Tuesday, June 30, 2009

June Brides and Photo Link to June Bride Photos

June almost slipped by without a bride photosession for Philly Collector. Then I viewed what Mark at Supercooldollhouse had posted regarding June brides. His settings and doll posings inspired this post. Thanks, Mark!

Bride Old



1966-1967 Bend leg Francie wears Francie original "Victorian Wedding" from 1969-1970


Bride New



1997 Club Wedd Barbie (African American) in her original outfit and inner box liner


Bride Borrowed



2002 Rio de Janeiro Lea borrows a Barbie Royal Circle gown AND a New Ray motorcycle


Bride Blue



1999 Marlena Evans bride in her original pale blue gown


Traditional Bride and Groom



Integrity's Alysa and Alejandro in their original bridal finery - because the bride is incomplete without the groom. Such is the nature of the role - big grin.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Deboxing and Photographing I-Girls

I spent part of today deboxing and photographing my four I-Girls. Still have more to un-do for Sahara and the camp set. Off the cuff comment, these dolls are pretty but not strong on ethnic looks. Also, the Get Real Girls - probably the closest to the I-Girls in figure and outlook - have sturdier bodies. I'll write more about them and upload photos tomorrow.

Saturday, June 27, 2009

Goodbye to the Starlight Girls - Complexion Mismatch

I thought I had new bodies for my Starlight Girls, Banee and Krissie. Alas, not yet. The Monsieur Z doll that I thought I would use for Krissie is a little darker. Noticeably so, I think. And the Poser Chelsea (Mattel) body that I thought would work for Banee is a little fairer, paler than I wanted. Please see the photos below.

Sigh. So the girls will remain girls that much longer ;-D




Friday, June 26, 2009

Emigration Assistance Requested - Selling Time

The time has come for me to review my collection and to sell or donate some of my dolls and action figures. I have gone back and forth on this matter: one day, I think, clear the deck. The next, I think, wait, I could never recover this one.

Sure, I am deboxing accessories - outfits and vehicles - but I have to break down the dolls and action figures, too. Debox most and sell some. One part space issues and the other part finances. So I've got photos of some Mattel Fashion Fever dolls, nude and NRFB, and some other dolls and action figures at this web site:

TheDollPage Sales

Here's a photograph of a lot of dolls I am selling for $30

8 Nude Dolls

Postage is NOT included. I have an eBay rank of 65, and I have bought/sold from or to other collectors on various Yahoo Groups. Queries regarding availability of items can be sent to me at d7cooper at hotmail.com. Please put DAF Sale in the title of your message.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

3 Mixis for Sale $39 EACH at Aunt Jean's in New Jersey (Corrected)

I owe this tip to Debbie Garrett author of The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls and BLACK DOLLS: A Comprehensive Guide to Celebrating, Collecting, and Experiencing the Passion:

The Mixis dolls - LE Opal, SE Houda, and SE Rosa - are on sale for $39.00 EACH at

AuntJeansToys

I've read good reviews about "Aunt" Jean's customer service from the We Love Black Dolls Yahoo Group. Also, Aunt Jean operates from New Jersey so the postage within the U.S. should be manageable to U.S. collectors. (Aside: no disrespect to overseas or outside U.S. collectors or dealers.)

Happy buying!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Goodbye to the Starlight Girls - Prelude to Body Snatching

When I first got the Starlight Girls from the Jem series, I was thrilled. I had not seen the girls for sale when the Jem line was first out in 1985. So I paid a leetle more for them than I intended - got them from eBay. Set them aside for a someday-I'll-play-with-them moment.

Well, I looked at them again the other day. And while I liked their faces, the size of their heads in proportion to their bodies ... I didn't like. The heads seemed too big. Cute faces. But the bodies should be larger.

So I am saying goodbye to the Starlight Girls as Starlight Girls. I'm going body snatching, and they'll soon be adult women. As for their child bodies, I'll check my Mattel stash to see if any of those dolls need heavier, younger bodies.

Here is the last of Banee and Krissie




Monday, June 22, 2009

Two Graduate Photos - Mattel Crew, Of Course!

My nephew graduated last week. Just occurred to me that I need to post a graduate post. I have photos of the High School Musical graduate-gowned Chad and Ryan so I won't repeat those here. I'm showing HSM Zeke and Mattel's SuperTeen Scott as graduates for my out-of-box photo.

For my NRFB photo, I am including a photo of the 2004 My Graduation aka Mi Graduacion Barbie I got from K B Toys a few years ago. She has one of the prettiest faces for a playline doll.

Here's my mini photo tribute to the 2009 Graduates!




