Michael Jackson, King of Pop, Dead at 50

1/6 M Icon Michael Jackson Billie Jean/History Tour Version

"From Hot Toys comes this fantastically detailed 1/6-scale action doll of the one and only King of Pop! Depicted in his glory days of the History Tour, this figure of the legendary performer comes complete with his outfit (including his iconic sparkly glove), five extra hands, fedora, and microphone on stand. He's super-posable, so you can duplicate any of his amazing dance moves! A figure stand is included. Packaged in a deluxe collector box, this superstar is ready to take center stage in your collection today!"

The original issue price of this figurine was about $197. According to Hobby Link Japan, it has been discontinued although it was originally released in March, 2009. That was fast.

Picture of the Week Award ~ June 21, 2009

The Picture of the Week Award goes to Maria Papadimitriou, aka Habilis1966, of the W Club. She posted a series of photos called Tango. Here Darius is dipping Eugenia as they dance. I like the composition and the feeling of movement in the photo. What do you think?


This is the link to Maria's blog: http://www.habilisdolls.blogspot.com/
Here is the link to Maria's Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/habilisdolls/

Congratulations, Maria!

An Angel with Black Wings

It's been a dolly overload week, beginning with following the events of the Tonner Convention and proceeding to the hunt for a well-priced convention Antoinette. I found out that I was one of the lucky winners of the Tonner virtual convention drawing. That was a surprise! Then Madra and Zita arrived. And on and on. More dolls, more stuff, endless. It was one of those weeks that led me to wonder if I had a life outside of dolls. Not good.
Of course the constant rain here in New York didn't help the situation. Even the dog didn't want to go out.

I shot hundreds of frames (as we used to call them) and I am presenting several here. In these images, my Aphrodisiac Avantguard is wearing Idyllic Antoinette's ensemble. The feathery things were in Toni's hair originally. I inserted them into the back of the gown and they look like wings to me.
These are my pictures of the week!

I thought it would be fun to post a picture of the set during her photoshoot. The background paper roll is on a stand made for that purpose. I'm using two Photogenic strobes which need to be replaced due to color shift. In the meantime, I am color correcting in Photoshop. I use a Canon EOS50D camera with a Canon 24-105 F4L lens.

Regarding Idyllic...she is a perfect doll! There's not a single defect. How refreshing. Cameo was the same. I have fallen for these little beauties. Here's the original Idyllic:

Who wears it better?

Electro POP Susie In The House

After a long wait, the popular Asian doll, Susie, has made her comeback. She is now being produced by Integrity Toys and sold exclusively by her original creator R & D Fashion Dolls.
If you are not familiar with the character Susie, visit the website and see photographs of Susie from the beginning. I find it interesting every time I browse. Fashions and dolls from earlier versions are also still available.
Susie has joined Integrity Toys' Dynamite Girls line of ElectroPop dolls. She comes with several cute fashion accessories and retails for $45.

Rudi Teruel has provided these photos for us to see. She is really adorable!

Tonner Convention Banquet Doll - All That Glitters Antoinette

Often the highlight of a convention is the doll one receives at the Saturday night banquet. In looking over the dolls from this Tonner Convention, I'm guessing that Antoinette is having lots of competition for that top spot.
But this is a new sculpt and she is just gorgeous. See for yourself!

The hair and the makeup are perfection. I would love to own this doll. As far as the gown, well, I would remove the bottom tier and the fringes from the center tier.

When I saw this gown I immediately thought of the scene from Gone With the Wind in which Scarlett rips the draperies from the window in order to create a new gown. Antoinette's gown is an odd mix of elements that do not work together. The ruched fabric creates enough interest and detail for the whole gown. What were they thinking? I'm picturing the gown without any fringe at all and no bow. It would have been stunningly simple, glamorous and enough!

There aren't too many for sale (yet.) The current average rate is just under $300.

Picture of the Week Award ~ June 14, 2009

Going along with the theme this week on several doll boards, Vin Trapani, aka VARPTS, posted several pictures of this lovely Mackie sculpt Barbie doll wearing Maria Therese's gown. I like the appearance of depth created by the out of focus bouquet. Perhaps she's getting ready to toss the flowers over her shoulder.
Vin sent me the information that the head is the 2009 Scotland Barbie on a Jazz Baby Pivotal body. The 'diamond' engagement ring is by Linda of LVNVdolls.com and the rest of her jewelry is by Mattel.
Congratulations, Vin, on creating a memorable wedding photo!