Monday, December 14, 2009

Red-haired Male - Defa Lucy's Happy Family Father



Usually, I see this type of doll, avert my face, and shudder. Cheap. Cheesy. Ick.

But I saw this set in a Forman Mills' discount shop and thought, wow! This guy has RED hair and a character face. Think bouncing red ball excitement. And he's an ethnic redhead. Add fluttering hands and oooooohhhhhhs. In my head is where this action occurs ... don't want to get tossed out of a store for acting odd. Sigh. Externally think great, giddy grin and impatient hops while walking.

On the back of the box, there is a photo of the Caucasian Happy Family in the Defa Lucy series. He's redheaded, too. And these guys are jointed.




Forman Mills had other Defa Lucy sets. I've also seen this series at A.J. Wright stores. They are Barbie clones. Very good Barbie likeness, but otherwise, on the cheaper end of Barbie clones. And they come with interesting accessories and even more interesting copy on the boxes. Lucy's male companion in one set is described as her "lover." Eyes sparkle and deep grin spreads ... imagine those Walmart mommies with their fuss about married Midge being pregnant and NOT having her husband Alan in the same box! Evil cackle escapes me. It's just that easy to fall in love with a new series.

Defa Lucy is produced by Guangzhou Lebay Children Articles Co., LTD.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Top Ten DAFs of 2009 (Steps Four-Six)


  • 10 - One2Believe Tales of Glory Esther
  • 9 - Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Priyanka Chopra
  • 8 - Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Hrithik Roshan
  • 7 - M & C Toy Centre World Peacekeepers Combat Engineer Power Team Elite
  • 6 - Mattel High School Musical 3 In the Spotlight Tiara Gold
  • 5 - Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Kajol
  • 4 - Haschel Toys Olga Tanon
  • 3 - Aoshima/Skynet Girl's Mission No. 4 Mai
  • 2 - Integrity Fashion Royalty Bewitching Hour Luchia
  • 1 - Integrity Dynamite Girls Heartbreaker T.J.


One-Five




Six-Ten

Happy Hanukkah



from Noah, Moses, Esther (shown) and the citizens of the East Philly Doll and Action Figure Zone.

Oh, and from me, too ;-D . I'm too big to fit in the photo though.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

In Toys R Us Today - Photos of New DAFs

Stopped by a Toys R Us just to see what they had. No intention or ability to buy. Fortunately, I had my dear pink camera. Snap! Snap!

Do you see what I see?



Wow. First time I have seen all three African American Barbie Basic dolls at the same time. And lucked out being able to photograph them. Whooo hooo!


Babysitter Barbie and Kelly ... in a Kelly-sized bathroom?



Okay, I only babysat my younger siblings, but is this the true scene for modern babysitters? A bathroom? I'd have thought a living room/parlour/family room with an overstuffed couch before a color television. Or babysitter curled up in a chair with a book. The kid could be sleeping on the babysitter's lap or better still, child asleep in her [own] bed. Or babysitter standing in front of an open and lit refrigerator, filled with edible goodies. Note: guess that means I wrote myself out of any babysitting jobs. Shrug. Eh well, I don't have the energy to fight off the requisite murderous villain stalking the babysitter. Sigh.


Playmates Star Trek McCoy and Sulu from the 2009 movie:



I got a better photograph of the John Cho Sulu. Remember, he's a Toys R Us exclusive.




New from MGA Entertainment: More 2 Me Avery and Lexa.



No Sophinas in store when I was there, but she is shown on the back of the box. No Sashas in this wave per the box back. I feel a little sad when I look at this line. MGA Entertainment used to have a Sasha with every Bratz wave. It almost seems as though Sasha has to pay for Mattel seizing the Bratz line. Eh, but that's not really it. It's the numbers. African Americans are no longer the largest minority in the United States.

I also saw a Fashionista Ken - yay! Love his Michael Jackson hat. Poseable Ken! Tears welled in my eyes. Oh Mattel, allowing Ken 100 poses, too! If I had a hat on, I would remove it. Breakdancing Ken. Will the oxymorons never cease? Will I ever get work again? Isn't it time I ended this post?

