5/13/2017

New Poppy Parker Collection Debuts "Swinging London"

Sign of the Times
Poppy Parker™ 2 Doll Gift Set
The Swinging London Collection
Edition Size: 825
Estimated Delivery: Mid to Late-Summer 2017
Suggested Retail Price: $180.00 US
Body: Poppy 1.5 (Body disassembles and features newly improved joint stability)
Foot Sculpt: Traditional Poppy feet with articulated ankles
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Brunette (Doll No.1) and Platinum Blonde (Doll No.2)
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Poppy is in London and she'd like a Carnaby Street makeover. She hits some of the most popular London boutiques like "Sign of the Times" and gets her hair and makeup done at the grooviest salon in London... Sid Vasoon.


Newly arrived from her modeling stint in Paris, Poppy knows it's time for a new look and this gift set totally delivers! Here you get not one, but two fabulous Poppy Parker dolls in the same super fun collector friendly package, showing Poppy upon her arrival to London from Paris and then post her sleek Mod makeover! Each fully rooted and articulated doll features very distinctive looks, designed to illustrate Poppy's passage to a new evolution of her look as a "Mod"ern teen idol! 



_________________________________________


Item # PP113
Glad All Over
Poppy Parker™ Gift Set
The Swinging London Collection
Edition Size: 725
Estimated Delivery: Mid to Late-Summer 2017
Suggested Retail Price: $160.00 US
Body: Poppy 1.5 (Body disassembles and features newly improved joint stability)
Foot Sculpt: Traditional Poppy feet with articulated ankles
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Blonde
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Poppy has arrived in London and she's so excited to see the debut collection of her clothing line, "Poppy Gear". She's having fun trying on and modeling a few of the new dresses from the collection. She'll be the focus of the ad campaign, modeling the dresses.

This totally groovy gift set features a fabulously youthful rendition of Poppy Parker, which features fully rooted hair and delicately hand-applied eyelashes. Poppy comes with three ultra-colorful mini-dresses, three pairs of shoes and all sorts of fun little mix-and-match fashion accessories to create many fun looks! It comes in a brand new Mod-themed collector package that you won't want to miss!


_______________________________________


Item # PP117
Sunny Slickers
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
The Swinging London Collection
Edition Size: 725
Estimated Delivery: Mid to Late-Summer 2017
Suggested Retail Price: $130.00 US
Body: Poppy 1.5 (Body disassembles and features newly improved joint stability)
Foot Sculpt: Traditional Poppy feet with articulated ankles
Skin Tone: FR Black
Hair Color: Brunette Mix
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Poppy is on a photo shoot in the streets on a rainy day for makeup company Miss London promoting their new line of lipsticks called Sunny Slickers.

Dressed in super vibrant colors to really bring out her lovely features, Poppy puts some pop in her step in a totally groovy rendition of the traditional rain coat. Set to stay perfectly dry on any rainy day, Poppy's colorful look could bring a ray of light on any dull and dreary rainy day! Comes complete with adorable clear vinyl boots and a fully functional clear vinyl miniature umbrella. 



Here is my own altered version of this doll with her lips and hair changed. She looks much less child-like. Pig tails were not Mod.

______________________
______________________


On another topic - briefly:

There is something weird about giving a doll FR black vinyl when she has the same Caucasian features as Poppy Parker.  It seems like a shortcut to pleasing black doll collectors.  It was done before with Midas Touch Poppy who turned out much prettier than Sunny Slickers in any case.

Editor's Note: I realize that what I said in the paragraph above was not properly and well thought through. There are no specific "black" features. I did not mean to offend anyone and apologize if I did. I think this Poppy doll is beautiful. 


I am aware that Darla, the AA friend of Poppy, was not very popular. It was the face paint and styling that doomed those dolls to be slow selling. Just look at this amazing repaint of a Darla Daley by Laurie Lenz.



A beautiful AA sculpt is there but the presentation is not:

Hit Single Darla

________________
________________

Now back to the release:


Item # PP120
Downtown
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
The Swinging London Collection
Edition Size: 725
Estimated Delivery: Mid to Late-Summer 2017
Suggested Retail Price: $130.00 US
Body: Poppy 1.5 (Body disassembles and features newly improved joint stability)
Foot Sculpt: Traditional Poppy feet with articulated ankles
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Light Auburn
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

On a day off from work, Poppy has decided to take in another day of sightseeing "Downtown". With her brand-new 35mm portable camera in tow, Poppy will soon be in awe of all the incredible sites and attractions the city has to offer!

Poppy is a fully articulated doll with fully rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes. Perfectly clad in her super modern pastel tweed suit, Poppy is set to take London by storm; she just wants to see it all and not miss a beat! 



