YNU Group Mixis Sale Reminder

Mixis Sale has one last day - tomorrow - when you can get all FOUR dolls for $80.00 Please note: that amount does NOT include the shipping from Canada cost. But if you are interested in this doll line, send YNU Group your request. Good luck!

Tim Gunn Barbies at Target - Thanks, Allison!

Alison in CA has news and photos of the soon-to-be launched Tim Gunn Barbies,  Target exclusives. I'm not particularly fashion-keen, but I think the fashions look neat for Barbie-wear. Then again, these dolls probably are targeted (ouch, I slay me as [No]Angelus would say) for adult collectors. Very classy and stylish looking. Pity they seem to be on Model Muse bodies. Shrug.

My would gets are the Casual Style and the Work Style. Now those are outfits that I would wear myself. Can you repeat after me, "Fat chance." Sigh.

Two out of Ten Rating ... Thanks, Mike!

Dear Fellow Bloggers,

You know you have "arrived" in the dollyblogverse when someone gives you a negative review. An unsubstantiated one, too. Let's see, The Doll Observers hosts a site called "Fashion Doll Top 100 Websites." It's a listing of popular fashion doll websites. I check it at times to see if I am there and where. I think it's fun. (Okay, I have "ego," too. LOL).

Well, someone going by "Mike" left a feedback score of 2.0 out of 10.0 for me. Now, no, I doubt that "Mike" meant that I was the second best blogger. Quite the reverse. Four others - thanks, you *know* who you are and I appreciate your positive vote and comments - gave me 10.0 out of 10.0. Yay! So, four out of five people who voted about my blog like my blog. Pretty good, hey? And I am FOURTH on the list of the top 100 fashion doll websites.*

But that's not why I am throwing my arms up a la Rocky. No. It's this: I must be doing a pretty good job blogging for some person to leave a spiteful rating like that. Spiteful, you ask. Surely a person can find your blog less than perfect? Yes, but to post something like that, that is mean spirited. Someone interested in helping fashion doll website readers would have attached a comment explaining the low rating.

But guess what? "Mike" actually validated my blog. How? I must be doing something powerful to cause such a reaction. I have seen stuff that raised my eyebrows or caused me to quickly click away. I don't scrounge around and leave negative feedback. And I have GREAT and positive feedback from my blogging buddies and regular readers. So guess what else? I intend to keep on writing!

Thanks for reading my mini-rant.

*P.S. That ranking is just for today, lol. I don't know where I will rank tomorrow.

William has the 1Direction Dolls!

Hey all - guess who's first on our DAF block to have the One Direction aka 1Direction aka 1D dolls? William of 1/6th Point of View. Head over to his blog post and read about his plans for the guys. I'm almost as happy as if I had them myself. Almost ;-D ....

MGA vs. Lady Gaga and Bravado

MGA Entertainment must miss their legal battles with Mattel: the Bratz maker has a suit against Lady Gaga's merchandising unit, the Universal Music Group-owned Bravado AND Lady Gaga. MGA and Bravado were working on a Bratz line that is to resemble Lady Gaga when Bravado and Lady Gaga asked that the dolls release date be put back until 2013 to coincide with the release of a new Lady Gaga album. MGA - understandably - wants to issue the dolls this year. Thus, a suit is born.

Popcorn, anyone? Opinions?

Brunette Holiday Barbie, Anyone?

Pssst ... heard the rumor about the brunette Holiday Barbie? Well, she exists and you can have notice sent to you as to when she hits the market. This scoop came from The Doll Attic.

Enjoy!

Silvia Seeks (ITBE) Sleek

...  and Fresh's Dress.

Doll collector Silvia of Spain asked if anyone has for sale or knows where she can buy an ITBE Sleek doll (Integrity Toys 2009) for a reasonable price. Sleek can be mint out of box or NRFB.

Also, if you are selling or know someone who is selling just the yellow dress for ITBE Fresh (Integrity Toys 2009), she would like to buy that outfit, too. Or if you have the Fresh doll with the original yellow dress, she would be interested in buying the doll to get the outfit. Please leave a note in the Comments if you have sales information about these dolls.

Alas, I missed getting any of the Integrity Toys ITBE dolls, even when they went on sale.

