Philly's 22nd International Black Doll Show & Sale

Hey, did you happen to see, the most fugliest bride in the world ....

This has been my BEST International Black Doll Show visit. I talked with a few of the dealers and one doll artist. I even brought a 12” fellow home with me. Before I report my findings, I want to thank Dr. Barbara Whiteman, her ever gracious daughter Robyn Whiteman, and two charming Convention Assistants, Jenna Arnold and Janee Douglas. Thanks to the unknown (to me) convention staff, other Black Doll Collectors' Club members, and Debbie B. Garrett for reminding me about the Show.

At last year’s Show, I spoke with some convention assistants working with Linda C. Hayes. They gave me permission to photograph her offerings for my blog post on the Show and gave me her contact information. This year, I met Ms. Hayes herself. We did not have a substantial talk due to the many distractions of the Show and my wanting to photograph EVERYTHING that she had ;-D

If there were a prize for the most unusual doll offerings, Ms. Hayes would have won it: Among her sales items were the Dennis Rodman doll shown above, Oreo Barbie, Talking Cassius Clay figurine, the Hasbro Destiny’s Child dolls, elusive Shindana dolls Slade and Dr. J, and four 12” action figure outfits. I couldn’t resist the Army Ken – note: I have no military Kens so he filled a void. I mean, Soldier Ken … who could resist?

In case any of the items I mention are on your Wish List, here is Ms. Hayes’ current contact information:

Linda C. Hayes, Doll Connoisseur
Linda’s Black Dolls, Vintage to Modern
P.O. Box 8653
VA Beach, Virginia 23450-8653

Poet540@msn.com
757-498-5064

Next, I spoke with Gloria Henson, Dollmaker, about her Angel Doll. Since the Angel Doll is porcelain and not playscale, I will save those comments for my Examiner article. However, Ms. Henson had a dark brown complected My Scene Knockoff doll and a smaller scale Malcolm X figure/figurine. (I could imagine him lecturing my larger playscale figures. We’d go, “Oh he’s sooo cute,” as he paced below us. Nope.)

While the My Scene Knockoff was tempting – amazing how faithfully the knockoff company recreated the Mattel My Scene box graphics - I left her behind too although she was only $5.00. (If you are curious about either item, please see them in my Webshots folder and/or contact Ms. Henson at Glohenson1960@yahoo.com . She might have one or both of them.)

I also spoke to Mayai Chatman who offered a familiar doll that I had not seen in the vinyl: Kenner Dana from the Fashion Model Darci line. Thud. Ouch. That’s my knees hitting the marble floor. Sigh. Now I want a NFRB Kenner Dana. She’s on my Wish List. No, I won’t likely get her anytime soon, but she is definitely on The List.

Anna's Collectibles was there as well. I did not get their card this year, but they had a few holiday Barbies and a few of the denim Barbie Basics dolls.

Other reviews and or comments about this year's Show are by Ms. Leo and Black Doll Collector.

If you attended the Show and you would like to submit your review, please visit here.

Memorial Day 2011

Memorial Day 2011
East Philly


Stars'n Stripes Army Ken and Power Team soldiers. Will they debox Ken?

Caveat Collector: Television Invitations and Collector Paranoia

It began with a comment entered under my “Mary, Mother of Mothers“ post. The Associate Producer for Treasure Hunters Roadshow, a national television show featuring collectors, asked if they could highlight my doll and action figure collection for their program.

My first response: okay … who’s pulling PhillyCollector’s leg? Hmmm? I mean nobody from TV – national TV no less – was reading my blog. Interested in my collection? Please.  Someone is laughing at my expense. So I checked for the existence of the show and the Producer online. Both existed so I responded - oh, I am flattered, yes, I would LOVE to be featured, etc. 

Then I started thinking: do I really want to do this? Want people to see me with my stuff? What will I do next? Wear one of those "I Collect Barbies" tee shirts and lead lurking bad guys to my home? Or maybe some architectural detail filmed will clue lurking bad guys into discovering where I live. Maybe lurking bad guys will see that big Treasure Hunters van outside my home. Maybe I am sending a flare up for Lurking Bad Guys United to make an unofficial visit to my home. Maybe they will relieve me of my collection - without paying me anything - because they are Lurking Bad Guys. Paper bag, please!

