Integrity Toys' New Dolls

On Saturday, January 26. 2013 members of the W Club were invited to a webinar during which new dolls were described and shown.

Not all of IT's doll lines were included in this reveal. The most popular appears to be the new Funny Face collection designed by Chris Stoeckel. These dolls and fashions are based on the 1957 movie by the same name that stars Audrey Hepburn and  Fred Astaire. In a brilliant move, the designers decided to give each doll in the new line a different sculpt. And, instead of having a bunch of single dressed Poppy Parker-faced dolls, several of the dolls are mini-giftsets and full giftsets. The focus is on the fashion and although none of the designs is original, Stoeckl has interpreted them very nicely.

Here are several of the images with which we were presented.

Jo Stockton "Take the Picture"

Maggie Prescott's Assistant "Think Pink"

Dovima as Marion "A Woman Who Thinks"

Jo Stockton "On How To Be Lovely"

Jo Stockton "Bonjour Paris"

Maggie Prescott "The Quality Woman"

There is a lottery for another gift set. This one is called "Let's Kiss and Make Up." It looks like a fabulous gift set consisting of three complete outfits and lots of accessories. Also included is a little dog. It's not a poodle but we'll over look that fact.

I need this giftset and will be very disappointed if I am not amongst the lottery entrants who is picked. VERY disappointed.

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Another reveal was this year's Dynamite Girls designed by David Buttry. Entitled "London Calling,"  the collection consists of 7 dolls each priced at $65.  I didn't care for any of the four girls; their outfits are pedestrian. But, the two male dolls are fabulous.The layering, attention to detail and edgy styling is clear in the guys and missing from the girls.

Kyu

Cruz

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Integrity's 16" doll line has morphed into Tulabelle. The backstory sounds like a fantasy from Cosmo magazine. Here's the promo text from Integrity Toys:

Every once in a while, you meet a character that is so special and unique that you can't forget her. That's Tulabelle! She's a young influential fashion blogger and the go-to expert for the latest in trends for young fashionistas around the world. Tulabelle comes from a long line of fashion insiders and has inherited her family's extensive archive of clothing from the beginning of the 20th century to today. The highlight of the collection consists of some amazing pieces from her famous model grandmother, Poppy Parker! Whether she's hanging out with friends at her favorite thrift store or sitting front row at the hottest runway show, Tulabelle is always at the forefront of style.

There are 6 dressed dolls in the collection, one of which is a "basic" priced at $115. The others are priced at $150. 

I have previously written that I prefer sophisticated looking doll sculpts more than the teen look. I think it's sad that the giant Poppy dolls and these gals have replaced the Avantguard line. They could have kept the sculpts and used the improved body. As a collector who spans both the 16" and 12" groups, I know many who loved the AG sculpts and would buy them again. But I believe IT caters to it's post-Barbie collectors who tend to prefer more youthful looks. 

That being said, I did like one of the Tulabelles very much...enough to pre-order her! 

Calling this doll "Yeti to Wear" — dorky — but I like the fashion. Hopefully the bangs come out flat enough to stay on her forehead. I'm curious about the body as I've not seen it yet. I don't think her fashion will fit any of my 16" dolls but we'll see.

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The other new dolls revealed are three Holograms from the Jem and the Holograms line.

Since I am not one of the former television watchers of this cartoon, I have no connection there. To me they look trashy. IMO, there is no fashion, just costume, all for $119. each. Lest I forget, you get a detailed plastic guitar.

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Ana's Photostream

I was strolling through my good friend Ana's (aka anatchim) Flickr Photostream today and I found many images worth sharing. I recommend going there for yourself and taking some time to see how much attention to detail Ana showers on her dolls. She has many of them rerooted and restyled. It's delightful to go through her collection. Link to her collection is at the end of this post.

Here is a wonderful photography trick she uses to support her dolls during photoshoots.

A little trick to hold the girls...

A little trick I use to hold my girls against the backdrop while I'm photographing... I use this modified FR stand telescope stick, with a "Bostik" ball in the tip for adherence...

(it still can be a little tricky to use, but I just don't want to use wires to have to erase them afterwards in photoshop... I am too lazy for that LOL)

I may try her technique occasionally instead of using armature wire. The more tricks one has at hand, the better.

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Here is a photograph of all three versions of Vanessa side by side. It's excellent and really shows the differences. Which Vanessa is your favorite?

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Now, if you've gone and looked at her photos and think she has a major photography studio, you will be surprised to learn that the opposite is true. She is using professional lighting but look at that little space!
Ana says:

"... our apartment is SO tiny tiny, that I had to put together a small space in the garage, for my dolly photography...
I love to see everyone's behind the scene photos, so I thought I'd share this one too!

