My First Doll Club Meeting; Dealers vs. Manufacturers; Eclectic Doll World

About 1-1/4  hours into the drive, I was tempted to turn around and go back home. I left my house at 5 PM for the 41 mile trip to Philadelphia. Under 'normal' circumstances, the drive takes 50 minutes. Last night the traffic and weather were anything but normal. But I forged ahead, sometimes at 5 miles per hour and sometimes at 25 mph, finally arriving at my destination after 7 PM.  Philadelphia is a beautiful and interesting city seen through my touristy eyes as I barely know it. Every time I see the facade of the art museum or the clock tower in Center City, I am enthralled. Anyway, next time I will head into the city in the afternoon, not during rush hour in a storm. Duh.

Happily Ever After is one of the last remaining brick and mortar doll stores anywhere. It is tucked into a charming part of Philly which (I believe) is part of Antique Row.  Like so many other small businesses they have suffered from the massive movement to buying on-line. Ed, the owner, told me that there were once quite a few doll and toy stores in the area. Another devastating blow is being dealt to these stores by those manufacturers who are now selling directly to collectors, in some cases selling goods at the same price the dealers would be paying. For example, yesterday Tonner Doll offered some amazing deals on Basic Cami dolls. A collector could purchase a Cami for about $45. with free shipping. If that is what a doll dealer pays for the doll, how can they possibly sell it to a collector and hope to make money?

It is a serious conflict of interest. Why would you compete with your dealers? As a collector who shops for the best prices, I'm going to avoid a dealer who is selling a doll for more than I have to pay elsewhere. I may also wait to buy a product if I see that the price always drops. No one runs a business solely to have fun. Businesses exist to make money. I see both sides of the issue. Of course the collector benefits from lower prices but we lose dealers. How many of us have doll stores near home where we can go and see the dolls in person? Very few.

Back to the club meeting...
The theme was the Swinging 60's. We were asked to bring a doll that was either manufactured during that period of time or one that was dressed in an appropriate fashion. I brought a Somers and Field Willow doll called GoGo.

I have a neat collection of these Mod British Birds but they are all in boxes as I'm planning to sell them. I've been planning this for a few years but every time I look at them, I find a reason to put them back and wait. At least one of the girls got out of her box last night.

The presenter dressed as a hippie and also brought along a load of dolls manufactured in the 1960's, most of which I had never heard of before.

We ate pizza and cheesecake and had Show and Tell. That was fun.

Chew and Tell

 I took only a few photos as I was more interested in listening. There were many more (and larger) dolls presented.

A point I want to emphasize is the value of seeing the broader picture of the doll world. You may know that my collection is quite eclectic but doesn't include any vintage dolls. A good percentage of the attendees who were there last night are vintage collectors. The benefit of the mix is you realize that your little world of modern fashion dolls is but a tiny fraction of the doll collecting world. I've come across collectors wouldn't spend a minute of their time looking at dolls they don't collect. I admit to sometimes being one of those collectors. I laugh at the reborn dolls - they do freak me out. I've only seen vintage French dolls from 18th and 19th centuries in museums.  I put down the cheap Barbie dolls without articulation. I don't care for vintage Barbie and know nothing about them but I appreciate the love others have for these dolls. There's a place for all of them. My dolls aren't better than your dolls; they're just mine.


I could definitely fall for these Mignonettes:

http://www.antiquetoychest.com/category/dolls/german-bisque-dolls/page/2/

http://www.rubylane.com/item/405753-572/All-Original-Mignonette-Presentation-box78

Sigh...look at this on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Old-little-box-with-French-Mignonette-and-accessories-/300919212231?pt=US_Dolls_Bears_Toys&hash=item46102ec8c7

I'd definitely have to play with these. Why did I look?

Deja Vu: Tonner's New Collection

This very bold statement accompanied the image above:

On Saturday, August 17th, 2013 Tonner Doll will proudly present two lives as part of the new direct-to-consumer exclusive Déjà vu Collection.  Get the strange sensation of Déjà vu and be the first to experience a whole new concept in fashion dolls!

Our heroine is 16" in height and boasts a completely new Robert Tonner body and head sculpt, and a compelling story with equally compelling fashions from across the spans of time. 

After encountering Déjà vu, you'll never look at a 16" fashion doll the same way - no matter how many lives you've had!

___________________

What I'm thinking is that we're going to see a pop-it bead concept doll. The (really cool) images above show the 'spans of time' as far as fashion goes, but do you see the buttons? What do they signify? Let's unbutton a head or an arm or a leg. Hmmmmm.
We can already change feet and hands. Why not the rest of the body parts? 
Wax on; wax off.

