The Doll Observer » Simon Farnworth

Superdoll Fashion Police number 2: QUANTRA!

Simon Farnworth — Tue, 01 May 2012 21:13:30 +0000

The second doll in the Fashion Police collection from Superdoll_Collectables was released on the superfrock.com website yesterday and her name is Quantra! She is a Forensic Entomologist (which is the is the application and study of insect and other arthropod biology to criminal matters in case you didn’t know!). I love her look and can’t wait to see real life pics but for me I am holding out for the gal in the pink I spied in Haute Doll (memory lapse on her name right now though…)

Here is the blurb:

“Holographic brown vinyl platform slip on stiletto boots, military cap, browning belts and silhouette shaper with kick me in the teeth pink legging in bias satin, holographic pink lame and milky latte lace blouse. Pink blushed lips, emerald eyes and tons of liquid eyeliner. Long wig side parted in multi tone coffee with blunt front detail. Boots and browning belt bearing SD “fashion police” logo’s buckle. Hat bears custom laser cut insignia. Just for added detail, she wears a jaded mint enamel bracelet.”

Here Come the Fashion Police and Superdoll KATANA Investigates!(dollobserver.com)

BARBIE ANNOUNCES PLAN TO TURN THE WHITE HOUSE PINK WITH A RUN FOR THE OVAL OFFICE

Simon Farnworth — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:11:28 +0000

Barbie doll formally threw her pink hat into the presidential campaign ring by unveiling the new 2012 Barbie I Can Be… President doll. The global icon will represent girls of all ages on her road to the “Pink House,” serving as the “B Party” candidate. Barbie will hit the campaign trail with a full-scale “glam-paign” alongside her longtime political advisor – The White House Project. With a designer pink power suit and a new Tumblr blog, Barbie® stands on her own (literally) as this campaign’s sole female candidate.

As the unwavering, encouraging voice of the “B Party,” Barbie’s campaign platform calls for girls of all ages to “B inspired,” “B informed,” and “B involved.” To further deliver her message, Barbie will continue to partner with The White House Project – a national, nonpartisan women’s leadership development organization – from the presentation of the “Barbie I Can Be Award” to a young girl at the organization’s annual awards gala to a “Take Your Daughters to the Polls” movement in November.

“The Barbie brand’s career-focused line of I Can Be… dolls often shine a pink spotlight on professions that are historically underrepresented by women,” said Cathy Cline, Vice President of U.S. Marketing, Mattel Girls’ Brands. “We hope that Barbie will inspire girls to be leaders – be it in their schools, classrooms, or communities – with the President doll. We know that role play often becomes real play….and when better to plant the seed of leadership in a girl’s mind than during play time.”

A Doll That Stands on Her Own
With more than 130 careers, Barbie doll has always been both a career trailblazer and a trend-setting style icon. Now, in her fashionable pink wedge shoes, the Barbie I Can Be… President doll literally stands on her own without support or the need for a doll stand.

“We are ecstatic that for the first time Barbie will stand on her own two feet, as all powerful leaders do– and the Barbie for President doll has the perfect platform to debut this feature” said Tiffany Dufu, President, The White House Project. “This new feature goes well beyond the toy aisle with a message for girls across the world.”

Here Come the Fashion Police and Superdoll KATANA Investigates!

Simon Farnworth — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:38:40 +0000

The latest Superdoll_Collectables collection is Fashion Police and yesterday the first doll in the line was put up for sale on the Superfrock website. Her name is KATANA and she is a ‘criminologist’. KATANA comes in the Fogu sculpt and is rather unusual indeed. I love the wig and the face-up but am yet undecided on the outfit. What are your thoughts?

Here’s the official lowdown:

“GEN 3:2
Fugu clone: 0702, pale skintone!
FIRST OF THE CURRENT COLLECTION “FASHION POLICE”
Criminologist Katana!
Charcoal dusted lids and liner in pure black defining the crimescene! Pale grey eyes.
Custom laser latice overlaid knee length strapless frock with inset back bustle of latice. White footless hose, suicidal wrist wraps in white, and white patent Fashion Police monogram belt.
Hair of grey & white blend in center parting with a pair of braided pigtails bound in red ribbon.
Accessories consist: face pac facemask, lime white and black platform sandals and matching forensic size handbag. White enamel dip crucifix earings.

Includes dollstand and applied eyelashes.”

