Do You Lurk?

Having done so much traveling this past week without my laptop, I often turned to the web on my phone  for the latest happenings in the doll world. I got to thinking how doll boards have changed my collecting experience.
When I was collecting Bratz dolls I found a Yahoo board that specialized in Bratz. That was my first. It was so much fun. I created my first doll story and had a very positive experience sharing my photos and looking at the photos other collectors posted.  I was already a collector of Tonner's Tiny Kitty, Tyler and Sydney dolls but looking back, I don't know how I survived without a network of collectors at my fingertips! The Tonner site, eBay and dealers' websites were all I had.
Sometime in 2004, I purchased my first Fashion Royalty doll on eBay and after that from other collectors. As I look back through my database, I see names of sellers that I could only have met on the boards.  Many have moved on to other pursuits or are collecting other types of dolls. One is running his own doll forum. Several have gone out of business.
One amazing experience was reading someone's post about a BIC exclusive Kyori coming out soon.  I wrote to BIC and that got me on the pre-order list to get the Ginza Kyori Gift Set. I had no idea what I was doing as I wasn't familiar with the big scramble for Fashion Royalty dolls. I think Ginza was the first FR doll I got at retail and that was no mean feat for a beginning FR collector back then. It was also the first year I attended a Fashion Royalty convention. That was in Toronto. If I hadn't been a board member, I wouldn't have known anyone in advance.

Like so many other collectors I became addicted to FR and the rest is pretty much history but I wanted to give a plug to the public doll boards I frequent most often.

The board which I have been a member of for the longest time is the Pink Parlor. The management has changed and the board is getting back to it's former lively self again. The (unstated) focus of the board is 1/6 scale dolls such as Fashion Royalty, Barbie and similar but many of the collectors have dolls that run the gamut. Registration is necessary and is free.

Logo Property of Pink Parlor. Click on it to go to the Pink Parlor.

Prego is the doll board I go to for the larger dolls like Tonner's Tyler, Sydney, Character Figures, Antoinette and similar 1/4 scale dolls. Again, the collectors there have eclectic collections and enjoy seeing pictures of other dolls. For a long time I thought that I couldn't post anything but repaints because many of the members have the most gorgeous collections of dolls that have been repainted.
I have learned that Prego is a safe board and that "factory" dolls are welcome as well as OOAK.  Many post pictures of Sybarite, Deva and Asian BJD dolls as well. If I post a question about something Tonner related, someone is bound to come up with the answer in minutes.  Registration is necessary and is free.
Here is the link to register to post at Prego:
http://tools.boardhost.com/reg/user=prego

Logo Property of Prego. Click on it to go to Prego.

If you collect Gene Marshall dolls and love fashions from that era, check out The Studio Commissary.
Every day the board posts a different vintage image in the header of either models or movie stars.
The Studio Commissary also hosts a link to the Fashion Sleuth which is a collection of images of real fashions which have been inspirations for doll fashions. For example, Azalea Ice Zita's gown was inspired by a Valentino. Board owner,  Mike Basala, has a great Flickr collection to which many sleuths have contributed. The board is open to all.

Valentino

Zita "Azalea Ice"

Dolly Daily is a forum as opposed to a message board. One big difference is that on an active message board, a topic can scroll off quickly. On a forum, there are tools to see the latest posts in a threaded or hierarchical structure. Here is a link to Wikipedia's explanation of the different types of on-line discussion sites.
Dolly Daily has areas for all different types of dolls, general questions, birthdays and introductions, selling and buying, member blogs and more. Contributors get access to a game arcade and a steam room.
Posts do not scroll off and are searchable by topic and poster's name.
Although I am a member there, I mostly lurk, but I do recommend this forum for it's huge resource of collectors and information. Registration is required and general membership is free.

Logo Property of Dolly Daily. Click on it to go to Dolly Daily

For ball jointed dolls I go to the Den of Angels. This is a very closely moderated forum containing more information than most collectors will ever need. There are many specific sub-forums so it's easy to navigate and find what you are looking for.  They have a huge membership from all over the world. Right now as I type this there are 541 users online. There are 30,852 members of which 10,319 are active members.
Membership is by invitation and free.

Logo Property of DoA. Click on it to go to Den of Angels

These are by no means all the doll boards out there. There are scores of Yahoo groups and other hosted boards in a multitude of formats. One or more is certainly right for you!

Are you still lurking?

Frogs, Toads and Dolls

I was not a child with snails and frogs in my pocket. Even now, when working in my garden, I jump every time a hippity-hoppity frog or toad surprises me. Only recently did I realize I would not die if I touched a small frog. (I'm not sure about a large one.) The babies are easy to catch in cupped hands. I catch them to show them to Rudy. He sniffs but is not terribly interested. I think they're adorable. But toads are disgusting. They appear under damp rocks and aren't terribly happy to be discovered. The feeling is mutual.

Frogs, on the other hand, aren't ugly. I've seen beautiful, colorful ones in aquariums.

The ones in my garden are mostly greenish gray. If this fellow showed up, he'd find a home with me. Meet Kermit the Frog from the Tonner Doll Co.

Kermit is 11" tall and is designed in scale to accompany the 16" Miss Piggy. He is considered a "semi-dressed" Tonner Character Figure. Very funny, indeed. His retail price is $44.99. If I put him in my garden would the rabbits clear out and stop eating everything?

For the last several years I have noticed collectors going Gaga over a frog called Wanda. I almost bought one but came to my senses after briefly imagining indulging my impulses. BIC sells them. They have been produced in lots of colors and are limited editions. The following 3 pictures are the property of Amélie Deveau aka Aminie who gave me permission to use them here. If you click on her name, you will go to her Flickr and can see more Wandas.

A special Wanda being sold now at BIC would cost you about $96. plus postage.
This collector, "irulethegalaxy" has a Flickr photostream showing a bowl filled with what seems like the largest assortment of Wonderfrogs ever.
They're cute but how do you tell the sexes apart?

The popularity of frogs are on the rise. Gaga wears them. Doll designer, Veik, adorns a Barbie with frogs.

I will not be collecting frogs any time soon but I do see the cuteness of the cartooon-like characters.

"Snow White" Kumi and "Rose Red" Yuri Price Drop!

I blogged about these Nu.Fantasy dolls here:
http://terrigoldphoto.blogspot.com/2010/05/integrity-announces-bic-exclusive-two.html

The W Club announced the price reduction on these dolls from Azone and BIC, Integrity dealers in Japan, supposedly due to the strength of the yen and negotiations with the factory. That doesn't sound honest to me. If these dolls were flying out the door, the yen could have been as strong as ever and the price would have stayed the same. The reception from collectors to this pair was quite cool and I think the lack of interest spurred the price drop more than the strength of the yen.
It's the economic principle of supply and demand in action. Consumers won't buy -> supply is great -> price drops.
Deceptive backpedaling.
Why couldn't they just say they priced the dolls too high for this market and have adjusted the price accordingly?
Would negotiations with the factory go like this? "We won't pay you and your children will starve?"