Silkstone Ekaterina Arrives

So how did Integrity's Black Wednesday go for you? Did you get everything you wanted on pre-order? With 36 dolls to choose from, there must have been something for everyone. Problem is, most everyone wanted the same thing. From what I've heard, the boy dolls disappeared faster than all the rest.

Ekaterina arrived today. She is the Barbie Fan Club first doll for 2011. I thought she was overpriced but that is the direction the Silkstone dolls have taken in the last year. I don't know if I will debox her because I wasn't overwhelmed with joy when I looked inside the box.

Silly me. I was expecting the doll to look like the promo.

I suppose if I take her out and arrange her curls, she will look good. I do love redheads. I was surprised at how much she reminds me of Je Ne Sais Quoi who is actually better looking in person that her promo (and has lots of nice jewelry and a handbag and was more than $20 less.)

Strangely enough I don't have a picture of JNSQ in her own outfit. I do have this one. She's wearing a suit that came on Brilliance Monogram doll. This was the worst piece of sewing ever. Look at the white stitching across the bustline. Ugh. I have since gone over that stitching with indelible black laundry marker.

The good thing is that I learned that Monogram clothing fits Silkies.


Every time I go to the BFC site and see the Tribute Barbie Doll I am reminded that I want her badly.

She will be mine one day!

Sometimes throwing away money on dolls like Twilight Jane and a few Lalaloopsy pieces of junk adds up and could easily buy a doll like Tribute. It's pretty difficult to delay gratification when there are so many adorable dolls just asking to come live here.

This was a waste of $5. but it was irresistible.

One more thing arrived today...a cute folder which contained my BFC membership card and a key chain with a folding picture holder. It's cute. I think it could make a good luggage tag.

Twilight Jane from Mattel

Every now and then I give in to my 'dark' side and buy a Pink Box item from Mattel.  I liked Jane's cloak. The price was right as I used my $20. coupon.  She doesn't look quite evil enough. I still like her.

Her cloak is sewn shut at the front seam. It will be quite easy to rip the thread open and put in hooks and eyes. What I didn't expect was sewn on gloves! Weird.

More Runway Fashions Reinterpreted for Dolls

Michael Williams pointed out this resemblance earlier tonight.

Fall 2010 Runway Alexander McQueen

Mattel's Darya Barbie Doll 2011 FMC

According to the Barbie Collector site, this doll was designed by Robert Best. The 'resemblance' is unmistakable.

Toy Fair 2011 Picture Links

https://picasaweb.google.com/BarbieZania/ToyFair2011#   (Barbie 295 images)

Picture by Carolynn R Whitford: Van Gogh Barbie

http://www.dollattic.com/hotgossip.htm  (Front page of Sandi Holder's Doll Attic site has a bunch of fabulous photos by Michael Williams.)
For example:

Why Can't All Men Be Like Ken?

If you are of the mind, you can go to BC.Com and purchase this t-shirt for $18.

 And if you are really looking for the answers to the question I have a few suggestions.

He's plastic.

He's always silent.

He's already got a girlfriend.

He's on the small side.

He doesn't age.

He often looks dorky.

He's very limited in his movements.

He doesn't have the usual body parts men have.

He doesn't seem to have an income.

He's fond of living in boxes. 

He never eats. 

________

Or...you can purchase this set for $5. today and celebrate that Barbie and Ken are back together (at last.)

Now we'll never get a Palm Beach Sugar Daddy.

Mattel Barbie at NY Toyfair 2011 by Michael Williams

Here is a link to Michael William's fabulous photos from 2011 NY Toyfair's Mattel Displays.

Photo By Michael Williams/mawphoto.com

Click here for more.

The Barbie Blonde Collection

Talk about excess!  This grouping of items glorifies glitz. That's not to say they're not attractive items. I love the three OOAK Barbie dolls for $5,000. each. 

 How about this collection of 40 gold clad dolls in hand sewn outfits? There's only one of these collections and it's priced at $5,000. You can start and end a collection in one shot.

 

And the must have on everyone's list this year is a 36" X 36" hair chandelier for $9,000.  I've wanted one since I was a little girl. Haven't you? There's only one.
Did I hear someone call this ugly?

For those of you on a coal budget, how about this black PVC headband for $15.?

 There's so much more at this link.

BTW You have until November 16th to save up for this event.

How many of you remember the nighttime soap, Dynasty?

Two new character dolls have been introduced by Mattel. They are Krystal [Carrington] of Dynasty who was portrayed by Linda Evans (above left),

Krystal - Estimated delivery date .December 2010
$34.95

and Alexis [Colby] of Dynasty formerly played by Joan Collins (top right):

Alexis - Estimated delivery date December 2010
  $34.95

John Forsythe, himself a handsome and distinguished actor, is the man in the middle. In the show he is married to Krystle. He'd make a hot-looking doll. Forsythe passed away in April, 2010 at the age of 92.

