East Philly DAFs: Janay Clan - Introduction

Left to right: Pierre Janay and his siblings - Netta, Phaedra and Madea (twins), and Tariq

The Janays are a prominent East Philadelphian family. Pierre Janay, oldest of the Janays, recently returned from a covert military assignment. He has many daughters - you can't throw a stone in East Philly without hitting one of his offspring. Netta Janay has one daughter, Mikkay, and owns Netta's Den, a gentleman's club. Fay Janay owns and runs the local voodoo shop. Dea Janay, mother of toddler twins Rashid and Latifa, has recently returned to singing at Netta's Den. Tariq Janay is the favorite fashion photographer in the city.

Who's who in the doll and action figure world? All Janays and Tariq are Integrity Toys products; Pierre is by M&C Toys.

Pierre Janay is a M&C Power Team action figure

Annette "Netta" Janay is the first Club Icon Janay

Phaedra "Fay" Janay is the Tribal Treasures Janay

Medea "Dea" Janay is the Fashion Insider Award Nite Janay (Dealer version)

Tariq Janay is the Fashion Insider Award Nite Tariq

Help Dolls of Color Create Janay Database

Dolls of Color blogger Therese seeks photos and information about Integrity's playline Janay doll for a Janay database. Yay Therese!

While I have several Janay and friends dolls, my Janay dolls all have the last Janay head mold stamped ©Integrity 2001. I recall reading doll descriptions on the Dolls, Dreams, and Cuddly Things web site several years ago that noted whether certain Janay, Alysa, and Jade dolls had the old, big heads or the newer, smaller heads. I also recall seeing web sites showing two Janay head molds different from the head mold I have. Check the Janay shown at this link; note the size of her head and her features. This is an early Janay. Perhaps some PhillyCollector readers collect or used to collect the Janay playline. If you do or did, and if you would like to contribute to this database, please check Therese's blog for contact information.

Here's to a Janay and friends database in 2010.

Dolls shown in the photo are the Dealer version of Fashion Insider Janay, Color Rave Alysa (2nd Alysa head mold), and Fashion Fling Alysa (3rd Alysa head mold).

Janay by Integrity Toys

Janay is a 1:6 scale playline fashion doll produced by Integrity Toys from 1995-2005. Integrity Toys' president, Percy Newsum, felt that dolls of color were under represented among playscale dolls: Janay, Alysa, and Jade were created to fill that void.

I have several Janay dolls from 2001 and later, but I have none from her early days. Why not? At that time, I was mostly Barbie-focused. Here is a list of Janay dolls that I have had. If you have other Janay dolls to mention, please share the information.

2001    Heat Wave

            InStyle           

            Royal Heritage

            Sun Groove

            Tribal Treasures

2002    Color Rave

            Global Peace

            Icons

            Photo Hunt

            Urban Reflections

2003    Modern Living

2004    Ancient Legends

            CE - Pat Feick Exclusive

            Fashion Fling

            Fashion Insider

            Shimmering Nights

            Street Fusion

            Stylin' Zone

2005    Studio It

 

For photos of the earlier Janay face molds see these posts by Frannie, Ms. Leo, DollsofAllColors, KeepingKen, and BlackDollCollecting.

P.S. If you have any online photos of Janay, please let me know so that I can add your site to this list. Thanks!

Integrity Janay Links to Click

Integrity Janay fans, I found some places to discuss and to view these dolls.

First, there is a Janay focused Yahoo Group. You will need to join the Group to view the photos and to read the messages. There are 22 photo albums in the Group as well as links to MORE Janay and friends photo albums outside the Group. No cost to join.

Second, a 2007 post about saving Janay.

Next, two links to beautiful photo albums by a collector:

Janay and Friends

Janay Tribute

Reference links

MC ToyFair 2002

MC ToyFair 2003

MC ToyFair 2004

ASM ToyFair 2004

ASM ToyFair 2005

ASM ToyFair 2006

Please note: Toy Fair items may not have ever appeared, especially the 2005 and 2006 lines, OR they might emerge under a different line title than what they are shown with in the Toy Fair photos.

