Mattel sneaks from Bill Greening

One of the coolest parts of attending the GAW convention were the presentations by Bill Greening and Lynda Kyaw. They were invited guests, but the convention is not put on by Mattel. Bill went first. No cameras are allowed during the presentation, so I took notes, and I was able to take a few shots of some hot-off-the-press dolls, which will show up later. Above, you can see the back of the box of one, which belongs to the fall Red Carpet collection, part of the Barbie Look line,  which has replaced Barbie Basics. Four dolls are being offered, as you can see:

• A brunette in a red ball gown
• A raven in a stunning black mermaid gown
• A blonde in a blue mermaid dress
• A redhead in a long yellow Grecian inspired gown

He went on to treat us to additional sneaks to the 2015 Barbie Look line, starting with the inspiration for the City Lights collection for Barbie Look line. I am super excited about this metallic line. Photos of four dolls were sneaked from this line!

• In a short silver dress, we saw a sweet short-haired blonde
• The most exciting news of the season, it's a warm brown haired Steffie in a gold dress--the same fabric as Holiday Hostess Happy New Year Barbie, since Bill liked it so much. (I'm thrilled to see this doll!)
• Again, another absolute beauty, Mbili appears in a copper dress looking like a total diva! She is a very close second favorite in this collection.
• And to top it off--Aphrodite makes a raven appearance, in a black and silver dress

For 2014, vintage repro collectors will have a nice surprise with a new Double Date repro set. For about $100 retail, this set includes a painted red Allan, blonde flip Midge, painted blonde Ken and ash blonde swirl Barbie, with both couples dressed in reproductions of their original swimsuits. 

Now, for fantasy doll fans who are sad the constellation series of  designer dolls are finished, we've been introduced to the new series: Faraway Forest, which is inspired by The Hobbit and Game of Thrones. We saw a peek of the map, which included names such as Dark Forest, White Woods, Elf Village, Magic Lagoon, and others. The first to be produced (and this year) is Elf Village. We were treated to some amazing details, including the fairies sculpted into the heels of her shoes, reminding me of Alexander McQueen's angel wing shoes. Additionally, we saw a staff, some vines, a crown, and lots of other amazing detail. She uses the Goddess face with pointed years, auburn hair (I think). She wears a caped outfit.

The next doll, White Woods, is planned for 2015, and is also already in production.