W Club exclusive Poppy Parker Doll has been announced

Integrity Toys has announced the second official W Club doll of 2014: Joyous Anniversary Poppy Parker. She is subtitled, Poppy Parker™ Fifth Anniversary Souvenir Doll, and retails for $120. She is available for preorder for W Club members only (one per member), and per club policy, pre-sales are not allowed. Her edition size is therefore not yet known.

She's estimated to ship in the fall of this year.

Her lovely gold brocade gown with pink petticoat is truly a nod to the 1960s fashion Poppy has come to represent. Her fashion is apparently inspired by a vintage Japanese Francie fashion, DS-2240, Ball Gown, from 1967, which was sold only on the Japanese market. (Thanks to Micheal Jarvis, for passing this info along, and saving me a lot of searching!)

Interestingly, I just did a post on dressing Poppy in vintage Francie fashions, and I think this doll is gorgeous! I'm thrilled to see this variation on a lovely fashion, made especially for Poppy.

Vintage Francie fashion, Japanese exclusive, DS-2240, Ball Gown 1967 from Dollreference.com

Differences between Francie's fashion and Poppy's are:

• Francie's has an orange taffeta under layer, versus Poppy's pink tulle petticoat.
• The bodice of Francie's dress has a halter top snap closure. Poppy's is a sophisticated, off-the-shoulder design, which gives hers a more sophisticated feel.
• Francie's fashion includes a string of pearls, and Poppy doesn't wear neck jewelry.
• Francie's fashion doesn't include earrings; Poppy wears significant rhinestone earrings, plus a matching bracelet.
• Francie's gloves are short white tricot versus Poppy's opera-length gloves.
• Francie's shoes and clutch are white versus Poppy's choice of pink.

This lovely doll uses the FR White skin town with applied lashes and beautiful grey eyes. She has a brunette braided updo, which I happen to like very much. (IT really can pull off these kind of braided updos without a hitch, and I am sure it will look neat and clean.) While not officially stated, I believe her facial screening is reminiscent of the ever-popular Bergdorf Poppy, and it's gorgeous and sophisticated.

Accessories are cute--matching pink kitten heels with bows, a pink clutch, rhinestone drop earrings and matching bracelet, and long white gloves. I'm sure she's going to be a hit with collectors!

Photos are property of Integrity Toys, aside from the vintage Francie fashion photo, which is borrowed from DollReference.

Fashion Icon

Fashion Icon, a photo by alington on Flickr.

One of the 2013 Metrodolls luncheon, Style Evolution, event dolls is Fashion Icon by Tonner Doll. She is a limited edition of 125, and is a gorgeous auburn (wigged) Daphne. Her makeup is elegant, and accents her grey eyes perfectly. (I'm not usually a fan of red lips, but I adore this girl!)

In addition to a gorgeous spaghetti strap satin and chiffon cocktail dress, she comes dressed in a vintage overdress with asymmetrical snaps down the front. Accessories include rhinestone studs and black peep-toe pumps.

You can see additional photos in my Flickr photostream.

If you like this doll, you may still be able to purchase one from Metrodolls directly for $200 plus shipping. There is also a souvenir Ellowyne, Metro Girl, available. She's limited to 250. I didn't add her to my collection.

Be sure to check out all the fantastic fashions available, too.

Steffie of the day: Miss America

Miss America, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Originally produced in 1973, Miss America is an early version of Steffie. There are many variations of this doll.

Walk Lively Miss America is shown above. You can find this doll with longer hair or short hair (mine above has short hair). Some include the walking stand, but others don't.

The following year, when the Walk Lively Miss America dolls had sold out--they were a special Kellogg's exclusive--they were replaced with Quick Curl Miss America, first as a brunette, and then as a blonde.

I find the brunette Quick Curl Miss America is the most difficult to find of the three.

The blonde dolls came with many variations:

• short or tall crown (the short one is hard to find)
• pale blonde or golden blonde hair
• the dress has a textured bodice or lamé bodice
• the dress has a silver lamé or gold lamé bodice (the silver is more rare)
• the cape has an ermine border or a plain white border (the white is more rare)
• the doll has intense facial screening or more natural facial screening (the intense facial screening is harder to find)

The Canadian-issued dolls, in the orange box, are harder to find than the American pink boxes.

You can have lots of fun collecting these dolls!

Tiny obsessions: Vintage Barbie Lingerie

1968 Talking Barbie, dressed in a piece of #1821 Underliners from 1968

I tend to be a little obsessive in my doll collecting habits. My current obsession for my vintage collection has been lingerie and sleepwear. I have several interesting collector books--probably my favorite author is Hillary Shilkitus James--which helpfully encourage my rather obsessive behavior.

Variations are particularly interesting to me at the moment--I'd love to add a few 1970s Perfect Beginnings Pak variations to my collection. These adorable Paks include a bra in a varity of prints (Color Magic, Dreamy Pink, The Combination, Style Setters, Twiggy Turnouts, Border Line, Floating Gardens, and pale pink), matching panty, nylon ruffled petticoat, and talc powder with puff. My first one is on the way--Floating Gardens. 

