Doll Collecting News

by Debbie Garrett

Index  | Welcome | Mailbag | About the Editor | Collecting News | Profile of a Collector | Profile of an Artist | Doll in the Spotlight! | Doll Care Basics | Resources | FAQ | Closing Words | 

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NEW DOLLS ON THE SCENE

From Ashton-Drake/Collectiblestoday.com is the long-awaited, reproduced as an exact replica of the original, African American (AA) Chatty Cathy!   The doll retails for $79.99; however, if you ordered online before the price of $99.99 was corrected to $79.99, call Ashton-Drake at 1-800-634-5164 and request a price adjustment.

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Retailing for $199.95 and celebrating 35 years of Sesame Street, is the 1, 2, 3 Sesame Street Trunk set AA doll by Madame Alexander.  The Sesame Street doll has the new original AA face mold used only on AA dolls. See a close up of this face on the  Making New Friends doll, below right.  The inserted doll, shown for comparison, has the old "Wendy" face that was used in the past on both AA and Caucasian 8-inch Wendy dolls.

More from Madame Alexander

For the bride-doll collector are 10-inch, My Special Day,  and 8-inch Rosette Dreams dolls by Madame Alexander.  These retail for $111.99 and $84.95, respectively.

The recently ended, Madame Alexander/McDonald's Happy Meal campaign (October 14 - November 4, 2004) consisted of 8 different, 4-3/4-inch Disney character dolls.  AA Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse (above, far right) were the only two dark skinned dolls included.  The dolls could be purchased separately or one  was included with the purchase of a McDonald's Happy Meal.

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After temporarily ceasing operation, the My Twinn Company has reopened its doors under new ownership.   Until December 25th, a $10 discount is being given off orders of $75 or more.  Above are some virtual My Twinns created at Mytwinn.com using their "Personalize a Doll" feature.  The two on the far left share the same face mold but have different wig colors/styles, different eye colors, and complexions.  The same holds true for the two on the far right, who also share the same mold with different color combinations for wigs, eyes, and complexion.  The cost of a custom My Twinn doll starts at $119.

 The little one above is an actual photo of a 14-inch My Twinn Cuddly Sister doll, Jasmine (retail $20).

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From CED Dolls is the now more affordable, multi-articulated, Basic Colin.  At $159, the doll is less than half the doll's debut price.

Fashion Royalty Graphic Language Adele and Exotica Adele from Integrity Toys by Jason Wu are both stunning and retail at $60 and $30, respectively.  According to online research, preorders have sold out for both!

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Next to actual silicone dolls, the silicone/vinyl babies are all the rage.  Quite affordable at $149.99 each, Ashton-Drake/Collectiblestoday.com is currently offering the Jasmine series of 4 dolls by Waltraud Hanl.  The medium used for this doll series is AD's So Truly Real™ vinyl/silicone mixture.  Actual photos of the second doll in the series, Jasmine's First Birthday, are pictured above.  

Also available through Ashton-Drake/CollectiblesToday.com are the FIRST So Truly Real™ Black twins created by world-renowned, certified doll artist Lorna Miller-Sands.  The twins also retail for $149.99.  At the time of publication, reservations via Ashton-Drake/CollectiblesToday.com are being accepted for Destiny.  DeShawn will be available to reserve at a later date. 

The Home Shopping Network (HSN/HSN.com) is currently offering silicone/vinyl babies by Sheila Michael.  Above is their most recent offering, Hugs and Kisses Sleeping Baby, a 20-inch doll.  The first and second AA dolls offered by Ms. Michael via HSN promptly sold out. At the time of publication, the availability of the most recent AA doll is uncertain.  Retail $129.

NEWS FLASH:  After 2004, HSN will no longer televise doll shows.  It is uncertain whether or not dolls will continue to be offered via  HSN.com.

