Creata Flower Princess Dolls from the 1980s

Disney Princesses had competition in the 1980s.

I saw some Creata Flower Princess fashion dolls on Tumblr recently. Anyone remember Creata? They produced Barbie-sized dolls such as the Flower Princess line, Jem-clones called Lace "the Celebrity Rock Star with Fashion & Fame," a circus-themed set, a 1950s-themed "Bobby Soxer", and others. I never had any of the other Creata dolls -- just the Flower Princesses and one Flower Prince. 

There are 3 main Flower Princesses, each with a suitor/husband and a daughter or younger sister*:

Princess Laurelle and Prince Lawrence and daughter/sister Laurissa*
Princess Leanna and Prince Lancelot and daughter/sister Lecia*
Princess Lisette and Prince Leslie and daughter/sister Linnea*.
  
The basic Leanna doll has painted green eyes and rooted blond hair; the basic Lisette has lavender painted eyes and rooted platinum blond hair. Many years ago, I had them and Prince Lancelot. (Yes, I sold those dolls.)

Creata also produced at least one black Flower Princess. Yes, you guessed it. I have her. The black Leanna appears in her original yellow dress in one post and re-dressed in a modern outfit in another post. I do not know if there were corresponding black Flower Princes or black daughter/sisters made. I don't recall seeing them in stores. (I haven't seen them online. Please share links, if you do.)

The Flower Princesses have their own fashions and furniture. Basic doll stuff, yes? A winged horse and unicorn are part of this line as well. So if you've always wanted a playscale unicorn, rest assured, one was produced.

This doll is a basic Flower Princess Laurelle. She has rooted titian hair with a few pink streaks in the front. She has painted blue eyes and what is called an "open/closed mouth."  The "open/closed" mouth means her mouth is molded into an open smile or grin, but the manufacturer painted the whole mouth pink instead of painting the teeth white. So the mouth is molded "open," but painted "closed."

Creata Flower Princess Laurelle

Three-quarters Profile of Creata Flower Princess Laurelle

I am considering giving Flower Princess Laurelle a repaint. Should I de-tooth her or fill in her mouth to make fuller lips? Should I paint her teeth white? She could benefit from getting a new body, too. Might be tricky to match her ruddy face though. I like her face, but the body ... nah.

Back of Creata Flower Princess Leanna undressed

Additional reading about the Flower Princess dolls is limited online. However, the three basic Flower Princess dolls I mention here are shown on pages 87-88 of Modern Collector's Dolls, Fifth Series by Patricia R. Smith. Collector Books, 1987.


*I have seen the child Flower Princess dolls described as the younger sister AND as the daughter so I leave both here. There is no company web page available; I might be able to confirm the child's status through back issues of Playthings magazine.

R&D Dolls Milan Chic Susie on YouTube

Yes, it is that time again. R&D Dolls Milan Chic Susie shares her sharp charcoal gray pinstriped coat, black knit mini, and fine accessories. I think this Susie resembles a young  Alyson Hannigan. I've added music to this video so if you are on a work computer - yes, I know, you would never look at dolls during office hours - you might want to mute your computer.

Enjoy!

New Mixis Review on YouTube

There is a Mixis doll review of Houda and Opal on YouTube by Ashley Bramblet. So if you are feeling Mixis fever or if you would like to hear a review from a young collector, stop by and watch the video. Hope you enjoy the video.

Mixis Fans Alert ... There's a New Mixis Campaign!

First Edition Mixis dolls Rosa (left) and Emerald (right) paused to pose for this summer 2014 photo. They are excited about the new Mixis crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo. 

Surely you know that YNU Group Incorporated has started a crowd funding campaign to expand the Mixis brand via an animated series about the Mixis characters along with a web comic and an interactive web site? The target audience is children from age 6-11. And you, yes, YOU can contribute to the development of this doll series. The campaign started on July 9, 2014 and will end on August 25, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. PST. The goal? $56,000 ... and there are 26 days left.

Before you haul your wallet out, you may want to check the Perks offered. Perks, you ask. Perks, I answer. Here are a few:

$10.00 donation will get a Virtual Shoutout on Facebook and Twitter

$25.00 donation will get a Mixis T-shirt

$50.00 donation will get your choice of one of the First Edition Mixis dolls AND 6 E-patterns for Mixis fashions

There are more Perks - do check the website to see them all. The best Perk for me would be for additional dolls to reach the market. I suppose that would follow a successful response to the animated series and online sites. Crowd funding campaigns can get different doll brands out. The success of the Lammily doll proves that crowd funding can get a new brand attention and financial support previously not easily obtainable.

Any thoughts about the Mixis campaign or about crowd funding in general? Do you think that you will support the Mixis campaign?

Hot Toys Presents Marty McFly from Back to the Future!

Is Back to the Future a favorite movie of yours? Next year will be the 30th anniversary of the movie. And big stuff in playscale are in the works.

Joining the ranks of other Movie Masterpiece Series figure by Hot Toys Limited is Marty McFly from Back to the Future coming to us sometime in 2015, possibly next Spring. You can read Paul Nomad of Idle Hands post about this figure. Michael J. Fox fans, check out this figure. The promotional photos look accurate. They even have this action figure a little shorter than the standard 12". I think the figure looks accurate, but then again, you might want to hold off until the actual produced figures appear. Still, you have been warned so start saving if this is a must have figure for you.

Additional information about playscale Marty McFly can be found at the pre-30th Anniversary movie website or at the Hot Toys Facebook page. (Thanks, Stephanie T from Facebook for the link to this figure AND and thanks to Omar from Facebook for the photo of the car from the movie.)

