 TOY FAIR NEWS:
2001
Barbie Line! I saw the 2001 line today and its stunning! Barbie
2001 is a wonderful doll--the dress is light blue and ethereal! The
green skin on the Munsters gift set is a hoot, and the new Cher doll is
fabulous in person. You need to SEE the "When I Read, I
Dream" new series in person--the dolls are tiny and adorable, and
they are packaged beautifully. There is a 40th anniversary Ken
who will have his own miniature ken doll and box (much like 40th
Anniversary Barbie had her own Barbie), and Grand Entrance Barbie, which
is a lovely "entrance" doll for new, adult Barbie collectors.
In the play line,
Barbie is getting her own play hotel, and its magnificent! She will
also be starring in her FIRST full-length movie, "The
Nutcracker" this fall, direct to video. I got to see a few
minutes of the incredible motion animation in the movie today, and its
amazingly life-like. There is a whole, wonderful LINE of dolls to go
with this video--more about them later!
KIDS
ARE CUSTOMIZERS! Mattel has created a NEW doll for children where
the child PAINTS the face of the doll, and chooses the hair they want as
well! Nothing like training little fashion doll customizers at an
early age! The dolls are called "What's Her Face," and I
predict they will be HUGE come Christmas 2001. The dolls have stamps
for different features and markers, and there are wig sets
available. They sound strange, but are adorable.
HARRY
POTTER POLLY POCKETS! Well, when I was jumping up and down with
joy saying "Wow!! Harry Potter Polly Pockets," during the Mattel
tour today, my very patient Guide at Mattel kept correcting me and telling
me that they are actually called "Micro Playsets."
Well...OK....BUT this is the most fantastic set of Polly...I mean Micro
Playsets I've ever seen! You get the ENTIRE Hogwarts castle in
miniature--this ting is SO amazing--its three levels of amazing fun.
Articulated Harry and friends included. AND, you can buy small sets
that go with it, such as Hagrid's Hut and Platform 9 3/4.....OH...did I
mention the AMAZING Furby-like NORBERT--he moves beautifully and is
reactive to touch....BUT, the bad news is, NO Harry Potter Dolls are
currently in the works from Mattel at all, which was a BIG disappointment
to me.
MORE BARBIE,
LESS FURBY! At least, that's the opinion of MSNBC at this
year's Toy Fair--they are expecting a high-tech backlash, with classic
toys winning the day! More
Barbie, Less Furby...
2001
Barbie Line! Here are photos of the NEW Barbies, on the official
Barbie web site: Barbie
Collectibles 2001 Line
There is a Munster's Gift set, Moja Barbie, Arabian Nights Gift Set,
Fantasy Goddess of the Arctic, a 40th anniversary Ken, and much
more!
GENE line is
revealed!
The following
dolls and outfits are already shipping:
Here is your link to
the collectiblestoday.com page that premiered Gene at Toy Fair on Saturday
night: GENE
2001. My
opinion about the dolls is that they look BETTER in person--the 20th
Century Fox outfits are stunning, Trent is better looking, and there are
lots of details that just aren't evident in the official photos.
Trent
Osbourne: Trent IS the new character in the Gene line, just
as was rumored. Trent will be available in a tuxedo, for his
"Formal Introduction," plus as an additional two dolls.
There are also 4 Trent costumes and a Trent Director's Chair,
There are 8
new Gene dolls, and 9 new Gene outfits. Madra Lord has really taken
off this year--there are 8 Madra costumes, and
The winning
Student Design this year is "Batter Up"
GENE
RETIREMENTS:
Red Venus
She'd Rather Dance
Savannah
Sparkling Seduction
Madra FE
Heartless
Pink with Envy
Sunset Celebration
Avant Garde
Black Ribbon
Crescendo
Personal Secretary
Cameo
Midnight Angel
Picnic Basket
Out for a Stroll
Birthday Party Set
Champagne Supper
Love Paris
Daughter of the Nile
Tango
Safari
Hi Fi
Picnic in the Country
My Favorite Bow
El Morocco
The new
Susan Wakeen Eve Dolls: Here's what's new!
First of all....the
dolls eyes have been repainted, and I think they are beautiful!
Second, there is a NEW
character, Cassie, who is a younger friend (only 18). The Basic Cassie
comes in a really lovely white sweater and skirt outfit (oh gosh, this is
so silly, but I have to have this doll...my pet cat Cassie died after 16
years with me JUST 3 weeks ago....told you it was silly....). Cassie the
DOLL is lovely, but I don't know if her clothes will fit Eve and vice
versa (she looks smaller to me--I'll have to ask!)