Sunday, June 21, 2009

Father's Day Greeting

We wish a Happy Father's Day to All!

M & C Toy Centre Power Team guy, Mattel Happy Family Alan, and Ideal Suntan Eric are the three fathers shown in this photo.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Black_Blue Photo Op - 3 Momokos

In the midst of exciting new doll series from Mattel - the So in Style dolls and the Twilight dolls - I decided I wanted to photograph my girl group, Black_Blue, which consists of three Momokos (Sekiguchi Momokos Mama Told Me, Midnight Crossing, and Everyday B Girl AKA Pink Grr, Jagged, and Fro). I've been inspired by photographs taken by other collectors so I let the girls have fun posing.

Strike a Pose




All Hold Hands




Sayonara Strut

Twilight Ken and Barbie on ToysRUs Canada

Thanks to Nicole/Ebony of Brooklyn Stars Forever blog for this update about the upcoming Twilight Ken and Barbie.

Notice how Ken came first in my title and in this post - he looks like the one to get. The Bella-Barbie though ... depends on my funds at the time I see them and if the outfit really appeals to me.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Three Mattel Variations on Asha Head

I want to illustrate the differences Mattel has created in dolls with the same head mold. Below are three dolls with the Asha head mold. The head mold received that name because it was first used with the Asha doll in the Shani series back in 1991. Aside from the Big Head Syndrome of the doll in the middle, the dolls have similar features, but the dolls look different enough for me to consider each a separate, buyable doll.

From left to right, the dolls are Cali Girl Christie (2003), Cali Girl Christie (2004), and Harley Davidson Barbie (2000).

Differences include

Complexions/make up colors

Hair length

Hair style

Hair texture


Mattel Ethnic Dolls using Asha Head Mold (and BHS Asha Head Mold)




Cali Girl Christies (2003 and 2004, left to right)




Harley-Davidson Barbie with microbraids

S.i.S. Update on Dolls of Color Blog!

There are photos and a post about the new Mattel series, S.i.S. or Sisters in Style, on the Dolls of Color blog. There is a follow-up post as well as several comments.

The dolls look cute. The outfits look okay - I'm not crazy about short shorts, but the dolls look cute. If I can find facial screenings that I like, I'll get all three.

If I want really new Black or other ethnic doll faces though, I'll check the YNU Group for new Mixis dolls. Or investigate new doll or action figure companies. About half of my collection is produced by Mattel - so I am NOT dismissing them or the dolls they produce. As an established company though, they have default face molds and default shapes for their dolls. An established company will not veer far from those faces and those shapes that have won it business before and that generated its recognizable brand. Add to that a long-time collector of Mattel dolls, and you can see how a company's biggest fan or fans, can feel a leetle disappointed in the new offerings. Just a little. That's part of being a long-time fan though.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

DAFs Driving

I'd have liked this photo better if I had taken it outside. Here are some dolls and action figures out for a drive. Ellen has the golf cart, Momoko the Barbie Beetle, and Kelly the Madison (Mattel) Vespa. Kelly enjoys a stretch during a stalled moment.


Webshots Folder Updated - R&D Susie!

I have updated my Webshots Photo Albums with a new folder for R&D Dolls' Susie. See here. Thanks for looking!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Saturday, June 13, 2009

O Joe and New Joe - Photo Comparison Part 1

Found my childhood G.I. Joe or O Joe ("Original Joe") and decided to photograph him with one of the newer Joes from 2004. Here are three photos. Yes, the guys are nude - the better for their forms to be seen - but as we all know, they do NOT have discernible penises so the more modest (kof kof) viewers need not be offended.

(Aside: it is my belief that Kens, Joes, and all other male figures have retractable, i.e., modesty penises not visible to the human eye or to cameras. More on this subject to come.)

Dance Joes, Dance!




Joes Sit and Guess Who is More Flexible?




Friday, June 12, 2009

Roville Update: New Character Killene

Roville website was updated on June 9, 2009. Watch the photostory for new character, Killene.

A new doll character from a CyGirl or CyGirl type action figure. New setting. Yay!

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

We Do Exist - Asian Playscale Men

I've always been grateful for the diversity among playscale action figures.

At first, I just wanted GUYS for my female dolls. (OMG that sounds awful ... the Kenization of action figures!) That's how I began looking down the green aisle or the action figure section of toy stores and online shops. I didn't like the early Kens and there was only Ken and Brad and then Ken and Curtis so I got G.I. Joes and other 12" male action figures. Then I noticed something: action figures represent Asian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern guys as well as White guys and Black guys.

