TOY FAIR WINDING DOWN:   The booths are packing up, the showrooms are closing, and toy buyers are flying back to their shops filled with thoughts of the new products they will be introducing to their customers during 2001.  Covering Toy Fair 2001 was an incredible experience.  I was there for four days, yet I only feel I barely scratched the surface of all the wonderful doll, plush and related toys being offered at Toy Fair.  BUT....I am returning filled with news, photos, interviews, new finds, and 2001 doll introductions from many sources, old and new.  Look for in-depth information and news by manufacturer in the next few days, as well as many additions to the New Doll Releases For 2001 Gallery!

TOY FAIR TIDBITS:

GUND and HARRY POTTER!:  Mattel is not the only company with great Harry Potter product this year.  Gund will have one of the FIRST Harry Potter dolls.  This doll is wonderful--OK, I know you are all thinking "Oh no, soft plush Harry, after all this is Gund..." but, no, that isn't the case at all!  The Harry doll is about 12" tall, and although it has an outer layer of fabric, the doll has a hard, poseable frame underneath.  He is beautifully dressed, AND the effect is a bit like a pressed-felt face.  REALLY nice--unfortunately, no photos allowed yet.  AND there is also a WONDERFUL Hagrid doll, plus Fluffy, and more......more on this later!

Hasbro:

Hasbro has a great new product called Shoezies!  These are miniature shoes, 36 styles in all this year (in 6 style groups), and new styles next year. The mini shoes come in adorable shoe boxes.  I don't know if these shoes will fit the 16" fashion dolls, but there is HOPE--they look like they might fit them!  AND...there is this fantastic SHOEZIES Showplace Display Center which holds 12 pairs of Shoezies brand shoe fashions along with 12 Shoezies shoeboxes. A built-in turnstile display spins to show-off the complete collection.  THIS item is definitely adaptable to fashion doll shoes, and is quite attractive!  The shoes are also attractive--they are "finger-fitting" versions of trendy and funky styles inspired by 7^th Avenue, Venice Beach and the runways in Milan and Paris. 

JAAKS PACIFIC: 

Josie and the Pussycat dolls from Jaaks Pacific debut in April!

Jaaks will most likely continue the Elle line of dolls (although it is a bit up in the air, so if you love these dolls, let your retailer who is carrying them know!).  If they continue, they will include 3 sets of 3 dolls, including one set focusing on 20s to 50s costumes, and one deluxe set with a trunk and makeup case.

EFFANBEE:

Effanbee has Betty and Veronica Dolls debuting this year. The dolls are all dressed dolls.  There are cheerleader Betty and Veronica, as well as dolls dressed in outfits from the 60s (my favorite; very groovy!) 70s and 80s.

Effanbee has brought back Little Lady!  She comes in five wonderful outfits.

Basil St. John is Effanbee's male companion for their Brenda Starr fashion doll.  He is quite handsome--I DO have photos of Basil for you!

DAWN:

Longlocks will most likely be the next introduction in the Dawn doll reproductions series

There will be a series of PLAY LINE Dawn dolls.  They will differ from the collector versions, with eyes painted differently, and possibly open mouths.  Clothing will be newly designed and only cost $4.99 an outfit!

UNEEDA:

Uneeda has several lines of innovative play dolls, including Cosmic Babies, which are babies from another planet, with real meteorite dust in their tummies!  The dolls have a story behind how they came to earth, and their adoptive names are the names of their child owners spelled backwards!  Some of the babies are positively alien looking--you should see their accessory out-of-this-world bottle!

FOR INFORMATION ON THE 2001 Barbie Line, Customizable Kids dolls, Harry Potter Polly Pockets (well, sort of!), Gene , Susan Wakeen, Alex dolls, Gene Retirements and more, don't miss the 2/13 Toy Fair Edition of About Dolls Daily!

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.

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; Theriaults Auction News and Review
January 6, 2001:    Update from Theriault's Auction Weekend:  Automata; Antiques Auction.
December 30, 2000: Theriaults 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.

Be a Roving Reporter!! Become a Roving Reporter and write a report on a doll event!  Or, do you have a doll event to promote, a new doll to announce, or an updated web site?  Please e-mail me at collectdolls.guide@about.com and put "Newsletter" in the subject line--For events, please give me 7 to 10 days advance notice (at minimum!) in order to have your event appear on time. Some events will also/alternatively appear in the Events Calendar.

Do You Have Dolls For Sale Or Trade? Did you know that you can place FREE classified ads for your dolls for sale or trade (or, dolls wanted) in the Doll Collecting Classified Forum?  Dealers, collectors, everyone welcome; feel free to link to your eBay auctions as well!  Visit the Dolls Forum to find out how to place your ad; if you are not yet a member, click on GUEST, but you will need a free Forum ID to place your ad.

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