New Doll Magazine Announced!!: At the Doll Artisan Guild Dollmaking convention (see below) a NEW doll magazine was announced! The magazine is entitled "Doll Costuming" and it will premiere this fall! The magazine will start as a quarterly, and eventually be bi-monthly. The magazine is from the publishers of Doll Artisan & Dollmaking. Each issue will have a ready-to-use pull-out pattern, plus instructions on accessories. Costuming from historical to modern will be included. Subscribe (and find out more!) at www.dollcostuming.net

INTERNATIONAL DOLLMAKERS CONVENTION A HUGE SUCCESS!: The Doll Artisan Guild International convention in Orlando, Florida was a HUGE success--attended by hundreds of dollmakers from all over the world (USA, Japan, Australia, Europe, South America). The competition room was amazing, the convention doll stunning (right), and the show room was a cornucopia of temptations. Look for the FULL story on this site! If you missed this convention, check out this list of Upcoming Doll Artisan Guild events--your Guide will have a booth at the San Jose show in March, 2001, and I hope to see lots of you there!

UFDC CONVENTION ONLY 1 WEEK AWAY!: Summertime is convention time in the world of dolls, and the next BIG one is the fabulous UFDC National Convention, Fin Du Millenaire: Chicago, July 16-21 2000--starting next Sunday! This convention is the largest doll convention in the world--well over 2000 doll collectors attend, and there is a fabulous sale room, modern and antique doll competitions, classes, seminars, meal events with souvenir dolls, and much more. If you are NOT a member of the UFDC already, I urge you to join (their quarterly doll magazine, Doll News, is worth the membership fee alone). Go to www.ufdc.org for more information. If you are attending, please say hello--I loved meeting About.com community members at the Dollmakers convention, and I look forward to meeting more of you next week! Never been to a convention and wonder what its like? Check out last years Doll Convention Diary (I will post a similar Doll Convention Diary during next weeks convention, so look for it!).

Antique Doll Bonnet Auction at Theriaults: Don't miss this innovative auction--the FIRST online-only auction to my knowledge with a full-color catalog! The catalog is called "The Ribbon is Free--Antique Doll Bonnets From 1850 to 1925"and is a must for doll costumers and lovers of antique dolls. Over 150 doll bonnets are featured, including some diagrams showing bonnet construction details. The auction runs ONLINE (absentee bids off line also accepted) from July 14, 2000 to July 28, 2000. You can participate in the auction (and order a catalog) by going to www.theriaults.com

Harry Potter Mania: Lovers of fantasy and imagination nation-wide turned out in droves for the midnight Harry Potter parties at most bookstores so they could get their hands on the latest of the Harry Potter books, "The Goblet of Fire." At my local, small-town Barnes and Noble, literally hundreds of eager fans lined up before midnight--the line ran 3-lengths of the store! People came in full costume as wizards and witches (and, some of us were just dressed like Muggles). The release of the new book is of particular interest to doll fans because Mattel will release a full-line of action figures and dolls based on the books this fall!! Hasbro has the rights to movie merchandising (the first Harry Potter movie will be out in 2001). Find out more about the Harry Potter craze at Time Magazine., also read about the licensing and merchandising aspects (what we can expect to see and when) at LATimes.com in Goblets of Value Gained on Potter Magic

Simply Gene Platinum Has shipped, and she is gorgeous! True to his promise, Mel Odom has designed a doll that swivels at the waist but not TOO far, so that the doll doesn't look like she was cast in the Exorcist (don't you just hate dolls that swivel full-around?). The Platinum Hair is QUITE white and a very neat change (my 5-year old has nicknamed the doll Grandma Gene!)

Upcoming Doll Events

• Timeless Treasures: The Story of Dolls in Canada is on display now through March 30, 2003 at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. For more information on this huge (over 400 dolls) landmark exhibit, visit http://www.civilisations.ca/cmc/cmceng/pr113aeng.html
• National UFDC Convention: Fin Du Millenaire: Chicago, July 16-21 2000. The National Convention; over 2000 doll collectors, sale room, modern and antique doll competition rooms, classes, seminars (your Guide will be teaching a seminar) , meal events and much more! Go to www.ufdc.org for more information
• Theriault's Marquis Auction Weekend: July 16. Wyndham Hotel, Chicago Illinois. Catalogued and Discovery (uncatalogued) auctions.
• National Doll Festival: Chicago, July 15-19, Sheraton Chicago Hotel and Towers. For information http://members.aol.com/natldoll/pub/
• National Gene Convention 2000 will be held Oct. 20-23 at the Arlington Heights Hilton in Arlington Heights, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago). Registration is $325 and limited to 700. For more information, contact genecon99@aol.com
• Fashion Doll Convention 2000 San Diego, California August 12 to 14 2000 at the DoubleTree Hotel. Convention dolls are Daisy and Willow. For more information, http://members.aol.com/fashiondollsd or e-mal fashiondollsd@aol.com

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2000 Past Editions of Dolls This Week:

January
Madame Alexander 16" Fashion Doll; Mattel Execs Leave *
Doll Costumer Guild Announces New Publication; *
Barbie PC; Barbie Auction *
February
Jill Barad Resigns From Mattel *
All The Toy Fair News! *
Toy Fair Recap; Toy Fair Toys are Technological *
March
New Theriault's Auctions; Dorothy Coleman Dies *
TRU Big Event, Virginia Graves Carlson Dies *
April
New Doll Books; New Barbie Releases in Stores *
Jill-Neimrow Nelson Resigns; Americana 2000 Projects; Fashion Doll Convention *
Barbie for President, Sign Language Barbie; Betty Spagetty and eBay Antique Dealers *
Special Online Doll Auctions; Pleasant Co. Toys For Boys, Cool Collecting Barbie*
May
Pleasant Company Founder Retires/Doll Discounts/Harley Ken HOT! *
Who's Brave Enough to Run Mattel/Hello Kitty Barbie/Barbies in stores now *
Toysmart OUT of Business; Where are Asian Barbies; NEW Mattel CEO *
June
Barbie20001 line info; Gene News; Sailor Moon NEW USA Dolls! *
eBay users dislike advertisements; GI Joe in a Dress; new 16" Fashion Dolls *
Barbie Bazaar, ITCA, Simply Gene Platinum, Barbie Convention

For all 1999 editions of "Dolls This Week" please go to the 1999 Dolls This Week Archives.