Which Ten Black Dolls Would You Choose? A Black History Themed Post

Fantasy scene: a modern doll and action figure museum is closing. Its prize-winning collection of black playscale dolls and action figures will be distributed to a group of doll enthusiasts. Each enthusiast is allowed any ten pieces - either dolls and/or action figures - and ten pieces exactly. No more, no less. Congratulations: you have a winning ticket. Which ten black dolls and/or action figures would you choose? 

You can have any black or black-mix doll ever produced. Want the original Colored Francie? You can have her. What about a Django Jamie Fox? He's yours. YNU Group, Inc.'s Emerald or Opal? Either or both, yours. Integrity Toys' Adele, Jordan, Nadja, or Janay - and which one(s)? Again, yours. This is a fantasy so any you choose. Be generous and share your dream choices here in a comment. 

Which dolls and/or action figures would I choose? Sigh. Oh, it was a difficult decision to make. But I did it. I will post my choices on February 28, 2014. That post will be loaded after I finish this one.

toyhaven: Review 1: MC Toys 1/6 The End Walker 12" figure - ...

toyhaven: Review 1: MC Toys 1/6 The End Walker 12" figure - ...: This is the recently released MC Toys F-034 1/6 scale The End Walker 12-inch figure which is inspired by / based on the character Denzel Was...



Okay, I don't need to say anything about this link except that it's another photo-rich, detailed review by collector-enthusiast-writer Alex aka @lex Gen X 1:6. And Denzel Washington is the inspiration for the figure. As Alex asked, do you think this figure resembles the actor? I left my answer at Alex's site. You can leave your responses here or there or in both places ;-D



Enjoy.

Integrity Toys' Jordan and Tariq Bust Some Moves

Warning: If nude dolls offend you, you may want to skip this post. The guys are nude for identification so that should you find a similar body, you may recognize it. There are no date or company markings on either body. The heads are marked:
© Integrity 2001 for Tariq and
© 1996 Integrity Toys for Jordan 
on the back of their heads, above their necks, directly under where the hairline would end. 


Ladies, Gents, and Others, here are Integrity Toys' Tariq and Jordan, showing you the best of their posing ability.

Integrity Toys playline dolls: Tariq (left) and Jordan (right) wait for their cue to start.

Our male dolls shown in this post are In Style Jordan from 2001 and Fashion Insider Tariq from 2004. Notice the extra muscles in the torso and the more sophisticated face sculpture in Tariq.

February Topics: Black History, Romance, Presidents, and Toy Fair

For a short month - only 28 days this year - February is chock full of events.

Black History month

Valentine's Day

Presidents' Day

Toy Fair 2014


So you can expect posts about Black fashion dolls and action figures, posts about Valentine's Day dolls, posts about dolls and action figures representing presidents or presidential candidates, and - oh yes, baby - Toy Fair news about new dolls and action figures. As I become aware of what other collectors and/or enthusiasts have planned for the month, I will share that information too. 

Happy February!

Beyond Bollywood: Additional South Asian Playscale Dolls?

When we, playscale doll enthusiasts, see Asian dolls, usually we find dolls representing people with East Asia heritage. Three companies have extended their doll representation beyond East Asia: Mattel, Integrity Toys, and Spin Master. Mattel offers Dolls of the World from various Asian countries while Integrity Toys offered Isha. Recently, Spin Master offered the Bollywood Legends dolls: Kajol, Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik Rosan, and Shah Rukh Khan. Mattel and Integrity Toys aside, do others offer dolls with South Asian heritage?

Yes. Hasbro and Vivid Imaginations, respectively offer:


Zayn Malik, singer from 1Direction

Siva Kaneswaran, singer from The Wanted


So that is two additional dolls. Can you think of others that I have missed? Thanking you in advance - big smile, Dana

Dhoom3 Barbie and Ken - Photos by Chicovintage

Dhoom 3 is a new Bollywood action movie. You know by now: action movie = promotional items = dolls and/or action figures based on the action movie. Guess who is looking for a piece of this Bollywood action movie? Yes, Mattel. Mattel has produced a Barbie and a Ken as two characters from Dhoom 3: Sahir/Samar as played by Aamir Khan and Aaliya as played by Katrina Kaif. Ho hum? No way! What excites me about these dolls is that they seem to have unique face sculpts. Mattel had issued a Katrina Kaif Barbie before, but that doll used a standard Barbie-mold. The Drew face mold. That was a bit ho hum. This set of dolls will be Mattel's first South Asian specific face sculpts. And even more cool, the Aaliya Barbie seems to be articulated.