Janay Research - Pinterest Update

I submitted this query to MasterCollectors online contact:

Hi, I have followed your Toy Fair Reviews since 2002. May I pin your Integrity Toys Janay and Friends photos on Pinterest? Your photos have your logo and I would leave your link in my comment. It is difficult to find good photos of those dolls. The Pinterest board I would load them to is Integrity Janay & Friends.

Thanks for maintaining your Toy Fair archives and for your response, whatever you decide.
Sincerely,


And the result? Permission granted! Yay! So Janay and other Integrity playline doll fans, go check out my newly expanded Integrity Janay & Friends board. I have annotated the photos with doll identification when I recognized the dolls shown or other information gleaned over the years. Please let me know if any notes need correcting. Enjoy!

P.S. Debbie, this post is part 1 of the promised "sister" post to your Janay post.

Surprise Find at Valu-Plus, 52nd & Market Sts.

A Valu-Plus store had five Integrity Studio It playline dolls, one of the last Janay series. Three of the Janay dolls, I have in my collection already; the two Alysas were new to me. So I bought an extra Janay and the two Alyssa dolls. I call this a surprise find because

a. I had not seen any Janay series for at least a year

b. these dolls were outside Wal-Mart and/or a specialty doll dealer and

c. the dolls cost $4.00 EACH, which is half what the original cost was for this series.

Below are photos of the Janay with the Alysa head mold and two Alysas* as well as a photo of the back of the box:













Corrected - all 3 of these head molds are the last Alysa head molds. Including the dark complected one with the Janay wrist tag.

Who's That Janay? Test Your Integrity Playline Knowledge

I was photographing four of my Integrity Toys Janay dolls to show body differences.* Then I took a photo of the four dolls in a cross pattern - one in the center, two flanking on either side and a fourth above the first. Such lovely and unique facial screenings they have. Such a variety in hair textures and styles. Integrity Toys did some wonderful, creative fashion dolls in the mid-2000s. See the photo below. Anyone recognize these dolls by their Integrity title?

One of the dolls, I believe will be easy to identify because she recently appeared on another collector's blog; but I wondered about the others. So I am putting you to a Janay ID test. Here are the individual Janays:

JANAY1

JANAY2

JANAY3

JANAY4

Here are the titles to match to these Janay dolls 1-4:

Fashion Fling = ?

Tribal Treasures = ?

Icons = ?

Fashion Fling = ?

Studio It - ?

 

(While there are four dolls, I list five titles because one of the four may have been packaged under two titles.) If you recognize any of the dolls with a specific title, submit your answer(s) in the comments. I am eager to see who's a savvy Janay fan.

Can you guess which Janay has which title?

Three Integrity Playline Dolls

Integrity Fashion Fling Alysa, Integrity Studio It Janay, and Integrity Studio It Janay, left to right

I'm showing these three dolls because

1. the first doll - Alysa is my favorite with this face mold; I love her curly red hair and tawny complexion.

2. the middle doll - Janay - has the Alysa face mold in a darker brown complexion. She is the ONLY Janay with this face mold and complexion combination. I think the combination gives her an Ameriasian look.

3. the last doll - Janay - has a striking dark complexion with green eyes, coral-painted lips, and reddish hair.

Janay Photos on Pinterest

Debbie Behan Garrett of Black Doll Collecting wrote a post about Integrity Toys' playline Janay doll. Reading that post reminded me that I had found "new" photos of Integrity Toys' playline Janay and friends that I had pinned to my Pinterest Integrity Janay and Friends board. 

(The source for those photos, Armando Sanchez, is the founder of the Dolls of All Colors website. If anyone reading this post knows Armando Sanchez, please let me know. I sent an e-mail query through the Dolls of All Colors site that did not get a response.)

If you are on Pinterest and would like to share links of Janay or other playscale fashion dolls or action figures, let me know.

Five Reasons to Join Facebook's Integrity Janay/Color Infusion Group

Okay, if you are not on Facebook, this news may not interest you. Then again, it might get you to open a Facebook account ... maybe. Time spent on social media sites takes time, yes. But for fans of Janay and her friends OR fans of the new Color Infusion, both by Integrity Toys, this Group will be worth the distraction.

