4/26/2013

Wilde Imagination Candlelight Rufus Basic

I did a double-take while browsing the Ellowyne Wilde catalog earlier. Listed in among the Basic Dolls was a doll called Candlelight Rufus Basic. He looked so much like another Tonner doll - at first.
Candlelight Rufus Basic $119.00
Put your finger over the face and who do you see? I saw Jeremy Voss for an instant. Too bad Rufus is so weird-looking. I wish Jeremy would make a comeback. I need one with black hair.

It looks like the same body except for the neck. What do you think?

I wonder if this Rufus outfit would fit the Matt/Jeremy body? I like this outfit called "Totally Natural."
Rufus - Totally Natural (Outfit Only) $89.00
It  vaguely reminds me of something Rex Harrison wore in My Fair Lady.


The Mattel version is kind of cute, too.

Mattel's Ken® Doll as Professor Henry Higgins from My Fair Lady™




4/23/2013

Phoenix Gene in Superfrock and Comparison Photos


I'm definitely enjoying photographing the new resin Gene doll. It reminds me of the days when I'd get one doll at a time and spend a week changing her clothes and taking pictures. I haven't done this in a long time.
In the images on this page, Phoenix is wearing Sybarite Neurotica's dress. It fits
very nicely except the straps of the dress are extending above the natural shoulder. I like it anyway.  The shoes fit, too, but because Gene's ankles do not bend the shoe's angle, when she is standing up, is off. The wig is by Cheryl Wood. She's wearing her own gloves smooshed down and folded over.
This doll looks great in everything!


Above you can see the detail of her glove hands. This is the set of hands that is painted white. They were easy to switch to the regular color hands without tools but did require a third hand. In my case I held the doll between my legs and switched the hands. You can see the other hands in prior photos I posted of Phoenix.
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Tom in CA has graciously allowed me to reproduce his Gene comparison photos.
First we have blonde versions of all three Gene Marshall dolls. On the left is an Ashton Drake, center is Integrity Toys and right is the new Phoenix.  Do you have a favorite? 
In this particular picture, I like the IT version primarily because of the hairstyle which makes her forehead smaller than either of the others. 


Here is another comparison which is great because it shows the head shape differences. Phoenix has a much more realistically proportioned head.  The Gene on the left looks as if she's missing part of her skull!

4/22/2013

Tonner's 22 Inch Scarlett's Wedding Day Ready to Pre-Order

A new Gone With The Wind Scarlett is being previewed by the Tonner Doll Company.   She is a 22" "Scarlett's Wedding Day." The gown looks lovely— it had better be because the retail price of this beauty is $399.99.
22" Scarlett's Wedding Day LE300


Beautiful and delicate details.
According to the description this doll has a "new Vivien Leigh portrait sculpt."  Hmmmm. She has a pretty face but I don't see the resemblance to Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara at all.
22" Scarlett's Wedding Day
16" Scarlett's Wedding Day





All photos except the last three are the property of the Tonner Doll Company.  The other three are owned by MGM.

DID YOU KNOW?
Despite the fact it's been 72 years since Scarlett O'Hara first pulled down a green curtain to make herself a dress in "Gone With the Wind," that outfit has remained one of the most iconic looks in cinematic history. It's going to stay that way for many more years, too, as that dress and the burgundy ball gown from the 1939 film have been restored by the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas.The Center has been part of a $30,000 conservation effort to protect the two costumes from deteriorating. Now both of the dresses, which were famously worn by Vivien Leigh in "Gone With the Wind," are on display at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. This is the first time the public has been able to see them in nearly 30 years.After first being announced in 2010, the team at the Ransom Center set to work on making sure that the weak stitching and other problems with the dresses were repaired. The goal of the conservation was to make the costumes last, not return them to new conditions, so there still are stains and other imperfections. Other pieces, like Scarlett's wedding dress and veil and her blue velvet night gown, were too fragile to be repaired and are being returned to storage with no plans to work on them in the future."All of those areas would have gotten worse. All the vulnerable parts have been stabilized," Jill Morena, the Ransom Center's assistant curator for costumes and personal effects, tells the Associated Press. "It has been a success. We would not be able to display them without this effort."The Harry Ransom Center first acquired the outfits in the 1980s. Following their time at the Victoria and Albert Museum exhibit, which runs through Jan. 27, the two "Gone With the Wind" dresses will be shown at the Center's 75th anniversary celebration of the film in 2014.

By   October 25, 2012 4:46 PM ET
(No relation :-))