Visit to the Tonner Store

When I lived in Woodstock, NY, it was a 15 minute drive to the Tonner store. Now, it takes about 3 hours and doesn't happen very often. This past Saturday was the first time I've seen the store since it moved to Wall St. in Kingston.
It's always fun to spend time chatting with Dr. Noreen. We could talk for hours and cure all the world's ills.
For those that don't know my story with Noreen, here it is. It was 14 or 15 years ago when I went to my first Tonner trunk sale. It was held out-of-doors at the old building on Lucas Avenue. I was really just beginning my collecting as I had accumulated a few Tiny Kitty dolls prior to then. I saw 16" Tylers, Emmes and a few others for the first time that day and met Noreen. She predicted what was to come as far as my collecting would go. Who knew? It's a very fond memory.

These are iPhone pictures. Please remember that you can click to enlarge them.
Enjoy!

You can see all of the current lines Tonner Doll Company offers here:
http://www.tonnerdoll.com/shop-collections

Tonner Archive:  http://www.tonnerdoll.com/archive

Two Great Deals at Tonner Doll and the Demise of Tiny Kitty

If you're on the Tonner Doll mailing list, you are used to the constant barrage of sales week after week. It seems to me that the prices don't really move much. Today I thought I'd give it a glance and IMO there are two excellent deals .

This is "Classical." She is a 16" doll with the Tyler head sculpt in a cameo skin tone. She comes with changeable feet - ballerina and high heel. That makes her incredibly useful. Any dressed Tyler doll for $50. is a great deal because the Tyler BW replacement bodies themselves go for $39 apiece.
http://www.tonnerdoll.com/ballet/classical-special-pricing

I never collected Tonner's Ballet series. although I've loved most every one of them.  I don't see them as 'play-with-me' dolls. I visualize them being displayed on a stage, permanently doing their ballerina thing.

http://www.tonnercollectibles.com/nycb.htm
http://www.tonnerdoll.com/ballet/1


The next is a doll that I purchased when she first went on sale a long time ago. The price I paid was way higher than the current $75.00 which is incredibly ridiculous considering that she was first offered for $229.99.  Is there a lesson here on the markup of these dolls?

This is "Glamorous #75" from the Theatre De La Mode collection.
Sadly the photograph is awful and does her no justice which may be a contributing factor to her unpopularity.
This Gina is a beautiful doll using the Antoinette body.  The dress is lovely. The shoes do nothing for the fashion but are useful never-the-less. It's a very good buy!
http://www.tonnerdoll.com/theatre-de-la-mode/glamorous-75-special-pricing

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On another topic...
Poor Tiny Kitty. They can't seem to get rid of her this time around. No wonder. The outfits were designed with such a heavy hand it looks as though they were meant for a larger doll. It also looks as though they've made her head bigger.
If you're going to bring back a popular doll, why would you enlarge her head? It's not cuter. It doesn't fit. And what's with the strange lower lashes?

This has to be one of the worst outfits and hairstyles ever:

Most collectors do not want glitter covered dresses:

Sweet little Kitty of the past has flown the coop.

Has another company you collect ever brought back a doll with changes that you don't like?

Fashion Teen Poppy Parker 2014

 This year's collection from Integrity Toys includes four 16 inch Poppy Parker dolls.

Sunny Splash $120

Fashionable Suited $140

Ma Cherie $140

Floatiing Dream $140

I am trying to find something I like about them because it's certainly not their duck bill lips. Seriously, do these dolls sleep with clothespins on their lips? I pucker up every time I look at them to see if I can even get my upper lip that close to my nose.

The jewelry on Floating Dream is very nice. The gown is very much like something Tonner has dressed Tiny Kitty in. In fact, I have dolls dressed similarly who are much more adorable in 10" size than Miss PP Teen queen.  Oh so Barbie.

Fashionably Suited is wearing a beautiful suit. Other than the aforementioned face, she is a lovely doll and my favorite of the lot.

Sunny Splash comes with some cute accessories.

Each doll is priced at $140. except for Sunny Splash who is $120. I'm not familiar with these dolls' bodies so I do not know what other clothes fit them.

 Next year's prototype, perhaps?