____________________________

Item # PP115
Welcome to Misty Hollows
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
The Swinging London Collection
IT DIRECT EVENT EXCLUSIVE
Edition Size: TBA
Estimated Delivery: Late Summer 2017
Suggested Retail Price: $130.00 US
Body: Poppy 1.5 (Body disassembles and features newly improved joint stability)
Foot Sculpt: Traditional Poppy feet with articulated ankles
Skin Tone: Japan
Hair Color: Silver Blond
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

While in London Poppy was asked to be a special guest star on a few episodes of her favorite British Spooky TV series, "Misty Hollows". This was quite an honor, as she had been watching this show back home even before it became cool to do so!

Poppy Parker is dressed perfectly to play the part of the "spooked out" neighbor in this classic British TV series! This absolutely stunning edition of everyone's favorite teenage model comes dressed in a fashionable Victorian inspired Mod dress, complete with lace cravate [sic] and matching ribbon in her hair. Since we couldn't leave our girl in the dark, Poppy also comes with a super detailed miniature candle and holder*, perfect to shine some light on the mystery surrounding the plot she stars in! 
Note: *The miniature candle does not light; the pictures below have been digitally augmented.


_____________________________________

If I were a Poppy Parker collector, I'd have ordered the two-doll gift set already. Those two dolls are adorable and very different from each other. At $180. the set is a bargain. 
I like the FR black Poppy except for her lip color. There is too much contrast between her skin tone and the lipstick. It almost hurts my eyes when I look at her for a long time. I think I'd like a more mature hairstyle for her as well. Her outfit is delightful; I want that umbrella! The striped tights and clear boots are TDF. 

The Misty Hollows doll appeals to me and I'm trying to resist her but I may break down and pre-order. She is a direct event exclusive and W Club members can order her through May 17. 

Regarding the promotional layout, I admire how Alain has presented the poses for each individual offering into a larger composition. It makes for easier blogging.

Have you ordered your Poppy Parkers yet?

50 comments:

  1. If I were looking to add more Poppys to my collection, I'd be rather sad. The hairstyle of the blonde doll in the 2 doll giftset reminds me more of a space helmet than one of Sassoon's signature cuts. As for Sunny Slickers, I can't see the pasty, shiny lip color looking good on any skin tone. Gorgeous makeover for Sunny Slickers, though. My wallet is glad that she is not the real doll. I also like Misty Hollows. Just hoping the dress isn't a velvet that will leave black lint everywhere. I have received so many IT dolls lately with lint all over their faces.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I find that canned air is handy in the case of lint on a doll's face.

      Delete
    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    3. ....Sidelining the controversy... Pig tails were def. popular in the Mod era... 😊

      Delete
    4. Matt: Thank you for your comment. I actually hunted through hundreds of pages of hairstyles from the era and found no evidence of that. I'll add that I lived through the era as well and I'm old enough to remember.
      T

      Delete
    5. Did some further hunting for pigtails and I was able to find several fashion shoot photos showing the occasional pigtailed model. I can see where the style may have been inspired for the doll.

      Delete
    6. Thanks Terri ^_^ I may not have lived through it, but it's an era I have studied in depth (one of those "born too late" scenarios...lol)

      "1960s pigtails" on Pintrest will pull up a plethora of images of models of the era with that hair style, as well as many actresses...( and of course the obligatory pins of new models that don't belong under the search...lol)

      It's especially prevalent with the type of models that Poppy represents-- "teen" models (not just teen aged models, but models that specifically worked for the "Seventeen Magazine" market) but the style makes it's way onto older actresses and models, as well as some high fashion stuff :) It's the focus on "youth" at that time, imo.

      Delete
    7. I guess it wasn't popular in my part of Brooklyn.
      T

      Delete
  2. It is a delightful collection overall. I am not head over heels as I was last year with the BonBon collection that just blew me away, but that is because MOD is not my style direction. Everything is just so bright, and colorful and full of patterns. I guess it is almost so over the top, you gotta love it. My least favorite is Downtown and Hollows.

