New Blog Alert - Celebrity Doll Website - Recalls Older Website, Famous Figures

I was curious about Ms. Leo's Kristi Yamaguchi doll so I did a little research. Playmates created dolls of Ms. Yamaguchi and a few other female ice skaters in 1998. Go, Playmates go, I thought. Seeing some of the faces, I thought ... hmm if I were them, I'd go very far. Like a place where I can hide in plain view ... Sometimes, it must be difficult to recreate 1:1 scale features in 1:6 figures. Not all of the figures are flattering. Eh but some people are just happy to be immortalized in plastic at all. Accuracy might not be as important as having your own action figure or doll.

One of the websites mentioning the Kristi Yamaguchi doll was a NEW doll site called The Celebrity Doll Museum.

This website has a list of many celebrity dolls and action figures. It's a new venture - since 2010 - so they have yet to have photos of all the figures they acknowledge exist. I think it will be fun to see them develop and to send them messages about dolls and action figures they might have missed.

Longtime online doll and action figure collectors will remember Famous Figures. Yes, the website that clued countless collectors into which doll or action figure resembles the star or famous person you needed for your diorama. While Famous Figures does not seem to have been recently updated, it has YEARS of photos of celebrities and dolls and/or action figures who resemble those celebrities. I bring this link forward for any newer DAF collectors.

Warning: the Famous Figures website can be addictive. Happy viewing!

Query: Do you have any favorite celebrity DAFs? Or are you working on a figure of yourself as the next UNDISCOVERED DAF?

New Blog Alert - Male Dolls and Action Figures

Just dropping a brief line here about a new blog featuring great photography and MALE dolls and action figures. The author has POWER TEAM guys. All together.

I don't see how to follow yet. And I would LOVE to have the link to the Toy Centre page showing the black figures' faces. Sigh.

Greasy Legs? Leaky Legs? Please Read This Charles' Post

DBG commented in a recent post here about some of her dolls having "greasy" parts. I've mentioned my My Room Blaine had the same problem, but for a juicy-as-in-informative post, please read Charles of The Doll Diary's post on Self-Destructive Barbie Dolls.

Tuesday Taylor’s Ideal World

One of my favorite fashion dolls in the late 1970s was Tuesday Taylor. Her scalp swiveled so that she could have blond or brunette hair. (Half of her scalp had pale blond hair; the other half had brunette hair.) Guess what side I preferred? Remember that was back when blond Superstar Barbie reigned. So my Tuesday Taylor was always brunette.

Tuesday's black friend, Taylor Jones, had a similar hair option only her choices were auburn and black. I prefered the auburn for her because I felt that it worked better for her light eyebrows.

I should note that ALL Tuesday Taylors had light blue eyes. I darkened them to navy when I was younger. The default color of the dolls match that shown on the doll box.

Characters in Tuesday Taylor's World included:

Tuesday Taylor
Her younger sister, Dodi*
Her boyfriend, Eric
Taylor Jones

Here is a photo showing the Suntan Tuesday Taylor, Suntan Dodi, and Suntan Eric dolls:

This photo shows the basic Tuesday Taylor and the basic Taylor Jones:

The issued dolls were ...

Basic Tuesday Taylor
Basic Taylor Jones
Basic Eric

Suntan Tuesday Taylor
Suntan Eric
Suntan Dodi

Beauty Queen Tuesday Taylor
Fashion Model Tuesday Taylor

I have updated this post to include the information about Taylor Jones' hair choices - thanks for the reminder, DBG. DBG might have the Fashion Model Taylor Jones doll; I look forward to hearing more about that doll from her.

*Dodi has the same face and mold as Dodi from the Tammy series. That Dodi was the friend of Tammy's little sister, Pepper.

Additional references to Tuesday Taylor
Jewel's Doll Castle, Doll Reference, Fashion-Doll-Guide, original box for Suntan Tuesday Taylor, and Chrissy and Beth's website.

Sulu Now and Then Plus a Shocking Discovery

Playmates Toys was licensed to produce 12" Star Trek action figures in 1999 and 2009. I happen to have both versions of Hikaru Sulu . Here's my review on the two action figures - the appearance, the poseability, and my overall response to them. Let's start with the figures' resemblance to the actors playing the Sulu character: George Takei and John Cho.


Resemblance to Actors

1999 Sulu is modeled after the original Sulu, George Takei. Yay, Mr. Takei. Looking good. Well maybe his face looks a little bloated. I mean the action figure Sulu/George Takei. The action figure's body is top heavy and over-muscled. Nothing like Mr. Takei's. Remember though that like doll manufacturers, action figure manufacturers usually create one body for a series of similar [like all human] characters. This first Star Trek body was probably created with William Shatner in mind. But the face shape and the distinct lip shape make this figure George Takei rather than random Asian American guy. (Nothing wrong with random Asian American guys - just that this particular figure is supposed to represent George Takei. So it's good that the figure does.) The D7ana rating for Playmates' 1999 Sulu? Eight for resemblance to the actor.

2009 Sulu is modeled after the recent Sulu, John Cho. Wolf whistles and stomping of tiny feet. Consensus: John Cho is cute. What about his action figure? Oh no! Playmates, where is the likeness? Here we have a random Asian American guy. He could be John Cho, but then again, his face is too long. Shorten that face a little and draw the features in closer. The hair looks good though. So the D7ana rating for Playmates here is eight for the hair shape, seven for resemblance to the actor.