The beautiful vintage dresser was renovated by hubby, and it holds the doll furniture, background papers, floors, etc.."

Ana's Flickr Photostream

Random Pictures

My Barbie closets arrived the other day. I am very pleased.

 The first model is Anja from the last IT convention. The second model is Silkstone #3 wearing "Cast Party" from the 2012 GAW.

The size is perfect. They didn't skimp there.  I plan to change the background as I don't care for the three that came with the closet but any scrapbooking sheet will do.

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On the endless topic of my unpacking...I still need showcases for my Tiny Kitty and Madame Alexander 10" dolls.  They are all hanging around into open boxes waiting for their chance to shine.

Today, after I put away my dolls' Christmas decorations, I pulled out a few TKs that I had never photographed as they arrived during the packing/moving era last year.

Little Empress

Grand Entrance

Kitty at Court

My Lady Fair - Blue

 Although these little gems have limited posing, I still love them. They were really my first fashion doll collection so I keep filling in the gaps.

Sale Alert at the Mattel Shop

Buy one, Get one 50% off site wide at the Mattel Shop.  It's a good sale and as of right now there are plenty of Monster High dolls and accessories available.

I haven't been following this line closely so there are several delightful items that are quite tempting.
The Monster High Scaris "Cafe Cart" is just adorable. This is selling for $22.99.

The Monster High Convertible is also a cute addition to a collection. Listed at $22.99.

If you were to purchase both, your total would come to $34.48 plus shipping and sales tax instead of $45.98 plus.  For every full priced item you buy, you can add another for half price. Sounds good to me.

Will you be buying anything during this sale?

IRL Pictures of Luncheon Ensemble Silkstone

These photos were sent to me by George of Angelic Dreamz.  You can order your doll there.
The doll looks as close to the promotional images as possible. I'm impressed.

New Silkstones on the Horizon and More from Mattel

Dealers have released Mattel's images of the first two 2013 Silkstone dolls.

First we have BFMC "Luncheon Ensemble" Barbie. They really went back in time with the styling on this gal. Her face is very pretty. I'm not quite sure about the fashion. I wouldn't wear it. The rose on the turban looks ridiculous. But it doesn't matter because I'm never pre-ordering a Silkstone again. The promotional photos are always so much better than the real dolls.

Est. Delivery April 2013  $54.95 (Cherished Friends' Price)

Next is BFMC "Cocktail Dress" Barbie. What a creative title. I like this doll much better than the other one. Again, the dress has a vintage vibe. I love the pony tail. Mattel does a pretty good job with pony tails so they'd have to try really hard to mess that up. We'll see what the dress actually looks like. I would add this one to my collection.

Est. Delivery April 2013  $84.95 (Cherished Friends' Price)

A Barbie and Midge two-doll giftset was also included in this announcement.

Est. Delivery April 2013  $79.95 (Cherished Friends' Price)

A 2013 doll that was previously announced is a Twilight character, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. For those who collect Twilight Saga figures, he will be a cool addition at $24.95. I think they captured the bloodless look the actor has in the movie.

Something I've been looking at since it was released is the Barbie Wardrobe. When I learned that it was not entirely made of cardboard, I decided to order....two of them.  We need large closets, don't we?  One is never enough.  I ordered directly through Barbie Collector. Some people are selling them on eBay for much more than the retail price of $69.95.

Although shown with clothing and accessories it arrives empty and comes with two interchangeable backgrounds. 
Closets with an interesting mix of fashions inside make great props and backdrops for photography.
I believe this item will sell out. If you like it, get it now.

Jaws

No, this post is not about a shark, it is about the head of Tonner's new Hunger Games Gale character figure. Mr. Tonner is known for his full jawed doll sculpts but this one is a bit over the top.

I hunted down a good close-up of the actor that the doll is supposed to portray, Liam Hemsworth. He's a good-looking man and he does have a pronounced chin but Tonner's combination of chin, broad jawline and small mouth make the doll look as if it has an underbite and a huge head.

I'm trying to figure out what is wrong about the mouth...is it too close to the nose? There's something that throws the entire face off in spite of the fact that the features are not that dissimilar.

I think a good re-painter could fix the mouth, reshape the jaw and restyle the hair.  But why?

Anyway, if you are interested in purchasing this doll, the retail price is $169.99. Look around for discounted prices.


I had to do it.

Is this better?

