Swirl Ponytail Barbie & My Favorite Black Barbie - Vintage Reproductions

If I collected Barbies, I'd definitely get this set. It looks so cute. I love the record player and records. The pink checked dress is adorable and the doll looks like the real thing. And, I'm guessing she will not have green ear. Priced at $40. at Marsha's Dollhouse, it seems like a pretty decent buy.

Another attractive and well-priced set is called My Favorite Black Barbie. She comes clad in a full length gown, lots of jewelry and accesories and what appears to be a gold trimmed, white tuxedo type suit. I don't like the "Do the Hustle" pose on this doll but she's a cutie with a great afro and is a good candidate for a body transplant. The blog, Black Doll Collecting, has an interesting post and pictures of the original Black Barbie.

In my opinion, the only one who can get away with wearing a white pant suit with one arm in the air is John Travolta.
My Favorite Career dolls, part of the My Favorite Barbie Doll line will see:
a Registered Nurse

a Student Teacher

a Pan American Airways Stewardess

and Miss Astronaut Barbie Dolls.

I like all of them! On BarbieCollector.com these are priced at $39.95. My Favourite Doll has them listed at $49.95. USD and CDN.

There is something wholesome about the vintage dolls (and copies thereof) lacking in the uber-sophisticated Barbies of today. But that's probably what our grandparents might have said 40 years ago about the dolls from their childhood.

Jason Wu Puts On Another Hat

According to a W Club Update email sent out yesterday, Jason Wu has "taken on a consulting position for the coming year with Madame Alexander, to help guide and update the direction of a few of their doll lines, including Cissy."

Does this mean that Cissy will get a waist, thin legs and turquoise eye shadow?
Noooooooooo.
Will we get a Mini Cissy?
Wait a minute...there already is a Mini Cissy. She's called Cissette.
So what's he going to do?
Cissy the Vampire? Couture Noir already looks a little like a vampire.

The best thing that MA could do with Cissy would be to lower the price. And that dorky-looking male Cissy, aka Distinguished Gentleman. OMG. What were they thinking? A hot-looking Homme would have been better suited to the $449. price tag on this girly-boy.Maybe Jason will work on the Alex line.....smaller heads...nicer hands. I hope the clothing designer remains, though, because MA clothes are fabulous.

Here's a rumor you can start:
Madame Alexander will pick up the Gene line.
Don't forget, I made that up...if you spread it, it's not my fault.

Paper Dolls: Martin Luther King, Jr. and Family

Today the United States celebrates the birthday of slain civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. Here are the results of a Google search for related dolls:

Martin Luther King, Jr., and His Family: Paper Dolls (in Full Color) (Paperback) ~ Tom Tierney (Author) Price - New $20., Used $12. [A used paper doll book?]

Limberjack Jig Doll Martin Luther King Jr
There is a doll on eBay described as a wooden dancing black man in suit and tie. I don't know if it should be a lumberjack - perhaps made by a lumberjack? I can't post the image as it is not mine and I don't know the seller but here is the auction # 230419295411 It's a very interesting item.

Here is a really stupid item found on Amazon but not sold by Amazon. It's titled Plush Stuffed Duck (Sprinkles) toy with great Martin Luther King day T-ShirtMost of the other search items that came up were craft projects for children to participate in on this day. When I did a search for a figurine instead of a doll, I came up with a jumble of stuff. Judge for yourself.

Martin Luther King Jr. Bust Statue (20" fiberglass)Lladro´ - Retired - Estimated value more than $800.

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum figure. I'm guessing there is a copy of this figure. $195.

I don't have information about this one.

Amazon $14.98

This was a disappointing search. However, you can always get an Edward Cullen doll, the Godfather, an Elvis or a Frank Sinatra doll. Goes to show you what's important.

Picture of the Week Award ~ January 17, 2010

A classic beauty for this week's Picture of the Week Award is a repainted Scarlett "Return to Tara" doll from the Tonner Doll Co. Her hair has been restyled and the gown is a OOAK creation by Alana Bennett of dollfashionsbyalana.com. The photographer/repainter is Boots Villavecer from the Philippines.

When I find a candidate for the Picture of the Week I always send several questions for the artist to answer. Boots was very generous with his time and response so I am going to paste his response here.