Action Figure Body

2009 Sulu has a nice lean body, yes! Score another point for Playmates. I mean to the aesthetics of their 2009 Sulu. But whoa, these are action figures, yes? So articulation and pose-ability count. Step down 2009 Sulu: your stiff elbows scarcely bend. The pendulum swings back to the 1999 Sulu. Notice how 1999 Sulu can lift his leg higher than 2009 Sulu? 1999 Sulu can bend his elbows and twist with the best of them. Bulky but flexible, easy to pose. That's charming in an action figure.

What about re-dressing? Well, as you can see, 1999 Sulu can remove his clothes and be redressed. The boots are forever though unless you kitbash, remove them and replace them with other calf-foot pair. Probably difficult to get a color and a size match. Still, boots are okay. Black boots go with almost anything. He just can't do on the beach scenes. Playmates gets a 9 for this aspect for 1999 Sulu.

And Mr. 2009 Sulu. Well, we can take off his shirt. Fairly impressive chest and torso. If you don't mind the cuts into his side to accommodate his arms. Hmmm ... his pants. Now, I'm not dropping his pants for voyeurism. No. Just want to see if we can change him out of those brown pants. Uh oh. Trouble. I would have to cut off the pants because the brown pants are fitted; they won't easily come off.


Shocking Discovery

Check what lies beneath his pants. No, I'm not talking flesh. I'm talking about texturized underwear. Apparently in rubber tire material. OMG, is this fetish wear for children? Borrow paper bag to blow into. Whiff smelling salts. Shake head. Can anyone tell me what happened between 1999 where Mr. Sulu has flesh-colored bikini by smooth shape and 2009 where Mr. Sulu has black rubbery trunks? Did they have to go to that extreme to cover up his "naughty part" - i.e. American slang for genitals?

Usually, only dolls have texturized underwear. Either action figures are fully dressed, molded plastic (the tiny ones), or the danger zone (aka male genitals)in the taller figures is covered by "implied" underwear suggested by lack of bump ala 1999 Sulu or more daringly by a smooth single, central bump. This is my first sighting of male rubber underwear. (I don't know whether you would call them fitted boxers or long-legged briefs ...) As an American though, I am shocked by this discovery of texturized underpants for male action figures. Aspirin and then a phone, please.

I need to point out that my perturbation occurs due to this finding on an action figure; dolls have long since had patterned bottoms. Mattel's Barbie, YNU Group's Mixis, others mold raised floral patterns on female nether parts - note, those are NOT diseased butts. On female figures. However, Kens and most male action figures NEVER have embossed designs on their boy bumps or their molded flesh underpants. Shocking.

Action figures should have fun, too, you think? Me, I was uncomfortable with thinking that daughters-unborn-to-me-at-this-time could encounter patterned female behinds and start demanding similar embossed tattoos for decency. (Everyone knows that white paint and/or molded panty lines are insufficient to restrain the rampant sexuality of female dolls.) Now I have to worry about sons-unborn-to-me-at-this-time demanding patterned rubber underpants. (That same everyone aforementioned knows that action figures are NEVER, EVER sexualized. No, action figures are neutral. Why the early Joes had legs attached to the bodies lacking naughty parts.)


Action Figures or Dolls

Oh and why do I keep calling these guys "action figures?" Aren't they dolls?

Meh. Yes, maybe. No ... I don't know. Yes, I do. These are action figures. You know them by these features, usually not present with male dolls or female dolls.

1. The over-sized hands and the "Get a Grip" pose of the hands. Look at Ken's hands. They are proportionate to his body. Ken's hands are fairly straight, too. At ease hands. Check 1999 Sulu's hands. OMG - what happened? Talk about ham-fisted. He could catch an asteroid with those gigantic hands. Action figure overcompensation at work there. Those hands are meant to do something. My guess? To stress the figure's maleness. Har, har, these be MEN. Men grapple with their hands. They seize things. Little passive hands, female. Big, massive hands, male.

Another possible reason? Because action figure manufacturers realize that doll collectors find the over-sized hands annoying. Over-sized fists torment anyone re-dressing the figure so afflicted. Show you what happens when you try to make a "doll" of our action figures, ho, ho.

2. Molded on shoes or boots in lieu of bare feet. Action figure manufacturers sometimes have a problem with bare feet. Or is it creating shoes? Not always ... but often enough to aggravate the doll collectors seeking to abuse action figures by re-dressing them. Anyone remember the plight of Ryan Whittaker?

There are action figures whose bare feet wear fabric and/or soft plastic shoes and boots. Then again, perhaps, the action figure manufacturers just don't want the kids or the adults to lose small accessories like shoes or boots. Maybe. Then again, it could be part of that master plan to thwart doll collectors from usurping action figures. Tsk.

What do you think?

RuPaul Fans Want a 13" Doll?

RuPaul fans can find the Integrity RuPaul doll on sale at My Favorite Doll for $29.99 each. You can buy her in one or all four of her striking outfits from 2005.

Joe-time Twenty-Four/Seven: Links for G.I. Joe

I should never have taken a Memorial Day photo without including my G.I. Joes. Well, here is a post to "make up" for that oversight.

New PhillyCollector readers might want to view these previous posts about Joe and Ken or this post about some 12" Joe heads or this post about Joe references online. At the second link, you can also find an online pattern for a kilt for Joe. But for the ultimate Joe-verse, try the Joepedia:G.I. Joe a new wiki for the 12" man of action.

Go Joe, go Joe. Go. Yeah, good night, guys.