New 2015 Tonner Spring Mainline Release Dolls

Marley Wentworth has grown up. Tonner is offering one basic, three dressed dolls and two separate fashions (not shown.) The doll in the blue coat looks very much like Tyler.

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There is a line of new 18-Inch "My Imagination" Dolls. I think they can be very good competition against the American Girl doll as they are cute with nice hair and adorable outfits at a better price.

Go here to see them: http://www.tonnerdoll.com/my-imagination

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My favorites are the Re-Imagination Dolls. These are dressed dolls with various sculpts ranging in price from $169.00 to $218.99.  Haddy Madigan, top left below, reminds me of Megan Boone who plays Elizabeth Keen on Blacklist. Blue eyes, shape of jaw, hair color, pressed together lips...my imagination?

I don't know who Charlie Dodgson is. Perhaps he's just a new sculpt. I am seriously in love with Bianca Lapin, the last of the four below. I adore the Duchess sculpt and her outfit is just crazy enough to appeal to me. It says her hair is rooted but it looks like a wig to me. She has a faux leather dress under the faux fur.  The 16" chic body is used for these girls. According to Dreamcastle's definition it uses Antoinette's lower body with larger shoulders and a larger bust.

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My favorite Tonner sculpt, Supergirl....Ugh...why does she have to be so gorgeous?

$179.99 Retail "Bombshell" Supergirl.

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I hesitate to pre-order Tonner dolls as I would prefer to wait and see the IRL dolls. 

Most of you already know that there are many doll dealers who discount off Tonner's retail prices. 

Don't pay retail. Find the dealer nearest your location and order from them. Keep the doll dealers in business! Your warranty is in force no matter where you purchase your Tonner doll.

Preview of Tonner's 2015 Mainline Release

Tonner released a small selection of dolls and fashions last week including their new Jupiter Ascending line.

Here is the plot of the 'space opera' written, produced and directed by The Wachowskis.
This information is from Wikipedia.

The film is centered on Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), a down-on-her-luck janitor, and Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), an interplanetary warrior who informs Jones that her destiny extends beyond Earth. Unknown to Earth's residents, life on Earth and countless other planets has been seeded^[13] by families of alien royalty^[14] for the purpose of harvesting the evolved living creatures once they reach a "Darwinian state of perfection" to produce a type of youth serum that allows them to live forever.^[15] When the matriarch of the House of Abrasax, the most powerful of the alien dynasties, dies^[9] her children Balem (Eddie Redmayne), Kalique (Tuppence Middleton), and Titus (Douglas Booth) are at war over the inheritance. Eventually a new heir comes to their attention: Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis), an unsuspecting, Earth-living, unlucky caretaker of other people's homes.^[16] Jupiter encounters Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered interplanetary warrior, who came to Earth to reveal that her genetic signature makes Jones royalty and heir to Earth. Meanwhile, he has to protect her from Balem, who put a bounty on her head and would rather harvest Earth than lose it to Jones.^[17]

JUPITER ASCENDING

LE 300

$239.99

JUPITER JONES

LE 300

$199.99

 

 

There will also be a male doll as the character Caine. That doll's photo was not ready at press time.

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Next there is one basic, three dressed Diana Prince dolls and four outfits. 

Diana Basic $99.99

Special Agent Diana Prince DD $189.99

Diana DD $189.99

Golden Princess DD $179.99

Winter Princess Outfit $99.99

Stars and Stripes Outfit $109.99

Beauty and Strength Outfit $94.99

Beyond the Stars Outfit $99.99

Two Gone With the Wind 16" Dressed Dolls: $199.99 and $214.99.

One dressed Tiny Kitty.  $149.99

One Oz doll who sports the Wicked Witch head sculpt on the 19" Wilde Imagination Evangeline body. $209.99

Last (and possibly least) a Gift Set of two dolls - Snoopy and Belle. $274.99

IMO the Mila Kunis sculpt (Jupiter) does not look like her a all. The doll looks much older than Kunis.
The Caine doll at $189.99 LE 300 might be interesting as Robert's male dolls are usually pretty hunky and handsome. If he looks anything like Channing Tatum, he might be in the running to join my tribe.