Haute Doll Magazine Gets a Relaunch… And Guess Who’s On-board?

Simon Farnworth — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 12:17:28 +0000

Many of you will have heard the very happy news that Haute Doll magazine, a favourite among Fashion Doll Lovers, is about to be relaunched. The magazine is now the property of Jones Publishing after the merger of Doll Reader and Dolls Magazinea few months ago. The magazine will form part of the Dolls magazine subscription and will be available quarterly. The magazine will be in a squarebound presentation and will feature articles and news on Integrity’s new FR:16 line, BJD artist Connie Lowe, JAMIEShow, Sybarites, Horsman, Tonner and Wilde Imagination. The first issue will be available in late April/early May.

I can also exclusively announce that I have been asked to feature as a regular columnist! Imagine my excitement when I got that email! I am also excited by the opportunity to spotlight our fantastic and talented DollObservers.com members via the column too! The column is set to be called ‘Doll Watch’ and my first article is already in the bag and I can’t wait to share it with you!

Look out for magazine subscriptions options to Haute Doll available via this site in the coming weeks!

Coming Soon: An Interview with George from Angelic Dreamz! (dollobserver.com)

Coming Soon: An Interview with George from Angelic Dreamz!

Simon Farnworth — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:52:54 +0000

Angelic Dreamz, the prestigious fashion doll retailer, was nominated in several categories at this year’s DollObservers.com Fashion Doll Awards. In the event they were outright winner of ‘Fashion Doll retailer 2012’ as voted for by the fashion doll buying public. Therefore I am delighted to announce that George Gonzalez, co-owner of Angelic Dreamz and the creative force behind the amazing JAMIEshow line, has kindly agreed to an interview!

I thought this would be an ideal opportunity for our DollObservers members, visitors and patrons to pose their own questions to George also. So if you have a question for George, don’t be shy and be sure to add it in the comments section below.

I hope to have the interview online in the next couple of weeks or so!

The DollObservers.com Fashion Doll Award Winners Are Announced

Simon Farnworth — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 21:15:41 +0000

Today, Sunday 19th February 2012, at 6pm GMT the winners of the first ‘Annual DollObservers.com Fashion Doll Awards’ or ‘DOFDAs’ were announced. Eager fashion doll lovers and community members were treated to live announcements via online chat and tweets (#DOFDAs). Each nominee was chosen by the DollObservers members and winners were selected by public vote.

Winners in several categories included superdoll_collectables and Integrity Toys as well as award nods for Mattel and Tonner Doll. One of the winners, George Gonzalez from Angelic Dreamz, was even online to ‘accept’ his Award for ‘Best Online Retailer of the Year’. George later stated that, as well as his win, he was “honoured” to have also been nominated in a total of 6 categories, including ’Best 16″ Fashion Doll’ and ‘Best Fashion Doll Designer’.

The Awards also mark the second Anniversary of DollObservers.com which came into being on 20th February 2010. We have come a long way since then, thanks to a dedicated community of members.

Here is the full list of Award Nominees & Winners:

1. Best 12″ Scale Fashion Doll

Barbie Basics ‘Model No. 14 – Collection 002.5‘ (Mattel)
Fashion Royalty ‘Modern Comeback‘ Véronique Perrin (Integrity Toys) WINNER
NU.FACE ‘Quiet Storm‘ Annik (Integrity Toys)
‘tokidoki‘ Barbie Doll (Mattel)
VINTAGE REVLON ‘Blushing Bride‘ (Tonner Doll)

2. Best 16″ Scale Fashion Doll

‘2PM‘ (Ficon Doll)
‘Feeling Fatigue‘ Ellowyne Wilde (Wilde Imagination)
JAMIEshow Holiday 2011 ‘MADAME‘ Eshe (Angelic Dreamz)
‘Joyeux Anniversaire‘ BJD Tyler Wentworth Exclusive (Tonner Doll)
Sybarite ‘Gothica‘ MarlB Exclusive (superdoll_collectables) WINNER

3. Best Male Fashion Doll (any scale)

Barbie Basics ‘Model No. 17 — Collection 002‘ (Mattel)
Cami and Jon ‘Party All Night Andy‘ (Tonner Doll)
Pop Culture Collection ‘Captain Jack Sparrow Doll‘ (Mattel)
Dynamite Girls ‘Summer Daze‘ Kyu (Integrity Toys) WINNER
Dynamite Girls ‘Radiant Child‘ Remi (Integrity Toys)

