Is it really the economy?

 All the images from this post have been temporarily removed - in truth, they have disappeared and left nothing but black boxes.

So I was trolling the doll sellers web sites yesterday and checking to see what, if anything from this season's Integrity 12" doll lines, is sold out. That would be NOTHING. I have never seen this before. There have been a couple of the basic Fashion Royalty dolls in the past few years that weren't very popular and more than a few separate outfits but to have dressed dolls still available at every single retailer? Never. I'm not talking about the play line dolls here.

On the other hand, the 16" AvantGuards are completely sold out everywhere. Several of the Gene dressed dolls are also sold out, although if one looks hard enough, there are still some of each around. Last season's Gene dolls went on sale weeks ago at Marlbe and Mary T has been listing her leftovers on eBay for even less than Marlbe!

I find myself looking at the upcoming Fashion Royalty dolls to see if I missed something! I am not excited about anything I have ordered except for the AvantGuards. I did order two of the basic FR dolls, the Daria in red and Reluctant Debutante Poppy.

If it's not the economy, could it be the doll choices themselves? The Fashion Royalty, Nu.Face and Poppy Parker lines seem uninspired. They are just average in fashion and styling. The Nu.Face fashions are downright sloppy-looking. (I've been corrected. It's trendy, not sloppy. LOL)

There is a lot of black, white and red. Hmmm.

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And, what about Valia?

Do my eyes deceive me or is she wearing black, white and red, too?

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If this isn't enough for you, why not get this creature? She is called the Traveler Innoquii. The weirder you spell the name of a doll, the more haute...? Trendy? If you like dolls that have tattoos consisting of a compass, passport stamps and an "erogenous flight path" and one huge black eye, then this gal is for you. Run right over to the Haute Doll site as this is an exclusive from Superfrock. There are only 300 of them at $380. each for subscribers or $400. for non-subscribers. Lucky for you, she is still in stock.

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Not to be outdone, Robert Tonner also has used black and white this season. Happily it's not his theme. The following are from the Joan Crawford line:

Above is a dresssed doll called Classic Portrait. LE 500 Retail Price $179.99 No, I'm not kidding.

This is a dressed doll called Hollywood Starlet. LE 1000 Her retail price is $189.99. Both Crawford dolls are available for less at the major doll dealers such as Cherished Friends who has them in stock for $153. and $152. respectively.

Finally, in this strange blog post which has become all about black, white and red doll fashions, we have another new Tonner fashion. This one is from the Bette Davis line and is called "Spotted By The Press." This is just an outfit which is LE 300 and retails for $89.99. It's cute but it's way to close in styling to the Joan Crawford outfit, "Publicity Shoot." It is not yet available but if you want to be the first on your block to have one, you can pre-order it at Cherished Friends for $76.00.

Today's lesson: never pay retail. That was yesterday's lesson, too; I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

Marg Matsui of MFD ~ My Favorite Barbie Collector

On the occasion of Barbie's 50th Anniversary, Marg Matsui of My Favourite Doll in Mississauga, Ontario, was interviewed by Canadian media outlets and here are the filmed results.

http://www.topvsbottom.com/barbie/mfd4.wmv

I Don't Care If It Is Her Birthday

Happy Birthday, Barbie. I want my cake now!

Nuts and Bolts and Photos of AvantGuard Goldmine

I'm having a great time redressing Goldmine. She is really a beauty and can carry off many varied looks. It's been a long time since I felt this way about a doll.
I've had just one problem with this gal - inserting earrings is particularly difficult. I use a push pin as I do with all my dolls to make the ear hole the right size for earrings. There seems to be something inside Goldmine's head that stops the earring from going all the way in. I really had to work the opening more than should have been necessary.
The only complaint I've heard is about the light weight of this doll line. Someone called it a "quality issue." When I questioned her she said that she wants her dolls to weigh more. Since I don't have anything to compare her to besides Gene and Tonner dolls, I can't make a statement about her weight.

I certainly hope that nuts don't suddenly appear inside their bodies.

This photo was taken by a collector named, Em'lia. Her Model Behavior (12"/Integrity Toys/Jason Wu) doll broke apart in a fall and she was horrified to discover the nut glued inside. Obviously there is no intrinsic need for a nut inside these doll bodies. It must have been placed there to make the doll weigh more. Many have come to the conclusion that the nut is the cause of the floppy hip joints which keep the majority of Fashion Royalty and these dolls from holding an upright pose. This discovery has been the source of a great deal of indignant foot stamping and the source of several conspiracy theories. I have discovered that many people do not know the difference between a nut and a bolt and that several people think that a nut like this weighs a great deal and is causing their postage to sky rocket.

However, some pretty good comedy has resulted. A remark from one collector went like this: "...now if anyone takes apart a Homme and discovers they have matching bolt...I will die laughing."

