8/17/2016

Integrity Toys Summer 2016 Reveal

This past Saturday, IT held a webinar for members of the W Club during which Fashion Royalty, ITBE-16 and <3MLP dolls were revealed.

Fashion Royalty 

"Contrasting Proposition"  Natalia Fatalé™ Dressed Doll
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Natalia Fatalé 2.0
Limited Edition Size: 700
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00


Emerging Rebel Kyori Sato™ Dressed Doll 
This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method.
Limited Edition Size: 700
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Kyori Sato™ 2.0
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00


Daytime Impact Dasha™ Dressed Doll
This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method.
Limited Edition Size: 700
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Dasha™




Fresh and Delightful: Véronique Perrin® Dressed Close-Up Doll
This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method.
Limited Edition Size: 700
Suggested Retail Price: $89.00 + Shipping and Handling
IMPORTANT! THIS DOLL WILL BE OFFERED DIRECTLY FROM IT DIRECT VIA A RIGHT-TO-BUY LOTTERY. NOTE: THIS DOLL WILL NOT BE OFFERED VIA DEALERS.
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Veronique 2.0 


Fabulous Fields   Luchia Z.™ Dressed Doll
This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method. 
Limited Edition Size: 600
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Luchia Z.™ 2.0




Ruffles and Blooms: Eugenia Perrin-Frost™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition Size: 800
Suggested Retail Price: $150.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Eugenia Perrin-Frost™


Key Pieces:  Elyse Jolie™ Dressed Doll Gift Set
Limited Edition Size: 800
Suggested Retail Price: $199.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Elyse Jolie™ 




My thoughts on the FR collection.
My favorite is Natalia because of the fashion. If you noticed, several dolls have a 2.0 after their sculpt names.  When the company "updated" these sculpts (along with Vanessa and a few others,) they watered down and de-ethnicized the faces. Everyone got pouty lips and narrow noses. Adele, whose very popular 2.0 sculpt was changed drastically became less popular. Natalia was originally a Latina character. She didn't need a new face or white skin.
Many collectors are displeased at the lack of skin color diversity in this release.  They're surprised that a company whose goal was to produce dolls of ethnic diversity has come to this.
The year isn't over yet. We'll see what is to come.
As to the Elyse Jolie gift set...Elyse is my favorite sculpt but this one does nothing for me. Her palette makes her mouth disappear. The outfits are not calling me either.
I think Eugenia is a beautiful doll but that yellow gown is blinding. With all that's going on with the color and the (lovely) embroidery, the sculptural details and the frills above the bustline are distractions rather than attractive elements. This could have been a beautiful strapless ball gown.  Perhaps that upper part can be removed without damaging the gown. Unfortunately, the points would be difficult to remove. It's a shame.
I thought about ordering Kyori because I like the embroidered sheath but then I read further and it's vinyl. I don't like the way the shoes or the bag look with the dress either.
If Dasha were being sold as a nude doll or in a different fashion, I'd consider her. I love the neck piece.
Veronique...meh for the dress. The shoes and necklace are pieces I'd want.
Luchia is OK. I don't like the way the lower part of the dress drapes.

_______________________________________________

Integrity Toys + My Little Pony = <3 MLP

This is IT's new line designed by Jessy Ayala. Although they are not dolls I will collect I think he did a wonderful job. They are very cute and supremely colorful and fun. 




Each doll is a LE of 500 with a retail price of $130.
The boys use the Homme Body and the girls use the new Industry body type. They all have applied lashes and rooted hair.

...not be sold through dealers, but will be available exclusively via IT Direct!
...will be released later this fall, in waves of 2.
Each doll will have a portion set aside for W Club members only via a first-come, first-served sale opportunity in the IT Direct shopping cart.
Priority pre-ordering details for W Club members for the first two dolls in the line, sonic_rainboom_92 and sparkling_stargazer, will be sent to all W Club members prior to the W Club first-come, first-served sale date of September 12th, 2016.
Once the W Club portion is sold out, you are welcome to purchase the dolls on the public release day of September 13th, 2016, while quantities last.
An email notice containing the full purchase details for the first two dolls will be sent to W Club members ahead of time, closer to their sale date.
The other dolls in the line will be released later this fall in a similar manner.

My favorite is rare_form_21 Rarity™ Inspired Dressed Fashion Figure
I like everything about him! 



IT designs the best male dolls and has been producing winners for years IMO.

This guy is pretty cool, too. The outfit rocks but the hat is too small. It should sit further down on his hair.

appleofmyeye: Applejack™ Inspired Dressed Fashion Figure


The issue for me as a collector of fashion dolls is that these <3MLP have an aura of Hello Kitty-ness if that's a thing.
I think these dolls will appeal to a rather slim portion of the population - like the Jem collection; however,  I hope it succeeds because these dolls are interesting to look at.

_________________________________________

ITBE 16 (Integrity Toys Boring Edition)

Two  16" dolls were offered, each @ $99.,  produced as an LE of 200.

