The Avatars Are Coming!

After a very long wait, Tonner's Avatar figures will begin to ship on December 9, 2013.
At first the price seemed incredibly high but when I thought about the size and the fact that they are resin BJDs,  I realized that the price fits right in and may, in fact, be lower than similar dolls.
While fashion doll collectors may brush these off, I can see that there could be a market amongst the movie lovers.
Here is the announcement for those who did not receive it directly:

Well, they're finally here!  We're super excited about the Avatar Collection and are pleased to announce they will be available and shipping beginning Monday, December 9th.  For this very special debut, there are only 20 sets available that will ship prior to the holiday, and the remaining balance will be available to ship in January.  Additionally, you'll be able to buy Jake or Neytiri individually in January as well.  The collection is available at $1500 and each doll (available in January) will be $799.99.

Bring a slice of Pandora home with this masterfully crafted Avatar Collection, featuring Neytiri and Jake.  Constructed of the highest quality resin, completely ball-jointed for countless posing options and hand-painted so each is perfectly unique, this long-awaited collection is an absolute must-have for any film buff. Featuring authentic costuming from the film, many points of articulation, including the tail and an impressive height of approximately 22", The Avatar Collection is an incredible representation of what has made this film great.

 In this video, Robert talks about the process.

News in the BJD World

Modsdoll is offering unpainted, nude dolls with the Miao sculpt beginning December 6, 2013. The cost is $350. plus postage. To the US, postage amounts to $48. via EMS, which is the only option.

Ficon Doll has released a new dressed doll called Jeanius. She is LE 30 and lists for $699. 
Postage to the US amounts to $45.

Enjoy these photos by Alexandra Forbes.

Superdoll  held a Black Friday sale and from what remains on their site, it seems to have been a less than successful event except for several items that had been hanging around for a very long time. The current Monoglam collection has been fairly unpopular judging by the fact that everything was still available as of Friday including all the dolls and all the outfits in the line. Velvet (dressed in pink) is now sold out and the Flutterby fashion is sold out. (That fashion may have been sold out previously. )
I have not been collecting Sybarites long enough to know if this is the first time they have put the current collection on sale.  It's pretty upsetting to buy a doll or an outfit at full price and to see it go on sale within the year. For example, Marl & B sold their exclusive Sybarite Neurotica for a whopping $820. plus postage in July of 2012. A few months later, they dropped the price about $200. This past weekend they sold out at $499.
I love my Sybarite dolls but this, combined with the defective dolls I've received, has made me very wary of going forward with purchasing directly from the manufacturer or dealers with exclusives.

Kingdom Doll  is a new 16" resin BJD designed in the UK. Her sculpt looks beautiful.
So far they are on Facebook and Flickr. Perhaps a website will follow. Look for the first official teaser ad in FDQ's Holiday 2013 digital issue.
These photos are from their Facebook page.

Here is a statement from their page: 
Here at Kingdom Doll we are very excited to finally be presenting  our miniature fashion models to the doll collecting community.  The schedule of the year ahead has beenmeticulously planned and we are certain you will not be disappointed. Expect to see a variety of stunning 16" models, starting with our debut sculpt Novantae and continuing later in the year with the introduction of some of her friends (yes there will be more than one sculpt).Kingdom Doll aspire to be more than just a line of beautiful faces, creating a buildable and eminently wearable wardrobe of statement pieces, classic investment garments, hot runway looks and neutral colored essentials.Along with some truly amazing accessories, shoes and bags, Kingdom Doll wants to give the collector a doll line they can feel invested in.

Cyber Monday

Did you shop today? Apparently one did not have to wait until today for Cyber Monday. On many doll sites it began Friday. I did a little damage myself over at Wilde Imagination. I purchased one item I've wanted since it came out, Reflections of Beauty. The dimensions of this gorgeous mirror are 20-1/2" high by 8-1/2" wide.  With the 20% off and free shipping, I felt it was time for this piece to come home.

An exclusive straight out of Evangeline's attic! This Victorian-inspired mirror features a wood/resin ornate golden frame, sturdy base, and reflected mirror, and is the perfect place for Evangeline to admire her newest creations.