Thanks for any responses. Sincerely, D7ana

St. Regis Lace Lingerie and Liv Sandals from Limbe Dolls

Tuesday morning, I found a thick envelope in my mail. Guess who the envelope was from? Yes, from LimbeDolls! My late birthday present! I carefully opened it to uncover new LimbeDolls sandals for Liv doll bodies AND three lovely sets of St. Regis Lace lingerie. Well, as you can imagine, lovely fashions like these do not appear daily nor do they go unclaimed. Here's what happened next:

Toshiko: OMG! St. Regis Lace undies from LimbeDolls! Dibs on that black set. Dibs, I say!

Joss: Why are you calling dibs on them? You aren't getting married. You can't wear them.

Tosh: Not only can I wear them, I'm gonna model them. For today's blog post.

Joss: Even worse. First, that's lingerie for brides - not for single students who don't even have a beau. Second, you are not seriously going to flaunt your scrawniness online. You'll never get a guy if you show what you ain't got.

Tosh: First, as resident Goth, I should be the superstitious one. Not. Wearing them regardless. Second, this is America. You can never be too thin.

Joss: Oh, sure ... anorexia is totally in. Never too thin.

Tosh: I am not that thin.

Joss: Are too.

Tosh: Am NOT. And if you are too insecure, you don't have to do it. Leave it to us professional models.

Joss: I am TOO professional.

Tosh: Doubting Thomasina ...

Joss: It is my professionalism that stops me from making a career busting mistake like this one.

Tosh: Green does not become you, Joss.

Joss: Green does TOO become me. There isn't a color under the sun that - oh, sometimes, you are too dense to be true.

Naomi: Toshiko, Photographer Ken wants you in the center.

Joss: ... because you'd disappear in profile ...

Tosh: Coming, guys.

Joss: Really, Tosh ... you aren't going against those boob jobs. Look at those massive mammaries ...

Naomi: Jocelyn, who you calling a boob job? These girls are for real.

Tosh: Joss was kidding ... she didn't mean anything. Let's do this shoot.

Naomi: Whatever. Ken, I got Toshiko with me.

Joss: World remember: I told her so.

So, world, what do you think? Is Toshiko too thin to wear the St. Regis lingerie? Will she bring bad luck to her relationship with her as-yet-unknown groom? Is she destined to remain unwed because no man would marry a young woman who modeled lace lingerie? What do you think?

Thanks, Paulette!

Getting the JLS and/or The Wanted Dolls to America

Okay, Hasbro is bringing the One Direction guys to the United States. Applause and feet stamping. But what about the JLS guys? What about The Wanted? Will Hasbro bring them over, too? I have not seen anything to indicate that they will. But hey 2012 is our pro-active year -- so I decided to ask Hasbro directly.

First, I submitted an email query, but the toll-free telephone number seemed to beckon me. Come on, place a call. No cost. You get an immediate answer. So, I called their Consumer Affairs division - very pleasant conversation - and learned that that division had no knowledge of JLS or The Wanted dolls being brought over to the U.S.


What next then? A phone campaign? No. Customer requests would NOT get the JLS dolls here in the U.S.A. Even if we sent in millions of requests, Hasbro would not be able to sell those dolls here. Why not? Because Hasbro does not have the license to do so. They were granted the license to sell the One Direction dolls only.

The next step for JLS fans or would-be American JLS doll collectors is to contact  the JLS and The Wanted marketing departments. Do they have a plan to sell the boy band dolls in the U.S.A.? (Possibly they do. Possibly that plan rests on seeing how well the One Direction dolls do here. Or maybe their fan base in the Americas is not as fierce as is the one for the One Direction dolls?) Note: the Hasbro Consumer Affairs representative mentioned it can take about 18 months for a new doll line to get distributed.

So, that is how the JLS/The Wanted query was answered. We collectors could contact fans of the JLS and/or The Wanted to find out if they would help us push for the Vivid Imaginations dolls to be brought here. Depends on the amount of effort we want to put into getting the dolls here. Or we can see about getting these dolls through Amazon.co.uk or private collectors.

Anyone interested in following this up?

Royalty at Ross Dress for Less

Guess which member of British royalty is available at Ross Dress for Less Discount stores? (Aside: I do mean a playscale version of British royalty.) Did you guess Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge aka Princess Kate? How about in her wedding gown? Excited now? Well for the princely sum of $9.99 (not including tax), you can have your playscale Duchess Catherine. Yes, that's the one with the tiny, many teeth by Arklu Ltd. Here are two photos of the Duchess - one showing her dress and the other showing those infamous teeth.

I'll say it: thanks, Ross Dress for Less! A duchess and a wedding gown for a little over $10.00.