    I agree about them just smearing Poppy with black color and calling her AA. It is so odd. Why not bring back the lovely Darla and make her gorgeous? Someone asked the designer about an Asian Poppy Parker. How on Earth could you have an Asian Poppy? By redoing her sculpt? By screening her Asian? That doesn't even make any sense. But that is how it has been in the club lately: every doll under the sun has been photoshopped into an AA doll. Every single doll. Entire threads and pages are spammed with that and no one can say anything. But at some point I wonder why not just crate original AA sculpts? Else it just feels like an attempt at blackface, which I don't find particularly respectful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When in doubt, say Poppy dolls.
      T

      Delete
    2. Dear "Poppy"
      How is a black doll supposed to look? And there are many people who enjoyed the photoshopped dolls in various tones. If you didn't like it, you didn't have to look or say anything! Why not show respect for those who enjoyed the thread?
      I'm inclined to think you're one of the club members who reported those threads and had them removed.
      Stephanie aka not anonymous

      Delete
    3. Hm is this Mena? So you think that AA Poppy is disrespectful? Or the discussions by people who want more black dolls diversity and their favorite sculpts in darker tones disrespectful? Disrespectful to who? To the ones that have said they don't want their dolls in tan skin tones? I am not so worried about those people for some reason...
      I agree that Integrity needs to make more AA characters, but the suggestion that an AA character or doll in FR-black shouldn't have "Caucasian features" (whatever that means) is just wrong. And ridiculous.

      Delete
    4. I said nothing about Caucasian features, those are your words, not mine. I am only pointing out that having some original AA characters would be a more respectful approach. How is that racist? This refrain that anyone who even slightly disagrees with some people on skin tone is a racist and the behavior that follows it is becoming tired and is probably one of the reasons all those threads were taken down. In case you have not noticed, a lot of people have stopped posting a long time ago. Anyway, last I checked, people are still entitled to their likes and preferences. So maybe consider leaving the pitchforks and torches at home.

      Delete
    5. Good I am glad people stopped posting who had ugly comments. People are entitled to their opinions however hateful spewing should be countered vigorously...and people who spew hate should stop being so sensitive or at least stop being surprised when they are countered. Fighting hate never gets tiresome actually

      Delete
    6. You miss the point...read Patrizia's post below for clarity. You bashed her for 'Spamming' beautiful dolls! It clearly bothered you and your very vocal opinion bothered others. THAT is why the board was taken down! There are way more people who are offended by your comments here but would rather vent elsewhere where they think it's 'safe' I happen to be a little more vocal when it comes to discussions and comments that really could use an EDIT.
      Re-read your comments and then put yourself in another's shoes.
      Or not...your choice

      Delete
    7. You miss the point...read Patrizia's post below for clarity. You bashed her for 'Spamming' beautiful dolls! It clearly bothered you and your very vocal opinion bothered others. THAT is why the board was taken down! There are way more people who are offended by your comments here but would rather vent elsewhere where they think it's 'safe' I happen to be a little more vocal when it comes to discussions and comments that really could use an EDIT.
      Re-read your comments and then put yourself in another's shoes.
      Or not...your choice

      Delete
    8. But people were not posting hateful comments. They were posting their preferences for dolls, like the upgrade doll that became Riviera Agnes, only to have those preferences repeatedly bashed as racist. Every thread. If you did not choose AA as a skin tone, your choice was put down and disparaged, one way or another, and you were accused of being a hater.

      Delete
    9. You have a very "interesting" interpretation on what transpired. Patrizia was the main person with the photoshopping skills, people were positively responding to them, so I don't know what other "spammers" you're referring to.
      You and others made passive-aggressive remarks, people responded...thread closed. See how that works?
      Moral of the story...if it doesn't appeal to you, move on to something that does instead of antagonizing people.

      Delete
    10. Really, so your take on people saying that they wanted AA Agnes- was that those people were in fact "bashing" the ones that did not and calling them racist and haters? What board was this? Honestly I don't even know how to respond to someone who is so out of touch with reality.

      Delete
    11. Then let me refresh your memory: eye-rolling emojis when someone posted they wanted a cream Agnes with black hair or a blonde Vanessa with light skin. Big sighs of disgust and annoyance and snarky comments everytime about how "disappointed' someone is that people are picking "more of the same". Taking apart every innocuous statement on aesthetic preference to imply that people are being bigots who don't appreciate diversity.

      No one ever said a black Agnes was ugly, But people weren't allowed to say that they preferred a non AA Agnes either without being shamed. Stating you prefer that new sculpts be made rather than take historically white dolls to replace dolls envisioned with diversity of features is not racist or over the line. You may disagree that this is the case, but to bash people as racist is crazy.

      I doubt that if people had turned a bunch of historically AA dolls white we would get the same reaction to Patrizia's edits. In fact, as I recall, people were pissed when last year's Natalia was given white skin and blonde hair.

      So I'll throw this right back at ya: if it doesn't appeal to you then move on to something that does and stop antagonizing people. It goes both ways.

