Picture of the Week ~ Veronica Hage

This week's featured photo was taken by Veronica Hage who posts on Doll Divas and the W Club. The doll was originally an Aerodynamic Vanessa Fashion Royalty. She is dressed in the fashion from Bewitching Luchia.

Click on the picture to see it full-sized.

The re-root and styling is by Marina. Veronica enhanced the eyes and eyebrows and repainted the lips.

I asked Veronica how she set up the photo and about the camera she uses. This is her reply:

"I used a black velvet background made from an old skirt. I have to keep props to a minimum for quick cleanup as I don't have a lot of time with three young kids. I use two lights for my setup. One at each side. My camera is a Canon Rebel XSi. This is my first SLR and I took a short evening class on the basics at my local community college. I've been using it for about six months now and love it."

Her suggestions for other collectors regarding doll photography:

Look at the doll carefully before shooting. Look for stray hairs, little bits of fuzz, hand position, hair position. Look from the level at which you're going to take the photo. If you see something distracting remove it or fix it. Look again to double-check. Most of one's time taking pictures is setting up.

You can see more of Veronica's collection and photography on Flickr  and on her website.

Rumor: The Magazine "Haute Doll" May Be Closing Down Production

If you go to the Haute Doll site and try to order a subscription or renew an existing one you will get the message "no products found."
Yesterday the unconfirmed statement that they were shutting down erupted on one of the doll boards and spread like wild fire. Later in the day, HD sent the message that they would be issuing a statement. They did not say when.
I'm rather surprised as I thought the last issue of Haute Doll was one of their best!
I know something went wrong recently with their ordering system during a big event and shortly after that they went on leave for a while.
In spite of the fact that I write for FDQ, I enjoyed most of what HD had to offer. The main focus of each publication is different.

Perhaps they were overextended with the amount of exclusives they took on. We may never know the underlying problem. Right now, we're just waiting for some explanation.

Some of their recent exclusives have been Sybarite: The Cross; Dolci Bambola Giftset and Peak's Woods Goldie.

 While I'm sure The Cross (LE 150) sold out even with it's $820. price tag, I don't know about the  LE60 Bambola for $510.  That's quite a specialized type of doll and I know of just one person who purchased one. The Peak's Wood doll (LE 40 @ $760-$810) is the latest and part of an entire collection of exclusives which included many fashions. When the ordering for those items opened up, that was when their system went haywire.

Previously they offered an exclusive Traveler Innoquii. This doll had to be practically given away she was so disliked. Ditto for the Valia Pivoine whose initial price point was ridiculous, was put on sale and then the W Club wound up having a 2 for 1 lottery on their leftover Valias. 

I always thought those two dolls resembled eachother. In a prior blog post, I parodied a Haute Doll cover which featured Innoqui with my version of Valia whom I named Innoquous.

Now she needs a cover.

Must be the new Abused Woman style.

The Beautiful Veronique Perrin Fashion Royalty Doll

I'm still adding Vero dolls to my collection. This "Close-Up" Veronique called Morning Frost was released in 2003. She was an edition of 1000 and originally sold for $29.99.

Recently I was lucky enough to pick up the head for $35. Fully dressed, a mint condition doll like this will go from $99-$125. After washing and restoring her hair to it's original beauty, I put the head on a tall FR body.

The replacement body I used was from one of my older dolls and was extremely wobbly at the waist and hips. While that can't actually be repaired, it can be controlled to a certain degree. I put pantyhose on the doll. That helps a great deal. A slim skirt is essential as it holds the legs together. 

The dress is a La Boutique as is the leather handbag. 

She's as good as new and as beautiful as any Fashion Royalty doll.

Alice Cullen ~ Twilight Character Figure ~ Dolls

Alice Cullen is my favorite character from the Twilight series of books and in the movies. She is also the latest addition from the Tonner Doll Company to their Twilight line of dolls.
 I think she is adorable with her "Ashley Greene Head Sculpt", 16" Ballerina bust Tyler convertible body, amber eyes, wigged hair and cameo skintone. She is wearing a reproduction of an outfit she wore in New Moon.  The retail price of Tonner's Alice is $139.99 and she is expected to ship in September, 2010.

Here is NECA's prototype of Alice. It was shown at the New York Toy Fair in 2009. I could not find this one for sale.

Here's another from NECA being sold at Amazon .com. I cannot locate a better photograph of this doll. She is obviously wearing the same costume as Tonner's doll.  This one is only 7" tall and is called Twilight "New Moon" Alice Cullen. Price at Amazon is $39.95.

Finally we have the Barbie Collector Twilight Saga "Eclipse" 11" Alice doll for $24.99. This doll will ship in August, 2010. This one has the cutest face and changing the shirt to white was a good idea. It would be an even better idea to make all the dolls with a pivotal body. A vampire has to move, doesn't she?

Which of these dolls is your favorite?

Barbie Giant Pez Dispenser

Recently released by Mattel in honor of Barbie's 50th birthday is this 12" Giant Pez Dispenser with a reproduction vintage Barbie head.  Included in the box are 6 packages of Pez. This thing dispenses whole packages of Pez. There should be giant Pez, not just giant dispensers.

Prices vary from $21. to $29. for the dispenser. Shop around!

How Many Alices Are There in Wonderland?

 Has the Alice in Wonderland theme been overdone? Yes, it's been going on forever. It's the definition of a classic. The story is an ageless one that has enchanted children and adults alike since it was written in 1865.  The story embodies the battles of good vs. evil, apathy vs. involvement, greed vs. generosity and on and on. Who doesn't identify some opposing characteristics in their own personality?

When I saw the numerous Wonderland dolls at IDEX in January, I was impressed by how many different companies and individual doll artists chose to do Alice themed dolls this year. It was not that surprising due to the Alice in Wonderland movie but seemed rather odd that there were so many.

Has one company 'done it right' above all others? No. With the variety of Wonderland themed dolls out there, it's foolish to compare.

I understand that some collectors have an irrational loyalty (also known as ass-kissing) to some manufacturers and so their praise for that company is endless. These people need to become educated about what's out there.

I have already posted the new Integrity Alice.

Tonner has produced several Wonderland character dolls and stunning fashions. 

This is Mattel's latest Alice:

Some others that may be available at different sources on the internet:


Madame Alexander Cloth Alice

Madame Alexander Alice

Living Dead Doll - Alice

Vogue Marge Meisinger's Alice Vintage Repro Ginny Doll

 Azone's Sahra in Wonderland

Pullip Fantastic Alice  (12")

Gwen Stefani "Tick Tock Gwen"

This is just a small sampling of Alice in Wonderland dolls. I've not even touched on the fantastic OOAK and artist dolls which are gorgeous and very pricey such as Maggie Iacono's "Painting the Roses Red" for $1,695.00 or R. John Wrights "Alice in Wonderland for $1,180.

 Doll Reader magazine has published several issues with cover stories that depict artist dolls that are Alice themed. 

There's no comparing one with the other. But...if a company decides to do Alice, one hopes that it's different from any Alice that's been done before and not just another run of the mill blond in a blue dress with a white apron.