Top Ten DAFs of 2009: Heartbreaker T.J. at 1

Manufacturer: Integrity
Series: Dynamite Girls
Character Name: Heartbreaker T.J.
Box Year, if Noted: 2009

Why is T.J. on the Top Ten list?

Well, she's pretty and pose-able. I like her side-glancing eyes -- having attractive side-glancing is no small feat. Her overall coloring pleases - whoo hoo for red pepper lips instead of pink or tomato red. The red pepper color looks more sophisticated. And add a plus for her pouty-shaped mouth ... it gives her a stubborn, aloof air.




Why is T.J. first on the Top Ten list?



Let's see, Mai has the best articulation; Luchia has the most glamour. How did T.J. shoot ahead to Number One? The two winning factors are the Pout and the Connection.

The Pout is easy: it gives T.J. "attitude." "Attitude" as in hands on her hips and taking a stand and NOT backing down. The fight is on. Mai has a little attitude, too, but she's younger. Think teenager flouncing out a petulant "whatever." Luchia has Attitude Galore, but her attitude comes from confidence, maturity, and a little ennui. Luchia has world-weary captured. Arched eyebrow and curled lip ... how bored she is. T.J. has that I'm-not-getting-my-way-and-somebody's-gonna-pay look.

What cinched T.J.'s place though is the Connection. Not T.J. being brown-skinned or dark-eyed or dark-haired. But T.J. having small breasts. Luchia and Mai are both bosomy. T.J., on the other hand, revives the teenaged me. Back when I was "tall, thin, with not too much up there" as one stranger informed me many years ago. Like I needed him to tell me that. Think narrowed eyes rolling. Head shake. Back to the present. So that feature sets T.J. apart from the other top three. Did anyone see that coming?

Both Integrity Toys dolls, Fashion Royalty W Club 2008 Bewitching Hour Luchia and Dynamite Girls Heartbreaker T.J. can be found on eBay and possibly in online shops. They can be in stock one day and gone the next so my suggestion would be for interested buyers to do a Google or a Bing search for the dolls to have the most current information.

For those interested in reading other Top Ten Dolls/Action Figures/Toys, see the post initiator, Shaun Wong's blog for incredible photography and interesting reviews. Other doll and action figure collectors participating in the Top 10 of 2009 Reviews include:

Corsetkitten
Mick
Smidge Girl

A Vampire Diary: Hair War, Part One

I’m gonna get that b, TJ. Lookit what she’s done to me. Me, the Great [No]Angelus surrounded by a swarm of noisy teenagers. Talk about your basic bad trip. I don’t care how cute she looks when she spazzes out over her mussed hair; this time it’s war, and I mean BLOOD war.

Flashback: Halloween night. TJ had been on me about buying a gray skeleton. Hello? Had she ever seen a real skeleton? Did she think they bleached their bones to glow in the dark? I mean, I went out. I bought that stupid plastic skeleton. Sure it was a cheap one. She was only using it for one night. But, no, I ruined her holiday party. As if the kids would be spooked by that crap. Post Freddy days, TJ. Bad choice on your part.

So, I was kinda peeved at her. Maybe, I felt a little mean. Unappreciated. Hurt. I mean, how many vampires go running to dollar stores to buy stupid plastic skeletons to scare kids who have no fear of plastic bones? Just setting up my defense here.

Few days later, she has fried flounder. No, I didn’t eat any. But ... I poured some of the leftover grease from the fish into her hair pomade. Grease is grease, right? Well, not to Miss TJ. Next day, she goes to straighten her hair with a metal comb. Sets the comb on the stove burner to heat. Then she applies some of the grease to her hair and smooths it out with the hot comb. Her face crinkles in the most adorable way. If I weren’t busy sidling to the door, I’d have taken a photo. She sniffed her fingers, then the pomade. Pomade jar fell out of her hands. She screamed my name – and not in a satisfactory way, I might add – and ran for me. I bolted out of that kitchen quicker than the proverbial bat out of Hell.

(Makes you wonder what’s a bat doing in Hell? Sure they’re ugly suckers – ha, ha, pun intended … whoooo … I crack me up sometimes – but that’s got nothing to with their moral character. Note to self: look up the bat in Hell reference.)

Anyhoo, I have had to avoid Ms. TJ like the proverbial plague. (Understandable that because who wants to cuddle up to a plague? I mean sickness and death, all that rot. Rot? Hooo hooo! If TJ doesn’t get me, I will with my own jokes. Hoisted by me own humor.) No sense of fun, that TJ.

