Life Ball or the Doll With No Name

I received my Life Ball doll today, a week after most other collectors in this country got theirs. That's weird as I live only one day away via the USPS. The delay gave me a chance to digest the mixed reviews of others. Some are raves and some are rants. Here are excerpts from a few on the W Club Board.
*"Thanks to all who have pointed out the cheap body features. I will not expect a great deal or be upset — well, perhaps not. The eyes, the cheap store dolly hands, plastic shoes.
The doll with no name of her own cost well over $300 with shipping here.... I feel sad. Jason may have designed the gown for the doll but did he know about the eyelid ridge, the Candi doll hands and more plastic cheap shoes? I do not believe he could have. Are any photos showing the gloves on the doll? Perhaps to cover up the horrible hands?"
*"Still don't get why they went back to pre-applied eyelashes era I love applied lashes, I went and applied lashes to all my earlier FR that don't come with lashes. So I can fix her too, but I feel like I shouldn't have to fix a $275 doll."
*"I have to say that I love her hair for me its totally in proportion; it's just perfect. ... I spent some time redressing mine this evening, she fits in Silkie fashions really well and the earlier FR fashions that were made for the smaller busted gals."
*"The hands are not a pleasant surprise but they are also not awful as I feared. The dress is great and I work with the fashion industry and pockets in a gown are really quite in, very modern. The hands aren't awful; I was worried. I wish she had the hand speak system or even the FR hands but they are pretty, they aren't the duck paddles that Valia was given. Her face is flawless and her hair is perfectly to scale. Wonderful."
*She's a breathtaking doll and the packaging is top-knotch. Integrity did an amazing job with this one.
*"Didn't mind the hands too much, but the thing that bugs me the most is the stand. Wish they had stuck with the original FR stand...as this one grips her from behind under her arms. By doing so, the train of the dress cannot flare out from behind....and it's a pity cause the black base with the Life Ball Logo is terrific. I'll try switching with another telescoping rod. Aside from that minor issue...this doll is one of the most exciting, well-done dolls that I've seen since FAO Eugenia."

_________________________

The doll box is luxurious with it's black flocked exterior and shiny silver lining. There is a lovely red satin ribbon tied in a bow over the paper that opens to reveal the doll. The inside cover of the box explains the doll, talks about Jason and has pictures of the original dress and of Jason himself.

The doll's facial screening is very accurate and she is very beautiful. There's neither a hair out of place nor a sign of dried gel or hairnet marks. The gown is pretty and conservative-looking but not quite cutting-edge haute couture. The fabric feels good. I can't tell about the drape as I am not taking her out. The contents of the two drawers are red plastic shoes with ribbon ties and black pleather long gloves.

One of my favorite things about the doll is her earrings. They are rhinestone clusters with a bluish cast. They come pre-inserted which is a first for Fashion Royalty. Curious.

I am a huge eyelash freak and they left the lashes off this gal. There aren't even any painted on. What happened? Did they run out of time? That was really the deal breaker for me. It's funny how important those lashes have become to me as a sign of a higher quality doll to which extra attention has been paid. Rubbery shoes are replaceable (but not appropriate with a $270. doll), hair can be restyled but the eyelashes are difficult for me to apply and I've been happy that all the dolls in the last 2 years have had eyelashes.
All I can say about the hands is that it's too bad they're not the poppit-bead type of hands which have recently appeared on FR dolls. Then they could be replaced by more graceful-looking ones.
Now - as far as the charitable thing....I wonder if Integrity would answer a query regarding the amount of money US citizens can claim as a charitable donation on their income tax from the purchase of this doll. Do we want to find out?

Picture of the Week Award ~ June 7, 2009

My featured photo this week comes from a well known doll dressmaker who goes by the board name of Gin-O.
I chose this photo not only for the beautiful gown it presents but also for the composition. Ginny puts the doll right up in the frame and doesn't hesitate to run into the borders. The contrast between the feminine and delicate looking dressed doll and the bricks and straw is very textural and quite appealing.

