BRITAIN'S BIGGEST TOY CHAIN BANS EMINEM DOLLS:  Britain's biggest toy retailer has said that it would refuse to sell a doll of the American rapper Eminem because it did not fit with its family image.   Retail chain Woolworths said the doll, which features the singer's trademark chainsaw, tattoos and the words "cut here" scrawled on the neck, were due to arrive in Britain from the United States this summer.   Britain's venerable and most famous toy retailer, Hamleys, also said it would not stock the doll.  Find out more at Excite News.

FINDING DOLL SHOWS IN YOUR AREA:  One of the most common e-mail requests I get is to help a site user find a doll show in his or her area.  A "little known fact" about me is that I help keep the United Federation of Doll Clubs doll show and event calendar current, so if I KNOW about it, its on this calendar!  You can check for doll shows or events in your area simply by going to www.ufdc.org and clicking on "Regions" and then YOUR region.  There is also an events schedule by month--for that, click on "Events."  All of the events and shows showcased here are put on or sponsored  by UFDC Doll Clubs.  I additionally will add some commercial events here, in About Dolls Daily (see below).  

BOBBLE HEAD DOLLS ARE A NEWLY HOT COLLECTIBLE:  Baseball team marketers predict bobblehead dolls--also known as bobbing heads or nodders--could hit ballparks with the kind of wallop Beanie Babies packed in 1998.  This year, more than 20 teams in Major League Baseball have scheduled bobblehead giveaways and have sold thousands of advance tickets for those games. MORE bobble head dolls are being designed for the WNBA, the PGA golf tour, and also of over 40 college mascots, including the Stanford University tree (isn't that a bobbing head tree and not a bobbing head doll??)  Trading online has helped the craze--bobble head dolls can even fetch over $100 for certain rarer ones. Find out more from the Chicago Sun Times.      

THERIAULTS VINTAGE TEN 2 GO THEMED AUCTIONS CONTINUE:   Right now, vintage Barbie is featured at www.theriaults.com  and more themed auctions to come (a new one every week!)  Here's some of the upcoming schedule:

--starting Thursday, through April 5 Ginny Goodies
Assorted accessories for your hard plastic Vogue Ginny dolls.

--April 5 - 12  Bonnets & Bags
A selection of modern doll bonnets and purses.

--April 12 - 19  China Heads
An impressive array of antique German China head dolls.

A FABULOUSLY HUMOROUS VIEW ON KEN'S BIRTHDAY:  "CONFESSIONS OF AN AGING BOY TOY":   I can't send you to this article, since its already been archived on the LA Times site (www.latimes.com) BUT if you like this snippet, you can go to the site and join to see the rest of the article (free for another 7 days until article is archived for pay-only): Here's one of the question:

"Question: How do you feel about your first 40 years?
Answer: Bitter. I mean, Mattel didn't even give me bendable legs until 1965. And I've never been able to hold a steady job. My résumé is all over the place: lifeguard, doctor, soldier, rock star, airline pilot, Olympic skater, cowboy--and even a brief stint as Gomez from "The Addams Family." But I was never allowed to stick with anything long enough to earn medical benefits, let alone a retirement package."

The article also suggests the following Kens are on the "drawing board" (remember, this is just a COMEDY piece, and Mattel has NO plans for any such dolls whatsoever........oh, and personally, living in California, I REALLY found "glow in the dark" Ken to be hilarious...

     Transgender Ken: Ken finally figures out why Mattel has never made him anatomically correct.
     Sean Puffy Ken: Accessories include personal bodyguard, limo, his own line of clothing and a team of defense lawyers.
     Social Security Ken: Features bendable but arthritic arms, wrinkled plastic skin, bingo cards, tiny dentures and Depends.
     Rappin' Ken: Pull the string and Ken unleashes a tirade of Grammy-winning slurs and epithets.
     Glow-in-the-Dark Ken: For use during rolling blackouts. 
     Vice President Ken: Suffers periodic heart episodes. Accessories include portable defibrillator and nitroglycerin pills.
     Fugitive Ken: On the lam for tax fraud, Ken procures a presidential pardon by funneling money through his socialite

DOLL PATTERN CHARITY PROJECT: I received this from Patsy Moyer, author of the Modern Collectible Dolls series of books (and many others!) and I wanted to pass it on to all: 

One of my friends Pat Schuda (and her husband Stan Schuda) of Prescott, AZ
recently lost her son, Michael, 44,  to a brain tumor.

When I saw her at a doll show in February,  we hatched this idea to make a
pattern booklet to sell and we are donating all profits to the American
Brain Tumor Association. We are dedicating this to her son, Michael, and my
daughter Marilyn Ramsey, 44, who currently has survived 3 1/2 years after
her surgery for a brain tumor.

I am donating all the patterns from my Patsy and Friends Newsletter and also
asking others to share their original patterns.

We are using patterns for Patsy, Shirley Temple, Travel Dolls, modern
fashion dolls and others.

Do you have an original pattern you can donate to our project?

Please e-mail Patsy at moddoll@earthlink.net if you have a pattern to donate.

CALLING ALL DOLL CLUBS:   I want to put a special page of doll club links on my site, organized by region.  SO, if you DO have a web site for your doll club, PLEASE send it to me at collectdolls.guide@about.com  Please put DOLL CLUB LINK in the subject line, so I can expedite the linking.  For a great example of a doll club site, check out this one: http://www.homestead.com/justaboutdolls.  put together by IAMANON from our Forums for her club.  

TOY FAIR LINKS:  In case you missed last month's Special Toy Fair Edition of About Dolls Daily, with news on Harry Potter, Dawn Dolls revival, Shoezies. Cosmic Babies, Josie and The Pussycats, Elle dolls, Little Lady; Betty and Veronica and MORE, here is the link: Toy Fair Special Edition Of About Dolls Daily.

More Toy Fair Coverage: Toy Fair News  contains news from Toy Fair organized by doll company.

Toy Fair and IDEX Main Page and  Photo Gallery

Toy Fair and IDEX Links

NEW CHAT ROOM--NEW CHAT TIME:   we have a NEW chat room--its lots of fun and easy to use!  The chat room allows for all sorts of fun things--sounds, emoticons, and easily adjustable chat fonts!  Come help us inaugurate the 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! Don't miss our NEW Official Chat Time--Wednesday nights at 8:00pm Pacific, which is 11pm Eastern, 10pm Central, 9pm Mountain.   http://collectdolls.about.com/mpchat.htm. 

About Dolls Daily Archive:
March 15, 2001:  Another Artist Folds, Spindles and Mutilates Barbie; The Over-Teching of Toys; toywhypayretail.com is gone.
March 7, 2001:  Tyler Wentworth and Barbie Fashion Model Sell-Outs; Theriaults Themed Ten2Go Auctions.
March 1, 2001:  Harry Potter Dolls Shown at Private Toy Fair; Naked Barbies; Japanese Dolls
February 21, 2001:  Barbie Nutcracker Movie; Twiggy Doll, MORE!
February 15, 2001:  About Dolls Daily from Toy Fair, Edition Two
February 13, 2001:  About Dolls Family from Toy Fair, Edition One (includes 2/5 Pre-Toy Fair Edition).
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.

 Want to keep up to date on all the latest in the world of Dolls?    Sign up for the weekly About Dolls  Newsletter! It's free, and is delivered to your email address every week, full of links to new articles, new clip art, additions to the Doll Price Guide and Galleries, Forum Discussions and more!   Don't miss a single issue--- scroll to the end of this page to sign up now!

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