The dolls still look like Barbie. The hair is close to the actress' styles and the fashions are very good replicas from what I can see but the faces are still very Barbie. Isn't anyone else getting tired of that body pose? Such a waste of vinyl.

Linda Evans and Joan Collins were gorgeous in that series.

Joan, at 77, still looks great.

Linda's plastic surgeon should be shot.

Preview of Four of Next Year's Barbie Fashion Model Collection

These are Mattel's images of some of next year's Barbie Fashion Model Collection of Silkstone dolls.  Pictures of the rest have not yet been released. Prices may vary according to dealer. Shop around.

BFMC  Darya Barbie $129.

BFMC  Russia Mila Barbie $89.

BFMC  Russia Ken $85.

BFMC  Verushka Barbie $149.

Again, the prices of Silkstone dolls are higher than they should be. It's about time they did something with the articulation because the dolls are adorable and collectible but they just stand there.

Barbie Giant Pez Dispenser

Recently released by Mattel in honor of Barbie's 50th birthday is this 12" Giant Pez Dispenser with a reproduction vintage Barbie head.  Included in the box are 6 packages of Pez. This thing dispenses whole packages of Pez. There should be giant Pez, not just giant dispensers.

Prices vary from $21. to $29. for the dispenser. Shop around!

Harley-Davidson Barbie and Ken Giftset

Let me say right off the bat that this is one of the best Kens ever made. He's good looking, his hair is done well, he's fully articulated -wrists, elbows, shoulders, ankles, knees, legs and neck and the clothes look good on him. He's a winner. He comes with an adjustable waist gripper plastic stand but he can stand on his own. The Barbie doll on the other hand is articulated only at the knees, legs, shoulders and neck. Why is she a second class citizen? It just doesn't make sense to articulate one doll and not the other. Her outfit is adorable and fits her well. Her hair is another story. The texture of the hair makes it knotty. Some of it comes out when it's combed. The bump thing on the crown of her head is not hard and could easily be taken down if one wished.
They both come with sunglasses and helmets. The helmets are a joke. They are very small and look like batters' helmets rather than motorcycle helmets. Barbie does not have applied lashes and she does have a rhinestone in her navel.
Barbie's stand is one of those sway types for the models although her body is not like that.
The set, while not cheap, is worth getting just for Ken. Keep her clothes; get rid of Barbie.

The bike in the photo was picked up at a rummage event. It is not Mattel as far as I can tell.

Picture of the Week Award ~ March 14, 2010

Our featured photographer is Denise Jefferson aka DeeinNJ. Dee is well known and admired for her creative dioramas and uncanny ability to use items commonly discarded to create settings for 1/6 scale dolls. This week's photo shows The Soiree Silkstone Barbie doll in a OOAK gown whose creator is unknown. The fur is from Silver Society Veronique and the jewelry is Joe Tai. The tiara is original to the doll.

Dee Jefferson

In this shot Soiree Barbie is making her red carpet entrance. The set was created using Barbie's red carpet runway, red posterboard, red felt, a potted plant and a cityscape backdrop. The steps are packaging inserts from the FR Loft Collection.
Dee used a Nikon Coolpix 880 camera. Lighting is natural daylight. Her suggestion to other doll photographers is to pose the doll the way a person might pose. Use props for realism.
Dee has a feature piece in the quarterly publication Fashion Doll Quarterly (FDQ) magazine. You can also see more of her beautiful work in this album.

Congratulations, Dee, on the Picture of the Week Award. I always look forward to your photos.

If I were a Barbie collector, I'd buy...

There are quite a few adorable or unique-looking Barbie dolls for 2010 that I enjoy looking at. Just for fun, I am going to post their pictures here.

Eiffel Tower Barbie


Big Ben Barbie

I love the architectural prints on the gowns and the dolls are very pretty. There is a third in this series.

Statue of Liberty Barbie

The Statue of Liberty is not architectural like the others. The pointy crown on her head? We've seen it before and she has that eternally smiling Barbie face that I don't like. Imagine the real Statue of Liberty with a smile. Scary. The draping of the dress and the pleated bottom are lovely details.
_____________

Joan Holloway from the Madmen Collection

I may actually order this doll as the fashion and hair are very appealing. The other female in this grouping reminds me too much of Market Day.

_________________________

Palm Beach Coral

There is no way I would ever spend $159.95 on a Silkstone Gold Label doll....or any color label for that matter. She is beautiful and I love the fashion and her skin tone. I will just enjoy her picture.

