6/03/2016

The Kingdom Doll Ladies 2014 — 2016 .... So Far

Alexandra Forbes created this stunning composite of the 22 Kingdom Dolls created to date.


Liberty - Phoenix - Chaucer - Nelson - Brigantia - Holly - Deynas - Eira - Dauphine - Draig - Viola - Arnamentia - Hadrian - Orbit - Nimue - Elan - Aquitaine - 
Nelson II (because she was the first Queen) - Cinnamon - Brunel - Brighton - Star - Savile
 
You can click on the images to see the full sized version.

If you haven't guessed, I adore these dolls. I am very lucky to have been one of the very few to be able to own Viola.


From the top of her wig to the tip of her nose and all the way down to her toes she is perfection.





www.kingdomdoll.co.uk

New Gene Marshall & Friends Dolls by Mel Odom and Jamieshow

The latest Jamieshow Convention was held this past weekend in Chicago and revealed a full compliment of Gene Marshall & Friends dolls.  I am sure that Gene collectors are thrilled at the resurgence of their beloved dolls, now in resin.

All photos by George Gonzalez.


From left to right: Oona, Ivy, Marsha, Trent, Gene, Zita, Madra and Violet.

Attendees could choose either a Gene line doll or a Jamieshow doll for their convention souvenir prior to the event. Marsha was the Gene line souvenir. She has a beautifully done face. I don't know what's going on with the pleats in the front of the dress. Perhaps one has to remove the jacket to see the dress design. I'm hoping to see owner photos of that.

The Jamieshow doll that was available as an option was a Cary Grant doll. He is not shown above but can be seen, along with all of the above dolls at:
http://www.jamieshow.us/GENE-CONVENTION-DOLLS_c_94.html

All the dolls are available either to pre-order or to purchase now. The prices are $495 for each except for Marsha and Cary who are $600.

My personal favorite is Oona. Her face, hair and outfit work perfectly together. She fits right in with the theme of Hollywood Canteen.



Zita is a striking doll. Her sculpt is intriguing and adorable at the same time. She looks like she's always ready to blow a kiss. Her wig cap is lovely.


Another favorite is Hollywood Canteen Gene. She is pure Gene, glamorous and beautiful. Dress and wig cap are well suited to her and the era.



Trent is dressed in a US military uniform and cuts a fine figure.



                          ______________________________________________________

And there's even more!!!!
INTRODUCING THE 2016 JAMIESHOW BASICS COLLECTION
Some old friends join us this year, re-sculpted and freshened up.  Cameron has a new skin tone, and both he and Lee now can wear our exclusive JAMIEshow sculpted wig caps.  Sabina rejoins the group now also able to wear the JAMIEshow exclusive rooted wig caps.  All three of the girls sculpts have been re-sculpted for a fresh look in these 2.0 version.  Available for pre-order now, the first shipment will come in the beginning of July and the remainder by August.
 
 
Here is the link to see and order the basics.
 

5/26/2016

Lovetone Dolls by Rocco Liang

I'm pleased to be able to present a review of the two new 12" fashion dolls designed by Rocco Liang, "Bonjour Baby" Lena (left) and "Hello Honey" Roxy.




Lena is a dark-haired beauty who arrives in a light gray, strapless jumpsuit topped with a pale blue coat. She carries a black patent leather rectangular, working handbag with black patent leather heels.
Each doll comes with a free-hanging hairstyle. I put Lena's into a low, off to the side pony tail and braided a small portion. Each doll also comes with one silver-tone earring. I would have liked a pair on each doll. The dolls do not come with stands.



Roxy is dressed in a pale gray (same color as Lena's jumpsuit) dress that has an Empire waist with an overlay of pleated fabric above the bustline.  Her coat is a dusty pink color. Her shoes are silver with back zippers. They match her working handbag. I put her hair into a sleek pony tail.



