Picture of the Week ~ Lisa Irinyi aka Alex's Doll

I will write very little in this post as I want to not only feature Lisa's photograph but also her own responses to the questions I asked her earlier.
This is the new Mini Avantguard doll, Aphrodisiac:

"I had an absolutely giddy time shooting Aphro. She seems so runway/clownish – but in a cool way. So, as soon as I took her out of the box, I teased up her wig to ridiculous proportions (kinda reminds me of the villain in the movie Zoolander, Mugatu – Will Ferrell’s character). And then the rest of the outfit just came together. It’s fun, silly and cheeky. Then I remembered the carnival cage – perfect. I swear I could hear a souped –up version of calliope music running through my head during the shoot. You know, kinda scary, kinda exciting and a bit strange, but intriguing. The bright red and brilliant sunshine really made the images pop. The angle of the evening light was almost straight on, eliminating shadows and showing every tiny detail. I love that. It’s like magic."

"Sometimes I feel like the “Weird Al” of doll photos. I see a doll and start thinking about the clothes, the scene and before you know it, some strange image is produced with influences from over-the-top couture fashion or with heavy fairytale or pop culture influences. Obviously I want to take beautiful photos, but I also like to add a wildness, a quirky flair or a humorous strangeness – kind of a reimagining. I like cuteness, to be silly and the unexpected." 

"I started my blog as a New Year’s resolution to have more fun playing with my dolls and become a better photographer. I post a new photo every day (hence the name – Every Day A Dollie) and the constant picture taking has definitely helped me learn more about photography. I try a lot of different things. Weird angles (wide and tight), different lighting situations (sun, overcast, shade, flash), I experiment with exposure, flash strength and white balance – I’ve had some neat results and some that go straight to 'delete'." 

"My advice to all the photographers out there – Have fun. Take lots of photos. Try some in early morning or late day when thee sun is at a low angle – there’s magic in that lighting. Let your personality shine through your photos. And don’t be afraid to experiment."

Lisa's Flickr Photostream

Lisa's Blog

Mattel Loses Bratz Doll Appeals Court Ruling to MGA

Looks like the giant, scary Mattel isn't all that powerful in the courts these days.
I thought this statement by an Apellate Panel Chief Judge, Alex Kozinski, was very true and just:

“Even assuming that MGA took some ideas wrongfully, it added tremendous value by turning the ideas into products and, eventually, a popular and highly profitable brand,” the appellate panel said in an opinion written by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. “It is not equitable to transfer this billion-dollar brand, the value of which is overwhelmingly the result of MGA’s legitimate efforts, because it may have started with two misappropriated names.” 

Read more. 

From the Flickr photostream of callme_crochet

True Blood Paper Dolls

Until we get real dolls based on the characters in True Blood, these paper ones will have to do.

Better Pictures of the New Wu Madame Alexander Dolls

If you have been hunting down images of the Wu designed Alex and Paris dolls, your search is partially over. The Matilda Company has published enlargeable images. Perhaps we can convince Matilda to take Mahogany Alex's sunglasses off.

Alex - Styled by Jason Wu

George of Angelic Dreamz was kind enough to inform me that he has posted large pictures of the dolls as well.  His pictures are excellent and less clicking is involved. I'm sure he'd take off her sunglasses but the dolls haven't shipped yet.

Alex Signature Collection Styled by Jason Wu

My Name is Talky Tina and I'm Going to Kill You.

The weirdness never ends.

Talky Tina was a character in one of the scarier Twilight Zone episodes entitled "Living Doll." She starred along with Telly Savalas. (Don't admit that you remember him if you're trying to conceal your age.) Lollipop anyone? Anyway, Telly keeps trying to get rid of his step daughter's doll but she survives his every attempt.  Apparently he didn't love this baby. This version of Tina is a bobble headed 6-1/2" resin black and white thing. She looks very innocent, doesn't she?

 Talky Tina speaks the following phrases:
"My name is Talky Tina, and I love you very much."
"My name is Talky Tina, and I don't think I like you."
"My name is Talky Tina, and you'd better be nice to me."
"My name is Talky Tina, and you'll be sorry."
"My name is Talky Tina, and I'm going to kill you."

 Listen to this:
 Rod Serling's closing narration from Living Doll

If clicking on the above link does not work, then your computer needs some type of sound software. You can Google the narration and find it on Wikipedia.

Poppy Parker Beatnik Blues

Today was a big dolly day. When it rains it pours. I am deboxing just one at a time and taking it slowly. The first doll to be let out of her box was Beatnik Blues.
 

She is exactly as she looked in promo photos. Cute, innocent and smartly dressed. The quality is excellent.
I just love the outfit.

No, I haven't gone over to the dark side. She is too young-looking for my taste but I thought it would be fun to keep one.

She has a "caught in the headlights" surprised look.  Could that be because it says "New Girl in New York by Jason Wu" on the box? She thought David Buttry was in charge of her.

Picture of the Week ~ Rob Redden aka Uriah

This is Integrity's "The Red Queen" as photographed by Rob Redden. The lace reminded me of thin strands of white chocolate. She looks like a cupcake decoration - delicious and delicate. I love the intense color and the creamy softness of the focus.
Rob's been doing an exciting series of images of this doll. I normally post only one picture of the week but I wanted to add this one as well to show you a little of the variety he's working with.

Each photo has been highly manipulated in the computer and that is, IMO, Uriah's forte.

Today, two of the doll boards had as their featured image the first one above! You know when you're doing something right!