P.S. No offense intended to fans of the Duchess of Cambridge, etc. My understanding is that the former Ms. Middleton was Princess but that now she's a Duchess.

Hasbro One Direction Dolls on Preorder

This link came from DBG of Black Doll Collecting: FAO Schwarz is taking pre-orders for One Direction dolls. Whhoooo, hooo! Applause and feet stomping. Remember I thought that Hasbro was going to create their own dolls. Blip! No, it seems that they intend to distribute the UK Vivid Imaginations One Direction dolls.

Hey, that would work for me. I want the Zayn and the Harry dolls. Love the ethnic variation of the former and the interesting curly plastic hair of the latter. More playscale guys - yippee!

Thanks again, DBG!

Update: additional links for the 1Direction dolls - Toys R Us and Walmart also set up preorders. Curious about seeing the guys nude? I did mean the doll guys. Not the 1:1 live guys ;-D

No, it hasn't become that sort of blog, lol.

Updated PhillyCollector Header

Hi! I have finally updated my blog header to include a photograph. Yay! And I am pleased with the photo and the new color and font of the header text. Where the header just used to have "A PhillyCollector of Playscale Dolls and Action Figures" in white text, I now have a background photo showing seven heads in a circle - starting from almost 12:00 with Mixis Emerald, moving to 2:00 with Mattel Flavas Tika, next Aoshima/Skynet Mai at 3:00, next Integrity Toys' Dynamite Girl T.J., next G-Five Vanessa at 6:00, then R&D Dolls Susie at 8:00, next Takara CyGirl Ice who precedes Mixis Emerald. On top of the doll and action figure circle, orange text reads "A PhillyCollector of Playscale Dolls and Action Figures," which text partially obscures the heads of the upper half of the circle. I would have preferred the text to fit OVER the photo, but alas, there wasn't an option for that using the layout I have. Shrug.

Anyway, I am pleased with it. Hugged myself for a minute, lol. Maybe now I can upload some of my stuff onto Pinterest. Grinning me.

Okay, any comments or criticism or suggestions welcome as usual.

2012 New York Black Doll & Art Show, This Saturday!

For those who will be in New York City on July 21st, remember that the New York Black Doll and Art Show will be held at the Riverside Church (South Hall) at 490 Riverside Drive on that day. The show runs from 11 am to 6 pm. Admission is $5.00 per person but free to children under 12 years old. There will be doll artists, doll enthusiasts, and other creative people in attendance. If you have further questions, please visit the Show website.

If you do go, please share your photographs of interesting playscale dolls, action figures, and related items; send the links to your online photos here. I will update this post with that information. Alas, I will not be there this year. Hope you have a great time!

Coming Soon ... Scarily Ever After Monster High Dolls

Barbie as Princess is no news. But guess who else is taking up the fairy tale theme? Yes, as you may have guessed by this post title, some of the Monster High dolls by Mattel are undergoing the fairy tale treatment. The Target Exclusive trio includes Clawdeen as Little Dead Riding Wolf, Draculaura as Snow Bite, and Frankie Stein as Threadarella. How soon? Oh, right now - July or August 2012. So you might want to check your local Targets for them.

And what about a playset for your monsters? Consider the Monster High High School Playset ... if/when that goes on sale, I might consider it for my "regular" fashion dolls. You will find photos on Flickr of it.

Finally, what about an unauthorized leak? Check this Monster High Wiki. No, I won't spoil the surprise for those who like to wait for the official announcement. Those are my monstrous bits for today.

Barbie Stardoll Design Studio Printable Fashion Kit

Hey, there is a new Barbie Stardoll kit available through Entertainment Earth. The kit is called "Stardoll Design Studio Printable Fashion," and it seems to have three fabric sheets, some embellishment pieces, and a dressing form. Sort of like those model forms whose name eludes me now for Stardolls. Cute. Thirty dollars, cute though? You decide ;-P

**********INTERRUPTION************
This post has been hijacked by the PhillyCollector July-August Giveaway Fairy. If you are one of the first to post "I want it" to this blog post, you can receive FREE a Mattel My Scene accessory pak. The pak includes a pair of plastic boots, a cloth handbag, and some other fashion doll accessories. No photos of this pak in advance.

Future giveaway items will have a photo of the item or items. Additional criteria may be called for, depending on the item to be given away. Only one giveaway per person per day. Note: you do have to type "I want it" to be eligible for this giveaway.

Good luck!