Yay, right? Well ... maybe not so much "yay" as "awww." Why? Alas, the dolls are not sold in the U.S.A. They might be sold only in India. That seems to be the case so far. Sigh.

Checking online vendors, I see that Ram Chander and Sons ship all over the world. Their doll cost is 1,999 Rs - $32.06* - for either Sahir Ken or Aaliya Barbie. That price seems about what we would pay for movie-based dolls here. What about shipping and handling? Let's break that down:

Buying one of the Dhoom dolls:

$32.06* Ken doll
$45.00  Shipping 1 doll
$77.06


Buying both of the Dhoom dolls:

$64.12* Barbie/Ken dolls
$67.70  Shipping 2 dolls
$131.82

Those prices are for dolls mint in their original boxes going to the U.S.A. If you are buying multiple dolls AND if you have no interest in retaining the Mattel box, the RCS team will debox the dolls, which would lower the postage cost. If you want your Dhoom doll or dolls sent to another country, please e-mail them at rcstoys@gmail.com . You will receive information for shipping to your country.

Payment is via online bank transfer or Paypal. (Note: Paypal charges are extra. Additional note: the base cost does not include customs fees and the exact figure which might vary depending on currency conversion for the day.*) 

Want additional information about RCS Toys? They have a Facebook page and a blog. Here is more contact information:


RCS Team

India's Oldest Toy Store
Connaught Place, New Delhi
+91-11-23412065, 23416276

These are in real life photos of the Dhoom Barbie. They are taken by Chicovintage, a PhillyCollector ally. Thanks again, Chicovintage, for sharing these lovely photos!

 

Boxed Dhoom Barbie photo by Chicovintage

Dhoom Barbie box back photo by Chicovintage

 

Torso of Dhoom Barbie photo by Chicovintage

Notice the articulated arms of Dhoom Barbie photo by Chicovintage

Recognize the face mold for Dhoom Barbie photo by Chicovintage

Torso detail of Dhoom Barbie photo by Chicovintage

Skirt detail of Dhoom Barbie photo by Chicovintage

Jointed knees on Dhoom Barbie photo by Chicovintage

Glitter sandals on Dhoom Barbie photo by Chicovintage

Marx Sindy Wall Oven as Shown by Lanard I-Girl Paris

Nice to see vintage or different playscale furnishings, but isn't it nicer when a model is involved? I think so. So when neither Pedigree (aka Marx in U.S.A.) Sindy nor Vivid Imaginations Sindy or Vivid Imaginations Mel were available, I brought in Lanard I-Girl Paris. She has a similar build, and she's articulated.

I-Girl Paris and Marx Wall Oven

 

"At the bottom, we have a cabinet."

 

"Above the heating area, we have more cabinet space."

 

"The wall oven has two areas. The lower one is the main oven with 2 adjustable racks."

 

"The top area is the broiler. It only has 1 rack that you can leave in or remove for more space."

 

"Broiler opens top down; oven opens right to left."

 

"Fudge. You should see both cabinets open. There."

 

"Kurt, help me show the height. Over 12 inches."

 

"The back and sides are white plastic and closed. The yellowy marks are from age."

 

"This cookware - "glass" pan, silvery baking dish, and grill pan - also came with the wall oven."

Thanks, Paris, for your help. Does anyone have any questions about this Sindy appliance?

Paris is a Lanard fashion doll. She is one of the I-Girls (Asia, Aspen, Rio, Sahara, and Sydney) that I bought them from a doll/toy boutique, Small Blue Planet, many years ago. There doesn't seem to have been a large distribution of the I-Girls, but I found a new article on this line today. My research senses are tingling. I'll post more about Paris and the other I-Girls in the future.