Friday Luncheon Update From The 2009 Convention

Poppy Parker "The Center of Attention" was the centerpiece at lunch on Friday.
Everyone got a Poppy Parker "Endless Summer" at the end of the meal.

Iconic Convention Report for Thursday Night

The table doll was Agnes dressed in a version of Red Zinger's suit but in shades of gray. This Agnes has dark hair in a long, low pony tail. She has side glancing eyes and a fierce gaze.
As table gifts, attendees received the first part of their surprise giftset - a blue dress with accessories and one of the new playline dolls - ITBE Chic.

Photos above are from Integrity Toys.

Mel Odom was the speaker at dinner. He showed images of a new mini-Gene. There is no official photo yet. She is based on Hello Hollywood, Hello. My photo below is the original 16 inch HHH.

Fashion Royalty 2009 Convention Collection Here, Now!

LiveWire Clone, AvantGuards 1:6 Scale 12" Dressed DollMorning Dew, Giselle Diefendorf
Evening Glow, Dominique Makéda

Diamond Society, Eugenia Perrin Frost

Luxe Life, Vanessa PerrinPoésie Enchantée, Agnes Von WeissThese dolls comprise the six-doll set available to attendees this year. For those who did not pre-order, purchasing them on-site with the whopping 10% Illinois sales tax came to $715.
According to collectors they will also be getting an entire FR giftset - little by little at each meal another piece will be added to fill the empty box they received at registration. Very cool!

Deva Dolls' PHARATEE Sold Out

The race was on at 1:00 AM on the morning of October 1 (New York time). It was 12 Noon Thailand time at Deva Dolls when their new doll Pharatee went on sale.
For the past week one could read the desirous posts of collectors - some going so far as to say they would die if they didn't get one.

I'm not saying I haven't been ready at the starting gate when a doll went up for sale....but not this time. Desire is infectious as is greed. I'm ashamed to say that I have purchased dolls that I didn't even care about because there was an outpouring of desire prior to the doll going on sale and I became sick with NEED. I have purchased dolls that were getting sold out rapidly just so I could get one.
I was actually prepared with electronic reminders and links and all that to get this doll. It would have been for the sport of it all. I don't even like her. Sanity prevailed and I just went to bed without watching the hunt.

There's some moaning and some rejoicing going on over at Prego this morning about disappearing web pages and shopping carts. The Deva Dolls site is very slow and quirky. It's no surprise that the ordering did not proceed smoothly. After all, there must have been many just watching.

But.....one voice of reason stood out and I am copying her post here. This is from Penny in OZ, the creator of "Avery, with an A."

Pharatees - enabled, enobled or just plain missed out - a bit of practical commonsense...

Posted by PennyandAveryA [User Info] on 10/1/2009, 10:16 am
Can I just feed you a little logic and a little bit of consolation. I see that Deva dolls have issued a new doll I haven't heard of until this minute. Obviously because I missed the hype I'm not overly fussed about not getting her. And I am not innocent of being enabled over certain dolls I just had to have.

Think with your heads and not your hearts for a minute. So you wanted the doll. Of course you did. And you are sick with disappointment because you missed out on her. BUT think for a minute. How much did you want Rosemary, or $no Baby. How much did you crave some other doll that is not readily on the market. That FR doll, or - those readily coming onto the market now that the desire is moving onto another doll.

It's a doll and there will be others coming. These days every other day a new doll is on the market. As others move on to newly enabled dolls they will sell you their unwanted dolls and you will, with patience and with the continued ambition end up with the doll you always wanted. And if not, think that it was meant to be.

The other day in London, I woke up in an ambulance with people asking me who I am. I could barely even remember at first and eventually they managed to call my son and he came in a rush to the hospital, where apparently I had another attack. They worked out I am suffering from malnutrition caused by the stress of a broken 36 year old marriage and, as a result I lost my flight which haad been bought on frequent fliers and currently stranded in London while the insurance works things out. I'm okay, and I can tell you, perspective takes place in the back of an ambulance while people thump you and try to shake your memory loss.

I stayed in Guys and St. Thomas Hospital in a room directly looking onto the Thames and Parliament House, Big Ben and the bridge directly next to it. British democracy will never be the same for me and the British Parliament will always remind me to keep my perspective in presence of it's importance.

I know you are not seeing logic, but remember when everyone wanted Grey? Remember how much those first AG's were hunted down. Remember how much everyone wanted that first Sydney? Remember how much Weekend in Washington outfit was?