Survey for More Articulated Barbie Bodies

How often have we collector-enthusiasts longed for Mattel to create more articulated dolls, in different heights and different complexions? A long, long, long time. Well, one of us has taken some action towards this problem. Meet Leslie.

Doll photographer, diorama creator, and writer Leslie whose Flickr account shows some of her doll characters and story lines has created a survey to address this problem. Please stop by and complete it.

Thanks, Leslie, for your efforts. Here is to more articulated Barbie bodies!

Outta This World - New JLS Dolls

Remember the JLS dolls mentioned in a December 2011 post? Check these photos out. I leave one word for the first photo - OUCH! Want to have all four of the JLS guys wearing their "Outta This World," outfits? Find them on Amazon.co.uk. Only $70.08 USD for all four guys - BEFORE postage though ;-D

Depending on where you are, postage might be another thing outta this world, lol.

Saturday's New Monster High Doll is a WereCat

Well, Stu from AtamaiiDoll has come through with a video about the new Monster High doll announced today at the San Francisco Comic Con: Catrine DeMew. This WereCat will be a Walmart exclusive in Spring 2013. Sigh. I might have to get a few of these after all ....

Everyday People: I Need Your Help with Blogger

Everyday People: I Need Your Help with Blogger: I Need Your Help With Blogger! Blogger's "old interface" is due to be withdrawn completely soon.   In order to use my speech and Braille ou...

Blogspot blogger Teresa of EverydayPeople uses a speech and Braille output component that works with Microsoft Internet Explorer 8. However, the new Blogspot interface requires use of  Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.0. If Blogspot completely eliminates their old interface, Teresa and many other bloggers will be unable to continue their blogging activities. Any suggestions on who to contact to get Blogspot to maintain IE 8 use in select cases would be appreciated.

Thanks for your help!

D7ana

Mattel Monster High Comic Con Super Heroes!

AtamaiiDolls has a new video up about Target Exclusive Super Hero Monster High dolls Spectra and Clawdeen. An as yet unnamed third doll will be revealed this Saturday so check back at AtamaiiDolls for any new videos of that doll and plan to go to your local Target in Spring 2013 to check on the new super heroes.

Happy [Future] Hunting!

SALE -- All Four Sunshine Mixis Dolls for $80.00

Want to receive all 4 Sunshine Mixis fashion dolls [Houda, Emerald, Rosa and Opal (curly or straight hair)] for $80.00 USD? Send off an e-mail message to Mixis mail. This offer ends July 31, 2012. Shipping from Canada not included in that price.

This special sale was announced on the Mixis Junior Facebook page, but it is open to everyone. If you do not have any Mixis dolls or if you want to buy some for friends and family, now would be a good time to get them. You can check my earlier posts for additional photos and comments about this Canadian doll series.

Liv Wigs Get Real on Another Fashion Doll

A PhillyCollector reader asked if the Liv wigs could be worn by Barbie dolls.

My first thought was no. Just a quick look and no ... not possible. The wig is too big for Barbie's smaller head. But then I looked at a Liv wig. Shame to not use the hair. Is it really too big for ALL of my dolls and action figures?

Hmmm ... let's see. Barbie's head circumference is about 4 inches. The Liv wig's circumference is 6 inches. So the Liv wigs are too big for most Barbie heads. My Scene dolls have a circumference of 5 inches ... closer, but still not an exact match. Ready to throw out your Liv wigs? Let's try something.

In the following photos, I place two Liv wigs on a Get Real Girl Skylar doll. The Get Real Girls have a head circumference of 5 inches. Without alterations, the Liv wigs fit Skylar with a slight gap in the back so that you would notice that inch difference except that I have Skyler's original hair filling in that gap. If I wanted this to be a permanent attachment, I would

1. remove Skylar's hair

2. cut the plug inside the Liv wig

3. cut a slit in the wig from the outer edge to the center to open it up

4. fit the wig around Skylar's head

5. glue the head or inside the wig and either tie it down with a scarf or hold it down with a hat

Here Get Real Girl Skyler tries on two of the Liv wigs. I prefer the black hair (Danielle's wig) over the brown hair (Alexis' wig). What is your preference?

Reminder: DAFs Need Cooling, Too

Suffering succotash, as a certain nasty, spraying cat used to exclaim. Stifling, sticky summer is HERE. Hot, hot, hot. Sweat, sweat, sweat.

Takara Schoolgirl Art Tamaki and Takara Schoolgirl Reggae Jenny try to cool off with a fan. Don't forget to keep your dolls and action figures from direct sunlight and comfortably arranged to avoid the dire Mego melt. That wretched condition can occur in dolls and action figures from other companies, too. Take care!