I am no professional so I don't have much equipment. The doll here is a repainted Tonner Scarlett "Return to Tara" doll. The hair has been adjusted. The gown is an OOAK creation by Alana Bennett of dollfashionsbyalana.com. It is inspired by a gown worn in Scarlett the TV series in 1994. It is originally in "blue" but via special effects has been made green -- Margaret Mitchell's favorite color.  All factory paint has been removed and I used what I call my special brush from Noel Cruz himself who encouraged me to pursue repainting. Just a Canon Digital Camera IXUS B515 10 Megapixel Camera. I don't use flash, because that creates shadows at the back of the doll. I always use the "portrait" function on the camera and from there, control the exposure because the lights can often be strong. I have 2 table lamps that can be angled as lighting sources. For the backdrop I use large clamps to hold a cloth on the photo. The cloth must slope down have no wrinkles or folds (depending on how the kind of effect you want). If you want some draping soft cloth is preferrable. I don't have a tripod so I have to have a really steady hold on the camera, but that's actually easy with the camera I use. 

Thanks to technology, one can fix the photo using Photoshop CS3. I use "dodge" tool to highlight dark shadows; "burn" tool to darken the areas in the background; the "clone" tool to add details, and various tools under the "Filter" tools to create the brush strokes, the additional lighting. The magic is in a Filter tool known as "Liquify". Here you can fix the hair and the gown if there are unwanted or desired things you want to enhance. 

My real name is Boots Villavecer, from the Philippines. 44 years old, working as a Creative in an advertising agency. I spent 5 years in Publishing and during free time would practice photo-editing for 13 magazines. Among them being fashion and beauty. My website is: http://www.soultalk777.blogspot.com.

Congratulations, Boots, on the Picture of the Week Award!

Hands Across the Water

Do your research!
Click here to learn to find a charity you can trust.

Disaster of Biblical Proportions

As I lay in bed last night surrounded by showcases filled with dolls, it felt wrong.

Preview 2010 Tonner's Antoinette Doll

A few Antoinette and other items were sneaked by the Tonner Doll Co. yesterday. What do you think?

The first three are dressed dolls and the fourth is an outfit and the last is a white mannequin with raven hair.

Dressed Dolls: Tranquil $189.99

Wanton $144.99

Organic $189.99

Fashion: Intoxicating $99.99

Mannequin: Alabaster Mannequin with jet hair. $49.99

Don't forget, your favorite dealer may be one who discounts off retail. Those dealers are the ones to be sold out first.
Check around for your best price.
If you would like to see the other 2010 Tonner previews, click here.

Lady GaGa ~ Who will make the doll?

I want a Lady Gaga doll and I want it now and it had better not be a Barbie Lady Gaga.
I do not know to whom the photo credits go. These are all over the internet and that doesn't make it OK to use them but here they are.

Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® Doll Green Ear Update

From the Barbie Collector website comes this announcement:

Barbie Collector has been looking into reports of Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® dolls developing green ear. What follows is a press release with suggested next steps, should your doll develop green ear...

Dear Collector,

We have learned of a production issue affecting the Barbie® Fashion Model Collection N6594 Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® doll released via dealers in fall 2009.

There have been reports of Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® dolls developing green ear, caused by oxidation of the coating on the doll’s earrings. As we continue to undergo testing, we encourage owners of a Parisienne Pretty™ Barbie® doll to contact customer service for a replacement doll or replacement earrings. At this time it is undetermined how many dolls have the potential to develop green ear over time, but all purchasers are eligible for a replacement doll whether their doll is currently affected or not. Please note this is an aesthetics issue only and not a health hazard.

If you are a U.S. collector who purchased this doll through a Barbie dealer, you now have the opportunity to exchange your original doll for a replacement doll.

To obtain a replacement doll, follow the steps below.

1. Call customer service at 1-800-524-8697 by January 31, 2010, to initiate your return. A shipping label will be sent to you.
   
   Please note: If your doll is not affected and you do not wish to part with your doll, you can request replacement earrings be sent to you instead.


2. Pack your doll(s) in original clothing, and ship using the provided shipping label. It is not necessary to send original packaging or accessory pieces. Dolls must be received by February 28, 2010. Any dolls received after this date will not be eligible for replacement.


3. Look for your replacement doll to arrive within 30 days after sending to customer service. Replacement dolls will be shipped based on the date when original doll was returned.

We appreciate your continued support as we correct this production issue.

Sincerely,
Barbie Collector

Traveler By Nature Veronique - Makeover

Gown from Pewter Natalia. Jewelry by Joy.

