5/26/2016

Lovetone Dolls by Rocco Liang

I'm pleased to be able to present a review of the two new 12" fashion dolls designed by Rocco Liang, "Bonjour Baby" Lena (left) and "Hello Honey" Roxy.




Lena is a dark-haired beauty who arrives in a light gray, strapless jumpsuit topped with a pale blue coat. She carries a black patent leather rectangular, working handbag with black patent leather heels.
Each doll comes with a free-hanging hairstyle. I put Lena's into a low, off to the side pony tail and braided a small portion. Each doll also comes with one silver-tone earring. I would have liked a pair on each doll. The dolls do not come with stands.



Roxy is dressed in a pale gray (same color as Lena's jumpsuit) dress that has an Empire waist with an overlay of pleated fabric above the bustline.  Her coat is a dusty pink color. Her shoes are silver with back zippers. They match her working handbag. I put her hair into a sleek pony tail.



The fabric used is a lightweight, velour type synthetic. It has a nice feel and is non raveling as there are several unfinished edges used in the construction. Where there is a lining used, it is an ultra lightweight woven product which adds almost no bulk to the design. When it comes to dolls' coats, it's a great choice. The coats have working pockets
For both the jumpsuit and the dress I had to sew in a thread halter to hold up the bodice. I have Photoshopped it out of most of the photos.

I had heard about the body issues before receiving my dolls. It's quite unfortunate that this was not resolved prior to production because the design of the body is excellent. There's a great range of movement possible - even more than with the FR2 body. Unfortunately the hip joints and the under-bust joint are so loose that posing, without support or even on a stand is difficult, if not impossible. The vinyl has a very velvety feel to it.

Lovetones Dolls have almost identically sized bodies to the FR2. They can share clothes and shoes with Nu Face Dolls as well.





 Dolls retail for $168. each.

For more information go to: lovetonesdoll.com/index.php

Integrity Toy's New Preview Doll: The Industry

They're calling her a 12" Tulabelle but luckily, she doesn't look like Tula at all. The duck lips are gone!

16" Tulabelle on left; 12" Tulabelle on right.


I like the new sculpt much better. The eyes appear to be more in proportion to the rest of her face.  The shape of her head is more realistic. The makeup is more sophisticated (less cartoony.) Her outfit is pretty cool, too.

A Note From Designer David Buttry:

We are so happy to bring you the first doll from our new upcoming doll line. As always, with all of our doll lines, great attention was taken with the construction and detailing of the fashion. As a design choice (not a budgetary decision), we have chosen to use a very fine, micro-velcro closure on the front placket of Tulabelle's shirt. The fabric is very sheer and we did not want to have a visual distraction with the use of hooks and loops, so the decision was made to use velcro. We wanted to make our customers aware of this choice. I hope that you will love the great attention to detail that was incorporated into this doll; we worked hard to make her as visually stunning and versatile as we could!
That's a new path - velcro on Fashion Royalty dolls. I certainly understand the need to reduce bulk in the closures. We'll see if it spreads to other articles of clothing. This may not have been a budgetary decision but it is less expensive to use velcro in any event.

Lady Stardust  LE 500  $120

Here is the back story from IT's promo:


A New Trendsetting Powerhouse!

Tulabelle has just been asked to join a creative fashion collective. Artists, models, photographers, stylists and all-around fashion insiders work together as a one-stop creative powerhouse to influence the fashion world. Tulabelle couldn't be more excited to work with such a varied and talented group of individuals of all ages. The place works like a well-oiled machine and lives up to its name... THE INDUSTRY!

First unveiled last fall at the 2015 Integrity Toys convention in Long Beach, California, THE INDUSTRY is the brainchild of Poppy Parker creator David Buttry! The W Club is proud to finally officially launch this collection today, with the introduction of the first 12-inch Tulabelle doll in the series, Lady Stardust! Available for pre-order from Integrity Toys dealers starting today, the Lady Stardust doll is offered in a super-limited introductory edition size of 500 pieces only and marks the debut of a brand new, ultra-versatile body sculpt (more details about this below, keep reading!).

Stay Tuned, There Is More To Come!

Later this year, you'll get to meet more of Tulabelle's friends who work for THE INDUSTRY. They will have their own take on style, a lighthearted street-influenced collection with a mix of vintage and new. So, get ready for a lot of fun and more fashion adventures! We are excited about this new line and we hope you will be, too!

Note: The doll pictured in this release is a prototype. Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly.

THE INDUSTRY™ In Greater Detail

We chatted with the design team and they explained to us that THE INDUSTRY marks the debut of a brand new, freshly engineered body sculpt!

This new body can be completely disassembled and has interchangeable hands. This really useful feature offers great possibilities when dressing dolls in tight, form-fitting clothes and helps eliminate unnecessary closures that add bulk to scaled clothing whenever possible. Also, this new body features a more versatile foot sculpt that will allow the dolls to easily share shoes with other brands of dolls on the market! Talk about awesome versatility!

Also, THE INDUSTRY marks the introduction of a brand new packaging style designed by our very own Alain Tremblay that includes a portrait picture of the doll with each new release!

Without further ado, here is a shot of the new body in all its glory!
What other brands of dolls are on the market besides Barbie? If these feet can wear earlier FR shoes, that would be a good thing.

5/25/2016

2016 Poppy Parker Dolls Revealed

Members of the W Club were treated to this year's Poppy Parker "BonBon" Poppy Goes to Paris dolls on Tuesday. 
Each doll is $120. plus postage.
Here they are:



C'est Si Bon  LE 600 Japan Skintone

Très Chic Boutique   LE900   FR White

Bonjour Mademoiselle  LE800  FR White

Night At The Ballet LE700 Japan Skintone

Magnifique  LE900  FR White


Paris In The Springtime  LE900  Japan Skintone

Powder Puff  LE700 FR White:    
LOTTERY DETAILS COMING APPROXIMATELY LATE SUMMER 2016**IMPORTANT** THIS DOLL WILL NOT BE SOLD THROUGH IT DEALERS! 
Miss Amour LE700 FR White:   
LOTTERY DETAILS COMING APPROXIMATELY LATE SUMMER 2016**IMPORTANT** THIS DOLL WILL NOT BE SOLD THROUGH IT DEALERS! 
The outfits are adorable. That little yellow suit with the black accents is so stylish! I love it. My least favorite is the blue and ivory brocade cocktail dress  (Night at the Ballet) only because I don't like the style. It reminds me of something Gene Marshall would wear in the 1950's. The other one that doesn't appeal to me is the black and white "C'est Si Bon" dress. It looks awkward and poorly designed.
I love "Powder Puff." It's so fluffy, pouffy and pretty. Miss Amour's gown, although we've seen this gown here and there, is delightful. They're both perfect for pretty little Poppy. It's the way I like to dress my dolls. 

A friend send me an email earlier saying that she thinks I'll be getting the doll with the "poodle." That's no poodle. These are poodles.



That black thing looks like a drowned giant rat. Several companies including Mattel made great poodles through the years. 


Poppy collectors will be over the moon with this collection IMO. I think there is a doll here for everyone!