Madame Alexander update!

This, directly from Mark & Sharlene Aschauer, of Two Daydreamers, regarding the Madame Alexander unveiling in San Francisco:

Madame Alexander Doll Club
2013 California Premier - Let's Go to the Movies
February 16th - February 17th
Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront 

Dear Madame Alexander Doll Collector:
As we're only a few weeks away from the MADC California Premier we wanted to give you an update.    When we look at the list of registrants we are excited both to see many old friends and a lot of new names have registered for the San Francisco Premier.  Our videos and movies are ready to go, our guest speaker is confirmed, a red carpet has been arranged for all of the stars attending Premier, we'll be showing the 2013 Madame Alexander collection and sending you home with catalogs, we've got some exciting games to play, some fun door prizes, a great raffle and some unexpected  surprises lined up.  Now we are looking forward to seeing everyone at Lunch on February 16th.  The California Premier promises to be a fun party! 

Break Out Events - Running Out of Time 

In the past, sign-up for break-out events were included on the registration form.  This year, there was a delay receiving the cost of both the Cissette souvenir and centerpiece dolls which prevented these two events from being on the main registration form.  As you know, sign-ups for the Cissette Event and the afternoon Centerpiece Event were sent out after the MADC office received your event registration.  This has caused some confusion and delays.  We're worried this may prevent some attendees from being signed up in time for the two breakout events.  If you're attending the California Premiere and want to attend either/both the breakout events, complete your registration now.  In case you haven't received the form from the MADC office yet, let us know and we'll e-mail it to you.  You'll need to mail it back to NYC ASAP.  Also, please e-mail us to let us know that you have paid and signed up for one or both events so we can reserve the space, a souvenir and arrange a meal for you. 

As indicated in your registration package the fastest way to return your break out event registration is to mail it to Melissa at the new Alexander Doll offices: 

MADC
Attn: Melissa
112 W 34th Street
Suite 1207
New York, New York  10120 

Raffle Donations -

There has also been some confusion about donating dolls for the raffle.  Yes, you can bring the item with you.  If you intend to do this rather than mailing it ahead of time, PLEASE e-mail us the name of the item that you're bringing so we can prepare a donation card mentioning your generosity with the name of the item and guesstimate the space we'll need.  Many people have written to say that they're bringing an item but to date nobody has written us what they're bringing.  Please e-mail either Sharlene or Mark. 

Volunteers -

There wasn't any space on the registration form this year to mark if you're interested in volunteering to help at Premier.  We still need help with table hostesses, registration, raffle ticket sales, help setting up, etc.  Please let us know if you're interested.  Sharlene is coordinating this. 

Special Meals- 

Last week we met with the catering service at the hotel and we are confident that everyone will enjoy the wonderful menu.  The deserts look terrific.  We have also made arrangements to provide vegetarian meals to anyone requesting this option.  There is no additional cost for this option.  If you are interested in vegetarian meals please let either Sharlene or Mark know and we'll make arrangements prior to the Premier.  We can tell you that the vegetarian options from the hotel sound delicious. 

Hotel Reservations - 

This is really urgent.  The last day for making hotel reservations using the club discount and the parking discount is January 25th.  The 25th is this Friday!!  The easiest way to make your hotel reservations is to call Hilton Reservations at 1-800-HILTONS.  The discount is available for the nights of February 15th and February 16th.  When making your reservation the operator will need to know that the MADC event is at the Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront and that the name of our discount coupon is "Madame Alexander Doll Club." 

As we have mentioned previously the club rate is $130.00 per night with single or double occupancy and the daily parking rate is $8.00 with in/out privileges.  We attended another doll event last weekend near to our hotel and the parking was $20.00 per day and the room rate was almost double our special rate.  We hope you will enjoy the Hilton.

Madame Alexander event in California - Let's Go to the Movies!

Press release:
If you haven’t already, there is still time for you to register for the exciting 2013 California MADC Premier – “Let’s Go To The Movies.” It promises to be two days of glamorous movie star inspired dolls, tempting raffles, generous door prizes, adult games (with prizes for the winners – think dolls,) a published guest speaker who will regale us with his knowledge of the early and recent days of the silver screen, great food, a hotel with views of San Francisco Bay and YouTube Videos highlighting the beautiful ladies who inspired the event’s exclusive dolls. In essence, we have all the ingredients for a great party – the only thing missing is YOU. We hope that you’ll join us.

Premier Breakout Events:
Saurday will offer two exciting breakout events. The "Red Carpet Cissette" brunch will include a beautiful 10" Cissette souvenir doll, exciting YouTube videos about the star who inspired our Cissette doll, and a Cissette Centerpiece. This event registration costs $170.00 which includes the cost of brunch and the souvenir doll. The "Centerpiece Event" also includes a showing of the silent film "Old San Francisco" starring Dolores Costello who starred in both silent films and early talking films and an exclusive doll auction. The cost of this event which includes movie snacks, sodas and tea is $35.00.