Left :
"Higher"  Head Sculpt: AvantGuard (Closed Mouth)

Right:
"Glitterazi "   Head Sculpt: Anais 1.0
What a horrid, trashy looking dress. Ugh.



_______________________________________

The Event Doll 

"Love, Life and Lace" Agnes Von Weiss™ Dressed Doll
Special W Club Price: $140.00
Head Sculpt: Agnes Von Weiss™
Body Type: FR2013
 



Agnes seems to have been tamed. Her face doesn't look like she's angry anymore. What happened? 
She's a nice doll. Nothing exciting here. 
 __________________________________________

Did you order something? 
Were you closed out of any particular doll? 
What is your opinion overall of the release?
Favorite, least favorite? 



28 comments:

  1. I was (am!) so, so excited about the event Agnes. Yeah, she's not as fierce looking as some older Agneses (is that proper? :) , but she's a gorgeous brunette, which we haven't seen in a while, I think. (Certainly not in the couple of years I've been in the club :o ) I sort of wish I'd known about her before ordering the sister set, but, well.

    I like the concept of the <3MLPs (and I do like MLP), but they seem sort of expensive for what they are. I was hoping they'd be in more of the Dynamite Girls price range. I'm not sure if I think that was the best way to interpret Pinkie Pie, but most of them are pretty decent interpretations, I think. Not sure if I'll jump for any, though.

    I do like the fashions of the FR collection, but not really keen on their makeup. (Veronique looks nothing like herself! Very strange.) I might have gone for Kyori, but it sorta makes my eyes twitch that her shoes are lavender and her dress has pink Jane magnolia blossoms on it. :S

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Having an Agnes in the sister gift set followed by an event Agnes is odd. And then there was the Elise J'Adore gift set followed by another Elise gift set. What's up with that? This gift set should have been Adele!

      Delete
    2. Agnes is just a super popular character and people cannot get enough of her and this one looks a lot like Optic Verve to me, which is a grail for many and highly popular. OV does not look angry either. The Moguls giftset is the sister pair and they look very severe compared to Agnes' soft look. They are dissimilar enough to me that I do not feel things are being duplicated.

      The Elyse gift set is awesome and while the same character as J'Adore Elyse, it is a completely different style, coloring and screening. She is sold out so clearly people cannot get enough and her popularity speaks for itself. I think she will look great redressed for those who like the androgynous look for her.

      Delete
    3. They do that a lot with the weird coloring of shoes, bags etc. Is there some design style I'm missing? I guess I'm old and conservative. For example, I think Dasha's melon colored shoes should be turquoise to match her purse and blouse, (or they should be melon colored). I do like the pop of color and the cool tailored jacket on Dasha, I think the skirt is too short.

      Delete
    4. I don't think matchy-matchy is particularly modern and in. Has not been for a long time actually. In fact I personally find it boring and a bit tacky. Reminds me of uniforms.

      Delete
    5. I don't mind Dasha's shoes, I think that's a nice contrast at work. Kyori's shoes, though, look like "we couldn't find the right shade so here's the closest we *could* find". :/ I feel like between the purse, shoes and dress, 2 of 3 should tie together somehow and none of them do. :p (The purse could kiiiinda go with the dress... but gray and beige together is a big no for me, unless you're going for safari/desert/Jedi...)

      Delete
  2. The MLP line designer is Jesse and is a he. He also does the make up design for all the IT dolls

    ReplyDelete
  3. OMG I totally agree re Eugenia's gown- the embroidery is so lovely! I loved it when I looked at the bottom and then my eyes traveled up... to the weird ruffle thing? I LIKE ruffles but this looks like an apron top attached to a ball gown- DO NOT LIKE. Also, I get that they were trying to listen to the people whining about more color- but seriously? Neon green? That color will look good only on a dark skinned doll.

    I actually think Agnes does have a frown again- but the very very light colored lipstick makes it hard to see and they did not include a picture of her face full on- I think she will be better in person. I thought giftset Agnes was super super dull and way too friendly so I liked this doll MUCH better.

    I thought Elyse was pretty but hate the use of nude lipstick and I thought her outfits were very boring.

    I liked the MLP dolls of course- they're super cute. I actually loved that they were mostly male- and love how gay Pinkie and Rarity look, yay!

    I liked Luchia and her dress- the design, the color is a little weird. I think maybe that the colors just don't suit this doll very well.

    I thought the ITBE big girls were really pretty- but their outfits are so cheap and don't even fit them. I guess there is only so much they can do with a $5 (or less?) outfit. I would prefer more details not less, but I guess they can't really compete with the high end 16" market unless they go all in. Which they are never going to do.

    I am sad they used the waterslide eyes in so many of the dolls, and found it troubling that the email with the specs did not actually include this information. So this is obviously information they do not plan on sharing with us regularly in the future unless we twist their arms and beg and cry? Don't like that.