Step Three: More Than 10? Review Again

Two removed from the list. Now, who do I really, really, really like? In this second elimination, I separate dolls and action figures (DAFs) that I like from DAFs I love. A List versus B List. Like B list actors, B list DAFs are keepers. They just lack that je ne sais quoi that the A list or Top 10 DAFs have. Meet the B List DAFs new in 2009:

  • M & C Toy Centre World Peacekeepers E.O.D. Technician Power Team Elite
  • Mattel Ballerina Barbie
  • Mattel SiS So in Style Kara
  • Mattel SiS So in Style Kianna
  • Mattel Beach Party Nikki
  • Mattel High School Musical 3 Graduation Day Ryan
  • Mattel High School Musical 3 In the Spotlight Sharpay Evans
  • Play Along Ltd. Cheetah Girls Growl Power Dorinda
  • Revell GmbH& Co. KG Kick-O-Mania Hamburger SV Benjamin Lauth


The World Peacekeepers E.O.D. Technician is cute. But although he is an older man - and not as well represented in the DAF world as might be expected, he misses falling into the Top 10 list because he is not that exciting.

Ballerina Barbie, SiS Kara, Nikki, and Sharpay are pretty dolls. But that's the most I can say about them. I like them in my collection, but nothing stands out about them. Kianna works the cute factor - who can bypass curly pigtails - but she looks like the other SiS little sisters. Graduation Day Ryan has the kilt working in his favor. Oh and the soft curled, rooted hair. Move past the hair and the kilt though and where's the draw? Yawn. Stretch.

I like the Cheetah Girls Dorinda ... she looks like a character more than some dolls who look doll, but she just misses the wow factor. Sigh. I like Benjamin Lauth, another character, but articulation-wise, he's on the stiff side. For an action figure. I like that he isn't as pretty/handsome as my Kens, but again, no wow factor.

So where am I now? Who are the remaining 10 by manufacturer?

  1. Aoshima/Skynet Girl's Mission No. 4 Mai
  2. Haschel Toys Olga Tanon
  3. Integrity Dynamite Girls Heartbreaker T.J.
  4. Integrity Fashion Royalty Bewitching Hour Luchia
  5. M & C Toy Centre World Peacekeepers Combat Engineer Power Team Elite
  6. Mattel High School Musical 3 In the Spotlight Tiara Gold
  7. One2Believe Tales of Glory Esther
  8. Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Hrithik Roshan
  9. Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Kajol
  10. Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Priyanka Chopra


Next step will be to rank them. Now that will be fun ... groan. Not.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Step One: List of DAFs Received in 2009 to Date

Manufacturer and Doll or Action Figure (DAF) Name

  1. Aoshima/Skynet Girl's Mission No. 4 Mai
  2. Haschel Toys Olga Tanon
  3. Integrity Dynamite Girls Heartbreaker T.J.
  4. Integrity Fashion Royalty Bewitching Hour Luchia
  5. M & C Toy Centre World Peacekeepers Combat Engineer Power Team Elite
  6. M & C Toy Centre World Peacekeepers E.O.D. Technician Power Team Elite
  7. Mattel Ballerina Barbie
  8. Mattel SiS So in Style Kara
  9. Mattel SiS So in Style Kianna
  10. Mattel My Scene Lindsey Lohan
  11. Mattel Beach Party Nikki
  12. Mattel High School Musical 3 Graduation Day Ryan
  13. Mattel High School Musical 3 In the Spotlight Sharpay Evans
  14. Mattel High School Musical 3 In the Spotlight Tiara Gold
  15. One2Believe Tales of Glory Esther
  16. One2Believe Tales of Glory Noah
  17. Play Along Ltd. Cheetah Girls Growl Power Dorinda
  18. Revell GmbH& Co. KG Kick-O-Mania Hamburger SV Benjamin Lauth
  19. Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Hrithik Roshan
  20. Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Kajol
  21. Spinmaster Bollywood Legends Priyanka Chopra


These are the DAFs I have received for 2009 to this date. Please note: any other DAFs received but NOT shown here are gifts to be given to me at Christmas. Those DAFs are not in my possession yet.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Preparing for a Top 10 DAFs of 2009 Post

Shaun Wong issued an invitation to collectors to submit a Top 10 list of favorite dolls and or action figures received in 2009. The challenge has been accepted by Corsetkitten among other collectors.

I've decided to post about my Top 10 Dolls and Action Figures (DAFs). Now while I hope that I have not yet exhausted my purchases for this year, for this article, I am going to draft a post based on what I have now. If I need to amend the list, I'll do so. But for now, here are the steps that I am taking to produce my Top 10 list.

1. List the DAFs bought in 2009
2. Note the DAFs I most enjoy having from that list
3. If more than 10, go through that list a second time. Do any have back stories?
4. Determine the Top 10 by liking, back story, and times handled
5. Rank the DAFs from 10-1
6. Photograph the Top 10 in one photo
7. Photograph each of the 10 individually
8. Provide the DAF name, series if any, and where available if available still
9. Discuss why/how each gained DAF that position
10. Type and proof choice responses then upload to my blog

These are the steps I imagine taking to produce my Top 10 list.