If you’d like to receive this a registration form for the breakout events please e-mail us at: mytwodaydreamers@aol.com and we’ll e-mail it right back to you.

Registration Includes:
Both the Saturday night banquet and the Sunday Breakfast will include souvenirs. The Saturday banquet will include a souvenir doll and a chance to purchase the Centerpiece doll. Following dinner we will have door prizes, a presentation of the new 2013 collection, and an exciting presentation by David Kiehn Historian of the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum. After desert we hope you will enjoy David’s presentation titled “Chaplin and the Super Stars of Niles Canyon.”

Sunday’s breakfast will include the drawing for the purchase of the Centerpiece, and the souvenir for this event. The breakfast will also include a raffle drawing and YouTube videos about the stars inspiring our dolls.

Once again if you would like an event registration form please e-mail us at mytwodaydreamers@aol.com and we'll send one right out to you or contact the Madame Alexander Doll club at madc.org and then click on events and premier.

Premier Volunteers:
The event is in need of volunteers to serve as table hostesses, help with registration, sell raffle tickets, or willing to help as needed. Please e-mail Sharlene Aschauer at SSAMLA@aol.com if you are interested in helping.

Premier Donations:
As you know club’s raffles provide an important source of funding which helps allow the club to keep putting on Premiers, Friendship Luncheons and the Annual Convention. If you have a doll or special Madame Alexander item you'd like to donate for this event raffle please mail it to:

Mark Aschauer
P.O. Box 1590
El Granada, CA. 94018-1590

Please be sure to include your full name with your donation so we will be able give you credit for your generosity.

Hotel Reservations:
Our special room rate at the Hilton San Francisco Airport Bayfront are only available through January 25, 2013. If you have not made your reservations please do so as soon as possible by calling 1-800-HILTONS. Our special rate is $130.00 per night with either single or double occupancy and is available for both January 15th and January 16th. After all it is Valentines weekend and it might be a special opportunity for a mini-vacation on the San Francisco Bay with that special someone.

If you arrive by plane or arrive at the BART SFO stop the hotel provides a 24/7 shuttle to/from the hotel. When you arrive at SFO you can call 650-340-8500 to tell them to send the shuttle. The hotel is about 10 minutes from the airport.

If you arrive by car be sure to ask for the "Madame Alexander Doll Club" parking discount when you register. The club rate is $8.00 per night with in/out privledges. This is a 50% savings. so be sure to mention this at registration.

We look forward to seeing you at Premier and will update you further as more information is available.

Special sale at Angelic Dreamz

Check out the great deals on Monster High and Barbie from Angelic Dreamz! Lots of great specials, including Silkstone Barbie, current 2012 Monster High dolls, and more, for some really great savings! Skull Shores Frankie Stein is available for just $5.99, and you can find some of the harder to find newer dolls here, as well, including Nefera De Nile ($14.99), Operetta ($15.99), and lots of others.

Additionally, you can save 60% off all remaining in stock Madame Alexander Dolls, 40% off Ashton Drake (including outfits and accessories for Delilah Noir), and 50% off Franklin Mint dolls and outfits.

Plus, any order of $150 or more gets free standard shipping within the continental US. (Go check out the JAMIEshow dolls--they are SO fabulous!)

Pan Am Stewardess from Madame Alexander

Alex as a Pan Am Stewardess

In my regularly scheduled doll promotional email this morning, I received some interesting new releases from Madame Alexander, courtesy of Dollsville. These two lovely dolls are due in July of this year, and have a lovely retro vibe about them--enough so I couldn't let the day pass without sharing.

From the 16" fashion doll collection is Pan Am 16" Stewardess. From her impeccably groomed blonde curls and elegantly screened make-up, down to her white gloved hands and black pumps, you're sure to get the best service available. She wears the tweed blue suit of Pan Am including logo pin, matching cap, and even includes a fabulous travel bag. Alex is limited to only 150 dolls and retails for $169.95, though Dollsville has her listed as a preorder special for $149.99.

Additionally, check out the 10" Pan Am Stewardess. She is a limited edition of 200 dolls, and retails for $139.95. Dollsville has her listed as a pre-order special for $124.99.

Photos property of Alexander Doll Company, courtesy of Dollsville.com.

Pan Am Stewardess, 10".

Sale at Angelic Dreams!

Take 15% off all in-stock Barbie, Integrity, Tonner Doll, Ashton-Drake, Celebrity Dolls, Sideshow Toys, Madame Alexander, 2010 Gene Marshall and some Barbie, too. Get free shipping on orders of just $75 and more from Angelic Dreams!