So, I procrastinated and missed the date. Then I felt guilty about that because I had agreed. A friend though thought the TV invitation seemed dodgy so I investigated a little more about the Show. Perhaps my subconscious had worked my latent collector paranoia to protect the gullible-show-off me. (That's not like the Three Faces of Eve ... really.) Maybe something felt too good to be true about national exposure of collectors. No offense intended to fans of Treasure Hunters Roadshow. My invitation was only to show my collection to the nation. What harm would there be in that? Aside from those lurking bad guys ... STOP!

Such was my fleeting, near brush with fame. If you have been televised or would like to be and you have positive or negative experiences, feel free to share them here.

Finally, I do not, repeat, NOT have any flamboyant clothes in my closet. 

No 1:1 scale ones anyway .... 

Save Your Saturday for the Annual IBDC Show

Philadelphia Doll Museum and Dark Images present

"Sophisticated Dolls"
The International Black Doll show
Mitten Hall, Temple University
Broad and Berks Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19122-6092

Saturday, May 28, 2011 10 AM - 5 PM

Admission
Adults, $7 each
Seniors or children, $5 each

Closest Broad Street Subway stop: Cecil B Moore Station

To read previous comments about previous International Black Doll Shows, click here.

I'm going ... anyone else? Oh, wait, let's NOT tell, lol. What will be, will be.

1970s Happy Family Grandparents Were Issued - I Never Knew!

Frannie found them. Uh huh. Hal Happy's parents. Check her post here.

I had the original Sunshine Family, the Sunshine Family Grandparents, and the Happy Family. But no Happy Family Grandparents. Where were they hidden, I ask? I mean, I never heard of them. I certainly never saw them. And I used to be into that series when I was young. Even though they have inset eyes that reminded me of birds' eyes.

Aside: Stephanie got lost early on. I do not believe that Stevie disposed of her although he had a torrid affair with Hasbro's Love. Since Stevie was like-able but not particularly gorgeous (remember the birds' eyes) or sexy (please), I never acted out what "torrid love affair" meant. But I liked the description, so it stuck to the Stevie-Love relationship.

Well, after I stopped reeling from the awareness that dolls existed that I missed - plop down and pout, okay enough of that, lol - I remembered a similar doll series Mattel produced using the Stevie and Stephie head sculpts. Anyone remember the Star Spangled dolls?

I found my Star Spangled Dolls brochure. As I mentioned to Frannie in her comments, my Indian Maiden and Pioneer Daughter dolls are too dusty zones to be photo presentable. So they are going to be "no shows" in this post. Still, I wanted to acknowledge those dolls from my past. Just a brief salute.

The text is um ... quaint? If cleaned up American history bothers you, you might want to skip it.  The above Star Spangled Doll link shows the dolls and their bios. A little embarrassing to read now.

 

More Information About the Former Princess of Japan (Mattel)

These photos are for Kim and Ms. Leo as response to their queries about the former Princess of Japan Barbie. In the first photo, POJ Barbie sits between Volks' Kana and Mattel's Lea. POJ Barbie's hair color is darker than the warm dark brown of Kana's hair, but it is lighter than the jet black of Lea's hair.

In the second photo, POJ Barbie hugs her former body - an event only possible in East Philly and similar doll/action figure zones, lol. POJ Barbie is only the tiniest bit taller than she was on the Skipper Barbie body. So anyone interested in re-bodying their Skipper and other young teen dolls, the Liv bodies make excellent and in-scale new bodies.

P.S. Lea's feet are not large enough to wear the Lollipop dolls boots, but her small feet can pull them on for this photo.

Lollipop Girl Fashions on Other Dolls and Action Figures

Dragon Linh, MGA Entertainment America's Next Top Model Sidney, Mattel Alvin Ailey American Dance Barbie, and Volks Who's That Girl Kana wearing Jan McLean's Lollipop Girls' fashions. Front view above and rear view below.

Just a few years ago, I sometimes bought stuff that was on sale just because I thought I might someday find a use for it. Example? These Jan McLean's Lollipop Girls fashions. I doubted that I would ever buy any of the Lollipop dolls because of their big heads, inset eyes, and elongated bodies. But that didn't mean that the cool fashions and kicky boots and dramatic hats could not benefit some of my other dolls and action figures. And that hunch paid off.

The pants will fit Barbie Model Muse bodies best. The other dolls shown can wear the pants, but the legs are overlong so you would need to either cut the excess fabric and sew a new hem or fold the pants' legs up.

(Aside, Hasbro's Banee of the Starlight Girls - JEM - only appeared to fit the Lollipop outfit she borrowed yesterday. The top was a stretch, but the back of the jeans did not meet.)

The tops barely fit though. The hats can be a little too large.