4. Best Celebrity Likeness in a Fashion Doll

Ava Gardner ‘Hearts Ablaze‘ (Tonner Doll)
Grace Kelly ‘To Catch A Thief‘ (Mattel)
‘Green Lantern‘ Carol Ferris Barbie Doll (Mattel)
Captain Jack Sparrow Doll (Mattel) WINNER
‘Twilight’ Jasper Hale (Tonner Doll)

5. Best Costume 12″ Scale (fashion only release)

FR2 ‘Sheer Bliss‘ (Integrity Toys) WINNER
NU.FACE ‘In The Trenches‘ (Integrity Toys)
REVLON ‘Velvet Dazzle‘ (Tonner Doll)

6. Best Costume 16″ Scale (fashion only release)

OVAZ DESIGN for JAMIEshow ‘Sole Priority‘ (Angelic Dreamz)
Gowns by Anne Harper Collection ‘The Capulet’s Daughter‘ (Tonner Doll)
Sybarite ‘Black Bird Society‘ (superdoll_collectables) WINNER

7. Best Fashion Doll Accessory/Playset/Furniture Item (any scale)

Barbie Basics ‘Look No. 02 – Collection 002.5‘ (Mattel)
Monster High ‘Draculaura Coffin Bed‘ (Mattel)
Princess Chair (Horsman Ltd)
JAMIEshow St. Tropez Collection ‘The Morphogenesis Lounge‘ (Angelic Dreamz)
TONNER Wardrobe (Tonner Doll) WINNER

8. Best Fashion Doll manufacturer/designer

David Buttry (Integrity Toys)

Charles & Desmond (superdoll_collectables) WINNER

JAMIEshow (Angelic Dreamz)

Robert Best (Mattel)

Robert Tonner (Tonner Dolls)

9. Best Online Fashion Doll Retailer

Angelic Dreamz (angelicdreamz.com) WINNER
Barbie Collector (barbiecollector.com)
Doll Attic (dollattic.com)
Tonner Direct [now Tonner Doll] (tonnerdoll.com)
Vogue Collectibles (41vogue.com)

10. Innovation in Fashion Doll Articulation Award (any scale) 2011

FR2 (Integrity Toys) WINNER
JAMIEshow Generation 2 (Angelic Dreamz)
Liv Dolls (SpinMaster)
Sybarite Gen 3.1 (superdoll_collectables)

Why not find out why DollObservers.com is a great destination for every fashion doll lover!

Why should I join DollObservers.com? (dollobserver.com)
The DollObservers.com Awards go to the Public Vote (dollobserver.com)

Shock news! Latest Integrity Toys W Club Exclusive is a Glam Addict!

Simon Farnworth — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:55:51 +0000

The latest Integrity Toys W Club exclusive for 2012 has just been announced and for the first time in the history of the W Club she is also a European Exclusive. Integrity have partnered with LaureBelle Couture, a dealer from France in oerder to bring Fashion Royalty doll Giselle, who is a certified ‘Glam Addict’! And judging from the prototype pics of the raven haired beauty, she most certainly is too! It is great to see Integrity reaching out to their European fan base this way and I hope that the lottery which members must enter in order to buy her swings more easily to this side of the pond, hint, hint!

With her ‘mini gift set’ status Giselle oems resplendent with a range of accessories, as well as her cocktail dress, such as a stunning hat, stole, bracelets and no less than 3 pairs of shoes!

An Interview With a Doll Lover, January 2012

Simon Farnworth — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:15:05 +0000

Ada and friends...

It is with great pleasure that I can announce that our first DollObservers.com Superstar Member of 2012 is the beautiful, talented and generous of spirit, Ada. Ada has been with us since the very early days of DollObservers and has always inspired and advised other members of the site.

Ada also has her finger firmly on the pulse of the Barbie world and was generous enough to design our site logo and look of our site for our first birthday last year. Ada you are a Superstar indeed!

Here is our interview with Ada and I hope you enjoy at much as me…

What made you join Doll Observers?

I love doll related websites! I saw the link on Facebook, I think, and when I saw that it was a doll lover’s community I was like: this is the place to be! LOL

When did you start collecting/playing dolls?

