Integrity Janay fans, I found some places to discuss and to view these dolls.
First, there is a Janay focused Yahoo Group. You will need to join the Group to view the photos and to read the messages. There are 22 photo albums in the Group as well as links to MORE Janay and friends photo albums outside the Group. No cost to join.
Second, a 2007 post about saving Janay.
Next, two links to beautiful photo albums by a collector:
Janay and Friends
Janay Tribute
Reference links
MC ToyFair 2002
MC ToyFair 2003
MC ToyFair 2004
ASM ToyFair 2004
ASM ToyFair 2005
ASM ToyFair 2006
Please note: Toy Fair items may not have ever appeared, especially the 2005 and 2006 lines, OR they might emerge under a different line title than what they are shown with in the Toy Fair photos.
6 comments:
What is the current status of Janay? Does Integrity still make her or have they licensed the use of the name and molds to anyone? I was away from active collecting for years, but I did realize that Walmart and Kmart had yanked her. I used to check on dolls in stores back then, and my guess about why they weren't selling where I was living then (north Florida) was that they had poor product placement. Mattel, MGA and Disney had the prime spots on the shelves at child's eye view (and adult eye view as well). Janay was there, but you had to really hunt to find her - she was usually on a top shelf at the fringes of the fashion dolls and in the stores where I looked, she was often pushed far back on the shelf out of view (like the first three were purchased and no one pushed the other boxes towards the front so they could be seen). I used to straighten up the boxes at the Walmart back then and move her forward, but you had to really hunt to see her.
I think she is a lovely sculpt and I have a few beautiful Janays done by Jason Wu before he became famous. My absolute favorite is probably the Embassy Ball Janay with the short, black flocked hair. What a beautiful doll!!! I also think the Legends of Africa line was particularly good - especially Nakia whom I think is the Janay headmold. I posted pics of them on my facebook page recently because a non-collector friend of mine would periodically make rants about how African American fashion dolls lacked diversity particularly with their hair and I didn't think he understood how many dolls were actually out there and how much excellent work small doll makers were doing. m
I stopped collecting a few years ago and then I sold off a lot of dolls because I moved and didn't have room for them. I got rid of a lot of my dolls, but I couldn't part with Janay (well - I sold the Icons Janay because I didn't debox her and I hadn't bonded with her - I think it was the red streak in her hair that I didn't like). She sold really quickly! I guess I will have to hang on my Janays. I think I took her for granted while she was actively being manufactured.
Fantastic post!
Thanks for such an informative post!
I prefer Janay with the "Janay sculpt" most :D
I read somewhere that the Janay line was discontinued, but I don't recall where at this moment :-{ I think that 2005 was the "last" year new dolls were issued for the line, and that the Studio It series was the last one.
Since the Janay and friends dolls were Integrity properties (unlike Candi - long story there), Integrity could still use those names and those molds. At least one member of the Yahoo Janay Group hopes that Integrity uses the Janay and friends molds for the ITBE series. That would be exciting.
I don't have the Embassy Ball Janay, but I do have others, shown in a Webshots folder. I'm glad to have bought the dolls that I did.
Nakia - the evil twin, I think she was ;-P - did use the Janay headmold. I missed that doll, too.
Oh, yes, there is variety in Black dolls' hair treatments. Integrity and Mattel have produced excellent variations: microbraids, corkscrew curls, "straight," fluffy, curly/wavy, short afros, etc. Do you recall Mattel's Flavas doll Kiyoni Brown? The Denim and Diamonds wave of that doll had a lovely "wooly" textured hair. I wrote a post about Black doll hair treatment last year, here, and I would love to see your photos of your dolls' hair. Would you mind sharing a link to those photos? Will you post them in your present blog? If you rather not respond here, you can send me a message at d7 cooper @ hotmail.com.
You're welcome, Therese!
Want to know something "funny?" There were about three Janay head sculpts. One bulbous head, a more normal sized head, and then the final, pretty (IMO) Janay head mold. I think you mean that last one.
There used to be photos of the Janay series on doll vendors' websites and several collectors' websites showing Janays I never saw in person. Sigh. Or I overlooked them because they had the big, bulbous head.
I'd be glad to read any stuff that you, Brooklyn Stars, and any other collectors have to write about this series. This doll series has such variety. Lots to uncover with it.
I think there were different Janay headmolds now that you mention it. I don't have any early Janays - all mine came from when Jason Wu was at Integrity. That was the first time I found Janay to be interesting. I used to post a few pics of her on doll boards (for mostly adult collector dolls) and some collectors there thought she looked too masculine (although they didn't think the same of the Fashion Royalty dolls for some reason).
It would be interesting for Integrity to use the Janay headmold with ITBE. I only have one of those, Flounce.
I can understand why Integrity would end the line, but I think it is sad. Other, larger manufacturers tend to edge the smaller companies out and then cherry pick the smaller companies' best ideas and then reinterpret the ideas (badly, IMO) into a watered down doll concept. The Candi concept and the Janay/Alyssa/Gisele lines were innovative. I never really took to Giselle, but I did like Janay and Alyssa. The Global Peace line is probably one of my favorite lines.
I do have a Flava Kiyoni doll - I may have two. I think I only took pictures of one. I didn't care for the Flava dolls for a variety of reasons though I have some of them. I don't like how Mattel presented the concept of that line at all.
Most of the pics of my dolls are not online anywhere, D7ana. I have a few on my Facebook page so if you are on Facebook I can add you. The doll pics don't go with my blog which is a photo diary of my life right now. I really do need to go through and take better pics of the dolls I have - most are stored away. I have dolls in every single closet of my house (which is probably normal for a doll collector)! I can try to start a separate blog for dolls if I get some extra time.
The early Janays had cute themes, but the doll herself - as well as the first Alysa and the first Jade - had HUGE heads. The Jason Wu lines were much prettier and more exciting.
Wow, someone thought Janay looks masculine. I thought the first Fashion Royalty dolls, Veronique and Adele, looked excessively hard, but Janay? Shrug.
Congrats on getting Flounce from the ITBE line. Bent arm aside, do you like her? Some collectors on boards felt disappointed with some of the ITBE dolls. The actual dolls didn't match the photos, that sort of thing.
Mattel + hip hop dolls seemed so oxymoronic, I had to get some of the Flavas. I remember a TRU store clerk telling me that Mattel had created the line too late, way after hip hop was fresh. Shrug. Aside from the dolls' heads being too big, I enjoyed them ESPECIALLY the bit about the dolls hanging out on street corners. That was priceless in the "OMIGOD, did they actually write that?!" sense.
Yes, I'm on Facebook, and yes, I can see your Integrity photos there! Yay, yay. Very happy to view someone else's collection.
Your current blog is fine as it is. I love your photos. If you start a doll blog, I would happily follow it. (Note the low key tone and the restraint ;-D)
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