But you are wondering why I am here at the Spendthrift Mall. Why I am being assailed by teenage girl voices and grubby teenage girl hands? (Didn’t girls used to aspire to be ladies? Didn’t they used to wash their hands? One minute they have their hands in their mouths adjusting wads of wet gum – eewwww – and the next, they are grabbing my person. Hey!) But back to the present. How did I land in this fate worse than death – and I did death so I know of what I speak.

Ms TJ the B. Yeah, she tricked me into coming out of hiding. Hiding? Well, maybe just a sabbatical. I mean, I wasn’t really afraid of a slip of a chick like her. On her tippy toes. Not even on solid flat feet. No, I was just chillin’. Giving her time to remember what a hoot I am. So she sends my buddy Barnie after me with this fake truce. Oh, she misses me. Could we please hang out at the Mall as neutral territory? Meet as though nothing ever happened. Made me think all was forgiven. Famous last dumb thought. Can’t believe I fell for it.

Barnie now – being an old-school vamp and none too hip to the ways of women today – fell for the deception. Barnie wants to woo teenaged girls because he thinks that is the in thing. Whiny, self-absorbed teenaged girls who lack the rudiments of decorum and hygiene. Oh and the horrible din of their high-pitched prattling and the impertinence of their dirty paws. Shudder. Any guy, vampire or other, who’d think the tender flesh was worth enduring all that … well, he can’t be too bright. Poor Barnie.

Whoa. Poor Barnie? Poor me. TJ told these fem-gnats that I booked some vampire named Edward – a sorry vamp poser, if half of his history is to be believed – so now they are after me. So I can help them flay this punk. Like I would hang around some vamp glow worrm. A dumb vamp who lingers around high school seeking the company of teenaged girls. Actively seeking them. You feel me, right?

Dumb vamp is smitten with a drip called Betty. Betty keeps begging Edward to bite her so that she can live with him eternally. Like being a vampire isn’t hard enough. Yeah, let’s live with a teenaged girl forever. Her always expecting a guy to gaze into her eyes. Do nothing. Be nothing else. No sports, no solitary jaunts to the woods. Nada. Lookee me, lover. Lookee me. Now that is Hell.

Shriek, buzz, shriek, buzz … girls surround me. Insistent that I yield up that pathetic excuse of a bloodsucker.

I’m not going to kill TJ. I’m not going to turn her. But I will get her back for this. Her hair is her weakness. I gotta figure out how I can muss her hair real bad …

Pizza and Chocolate Enough? T.J.'s Valentine 2012

Love is NOT in the air for Integrity Toys' T.J. this year.

She had an argument with [No]Angelus.

She had a disagreement with Trevor.

She passed a modeling assignment with Lukas.

She informed the Power Team guys that football had and always would bore her.

She outraged Naomi when she confessed that she had "lost" the Whitney Houston tapes ... although she had a vague recollection that the loss occurred sometime in the morning ... just before the trash trucks pulled off.

The lost tapes was the final straw for many of the East Philadelphians because Naomi then complained to anyone who would listen that T.J. was too insensitive. Naomi-in-grief could be difficult, but Naomi-incensed-by-cruel-intolerance would madden anyone in hearing distance. So T.J.'s fans, friends, foes, and even those who barely knew her, gave her the cold shoulder.

So T.J. spent her Valentine's Day 2012 sitting on a loveseat and eating a Van Doll's pizza, a carton of popcorn, and a box of Godiva bought with her own money. She had pizza and she had chocolate and last year's set of The Closer dvds. So T.J. had a nice enough Valentine's Day after all.

T.J. and Two Vampires

T.J. has a skeleton in her hands. She's setting the stage for the 2010 EPDAF* Halloween Party.

Barnabas recounts events past to T.J. while [No]Angelus prepares to tweak her hair. Or does she sense him ready to grasp her ponytail?

Happy Halloween to All!

*East Philadelphia Doll and Action Figure

Black History Month - DAFs Photo Round Two

As promised - if late in the night - more photos of Black dolls and action figures in my collection.



Trevor and T.J. Trevor is the Hot Toys TrueType African American figure; T.J. is Heartbreaker T.J. from the Integrity Dynamite Girls series.




Scottie Pippin and three of the High School Musical 3 dolls - Chad, Taylor, and Zeke - all by Mattel.




Krissie. Hasbro's Krissie from Jem's Starlight Girls.




Clarence and Martha Jones. Clarence is the Hasbro Lando Calrissian; Martha Jones is the 12" (cough, cough) figure from Character Options' Dr. Who series.




Brenda, Miao the Cat, Randy. Brenda is one of the Bbi Perfect Body; her brother Randy is the Tyr character from Bbi's Andromeda series; and Miao the Cat is from the Barbie Futon & Table, Living Room playset.

Where is T.J.?

