The Integrity Toys/Wu convention will be held in Schaumburg, Illinois on October 6—8, 2011 at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel. This is the weekend of Yom Kippur.
The theme is Jet Set.
There were a few notable things in the announcement such as the fact that the convention collection will be more limited to ensure it's value on the secondary market. Does that mean there will be less characters or fewer dolls? There has to be at least one doll per attendee so I'm guessing that the collection will be smaller - less characters. Either way wouldn't be a bad idea.
There will also be dolls offered at the convention that are not part of the collection. Grab bags will be limited to one per person. They were supposed to be limited to one per person last year, too.
Apparently, the disappointment of so many who were not able to get a good assortment of products in the Design-A-Doll Studio will be taken into consideration and they are going to try a new format. Would that format be having-enough-for-everyone? What a concept! If I sound a little snarky about that one, I am. I was one of the attendees who was scheduled for a late Saturday appointment in the studio. I thought it was nice until I saw the outfits that earlier attendees were able to choose. They were much better than what was available during my time slot.
The oddest change (I couldn't think of an appropriate adjective for this one) is that workshop attendance will be by lottery. This is very (
insert appropriate adjective) because the lotteries are not held publicly and there is definitely hanky panky that goes on behind the scenes. Is that an accusation? Ahem. I said it last year, too. Think what you like but
when the one person who loves to be loved is in charge of the outcome of contests, table host positions, stage games, treasure hunts and more, the opportunity for favoritism is rank.
Many comments were made last year about the requirement to put names on raffle tickets and the fact that they were drawn privately. I certainly hope that this practice which has the
appearance of impropriety is stopped for the benefit of those who spend their money on the tickets.
The cost per person if staying at the hotel is $380. That includes four meals, lots of souvenirs and the convention doll. In a later post I will go over how to calculate what attending might actually cost.
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As you probably remember, Jason designed a line of dolls in the style of the famous illustrator called Monsieur Z. All of his work was ultra modern jet-set themed 1960's style. Everyone was rich, shapely, had a pool and a penthouse, flew everywhere and spent a lot of time in airports. The stewardesses were sexy, and everything had a forward movement - nothing static here.
Just for fun!
After the announcement the other day, many on the W board were speculating about the theme and I did a search for "jet set dolls." This is what I came up with.
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| Barbie Glam Jet |
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Takara's 2002 Kisara Calendar Girl and jason Wu's 2005 Monsieur Z Girl
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| Assorted Doll Luggage |
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| Westjet Flight Attendant doll with Luggage - Brunette by Daron |
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| Diane Von Furstenberg Barbie Doll-Mattel |
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| Jet Set Jaunt - Tonner Tyler Outfit |
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| Grace Kelly - Jet Set Chic - Mattel |
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| Continental Holiday Silkstone Doll - Mattel | |
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