I gathered twelve of my finest Asian male figures - two are missing from this photo because they are still boxed - M & C Hung and bbi Elite Forces Asian. Hung has been photographed; he's in my M & C folder on Webshots. I will upload the Elite Forces Asian guy's photo later this week. Please view both photos because all twelve are not visible in both photos.







Happy viewing!

Save Us From the Sterilite Drawer! Part Two

The Sterilite chest of drawers is doll-free.

The former inhabitants are presently held in an open cardboard box or clear plastic package top as shown in the photo below. They will be soaked and dried and inspected for repairs, etc. The Free Moving Ken and the Love doll required repairs some time ago. Ken fell apart - Free Moving Curtis came undone the same way - the "free moving" construction did not hold up. Love lost hair and one leg came off it's setting. Mary Quant Daisy has a partially melted butt. The others just seem to be dusty.




Where will the newly liberated crew go? After their clean-up, I would like to arrange them in my shelving units. I need to insert either a cardboard floor or a rug to a.) keep the dolls from slipping through the slits in the shelves and b.) to avoid bad plastic-plastic contact. I'll have to debox more dolls or move some boxed DAFs around, but having them out like that will satisfy both the storage/home need AND the diorama interest.

Wonder what setting they can fit into? Possibly a lobby or a park? Suggestions welcome ;-D

Monday, June 8, 2009

Mattel S.i.S. Dolls: 1990s Shani & Friends Revisited?

Newsflash: Mattel to produce new fashion doll series!

Links to two articles about upcoming doll series, "Sisters in Style," from Mattel:

Here is the link to the Essence online article.

Here is the link to check the Richmond Times Dispatch

I first read about the Essence article on the UKBarbie Yahoo Group; then I read it at the Dolls of Color blog. So I'm adding the information here at my blog, with nods to the two original sources.

Any long-time Barbie collectors remember the early 1990s? Mattel created African American Shani doll for the African American doll buying market. Shani could wear Barbie clothes, but she was marketed as a separate series. Brown-skinned Shani had light-skinned Asha and darker brown-skinned Nichelle as her friends.

I'm looking forward to this new Black doll series due out this Fall.

everGirl Dolls for Sale at Nick.com

Omar aka actionman81 at various Yahoo groups wrote to say that he found an Asian everGirl by Playmates online at Nick.com. They also have the Hispanic and other everGirls on sale for $7.97 BEFORE postage, of course.

I have three of the everGirl dolls in a Webshots folder. The fourth everGirl doll that I have, the Black one, was deboxed earlier. I'll add her photo for reference later.

Happy Collecting!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Doll Theme: Ancient Egypt Part 1 continued

More comments on and photos of Queen Adora ...

Queen Adora in Crown and Necklace (Both Cardboard)



I like the crown. Paper hats can be acceptable. The crown fits nicely over her bare head; it would tear over the wigged head. The necklace is a harder sell for me. It needs more give, more flexibility than the cardboard medium allows.


Queen Adora's Throne



At first, I thought a paper throne would be tacky. But this one is rather neat. No instructions were included, but looking at the finished chair on the doll box and the graphics on the actual cardboard piece, I was able to push and fold and tuck the throne into three-dimensional existence. I might go back and tape or glue some parts. Might also spray some kind of clear matte spray to strengthen it.

Just wish that Adora's legs would bend so that she could sit more naturally. Might need to re-body her onto a poser body ...


Wigged Queen Adora Seated



Last photo for this set: the wigged Queen Adora seated on her throne. The wig is nice. Fits fairly well over her head. She's an attractive doll with or without the wig.

I had thought I could use the wig to give one of my Joes a beatnik look. Changed my mind about that. First, the wig is longer than I had thought it would be. I was thinking the length was to the shoulders; the length is BELOW the shoulders. Sigh.

Overall, I like this doll package; it's got fun play factors even for an adult.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Mixis Girls and Jakks Pacific Pants - Match at Last

Rosa, Opal, Emerald, and Houda have limited clothing options. Yes, they can fit the Get Set dolls' pants. So that would be a pair of black nylon pull-on pants. If, you have Get Set doll pants, which most collectors probably won't have because the Get Set dolls did not have a long production run.

Yes, the Mixis can wear Ken pants, but the lines are wrong for them. The Ken pants have straight lines; the Mixis have curvy bodies. Possibly the gold harem pants of the Arabian Nights Ken could work. Regular Ken pants though look as though the girls are borrowing their boyfriends' pants.

The Mixis can - just - fit the Get Real Girls' tops and some of the GRG jackets. But the GRG pants are too narrow.

