"...the dolls and the show turn back the hands of time, but they can’t handle a real-life hourglass figure!"

In a piece written by Stephanie Finnegan in Dolls Magazine, the author tells us that many men who identify with the era of anti-feminism and steno pools are collecting these dolls and adore the show. But...the real life Jayne Mansfield hips, thighs and chest of several of the actresses are not appreciated. These "men" want the good old days of women in shirtwaists pushing a carpet cleaner around the living room in the Levittown ranch home. However they are fixated on the current trend of skinny girls being the idealized figure for a woman.

Don Draper et al. remind me of my father, his brother and their 5th Avenue office. The hairstyles, the skinny ties, the suits, the drinking and the smoking are over-the-top accurate. It's painful to watch.  I do, however, appreciate how well the show is done and the look of it is amazing. I guess that's why it is able to tap into the memories for me.

"“Mad Men” takes place back in the days when “men were men,” and a combo of chauvinism and arrogance were the necessary ingredients for a young executive’s rise at the workplace. (Women on the show, by and large, are left to languish in the stenographer pool, hoping that a well-turned leg and a nice neckline will land them a hubby and a happy home in the suburbs.)"

 Here is the link to the rest of the article.  It's a great read as she ties the dolls in with social issues of the past and current. I recommend it.

"I was sick of the ziplock bags in plastic bins."

 Meg in Oregon (aka Stray Cat), along with her husband, has found the ultimate solution to doll organization. They've taken an extra closet in their home and outfitted it with scale appropriate hanging racks and organizers.

I don't have that many outfits and you can be sure my closets aren't anywhere near as organized!

She said, "I was sick of the ziplock bags in plastic bins. Never could find anything and it didn't encourage play. it just made it a big hassle. This makes it so easy to look and pick your dolly and the outfit."

 Meg described her set-up: "Here's how I keep all my Gene and friends and outfits. As you can see they are outgrowning the closet...I have added a rolling circular rack (found at a thrift store) for some additional outfits. Last pic is the shelf I just bought to display some dolls. 15 years of collecting and I just now have some on display. Go figure?! I made this closet out of stuff I had around the house....thus the odd different materials used for the shelves. But it works for me! The document bags used for garment bags are available at office supply stores. The are called "document bags" and come in a lot of sizes."

Meg replied to another collector, "It makes me happy to keep it organized."  It would make me happy, too!

Pretty amazing, isn't it?

If you would like to send Meg a message, you can post it on the Studio Commissary Board. 

If You Love Ball-Jointed Dolls Take a Look ->

Fellow blogger and collector, Cliff Chan, has posted tons of pictures from an event he attended in Hong Kong called Dollism Plus. It's fabulous! Click Here: Dollism Plus

Picture of the Week ~ Lisa Irinyi aka Alex's Doll

I will write very little in this post as I want to not only feature Lisa's photograph but also her own responses to the questions I asked her earlier.
This is the new Mini Avantguard doll, Aphrodisiac:

"I had an absolutely giddy time shooting Aphro. She seems so runway/clownish – but in a cool way. So, as soon as I took her out of the box, I teased up her wig to ridiculous proportions (kinda reminds me of the villain in the movie Zoolander, Mugatu – Will Ferrell’s character). And then the rest of the outfit just came together. It’s fun, silly and cheeky. Then I remembered the carnival cage – perfect. I swear I could hear a souped –up version of calliope music running through my head during the shoot. You know, kinda scary, kinda exciting and a bit strange, but intriguing. The bright red and brilliant sunshine really made the images pop. The angle of the evening light was almost straight on, eliminating shadows and showing every tiny detail. I love that. It’s like magic."

"Sometimes I feel like the “Weird Al” of doll photos. I see a doll and start thinking about the clothes, the scene and before you know it, some strange image is produced with influences from over-the-top couture fashion or with heavy fairytale or pop culture influences. Obviously I want to take beautiful photos, but I also like to add a wildness, a quirky flair or a humorous strangeness – kind of a reimagining. I like cuteness, to be silly and the unexpected." 

"I started my blog as a New Year’s resolution to have more fun playing with my dolls and become a better photographer. I post a new photo every day (hence the name – Every Day A Dollie) and the constant picture taking has definitely helped me learn more about photography. I try a lot of different things. Weird angles (wide and tight), different lighting situations (sun, overcast, shade, flash), I experiment with exposure, flash strength and white balance – I’ve had some neat results and some that go straight to 'delete'." 

"My advice to all the photographers out there – Have fun. Take lots of photos. Try some in early morning or late day when thee sun is at a low angle – there’s magic in that lighting. Let your personality shine through your photos. And don’t be afraid to experiment."

Lisa's Flickr Photostream

Lisa's Blog

Mattel Loses Bratz Doll Appeals Court Ruling to MGA

Looks like the giant, scary Mattel isn't all that powerful in the courts these days.
I thought this statement by an Apellate Panel Chief Judge, Alex Kozinski, was very true and just:

“Even assuming that MGA took some ideas wrongfully, it added tremendous value by turning the ideas into products and, eventually, a popular and highly profitable brand,” the appellate panel said in an opinion written by Chief Judge Alex Kozinski. “It is not equitable to transfer this billion-dollar brand, the value of which is overwhelmingly the result of MGA’s legitimate efforts, because it may have started with two misappropriated names.” 

Read more. 

From the Flickr photostream of callme_crochet

True Blood Paper Dolls

Until we get real dolls based on the characters in True Blood, these paper ones will have to do.