If the movie had been about giant cat paws (hehe) maybe I wouldn't be afraid to go into the ocean. I still won't.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Neurotica

The free bird leaps
on the back of the wind
and floats downstream
till the current ends
and dips his wings
in the orange sun rays
and dares to claim the sky.

But a bird that stalks
down his narrow cage
can seldom see through
his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and
his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings
with fearful trill
of the things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill for the caged bird
sings of freedom

The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn
and he names the sky his own.

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied
so he opens his throat to sing

The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the distant hill
for the caged bird
sings of freedom.

by Maya Angelou

Reminiscing

In a recent post, I commented that I really like several of the Fashion Royalty outfits from the last two years. I also mentioned that I purchased another Pale Fire Vanessa because my original was altered (by myself) and I wanted the original again.

I was going to sell the altered version but...yesterday, her head was affixed to an FR2 body and I dressed her in (most of) World on a String Eugenia's outfit and she's staying.  I say "most of" because the shoes do not fit on the FR2 body. I hate that.

Pale Fire Vanessa - Altered Version (Not that you can really tell anyway.)

 It's interesting that as I look back on dolls I may have altered, the originals often start to look better and better. Of course, some are still "what were they thinking dolls" but apparently my tastes change from year to year.

When I think about the dolls from the first FR convention I ever attended in Toronto, I think of how I did not like Gliteratti Veronique's hair or Intoxicating Mix Vanessa's hair. Gliteratti was the first re-root I ever did by myself and I had IM's done for me. I wish I had the originals now, especially Vanessa. I have repurchased her fashion (more than once) and at one time I had an extra NRFB.
Sigh. Easy come; easy go. I won (!) her at a convention when Jason chose one of my photographs as the winner in the contest. Those were the days.

Re-rooted Gliteratti Veronique

Original Gliteratti

Re-rooted Intoxicating Mix Vanessa

Intoxicating Mix - Original Hairstyle. Mattel's "My Fair Lady" pink frilly items.

So now that I am reminiscing over past dolls, there are two dolls I regret selling, one is High Gloss Agnes and the other is Spectacular, Spectacular Eugenia. They were both wonderful to photograph. In fact, I used SS Eugenia for a feature article I did in FDQ back then.

High Gloss Agnes

Spectacular, Spectacular Eugenia

I used to get every single Fashion Royalty doll that was produced except for those that were made for special people like the Saks 5th Avenue Agnes. I don't even know anyone who has her. 

I'm very happy with the dolls I have. When I'm not, they get voted off the island.

2013 W Club Membership

2013 W Club  Kyori Sato Love The One

Burberry-Prorsum

It's nice to know that they are keeping the membership fee to $50 for another year. There are two optional "upgrade" dolls one can choose to purchase.
Shown above is the Kyori called "Love The One..." I think the cape makes her look imprisoned because it is too long. I'm not a fan of the Burberry-Prorsum either but it looks like the model could move her arms if she chose.

The other doll is Poppy Parker dressed as a 1965 World's Fair guide. Pretty much everyone agreed that she looks like an airline hostess. It's not the most attractive presentation of Poppy we've seen.

To The Fair Poppy Parker Dressed Doll

Lufthansa uniforms from 1938 to 1979.

I'm not planning on getting either one but I am going to join again. I just hope it's not a waste of money since I really do not collect most of their dolls any longer but I do like a lot of the clothes.

And, if we're lucky, they'll come out with a decent FR2 that is not a horse-faced Tatyana or slutty-looking Ayumi.
 
Harsh, I know, but diplomacy is not uppermost in my mind tonight. I have had an allergic reaction to a sample from Sephora and it's around both my eyes. I want to rub but must not.

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Inamorata Mirrorball by Emlia Nieminen

Today's email from Haute Doll stated:

"The long wait is finally over: the INAMORATA doll line was revealed in an exclusive article by Jill Jackson on the Haute Doll January 2013 issue. Get your HD issue on stores now or order eletronically!"

That was very intriguing news as Emilia has been sending out teasers for a while. Well, the dolls look like they are going to be quite wonderful. No information on pricing was available. They are 16" polyurethane resin BJDs with 20 points of articulation. Emilia states that they were designed to look as good undressed as dressed.

Here are pictures of the OOAK that Emilia shows on her Flickr Site that will be auctioned off at IDEX in a few months.

In my opinion, Emilia is one of the most talented persons in the doll world. She says that these dolls are the realization of her life-long dream. I think it's a supreme, creative achievement and I am looking forward to seeing these dolls in the hands of collectors.
 
 If you wish to see more images and read Emilia's artist statement you will need to get the Haute Doll digital edition.