Just for fun, check out this blog post:

 http://theloveofvintage.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/popits/

The Barbie Look Collection

Sigh. It's such a shame. These are cute dolls and if they were articulated they'd be so much fun.They're all called "City Shopper Barbie Doll"  (Blonde, Brunette, ? and ?) Why don't the bottom two have distinctions? Strange.

Some of the clothes look cute and if you don't mind rubbery shoes and velcro, they'll do just fine.

Winter Weekend

Pink on the Green

On The Red Carpet

If you were to purchase all the items in this collection, including the wardrobe, the total would come to $289.45 plus shipping and tax. That's not so bad for four dressed dolls, six accessorized outfits and a wardrobe. It's a nice collection but they could have included a darker skinned doll.

 Click here to see the rest of the collection.

Misleading Ads on eBay

I'm going to start posting about the bullshit I find in auctions on eBay. I usually just send a polite letter to the seller but they rarely change their ad.
Today's garbage is an auction for a replacement Tiny Kitty body. The ad reads thus:

HTF! RARE!! 10" Tiny Kitty Articulated Body

You are bidding on a Rare, Hard to Find, REPLACEMENT BODY for your Tonner 10" Tiny Kitty doll.

This body is BRAND NEW from the factory and Never used.

Consider the cost of an articulated Tiny Kitty doll, and you will see that this is an Inexpensive way to update your Tiny Kitty doll and have an articulated body.  This New body has the highly sought after articulated elbows and wrists for unlimited posing possibilities! 

Not only are replacement bodies easy to find, they are not rare. Anyone can get them directly from the Tonner Store for $39. a piece. Last time I purchased a few it was buy 4 get one additional one free.  I informed the seller of this in a politely worded email.

Now, if this seller had discovered a Tonner body for TK whose knees did not splay out when she was seated, that would be rare because it doesn't exist. 

I previously blogged that I discussed the Tiny Kitty body with Robert last month in Orlando. The new Tiny Kitty's bodies will be the same as the last ones...unlady-like. I am really sad about that.  I  have a big collection of the gals and they look awful seated. 

A few more pictures in which the dolls would have looked nicer if their knees could come together.

If and when they get the body right, Tiny Kitty will become the fashion doll she was meant to be.

Tonner Company Store
14 Hurley Avenue
Kingston, NY 12401
845.339.2960
Store Hours
Wednesday - Saturday: 10am - 6:00pm EST
Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday
Contact Us!
Jennifer at the Tonner Company Store: jbeichert@tonnerdoll.com - or by phone 845-339-2960.

SALE ALERT Summer Savings at Tonner Site Wide 20% Off and Free Shipping

I have to admit, I buckled. I bought Forever Edward for his clothes.

I will sell the doll as he is not a character I 'need.'

If you do decide to buy, before you click the complete purchase button, do your research and make sure you are getting your goodies for the best price. A quick check on Google will bring up a bunch of shops selling your mainline Tonner items. 

I'm glad I didn't cave right after the convention and buy Lady Grace. She is listed at $199. and last week, if I had ordered her, I would have been paying shipping, tax and no discount. (You have to pay tax anyway.) The difference in price between last week and now: $224.70 - $167.16 = $57.54! That's a nice chunk of change.

Here is the link to the sale:

Enjoying My Dolls

One of my favorite gowns on a favorite doll, Inro. The fashion is from Tonner's Hypnotic Antoinette. I love when fashions from different dolls are interchangeable. Wig by Ilaria.

Here is Jamieshow Ling Lan wearing a Doll Peddlar Exclusive by Ficondoll called Baram2. Wig by Cheryl Wood.

This is what it looks like with all it's pieces...lots of options.

Leonie got a gift from Cheryl Wood of an edgy blonde wig. It suits her well. She is wearing Miss G Black's fashion. Ficon dolls have wobbly legs and although I try, I cannot pose her without a stand.

I sold all of my Avantguard dolls months ago due to loose joint issues and discoloration issues. I really didn't think I'd buy another but I wanted the shoes from On Edge. Don't tell me you never bought a doll to get a pair of shoes! Actually it's the first time I did it and I'm glad. I like this sculpt and always have. She is wearing her own wig (which was a nightmare to put on) and her own clothes. The glasses are Horseman/Urban Vita.

I'm currently in the middle of reorganizing my doll room which wasn't too organized to begin with. These things take time. :-)