At Ross - It's a Brand New Save ....

The Wyncote Ross has the High School Musical 3 "In the Spotlight" set with Tiara Gold and Sharpay Evans for $6.99. The Walmart price is either $19.99 or $29.99.

Another Ross saving is the High School Musical 3 Senior Year Gabriella bedroom set for $12.99. Toys R Us and Walmart both still have that doll-playset at $29.98.

Other Ross savings include:

HSM 3 Graduation single dolls, Gabriella, Troy, and Sharpay for $5.99 each

HSM 3 Gabriella and Troy Tree House Moment set for $9.99

HSM 2 Gabriella and Troy Together at Last set for $9.99

HSM 2 School Spirit Gabriella or Troy for 5.99 each

And the pièce de résistance ... Rebelde doll sets. I saw one Miguel and Mia and one Giovanni and Lupita; $6.99 each two-doll set.

So fellow collectors, if you find yourself in a location with a Ross store and a Toys R Us or a Walmart or a Target, you could save money by checking the Ross store first.

Confronting the Top Shelf - Deboxing Shelf Unit A

The top shelf of the shelving unit I will be calling Unit A holds 9 NRFB Smartees dolls, 1 NRFB Mattel Batgirl on Batcycle, and 1 MIB Aoshima/Skynet Ladies Mission Street Princess.

1. The Ladies Mission figure will keep her box. It's got photos of other dolls in the series, and the cardboard isn't cheesy. I like this doll so she's a keeper. For now, I'll leave her on that top shelf.

2. The Mattel Batgirl ... I don't care for her face. I'll set the head aside in the Heads box I have. Those I will probably give away. The outfit seems too gaudy for her to fight criminals at night so I'm saving that for a future doll/action figure costume shop. I can use her Poser body for another figure. (Yes, yeah, yay!)

The Batcycle, I'm keeping to customize. It's customized somewhere online. (Need to find that link. Possibly Brad Gorby's website? The box can be broken down and discarded. It's thinner cardboard with a clear plastic front.

3. The Smartees figures. Okay here's where the procrastination bug bites. The boxes aren't sturdy, but they have photographs of the series. They're protecting the dolls from dust. Sigh. Plus there is the question of what to do with the accessories included - keep them with the dolls or in a separate, themed box? Have to decide on that. Hmmm ...

Now for the Smartees dolls themselves. I am inclined to keep all of them. Sure they have those tiny bound feet, and they have the same face/head mold with different facial screening. Since they have different professions, they would probably not all be in the same photo or photostory.

So that's the situation with the top shelf of Shelf Unit A. Nothing to be sold from there and only one head to donate.

Cheetah Girls Dolls

When I first saw the PlayAlong Cheetah Girls dolls, they were just new dolls. I recognized Raven-Symoné, but none of the other Cheetah Girls were familiar to me. I was not familiar with the teen book series or the Disney movies based on the group. (Like the situation of the High School Musical dolls ... I just saw dolls.) For those interested in the background(s) of the characters, there is a Wikipedia article elaborating on the novel series and offering links to related sites.

I like the dolls, but I'm not fond of their clothes. Below, the Cheetah Girls dolls:

Aqua




Chanel




Dorinda




Galleria

Photographing the Deboxing Project

I'm thinking that I might take photos of the filled shelves as I "break down" the DAFs and other items. Might create a WebShots folder for that purpose. "Before" and "after" photos.

Considering that ....

Home Problem - Where to Hold Deboxed DAFs?

Okay, I've launched the Great Deboxing Project or the DAF Streamlining Project. I will open up the dolls and action figures I want to keep; sell or donate the others. I'm setting aside the plastic components from the paper/cardboard parts of the packaging. (Figure I'll check with a recycling group - should have started there with my offer - to responsibly process unwanted material.) But here's a snag: where to place the newly deboxed dolls and action figures? Where will their homes be?

The boxes protected the figures. At least from dust. How to protect them now?

I've got one IKEA Detolf glass cabinet. Can't afford more of those at this time. Plus the one I put together was tiresome to put together. So the second one I had, I kept in its box only to have it broken by the next to the last movers. (Those charmers hid the broken Detolf cabinet box behind several other cardboard boxes so it was a while before I found out the damage they had done. Grrr.) What else?

Three plastic shelving units - the kind some people use in garages - and one Sterilite four-drawer plastic chest. Some of the doll boxes (Fashion Royalty, Susie, Mixis) can be used to store those dolls on the plastic shelves. A few Mattel boxes can also be retained for that purpose.

I have several plastic bins, too. Problem there is that I can't seal the dolls or action figures in because the plastics might mess up. The different chemicals might cause melting or mold or something BAD in my figures. Can't have that happening. So I am thinking, thinking, thinking about the "home" problem.

Any suggestions or advice welcome. As/when I come across solutions, I'll post them here.