October snow. Come on - when does it snow in PHILADELPHIA in October? Halloween's come and gone. No holiday fun with T.J. Where is T.J.?

We haven't had a row so she's not avoiding me on that count. No one else can recall when the last time they spoke to her. I shouldn't be worried about her. It's just not right that she's gone. What is she up to? Guess I'll have to find out.

[No]Angelus

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.

Kenya's Male Friends Found in Philly

Hooray! Remember Kenya? What about her boyfriend, T.J. and his cousin Dwayne? Well, Kenya's male friends have finally reached the City of Brotherly Love.

Cousins Dwayne (left) and T.J. (right)

Here is Dwayne. He has painted, close-cropped hair. Medium brown complexion.

Here is T.J. He has a bald skull. Dark brown complexion. He and Dwayne both have straight arms and articulated knees as guessed by the angle of the bent knees.

I did not buy either of the guys. While I would like to try the fashions on my taller guys - Integrity Toys' Lukas Maverick and Mattel's Scottie Pippin - I'd like to wait until they are on sale. On the other hand, suppose they get bought up entirely? Suppose I cannot find them later? Male dolls appear and disappear so quickly. What to do? What to do?

P.S. Select Kenya dolls are for sale online. I am hoping that little sister Keyshia makes her appearance next.

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?

The Playscale Swim Suit Issue

In the beginning, Barbie was issued wearing a black-white striped swim suit. And fashion dolls and action figures have swim suits as a fashion staple.

This issue has been somewhat inspired by Fashion Doll Stylist.


Let's start with the most basic white swim wear - painted on briefs for Oliver and painted on bra-tops and panties for everGirl, Get Real Girl Claire and Get Real Girl Gabi. The red-haired everGirl has a strapless bra top while the Get Real Girls wear more modest, full bra-tank tops. Oliver is an exception; most male dolls and/or action figures do not wear white shorts.

Let's see some more sophisticated white swim fashions - white with a little metallic. 

Here are Twist'n turn Casey (Mattel), Suntan Tuesday Taylor (Ideal), Monsieur Z Babes Wild (Integrity Toys), Dynamite Girl Heartbreaker T.J. (also Integrity Toys), and Fashion Model On Location - Milan Barbie (Mattel). T.J. wears the original swim set of Integrity Toys' Nu Face .

Armageddon Xenia (Toy Biz) and Kisara (Takara) wear basic knit swim wear. Xenia has borrowed Bbi Perfect Body's black two-piece and Kisara wears her original black one-piece.

Next, the guys show a range of flesh exposure options. Jericho (Jakks Pacific) wears the briefest swim pants while the unnamed priest formerly known as Commander Adamo (Majestic Studios) and S Club Seven's Paul (Hasbro) are less generous in baring their legs. 

Finally, Sindy (Pedigree) shares Olmec Naomi's black-white striped swimsuit. It's a comfortable fit for her.

Where are the tropical and rainbow colors? Let's see some samples here. I'll let you guess who the models are and which swim suits they are wearing. (The dolls and action figures have been seen here before. The swim suits? Maybe ....)


For those bright tropical colors of yellow, orange, and lime green, here are my favorites:

And what about his tropical swim wear? Some male dolls and action figures vie with the sun.

Jewel and other colors up next. Hers followed by his.

I do have other dolls and action figures wearing or capable of wearing swim suit. Perhaps next year, I will do another swim wear post with more figures and more comments. Have you guessed who my colorful models are?

T.J. Asks: Are They (Dating) or Aren't They?

T.J. wanted to spice this year's Valentine's Day entry with a quiz for PhillyCollector readers. By the photos shown below and the pairings, are these couples dating? Let her know your belief in the Comments section.

Remember how people believed Barbie really dated G.I. Joe. We've got some Barbies and a [G.I.]Joe stand-in here to test that belief. Behold how distinguished they all look?

Hasbro Lando Calrissian represents Hasbro G.I. Joe - while Go Red for Women AA Barbie and Pink Ribbon AA Barbie agreed to represent Barbie. Do you sense any Barbie-Joe love here?




Next up, we have a modern Ken and a Jakks Pacific Josie of Josie and the Pussycats. (What is good for the gander is good for the goose is Ken's take here.)



He's into hip hop; she's into country music. Sparks anyone?




We have Mattel's Scottie Pippin and Kenya.

Sizzling much?



Here goes Flavas Tre crossing the doll manufacturer's lines by stepping out with a Jakks Pacific Aqua from The Cheetah Girls.




This Valentine's Day post was inspired by a SuperCoolDollhouse post from 2012.

Whatever your dating status, have a Happy Valentine's Day! (Chocolates will be on sale tomorrow!)