Poppy Parker

Integrity Toys introduced a surprise doll on Saturday, February 21, 2009 at the W Event. Her name is Poppy Parker. The back story takes place in the 1960's in the life of a teenager from the midwest who moves to the Big Apple to pursue a career as a fashion model.

Poppy has a new sculpt and uses the Nippon Misaki body.

The photos that follow are courtesy Integrity Toys. The first four are dressed dolls. The last two are fashions.

Portrait in Black Poppy Parker $85.00 LE 700

The Reluctant Debutant Poppy Parker $89.00 LE 700

Summer Magic Poppy Parker $70.00 LE 700

Pillow Talk Poppy Parker $70.00 LE 700

Three Hour Tour Fashion $55.00 LE 500

Poetry in Motion Fashion $55.00 LE 500

I think this line of dolls has broad appeal for several reasons. The price is right, the doll is completely articulated and the facial screening is conservative. So conservative, in fact, that if I were told that this was a new Robert Tonner line, I would have believed it.

Here is a photo I took of one of my Tonner Tiny Kitty dolls wearing a fashion from Tonner's 2008 line. Doesn't it look familiar?

When I commented on the similarity to one of the designers I was met with a blank stare.

As an aside, the furniture and accessories for IT's Poppy Parker photographs were created by Maryann Roy.

Gene Marshall 'Silhouette' & 'Return to Hollywood' Collections

"Our [Gene Marshall] Basics collection this season is about the phenomenon of a single silhouette representing a decade's ten years of fashion. It is an overview, a valentine to each period's most memorable and ultimately democratic statement of style."

When Mel Odom said that these five were the basic or close-up dolls, I couldn't believe it. I have the feeling that Mel was given carte blanche for the first time since he is with Integrity. This collection and the deluxe dressed dolls in the Gene line show planning, creative talent, great design and a feel for period costuming. If one compares the previous three years of Gene to this collection it is apparent that there's something (or someone) else at play. Gene collectors are so excited by this turn of events. They are saying things like, "Gene is back." I know there is a lot of chatter and happiness on the doll boards about the collection. It's all good.

The basic dolls retail for $99. and are limited to 300 of each doll.


Congratulations to Mel Odom on a winning and cohesive collection.

The following photographs are courtesy Integrity Toys.