New Ken Folder on WebShots

I've got photos of some of my Kens in their original boxes in a folder at Webshots. Here is the link.

I've got loose Kens, too. I'll gather them another time.

Link to Tips on Toy Hunting Article from Toymania.com

Here's a link about toy searching that I found helpful and interesting:

EGM's Tips for Toy Hunters

Happy Hunting!

Earth Day 2009 and Recycling Query

Today is Earth Day 2009.

Let's see, I have been breaking up my DAF packaging, separating the cardboard parts from the mostly clear plastic parts. In Philadelphia, cardboard is recycled. Plastic can be separated at participating work places and some schools, but it is not yet picked up separately by the city sanitation workers. So plastic waste needs to be bagged to be picked up. Shrug. Someday, perhaps.

Anyway, I have been thinking how there might actually be a need for the empty clear clamshell pieces I have accumulated during this deboxing period. Maybe someone is too shy to ask? Well, I figured it couldn't hurt to offer the stuff to others so I put a note up in my Linkedin and my Facebook accounts. If I don't try, I'll never know. So that was Try 1.

Or Try 2 since Try 1 was a blurb on Phillyblog.com ....

Roville Update - April 21, 2009

A new Roville diorama/background story has been added as of April 21, 2009:


Roville

The Roville scenes have always been incredible - check the pale wooden floors in the "Bliss Boutique," but lately, there have been new characters, action figures repainted, that almost upstage the scenes. I would love to be able to repaint figures well. Course, that would mean allowing myself to repaint some of my dolls and/or action figures.

I'm eager to find out what happened to Daphne Bliss who was being threatened by a handyman in the last photostory. I'll wait for the next one though. Has anyone else followed that story?

Honing the Collection

When I was a child, I dreamed of having rooms and drawers full of dolls. Some action figures, too, but mostly dolls. Doll clothes, doll vehicles, doll houses, doll settings. Some out of box; others in boxes. I would have a modern fashion doll museum. People would come to see my collections.

Fast forward a few decades. I have dolls and action figures and vehicles and outfits and furniture. I even have a decent-sized room to hold my mini people and their things. What more could I possibly want?

Less.

Fewer dolls, fewer action figures. Toss the boxes holding outfits and bring things out of the boxes. Appreciate what I have. Pass on - by selling or donating - the things I am not crazy about. Bring in new things, yes, but let go other things.

I have a lot of dolls and action figures and stuff that I like. It would be better for me to retain the ones I LOVE, the ones I wouldn't live without. Maybe that's why the economy has taken this rough turn - the universe is forcing me to choose my figures.

Oh, okay, that's going melodramatic. Crazier than usual. As if.

Let's just admit, the time has come for me to hone my DAF collection.

Roville Updated on April 11, 2009

Robin has updated the Roville website with a new diorama showing called "Chateau du Roville" that features repaints (dolls and action figures), realistic fashions, and fun storylines:

Roville

Happy viewing!

Alert! Mixis Dolls for $29.99 CD at Nice n Necessary

Some of the Mixis dolls are now available for 29.99 Canadian Dollars at Nice n Necessary. Please see the available dolls at this web page:

Mixis clearance

If I could, I'd buy extras. I can't so I'm spreading the word for others.

Happy collecting!

Giddy Me! Got a New Camera - Kodak EasyShare C813

Okay, I couldn't hold out for reviews. I wanted my old EasyShare CX7300 camera, but it wasn't going to revive without some outside help so I hied me to Walmart where I found another Kodak EasyShare digital camera. This one is model C813. I couldn't get the teal one; they only had the pink, but I love, love, love it already. Here are my first findings.

It's like a grown up's camera or a real photographer's camera. I mean, it has a lens that extends and makes that eeerrrrkkk sound when it is turned on. (I like to hear machines make operating noises. Seems like they are animated. Shrug.) The buttons resemble the ones on my CX7300 only there are more settings. It's slimmer and lighter than my CX7300 too.

The Walmart clerk at the Roosevelt Boulevard store (the one closer to town, not the one out in the Far Northeast) was nice AND knowledgeable. I'd asked about a black Kodak camera with a fat lense that was reduced to $100 from $177 - don't recall the model number - only to find that they were "out" of that one as well as some of the others I sought that were under $100. I told her that I wanted a camera with a 3x zoom feature and that cost under $100. She indicated the C813 that they had in teal and in pink on display. And there was another Kodak EasyShare that was $130, but it had been returned by someone. I don't like used stuff; I saw how the box had been opened so I didn't want that one. They had no more teal C813s so I settled for the pink C813. (Didn't want pink because that seemed too girly, sissy. No teal though. Price was right. Features seemed to match my old one. So pink it is.)

I'm going to take new photos now. Yay, yay, yay.

