How to find a doll...

I got an interesting call today from a guy in North Carolina, looking for a Cyclone Cantata doll for his daughter, who collects the Wizard of Oz line of Tonner dolls. I'm sorry I didn't get your information--I wish I had, because I think I may have found your doll, and also some of the sites I gave you aren't around anymore!
I realized that there isn't really a good resource out there for finding not-so-current dolls, so this post is to help you do just that. Here is how where I recommend you look:

• Your favorite stores. A couple of my favorites don't show up in the search engines very reliably. The Doll Peddlar has a great selection and sometimes decent prices. The Doll Market has lots of great deals. Dreamcastle Dolls has excellent customer service, and they will split up dolls and their outfits on occasion. The store owner actually emailed me when she saw that a doll I was looking for went on sale at another store. I highly recommend Dreamcastle. Also, Sweetheart Dolls often has some excellent sale prices on hard-to-find dolls.
  
• Search engines. Start with Google. Make sure you enter in the doll's original name (as close as you know it) and the manufacturer. A million listings will come up for Ebay auctions, and sometimes you can find the exact doll you want there. But most of the time, the Ebay listings will be out of date. Plus, Google will sometimes show you listings that do not have shipping to the US as an available option, and that can be frustrating. I skip over the Ebay listings, or add the text "-ebay" to my search box to eliminate these listings.
  
• Website translation. Sometimes you'll find the doll you want in a store in another country, and you may not speak the same language. I used to use Babelfish.com, which has since expired. If you need to order from an overseas dealer, you can translate the website using Google's language tools for free. You just enter the site you want to translate. You may end up spending a little extra on shipping. Keep in mind you may also pay more for the listed retail price, since this dealer also had to pay for shipping to her store in the first place, plus any currency exchange issues.
• Ebay. If you don't mind if the doll smells like animals or smoke, or if it's in less than mint condition, Ebay is not a bad option. Do a direct search for the doll you want on Ebay, including the manufacturer.
• Forums and message boards. Mark's Action Figures and Fashion Dolls is a great group of people who might be able to help out when you can't find the doll you're looking want. The Doll Page also has many forums and also some for-sale pages as well.
  

Just a note to the guy who called me this morning: I did find a few retailers who have the doll you want, Cyclone Cantata, from the Wizard of Oz collection, on hand:

• The Doll Peddlar has this doll in stock. It's listed at $240, but I think the original retail was $300, wasn't it? And I think it will arrive the fastest. This store never shows up in the search engines, for some reason, but they have all kinds of dolls.
  
• Kay Poppen Atelier in the Netherlands has this doll in stock for 125 Euros. Looks like you can email her to place your order.
• Miss Vinyl in France has this doll in stock for 99 Euros. Also, there is a Union Jack flag in the upper right corner on this page. You can click on it, and it will translate the page for you. (Is this the original one you found?)
  
• Ebay auction - Don't know if this listing will ship to the US, but it wouldn't hurt to check.

Anyway, I hope you find the doll you're looking for. I have to say, I don't think my dad would have done anything like that when I was little--I'm impressed!

Photos courtesy Tonner Doll Company.

2008 Tonner convention dolls available now!

There were apparently a few extra dolls leftover from convention, available as of noon EST today from Tonner Direct. Get these gorgeous dolls while you can--at very good prices. The cocktail dress here is listed at just $20, shown on Ultra Basic Ava, listed separately for $49.99.

I've seen the Blue Fairy doll sell for $200-275 from Ebay, and Dreams for $200-250--as opposed to the $150 retail listed on the Tonner site now. Plus you don't have to worry about smoke damage or shipping when you buy from Tonner directly.

Again, I should state I am not a retailer--I'm a private collector--nor do I sell any products manufactured by Tonner Doll Company. I am using these copyrighted images as a fan, per the image use clause listed on the Tonner Doll website.

Photos courtesy Tonner Doll Company.

16" Convention exclusives

I figured I'd offer a quick summary of the Tonner Doll convention exclusive offerings here and some of the details. I collect the 16" Tyler-sized dolls, so those are the ones I've listed here. Ava Ultra Basic (LE 500), shown wearing Cocktail Date souvenir dress (LE 400). Actual doll included Ultra Basic teddy.