Welcome to the Jakks Pacific doll closet, specifically for their Girl F.O.R.C.E. line. Bingo! The pants fit the Mixis. While Jakks Pacific did not produce a clothing line for that doll line, there were at least 13 Girl F.O.R.C.E. dolls produced. Three dolls for Josie and the Pussycats (Kmart), six dolls for the Charlie's Angels series, and various Girl F.O.R.C.E. dolls, Creanna, Bianca, Lola, and Jaz.

Note 1: the black pants for Valerie of Josie and the Pussycats stain the doll's body.

Note 2: Jakks Pacific produced two other fashion dolls, Catalina and Damita, around 2005. These dolls' figures are closer to swimsuit Barbies' figures. The three pants shown on the box for this series would probably NOT fit the Mixis dolls.

For photos and comments comparing the Mixis with other playscale dolls see this entry.



Opal in My Scene guy top and Jakks Pacific pants; Emerald in Get Real Girl top and Ken shorts




Second view of Opal in My Scene guy top and Jakks Pacific pants

Save Us From the Sterilite Drawer! Part One

Remember I mentioned dolls left in the Sterilite drawer? Well, here are photos of some of those dolls.






For now, I am going to wash them and then stand them on a lined garage shelf. (Have to line the plastic shelves because the plastic shelves have slats dolls and action figures can fall down in.) Seeing them out will help me determine how I want to store them. And I will avoid any further damage to them. The Malibu Barbie and PJ and Ballerina Cara had some sticky substance on their legs.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Jaw Dropping Doll Display/Storage

Because sometimes people forget to check comments, I am pulling this link from the comments to a post. I did NOT discover the incredible works you will see. Creative collector Niel of 1:6Sense and Niel's Doll Room submitted this URL in a comment he made for yesterday's DAF Storage post.

The photos are on Flickr ...

Breathtaking Barbie dollhouse

Wow, wow, wow.

More Photos - This Time on Flickr

The Vinyl Lounge/Pink Parlor message board's photo challenge this week is

"Ohhhhh, I love PURPLE!"

Hey, I got lots of purple-wearing and even one purple-haired doll. (Hey Omar, you might want to look out for this Alysa to befriend, be related, etc. to your Rio.) So I uploaded some photos on my Flickr folder. You can see them at this web page:

Purple Reigns

Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

DAF Storage Ideas: Detolf Review

I think it is good that you took your dolls out of the Sterlite container. I would have been concerned about the gases from the plastics of the doll and plastic bins interacting and causing long term if not permanent damage.
Have you decided on the alternative storage place for your figurines that have been kept in the Sterlite?

I am concerned about price of wooden or decorative boxes and I keep my own collection in a moving box for glassware since the dividers keep the doll standing upright. I think this is also keeping the hair from being mussed.
Please give me any good ideas about storage
Tim


Tim sent this comment-query in response to my May 9, 2009 post "Collector Confession: Dolls Get Dirty in Boxes". I had confessed to keeping some loose dolls lumped together in a cardboard box. Those dolls were sitting on the Sterilite plastic chest; however, there are more DAFs in the plastic chest. So Tim has two questions:

1. What am I going to do with the dolls and action figures held in the plastic drawer?

and

2. What are good storage ideas?

The short answer to the first question is I am still thinking about where to put those dolls. They remain in the top two drawers. No permanent home for them yet. Likewise, the dolls sitting on top of the Sterilite drawer have been cleaned and set about the apartment; they, too, wait for permanent homes.

Moving on to the second question about good storage ideas ... let's start with IKEA display units.

Specifically, IKEA Detolf glass cabinets. You may have seen these glass cases in some collectors' rooms. They are inexpensive for glass cabinets - the current price is $59.00 per four-shelf cabinet in the United States.

Detolf at Philly IKEA

I have one Detolf cabinet myself. Would I recommend getting one? That's harder to answer.

Pros

It has clear glass sides. Dolls and action figures look GREAT in it.

Price is okay.

Figures somewhat protected from dust.


Cons

You have to put it together with another person. REALLY. It's made of glass, and you don't want to play Lone Ranger and see a glass panel slip away and break. Even with two people, it is a PAIN to put together. You have to line things up just so. You think this side is okay, but then the blippity-frippity thing in the other corner slips loose. You have four glass panels and four tall wire thingies and two plastic corner-connector things in the rear. Hold your breath, repress the four-letter words, and pray that this time it all takes. Eventually it did.

It's fragile. Our twelve pound cat brushes against it without harming it, but bring in a larger, more boisterous animal or children ... we're back to it is nearly all glass.

Storage limits. The base is about 16" by 14."

Here's additional information by IKEA.

Aside: any collectors interested in this topic, please add your comments.

To be continued ....