We are all quite wanten children, no better than a two year old stretched out on the floor next to the supermarket checkout because we want to buy the chocolate our mothers won't get us. Right now there are people who have lost everything to a tsuname in the Pacific, and people lost and trapped and missing...

I CRIED BECAUSE I HAD NO SHOES UNTIL I SAW A MAN WHO HAD NO FEET.

I know you probably will think that this is holier than thou at this moment of your disappointment but your turn will come. In the meantime share your own thouhts and disappointments under this post and maybe it will make you feel a little better just to have a small beef and move onwards to new horizons, or look at the collection you have and those dolls you love and wanted so much in the past and DID get either on time or belatedly.

I missed out on Rosemary at the time under the same circumstances as you guys from a nasty uploading basket, and I don't really care anymore. My fate was waiting for the acquisition of Summertime Logan from Happily Ever After, a Bishonen HOuse doll large and lovable, and an out of the blue acquisition of his brother - Nori which I have found out was a very rare doll from a person who is lovely and gave me such accidental pleasure. Six months ago I hadn't anticipated either of them and never a sorry day have I had since I had them.

I am sorry and sympathetic you didn't get your desire, but your turn will come. Or your desire will fade as others sell on to gain newer dolls...

logic and commonsense dear fellow Pregoers.

Group hug to you all.

Pennyoz

Tyler Wentworth Archive is Complete!

I was browsing through the recently completed Tyler Wentworth Archive today. This has been worth the wait. There are scores of dolls I've never seen including many OOAKs.

Go. Look.

Barbra Streisand Doll from Mattel

From BC.Com:
She's instantly known by only one name: Barbra. Her inimitable style and personality are captured in this wonderful portrait doll, inspired by her early fame. She wears an iconic outfit, a striking re-creation of one she designed herself and wore at Hollywood's Coconut Grove in 1963.
I love Barbra but I don't collect celebrity dolls and I'd have to see it in person to give an accurate appraisal.
Available November 19, 2009 for $53.99.

A New Doll Discussion Forum - DOLL THERAPY

A new forum has been unveiled by Claudia Fowler, the former Admin of SilkSpa. The new forum is called Doll Therapy. I love the name! Although some of us may need therapy due to the stresses of collecting and spending, it's so appropriate to how the majority of us view our dolls.

I asked Claudia to talk about SilkSpa, her former doll board and about Doll Therapy, the new one.

TG: When did you start SilkSpa?
CF: All this started off a chat room actually, in 2002 with a few other hell raisers. Such a place was missing at the time and what came out of those chats was so fun and interesting at the same time, that people participating in them were asking for transcripts every time… I emailed out so many that we started talking about looking for a more permanent avenue. The actual forum started on 2003.

TG: How long was SilkSpa in operation?CF: Three and a half very fun years and it was great. I have been posting on bulletin boards since before the internet and what I’ve always found so interesting to me is how people from everywhere and all walks of life can become like your extended family, or at least the bar where everyone knows your name. The community came together and we often wondered how big we should let this become before the Fire Department came over to close us down.

TG: How will Doll Therapy be different? What dolls are welcome? What features will we see?

CF: Doll Therapy is a very simple and seamless platform where everything you want from it is right there. It is purposefully very easy to read and navigate and yet, more powerful and full of features than any Doll Forum out there.

From it you can host your own pictures for free, publish multimedia posts and polls, review and rate, buy-sell-trade, leave auction-styled feedback, share how-to manuals and useful links, flaunt your OOAK’s, have your personal blog, friend your personal network, and of course have a chat room available 24/7, and we’re only scratching the surface.

We’ve been ahead of the curve since SilkSpa’s inception. At the time we were the first Doll site to provide a platform where messages weren’t lost at the end of the day. At the time all this new software either hadn’t been written, wasn’t evolved enough or I didn’t know that I could do this or that it could work so seamlessly, so Doll Therapy is truly it.

All Fashion Dolls are welcome. We will talk/chat/rate dolls we don’t collect ourselves as well... I think that what both newcomers and existing members were most impressed about was that we agreed to disagree, we really spoke our minds and didn’t hold back much, yet respected each other. The building blocks of a great community! …and I’d like to think that we’re just what the doctor ordered.

______

Well girls and boys, doesn't this sound great? I joined.

Check it out at this link and if you join - say Terri sent you! No, I don't get anything ;-)

DOLL THERAPY

A Plea from Rudy Teruel of R and D Dolls

Rudy posted a call for help on his blog concerning the devastating aftermath of the Typhooon Ondoy in Manila and surrounding areas. Please click this link and read what he has to say.

Please Help!

http://www.rnddolls.com/