My Favorite Doll Candi 2003, Page 34

This is page 34 of the Fashion Doll Showcase for 2003 My Favorite Doll catalog. There were two pages of Integrity dolls in this issue. The Candi dolls were on page 34; the Fashion Royalty dolls were on page 35.

The first three Candi dolls belonged to the wave Fashion Forward Collection 2003:

1. Sublime Elegance (Executive Decision)

2. More is More

3. Ultra Chic

The fourth Candi belonged to the wave Fashion Forward Collection 2002 Subtle Elegance. Please note that this page of the catalog also shows a My Favorite Doll dealer exclusive Embassy Ball Malika doll and the three Icon dolls - a Collector series of the Tariq and Janay playline dolls. (Note: Jade from the playline series becomes "Sooki" for this collector set.)

(Note 2: one series mentioned on this catalog page, the Polar Lights Collection, was never created for the market.)

Thanks to Marg of MyFavoriteDoll for allowing this page to be copied and posted here.

Moving Your Doll Collection, Part 1

Anyone about to move a doll collection? I mean a move within a city - lucky for my budget and sanity, not as distant a move as CorsetKitten's. I will still be in Philly; just at a new place. Last time I moved, all of my doll stuff was received. Think I was lucky? Well, an IKEA Detolf shelf unit, still in its original box, was crushed. I did not find this out until after the cunning movers left. (Oh, but I do remember their company name. I will NEVER use them again.) So I checked online to see what suggestions are available. Here are the links I found on moving a doll collection:

About's CollectDolls tips

Laura Du Toit's tips

Helen B. Wharton's tips

Denise Van Patten's dollcollect.about.com site has the most comprehensive information. The others have tips as well. But I thought: what about my specific situation? I am moving hundreds of playscale dolls and action figures, boxes of clothes, and boxes of furniture, playsets, and books. In the humid summer time ... what steps do I need to take for the best outcome? Best outcome being me and all my stuff arriving at the same place and each item whole as can be. (Unlike that Detolf shelf unit ... grrr ....)

So here are some notes and ideas that I am considering.

Part 1: Assessment
What am I keeping? What can I sell, donate, or trade before? What types of things am I packing? NRFB, reboxed, loose dolls, action figures, and accessories - some breakable, others more forgiving. What is the best way to pull these items together so that I can a.) check that I have everything I took with me and b.) so that I can quickly set things up in my new home?


Part 2: Scheduling and Packing
Break down packaging by need: what should and could be packed up first? Books and magazines? Similar paperwork - brochures, booklets, newsletters, etc? Boxed dolls and action figures? Reboxed DAFs? Can loose DAFs "ride" with boxed ones? Label as I go along. Note who is with whom. Create a master list noting which DAFs are in which boxes.


Part 3: Move Day
Review boxes going out. Check that I account for what goes when and that I *know* where a given box is at any time.


Part 4: Checking All's There
Review boxes at new place. All accounted for? Separate by item type - dolls, action figures, furniture, vehicles, etc.

I will write about specific actions as I do them. And I'll share packing tricks and photos as I go along. If anyone has any tips to pass on, please share.

Happy Independence Day!

Say hello to Kelly who is celebrating the 4th the way many Philadelphians do: she's gone to the [New Jersey]Shore. Isn't Kelly's sand castle a work of art? She also has a rubbery doll, 2 plastic balls, and a little red bucket among her playthings for this set (Beach Time Kelly, #27084 20526, HO216 HO824). And a bottle of water that she keeps chilled in a small cooler - much needed water for a hot day like today.

Happy Independence Day to all celebrating it!

Sharon Sews Sixth Scale Stuff

Sharon Sews Sixth Scale Stuff. Try saying that swiftly seven times.

Found a sewing blog that has tutorials for Barbie stuff. Whoo hoo! Here is the link to Sharon Sews post about sewing for Barbie-sized dolls. Hope you find the tips useful.

There are tips for people scale fashions, too, as well as other crafts. Me, I am mostly about the playscale stuff. If I can adapt the other tips to that scale, great. If not, shrug.

New Ken Outfit? What Do You Think?

Saw this fashion today, and I wondered if Ken were getting some new fashions. Anyone see this one before? Ken wearing a graphic print. I think it looks nice if a little warm for summer. Then again, we're having a heat wave here so maybe it's just in my head. Anyone see this as a believable Ken summer outfit? The sunglasses are adorable.