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Netherlands doll artist, Sandy Faber, shared photos of her most recent dark skinned doll, Baby Olivia.  Made of Australian Modelene clay, Olivia is a one-of-kind doll and will sell for $1250.  Sandy also has a Native American silicone/vinyl doll, Baby Raven Wing (see actual doll photos below), that is so adorable, and currently available through Ashton-Drake/Collectibles today for $149.99.  Baby Raven Wing is a 22-inch So Truly Real™ silicone/vinyl baby.  Sandy is currently working on other African American dolls.  

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Russell Williams, by Robert Tonner, is the new 16.5 inch, AA male doll on the scene.  The Basic Russell Williams doll wears boxer shorts, tee shirt, terry robe and sandals and retails for $59.99.   Russell shares several boxed outfits in the Matt O'Neill Collection with the doll of the same name.    Above RW is "suited" in the limited edition of 1000, Classic Tuxedo outfit, which retails for $69.99.  Esme is finally able to exhale.

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Already available via Mattel is the stunning, ebony-complexioned, Model of the Moment Nichelle, Urban Hipster, retailing for $49.98. 

  Aquarius, Aries, and Cancer scheduled for release in October, 2005 will be included in the Zodiac Barbie series, a Wal-Mart exclusive, with a retail of under $20 each.

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There are several nice medium and dark skin dolls offered by Lee Middleton Original Dolls.  Cookies for Santa, released in July 2004 and Waiting for Santa, released in October 2004, both retail for $139.  Both dolls will probably enhance the decor of several collectors during the upcoming holiday season.

OTHER NEWS

In other news, The BDE would like to congratulate Lorna Miller-Sands (LMS) on her new and improved website.  There you will find LMS Designs, which is Lorna's own company through which she sells some of her doll lines, including Destiny and DeShawn, pictured above.  The LMS Collector's Forum, OOAK Baby Gallery, Silicone Baby Gallery, information on how to join the LMS Collector's Club, and additional information for LMS enthusiasts can also be found at the new website.  

In the true spirit of Christmas, Lorna Miller-Sands has decided to give away a one-of-a-kind doll, Gabrielle, as her gift to one Lorna Miller-Sands Collector's Club member. The drawing will be done from the list of current LMS Collector's Club members who joined before 12/14/04. The lucky winner of this beautiful, biracial baby, whose name is Gabrielle, will be drawn on 12/15/04.  If you are not already a member of the LMS Collector's Club, you might want to consider joining. 

To access Lorna's new website,  be sure to visit the Resources page of this issue of The BDE and click the Lorna Miller-Sands Babies.com link.  

There is also a link on the Resources page to Gabrielle's breathtaking pictures!

Black Dolls:  Bold, Proud, and Beautiful, by Nayda Rondon with introduction and commentaries by Barbara A. Whiteman,  is a new book on Black dolls.  In this book you will get to know several different doll artists and manufacturers.

Still available at amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, Sable Images (Los Angeles, CA), Black Images and Jokae's African American Books (Dallas, TX), The Black Book Worm (Fort Worth, TX), and in several libraries throughout the United States including the Seacoast African American Cultural Center Library - Portsmouth, NH, and Smithsonian Institution Library's Anacostia Museum & Center for African American History and Culture Library is Debbie Garrett's Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls, the first full-color Black-doll reference book -- a must have for all doll enthusiasts.

Help inform others about the above two Black doll books.  Even if you already own copies, if these books are not currently in your local book stores or libraries, request them.  (Thank you!)

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UPCOMING DOLL SHOWS AND EVENTS

EVENTS

This event will also include a Book Signing: Black Dolls:  Proud, Bold and Beautiful 
by Nayda Rondon with introduction and commentaries by Barbara A. Whiteman

"Share Your Passion: Hobbies and Crafts"

Northeast Branch Library, Arlington Public Library System

Saturday, December 4, 2004

2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Debbie Garrett, author of The Definitive Guide to Collecting Black Dolls will share a portion of her Black-doll collection with the community.

If you have Black-doll collecting news that you would like to share with the readers of  The Black Doll-E-Zine to be included in the next issue, please contact, Deb at:

 blackdollezine@sbcglobal.net