The fabric used is a lightweight, velour type synthetic. It has a nice feel and is non raveling as there are several unfinished edges used in the construction. Where there is a lining used, it is an ultra lightweight woven product which adds almost no bulk to the design. When it comes to dolls' coats, it's a great choice. The coats have working pockets
For both the jumpsuit and the dress I had to sew in a thread halter to hold up the bodice. I have Photoshopped it out of most of the photos.

I had heard about the body issues before receiving my dolls. It's quite unfortunate that this was not resolved prior to production because the design of the body is excellent. There's a great range of movement possible - even more than with the FR2 body. Unfortunately the hip joints and the under-bust joint are so loose that posing, without support or even on a stand is difficult, if not impossible. The vinyl has a very velvety feel to it.

Lovetones Dolls have almost identically sized bodies to the FR2. They can share clothes and shoes with Nu Face Dolls as well.





 Dolls retail for $168. each.

For more information go to: lovetonesdoll.com/index.php

Integrity Toy's New Preview Doll: The Industry

They're calling her a 12" Tulabelle but luckily, she doesn't look like Tula at all. The duck lips are gone!

16" Tulabelle on left; 12" Tulabelle on right.


I like the new sculpt much better. The eyes appear to be more in proportion to the rest of her face.  The shape of her head is more realistic. The makeup is more sophisticated (less cartoony.) Her outfit is pretty cool, too.

A Note From Designer David Buttry:

We are so happy to bring you the first doll from our new upcoming doll line. As always, with all of our doll lines, great attention was taken with the construction and detailing of the fashion. As a design choice (not a budgetary decision), we have chosen to use a very fine, micro-velcro closure on the front placket of Tulabelle's shirt. The fabric is very sheer and we did not want to have a visual distraction with the use of hooks and loops, so the decision was made to use velcro. We wanted to make our customers aware of this choice. I hope that you will love the great attention to detail that was incorporated into this doll; we worked hard to make her as visually stunning and versatile as we could!
That's a new path - velcro on Fashion Royalty dolls. I certainly understand the need to reduce bulk in the closures. We'll see if it spreads to other articles of clothing. This may not have been a budgetary decision but it is less expensive to use velcro in any event.

Lady Stardust  LE 500  $120

Here is the back story from IT's promo:


A New Trendsetting Powerhouse!

Tulabelle has just been asked to join a creative fashion collective. Artists, models, photographers, stylists and all-around fashion insiders work together as a one-stop creative powerhouse to influence the fashion world. Tulabelle couldn't be more excited to work with such a varied and talented group of individuals of all ages. The place works like a well-oiled machine and lives up to its name... THE INDUSTRY!

First unveiled last fall at the 2015 Integrity Toys convention in Long Beach, California, THE INDUSTRY is the brainchild of Poppy Parker creator David Buttry! The W Club is proud to finally officially launch this collection today, with the introduction of the first 12-inch Tulabelle doll in the series, Lady Stardust! Available for pre-order from Integrity Toys dealers starting today, the Lady Stardust doll is offered in a super-limited introductory edition size of 500 pieces only and marks the debut of a brand new, ultra-versatile body sculpt (more details about this below, keep reading!).

Stay Tuned, There Is More To Come!

Later this year, you'll get to meet more of Tulabelle's friends who work for THE INDUSTRY. They will have their own take on style, a lighthearted street-influenced collection with a mix of vintage and new. So, get ready for a lot of fun and more fashion adventures! We are excited about this new line and we hope you will be, too!

Note: The doll pictured in this release is a prototype. Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly.

THE INDUSTRY™ In Greater Detail

We chatted with the design team and they explained to us that THE INDUSTRY marks the debut of a brand new, freshly engineered body sculpt!

This new body can be completely disassembled and has interchangeable hands. This really useful feature offers great possibilities when dressing dolls in tight, form-fitting clothes and helps eliminate unnecessary closures that add bulk to scaled clothing whenever possible. Also, this new body features a more versatile foot sculpt that will allow the dolls to easily share shoes with other brands of dolls on the market! Talk about awesome versatility!