Do you recognize this doll? Of course not. Nothing about her is original except her head sans hair and paint. This was Traveler By Nature Veronique from the amazing "Voyages" collections. She was released for sale in the winter of 2004 just around the time I began collecting FR. She's my second TBN. Promotional Photograph Property of Integrity Toys

I had her rerooted by Susan Korba about 2 years ago.

Black dress from the original Hollywood Royalty doll, Lana Turner.

She was magnificent and then I had the brilliant idea that I would enhance her eyes. FAIL.
Do you know how it goes? Do just a little more when it looks good...and then maybe a little here and a little there and then BAM. Messed up completely.



Photo needs to be inserted in three places.

Fashion Plate Veronique ~ Royalty!

Every now and then I pick up one of the earlier Fashion Royalty dolls most of which are Veronique (in my collection). This particular beauty is Fashion Plate Veronique, the brunette version, who was released in 2003. Her edition size was 800. There is another red headed version. Only 200 of those were made and they are very hard to find. Both came in a lovely gift set.

Unknown Photographer

I don't have the clothing as I purchased the doll nude. I did switch her to a tall body. Here are two of the latest photos I have taken of this beautiful doll.

In the above photo, she is wearing a silk strapless sheath gown with beading on the bust area. The dress was made by Mio. The fur shrug is by SL Fashion.

This is my favorite picture of Fashion Plate. She is wearing a navy top from one of the FR convention collections, a skirt from a Thai dressmaker and her wrap was Zita's from the Gene Marshall line. The jewelry is from a recent FR doll. The curls at the sides of her face need to be tucked back to show off her beauty.

I celebrate the outgoing Veronique's looks because we won't see her again.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Picture of the Week ~ Not Really

I'm going to reward myself for quitting Farmville by posting some of my own pictures in place of the usual Picture of the Week Award. The truth is that I didn't spend much time on the doll boards this week and I don't have a nominee.
This doll was Cruise Control Vanessa. She was reviewed by me several months ago. She had terrible hair. This photo was taken after I tried to carefully comb out her disaster of a do.

She was re-rooted by Susan Korba who did her usual fantastic job using mixed blonde shades.
Shortly after that I saw a Cruise Control doll whose eyes had been re-done. I had to have mine done as well. When I received her yesterday I couldn't believe how gorgeous she was. Vin Trapani worked his magic and made her more beautiful than the one I saw to begin with.

While I am posting these pictures of her I might as well talk about her outfit. It's a Dressmaker Detail's fashion called "Feet First."This image is the property of Dressmaker Details.

I have wanted it since it was first released months ago but my experience with DD fashions has not been a good one as far as fit and quality of accessories. Originally priced at $79.00, when it went on sale for $35. directly from DD, (plus another $20. for shipping!) I ordered it. I hoped for the best with the skirt and sweater and left the rest to chance.
This time I give DD an A for effort as far as design goes. They have kept it simple except for the silly little bow on the back of the sweater which was easy to remove. The skirt fits nicely and has a tiny zipper closure with a hook at the top. The sweater has real buttons and button holes that are adorable and made very well. One needs a light weight pliers to help close the buttons but it's do-able.
The problem with the sweater is that the seams under the arms keep the doll from lowering her arms close to her body. There's got to be another way to construct a tiny knit sweater so the doll can lower her arms properly. Wu did it with several sweaters. Even Mattel has made a few sweaters that work.
I added the chains. The pearl studs and pearl bracelet come with the fashion.
DD plastic shoes are very good. They fit fairly well and come in lots of good colors. I knew that the tall gold boots weren't going to work; I could tell from their profile. They fit but they are Barbie-ish in look. The red shoes and the gold stretch cord shoes fit but look awkward because the foot bed is too large or off-center. At $79. I would have been very disappointed. At $55., I'm not that unhappy because I didn't expect much. I'm glad I got the skirt and sweater no matter what.
DD does great skirts. Construction techniques can be improved and I will jump for joy when Steven Fraser decides to eliminate the low quality frills and put all the manufacturing effort into the main pieces. Perhaps Steven can learn a few tricks by studying the construction and design of Randall Craig's doll sweaters. Take a look at this beauty. (LE 100 MSRP $58)This gorgeous and beautifully made/fitted fashion from Randall Craig is called The Gold Standard. It is part of his latest line. The skirt has inverted pleats and the sweater fits perfectly. RC still has a long way to go with their shoe fitting problems. These shoes, just like last year's, do not fit properly.
All of Randall's fashions this season come with cigarettes. Perhaps next year they will come with coke and I don't mean in a bottle.

