I confess: when I attended the International Black Doll Show at the Convention Center in downtown Philadelphia, I thought I would not see any playscale dolls or action figures. Wasn't I pleasantly surprised by these finds? See the following photos:
O.J. Simpson (no comment), Bob Scout (help, Roxanne! Is that Bob?), and a character from Welcome Back, Kotter whose name I don't recall.
Mod era Julias in original Julia fashions by Mattel.
Venus or Serena Williams and Integrity Toys' African Legends Janay.
I think the name of the black female in silvery armor is Nubia, but I don't recall her character other than that. My younger brother was the Wonder Woman t.v. show fan. Something about Lynda Carter twirling around, LOL.
Integrity Toys' African Legends Nakia.
All dolls photographed were available for sale by doll dealer Linda Hayes.
More information about the International Black Doll Show will appear in a Philadelphia Examiner article.
Brotherly love in playscale: finding diversity in fashion dolls and action figures from the 1960s to now: Barbie, Fashion Royalty, Momoko, Susie, GI Joe, Power Team, Mixis.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Aja Finds New Shoes! Ladys Mission to the Rescue
Hey, hey, hey ... it's Aja!
But is she falling? No, she's so excited about the red kitten-heeled shoes fitting her that she's hamming it up by pretending to fall. Where'd she find those red heels? Aoshima/Skynet's Street Princess lent them to her. Nouveau Toys sent me an online brochure about their new doll shoe and clothes line. So I wanted to see if any of my other DAFs could fit the Aoshima/Skynet shoes. Conclusion: only Aja of the Holograms can fit the Aoshima/Skynet Ladys Mission shoes. Other dolls attempting this Cinderella-in-reverse act were Bbi Perfect Body Hispanic, Kenner's Darci, Get Set Club's Vanessa, Dragon in Dreams' Miss Fear, and YNU Group's Emerald. So if you want new shoes for your Jem and Jem friends/foes, check your Ladys Mission shoe closet.
Can the Ladys Mission ladies wear Jem shoes? Sorry ... no. Aja's feet are a softer, pliable vinyl/plastic while the Ladys Mission feet are hard, rigid plastic that do not yield to fit the moderately stiff Jem heels. So the Ladys Mission dolls cannot borrow Jem shoes - not the greatest hardship for them since the Jem shoes tend to be purple or pink or other garish - um - vivid colors.
Which shoe knowledge brings me back to the top of my post about Nouveau Toys's new line of fashion doll or action doll footwear. They have Uggs-type boots and some other spiffy, tailored low-heeled shoes for the Ladys Mission feet. So for those Jem and Misfits fans - there might be even more shoe selection for your difficult to fit ladies.
Aside to the crafts-inclined visitors: on Nouveau Toys' Links page, they list other 1:6 scale miniaturists. Perhaps you, too, can get your Etsy/craft link there. Worth a try, hmmm? Good luck!