~JJ~ Petitestuff that features products for the Petites realm.  ~JJ~ has even opened a new satellite store in the newly-opened Petites Shopping Village where all things ~JJ~ Petite can be found.  ~JJ~ has an addition space at the mall dedicated to Petite skins!  But more on that later... Also, look for The Glamorous Petite at the opposite end of the Petites Shopping Village and a smaller outlet store in the Holiday Village with a fabulous Petite boutique mall.  Of course, the Feature Gallery has everything on display front-and-center too.

I'll keep you posted on all developments from ~JJ~ but be assured that ~Jeanette's Joint~ will continue to design and release new items for your Petites as well as put our older favorites through the shrinker!  Think big and stay small!

~Love~

Jeanette Doobie