There's a new Facebook Group called "Integrity Toys Janay & Color Infusion Dolls Fan Club" started by renown Integrity playline fan CjStarz (aka CjStarz on Flickr). Yes, that CjStarz, grin. So you can expect some fantastic photography and juicy information sharing. Here is what you get to do as a member:

1. See photos of Janay and friends dolls and prototypes

2. Identify your Janay and friends dolls or ones you've seen

3. Answer doll identification queries - you might know who that mystery doll is

4. Learn about and discuss these almost forgotten dolls

5. Learn about the Color Infusion dolls

To join the group submit a request to CjStarz or another member. 

Links for Integrity Toys' Janay, Alysa, and Playline Dolls

While searching links for the Integrity Male Complexion post, I found these related sites. I am excited to share them with fellow Integrity playline collectors. The Master Collector link might have been provided before. But the others, I found by checking no longer available sites in the Internet Wayback Machine. Note: all sites do not have the photos, but the text there could be useful for dates - although confirmation from other collectors helps since, sometimes, dolls shown may NOT have been produced for the market. (I'm thinking of Shalaly)

Master Collector
2002 Integrity Dolls
Beautiful doll photos with wave titles


Dolls, Dreams, and Cuddy Things (Suzanne)
2002 Dolls
Reference for doll names and year; I could not open the photos belonging to the links

2003 Dolls
Aha! Giselle and Justin Wedding Set and Not-Produced Shalaly listed

2004 Dolls
Designer kits with unpainted Janay and friends heads - kitbashers dream!


Louise Fritsch's Candi Corner
Alysa and Jade
Reference for dolls and some photos show


Happy reading! Oh and don't forget that Therese of Dolls of Color is working on a Janay database. If you have Janay or other Integrity Barbie-scaled photos, links, etc. please share. Thanks!

Doll Theme: Ancient Egypt Part 1

Five dolls in my collection have Ancient Egypt as the theme:

1 Hasbro The Prince of Egypt: Prince Moses (1998)

2 Mattel Dolls of the World: Princess Collection, Princess of the Nile Barbie (2001)

3 Integrity Ancient Legends: The Quest for the Magical Amulet, Queen Adora (2004)

4 R&D Legends Collection: Queen of the Nile Susie (2005)

5 Integrity Fashion Royalty IFDC Convention Exclusive Back to Black Natalia (2008)

I will start with one of the two Integrity dolls with the Ancient Egyptian theme, Queen Adora from the Janay (Playline) series.

The backstory to this series is that Princess Janay and Prince Tariq search for Queen Adora's lost amulet. Further developments to that story starter could be completed by the child/owner of the doll(s). A Princess Janay doll and a Prince Tariq doll were also produced for this series. The prototypes for those dolls can be seen at this Master Collector link under the header "African Legends."

I bought the Queen Adora doll because she had short, tightly curled hair and an "Egyptian" style wig. How cute - a doll with a wig. And her short, cropped style is attractive on its own. Maybe I could use the wig for another doll. I recall seeing the Janay and the Tariq dolls, but the only one I wanted at that time was the Adora one. Adora also has a cardboard throne in her box that needs to be assembled. (I haven't deboxed her yet so there are no photos of the throne now.)

Other accessories with Queen Adora are a cardboard crown, cardboard ankh, gold "leather" sandals, a long sheer white gown, a white lacy stole with gold trim, a gold necklace and bracelets. Here are two photos of the Queen:

Pierre Janay and His Six Daughters

Pierre Janay is a Power Team action figure from M & C Toys. The six lovely ladies behind him are my Integrity Fashion Fling Janay dolls. Ordinarily, they would NOT be on the same shelf, but here, I have them as (left to right) Chloe (brown leather cap), Rashida (tan cap), Sable (reddish, center-parted hair), Tynesha (strawberry tight curls), and twins, Sandrine (goldenrod top) and Simone (yellow top).