Modeling the gown is a Shanghai Veronique Fashion Royalty doll.
Ginny's gowns can be found in the stash of most collectors of fashion dolls. If you would like to contact Ginny, let me know or post a query on the Pink Parlor.

Play With Your Savior or iDoll Worship

What was I looking for when I stumbled upon a Moses Rubber Duck complete with the Ten Commandments?
The multitudes of Moses dolls astounded me. I found talking Jesus action figures, (deluxe complete with loaves, fishes and a wine jar!), Pope dolls,
a John the Baptist Puppet, a Talking Noah Messenger of Faith Doll,
several styles of Jesus Nodders and a Large Holy Folks Talking Mary With Jesus in Disp Box. What is a 'Disp' box?
Listen to this list of dolls and figurines with Moses:
Tales of Glory Bible Figurine Moses Holding Ten Commandments Includes Story of Moses;
Moses 16 inch Plush with Ten Commandments Plush Stone Tablets by Holy Folks;
Moses in the Bulrushes Giant Floor Puzzle;
BibleQuest - Action Figure - Moses (That one comes with a Holy Ark, a staff for Moses to throw at Pharoh's feet, a snake and something that looks like a giant bowl filled with fire or maybe it's a burning bush.)
Wait, there's more!
There's the Moses Action Figure;
Talking Moses Messenger of Faith;
Almighty Heroes Action Figure - Moses;
Moses Doll Basket with Bedding and Stand;
Moses Little Thinker Plush Stuffed Doll Toy.

Yes, believers, there is even more. You can spend 40 years wandering through Amazon.com and never finish discovering dolls representing religious figures. So what if they're not fashion dolls? Someone must be buying them.

These dolls will go well with my Holy Toast Stamper, my Last Supper Longbox and my Jesus Pencil Toppers Set.

But between you and me...shouldn't Noah have been the rubber duck?

All of the photographs in this post are the individual manufacturers' promotional pictures found on Amazon.com's website.

Robert Tonner's Antoinette "Idyllic" Available Now

The first dressed doll from Tonner's brand new line of dolls called "Antoinette" has arrived at dealers.

The description of this new collection of dolls from the Tonner site is as follows:
Antoinette™, is a 16" fashion doll with a brand new face and body sculpt. She takes on many different looks depending on her skin tone, hair color and face paint.
I have been working on the design and engineering of Antoinette™ to achieve a high fashion mannequin whose body and jointing become the perfect foil for my passion-designing clothing. I think this is one of the most outstanding clothing collections that the Tonner Doll Company has ever produced. "Robert Tonner"

I love this gown to bits! It appears to be constructed entirely of white tulle.

The shoes are fabulous as well.

The images posted here are of the actual doll and were taken by George of Angelic Dreamz, Inc.
She is available at his shop for $199. Shipping is free for purchases above $100. You can get there by clicking on the name of the store.

Michelle Obama Inaugural Doll

Is this a picture of the doll or a picture of the real Mrs. Obama? I'm guessing it's mostly a touched up photograph. If this is what the real doll looks like, I'm getting one. She looks like she will start moving at any minute in this picture. The doll is 16" including the stand.

She is from the Danbury Mint and here is the description from the website:

An exquisite, all-porcelain collector doll capturing the very essence of our nation's First Lady.
Our skilled artisans have perfectly replicated Michelle Obama's Inaugural Ball attire down to the very last detail. Her white, one-shouldered chiffon evening dress has been hand-tailored and features all of the touches that made the original gown so spellbinding.
We've also expertly re-created her stunning diamond bangles, drop earrings, and sparkling cocktail ring. The result is an elegant porcelain sculpture that radiates with the First Lady's uncommon strength and beauty.

No mention of the gown's designer, Jason Wu? How do they get away with that?

The doll retails for $149 plus $9 for shipping and handling. The website says the doll is on back order until October 2009. (Are they coming from the same factory as Valia?) That's odd. How did it get on back order if it was just released? I don't think it's even been produced and my guess is that it won't look like the picture at all.


Link to the Danbury Mint