    I noticed that the jewelry and hairstyles were way trimmed down. Alain presented these things as stylistic choices. I have to wonder.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Stylistic choices? LOL. I didn't see the webinar. I don't enjoy the bullshit and I didn't count on any dolls bring presented that I'd want.

      Delete
    2. I like the color of Eugenia's dress but would have preferred it rendered in a pretty day dress like those historical dresses...She Comes in Color and I want Candy. I bought her anyway, yellows, greens and brights are a favorite of mine.

      Delete
    3. Oh yah...I like the matching double bracelets on Eugenia for the cuffed look, that is something I have been doing for a long time on myself and my dolls!

      Delete
    4. Ooops re something I said- I said they didn't describe in the email which dolls have the waterslide eyes. Well, I just noticed that at the end of the descriptions (not in the specs) it DOES sometimes say " This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method" - so I guess they did tell us. My bad.

      Delete
  4. Loving the softer side with Veronique Perrin Fresh and Delightful, and for pure quirkiness.....Applejack with his apple tats. MAYBE he won't sell out!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I liked the collection. It was very fresh and Spring, which is why it should have been revealed in the May, not in late summer. I loved all dolls, although I admit Dasha looks strange in a school girl outfit. She strikes me as fierce and mean,
    not girly and floral. That was an odd doll and fashion choice.

    I did not like the way they were laughing at our concerns about the decal eyes and how condescending and dismissive they were. I am always stunned at the lack of professionalism with which they approach their customers.

    I did not appreciate people being mocked by Carol who was implying that our concerns imagined because we did not say anything until we found out it was a decal. And how they kept talking down on us. Like if we only understood this amazing technology and weren't so dense, we would like it. They just refuse to believe that we understand what it is and we still do not want it!! And then that line saying 'rest assured that Integrity Toys will always bring you the highest quality". Just sounded like a car salesman and a not very convincing one at that, which just made it worse. The more they tried to push us into celebrating the decals, the less effective it became.

    The truth is I.T. is likely doing this to save money but some people just do not get it and keep coming back with "oh, maybe it is good for us."

    No it is not good for you. This is cheap shit that lowers the value of these dolls.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know how you feel and I'm glad my collecting no longer hinges upon what IT does. I still love the beautiful little dolls but the marketing techniques and hype nauseate me.

      Delete
    2. IT is not just marketing hype, it is the way they talk to people on the forums and e-mails. Companies spend thousands of dollars on customer surveys and satisfaction, they kiss your ass for spending even just a few dollars on their merchandise. Most of the time they go out of their way to professionally and courteously address customer concerns. Integrity Toys, on the other hand has this flippant, dismissive attitude towards most of its customers, especially the liaisons who get to hide behind their anonymity in a place where they are supposed to be professionally dealing with people. Grocery store clerks have a name tag.

      Delete
    3. I think there is only one liaison-Carol Roth's sister. And there is Carol.

      Delete
    4. we all know their Marketing Director is a liaison, too.

      Delete
    5. Wow. He's got a toe in every pot.

      Delete
  6. Did you order something: Elise and Agnes
    Were you closed out of any particular doll: Not really, I like bits and pieces, like the clothes in the giftset (though I think a bathing suit would look great in this set), lavender makeup on Kyori and overall color palette on Agnes.
    What is your opinion overall of the release: OK, love the colors, but I was expecting more.
    Favorite, least favorite: Non of them is my clear favorite, however my least favorite is Dasha, she looks too aggressive and direct, if you know what I mean ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your input. I do know what you mean

      Delete
  7. This line was Ok. Nothing really Wow'd me all that much. I liked Natalia's dress the most. However, in the promo shot her head looks HUGE. I also thought the title of the dolls was lame. Wonder why Vaughn seemed to be MIA with this reveal. ? He didn't seem to get much credit and it felt more like Alain designed this line instead of a collaboration with Vaughn.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is Alain a clothes designer?i know he's artistically talented but I've never heard of that.
      T

      Delete
  8. This line was Ok. Nothing Wow'd me. I liked Natalia's dress but her head looked HUGE! I wonder why Vaughn was MIA. He didn't seem to get much credit for these designs by Carol or Alain.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I'm not sure. Some friends of mine told me he designed both Dasha and Marko from the IFDC convention.
    I also did not know he was a fashion doll designer.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi! I know this post is several months old, but since I'm new to the FR dolls, and recently got my first and waiting on another, I thought I'd share my thoughts. I have Veronique, and Natalia is on the way. For both there are pieces I'd give and take. I don't care for Dasha, she just has this angry look about her. The others are pretty. But Veronique and Natalia were my faves, and why I purchased! Tho they been around for months.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi..comments are always welcome on older posts. Please sign your posts.
      Thanks.
      Terri

      Delete

I do not publish readers' links or email addresses. If you wish to contact me or wish me to see something, find me on Facebook and send a FB message. In addition, Blogger is not letting me comment on comments! I'm trying to reconfigure this but I'm at a loss how to do so.