Discounts on items not already on sale, January 20-22, 2012. No coupon necessary!

Fabrizio Vitti's private doll collection

This may be slightly old news, which I unfortunately only discovered today. Originally posted in December 2011 on the Louis Vuitton website, you must visit the actual link for an amazing stop-motion video. (If you love dolls and shoes, that is.)

"Step back in time to 1944, following World War II when due to a shortage of resources, the Haute Couture fashion houses of Paris created the Thêatre de la Mode. Imagine a spectacle of fashion in miniature, designed specifically for dolls but with all the exquisite detail and perfection of the regular collections."

"Similarly, the shoe department at Louis Vuitton is inextricably connected to the sphere of dolls. Exactly the same workshop in Fiesso d'Artico, Italy, where the Louis Vuitton shoe collections are created is entrusted with the task of fabricating the parallel miniature versions for Fabrizio Viti’s private doll collection. The attention to detail is striking and in this short stop motion animation, his dolls and shoes come to life in another inspiring spectacle."

If you liked that article and video, you should check out Part I:

"Photography, the glamour in old style movies, especially French movies from the 60s, art and fashion books, are all an inspiration to Fabrizio Viti, Louis Vuitton’s shoe style director. Nonetheless, it is the history of fashion dolls and fashion dolls today that stimulate his imagination. He has been collecting dolls since he was three years old and as a result, today he has a collection with around 500 pieces."

"The creative process works in both directions, either using his dolls as a canvas for experimentation or adapting the Louis Vuitton shoe designs for his dolls. Fabrizio will often custom make shoes for his dolls and this year he made a specific shoe with a platform for one particular doll. After it was made, he liked it so much that he made it into a larger human scale version and it incidentally became the season must have."

Christmas sale at Angelic Dreamz

Check out Angelic Dreamz for a terrific sale on various doll-related items, including 15% off all in-stock Barbie and Integrity Toys, 20% off Tonner, 50% off Madame Alexander.

All orders over $100 ship for free! Items are marked at sale prices.

Two Daydreamer's clearance sale

Be sure to stop by Two Daydreamers this week to check out their current clearance sale. They have a bunch of new markdowns listed, included Antoinette, Cami & Jon, their exclusive Ashleigh sculpt, lots of Madame Alexander and more.

30% off sale at Angelic Dreamz

Save 30% off all Madame Alexander dolls and most Tonner Dolls at Angelic Dreamz. Prices are already discounted (no coupon required), and quantities are limited. Plus, you get free shipping on all orders of $100 or more.

No further discounts may be applied, and the discount is applied to in-stock merchandise only.

IDEX Online Registration Open

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of IDEX and they're celebrating with the theme "20 Years of Friendship".   It will be held at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida from January 27 - 30, 2011. Some of the exhibitors expected to attend include Tonner Doll Company, Alexander Doll Co., Inc., Lasher Studios, Berdine Creedy Originals, Inc., and Maggie Iacono. Additionally, the 5th Annual Debut of Dolls/DOTY and the 2nd Annual BJD Mixer and Meet-Up will be held at IDEX.  Each of those events incur a separate fee.

For more information or to register visit Twenty Years of IDEX.

Happily Ever After Wednesday sale

Happily Ever After offers weekly Wednesday specials--you can get them in your inbox by following the instructions below. I'm sharing them today because of the nature of their content: Madame Alexander dolls with an Alice in Wonderland theme!

• Queen of Hearts with flamingo and hedgehog $59 (retail $79.95)
• Caterpillar with hookah and mushroom $49 (retail $64.95)
• Mad Hatter with cracked tea cup $59 (retail $79.95)
• Queen of Hearts with Cheshire Cat $69 (retail $89.95)

Call 215-627-5790 to order or email them using their contact information here. They charge actual shipping costs via UPS. While you're at it, sign up to follow their fun blog, like them on Facebook, and sign up for their mailing list.

For photos, click below.

"Alex" styled by Jason Wu

Well, Madame Alexander has put up there new Fall 2010 line of Alex dolls for sale.  These new dolls are styled by Jason Wu and they are limited to 150 pieces each.  The dolls are 16" tall and are due to arrive in September and they retail for $149.95 each.  If you'd like to check out all 4 dolls or preorder them, please go to Madame Alexander's website HERE.

*photo is property of Madame Alexander*

Madame Alexander has a new ecommerce site

Check it out--it's finally been revamped. You can shop for and view Madame Alexander dolls by collection, playline, baby dolls, or even by size/age. Very easy to navigate, and nice to look at, I have to admit!

