5/26/2016

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!


5/16/2016

Integrity Toys' ITBE "Reflective" and the FR16 Ankle Problem


Of the four available ITBE 16" dolls, I was immediately drawn to Reflective because of her sculpt, her hair and her coloring. As of right now, she is the only one that is sold out. Marl & B does have 2 available for $150. each.

Her one-piece dress isn't the nice quality we're used to with FR16 clothing but the price of the doll was right. I applied my $25 W Club coupon and she cost me $74. plus postage. She came with panties, shoes and stud earrings. I'm looking forward to redressing her.


I do want to have her cartoon brows and possibly her eyes repainted to make them more realistic.


Now let's talk about the ankle joint/foot problem. This is not a new issue but I was hoping it would have been fixed by this time. Elsa Lin and Platinum Society had it in 2014.

When the doll is set down on flat feet, she is fine.


As soon as the ankle joint is enabled the foot turns inward. The doll becomes pigeon-toed and each foot tilts outward.  From left to right: on tip-toes, with toes bent, with shoes.


One can see it in every doll in the promo photos. Some might say that the photographer posed their feet that way to make them look cute.

The issue is that the joint was engineered incorrectly. I have no idea if any collectors have taken issue with this. I'll bet Alain is aware of it but if collectors say nothing, the problem will not go away.

These are very nice dolls. The body needs fixing.





If you have access to the W Club announcement repost thread, go and look at the larger photos. If you have FR16 dolls, how are their feet? Perhaps it was just my three FR16 dolls that had the issue plus this new one. Maybe I'm the only one....











5/13/2016

A tutorial on how to replace doll eyelashes by Laurie Lenz

Lashing Out! Eyelash tutorial.

What you need:
*Eyelashes...preferably a strip without glue on it. (Dollmore, or Volks sell them.)

*Aleene's Quik Dry Tacky Glue 
(I recommend the Quik Dry, or you'll be waiting for FOREVER.)
(Never EVER EVER use Crazy Glue! It's from the devil.)

*Angled tweezers

*Angled scissors (that little piece of yarn is there to warn my family--"touch & die.")

*Toothpicks

*Damp Cotton Swab (not pictured.)


Hold your eyelash strip up to the doll's eye to get a rough estimate of how much you'll need.


Cut the section off the strip and gently roll your lash around a pencil to give it some curl.


Take the Quik Dry Tacky Glue and apply it to a toothpick.
(This is a water based glue.  If you ever want to remove the lashes, just wet a Qtip and dab on the lashes and they will come off. Never use any glue but a water based glue. )
Dot dot dot the glue from her tear duct to the center of her eye. (Do not go past the center.)


Apply tacky glue to half of the eyelash.
See that Q-tip? I always have a damp one there just in case I get some glue on my doll
so I can quickly wipe it off.


Allow to sit for a few seconds and then with your angled tweezers, place the lash against the eyelid -glue to glue.


With a clean toothpick, gently press the lash into place.
Go make a sandwich, waste time on Facebook, place a bid on a doll, or move your wash to the dryer, and allow the glue to dry.


Once the glue has set, press the eyelash down, so you can judge where it needs to end.


Pull the lash up gently, and cut to fit.



Pull the lash back and run a bead of glue on her upper lid, 
and run a bead of glue on the back of her eyelash.
With the clean toothpick, press down and position.


Allow the spider lady's eyes to dry.


Once they are dry, take your angled scissors and trim the lashes.


From ordinary to extraordinary. Love those lashes, Daphne!

___

All text and photos in this post are by Laurie Lenz

Laurie's website is called "Laurie Lenz Angels Doll Studio" and you can see her fabulous work at this link:

5/11/2016

Integrity Toys Basic Edition 16-Inch Capsule Collection

Four new 16" dolls were offered to W Club members for early purchase today (May 11.) They will be available to the public depending upon availability on May 12 at 10 AM.

Using the FR16 body, three of them sport Avantguard sculpts and one uses the Elsa sculpt. The clothes are rather basic but do not look trashy. Their hair is rooted. The price of $99. + postage seems reasonable as well. Each has a very low edition of only 200 and they are available without a wait.



Decisive
Head Sculpt: Elsa 1.0
Skin Tone: New Hispanic
Hair Color: Brunette
_____________________________

Forward
Head Sculpt: AvantGuards™ (Open Mouth)
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Raven
_____________________________ 
 
Reflective
ITBE 16-Inch Capsule Collection
Head Sculpt: AvantGuards™ (Open Mouth)
Skin Tone: Light Honey
Hair Color: Light Brown 

_____________________________ 

Illusive
Head Sculpt: AvantGuards™ (Closed Mouth)
Skin Tone: New Hispanic
Hair Color: Sable (Dirty Blond)
_____________________________ 
 
I do plan to order Reflective as I am a fan of the open mouth AG sculpt and I like her hair and skin tone. I may eventually have her cartoon brows repainted.
It's interesting that Forward who they say is also using the open mouth AG sculpt, doesn't look it. She looks more like a giant Poppy with duck lips. Perhaps it's the lighting that's making her mouth look like that. 
I wonder if anyone else has noticed on their FR16 bodies that the right foot turns inward slightly. I can see it in all of the pictures and both my FR16 bodies have the same thing going on. Even looking back at all the previous releases in which one can actually see the ankle on the dolls, they all have the same thing going on. It is a defect in the ankle joint, not a photographer style although he does turn the feet in in many photos. This is different. 
 _____________________________

If Integrity started designing and dressing their 16" dolls to look like these again, I'd be in trouble.