A person at the top responded to the query about the decal eyes from a collector. He said that the "new technique will ensure that the eye alignment is always correct."
Someone said, "What if the decals are misaligned?" Hmmmm.
Yes, boys and girls, that was the answer.
Going forward, what do you think?
Will you spend more than $100 for a doll whose eyes are decals even if they are sealed?
I understand that velcro is in use as well.
I don't think I would have known that Dasha's eyes were decals unless I read about it.
It sounds like a decision that was made to cut production costs. I can understand that. They are in business to make money after all.
Did you know that you can buy a sheet of doll eye decals (there are hundreds of styles and sizes to choose from) for about $5.?
* fewer details on outfits
ReplyDelete* simplified hairstyles
* no more airbrushing
* packaging simplification (that one was okay with me)
And now- velcro and sticker eyes.
I guess they are going after a different kind of collector now.
That was obvious to me when the Jem line debuted.
DeleteThank you , Terri, for saying this. Things have been going downhill steadily since they introduced the Jem line. I assume it put a huge strain on their capabilities as a family business resulting in other lines, and the quality, paying for it. There is still large unsold stock of these. The Katy Keene license also backfired with a lot of unsold stock after nearly two years, even at sales prices.
DeleteIt's sad about the Katy Keene line. It should not have been produced on the CI body. The suits were designed very nicely. The gowns, not so much. Such a shame.
Deleteyes, the CI bodies sealed their doom as a line. Someone at IT is making all these bad decisions in that regard for years and the result is the company going down the tubes. My outrage aside for the moment, this is a sad situation. To see a company that occupied such an important and unique position and delivered such amazing products, disintegrate like that has been a sad thing to watch.
DeleteWhich body would have been better for Katy?
DeleteI would have preferred the FR body for sharing fashions and shoes.
DeleteDecal eyes are not a new technique. Cheap doll companies have been employing it for years. I resent IT trying to spin this as some kind of a new technology developed to give us the best. People are not stupid. We know it is to cut down costs.
ReplyDeleteThese dolls are supposed to be Fashion ROYALTY. The cream of the crop from head to toe. Decals are cheap, not a fix or a favor to us.
I am also pretty upset about the way they sneaked this one by us, without any kind of warning. They know perfectly well how much I.T. collectors care about quality and detail, especially the quality of screenings. And being in this business for so long there is no way they could not have anticipated the huge backlash they are deservedly getting now. Instead of letting us know ahead of time, they just stayed quiet until people already signed up for the Convention and preordered the Convention collection. And even then, we still found out by chance, not becasue they informed people.
This is why people are frustrated. No one wants them to fail or harbors ill will toward them, but this is just inconsiderate and underhanded.
This is the end of an era for certain. The use of decal eyes just confirmed what people have been speculating about ever since the Cinematic convention.
I just don't understand why they are waiting to announce it. They send newsflash emails for lesser concerns, so why not send us W club members a formal statement that handpainted eyes will no longer be a feature. I'm kicking myself for opting to go to their convention this year.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure you can get a refund, and cancel the hotel room.
ReplyDeleteI think they have put themselves in a very tough position. They are ostensibly marketing a "top tier" product. Yet they are continually moving to much lower level finishes and materials.
ReplyDeleteWell.....it was good while it lasted.
Is this also true for the current Poppy line?
As always love the blog.
-Will C.
Hi Will:
DeleteI don't know about the Poppy dolls or any of the other characters. People are wondering!
Terri
I stuck around with Integrity because I remember what they had produced, and clung to the idea they could do it again. As you said, JEM was the blinking light that IT has gone in a different direction.
ReplyDeleteThier golden age passed a few years ago. It's been hard to watch, and sad.
I'm gonna bet we've been getting decal eyes for the past few years, there just hasn't been any snafus to alarm consumers and by now this practice is likely company wide.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at a dol from five years ago, the face is sophisticated in layering of colors- but it's literally been atwo dimensional 'stamp' for quite a while. Sad day. :-(
Agree. I notice that looking at older dolls, the make up just looks more three dimensional and has depth, while the newer dolls lack that. I noticed it with Great Pretender Lillith and Sneak Peak Eden. It is very obvious and is just part of the steady reduction in quality, including with respect to materials and finishes used, as someone said above. The decline has been happening over years. A bit here and there. The decal eyes are just the final straw.