If you're  familiar with Tonner's product you will agree that every piece of furniture, every prop, has sold out and gone up in value over the years. If only the dolls could perform similarly.

Another purchase was this adorable Ellowyne outfit called Cold Comfort. I wasn't the only one who bought it this weekend because it's now sold out.

Features a top, ruffled layered skirt, a quilted jacket with front zipper (non-working) and ties, neck scarf, matching tights, white boots with silver trim, and ear muffs - of course!

As if this weren't enough, I also bought Dreamstate Evangeline. I haven't had an Evangeline in a long time and I've never had one with the updated body. I still have several outfits from my long gone EG's so this gal will have plenty to wear.

 Evangeline comes with inset brown eyes, applied lashes, and rooted dark brown hair made of the highest quality fibers. She features the new vinyl and hard plastic body and stands 18-1/2" tall with delicate hand-painted features, and boasts 15-points of articulation for amazing posing possibilities. 

She comes dressed in a beautiful one-piece outfit with a brocade top with a flower and ribbon decoration, tulle skirt, and matching panties, stockings, and designer shoes. It's the perfect look for writing in her diary - or preparing a 6-course dinner for one!

And today I saw this little darling Patsy outfit called Blustery Day. Luckily, I do not collect these little dolls but if I did, she'd be displayed right next to Ellowyne in her new winter outfit which looks to be the perfect companion!

If you care to check out the products which are still on sale here are the links:
Wilde Imagination
Tonner Doll

If I Were A Child

My goodness, the American Girl dolls have it all! The props, the furniture, the pets are all so yummy.
The item pictured above is the Trail Bike with the Pet Trailer attached. Of course the doll's outfit is a Cycling Outfit. Then there's the helmet. It goes on and on. These items are not inexpensive but they are excellent quality.

Other items related to pets are enough to make me swoon.

The Pet Bath Set! How adorable is this?
There are dogs galore - even a service dog. There are all types of horses and saddles. There's a stable with supplies! Party sets, hiking equipment, a pet bed and a carrier. Sigh.

Who says we have to be children to play with childrens' toys? My mind is a playground.

I am enjoying the American Girl Doll website. Here is the link: http://www.americangirl.com/index.php

You know who says it: "Believe in the power of play."  Robert Tonner, that's who.

NuFantasy Beauty and the Beast

Integrity Toys' incarnation of this famous fairy tale casts Beauty as the male doll and Beast as the female.
Beauty is an edgy, great-looking doll with a well-made, detailed fashion. His long coat is made from a fabric that feels like a high quality fine wool. Under his vest is a striped shirt. His pants are belted.
I could not get his boots on over his socks, even with fully unlacing them. I tried it without socks and succeeded with one but didn't try the other as I didn't want to damage them by pulling too hard. I just substituted a different pair of Homme ankle boots which work very well with the outfit.

He will definitely be staying.

On the other hand, the Beast was disappointing in two ways. Her hair is a frizzy mess. My doll's hair is in better shape than most!

Some people have taken to defending this mess as indicative of how a Beast's hair should be. Seriously? This result is from untrained doll hair stylists and not from design intentions.

I thought I'd love the boots but, once again, we've returned to getting shoes with heels that are too high for the rest of the sole. In order to stand with straight legs, the doll has to be placed on her heels with the front of the shoe not touching the base. Unacceptable.

She's been voted off the island after being here for a whole 48 hours.

I am going to keep her earrings (which are cool) and her faux fur vest which could be useful with other fashions.

BTW I put her next to Devil Damon (Dynamite Boy) and they make a good couple for displaying...if you have both and are keeping them.

News From Emilia Couture

The premium Inamorata doll Seraph LE20, fashion set Röntgen LE30 and 4 accessory packs LE30 each will be out for sale through our shop (www.emiliacouture.com) on December Thursday the 12th (better to avoid the Friday the 13th, right?).

The LE20 Inamorata doll Seraph 699usd and LE30 fashion set Röntgen 199usd will be launched together with the accessory packs. Röntgen fashion will be unveiled in Fashion Doll Chronicles blog by Stratos together with an exclusive interview few days before the product launch.