The Leading Ladies of The Wizard of Oz

I've been MIA for a while attending convention and a family holiday which were just a few days apart. I'm exhausted!
I'm currently occupied getting a submission ready for FDQ.

There is an interesting, charitable function in the works and the best way to describe it is to copy here a letter from Joanne Canapini who handles PR at the Tonner Doll Company.

Hi there Terri!

My name is Joanne and I handle PR at the Tonner Doll Company.  We’ve met at many an event at the Tonner Company Store and Factory Sales over the years – I’m the gal with short dark hair :D  We are big fans of your blog, and you’ve been a great supporter of what we do, so I wanted to take the time and reach out to you because we have some super exciting stuff going on that you might want to cover! 

We’re currently in the middle of a major partnership with Warner Bros. and Habitat for Humanity on a thrilling design program called The Leading Ladies of The Wizard of Oz, in celebration of the 75^th anniversary (the anniversary of the actual premiere is actually this Friday, though we have been celebrating all year long!).  Here’s a little background:

Twenty of the world’s top fashion, costume and accessories designers have reinterpreted

doll-sized couture versions for “The Leading Ladies of The Wizard of Oz” design program in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the classic film and in support of Warner Bros. and Habitat for Humanity’s “There’s No Place Like Home” campaign, supporting Habitat for Humanity’s work to create decent, safe and affordable housing in partnership with low-income families.

Each designer has created a unique makeover from head to toe, featuring hand-crafted outfits, dramatic hairstyles and makeup, and perfectly petite footwear for “The Leading Ladies of The Wizard of Oz.” The full collection of Tonner Dolls, starring Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch, and The Wicked Witch of the West will be unveiled at The Museum at FIT in New York, September 4-10, after which the collection will be showcased at the flagship Bloomingdales location on 59th and Lexington from September 12 - October 9.

The Tonner dolls that the designers have used for their creations are the 22” American Models – and they are stunning!

Top: Betsy Johnson

Bottom: Chris Benz

 __________________________________________________

Stay tuned for more pictures of the dolls along with some of the backstory.

A Very Brief "Toast of Manhattan" Convention Post

Returned home Monday, unpacked, did laundry...looked at dolls, dressed dolls and took a few quickie iPad and iPhone pictures. I have no time as we're about to leave town to join our family for a holiday and a reunion. When I return I'll be busy for a few days getting a piece ready for the next issue of FDQ. When that's done...I'll post my recap of the convention.

What I've posted here are some very quick iPad shots of the 6 fashion ensembles we received as part of the convention package.  Some of the accessories have been changed by me or left out entirely. I just don't have patience for putting gloves on dolls.

The last photo is my travel doll wearing a Retros sweater I got in a room sale.  She's carrying some of the little goodies we received as table favors. A doll has to shop!

Here is a link to the nearly 200 iPhone photos I have uploaded to Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.842777405740687.1073741827.148849285133506&type=1

For more information on the names of the fashions, you can check Sandra Stillwell's blog where the fashions and names are listed with photos by Jeff Lega. In addition, fashions that may still be available will be posted there along with fashions available to pre-order (just in case you don't have enough clothes for your dolls. Heh.)

Avatar Dolls on Sale

These are too large to have gotten lost in the warehouse so Tonner Doll has put these up for sale at $499. each. That's $300 less than the original $799. price! Holy Avatar. That's quite a sale. Can they possibly be making any money on these dolls at this price? Between the research, design, licensing and manufacturing...they had to be on the pricey side to produce. I wish I knew exactly what the bottom line was for each doll.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW AND PURCHASE THE AVATAR COLLECTION:

http://www.tonnerdoll.com/avatar

They are spectacular dolls.

As I Predicted...

The SDCC Tonner exclusive Sheldon Cooper doll and the Vintage Wonder Woman doll are now up for sale on the Tonner site.

Sheldon is $169.00. (They forgot to put the ubiquitous .99 on the end.)

VWW is $475.00

Tonner Doll Company

2014 Déjà Vu Summer Release

Tonner's Deja Vu doll line has exploded onto the summer doll scene with thirteen items. There are six dressed dolls, six basic dolls and one fashion. The dressed dolls are priced from $169.99 to $199.99.

The basics range from $99.99 to $149.99. The separate fashion is $199.99.

The separate fashion is $119.99.

My personal favorites among the dressed dolls are those styled in the Roaring 20's looks. I like the short-haired basic dolls and the doll in the red bathing suit, but not enough to buy.

I don't know when the following two Deja Vu were introduced but apparently the dressed doll on the left in purple is already sold out and she doesn't ship until 8/11! These dolls remind me so much of Tiny Kitty.

Not quite the same but the sheer coat over floral...

And the red one reminds me of another Tiny Kitty outfit.

Tonner Doll Company

After a while, they all start to look like each other.
Maybe I have deja vu.

Who's That Vanessa?

Aerodynamic Vanessa - the original - had surprising black lips and beautiful red hair pulled back into a straight pony tail.

I freed her hair and crimped it.

Then I had her repainted.

And then I bought another one who had been rerooted.

She was not a popular doll at first. Now all the original Vanessas are sought after.  Who is your favorite?