I am getting the Diana Golden Princess outfit and seriously hoping I'm not disappointed. The basic Diana is quite pretty and I'm sure we'll see lots of repainted, rewigged versions. But she still has Tyler's body and I don't buy dolls like that anymore. I have enough to last me for a while (forever.) $99.99 for a basic doll in a swimsuit. Yikes!

Of course, most dealers give $15. off the retail prices. If they don't, buy your dolls elsewhere.

I'd love to see the Beyond the Stars outfit IRL. I need to take a ride over to Cherished Friends and take a look.  I visualize the suit with a different belt. I love the fur hat. What's under that jacket?

How many of you are rushing right out to buy Snoopy?

Tonner's Sindy Collection

Many were once wild about the original Sindy doll. That would be back in 1963 when Pedigree Dolls and Toys created her. She was a best-selling toy in the UK at the end of the 60's. Throughout the end of the 20th century through to the beginning of the 21st, there were several manufacturers who tried to bring Sindy back to her glory days. Looking back now, the fashions and the accessories were wonderful for the day. She had everything! As a child, I would have loved this doll and all of the goodies. There is a tremendous amount of play value in what I see here.

I've actually had a few pieces of Sindy furniture in my collection, namely the dining room, bedroom, living room and beach lounge. They are perfectly scaled for Fashion Royalty dolls.

Sindy was a wholesome-looking doll compared to most Barbie dolls and there's probably not a parent who boycotted a store due to any of the versions.

There are currently about 4000 listings on eBay under the worldwide search, "Sindy."

                Above, a favorite accessory, hot rollers.  Below, the indispensable stereo record player.

So, why is Robert Tonner doing Sindy? What does he have in mind? I can certainly see where well made furniture and accessories would be a hit with the 1/6 crowd. Tonner's furniture is always a success, well scaled for the doll and a sell out.
But what about the doll herself?

Cute? Check.
Wholesome? Check.
Well-attired? Check.

But why isn't she articulated? She's a reproduction but one can upgrade a reproduction to provide more play value.

This is the "Just Sindy Basic Doll" who is available at Cherished Friends (NJ store) for $59.99. I hate to say this but I can find a similar dolls in Target or Walmart for $19. I'm sure Tonner's Sindy is a fine quality - much better than a $19.99 doll but it's all about perceived value.

This is Sindy Summer Fun Dressed Doll who is also available at Cherished Friends for $84.99.

Are these fashion dolls or toys?  If they are toys, they're priced too high. If they're fashion dolls, I don't know where to go with that one.



I wish them luck.

2014 Modern Doll Collector Convention - Deja Vu by Tonner Doll Company

Two lovely Deja Vu dolls debuted at the Tonner "At The Races" event at the Modern Doll Collector Convention on Saturday 9/13/14.


Centerpiece Emma Jean "Moonlit Ball"

Emma Jean Day at the Races Souvenir Doll 

There is no information yet on availability or prices. Keep watching my page on Facebook for more information.

Player Slayer Tulabelle Doll

Why would I order a doll whose lip sculpt I detest? I love the outfit. Crazy, isn't it? I'll bet there are many out there who have done the same and it's not the first time for me either.

What I don't understand is why can't the Tonner Doll Company do this for $140.?

This doll may have a botoxed face...

I want to file off her upper lip. It's a damn shelf.

...but the rest of her is excellent from her hair to her feet. Her body is very articulated and easy to pose. Her hands and feet come off for those who wish to cripple their dolls for whatever purpose. The fashion is well constructed of nice fabrics. There's that tiny zipper at the fly which is so adorable. Belt loops and tiny gold buttons are little details that go into making a nice fashion. I added the sunglasses. I did try putting them over her lips but that didn't work.

She's got accessories and jewelry. You can't tell me they're not making money on this doll.

We don't get this quality in a $225. doll from Tonner now. We do get beautiful faces.  I'm going to switch a Tonner head onto this body...but it won't have eyelashes. Sigh.

Avatar Dolls on Sale

These are too large to have gotten lost in the warehouse so Tonner Doll has put these up for sale at $499. each. That's $300 less than the original $799. price! Holy Avatar. That's quite a sale. Can they possibly be making any money on these dolls at this price? Between the research, design, licensing and manufacturing...they had to be on the pricey side to produce. I wish I knew exactly what the bottom line was for each doll.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PURCHASE THE AVATAR COLLECTION:

http://www.tonnerdoll.com/avatar

They are spectacular dolls.