Please note the variation of the dolls' face screening, the variety of complexions, and the straight to frizzy-curly hair. Integrity playline at its best with these 2004-2005 dolls.

Valentine's Day Quiz Key

Here are the answers to the Valentine's Day quiz:

Love Dove 1		Love Dove 2
1	Alysa	c	Alejandro
2	Barbie	g	Blaine
3	Barbie	bb	Ken
4	Barbie	ll	River
5	Billy	ww	Tyson
6	Buffy	e	Angel
7	Cara	n	Curtis
8	Catwoman	f	Batman
9	Charice	r	Dominic
10	Chelsea	w	Hudson
11	Christie	h	Brad
12	Christie	oo	Steven
13	Gabriella	vv	Troy
14	Giselle	z	Justin
15	Grace	o	Darren
16	Happy D	dd	Liam
17	Hattie	u	Hal
18	Jai	qq	Sutton
19	Janay	y	Jordan
20	Janay	aa	Keith
21	Janay	tt	Tariq
22	Jem	jj	Rio
23	Jenny	x	Jeff
24	Jerrica	kk	Rio
25	Kelsie	mm	Ryan (HSM)
26	Kenya	ss	T.J.
27	Kiyoni Brown	uu	Tre
28	Lindsey	m	Craig
29	Love	a	Adam
30	Lupita Fernandez	t	Giovanni
31	Madison	rr	Sutton
32	Martha Jones	q	Doctor Who
33	Melinda	ff	Michael
34	Mia	gg	Miguel
35	Midge	b	Alan
36	Midge	d	Allan
37	Miley Stewart	hh	Oliver
38	Nikki	pp	Steven
39	Nolee	i	Bryant
40	Poppy Parker	l	Chip
41	Princess Leia	v	Han Solo
42	Roberta Pardo	p	Diego
43	Sharpay	xx	Zeke
44	Sindy	ii	Paul
45	Skipper	cc	Kevin
46	Skipper	nn	Scott
47	Tammy	j	Bud
48	Taylor	k	Chad
49	Tracy Turnblad	ee	Link Larkin
50	Tuesday Taylor	s	Eric

Lady Revealed as Street Fusion Janay

I did promise to show the Street Fusion Janay without her sunglasses. She has the prettiest reddish coloring ... auburn curls, red-brown eyes, and a warm reddish-brown complexion. I have to give Integrity Toys kudos on how well they changed the looks of their Janay and other play line dolls.

Lovely, hmmm?

Integrity Playline Characters - Janay and Friends

Here is a list of the Integrity playline dolls that included Janay, Jade, Alysa and their friends:

The Women

• Janay
  
• Alysa
  
• Jade
  
• Giselle
  
• Nakia, African Legends only
  
• Adora, Ancient Legends only
  
• Malika, Embassy Ball only (My Favorite Dolls exclusive)
  
• Aria, Icon Club only (Dolls, Dreams, and Cuddly Things and Katy's Kollectibles exclusive)
  
• Sooki, Icon Club only, Dolls (Dreams, and Cuddly Things and Katy's Kollectibles exclusive)
  

The Men

• Jordan
  
• Keith
  
• Alejandro
  
• Tariq
  
• Justin, Giselle Wedding set only
  

Past Black Doll, Black Action Figure, or Black History Posts

One benefit of having blogged for over five years is that I have lots of posts. Lots. So, it occurred to me that some newer readers might have missed a good post or two. And regular readers might also have missed a post. It's happened to me on sites I regularly visit. So for this post, I am sharing previous years' black history and/or black doll-themed posts.

If you see any posts that you would like revisited or expanded on, let me know. If I still have the figure, I'll expand it. Or if you'd like to hear a different angle on an old post, let me know that, too. Oh and any favorites, let me know about them, too. Thanks and enjoy!

