Happy Birthday, Teresa!

Today is Barbie's Hispanic friend Teresa's birthday/anniversary. This is Teresa's 25th anniversary as a Barbie friend. The Teresa shown today is my favorite Fashion Fever Teresa wearing a Get Real Girl tee shirt and red Barbie shorts. (Yes, at some time Mattel made a pair of red shorts that aren't too scanty or too dowdy. Yay, Mattel.)

I had intended to share the Fashion Fever Teresa fashions that this doll inherited from the other Fashion Fever Teresas, but I could not find her fashions. I'll update this post when I find those clothes.

You can read more about Teresa in this Barbie Wiki and on Vivian's website. Among the notable facts on the former site is that Teresa has a sister - imagine that.

Cumberbach Sherlock by Big Chief Studios Ltd. Alert!

Okay Super Sherlock/Benedict Cumberbach fans get ready. Big Chief Studios Ltd. announced that you can register today to receive information about their 1:6 scale action figures of Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbach) and his companion Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman). Yes, I hear your screams of enthusiasm. Price be damned, you may say. (I am not saying that because alas this is yet another set I must allow to pass me by. But I am not so very keen a Sherlock fan. Which is good for those of you who are. Less challenge, hey? )

So interested fans, register today to make sure you do not miss any of the pre-order thrills. I look forward to seeing the photos as they become available. I can look. Such is the beauty of the Internet ....

Big Chief is starting to remind me of the early Fashion Royalty fever. 

Spring Break 1961™ Barbie® and Ken® Giftset | Barbie Collector

Spring Break 1961™ Barbie® and Ken® Giftset | Barbie Collector

Okay, this set is from the 2011 National Barbie doll Collectors Convention. But look at that Ken! He reminds me of Johnny Mathis! Ohhhhh! Wish I had gone to that Barbie Convention! Wish I had bought this guy. The set was created by designers Matt Sutton and Matt Trujillo.

There is an European American version, too. I had typed "caucasian," then went to check the spelling. Came across this humorous definition. Now I feel awkward typing "White." Oh me oh my.

Hope you enjoy seeing the doll.

Big Chief Studios Pre-orders for Fourth Doctor Sold Out!

It's too late, Doctor Who fans, to place your pre-order for either the 50th Anniversary Signature edition or the Limited edition playscale Fourth Doctor aka Tom Baker at BigChiefStudios.

Here is what we missed:

• 1 x Fourth Doctor Head Portrait featuring an Authentic Likeness of Tom Baker
• 2 x Hairpieces (Hat and Hatless)
• 1 x Long Woollen Effect Scarf
• 1 x Velvet Effect Frock Coat
• 1 x Tartan Waistcoat
• 1 x Woollen Effect Trousers with Bracers (suspenders)
• 1 x White High-necked Shirt
• 1 x Cravat Neck Tie
• 1 x Pair of Brogue Shoes
• 1 x Pair of Socks Tubes (Partial)
• 8 x Interchangeable Hands
• 1 x Display Base with Illuminating Gallifreyan Symbol & Stand
• 1 x Signature Plaque Stand
• 1 x Autograph Plaque Hand-signed by Tom Baker

Accessories

• 1 x Fedora Style Hat
• 1 x Sonic Screwdriver
• 1 x Bag of Jelly Babies
• 1 x Yo-Yo
• 1 x Key to Time
• 1 x Time Tracer
• 1 x Hand of Fear
• 1 x TARDIS Control Room Printed Card Backdrop

The Signature edition would have come with these two additional items:

1 x Signature Plaque Stand 1 x Autograph Plaque Hand-signed by Tom Baker

The Signature edition's price : £189.99  (Ex Tax: £158.33)

The Limited edition's price : £169.99  (Ex Tax: £141.66)

Sigh. Did you notice that I did not convert the prices to U.S. dollars? Moot point. I won't be getting either although the Fourth Doctor was my Doctor Who, the one that I first saw in that role. Guess I am not the ultimate Doctor Who fan. I'll have to enjoy the online photos and stories of other Doctor Who fans. 

P.S. I couldn't resist. Here is the currency converter result.

189.99 GBP	=	286.923 USD
British Pound	↔	US Dollar
1 GBP = 1.51020 USD		1 USD = 0.662164 GBP

Head Swap for Articulated G.I. Joe for the Dr. Dolly-Frankensteins

Am I alone? I thought this video was fun AND a little funny. Something about how Hutt Wigley describes a G.I. Joe head as "wimpy" and how he fits the heads into the secret head opener device. (No, I am not gonna tell what; you have to click through to see it.) 



If you like this video, check out the others, especially the one with the articulated doll cycling. Neat.

Even More Asian Fashion Dolls and Action Figures

I did write that I had more Asian fashion dolls and action figures to show. You may recognize some of these figures.

Reclining Hasbro Special Response Team G.I. Joe. Standing left to right: Dragon Ekin Cheng, Dragon Michael Chan, arms stretching Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Hrithik Roshan, Mattel Amazing Nails Lea, M and C Toys StarRunner Hung, and Dragon My Story Jackie Chan. Kneeling Playmates Sulu (2009).

Closer photo of Hasbro Special Response Team Japanese-American G.I. Joe, Dragon Ekin Cheng, and Michael Chan.

Closer photo of Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Hrithik Roshan, Playmates Sulu (2009), Mattel Amazing Nails Lea, M and C Toys StarRunner Hung, and Dragon My Story Jackie Chan.

Face close-ups of Mattel Amazing Nails Lea, M and C Toys StarRunner Hung, and Dragon My Story Jackie Chan show varying degrees of realism. Dragon figures look the most life-like, but this Mattel doll and this M and C Toys action figure are more life-like than say Mattel's Asian Disney characters.

M and C Toys StarRunner Hung and Mattel Amazing Nails Lea call for another photo. They are attractive, but not necessarily a couple. Alas Hung has boxing gloves for hands so he's not "made for" romance.

Playmates Sulu (2009) and Mattel Amazing Nails Lea look a little more couple-like. Not that they are yet, but who's to say?

Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Hrithik Roshan strikes a dramatic pose to show off his long legs in groovy bell bottoms boot cut jeans. If Asian male dolls are hard to find in the U.S.A., Indian Asian male dolls are even more elusive. Mr. Roshan came from Great Britain by way of Amazon.co.uk . He's worth every extra bit of postage I paid for him.

Dragon's Michael Chan refused to take off his well-tailored gray suit. Well, he's allowing a peep at the inner construction of his jacket. The jacket has shoulder pads and his trousers have darts, center front and back creases, and belt loops. Like many action figures, he has a realistic face.  
 

Hasbro Special Response Team G.I. Joe wants everyone to know that unlike the Japanese Air Force Officer, he is a Japanese-American Joe. (Well, he has the new Japanese head sculpt.*) This distinction matters because the earlier Asian characters in the playscale G.I. Joe line were foreign soldiers. (I am curious about when the first Asian G.I. Joe appeared; the first Black American Joe appeared in 1965, a year after Joe broke the doll action figure scene. Need to find that out.)

Last photo for this set: close-up of Ekin Cheng.I will be posting photos of Mattel's Generation Girl Mari, R and D's Susie, Volks' Who's That Girl, and other Asian fashion dolls and action figures soon. Please stop by to see them.


*Unfortunately, the website showing the named Hasbro head sculpts has been removed. I will have to find another source to verify the Joe head names.

Yay, I'm Back!

I am sooo happy to announce: PhillyCollector is BACK. You may have noticed an interruption of this blog yesterday. Well, it has been restored. Yay!

Did I say I was happy. Okay. I did.

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