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.

A Freckled Wee One Thwarts the Heat

Tommy's here. Hello, Tommy! He's got the rarest coloring for a male doll: pale skin, carroty red hair, and green eyes. He's dressed too warm for today, but he wanted to welcome June in.

Welcome June. Bringing the heat with a bang, June is this year.

I want December. I want the cold. I don't even mind the snow. I want to dress as warmly as Tommy is. Maybe that's why he's the first entry for June. His Christmasy colors and winter outfit.

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.