      Delete
  3. I was going to get the Sign of The Times set because I wanted the blonde doll, but when I saw that shipping was going to be $32.00, I decided to pass.Maybe I'll pick her up nude sometime, or maybe when I see real pictures of her, I'll be glad I passed.

    I completely agree with you about the AA Poppys, they actually give me the creeps with their too caucasian noses, I don't like them at all.

    And for a related question, I can never decide if the multiple of Poppy is Poppys (which I use) or Poppies. Poppies is for flowers, I'm not sure the same rule applies to names.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Does anyone not recognize the ignorance in such statements??? Creepy because she's brown with a Caucasian nose?
      I guess you would think I'm creepy looking then...
      Whatever...

      Delete
    2. Marna, your statement illustrates perfectly why saying or suggesting that AA dolls should not have "Caucasian features" is hurtful and not okay. Obviously there are plenty of AA people with all kinds of features- there are no "set" features that AA people should all have. Where do you people live anyway? Somewhere with no black people maybe.

      Delete
  4. I am a FR collector, however I liked last year's collection (even got a few Poppys). I am not floored with this one. Glad all over looks interesting (though one of the dresses is not even lined...). The brunette looks wonky to me. I agree with your thoughts on an instant AA dolls concept (though I wouldn't mind it if they offer "real" AA dolls too).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How can you tell one of the dresses is not lined?

      Delete
    2. Glad all over, the one with stripes, lower hem, you can see stitches, no line. Take a closer look, that is how it looks to me, I might be wrong.

      Delete
    3. Psylocke: I see the hem but the stitching does not signify no lining. It's just the way they finished the dress.
      T

      Delete
  5. Misty Hollows and the double set for me. I never cared for Darla, and like the (over painted) repaint even less.

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's nice that Integrity has different sculpts- but some sculpts are going to be more popular than others, and the Poppy sculpt is more popular than the Darla sculpt. I don't think it's weird to make Poppy in FR black- not any weirder than making her any other color. They made Midas Poppy black because (according to Alain) a LOT of collectors begged for her (there was a thread that was deleted because people got nasty- talking about how they "didn't like black dolls") - and Integrity listnend (before the thread was closed).

    Maybe she did please black doll collectors but I fail to see why that would be a bad thing.

    I also don't think it is anything like "weird" to have an AA doll with "Caucasian features." Black people come in all shades and shapes and with all kinds of features.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I respect your opinion even if I don't agree with it. I heard about but never saw the thread you mention. I can hardly believe that some people said they don't like black dolls. In IT's history, black dolls have sold in smaller numbers than others and are often produced in smaller editions but I've never heard anyone say they don't like black dolls per se. Saying one doesn't collect black dolls is a totally different message.
      Weird or not, I see it as a shortcut. It was done with Barbie dolls for years until Mattel became more diverse. IT has always been a company that promoted a diversity in doll color and sculpt. Have they ever done a black Agnes?
      T

      Delete
    2. Unfortunately, that did happen, and it was very inflammatory, wrong and hurtful. At least one of those people didn't realize how hurtful he was being and apologized. The others- not so much. Which is why I suspect their motives when they "report" the threads discussing AA dolls as being "disrespectful."

      And Terri, I fully agree that that Integrity should not take a shortcut and replace AA characters with the same white characters but printed in brown. But you can't make a statement that suggests an AA doll with "Caucasian features" somehow doesn't look right. There are no set of "okay" features for AA dolls or people to have.

      Also, Integrity has a long tradition of mixing up skin tones in their dolls. It doesn't make sense to me that the same people are thrilled with say Agnes being offered in every shade from Cream to Hungarian, suddenly have a fit at the thought of their doll being offered in an AA tone and say she'd look terrible and ridiculous that way. (Even though she'd basically be the spitting image of the Iman- who is by the way, 100% Somalian from Somalia).

      Delete
    3. Sarah: my comments are my opinion. If I think something doesn't look right, that's how I see it.
      What I see as the problem is that so many collectors try to tell other collectors what to think, feel and say. It's a small microcosm of the world at large in which everyone thinks he or she has the correct attitude. It's easy to see how that is working out.
      It's not about dolls; it's about personalities.
      Every controversy on the W Club board is a result of someone not liking what someone else said. Then the rest of the team piles on. I spend as little time as possible on the board and I still see crazy shit being said. It's a choice to post opinion. Every opinion will draw a some type of response. So you deal with it.
      As my husband says, "Man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still."
      T

      Delete
    4. With that I'd like to add, there's a time and place for everything. We all have opinions but we are also accountable for the things we say.

      Peace!