________

Although these have been out for a little while, I still like to look at their pictures and imagine having them. Do you do that?My Favorite Career Vintage Reproduction Astronaut Doll

My Favorite Career Pan Am Stewardess

My Favorite Fashion Queen

I love wigs. This one would be so much fun to play with.
Well I'm glad I got that out of my system.

________________

On another topic, I was confirmed for all my Fashion Royalty/Integrity Toys pre-orders. I caved on the Monogram called Dreamscape. I don't know what I will do with her gown but she is lovely otherwise. I'm getting Monograms Enigmatic and Incandescent, Fashion Royalty Jordan and Eugenia, NuFace Colette and Lillith, and Temptation Vanessa. I couldn't pass up Beatnik Blues Poppy Parker or her giftset. It's only March and I already have begun to feel overwhelmed with dolls. I forgot to add the two-doll event giftset, the joining-the-W-Club-dolls, my Tonner pre-orders and the Brides of Dracula dolls. Endless.

I need to post a list of my pre-orders right above my monitor to remind myself about what is coming.
There's this weird thing that happens...in between ordering and getting dolls one forgets that one actually has a million dolls. What is that sickness called? Perhaps it's in the DSM-IV.

Barbie and Ken as "Mad Men" Characters

Mattel announced that there will be four dolls released that represent characters from the AMC series called "Mad Men." They are part of the 2010 Barbie Fashion Model Collection otherwise known as Silkstones.

For more information click on this link to the NY Times article.

I.T.B.E. Super Sale at MFD

I think it's so funny that these dolls are now on sale for $15-$17., down about $10 from their original retail price.
In a previous post (when they were first released) I commented on how ludicrous it was for Integrity to promote them as "entry-level collectibles."
They're no more collectible than a pink box Barbie and now they are priced correctly.

Unfortunately if you live outside of Canada, shipping from MFD will cost you too much to make the sale worthwhile unless you buy the entire set.

I couldn't find a dealer in the US that is offering them at a discount.

ITBE (Integrity Toys Basic Editions)

What Makes This Doll Worth $150.?

"Dolly Forever" Barbie by Christian Louboutin was announced today and Mattel is collecting names for a VIP wait list. Those whose names make it to the list are guaranteed to learn when she goes on sale. What a bunch of marketing hype. A total of 7,700 dolls will be produced worldwide for the price of $150.

The boots and shoes are very nice. The rest of the doll is average. The safari style dress is a bore and looks cheap. And the anorexic, unarticulated body of these dolls leaves me cold. There's nothing exciting about Dolly Forever above her knees.
You don't really need to get on the VIP list at all. The doll can be pre-ordered from your favorite Barbie dealer.

I Know It's Not A Modern Fashion Doll But.....

I just love the little Madame Alexander dolls and their accessories. I adore my larger fashion dolls but these little creations make me smile and laugh. Just look at this creation called "I'm Melting Witch" from the Hollywood Series. It comes with 1-1/2 dolls. The witch is melting into a puddle. Water is splashing out of 8" Dorothy's bucket. Tulle is flying upward as the witch melts into nothingness. It's just so adorable and sometimes I need adorable. These images are from the Doll Market's website. It's fun to browse and sometimes they have sales...not very often, but last year I found two Cissy dolls for less money there than anywhere else.
This particular set goes for $69.97.

Here's a pretty 10" Cissette I'd like to add to my collection. The MADC does Rocketttes in different sizes. (The Radio City Rockettes Collection.) This sparkling beauty is called "Dancing In Diamonds" and her outfit is designed by Bob Mackie. It won't be released until May, 2010 and retails for $111.96.

I like so many different types of dolls. I'm so doomed.

Bessie Coleman (January 26, 1892—April 30, 1926) was an American civil aviator. She was the first person of African American descent to become a licensed airplane pilot, and the first American of any race or gender to hold an international pilot license. Here is a delightful representation of Bessie as a 10" fully articulated AA Cissette in a wonderful aviator outfit. Like most MADC fashions the details are well done and smart-looking.
Bessie Coleman was released in 2009 and retails for $103.89.

Just one more...
This is another version of Dorothy called "Dorothy And Ruby Slippers." She is a 10" Cissette who is clad in a modern version of the iconic fashion. Look at the accessories: three pairs of red shoes, little shoe boxes, Toto in a basket. Heavenly!The retail price at the Doll Market for this doll is $79.97.

I'm starting to rethink my title for this article. Perhaps they are fashion dolls after all. I think I may need to broaden my definitions or get rid of titles.

The list of dolls I don't like: freaky-smiling anorexic Barbies with blue eyelashes, Dead dolls, re-born life like baby dolls, scary vampire and monster dolls, Chucky, clown dolls, and most life-sized dolls.

What dolls don't you like? I'd love to see lists!