Blame it on FarmVille

Forgive my temporary disappearance. Blame it on the insanely addictive Facebook game, Farmville. I began playing a month ago. The game sucks the time from every day. But now it's time to get back to the real world of dolls. Twas fun while it lasted.

I did take the time to photograph a few Tonner men. I have very few male dolls remaining in my collection but I did add the Ultra Basic Jeremy Vos. He is just so pretty. In this picture of him he's wearing Edward Cullen's prom suit.

This is the Amazon Exclusive Edward Cullen that went on sale for an incredible $39.99 with free shipping. I bought him just for the suit.

This was Daniel Craig as Asriel Northbound from the Golden Compass. He is wearing a stunning and beautifully constructed Tonner suit from the Matt line. This doll is just stunning.

A new character recently introduced by Tonner is Simon Chase, Sydney's brother. I admit to having overpaid for this doll. Even though my doll dealer discounts off retail, he was still too expensive but I wanted the tuxedo. Simon is a bit too young looking for my girls.

My only other two men are two Trent dolls one of whom is pictured below with Gene. He is "Skiing or She-ing" Trent. This doll came with a fabulously creative and complete wardrobe of two outfits to wear on a ski trip. He is wearing pieces from another of his fashions made for polo. Amazing, right?
Heavenly Gene is seen wearing a Tonner outfit from many years ago. I just opened it for the first time. I can't remember the name of the fashion for now. My mind's been farmed out.

Picture of the Week ~ January 3, 2010

To start the New Year off, I have chosen a traffic stopper of a look for the Picture of the Week. The photograph was made by James Griffen aka Paradise Blue. The doll is a re-wigged Sybarite Limousine. The Lady GaGa style wig is an ultra limited (1 of 3) by Anthony of Hawaii. I love it. She is dressed in Tonner's Luna bodysuit and silver jacket. The jewelry is the doll's own.

James uses a "teeny handheld Fuji" 12mp camera. He posts mainly on the Pink Parlor and Prego doll boards and occasionally on Doll Divas. You can see many more of his photos on his Doll Page Photo Album. There you will find pictures of Paradise Blue's eclectic collection of dolls.

Congratulation, James, on the Picture of the Week Award!

Happy New Year ~ 2010

A brief diversion from the dolls:
If you love blogging, cooking and/or just great movies rent the DVD Julie & Julia. I loved it. Meryl Streep is perhaps the most talented actress ever. Another movie we saw this week was Up In The Air.  George Clooney is still very nice to look at so many years after ER. It's worth seeing and has absolutely nothing to do with dolls - although the hobby of collecting could definitely be related to this movie. If you haven't seen it yet, go see Avatar. Then tell me what manufacturer you think will come out with the first articulated Na'vi doll. Every topic leads back to the dolls.
Yesterday I set up a temporary diorama or stage set for the larger dolls. None of my dioramas is permanently installed. I like variety. My doll cabinets are just for the dolls. The furniture and props appear in my photographs. I acquired in the last month three major pieces - Gene's Swan Bed, Tyler's Armoire and a Gene Convention souvenir which is a lighted dressing table. Unfortunately the table arrived broken and I am in the process of repairing it. When it's done, it will look better than new.
I like the furniture for the 16" dolls better than the furniture for the 12" dolls mainly because it is more substantial and truer to scale. Every sofa Integrity made for the FR dolls is too low to the ground. They are lovely to look at but too small. The liquor cabinet is too short. The best pieces are the bed and the large trunk. But due to their size and limited usefulness, I sold those items.
The only dolly stuff I did today was restyle an RnD Angels "Jaclyn"  wig. It was too long and fairly impossible to comb through so I swished it for a while in a diluted fabric softener solution, combed it through, rinsed it out with warm water and repeated the procedure until I could comb through the hair. When it was dry, I combed it again and decided to cut off at least 1/2". When I can't comb through a wig after all that, the fiber is damaged and must be removed. It looks great now. No pictures yet.
The RnD Angel wigs fit the AvantGuard dolls. They are a touch large but go on very easily. Use a rubbery wig cap and they are perfect. Check out what Rudy has remaining at the website. Remember that they will need styling before use!

http://www.rnddolls.com/site/angel/angel-fashion.htm

 This is just a sampling of what may be available. The price is right and Rudy is a dream to deal with.