Integrity to Compete in the Supernatural Themed Doll Market

Along with Ashton-Drake, Integrity Toys is working on a project to produce characters in 1/6 scale from the Dark Hunters' series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. I have to admit that I never even heard of this series until I read the announcement. With my tail between my legs I slunk off to Wikipedia and Amazon to look. Apparently Ms. Kenyon is a book writing machine, pumping out book after book filled with stories of paranormal romance. Since her first book, Fantasy Lover, which was published in 2002, seventeen (!!!) more books in that series have been published. In addition there have been thirteen short stories and novelettes published in the same period. I wonder if that's a record.

It's fairly widely known that Ashton-Drake quality control is far from reliable. If Delilah Noir is any indication of future quality then this new project may be doomed from the get-go. In any event, it won't be boring.

There are two more Integrity projects in the works with Ashton-Drake as well. One is Disney related and the other is vampire related. Both will be under a new Couture Fantasy label. I cannot wait to see this.

I just hope that the convention does not become about dolls other than Fashion Royalty. It's already happening with the introduction of Poppy Parker as a table centerpiece. It's not new as Dynamite Girls and Hollywood Royalty were also introduced as centerpieces. But if it's a Wu convention, I want WU not WHO.

Next they'll be collaborating with Mattel.

Just kidding, people. Don't spread any rumors.

Gene Marshall & Wu Conventions 2010 - Save the Dates!

There will be a big going away bash for Gene Marshall to be held by Integrity Toys. This event being called the Gene Stardust Convention and will take place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from June 3-5, 2010. I am sure this will be the party of the year as devotees of the line flock to the scene to bid farewell and to get the last of the line's dolls. Internationals and others who will not be able to attend Stardust are clamoring for the ability to purchase the convention line. Will they be heard and accomodated?

The announcement of the impending end of the road for Gene has boosted interest in sales and other aspects of the line. In particular, the recently announced "It's A Cinch" which was received with much criticism one week before Mel's announcement, is now sold out at most dealers. The discussion board ICOG run by Dennis Bastien has booked it's sponsors for 2010 and will be up and running for the entire year. Members of the W Gene Club have been wondering what will become of that group. Wait a minute, I'm a member of that club, too. What will happen? Will we have a 1/2 year club with one club exclusive? If they do that, everyone in the world will join the club with multiple memberships. This will be an interesting development to watch.

The date and location of the Fashion Royalty Convention (which can now be called the Wu Fashion Royalty, NuFace, Hollywood Royalty, Poppy Parker & ITBE Convention) has been announced nice and early this year.
The event will be back at the Pittsburgh International Airport Hyatt from October 28-30, 2010. I'm guessing that Halloween will play a big role at this event. That should be lots of fun! There's been some disgruntled chatter about the change of location back to Pittsburgh but most people are happy with the location.

During the last two weeks there were so many announcements about "special purchase opportunities" that I could barely keep track of them. I had to make a list of what is on it's way, approaching lotteries and other opportunities in order to get the whole picture and to decide what I would go for. Right now I'm in non-spending mode. Haha, famous last words.... but I'm looking at IDEX and two conventions in 2010. I can hardly believe that I am not entering the lottery for the Colette Monogram doll. I really wanted her. I wish I wouldn't have purchased the Monogram doll from Jeffrey's. Her hair is unmanageable, the dress lost beads, one shoe strap broke and the body joints are so loose that I can't pose her standing upright. Ugh. I have been promised a replacement.

No Exaggeration AvantGuard Doll

This Avantguard doll is eye candy. The face screening is gorgeous and she looks beautiful in her fashion. No Exaggeration is all about color and style; now we need to add some engineering.

 

The biggest difficulty with this doll and all the Avantguards is the wobbly joints. Even with the stand at an optimal height and careful placement, her ankles or her hips kept bending causing the doll to lose balance. I like the dolls but the quality of the body is very poor.  I don't want to play with something that is frustrating. Their hips sway. If I just wanted to pose the doll in a runway stance, it would take forever to get her to stay that way.
We can hope this gets fixed or I am done with Avantguard.
The feathers on her hat (?) fall off easily but the strangest thing is that it comes with two hat pins. The base of the hat is hard felt and you practically need a drill to get the pin through to secure it to her hair.
Putting the wig on takes experience but it can be done. I will change the wig soon because I think she needs something bigger to balance the shape of the pants.

Retail price of No Exaggeration is $220. and she is available from Integrity dealers who carry the AGs.

Tyler's 10th Anniversary Dolls For Sale at Tonner Direct

For those of you with a few hundred to spare right before the Holiday Season, the remaining Anniversary dolls have gone on sale at Tonner Direct.
First up is the beautiful "It was a Very Good Decade." LE 150. Priced at $295. She would certainly add sparkle to any collection. I have heard that the sequin fabric is the same that Robert used in his human clothing line. These were the centerpiece dolls.
"A Perfect Ten" LE 200 is being offered for $195. She's worth it. You saw my photos of my event doll. Here is Tonner's photo:The surprise return of Mei Li in the form of an Ultra Basic doll was very well received. According to the site, there is only a limited amount remaining right now. More will be received early in December. They are priced at $59.95. She comes packaged in a clear plastic box dressed only in the white body suit. No shoes or stand are included.
Images in this post are the property of Tonner Doll Company.

A Perfect Ten ~ Tyler Commemorative Doll

This is the event doll we received at the anniversary celebration on Saturday, November 7 at the Wiltwyck Country Club in Kingston, NY. My jaw dropped and I sat in awe when I opened the box. Her face, hairstyle and magnificent dress are so fitting on this occasion of her tenth anniversary. Here are some of my preliminary photographs of her.

More about the event will be posted. Stay tuned!

Picture of the Week Award ~ November 8, 2009

The Award this week goes to Carol in Texas. I am drawn to this image for many reasons: the speckled lighting, the composition, the posture of the doll and the overall sense of "something's going to happen." It makes a good Rorschach test.
Carol is the proprietor of Dreamcastle Dolls. She, along with assistance of other collectors, is compiling a detailed and sweeping reference for Tonner and Effanbee dolls that will go back as far as 1999.