There's even a history of Madame Alexander page, and all about their dolls on there. Did you know MA was founded in 1923?

And you can celebrate your birthday at Madame Alexander's in New York City. Prices range from $38 to $100 per person, and include a tour of the factory, a stop at the doll hospital, a chance to meet the design team, a tour of the Madame Alexander Heritage Gallery, a mini workshop (actually designed for kids), and an exclusive shopping opportunity. All guests will receive a special gift bag and/or doll. (Sounds like fun!)

Photo property of Madame Alexander. Doll shown is Bon Bon Neo Cissy, designed by Jason Wu. LE 200 available for pre-order for September delivery. $159.95 retail.

Queen Elizabeth I on sale!

The Doll Market has Queen Elizabeth I by Madame Alexander on sale for $189.97 (retail $259.95), from the History of Fashion - Couture Series. I have to confess, she was one of my hopefuls for a while, when I was collecting the Tudor wives. I thought she'd be a great addition to Henry VIII's wives, actually, as Anne Boleyn's daughter.

I think her outfit is more than lovely, and actually, appears to be historically accurate. I think she's quite wonderfully done as a doll as well. Madame Alexander 16" sculpts seem to have a very serene feel to them.

If you haven't ordered from the Doll Market before, I can recommend them. They are very nice to work with, and they also have flexible lay-away plans, too. Additionally, they've recently added quite a selection of ball-jointed dolls and Pullip to their robust line of inventory.

Thanksgiving sale at Angelic Dreamz

From now through December 1, you can save 30% off all in-stock Tonner Dolls and Goodreau Dolls at Angelic Dreams. Additionally, you can save 20% off Franklin Mint, Joe Tai, Fancy Nancy and Effanbee dolls as well. And you can even save 15% off Madame Alexander dolls, too. (I think everything is on sale!) You will see the discount after you add items to your shopping cart.

The discounts are only good on in-stock items, and not on pre-orders, special orders, Angelic Dreamz exclusives or items already on sale.

Also, when you spend $75 on orders, you can get free UPS or FedEx shipping within the continental US.

Plus on Thursday and Friday only, Angelic Dreamz exclusive Antoinette angel Heavenly will be on sale for $175.99 (usually $249.95).

Photo courtesy of Angelic Dreamz.

Angelic Dreamz -- save 10%

Save 10% on all in-stock items through April 12.  No coupon is necessary--discount is automatically taken when items are added to the cart.

Madame Alexander is catching on...

Apparently, Madame Alexander has caught on to my fever of historical dolls and clothing. In the latest 2009 catalog, there are three dolls scheduled for release in August 2009 which interest me:

1. Anne Boleyn, who uses a 16" Alex-style body and sculpt. I am not familiar with Alex, nor do I own any Alex dolls (yet), but after seeing these promotional photos, it looks like I soon may. Anne is wearing a lovely, historically accurate Tudor-style gown in deep iridescent purple and gold taffeta, including a pretty decent headpiece with chiffon veil, covering her dark brown braided hair. The details of the costume look good--from the lamb's "fur" sleeves to the pearl jewelry. Even if I chose to use my existing Anne doll, Alex dolls can swap clothing with Tonner slim-busted dolls. Retail price is $249.95.
2. Elizabeth I. This doll is a blue-eyed likeness of the virgin queen. She sports Elizabeth's cropped curly hair, and seems to be her father's likeness. I'm not in love with her face sculpt, and I have a RTW Spring Tyler I plan to use instead. But the gown is truly beautiful. She's wearing black velvet with pearl accents, over a gold underskirt. And she even has a lace ruff, popular at the time. Also, according to the notes, she is wearing a crown with an attached veil. Her outfit is lovely. This doll retails for $259.95.
3. Marie Antoinette. A vision in pink silk dupioni, she models all the pomp that was pre-revolutionary France. Floral embroidery and elegant lace make up the fine details of the outfit. Her hair is done up in an ivory cascade of curls, topped off with feathers. She even includes panniers (the basket-shaped hoop that gives the skirt its shape) and white bloomers as her underclothing. (I only wish she weren't in pink--she looks too much like cotton candy or a fancy Barbie. I would buy her in a heartbeat if she were in blue or yellow.) This doll also retails for $259.95.

I haven't decided which, if any, of these dolls I will be adding to my collection, or if I will be pre-ordering them. Last time I pre-ordered any dolls, I regretted it. You wait for so long, and then the prices drop significantly. But these are limited editions of 300. And I don't know anything about Alexander dolls--do they sell out quickly? Are they hard to find? These do have higher prices than dolls I have seen before from this manufacturer, so I may wait till they actually come in stock, and then see how it goes. And for now, I will just admire the lovely promotional photos!
Photos courtesy Madame Alexander.