DeleteThat same person pisses dealers off on a regular basis.
DeleteThey need to seriously do something about that. It is becoming intolerable and there is only so much abuse people can take.
DeleteI have lost any interest in FR and Integrity dolls. I will cherish the earlier ones I own. I am currently putting older FR dolls heads on the fantastic new Mattel Made to Move bodies, due to discoloration and cracking. Thanks for the news.
DeleteNot telling it, is the opposite of "Integrity".
ReplyDeleteMartina from Cologne
Wow this is soooo sad. I have been collecting dolls for over 30 years. I will not buy dolls with decals for sure. They are opting for younger audience and that is fine, but they should terminate fashion royalty as it doesnt exist for two-three years. So happy I didnt won thatnDasha as I would be mad now!
ReplyDeleteThe cheerleaders are at it again, trying to make excuses for this grossness by suggesting it was all part of IT's grand plan to bring us more cutting edge stuff. Ok then. Enjoy paying 140 dollars and more for dolls with sticker eyes. Some people are seriously in denial over the steady decline of everything, laughing it off and dismissing the concerns of people as unfounded or imagined. Or my favorite go-to answer when you want to make excuses for bad quality and substandard products, "production costs in China have gone up". But no one wants to talk about bad decision making over there, again and again, leading to all this.
ReplyDeleteI think the success of the Paramount licences gave them a taste for more and then they began chewing off more than they can handle so they started skimping on other things, like quality but also other lines to make those licenses, steadily losing their target consumer.
They should have slowed down after Paramount but instead got themselves into Jem and that sort of was the beginning of the end. Expanding is good but you have to also hire more people and make sure you have the capabilities to take on the high demand that comes from licenses. A very upsetting situation and a shame.
Seems rather petty to turn this into a way to attack other collectors.
DeleteThey're all entitled to their opinions but someone always gets annoyed at someone else and then the fighting begins.
DeleteWell the cheerleaders ARE annoying, especially becasue they are making excuses for ITs shady behavior and overall declining product quality. That level of indiscriminate mindless denial is just intolerable. People have every right to be upset about this whole ordeal of decals and not be happy about the usual suspects trying to gaslight them into believing that they are just not seeing it right or tying to invalidate their concerns by suggesting they are wrong or exaggerating for being upset. Sure, they can cheer all they want and try to turn this into some kind of a blessing for us, but just as much as they have the right to cheer, I have the right to point out how fucking annoying and counterproductive it is. That is not an attack. I'm sorry you see it this way.
DeleteLOVE Dasha and she was a gift from my husband...
ReplyDeletebut this decal thing makes me sad... and the excuse kinda... lame?
Thanks for blogging about this issue, Terri, I had been wondering and was glad to get the scoop here. I bought a OOAK (barbie) repaint from an auction site years ago. Turns out the eyes were decals and they pealed off. I wonder what plans IT has to prevent pealing.
ReplyDeleteI will be updating when any info is released.
DeleteT
At least now we know. Wondering if Tonner hasn't been doing the same thing!!! as an FYI, Golden Matte/ Satin/ Gloss polymer media are excellent for sealing the decal, and provide UVLA protection and don't yellow. Many repaint artists use this brand, and found in a lot of craft stores (and even Wal-Mart!!!). As for the eye decals...WHERE??? I don't do eyes well, and I have a few Tonner guys and girls that could use them!!
ReplyDeleteHi Terri, I'm so worried and disappointed about this deacal eyes issue. I'm an eager doll photographer (not a professional) and love to make close ups. Decal eyes printing shows really bad in photos. It's like shooting dolls with eyes taken out of a newspaper comic. I make a real effort on buying these dolls, not only because they're barely available in my country but also because of the high price. But still I would gladly do it because I considered them pieces of art. Now I have the feeling I'm paying a lot of money for a wonderful original painting and instead I'm getting a cheap lithography, if you know what I mean. An now, I just found this: https://www.flickr.com/photos/30560550@N05/29629091426
ReplyDeleteHope IT reconsiders the use of them.
Big kisses from México dear.