Oh, yes, it seems that the car will be produced as well. The DeLorean. The Hot Toys version of that car is one incredible vehicle. From the photos, I mean. I have not seen it in person. Sniff. Sigh. But I like how the doors open up on vertically. None of my doll cars do that. That's a cool car. No, I am not likely to get it. It will probably cost a few hundred dollars - and be worth it, if you could afford it. And it lights up. Yeah ... wow.

So if anyone gets the DeLorean, please, please do share photos. Or videos. I can admire it from afar. Sigh.

LGBT Dolls and Action Figures: a Partial List and Links

I do not collect gay dolls as a theme. Some of the male figures are enhanced to such an extent that I either blush or laugh to see them. They make me think of the phrase "the tail wagging the dog." So why submit a post about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered dolls? To see what I could find out. Flex my research skills. And to recognize that diversity means difference beyond race or ethnicity.

So I include this list of dolls either based on LGBT people or created to represent LGBT people -- with two exceptions*. Those two people expressed public support for the LGBT community. If you are aware of other playscale figures whom I have missed, do send the manufacturer and the doll/action figure name in the comments.

Bandi / Irwin Corporation (2 companies)

Sailor Neptune
Sailor Uranus

Dragon

[Jackie Chan listed here because he is sympathetic to the LGBT community. Hence the brackets. I thank two readers for asking about Jackie Chan; I apologize for my earlier error in listing him here. He is married to a woman, and he has not come out as gay.]*

Gizmo Development

Gay Bob 

Hasbro

New Kids on the Block Jonathan Knight      

Integrity

Amanda Lepore, described by Wikipedia as an American "transgender public figure"
RuPaul, described by Wikipedia as an American drag queen

LJN

Boy George - additional information about this doll is available only the listed photos are mostly gone.

Mattel

[Cyndi Lauper listed here because she is sympathetic to the LGBT community. Hence the brackets.]*
Harley Quinn, Marvel character
Joan Jett 
Kristy MacNichol
Lindsay Lohan
Poison Ivy, Marvel character
Raven-Symone of That's So Raven
Rock Hudson
Rosie O'Donnell

PlayAlong

Cheetah Girl Galleria Garibaldi (Raven-Symone)

Playmates

Sulu from Star Trek, original series (played by George Takei)

Sideshow

Willow Rosenberg from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (character only, NOT actress playing role)

Totem International

Billy   
Carlos, Billy's Puerto Rican boyfriend
Tyson, Billy and Carlos' African American friend

Yaboom

Elton John- more information about the playscale version of the singer

Additional reading and viewing

Jay Bell Books Top Ten Gay Action Figures   
Fashion Doll Empire re-dresses the Rebel figure by Tom of Finland
Amazon review of the Rebel figure by Tom of Finland
Pinterest boards: Decades of Ken, Gay Dolls Life
Love Has Fangs, web comic

Is He [Gay] or Isn't He?

Integrity Toys Jordan lips pursed

How do you determine that a doll is gay? Or bisexual or lesbian or straight?

Shrug. The manufacturer's back story? Sometimes. If the doll is based on a real person, do you match that person's sexuality? Maybe. Do you decide based on a story idea you have for the character? It depends.

I have never seen any of my dolls form romantic connections. (Neither the straight nor the gay ones.) So you cannot tell from their behavior. When I was young, a cousin -- who shall remain unnamed to protect the guilty -- would bang a boy and a girl doll together and make kissy sounds. Me, I worried that I would pair the wrong dolls up. Anybody remember Attack of the Puppet People? In spite of the movie title, the creepy character was actually the doll maker who shrank people down so that he could keep them as his toys. Shudder. Suppose my dolls had minds independent of the characters I imposed on them? I never believed in Santa - ho, ho, no - Santa was Mommy and Daddy. But I did wonder if my dolls could have had secret lives. Hmmm.

Jump forward many years later. Chez adult Dana. My dolls and action figures still are not having sex -- as far as I know. I pair them up in my mind, but I seldom set up doll stories let alone relationship scenes. Even when I had story ideas, I have not acted any out with the dolls themselves. So imagine my surprise when a visitor pointed at my Integrity Toys Jordan and informed me: "That doll is gay."

"Really?" I asked her. Jordan was dressed in his original turquoise pullover and dark jeans. He was standing among other dolls and action figures. He did not seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary. I shook my head. She thought I was disagreeing.

Oh, yes. She was sure of that.

"How do you get that?" I was curious.

"Look at him: his lips are pursed."

I tilted my head. Yes, Jordan's lips were pursued. That settled the matter for her.

Now I was not going to argue the sexuality of a doll with a guest. Especially not with a guest who did not even "play with" dolls. Life is too short. I am too lazy. Jordan's official Integrity Toys' story links him with Janay. At least, they were paired together in wedding sets before Tariq and Keith came onto the Integrity Toys' doll scene. Jordan and Janay. Of course, that is the official story. For all I know, my Jordan might be involved with Tariq. Or Alejandro ... no, strike that. I don't care for that glint in Alysa's eyes.

Sometimes the responses of non-collectors surprise me. Just when I have them pegged as unimaginative, they come out with a statement like that. I mean, it takes some imagination to assign sexual orientation to a 12" plastic doll. Then again, why couldn't he be gay? Perhaps the lack is on my part.

But he is my Jordan. So I decide what his story is, right? I look at Jordan - hey, did he wink? 

Or maybe I don't.