Also, THE INDUSTRY marks the introduction of a brand new packaging style designed by our very own Alain Tremblay that includes a portrait picture of the doll with each new release!

Without further ado, here is a shot of the new body in all its glory!
What other brands of dolls are on the market besides Barbie? If these feet can wear earlier FR shoes, that would be a good thing.

5/25/2016

2016 Poppy Parker Dolls Revealed

Members of the W Club were treated to this year's Poppy Parker "BonBon" Poppy Goes to Paris dolls on Tuesday. 
Each doll is $120. plus postage.
Here they are:



C'est Si Bon  LE 600 Japan Skintone

Très Chic Boutique   LE900   FR White

Bonjour Mademoiselle  LE800  FR White

Night At The Ballet LE700 Japan Skintone

Magnifique  LE900  FR White


Paris In The Springtime  LE900  Japan Skintone

Powder Puff  LE700 FR White:    
LOTTERY DETAILS COMING APPROXIMATELY LATE SUMMER 2016**IMPORTANT** THIS DOLL WILL NOT BE SOLD THROUGH IT DEALERS! 
Miss Amour LE700 FR White:   
LOTTERY DETAILS COMING APPROXIMATELY LATE SUMMER 2016**IMPORTANT** THIS DOLL WILL NOT BE SOLD THROUGH IT DEALERS! 
The outfits are adorable. That little yellow suit with the black accents is so stylish! I love it. My least favorite is the blue and ivory brocade cocktail dress  (Night at the Ballet) only because I don't like the style. It reminds me of something Gene Marshall would wear in the 1950's. The other one that doesn't appeal to me is the black and white "C'est Si Bon" dress. It looks awkward and poorly designed.
I love "Powder Puff." It's so fluffy, pouffy and pretty. Miss Amour's gown, although we've seen this gown here and there, is delightful. They're both perfect for pretty little Poppy. It's the way I like to dress my dolls. 

A friend send me an email earlier saying that she thinks I'll be getting the doll with the "poodle." That's no poodle. These are poodles.



That black thing looks like a drowned giant rat. Several companies including Mattel made great poodles through the years. 


Poppy collectors will be over the moon with this collection IMO. I think there is a doll here for everyone!


5/16/2016

Integrity Toys' ITBE "Reflective" and the FR16 Ankle Problem


Of the four available ITBE 16" dolls, I was immediately drawn to Reflective because of her sculpt, her hair and her coloring. As of right now, she is the only one that is sold out. Marl & B does have 2 available for $150. each.

Her one-piece dress isn't the nice quality we're used to with FR16 clothing but the price of the doll was right. I applied my $25 W Club coupon and she cost me $74. plus postage. She came with panties, shoes and stud earrings. I'm looking forward to redressing her.


I do want to have her cartoon brows and possibly her eyes repainted to make them more realistic.


Now let's talk about the ankle joint/foot problem. This is not a new issue but I was hoping it would have been fixed by this time. Elsa Lin and Platinum Society had it in 2014.

When the doll is set down on flat feet, she is fine.


As soon as the ankle joint is enabled the foot turns inward. The doll becomes pigeon-toed and each foot tilts outward.  From left to right: on tip-toes, with toes bent, with shoes.


One can see it in every doll in the promo photos. Some might say that the photographer posed their feet that way to make them look cute.

The issue is that the joint was engineered incorrectly. I have no idea if any collectors have taken issue with this. I'll bet Alain is aware of it but if collectors say nothing, the problem will not go away.

These are very nice dolls. The body needs fixing.





If you have access to the W Club announcement repost thread, go and look at the larger photos. If you have FR16 dolls, how are their feet? Perhaps it was just my three FR16 dolls that had the issue plus this new one. Maybe I'm the only one....