Integrity Dynamite Girl Heartbreaker TJ Arrives

Integrity Toys' Dynamite Girl Heartbreaker TJ arrived today. She's a lovely, elegant-looking doll as those familiar with these dolls would expect. TJ wears a red blouse and pink with white lace overlay hot pants. She has a small white teddy bear with her -- possibly the gift of one of her suitors?




Here's a photo of the back of her box:



Somewhere out in the doll collecting communities, there are people shaking their heads. Oh, she's not a real black doll. No, she's just a chocolate-dipped white doll. I recognize that there are Black women with keen features. There are Black women with fuller features. There is room enough in my crowded doll and action figure collection for both.

Back in the '60s and the 70's when some people found chocolate-dipped dolls offensive, I wondered how people who looked like those dolls felt. Unauthentic? Not Black enough? That didn't seem fair. People's looks -- barring surgery -- stem from a chance arrangement of their parents' genes. Sure, I could understand wanting Black dolls with fuller features and coarser hair, but the keener featured dolls were or could be representative, too.

Today, my take is this: a toy company wants to reach more audiences WITHOUT the added expense of creating a new head mold. No evil plan. Just economics.

Beefcake: Hot Toys True Type Caucasian

Here are some photos of one of my Hot Toys True Type action figures.


Hot Toys True Type Caucasian Headshot




Striking a Martial Arts Pose




Back view -- yes, he does have fuller buttocks than most action figures




Contemplative side view




Dancing with the lovely Houda

New Year Project - Organizing the Doll and Action Figure Room Pt. 1

A recent thread on DollyDaily.com , Do You Have a Dolly Room, http://www.dollydaily.com/community/showthread.php?p=45280#post45280 and some additional photos of a British doll collector's rooms -- Jody at http://www.britishbarbie.co.uk/ inspired me to look at my Doll and Action Figure room for improvements.

Space. My collection needs more space. More storage units, too.

I can't afford new storage units at this time. So I'll work on the space issue for now. I have a room that's roughly 15 feet wide by 10 feet 5 inches deep. There is a door at each end of the first wall and a large window case in the center of the opposing wall. There's a smaller window case in the wall on the right (when entering the room), but that window case is shorter and higher up. The fourth wall is all wall with no interruptions.

This room is shared with one cat and three boxer turtles so I will need to keep them in mind as I make plans. The cat needs one or two window spots; the turtles are less demanding, but they would be better near the door. (Have to change their water regularly so they shouldn't be across the room.)

I've also got two computers here. One works; the other has old photos and documents that I hope to recover. There are also two printers and a 4-drawer vertical file cabinet. A round wastebasket and two boxes of old journals complete the non-doll stuff.

I'll post photos tomorrow and steps to take and maybe a calendar.

I'd like to know what I have and to be able to get things when I want them.

New Terrority - Amazon.co.uk and Bollywood Dolls

I have discovered Amazon.co.uk .

No, I am not claiming I found land or created a website. I realized that I as an
American could purchase some items from Amazon.co.uk .

WWWWWWHHHHHAAAAAA-HHHHHHOOOOOOO!

Okay perhaps every other doll and action figure collector has made this discovery a long time ago. This is great news to me though because now I can get more dolls than I used to. Some things not available here like 12" Bollywood dolls ... now, I MIGHT be able to get them. Might. All dolls and action figures and other items presumably are NOT available. Licensing conflicts. Sigh. But oh the figures I can get.

The Bollywood Legends dolls are by Spinmaster. I see four dolls on Amazon.co.uk through a store called "Fairy Dust Dolls Ltd." The ones I will be getting are Mr. Hrithik Roshan, Ms. Kajol, and Ms. Priyanka Chopra. The fourth doll is named Shah Rukh Khan (male). Photos will be posted after the dolls arrive.

So ... dolls from Japan, from Taiwan, from Canada, and now ... the United Kingdom.

Here is a link for those willing to view new temptations:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Spinmaster-Bollywood-Legends-Hrithik-Roshan/dp/B000GWUPTI/ref=pd_sim_k_h_b_cs_3

Lady' Mission Slim Body B aka Kelly Jackson Pics

DirtyDawg from Men With Dolls asked about photos of my new Lady's Mission Slim Body figure from Aoshima/Skynet. Here are a few that Kelly graciously allowed.

Intoducing Lady's Mission Slim Body B aka No. 4 aka Kelly Jackson!




Getting Kelly's "good side."




Kelly prepares to unleash a front thrust kick.




Hair woes ... cut it?

Unexpected Toy Run or What's New at Walmart?

Usually, after Christmas, there is a doll and action figure slump. No new dolls. No new action figures in stores. Collectors wait until February for Toy Fair previews. So when I went to the Wyncote Walmart, I was surprised to find these dolls OUT on the shelves. Dolls in Philly in January? Wow!

I saw these dolls:

Barbie Sea World Trainer
Think Pink Barbie with Bunny
Think Pink Barbie with Dress Form
Think Pink Barbie with Mirror
Dolls of the World: France
Dolls of the World: Scotland
Totally Stylin' Tatoos Barbie

I want the Bunny. It's smooth white plastic and elongated. Odd looking bunny. Sigh.

From those dolls, the Dolls of the World: Scotland -- aside from the Barbie with Bunny -- would be the only one I would buy. She's got a fierce expression and an interesting wine-red hair color. Only problem with the Dolls of the World is that it looks like Scotland might have straight legs. Hmmm ...

For High School Musical 3 Fans, there was a new set with Sharpay Evans and Tiara Wilmont dolls.

The new Think Pink dining room looks better than I would have expected. Might get that piece when/if I can find it on sale.

Oh, I succumbed and bought an ethnic Ballerina Barbie and a Beach Party Nikki. Why? Because I liked their facial screening. And I found dolls that had straight, not wonky eyes. The ethnic Barbie has sky blue legs (shudder ... WHY Mattel?) and part of her torso is molded blue plastic. Clearly a kitbashing candidate, once I find a matching complexion. Beach Party Nikki has one of the stunted Barbie bodies - she's NOT a full 11.5 inches, but I like her face soooo ....

Esther, Lindsay, and Noah in Photographs

Here are photos of the first January 2009 dolls, Esther, Lindsay, and Noah:









The Biblical figures have inset eyes. Their heads are larger and their bodies are broader than most of my figures. When/if I debox them, I will be able to see if they fit in with the others.