WTB Replacement Digital Camera - New & Cheap

Last night, I dropped my Kodak CX7300 digital camera. Today, it won't power on. (No light.) Kodak online.com gives me $75 as a start for the repair cost. They can't guarantee that my camera can be fixed and there would be repair turnaround time. Groan.

So, I need a new, cheap digital camera that I can use to photograph my dolls and action figures. Can anyone recommend a digital camera that would cost less than $100? I use the zoom feature 3x and want something I can pick up from a brick-and-mortar store.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Surprise! Nabbed a Graduation Ryan at Target!

"I wasn't looking ... but somehow I found him."

That's how things were this afternoon. I was in a Target where I was doing my scan for any new fashion dolls or action figures. I checked the High School Musical dolls there, not expecting that I would find him. The elusive kilted Ryan from the HSM 3 Graduation line? Not a chance. He wasn't high on my list of must haves anyway.

But just like those Rebelde boy-girl sets, Ryan appeared. I found him at the Target off Bustleton Avenue, a block below Cottman Avenue.



So for those still seeking the High School Musical 3 Graduation class figures, take a deep breath. The figures are out there. Good luck!

New (to Me) Power Team Photos on Webshots

I was checking for sources for M&C Toys' figures, Power Team and StarRunner, when I came across three Webshots photo albums that took my breath. (Well, I kinda did a gasp thing and then held my breath a few times. I was that engrossed. Whoa, this is turning into an "en" night!)

Here is the link:

PowerTeam Photos

Repeat to self: I cannot afford new figures at this time. I cannot afford new figures at this time ....

Sigh.

Vinnie, Taboo, Kana, and Kat of East Philly

Left: Vinnie and Taboo standing; Kana and Kat kneeling.
Right: Vinnie, Kana, and Taboo standing while Kat sits.

Welcome from some citizens of East Philly.

Vinnie and Taboo decided to share an apartment when they arrived in East Philly. Some Kens and some Joes said that the new guys were gay; Vinnie and Taboo denied being more than rooom mates. Vinnie works in construction, cooks Italian classics, and knits (shhh ... only when he feels stressed). Taboo is a car mechanic who used to work with Michael Chan. Taboo does not discuss what he did when working with Mr. Chan.

Chestnut-haired Kana and brunette Kat are sisters. Kana petitioned Vinnie and Taboo to act as their parents so that the girls would not have to live in the local orphanage. Vinnie and Taboo agreed; the guys wanted witnesses to them being "straight." The four moved to a house next door to Baptist minister, Reverend Isaiah Ezekiel Hadley and his family.

DAF Characters and Storylines, Part 1

Okay this post has nothing to do with buying dolls or action figures in Philadelphia or elsewhere. This post is about creating DAF characters. "Playing with" our collection. I had back stories for my dolls and action figures when I was a child, as a teenager, and throughout my adult "collecting" years. Usually, I talk about what I collect and where I can find them or how this one differs from that one. Left unsaid is my guilty pleasure in telling stories of the dolls. Because telling stories about dolls and action figures smacks of "playing" and everyone knows, adults aren't supposed to play.

Eh but times are hard. Financially. So I can't buy the way I could last year. And even if I could, story ideas pop up. I re-dress a Barbie Musician-Prince in a brown tee shirt and Ken jeans and zap. His name is Jay, and he plays football. Gee, I wish I could find a new Hot Toys body for him ... like the one that Darren, one of my Hot Toys figures, has. And that Power Team guy there, the one I think of as "Roger Hawthorne," well, he's Jay's proud father. And maybe that Integrity Heat Wave Alysa could be Jay's mom and Roger's wife? Does she look mature enough though? And so on. Sigh.

Then I have been reading other collectors' doll and action figure stories. Roville, of course, and Cheridoll's Crossroads series, and Dolla's Harley Works, and Nick's Toyville and more recently, Michael's Paramus Chronicles and Modern Wizard's Love has Fangs.

And Modern Wizard's blog post, in which she identifies her DAF characters, here, impressed me. I mean she has her characters lined up, photographed, and identified. Wow, I thought. I want to do that.

Or at least get some of my figures photographed together. Like the Dirty Laundry News Team, the Syphons, the Janay clan, the Tan Van staff, the Science Corridor East, and the other denizens of East Philly.

Sigh. Wow.

Integrity Candi and Janay and Storied Photos

I'm thinking about the best background for my next Janay and Candi photos. Rather than just photograph the dolls, I want to pull in the stories that I have for them. Note: some dolls, I have have no story background other than what the manufacturer provides. Other dolls and action figures have what I think of as East Philly characters and storylines. Most of my Janays and two Alysas, one Jade, one Jordan, one Alejandro, one Tariq, and one Giselle have stories. My Candis - exception is the More is More Candi - have story backgrounds, too. I'd like to work their stories into the photographs.

