Woodstock Festival ~ Happy 40th Birthday!

Living in Woodstock, I am often asked about the festival that took place in 1969. Some are disappointed when I tell them that the festival didn't actually take place here but rather in Bethel, NY. The founder of the festival, Michael Lang is from Woodstock. An interesting book provides much of the backstory on the making of Woodstock is called "Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life." Written by Elliot Tiber in 2007 with Tom Monte, it reveals much of the wheeling and dealing that went on behind the scenes in order to secure a site for the concert. The movie Taking Woodstock based on Tiber's memoir will arrive in theaters on August 28, 2009.

Today in WWD Fashion, there is an article and an interesting video about the fashions coming out of those days and how they have lasted and are still seen in today's fashions.
Woodstock at 40: Fields of Fashion

Link to the behind-the-scenes video of the fashion shoot:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid32858656001?bclid=32693619001&bctid=32885172001

Dolls' fashions have certainly been influenced by the aura of the hippie. The doll that immediately comes to mind is from Mattel's Great Fashions of the 20th Century, "Peace & Love 70s Barbie." This doll was issued in 2001.

I should have kept this gal as she is fetching some really pretty prices now.

Come to Woodstock! Look me up and I'll meet you in town. But don't expect to find the festival. What you will find are street musicians, drummers, Grandpa Woodstock (very strange man), cute boutiques, a great quilt supply store, head shops, original art of every description, a great store for Flax clothing, a well known candle shop, Birkenstocks, incensed atmosphere, ice cream, lots of dogs, a few wandering hippies, beautiful scenery and lots of other tourists. Of course if you come on the weekend you are sure to get rain and mud. It's a tradition.

If you know of any dolls with a hippie vibe, please post a link in the comments. I'd love to add more doll pictures to this post.

Thanks to a kind reader we now have another doll to look at with a "hippie vibe."
http://crissyandbeth.com/Harmony.html

The manufacturer was Ideal Toys and she was called "Harmony, the Music-Makin' Doll." Her outfits are adorable and she's got nicely articulated arms. She's the same size as Cissy at 21". I found this brief video of a working Harmony doll on Youtube:

Thanks so much, Catherine, for this information!

Added on August 12->

A friend just sent me this picture of a doll dressed in hippie style. She's not sure if it's Daisy or Willow designed by Doug James. I think it's Willow.

Picture of the Week Award ~ August 6, 2009

This week's award goes to LeeAnn in Pennsylvania for this wonderfully funny picture of her doll called Devil Debra. Debra's antics often include a Voodoo doll that sports a multitude of pins.

LeeAnn told me that Debra inspires her and often provides a channel for expressing feelings. The doll itself is an Elfdoll by Rainman whose original name is Hana (Devil). It came in two versions although both were neuter gendered. The differences were the face-ups and outfits. The doll is a 20cm resin BJD that was released in 2006 and came with four different face-plates.

See more wonderfully humorous photos showcasing this doll's antics at 5th Avenue Vixens
and on Prego where LeeAnn is the Admin.

Congratulations, LeeAnn, on creating a big personality from a small doll that so many of us enjoy.

Antoinette Outfit - POSH

Of the three Antoinette separate outfits I ordered, this is the only one that had an ill-fitting piece. The front bodice of the jacket is too large and it bulges out at the bustline and above. Other than that, the outfit is cute and well made. What I don't understand is this: the designers get the prototypes from the factory, they try them on the dolls hopefully and then give the go ahead or not. If a garment has such an outstanding fitting issue, why is it not addressed at the time? I would really love to know the procedure that goes into pre-approving the manufacture of the product. Is it acceptable for a $95. outfit to be released if there is something wrong with it?

It's difficult to see what I'm talking about from looking at these images. One of the heels of the shoes is attached at an odd angle as well.
Now that I look at the promotional image, I see that it may be showing up there as well - including the crooked heel on the right shoe (her right).

This Image is the Property of Tonner Doll Company

Picture of the Week Award ~ August 2, 2009

This week's award goes to our Canadian collector and friend, Wil Herold.

In this image, the viewer's eyes are drawn to Nadja's eyes and captured there. They are mesmerizing.
The repaint and reroot were done by the fabulously talented doll artist, Park. The gown is an Ovaz.
Wil posts on the Pink Parlor as wilbcliche. His images are far from cliches!

You can see more of his work on Flickr.

Congratulations, Wil!