Jazz Baby Diva and Queen of Hearts Barbies Arrive!

They're here! Jazz Baby Diva Barbie Gift Set and Queen of Hearts Barbie.

These are two of the dolls I bought during Mattel's Customer Appreciation Days Sale (sale ends 11:59pm CT 9/30/2008). I had admired both dolls but I had not wanted to pay the original prices for them. Then I heard about this wonderful sale, submitted my order, and bang. Two new beautiful dolls.

Jazz Baby Diva Barbie strikes a dramatic pose with her right gloved arm thrown up in the air and her microphone before her. She has three wigs: dark brown, dark red, and golden blond. She also has a black sheer mini robe, black sheer stockings, a half-dozen red roses, silver brush and beauty accessories, black formal heels, black bedroom slippers and a black-silver gown.

The clear plastic box presents the doll and her accessories attractively. Jazz Baby Diva Barbie appears to be on stage on the left side while the right side appears to be the diva's dressing room with a shelf to hold two wigs, a hook for the diva's black chiffon robe, a table to hold her silver hair brush, mirror, compact, and sheer black stockings. She also has a half-dozen red rose and some slippers right before the (cardboard) dressing table that holds her makeup accessories.

The Queen of Hearts Barbie does not have as many accessories: aside from her red queen-themed dress, she wears a gold (plastic) tiara and holds a pink flamingo croquet mallet. However, she has a lovely Roman nose. (Most Barbies have tiny turned up noses; then again, Bratz have NO noses. Shame.)

I look forward to finding suitable clothes for this doll. Although -- wait -- there is a thin tape on the lower right corner, on the back of the box stating that the outfit cannot be removed. Ha. Off with the Queen's head then, and onto a new, poseable body. A My Scene Nolee or Delancey would match the Queen's complexion.

I'm very pleased with these purchases.

G-Five Fiona Returns to Philly

When checking eBay for the Mixis dolls, I noticed a G-Five Fiona for only $12.50. Wow. Pop's Variety and Collectables is the eBay store that sold her to me. Now Fiona was not an A List doll for me, but seeing her at that price, I felt that I had to get her and bring her home to Philly. She arrived yesterday and now she's joined her buddies Gia, Isabella, and Vanessa.

I would just need Eva to complete the set -- not that I always complete sets. Shrug.

And for any G-Five fans reading this blog, Pop's Variety and Collectables presently has Isabella for $12.50. Bonne chance!

No Finds: Cedarbrook Walmart and Toys R Us

Since I found a Rebelde set at the South Philly Walmart, I thought that I might be able to find another set at either the Cedarbrook Shopping Mall Walmart or Toys R Us in Wyncote. Sigh. No such luck. If any Rebelde sets were out, they were all bought before I got there. I saw Catwoman Kelly and Batman Tommy at Walmart and some of the new High School Musical dolls and the Hannah Montana dolls at Toys R Us. Kelly and Tommy were adorable, but I'll wait to get them when the stores are having a sale. They are B List for me. Can't believe that I didn't see even a single Rebelde girl in concert outfit doll. Eh well.

So the hunt for the Rebelde Diego and Roberta set continues.

Gotcha! One Rebelde Set at Walmart, South Philly

The point of getting the Rebelde sets in a brick-and-mortar shop was that I could look through the various sets and choose the perfect -- among the choices -- face screening that I wanted.

Well, I saw a single Rebelde set of Giovanni and Lupita at the South Philly Walmart earlier today. And I bought that set. Sigh. I'm not crazy about the head mold Mattel chose for Giovanni ... or for the one that they used for Miguel. I think that the actors playing Giovanni and Miguel have narrower faces than the molds used for their dolls. I'd have liked a new headmold for these two at least. But I suppose the company couldn't have produced the dolls as quickly or as reasonably as they did had they created new head molds.

Nice to see the Rebelde sets trickling in ... maybe Toys R Us has multiple Miguels waiting for me. Perhaps.

Surprise Find at E-Z Discount Store on 60th Street

Yesterday, I went to E-Z Discount Store located on 60th Street below Market Street in West Philadelphia. Sometimes you can find older dolls and action figures in small stores, not part of a chain. There were no older Barbies -- or any Barbies -- but there were some 11.5 fashion dolls by Totsy that belonged to the Legends of Yesteryear Series: Emeraude. The 11.5 fashion doll resembles the Disney/Mattel Esmeralda from The Hunchback on Notre Dame film. She's the sort of cheap doll that I would usually bypass, but ... Emeraude did not come alone. No, and I am not referring to the $20.00 set that included her and the Quasimodo counterpart. I'm talking about the $9.99 Festival Emeraude who comes with a 1:6 scale GOAT. Sure the goat's eyes need work, and why are his inner ears and nostrils fuchsia? This has to be a first for me ... a playscale goat.

I have a donkey with the Power Team World Peacekeepers Trailwalker aka Farmer Miles. My Lanard I-Girls have two toucans, a panda, and a brown lab retriever dog. Not a single goat though. Now we have a goat. Just what every urban farmer needs. Chevre cheese a-coming next.

Aside: maybe the pink ears and nostrils on the goat are not unnatural. See the goat photos shown at this web page:

http://www.goatladydairy.com/News_Recipies.htm

Mattel Customer Appreciation Sale - September 2008

Mattel is running a Customer Appreciation Days sale from September 15, 2008 until September 30, 2008. The dolls for sale are shown on this web page:

http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/shelf.aspx?shelfid=150160&view=all

Information about the sale is shown on this page:


http://www.barbiecollector.com/news/promos/

Happy Collecting!

Bane of Boxes, Boxes, and More Boxes

They are a weakness for me: boxes. I have several boxes full of empty doll and action figure boxes.

My collection is NOT all never-removed-from-box. I prefer to have the dolls or action figures OUT of their boxes so that I can pose them. However, I like the boxes for their art and story notes. In a way, the box "completes" the doll or action figure. A well-done box can almost "sell" a doll or action figure. Sigh.

So what's the problem? Space. The more empty boxes I retain, the less room I have to display my growing collection. So the time has come. Some boxes must go.

Flattening and throwing out the boxes seems like a terrible waste. All that art. All that history. All that effort for naught?! I can't do it. I couldn't. But I have to.

Problem, solution. I am going to photograph the empty boxes. If I can find the doll or figure that went in the box, I will include that doll/figure in the photograph. Then I will leave the mostly empty boxes outside on a certain day and time. Whoever wants them, that person or persons can have them. And I'll have more space!

Reflection: I'll post notice on a local doll and action figure mailing list. If I hear from someone about the boxes first, I'll "hold" them for that individual. Or if I don't hear from anyone, I'll -- horror of horrors -- leave them out for the trash people to collect. In the best interest of my entire collection though, I'll have to sacrifice the less exciting boxes.