S.i.S. Dolls - Now You See Them, Now You Don't

Amazon.com or their vendor, 911Drugstore has the So in Style trio for $49.99 EACH.

Yes, I am serious. No, I haven't had a liquid lunch. The dolls will be sold - they aren't available until September 2009 from this vendor - at more than TWICE the Toys R Us price.

And they must have the same proofreader as on Toys R Us because they, too, name Kara, Trichelle. Then again, maybe they hired that proofreader's even less focused sibling: for the Trichelle-Janessa dolls, they are renamed "Kendal and Kara." Kendal? Confused?

In the meantime, you cannot search for the So in Style or S.i.S. dolls by either title or by their names via the Toys R Us search box. You might think huh? But there probably is a logical reason behind this omission? TRU is probably tired of sending "Out of Stock" messages. Pity.

And for oddity-cherries, check this link:

Toys R Us S.i.S. confusion

Okay, I'm ready for my aspirin.

Mattel Rocawear and Barbie - Links

It seems that Barbie or the S.i.S. trio of Grace, Kara, and Trichelle will be wearing Rocawear in honor of the clothing brand's upcoming 10th anniversary.

Below are links to sites showing the S.i.S. dolls, a new Black female doll (Rocawear Barbie herself?), and a new male who resembles Jamal from the Shani line. The outfits look urban cute. Graphics on tee shirts, oversized tops, sneakers, high heels, tight pants, etc.

Smoking Section offers photos.

Prefix Mag provides background about the company's tie in with current musicians.

Black Celebrity Kids offers pre-issue reviews that show some people loving the dolls, others NOT appreciating the Black doll-urban clothing label connection, etc. Opinions, opinions.

My two cents? Shrug. I recognize Rocawear as a clothing label, but I have no strong feelings for or against it. My spare money buys dolls, action figures, stuff for DAFs, books, notebooks, that sort of thing. So for now, I am on the sidelines and I am watching the comments fly back and forth.

Wonder if Mattel will have the outfits available separate or if they tie the outfits in with the S.i.S. dolls?

Three New Dolls: Celebrate Disco and S.i.S. Kara & Kianna

I saw the S.i.S. dolls in the Cottman Avenue Toys R Us. They had two Grace & Courtney sets and one each of the others. I looked at Grace, but between the hot pants and the frosted lipstick, I realized, I could hold off on getting her. Trichelle & Janessa, I could also hold on getting because Trichelle reminds me a lot of the first Raven doll (I have) and she has red-red threads running through her black curls. Kara won because her red-brown hair, warm brown complexion, and medium brown eyes differed from the other dolls in my collection. Photos below:





Back of the box ... when they show graphics here, I like to see them.




And a gift from my Mom:

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.

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.