2009 New blogger - photos only

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2009/02/black-history-month-dafs-photo-round.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2009/02/black-history-month-dafs-photo-round_04.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2009/02/black-history-month-dafs-photo-round_05.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2009/02/black-history-month-dafs-photo-round_08.html

2010 Famous figures, complexion variation, sub-groups

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/so-in-style-sisters-chandra-and-zahara.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/13-famous-black-dafs.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/shades-of-black-part-one-mattel-male.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/one-of-best-flavas-choice-awards-tre.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/presenting-disco-wanda-by-shindana.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/shades-of-black-part-two-hasbro-male.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/shades-of-black-integrity-male.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/shades-of-black-part-four-m-c-toys.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2010/02/mattel-flavas-tre-by-two.html

2011 DBG Interview and different groups

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2011/02/which-black-fashion-dolls-andor-action.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2011/02/interview-with-debbie-garrett-of-black.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-family-in-playscale-part-1.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2011/11/award-night-tawny-of-flavas-2003.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2011/11/choice-awards-tawny-of-flavas.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2011/12/vivid-imaginations-brown-british-are.html

2012 Hair texture, stories, and a vehicle

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2012/02/olmec-naomi-and-mattel-kiddies.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2012/02/pizza-and-chocolate-enough-tjs.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2012/02/tianas-car-out-of-ordinary.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2012/02/black-history-month-and-ethnic-daf-hair.html

2013 Specific lines

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/02/enterbays-django-figures.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/02/janay-by-integrity-toys.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/10/kenyas-male-friends-found-in-philly.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/10/janay-research-pinterest-update.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/11/prettie-girls-review-links.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/11/bern-nadette-good-times-stannis-fan.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/12/whos-that-janay-test-your-integrity.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/12/happy-kwanzaa.html

http://phillycollector.blogspot.com/2013/12/collectors-three-mixis-three-and.html

Integrity Janay and Friends Online at Weaver's Site

A collector called Weaver has a website with many Janay and friends dolls from 1999-2001. You would click on the "Alysa Jade Janay" button on the website:

Integrity playline

Neat.

Valentine's Day Quiz

[No]Angelus and T.J. send a late but sincere wish that you all had a happy Valentine's Day!



They are sharing a Valentine's quiz of playscale couples for you to match - Love Dove 1 to Love Dove 2. Sure, everyone will likely connect 2. Barbie to bb. Ken, but what about the other 49 couples? [No]Angelus and T.J. will share the key to the correct pairings early next week.

	LoveDove1		LoveDove2
1	Alysa	a	Adam
2	Barbie	b	Alan
3	Barbie	c	Alejandro
4	Barbie	d	Allan
5	Billy	e	Angel
6	Buffy	f	Batman
7	Cara	g	Blaine
8	Catwoman	h	Brad
9	Charice	i	Bryant
10	Chelsea	j	Bud
11	Christie	k	Chad
12	Christie	l	Chip
13	Gabriella	m	Craig
14	Giselle	n	Curtis
15	Grace	o	Darren
16	Happy D	p	Diego
17	Hattie	q	Doctor Who
18	Jai	r	Dominic
19	Janay	s	Eric
20	Janay	t	Giovanni
21	Janay	u	Hal
22	Jem	v	Han Solo
23	Jenny	w	Hudson
24	Jerrica	x	Jeff
25	Kelsie	y	Jordan
26	Kenya	z	Justin
27	Kiyoni Brown	aa	Keith
28	Lindsey	bb	Ken
29	Love	cc	Kevin
30	Lupita	dd	Liam
31	Madison	ee	Link Larkin
32	Martha Jones	ff	Michael
33	Melinda	gg	Miguel
34	Mia	hh	Oliver
35	Midge	ii	Paul
36	Midge	jj	Rio
37	Miley Stewart	kk	Rio
38	Nikki	ll	River
39	Nolee	mm	Ryan
40	Poppy Parker	nn	Scott
41	Princess Leia	oo	Steven
42	Roberta	pp	Steven
43	Sharpay	qq	Sutton
44	Sindy	rr	Sutton
45	Skipper	ss	T.J.
46	Skipper	tt	Tariq
47	Tammy	uu	Tre
48	Taylor	vv	Troy
49	Tracy Turnblad	ww	Tyson
50	Tuesday Taylor	xx	Zeke

Anyone recognize all 50 pairs?