1. Dreams (Sweetheart sculpt) LE 300 (front center in white)
2. Nightmares (Angelina sculpt) LE 100 (left in navy)
3. Longing (Sydney sculpt) LE 100 (back center in pale blue)
4. Desire (Emilie sculpt) LE 100 (right in burgundy)
5. Lady G (Cinderella head sculpt) ball jointed doll, LE 135
6. Lana Lang (LE 300), new sculpt
7. Lois Lane (LE 300), new sculpt
8. Superman
9. The Blue Fairy (LE 400) Cinderella sculpt from the Pinocchio farewell brunch.
   

Two new sculpts were added--Lois and Lana--and of the convention dolls here, Cinderella was featured twice. She must be quite popular. I'm not overly fond of this sculpt--I only own Cinderella Masquerade. She is cute, but she seems a bit cartoonish to me. I must say, however, that I'm fascinated by the Lady G ball jointed doll, which is also a Cinderella sculpt.

Also, Ava is starting to grow on me, little by little. I didn't like her chin very much at first, and maybe the photos are just more flattering angles, but she's actually quite pretty. And I think I need a Sweetheart sculpt doll as well.

If you haven't seen the Tonner Doll Company convention blog, check it out!

Photos courtesy Tonner Doll Company.

Through the Looking Glass Alice exclusive

Exclusively available through Cherished Friends comes this gorgeous "Through the Looking Glass" 12" Alice dressed doll by Tonner Doll Company. She retails for $124.99 and is a limited edition of just 200 pieces. Estimated delivery date is late July. Her gothic look is appealing to me, even though I don't have Marley-sized dolls (yet). I love the black and white striped stockings!

Photos courtesy Tonner Doll Company.

Ball Jointed Dolls by Tonner Doll Company

Available for pre-order now, Tonner Doll Company has developed some gorgeous high-end ball jointed dolls for serious collectors. According to the company website, these dolls are resin dolls with 11 regular joints and 3 ball joints and interchangeable glass eyes. The Ultimate Basic dolls will include three wigs and come dressed in a teddy with shoes. The dolls are designed to share clothing with other 16" Tyler Wentworth dolls.
I've included some prototype photos here. The first two photos are of the limited edition (limited to only 75 pieces) Ashleigh, available exclusively through Two Day Dreamers. Ashleigh retails for $550 (and again, includes only a teddy) and will ship in July/August.
The limited edition 150 Tyler Wentworth sculpt (third and fourth photos) is available exclusively through Cherished Friends and Angelic Dreams. Tyler will ship in early June and also retails for $550. When you order though Cherished Friends by June 1, you also will get an exclusive FDQ magazine on a 1 GB flash-drive bracelet. When you order through Angelic Dreams, you will also receive a set of green eyes and brown glass eyes for free.

Photos courtesy Tonner Doll Company.

Winter Sale at Tonner Direct

Winter Romance is on sale for $120 (marked down from $150). There are several other sale items listed on the Special Offers page as well, including Lord Voldemort and several Golden Compass figures.

Sale price on WinterRomance will only be valid through May 15, 2008 only, according to the company mailing.

Photo courtesy Tonner Doll Company.

High Seas Elizabeth Swann is here!

Several limited edition artist proof dolls have the High Seas Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean have just been release at Tonner Direct. Twelve, to be exact, have been signed and inspected by Robert Tonner himself at a price of $279.99.
The 2000 piece edition has also been released for $179.99, and Tonner Direct is offering a free shipping coupon code as well when you place your order: HSES0515 at checkout.
I have to say, this movie (the third one) was definitely not among my favorite flicks. But I'm definitely intrigued by these gorgeous dolls.

Photos courtesy Tonner Doll Company.

To sell or not to sell?

What to do--I want to add to my doll collection, but I do not have the space.  I currently have storage issues, and it kills me to have any of the dolls in boxes.  So what to do?  Sell a few?  But how do I decide which ones to sell and which to keep?  Ack!

I have heard from another collector who rotates her dolls every month and season.  That could be an idea.  I should perhaps consider this as an option.  Or perhaps moving some of my books out of the way and making more space for the dolls.  We'll see.  I can be creative here.  Maybe a bigger house?