Silhouette of the 1920s:
Essentially Madra Lord® Doll

Silhouette of the 1930s:
Essentially Zita Charles™

Silhouette of the 1940s:
Essentially Gene Marshall®

Silhouette of the 1950s:
Essentially Ivy "Vee J." Jordan® Doll

Silhouette of the 1960s:
Essentially Violet Waters® Doll

~~~~~~

"'Return to Hollywood' is not just a travel direction, but also the source of inspiration for this year's dolls. Join Gene and her lady friends as they leave their various getaway spots and head back to Hollywood and the glamorous business of being movie stars. This season's collection features a series of Star looks guaranteed to steal the spotlight and remind us mere mortals why we love the movies so much."


Evening Encore:
Gene Marshall® Dressed Doll

Willow:
Madra Lord® Dressed Doll

Tornado:
Gene Marshall® Dressed Doll

Blue Parasol:
Gene Marshall® Dressed Doll

Liquorice Crush:
Madra Lord® Dressed Doll

Wrap Party:
Zita Charles™ Dressed Doll

Sunset Serenade
Violet Waters® Dressed Doll

Glammed Up:
Ivy "Vee J." Jordan® Dressed Doll

The deluxe dressed dolls range in price from $119. to $160. and are limited editions of 200 or 250 depending on the doll.

Entry Level Collectibles? It's Playline.

What's another way to say "entry level collectibles?"
Toys? Fixer uppers? Plastic? Pink Label?
I wasn't even going to include this line in my reviews because I don't think it merits a second glance from serious collectors. This is not to say that they are not pretty because they are. There is certainly a market for this type of doll but don't give it a label like collectible. It's PLAYLINE and it should be called playline.
"A perfect introduction to the Integrity Toys style!" OMG. It's practically insulting. I'd love to know who wrote this concept stuff.

Here are Integrity Toys' pictures of the dolls:







Mattel's Top Models came with accessories. The Top Model giftsets came with extra outfits. Where is the jewelry, the handbags, the extras? At $25. per doll for non-articulated bodies and underwhelming Mattel-like fashions, they are over-priced.

The AvantGuards, Integrity Toy's Gold Mine.

I can't express how surprised and pleased I am with this round of AvantGuard dolls—Aphrodisiac, Androgyny and Goldmine. I originally thought that Aphrodisiac and Goldmine were too edgy for me, but seeing them in person has proven to be just what I needed to become an AvantGuard devotee´. They are much more beautiful than the promotional photos show.

At the W Event, Aphrodisiac and Androgyny were shown out of the direct light of the display lamps that turned everything yellow.

An Aphrodisiac is a substance which is used in the belief that it increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sensuality. I'm still not sure about the raccoon eyes.

Androgyny is a term derived from a combination of Greek words meaning man and woman. In fashion statements it refers to the mixing of masculine and feminine characteristics. This gal is the tame note of the collection.

The term Goldmine needs no definition. It conjures up images of dust covered men with pick axes and head lamps, carts with wheels on a track filled with rocks, panning, metal detecting and sluicing.
No, Goldmine is not dust covered. She is wearing a dress thickly embellished with coins. She's fabulous. Pictures of her are forthcoming.

The AvantGuard dolls retail for $220. each. Goldmine was $239 and is not available from dealers as she was the optional purchase W Event doll. They come with one extra pair of flat feet with articulated toes and one extra pair of hands with articulation. Each doll comes with a wig and a doll stand. Goldmine's edition size is 400 and the others have an edition size of 500 each.

Gold digger? That's something else entirely.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU13MRtSD7E

The Dynamite Girls- ElectroPop Collection

As if some of us weren't confused enough already, Integrity has gone and divided it's products into conceptual categories. The following comes off as high falutin' marketing-speak. Puh-leese. Keep this kind of stuff where it belongs - in the boardroom.

The Dynamite Girls are in the concept category called POP.
"Concept: Mid-level collectible category consisting of pop culture-centric brands such as the Dynamite Girls and modern celebrities.
Era: MOD, modern, urban, funky.
Fashion Style: Slightly more elaborate outfits."

More elaborate than what?

Here is the text from Integrity Toys describing the new Dynamite Girl dolls:
"A new and slightly more sophisticated take on clingy fabrics, layering, shocking candy colors and fun accessories that personified the 1980s acts as a base for the 2009 ElectroPop collection from the Dynamite Girls. These 12 inch tall vinyl cuties have removable hands for easy re-dressing! As an added bonus, the ElectroPop Collection introduces a cool new feature for the Dynamite Girls: 3-D reusable packaging! Now you'll be able to display your dolls like never before and reduce waste by re-using these colorful packages and quickly turn them into mini recording studio dioramas! Instructions and extra parts are included with each doll for easy assembly. Each doll is done in a limited edition of 1000 pieces."
Getting past the hype we find an adorable collection of five articulated dolls in cotton candy colors.
This stuff is eye candy! Images of the Dynamite Girls are Courtesy of Integrity Toys.

Aria:

Dayle:

Rufus Blue:

Sooki:

Jasper:

David Buttry must be a fan of the TV series "Big Love." Jasper could easily play the part of Rhonda Volmer.

Dolls retail at $45. each and are due in mid-March through mid-April.
By the way, if you're in the mood for some Fundamentalist crafts and fashions (and who wouldn't be?) check out this site:
http://www.fldscrafts.com/index.php

Fourth Annual Integrity Toys W Club "Toy Fair" Event