Playing with them… I think it was ’87 or ’86 when my mom bought me my first Barbie. Sun Gold Malibu Barbie. I still have her. She always wanted a Barbie when she was a kid but because we were a communist country it was impossible to get one. So she got one for me with the help of a friend of hour who used to smuggle things in and out of the country. My collection grew over the years until I became a teenager. As you may have guessed I started being more interested in boys than dolls by then, so I stopped buying dolls. ) And then, one day in 2008, I saw some Collector Barbies online and my addiction was back!

Tell us about the dolls in your collection.

Well first of all don’t ask me how many I have. I stopped counting after 200. Mostly I have Barbies from the 70′s, 80s, 90s and some Collector Dolls. Besides them I have a growing collection of 80s and 70s dolls such as Maxie, Tuesday Taylor, Candi, Jem, Sindy etc. Now I really am into Darci dolls and I plan on getting some of them.

You are DollObservers’ unofficial Barbie expert. How do you keep up with all the Barbie news and developments?

) I love the unofficial title. ) Well I read a LOT of doll blogs and websites, I’ve joined a lot of Barbie groups on Facebook and I also have a lot of doll collector friends on Facebook so I read their updates every day.

Your love of Barbie is certainly no secret. Even your recent marriage and engagement had a Barbie related elements. Tell us about that?

Well first of all I must thank God for the Marian. ) Because he understands what a collector is and he loves and takes care of my collection. He doesn’t love the bills that come with this collection but he still loves it. That is why he proposed to me, on the 29th of December 2010 with a custom Ninimomo Barbie called The Ada is Getting Married Doll that was made to resemble me in my Marie Claire spread I had done a few month before. He came up with the idea during a trip to Amsterdam where he saw Teresa Barbie Basics 1.0 and he thought to himself: oh, she looks just like Ada! As he already knew my love for Ninimomo’s creations he got in touch with Nik and Marie and they came up with the amazing doll that was given to me as a Christmas present AND a marriage proposal. I had no idea he was going to do that so it was a TOTAL surprise for me.

You are a very talented graphic and web designer (thanks again for our wonderful site design!). How do you combine your skills in these fields with your love of dolls?

Dolls inspire me. The same is with old cartoons. When I don’t have inspiration I look at my doll collection or search through my cartoon collection and watch some episodes from a classic series such as Jem or Saber Rider.

What advice would you give members who are thinking about starting a doll related website or blog?

Get someone to help you with a nice design. If you also want to make some money for your dolls from ads on your site you have to make it eye pleasing. Content is VERY important but the look also plays a big part in the success of a blog. Oh yes…you can email me!!! )

Other than playing with dolls what else do you do to relax?

As I have said before I love watching old cartoons from the 70s and 80s, looking at classic movies and reading books. I love books! Take me to a book store and I’ll spend everything I have there. ) And also spending time with Marian and our 2 cats, 2 hamsters and the neighbour’s dog, talking on the phone with my parents and going to the gym.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Barbie loves cats. )

Interview with a doll lover, September 2011 (dollobserver.com)

Integrity Toys Introduces the FR:16 Doll Line at IDEX

Simon Farnworth — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 20:22:58 +0000

Integrity Toys have unveiled an unprecedented number of dolls and doll lines at this weekends IDEX show. Amongst the usual Fashion Royalty, Poppy Parker and Nu Fantasy dolls was the brand new FR:16 line of 16″ fashion dolls. The 1/4 scale doll fraternity, as well as enthusiastic Integrity Toys fans, have long anticipated the unveiling of the FR:16 line which is IT’s latest attempt at the 16″ doll market. Their last line, the AdventGuards, a line of cutting edge 16″ dolls were a moderate success which eventually fizzled out. The FR:16 dolls take their name from their smaller 12″ sisters and do attempt to tie the lines together by putting them in the same story line universe. These gals run a fashion mag called “The Wall” which, as expected, is a runaway success and a must have for any self-respecting fashionista.

The Integrity Toys IDEX booth

There are 4 dolls in all in the début line in a range of ethnicities and face sculpts. My personal favourite is the gorgeous Latino Freja Mossimo who, according to the publicity lore, is art director for “The Wall” magazine. Her outfit is possibly not the most inspiring (all the girls outfits are just OK) but her sculpt is a chiseled beauty and her accessories and shoes are wonderful. Needless to say I have made my pre-order!

Press Magnate Saskia Tate™ Dressed Doll

Fit to Print Anais McNight™ Dressed Doll

Perfect Layout Freja Mossimo™ Dressed Doll

All the FR:16 doll feature applied eyelashes

Accessories to die for...

