Growing and growing

Secret Wonderland Miu - the Azone store exclusive - has arrived. And I've discovered an absolutely love of fantasy hair on these Pure Neemo cuties! They are so sweet!

Of course, they tend to be the limited edition ones--as if they aren't already hard enough to find, LOL--I have to like the limited store exclusive versions best. I wonder if I can find someone to reroot these girls for me... that might be another option!

Azone cuties

Azone cuties, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Nanoha has a new outfit--for Picco Neemo by Azone, of course. She redresses very well, especially for a blue-haired doll.

These Azone tinies are so amazingly fun. I'm surprised at how quickly they have been multiplying!

Spring Time

Spring Time, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Another new arrival - Spring Time. She's a newly released Tonner Ballet doll, and the second Daphne sculpt offered this year. She is available from dealers now.

She's brunette with brown eyes with a rather frou-frou outfit that is surprisingly well done with tulle, sequins, and silk flowers. I'm rather delighted with her overall quality.

She includes high heel feet as well, and I'm kind of interested in trying her out in formal wear. You can check out lots of additional photos, including of her braided up-do, on Flickr.

Wonder Woman 52

Wonder Woman 52, a photo by alington on Flickr.

The lovely Wonder Woman 52 makes her appearance on the blog (finally) in the Amethyste fashion (an older Theatre de la Mode gown from 2003, I believe, which barely snaps over her rather busty heroic figure).

Wonder Woman uses the Tyler Wentworth 2.0 sculpt with raven hair and blue eyes. I think she restyles very well, though she'd fit better in DeeAnna Denton fashions, I think. I love her!

You can see a few more photos on Flickr.

New Momoko: CCS 14SS (BL and BR)

Get ready for two new PetWorks CCS Momoko to hit the shelves soon!  These two Momoko dolls have the honey face with bright red lips.  These lash-less ladies have blue-gray eyes with different hair styles.  Each doll comes with the same knit dress, shorts, and wedge shoes.  The "BL" version has blond hair and the "BR" version has brown hair.

They are currently available for preorder through doll vendors and should be for sale in the PetWorks Global Store soon.  Each doll is 19,400 yen.

Want some special designs for you Momoko?  I provide lots of dolly attire.  Support an artist!  Visit my website (MegannArt) for an Etsy shop, Twitter, Facebook (with occasional discounts), Pinterest page, and much more.
 
Picture courtesy of Petworks.

16" Vintage Basic

16" Vintage Basic, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Finally, she's out of her box. This is Tonner Doll's 16" Vintage Basic, a lovely Daphne sculpt with red lips and long, long spiral curls.

She uses Tyler's convertible foot body, though she only includes heel feet. Her outfit is similar to the American Model Vintage Basic, released a few years ago.

You can see some additional photos on Flickr. I think she redresses well. Here are a few more photos.

In Bubble Ballroom Golden Gala (older Wizard of Oz fashion):

 In Anne Harper's A Sensible Notion fashion:

Divinely Daphne

Divinely Daphne, a photo by alington on Flickr.

An oldie, but a goodie--it's Effanbee's Divinely Daphne, the first basic Daphne Dimples released as part of the Brenda Starr line in 2004.

She was an open edition, so there were many produced. She can still be found on the market today for a pretty reasonable price. You'll want to be sure her bangs are in good shape.

I'm embarrassed to say I've had mine in the box for a while, and I'm quite pleased with her: I find her face paint rather pleasing in a vintage/pin-up way. You can see a few more photos on Flickr.

Ximilu by Xaga Doll

Ximilu by Xaga Doll, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Love Pure Neemo? If you do, then you should consider the Red Obsidian line from Xaga Doll. I picked up one of these cuties (this girl is called Ximilu) from Mint on Card.

Also check out HDS (Hong Dou Sha), Ximigo, and also Miki or Kimi. There are two body sizes--with small breasts or giant gum balls, which Ximilu has. (The Green Obsidian body is a different size altogether, and closer to child proportions. They also carry a the Type A Red Obsidian body, similar to mature mini woman proportions, which is much less stylized than this body.)

This size, even with the gum ball boobs, can wear Azone clothing for Pure Neemo, as seen here. You can see more photos on Flickr as well. She's wearing a Licht wig, YoSD shoes, and some limited edition magnetic kitty ears as well.

Be sure to check out her adorable heart-shaped knee joints. They are so cute!

Angelic Dreamz update

Angelic Dreamz is offering 40-60% off all in-stock dolls to make room for new inventory. Pay them a visit, order more than $75, and get free US shipping!

Sadly, Mattel and Tonner have lost yet another fantastic retailer, as Angelic Dreamz will no longer be carrying new dolls from either of these lines. According to an email sent to customers, both relationships are being terminated because of significant undercutting of prices from manufacturers in their own on-line sales.

Hopefully, this means that we will be seeing more frequent collection releases from JAMIEshow.

I understand the need to carry as little inventory as possible--from a manufacturer's point of view. But some of the prices from doll companies have increased significantly over the past few years--both Mattel and Tonner have had price increases. I also understand that the number of dolls produced under license cost more to cover these licensing fees. However, price increases have been across the board. As a collector, when I pay more for an item, I also expect better quality.

I realize that prices increase when the production costs increase. I'm sure many manufacturing facilities overseas have had an increase of production costs. However, when the manufacturer is able to sell their own products at a 50% discount to the general public, when it doesn't offer that discount to its dealers, you have to wonder how much production costs really influence the original retail price. Also, I have to wonder how a manufacturer might benefit from undercutting a dealer's prices.

I love doll dealers. First, you have the chance to order splits and dolls with lay-away, which isn't offered by most manufacturers. Second, overseas customers have a better chance of obtaining the products they want from the first release, when going through a dealer who is either in their own country or is willing to ship internationally. Third, many doll dealers are small businesses that give the country jobs and more income--at least when they make enough money to stay in business.

Finally, there is a certain level of expertise and customer service that you can get from a dealer that you don't get from manufacturers. It's the nature of the business. A manufacturer is never going to offer to sell second-hand stock or items on consignment when they are still producing new dolls, for example.

I'm pained by Angelic Dreamz latest announcement, and I'm sorry to hear it. I personally prefer to shop with a dealer--though it irks me to no end to see my latest purchases discounted so much from the manufacturer directly, right after I purchase them. I don't own a doll business--so I'm sure there are levels of this that I just don't understand. As for me--I'd much rather support my favorite doll company through my dealer. Doesn't everybody win then?

Nanoha

Nanoha, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Ack--they keep coming! It's my latest arrival, another 1:12 scale Picco Neemo by Azone. She's a character from a movie, I think. Her box says she's Nanoha, the Musical Lyrical Girl.

She has rooted blue hair, extra hands, including one extra gloved hand, extra bare feet (she's got molded boot feet!), and a book. Eek, she's cute!