Third, new, basic Eve
has bendable legs.
Fourth, there is a new
dressed Eve with curly honey colored hair which is GORGEOUS.
Like all the other
lines, though, too many dressed dolls and not enough separate outfits.
I'll have pictures up tomorrow in the gallery: Toy
Fair and Idex Gallery
The new Madame
Alexander Alex line has been revealed! Go to Alex
Premiere to see ALL the new dolls and outfits! Alex's
new AA friend is named Paris and she premieres in "Grand Entrance, a
fantastic orange and blue gown. There are 9 dressed Alex dolls and 2
dressed Paris dolls. There are also 8 new outfits for Alex this
year, and some great accessories, including a wig kit, a Christmas stage
set and a working girl's accessory kit complete with notepad, briefcase
and bottle of water. MORE on Alex in the NEXT About Dolls Daily!!!
N
Sync #1 Fan Barbie and JAM n'GLAM BARBIE: One new Barbie to debut at
Toy Fair is the N Sync #1 Fan Barbie--complete with CD single. Another new doll,
which will retail for about $15, is Jam n'Glam Barbie, which sports multicolor
hair that you can TURN around to change, just like the old Tuesday
Taylors. The Jam n'Glams have flexible middles, and are the
follow-ups to the popular Jewel Girl Barbies.
Diva
Starz Pets: Robots are heavily featured, and Diva Starz will be getting some Diva cats and
dogs to keep them company.
Here are some handy links for your Toy
Fair Coverage:
Toy Fair and
IDEX Main Page and Photo Gallery
Toy Fair
and IDEX Links
 Toy Fair In General: The 98th American International Toy Fair starts
Thursday February 8 with pre-show activity. The show officially runs starting
Sunday, Feb 11, through Thursday, February 15th.
- What is Toy Fair?
Toy Fair is the yearly trade show where over 1,500 manufacturers and distributors of
toys showcase their toys. Looking at these toys are more than 20,000 buyers from
over 100 countries and more than 1,000 international media outlets. Toy Fair is the
largest toy trade show in the Western hemisphere, and in some ways the main yearly event
which shapes the $28 billion (yes, 28 billion dollar!) toy industry.
- Why is Toy Fair Important For
Doll Collectors? Toy fair matters because its at Toy Fair that all the
major, modern players in the world of dolls announce their product lines for the
year. By the end of the fair, you'll find out about all the new Barbies, Madame
Alexanders, Genes, Tonners, American Girls, baby dolls, new dolls, and more that will be
produced this year! You will also likely find out all the new dolls and toys that
children will be clamoring for this Christmas. Don't miss ALL the new dolls
announced at Toy Fair right here in About Dolls--check back often!
- For more information, see the Official Toy Fair site.
THINGS TO PREMIERE AT TOY FAIR?:
An interesting
press release from this week seems to indicate that we'll see lots of RETIRE at this
year's Toy Fair: Toy
Fair Resurrects Dormant Toys. Can you say "Rock-em, Sock-em Robots?'
How about more GI Joe? Anyone remember My Pet Monster and Popples?
CHAT ROOM: The chat room is open 24 hours a day, and its
free! Just invite your friends in any time, or stop by to see who's there! And,
don't miss our collectors chat every Tuesday at 6pm pacific time/9pm eastern. http://collectdolls.about.com/mpchat.htm.
About Dolls Daily
Archive:
January 30, 2001: Live IDEX update--news on all your
favorite fashion doll lines and much more!
January 23, 2001: IDEX Preview--Clea Bella, Christina St. Clair and
more! Plus, site with sewing measurements for your favorite large fashion
dolls.
January 18, 2001: New, higher eBay listing fees; eBay keeps Buy It Now;
eToys really struggling; Are smart toys making kids dumb?
January 12, 2001: GENE gets a male companion; more Gene 2001 news;
Theriault's Auction News and Review
January 6, 2001: Update from
Theriault's Auction Weekend: Automata; Antiques Auction.
December 30, 2000: Theriault's Auction Weekend; History of Fashion Dolls in Barbie
Bazaar Magazine warehouse.
December 16,2000: 2001 Fashion Model Barbie pictures; Treasure Trove Of
Vintage Toys found in Government Warehouse; Kitt Kittredge sold out
December 7,2000: Ferrari Evening Barbie; Power Puff Girls BAD; new Clip Art;
No Toy Home-Run for This Year's Holiday Season
Click HERE for the 2000
Doll News Archive
For all 1999
editions of "Dolls This Week" please go to the 1999 Dolls This Week Archives.
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
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