We arrived at the W Hotel in Manhattan shortly before the scheduled opening of the Integrity Toy's traveling store. I was expecting lots of deals and goodies however we were presented with very little in the way of variety or bargains. A few items from the Gene Marshall line were reduced. There were dolls that didn't sell well in the retail market for sale at retail. Phase I of the AvantGuard dolls were available in limited quantities. Eclectic sold out fast. I wanted her fashion so I purchased one and sold the nude doll to another collector. I also picked up the Josephine Baker event doll called "La Joie de Paris." This is a Limited Edition of 350 dolls. At $120. this gal was no bargain but she looked beautiful in her futuristic blue and silver gown with the silver gauntlets and I couldn't resist. I really like the packaging of the Hollywood Royalty dolls with their window boxes and the featured doll's signature on the front of the box.

Josephine Baker photo courtesy of Integrity Toys

We sat and chatted and greeted eachother in the lovely seating area outside of the main event room until it was time to go in to dinner. The space was very large with tables set for the meal on one side of the room and the displays featuring the new lines on the other side.

On each table there were two dolls dressed similarly with the same color hair. One was a Luchia and the other was a Zita. At each place setting there was a placecard and a gift of an AvantGuard wig and a pair of shoes.

The food was very good. We had the steak. The service was excellent. Everyone I asked said they'd love to have a convention right there in Manhattan.

Brief remarks were made by Carol Roth,


Mel Odom,Jason Wu and Percy Newsome. Jason began his greeting by saying, "A few things have happened since we last met." We all laughed.

We browsed the collections during dinner. My comments on the dolls will be in posts to follow.

Prior to dessert, those who had won the opportunity to purchase the centerpiece dolls were notified and asked to go to the salesroom to pay for and pick up their dolls.

From 9:00PM to 10:00 PM a free cocktail party was held in the same room as the displays. The area of the dining room was partially partitioned off so that those who lingered over coffee could hang out. There were many areas outside of the main room to gather, chat and sit comfortably.

Overall, it was a fun mini-convention. The atmosphere was 100% superior to that of the FAO events of the previous two years. And it did not snow!

Some of our tablemates:




Marg of MFD and Luanne:

Fashion Week Highlights from the New York Times

Click this URL in order to see and hear a very interesting and concise editorial regarding recent showings at New York Fashion Week. Jason Wu is mentioned.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/17/fashion/20090218-fashion-feature/index.html

Happy Valentine's Day to All

Vero wanted to stop by and wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day.
This is Midnight in Monaco. She was the first Fashion Royalty convention doll ever and was presented to those attending the IFCD in 2003. She is an LE of 500. The fee for that convention was $125.
The dress she is wearing in this photo is from my favorite dress maker in Thailand who has now disappeared from eBay. It's odd because the seller whose label was sewn in to two of my dresses is now selling again after being out to lunch for months. Hmm....
Necklace from a Fashion Royalty outfit.

Here are several other photos I have taken of her.

In the first photo below, Veronique is wearing True Royalty's lingerie as she plays in bed with her tiny poodle.

The second photo has her wearing a Fashion Royalty outfit from the Baltimore convention. I dyed it lavender. I was originally white. Earrings are Dressmaker Details. The handbag is a La Boutique Purse of the Month "Fendi." That was the day I ran around the house looking for things I could dye lavender.

In the third photo, Vero is wearing a copy of Trannytale, an Amanda Lepore doll dress, made by Mio.

Fashion Royalty Graphic Language Adele

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most beautiful of all the early Adeles. Graphic Language Adele was issued in 2004 as part of the Fall/Winter Graphic Flirtation Collection along with Girl of the Moment Veronique, Glam Slam Kyori, and the first Vanessa, Shock Bonbon. Her retail price was $59.99.
She came dressed in an argyle sweater and black tights and her accessory was an adorable pink patent leather hat box.

In my version above, Adele has been transferred to a tall articulated body and she is wearing another one of Ovaz' fabulous, sexy gowns.

Nadja "The Illusionist"

Her story card says her full name is Nadja Rhymes; Age 19; Height 5' 11"; Chest 30"; Waist 26; Shoe 7.
Position: Freelance Model; Location: Los Angeles.
In this incarnation I'd like to think of her as an African princess. I love the fashion, her hair and her jewelry.

I wish Integrity could come up with a better matte finish for her skin which shows every tiny defect and seam in an extremely exaggerated fashion due to the color of the vinyl. At this price, it's a good idea to make the doll as perfect as possible. The other issue which still irks me is the way the heels of the boots are too high for the doll to stand correctly. I'm definitely going to write to Integrity on this one because it's been going on too long.

The hefty price of $169.99 plus shipping ($12.10) directly from Integrity Toys may have kept quite a few collectors from purchasing this doll. Although I don't collect Nadja, I couldn't pass up this unique one.

My recommendations: if you love Nadja, you are probably getting one anyway. I think the price of this one might come down as there are 500 of them and many are being more careful with their dolly dollars these days. There are already four of them listed on eBay that are very close to retail price. In fact it looks to me like two of the sellers will not make a dime and one will even lose money on the sale.

In Honor of Black History Month

Fashion Royalty's Adele "The Muse" is the my favorite Adele to-date. Here are some new pictures of her in a recently received gown by Parawatee of Thailand.

Earrings are Adele's own. Chain necklace is from another Fashion Royalty ensemble.

A note about the gown. The construction is absolutely coutourier fabulous. The problem is that it took six weeks to get here and I had to file a Paypal claim before it was shipped. I am waiting on another gown for which I have paid. While I adore these gowns, it's not an easy transaction with this seller. Apparently their prior eBay ID was TD Fashion as a label with that name is sewn into the gowns.