      Delete
  7. Misty Hollows is fun, I'll be pre-ordering her for sure. I'm generally not a Poppy fan but I seem to like the platinum blonde/pale lip combo on her -- I also went for Out of This World a couple years back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Out of this World" was really adorable. I was tempted. I still can't make up my mind about this Misty because I think her dress is a bore. She, on the other hand, is lovely.

      Delete
  8. I thought the line was cohesive and fun. That being said, it did not blow me away personally. I only ordered Sunny Slickers. I love AA Poppy. The pigtails will go, for sure. Knowing there was a second release helped me stay strong on not ordering. The editions were large--so I'm pretty confident I can pick up any bits and baubles I want on ebay for a bargain. Don

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I noticed that the editions were larger than usual. Isn't that something collectors have asked for?

      Delete
  9. Hi 'Poppy'
    I have been debating whether I should comment on your post or not.
    This is Terri's blog and I do not want to throw gasoline on a teeny tiny smoldering comment and turn it in to little burning piece of the internet.
    I am by the way bandolimou/ Patrizia, one of the, what you call spammers. Now, I call myself the Photoshop Spammer from time to time so no crawling under my bed and bursting out in to tears here. And, let me reassure yóu, ignorance is a thing I can handle very well. To me it means not knowing any better and being able to learn. So see, there is hope. Talking about blackface in this context is hurtful. But I can tell you why I started doing my mock ups, I can't speak for other makers of them though. To me the most important thing was that there was an enormous tension building up on the W Club because of the lack of being heard by black-doll collectors. And every time a thread started it got taken down. I decided to make visible the possibilities of the beautiful sculpts IT has and how they could look if they were made in a different skintone instead of the most used. To replace negativity with creativity and get people talking with each other again instead of everyone having a monologue in his own corner. I made an Iman- Elyse, and an AA Agnes as an actress in the twenties, simply to show that a difference in skintone doesn't mean anything. Doll pretty, collectors happy... I also made an Annik in the likeness of Paris Hilton on request and my own fantasy Elyse as Maleficent. She's very pale by the way. How horrible a spammer I must be... To me it is very easy not to see things I abhor. I don't look at those threads. If you don't like that Poppy from time to time has an AA skintone., don't buy it, don't look at her and you won't get upset. There are plenty of things in real life to get really upset about, AA Poppy or mock ups of dolls wouldn't be first on my list after world peace.

    And Terri, love your mock up 'spam' of Sunny:-)
    Greetings from Amsterdam,
    bandolimou/Patrizia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your comments, Patrizia. i don't like seeing anyone attacked for expressing their preferences and/or opinions. Disagreement without being disagreeable is the way to go and makes for a much more stimulating conversation.

      Delete
    2. Patrizia, I know you were trying to help and my comment wasn't necessarily addressed at you. You were just being helpful by using your artistic skills to deliver mock ups that people requested. My comment had nothing to do with you and I apologize if you feel hurt by what I said.

      Delete
  10. Ladies - this is starting to sound like the threads on the W Club boards. Perhaps we can alter the trajectory to just discussing dolls?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, about the collection. And Terri please accept my apologies for my part in going sort of "off topic" I realize this kind of thing can go on forever and a line has to be drawn.
      Anyway, Patrizia also posted illustrations of how each doll had a theme based off of a song from that era. I love this concept and although I was very young in the 60s the MOD era and song choices take me back. Overall it's a great line and I'm looking forward to the second wave.
      Peace!

      Delete
    2. I would love a link to that thread to see it for myself. It sounds cool!

      Delete
  11. I‘m a huge fan of mod era fashion, but I’m passing on the first wave. All of the dolls are wearing very basic and boring mod ensembles. There is no wow factor. Also, their hairstyles and makeup leave much to be desired. My mother was a young lady during the mod era, and I’ve seen outfits and hairstyles that were far more interesting in her yearbooks and photo albums.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comments, Dottie.
      Terri

      Delete
  12. I liked this collection. I ordered: Glad All Over, Sunny Slickers, Downtown, and Welcome to Misty Hollows.

    Had the entire collection been revealed instead of separated into two waves, I would have probably ordered differently.

    Now I just hope I don't like any of the dolls from the second wave, but who am I kidding, I will most likely like one or two. :)

    -- Julia (wholeeah)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I don't have any Poppy Parker (or any Integrity Dolls) yet, but I've been thinking about it for a few months now. I'm wishing I'd gotten a membership when I had a chance because I'd order Welcome to Misty Hollows. But I'll probably see if I can purchase Downtown. I love her hairstyle & her faceup, I think it would be fun to use her as a model for other outfits. I can't wait to see what the second wave will bring.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There will be more Poppy dolls next year. Good luck on getting the dolls you want!
      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.