You can see samples on eBay, but also check out the yellow version on Doll Reference, and a lovely NRFP sample in Style Setters from Big Red Angel.

1968 Talking Barbie in #1864 Close-Ups Fashion, standing to Julia's right.

Wonderful details to look for in many complete other negligee and under-fashions: hairbrushes and combs, mirrors, curlers, and other "vanity" accessories, scales (they read 110 lb!), huge variety of slippers, shoes with pom poms, books, pillows, lace, tulle, satin, bows, and girly stuff.

Often, lingerie is hard to find in decent condition because of wear in elastic. Additionally, delicate synthetic fabric tends to wear easily, so you may find snags, uneven wear in ribbon straps, missing bows, and so forth. I also notice that synthetics tend to pick up (and hold) odors, such as smoke or musty smells, much more easily than natural fabrics. Keep these points in mind (especially odors, when shopping online) when doing your own shopping.

Happy Valentine's Day - Part 5

Ask Any Girl, a photo by alington on Flickr.

I think this is my last share for now - Ask Any Girl Poppy Poppy in a Sylvia Campbell fashion. She's just an adorable model.

Check out more photos on Flickr, and be sure to check out Sylvia's wonderful fashions on her website, as well.

Doll Tour, Part 1

The above is my first attempt at a video podcast--though not really. It's a little video tour of my current Barbie collection, including vintage Barbie and Steffie collection.

I have plans to upload pieces of Vanessa and Poppy obsessions next. (Did you know I was obsessed with Poppy Parker? Eeek!)

Plus, you get to see my latest hair color, and meet two of the boy kitties. If you listen carefully, you might get to hear some of my kids in the background. They didn't want to be in this video.

Poppy Parker in vintage Francie

Poppy Parker in vintage Francie, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Here's another just-for-fun shot of Poppy Parker (Tears Go By), lounging by the pool in her vintage Francie fashion.

I know, the poor girl needs some anti-static. I'm getting there. I was just wandering around my home yesterday when it occurred to me, "This place looks like it belongs to a crazy person!" So my dolly priorities have been put on a temporary hold. (Like that's going to happen, ha, ha!)

More photos of Poppy on Flickr.

Grail Alert: Braniff Air Hostess doll designed by Emilio Pucci

I had a reader email me about this special purchase opportunity:

All four original outfits, designed by Emilio Pucci, plus the original doll (manufactured by Louis Marx) in the original box will be up for sale soon. The set is from 1967, I believe. I don't see the bubble helmet in there, however.

The outfits included are:

• lime green front zip dress with orange cuffs, matching printed hat, and lime and orange boots
• red two piece suit with a skirt and zip-front jacket, red pumps, and printed hat.
• sleek yellow color blocked dress with orange shoulders and neckline and matching socks
• blue two-piece set with slim-fit turtleneck and relaxed fit puff-legged pants

Visit Susan's website for details. You can see the details and download the PDF with pictures from her site.

Lemon Color Magic

Lemon Color Magic, originally uploaded by alington.

Another new trade acquisition, a lemon/golden blonde Color Magic. She's just gorgeous.

A friend of mine mentioned you can change their hair, with the help of baking soda, but I think I'll wait till I have a second one I can practice on, LOL!

It occurs to me I might be a high maintenance vintage Barbie collector. At our last doll meet, I was green with envy at a friend's purchase of Golden Glory (#1645 from 1965). (Val, would you PLEASE post photos??) She bought the gown and coat in near mint condition, and oh my! It's gorgeous. Me? I'd "require" the golden glitter open toed heels, also.

See some more photos of my lovely Color Magic on Flickr. I'll be redoing the vintage shelves today, I think.

Gold 'n Glamour

Gold 'n Glamour, originally uploaded by alington.

Finally, I have a girl worthy of modeling the Gold 'n Glamour fashion, my very first American Girl, a gorgeous blonde. I see what the big deal is about these ladies. They are simply gorgeous!

You can see many more photos of her on Flickr. I feel I don't need to add much more in comments here--she speaks for herself.

New items for sale on the DollPage Show & Sell

Adeline Joy, 8" Goodreau resin BJD.

Feel like a little shopping on a Monday morning? Take a break and hop over to the DollPage Show & Sell, and check out my new (and revamped) listings over there.

More than likely, I'll be adding more items during the week as well. I'll keep you posted!

Feel free to ask me any questions. I also am accepting trades. I have a huge trade list in the Site Forum, under Want To Trade. My wish list is called "Will trade for any of my listings," and it's under my user name, alington.

Talking Julia in Lunch on the Terrace

Julia in Lunch on the Terrace, originally uploaded by alington.

I am the lucky recipient of several recent trades with Kathie, my local vintage Barbie dealer and friend. Fortunately (or unfortunately, if you get my gist), she knows my style of collecting perfectly.