The DollObservers.com Awards go to the Public Vote (dollobserver.com)
The Poppy Parker W Club Exclusive 2011 (dollobserver.com)
The Dynamite Girls (and Boy) are hitting the City (dollobserver.com)

The DollObservers.com Awards go to the Public Vote

Simon Farnworth — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 01:24:43 +0000

DollObservers.com, the social networking site for fashion doll lovers, is delighted to announce the launch of its first annual Fashion Doll Awards. The winners will be announced on 19th February 2012. The awards will coincide and mark the second anniversary of the site’s inception.

The Awards will focus solely on the fashion doll world and there will be 10 categories in all. Each category will capture the best of the last year’s fashion doll industry, including dolls, fashions, designers and retailers.

The round of nominations is now complete and we are have the immense pleasure in announcing the finalists. Voting is now open to the public and the winners will be announced on 19th February 2012. Cast your vote here.

Here are the nominations in full with links to pics/info of the nominees:

1. Best 12″ Scale Fashion Doll

Barbie Basics ‘Model No. 14 – Collection 002.5‘ (Mattel)
Fashion Royalty ‘Modern Comeback‘ Véronique Perrin (Integrity Toys)
NU.FACE ‘Quiet Storm‘ Annik (Integrity Toys)
‘tokidoki‘ Babie Doll (Mattel)
VINTAGE REVLON ‘Blushing Bride‘ (Tonner Doll)

2. Best 16″ Scale Fashion Doll

‘2PM‘ (Ficon Doll)
‘Feeling Fatigue‘ Ellowyne Wilde (Wilde Imagination)
JAMIEshow Holiday 2011 ‘MADAME‘ Eshe (Angelic Dreamz)
‘Joyeux Anniversaire‘ BJD Tyler Wentworth Exclusive (Tonner Doll)
Sybarite ‘Gothica‘ MarlB Exclusive (Superfrock Ltd)

3. Best Male Fashion Doll (any scale)

Barbie Basics ‘Model No. 17 — Collection 002‘ (Mattel)
Cami and Jon ‘Party All Night Andy‘ (Tonner Doll)
Pop Culture Collection ‘Captain Jack Sparrow Doll‘ (Mattel)
Dynamite Girls ‘Summer Daze‘ Kyu (Integrity Toys)
Dynamite Girls ‘Radiant Child‘ Remi (Integrity Toys)

4. Best Celebrity Likeness in a Fashion Doll

Ava Gardner ‘Hearts Ablaze‘ (Tonner Doll)
Grace Kelly ‘To Catch A Thief‘ (Mattel)
‘Green Lantern‘ Carol Ferris Barbie Doll (Mattel)
Captain Jack Sparrow Doll (Mattel)
‘Twilight’ Jasper Hale (Tonner Doll)

5. Best Costume 12″ Scale (fashion only release)

FR2 ‘Sheer Bliss‘ (Integrity Toys)
NU.FACE ‘In The Trenches‘ (Integrity Toys)
REVLON ‘Velvet Dazzle‘ (Tonner Doll)

6. Best Costume 16″ Scale (fashion only release)

OVAZ DESIGN for JAMIEshow ‘Sole Priority‘ (Angelic Dreamz)
Gowns by Anne Harper Collection ‘The Capulet’s Daughter‘ (Tonner Doll)
Sybarite ‘Black Bird Society‘ (Superfrock Ltd)

7. Best Fashion Doll Accessory/Playset/Furniture Item (any scale)

9. Best Online Fashion Doll Retailer

Angelic Dreamz (angelicdreamz.com)
Barbie Collector (barbiecollector.com)
Doll Attic (dollattic.com)
Tonner Direct [now Tonner Doll] (tonnerdoll.com)
Vogue Collectibles (41vogue.com)

10. Innovation in Fashion Doll Articulation Award (any scale) 2011

FR2 (Integrity Toys)
JAMIEshow Generation 2 (Angelic Dreamz)
Liv Dolls (SpinMaster)
Sybarite Gen 3.1 (Superfrock Ltd)

Now be sure to cast your votes!

Why should I join DollObservers.com? (dollobserver.com)
Say hello to JAMIEshow St. Tropez Angelica (dollobserver.com)
Barbie & Stardoll Join forces! (dollobserver.com)

The Doll Observer » Simon Farnworth

Superdoll Fashion Police number 2: QUANTRA!

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