Another collector made the following suggestions:

"I suggest they make the nutsack, I mean the nutcase, I mean the body cavity, accessible. Certain edition numbers could contain a valuable prize instead of a plain nut, which would give us a logical reason to look at the COA. Or you could take the nut out and put stuff in the doll, like her jewelry, or a baby tarantula, or one of those little voiceboxes from Build-a-Bear*, something fun."

The entire thread made perfect sense to me. ;-)
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Back on the topic of AvantGuards.
There is something about the body that inhibits complete posability. I don't know what is causing it yet. In any event, she is way more posable than Tonner's 16" dolls.

Here are some of my recent images using Goldmine as my model.

This is the fashion from Film Fatale Gene by Ashton Drake. The pants looked too short when she was wearing shoes. Therefore - no shoes.

Wearing Integrity Toys/Mel Odom/Jason Wu silver trench coat from "Star Entrance Gene."

Wearing Ashton Drake's "Tango."

Wearing Ashton Drake's "Lucky Stripe."



I am looking forward to the release of Androgyny and Aphrodisiac.

Will the Gene Convention become one of the ghosts and memories of the past?

Will the Gene Convention become one of the ghosts and memories of the past, only to appear on websites and in the memories of her many dedicated and loving collectors?

A message went out recently to all Gene Club members that the Integrity Toys' Gene convention team would be joining in the Hollywood Ahoy event run by Sandra Stillwell this coming August 13—16, 2009.

According to the message:
"Gene will be starring in her own dedicated day of events at this convention, complete with a souvenir doll, centerpiece dolls, workshops and more. And of course, no Gene event would be complete without the presence of Gene's creator, Mr. Mel Odom!"

The event is going to take place on the historic Queen Mary ship which is now a hotel docked in Long Beach, California.

There are numerous tales of ghost sightings at the now closed (for the past 30 years) Queen Mary swimming pool. There's a daily show with special effects "that dramatizes actual paranormal and historic events that have been reported over the years. Wet footprints mysteriously appear — and there is not a drop of water in the pool. Women in vintage bathing suits visit for a leisurely swim. ...Testimonials from passengers and crew members continue to be reported and documented, all of them wanting answers to what they've experienced. Do ghosts really exist aboard the Queen Mary?"

I'll bet there are plenty of bars aboard the Queen Mary, if you know what I mean.

The Hollywood Ahoy event is described as follows:
"Top stars of the doll world will pay tribute to legendary ladies of the silver screen… and the equally legendary costume designer and couturier who dressed them.
Illustrious keynote speakers and insiders will dish on the careers and private lives of Hollywood icons.
Joan Crawford, as produced in diminutive form by Robert Tonner, will star in the role of your exclusive souvenir doll on Saturday night.
Starring in their very own feature presentations will be Gene Marshall & Friends, Kish & Company, Bella! Productions, Paul Pham of Dollcis, and Wilde Imagination, with other attractions to be announced."

From what I've seen on websites and heard from long time Gene collectors, Gene events of the past were amazing and I can understand the feeling of loss some of them are experiencing at this time. I can relate because I felt the same way when I saw only three Fashion Royalty dolls at the W Event last week. Three! I'm concerned in advance about what we will be given at the Fashion Royalty convention this coming October. Our baggie doll last year was a Janay - a cheap playline doll. At least the Gene convention goers got a Suited-To-A-T towel-wrapped Gene doll. I can just picture the luncheon doll being one of those "entry level" dolls. I'd better leave that discussion now because I can really go off on a tear about that and pasta.

The reviews about the Gene news are mixed. Many are excited and looking forward to meeting new people and attending an event in a new location. Many are non-plussed and/or downright unhappy and will not attend because they don't believe a one day Gene event is enough to warrant spending the money it will cost. Actually the cost has not even been announced. Many are saying that this combining of events makes sense with the current state of the economy. Many are hoping for absentee packages.

I have the feeling that this event will be fabulous. I have heard nothing but positive remarks about Sandra Stillwell's events and that she is a great party planner. If she is as good as Marg Matsui was at planning Canadian Fashion Royalty events, people are going to have an amazing time. An event like this event provides various options and opportunities - kind of a mini IDEX. It is not known if the separate events are break-out type events. A break-out event is usually a meal or a tea party sponsored by a manufacturer which carries a separate charge. A souvenir doll or other item is included. I guess others are on their own for meals during those events.

My Opinion:
The Gene line this year is the best one Integrity has put forth. I'm guessing that some of those dolls would have made an appearance at a Gene convention but instead were put into the Gene line when the decision was made to join Hollywood Ahoy instead of having a dedicated convention. The 2009 Gene line is called "Return to Hollywood." Was this a clue?

Some Photos of Goldmine AvantGuard

I adore this doll.