So, when I tell her via text or email that I have such and such dolls I'm considering selling or trading, she will bring "something special" for me to consider.

And sure enough--I am blown away.

This is the first part of my most recent trade: a mint and complete Lunch on the Terrace with spikes. Originally for the American Girl line, I thought I'd give it a try on Julia, of my girls who can pull off a hat really well. I think she's fabulous.

And how great does this outfit look in my green room? Aye! I love, love, LOVE it!

See a close-up on Flickr.

Alice in Wonderliddle

Alice in Wonderliddle, originally uploaded by alington.

This is the first vintage Liddle Kiddle set in my collection, courtesy of vintage Barbie dealer Kathie, who picked it up for me at Grant A Wish. She said, and I quote, "I saw it and thought, 'I bet this is an Alice that Alison doesn't even know about!'"

She was right, and I'm no less impressed! She is so cute. A vintage Mattel brand toy, she's from 1968, and she uses one of the little sister sculpts--we thought perhaps Tutti.

Her dress is all vintage fabric and ribbon, and her hair is rooted and soft. Her blue socks are painted on. High color face with a smile.

And the White Rabbit--oh my! Such a vintage guy! He has a watch that was also used in another Barbie set--I'll need to ask Kathie which sets. It's so cute.

Alice in Wonderliddle are on my Alice shelf--you can see more photos of my display on Flickr.

Discovering a blog about dollhouses

While working on my recent restoration projects of 1950s Mattel furniture, I came across some blog postings on "Leftcoastmini" that featured some of the author's collection of this same furniture.

One is about the living room set, while the other highlights the bedroom set.

The blog is about collecting dollhouses for dolls of various sizes - it's quite fascinating. I highly suggest checking it out.

Restoring a 1950s Mattel couch

Poppy Parker, relaxing on her restored Mattel couch.

My friend, Kathie, recently acquired a wooden couch, made in the 1950s by Mattel (even before they started manufacturing our beloved Barbie). As you'd expect with something a half-century old, the foam inside the couch cushions had disintegrated into dust. The fabric was still intact, though, so we decided that all that needed to be done was replace the foam inserts. Here's how it was done:

Step 1: Find the end of each cushion that was hand-sewn closed and open it up with a seam ripper.

1969 Talking Julia

1969 Talking Julia, originally uploaded by alington.

This is 1969 Talking Julia. She is the favorite talker in my collection--her voice is like butter. She is the one talker Mattel modeled after an actress, Diahann Carroll, who played Nurse Julia, from the 1960s TV show.

Originally, she came dressed in a gold and silver jumpsuit,. I have her dressed in the repro nurse's uniform for now.

She says more phrases than this, but I didn't want to make the video longer than about 30 seconds. You can hear my 11 year-old son's voice at the top of the video, giving you his professional opinion of my talkers.

Also, about 20 seconds into the video, you can see one of our kitties, Lily, in the reflection of the glass top table. It's cute. Our cats don't know what to make of the talkers.

1968 Talking Barbie

1968 Talking Barbie, originally uploaded by alington.

In case anyone has ever wanted to hear a Talking Barbie talk, here she is. This is a 1968 brunette Talking Barbie, dressed in the Close-Ups fashion from 1969 (I think).

If you need to see her original commercial, I found a low quality one on YouTube.

She says some other phrases, too--but I find that I have to keep her up high on a shelf in my glass cabinet. Pulling that string is just cathartic to me. I could sit here all day.

Hong Kong Bild Lilli repro, Lola

Hong Kong Bild Lilli repro, Lola, originally uploaded by alington.

This is a replica of a German Bild Lilli doll which I was able to find from Goddess of Asia, who had a booth at the Barbara Peterson show in Buena Park last Sunday.

She is so much fun--and a replica is so much more affordable than the real thing, though a real Lilli would blow my mind.

She's got the softest red mohair, and a replica dress as well. Her shoes are sculpted on her feet, and she is super light plastic. Interestingly, her arms not only move forward and backward, but also out to the sides.

Because she is so light, she can nearly stand on her own. And she is so sassy and pin-up.

Lola, close-up. Notice the hand-painted face, and the rather low-cut dress.

Close-up of her molded shoes. I think they are so cute.

OOAK Fashion Doll Series: Molded-Hair Midge by Arnaldo Cardova

Here is a molded-hair Midge doll who has had her hair and face paint redone by Arnaldo Cardova. Arnaldo has given her the look of a Japanese Midge doll with Fashion Queen hair and band.

Midge's floral print sheath with gold-tone buttons was made by Kathy Kenney.

OOAK Fashion Doll Series: Francie by Laurie Everton

This Francie doll has had her hair and eyelashes rerooted in jet-black katsilk saran hair and her face paint redone by Laurie Everton. I love her red lips and dark hair as these colors were never available with the original Francie doll.  Her light blue floral print dress with lace trim is by jennygrey. Her fashion is completed by white mod hard low heels.