It's Not About The Fabric

I may have mentioned this before regarding a conversation I had with Robert Tonner years ago - possibly the first time I met him. I said, "I love the fabrics you use." He replied, "It's not about the fabric; it's about what is done to the fabric." By this he meant embellishment and draping.
Three days ago, we put together one of those Detolf Ikea showcases. I needed another to display my beautiful Tiny Kitty dolls who were all squished in with my Silkstones. That's definitely not a pleasurable way to enjoy a collection.
After arranging the dolls - many of whom did not fit anyway - I shot a few iPhone pictures some of which are below.
What does this have to do with anything? You know I'm going to tell you.
The reason I've been disappointed in several of the newest Tiny Kitty offerings become clearer when I look at my collection and compare.
Just look at the handling of the beautiful fabrics on these little dolls. 

I use risers to lift the back row of dolls but I ran out of them so most are on the same level for now.

The only way to fit these gals in was to sit them down.

This shelf has a combination of Silkstones on the left and Tiny Kitty plus Simone Rouge on the right.

On this shelf, all the dolls are in their original outfits except the far left.

The embroidery, the beading, the lace overlays, the full skirts, the pleating, the hats, purses and accessories...sigh. Gone. These dolls are rarely offered for sale anywhere and if they are, the prices are above the original retail.
You can find three of the new TKs in there. One is nekkid as I purchased her that way and haven't decided which of the many fashions I have she will wear. 

Her hair arrived with the forehead curl sticking out on the side of her head. There is no glue residue on her forehead. That's going to need a little fixing. I wonder if the seller noticed that before shipping.
This is the doll who was offered dressed in a glitter gown with glitter gloves and shoes. But she is also the first TK to have eyelashes. I wanted her.

If you want to see previous photos I've taken of Tiny Kitty with a real camera, just search the blog by entering the phrase Tiny Kitty into the search box at the top left of the blog page.

Tonner 2014 Mainline Release

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the television series entitled Big Bang Theory, I will explain. The character Sheldon is obsessive compulsive and when he knocks on his neighbor Penny's door, he has to knock three times and say Penny. He does this three times.
It has become a meme.

On to the Tonner release...

Here's Sheldon!

SHELDON COOPER - First Edition $149.99

Robert did a great job sculpting the likeness. It's one of his best ever! While it's not a doll I need in my collection, I think the price is right. What troubles me is the finishing of the clothing. It's one of those details that is important to me.

Anyway, a huge portion of this release consists of childlike dolls: Half Pint, who has the (annoying) Kickit's sculpt, Patsy and Patsyette. The Patsy and Patsyette are very cute and their clothes are adorable. I don't collect this type of doll.  I look at the Tiny Kitty outfit and sigh. If you know anything about sewing and fabric, you will agree that the wrong fabric was used for this gown. The gathering is awful. My Tiny Kitty collection is done. It ended with glitter and I doubt that anything will bring me back.
Here is a screen shot of the entire new release. 

http://www.tonnerdoll.com/2014-mainline-release

The Jon, Cami and Liu Liu are nice looking dolls but their fashions, if one can call them fashion, are ignorable. And the Party Stripes Cami...seriously...was she high already when she got dressed? A short lime green skirt and striped top is not fashion or fashionable. Who the heck signed off on that doll? She should have been sold nude or as a basic in a bodysuit.

New opportunities for "Who Wears It Better" have cropped up recently.

I think the 22" American Models are lovely.  I'd have to build another level onto my home to accommodate more of them. There have been many that are so gorgeous.  These two come to mind immediately.

But I digress.

It's a no-brainer that a manufacturer cannot maintain the same quality of goods as prices keep rising.
Lowering the quality is not the answer.  
Make it better and charge more.
Then sell the lower priced items as basics without stands, clothes or any extra doo dads. 
Refine the line.
There are collectors who spend small fortunes for beautiful dolls with fabulous clothing. I'm not just talking about OOAK dolls.