(Aside, I have just found the perfect figure for the oldest brother, Pierre. He's a Power Team Gunner, and he resembles the Janays and Tariq.)

Having stories for the dolls and action figures provides more fun for this collector anyway. Guess that means that I do still "play with" my dolls and action figures. Well, I confess - I like to have fun.

New GessHu100 Story on Webshots

Fans of the Paramus Chronicles, Michael aka GessHu100 has a new photostory, Meeting Mr. Right - Chapter 0ne online in Webshots. So far, the story has had 614 hits. It's standard Paramus quality with the additional bonus of viewer feedback requested regarding voting out characters.

Please note: Meeting Mr. Right is an adult story.

Uploaded Webhots Photo Folders - Candi & G.I. Joe

Today, I uploaded photos to my Webshots Candi folder and a few more photos to my Webshots G.I. Joe folder. You can find my Webshots folders here.

I have also added some photos to my Flickr account; those photographs will show in the Slideshow at the bottom of this page.

Integrity Janay and Friends Online at Weaver's Site

A collector called Weaver has a website with many Janay and friends dolls from 1999-2001. You would click on the "Alysa Jade Janay" button on the website:

Integrity playline

Neat.

Top 100 Doll Web Sites

Regular readers may notice (hint, hint) that there's a link at the bottom of this blog called "Top Doll Sites." Top Doll Sites is a web page showing the top 100 doll related websites as determined by online readers who click on the Top Doll Sites link on the owner's web page. You submit your blog and its stats to them; then you add their banner to your web page. It's free, and I've found some interesting doll-related web pages there.

So, I've submitted "A Philly Collector of Playscale Dolls" to the Top Doll Sites web page. If you have a blog on that website, let me know and we can exchange clicks.

Top Doll Sites

Mystery Series Set in Doll Collecting Community

Yesterday, I finished Deb Baker's Dolled Up for Murder mystery novel. It was a fun and educational story with an engaging heroine. The fun part was reading about doll collecting in a mystery novel. The educational part was learning that some people fear dolls (?!) and that that particular phobia is called pediophobia. Now I find that amazing that someone could be uncomfortable in a roomful of dolls and action figures. Then again, pediophobia, also means fear of children. Now that I can understand. Whoa ... I'm joking, of course. Everyone knows the parents are the really scary ones ...

I will not spoil the mystery, but I will let you know that Dolled Up for Murder is the FIRST of a mystery series set in Arizona and with a doll collecting background. There are three other books listed on the author's website. The fourth one seems specially enticing for me - the fictional doll collectors open a doll museum. Sigh. How many fictional accounts are there about opening a doll museum?

Webshots Photo Updates (Candi and Smartees Folders)

I've updated the Smartees and the Candi folders in my Webshots account. Click this link. I added photos of the boxes for Destiny and Nicole and the Taylor doll under Smartees. I added photos of Holiday Toast Candi and On the Go Candi under Candi.

Candi Photos in New Webshots Folder

I've got photographs of two Candi dolls in a new Webshots folder. You can see them here at Candi photos. I have a few other Candi dolls that I will add to the folder in the future.

Marshalls Has Barbie Birthstone Beauties

For those still seeking the Barbie Birthstone Beauties, you can find them at Marshalls in South Philly for $12.99 each. There were about 8 of the Black dolls and 2 of the White dolls.

Please note: I am not saying that these dolls are carried at all Marshalls stores. Just noting that they were found in this particular store.

Happy Collecting!

Spring-Summer 2009 Momokos - Look if You Dare

On the GoGoMomoko Yahoo Group list, Larraine sent the first alert about a new batch of Momokos. Eric and Lisa supplied the URLs for the web page for English speakers and for another web page showing more lovely Momoko dolls.

Current Momokos

Against my better judgement, I looked and now would like to add Preppy Girl, Honey Wild, and possibly Fruits of Passion to my collection.

Moving from the "Lineup" link to the "Special" link, there's another version of Spring Forest this one called Sky and two new Wake-Up dolls, 5 and 6.

Special Momokos

Ah such riches.

Rebelde Dolls at Target and Other Stores

Now that I no longer seek the Rebelde pair sets, I see them here and there. Target on 2701 Castor Avenue has the boy-girl sets for $15.99 and the single girls (both school uniform dolls and music outfit dolls) for $9.99 each. Okay, you might think: that's four dollars cheaper than Walmart's price of $19.99 LAST YEAR.

1. Whoa ... say it ain't so Target. You are the trendsetter store. NOT Walmart. But here we have the Rebelde sets a year AFTER Walmart had them. Tsk.

2. I won't mention how Ross now has the Target pairs at the ridiculous price of $6.99. When you can find them, that is. I saw the Diego-Roberta set and the Giovanni-Lupita set at the Willow Grove Ross. Target fans, you didn't read that here. No, no, no.