NEW AFRICAN-AMERICAN DOLL IN GENE LINE ANNOUNCED!:  There will be a NEW doll in the Gene line this fall!  Her name is Violet Waters, and she will be debuted at Gene Fan Appreciation Weekend on November 2, 3, & 4, 2001!  An African-American doll in this line has long been rumored, and she finally is a reality.  Current plans are for a limited release doll for $150 that is supposed to  be available only for Fan Appreciation Weekend, and then the "basic" Violet Waters doll will be released which will be available before Christmas.  Some Gene collectors are already a bit wary about pre-ordering the "limited" doll--especially in light of the fact that the Gene doll "Lovely In Lace" which was supposed to ONLY be available for Fan Appreciation Weekend in 2000 and very limited is STILL widely available from dealers. Collectors have also noted that so far there have been no photos of Violet released--only a photo of the doll's arm in an ad for the doll (see photo).  In any event, this is a LONG awaited doll for Gene collectors.  For more information, visit the Ashton Drake Gene Website.

ANTIQUE DOLL MAGAZINE GOES MONTHLY:  Antique Doll Magazine will now be published on a monthly, instead of bi-monthly basis.  This is great news for antique doll collectors, since this is the only magazine devoted exclusively to antique dolls.  Coverage in the magazine will also expand to cover early composition and hard plastic dolls. 

DOLLS IN MINIATURE MAGAZINE TO BE PUBLISHED AGAIN:  Dolls in Miniature Magazine is resuming publication.  The new owners have sent out cards for subscription to previous subscribers; if you are interested in subscribing as a new subscriber you can contact the new owners here: Dolls in Miniature; Diversion Publishing Co., Box 411, 30799  Pinetree Road,  Cleveland, OH 44124  (216) 504-DOLL (3655).

DOLL CASTLE NEWS GOES TO A LARGER FORMAT: Finally, on the doll magazine front, Doll Castle News is going to a larger format.  http://www.dollcastlenews.com/

CHER IS A REAL DOLL:  First seen on a popular episode of the NBC sitcom "Will & Grace," the new Cher doll made by Mattel is hitting store shelves.  The doll is  dressed in a lavender halter dress ensemble designed by Bob Mackie.  After the show aired, doll stores and Mattel's Web sites were swamped with inquiries about how to buy the doll, which will retail at $39.95. The doll was created in response to collector requests.  This Cher doll is not the first one made (although many collectors say that this doll IS the best likeness, and the prettiest Cher doll).  In 1976, the toy company Mego made two versions of a Cher doll - one dressed in a pink halter dress and the other in a white halter pantsuit. Depending on their conditions, the dolls now range in price from $20 to $120 at doll shows and on eBay and other auction sites.  There are rumours that Mattel is already considering making a second Cher doll.  Did you know that Cher is 55 this year?

Defunct eToys Ignores its Own  Privacy Pledge to Customers:  eToys has gone back on its customer privacy policy promises after it declared bankruptcy.  eToys previously told its customers in its online privacy policy that "eToys respects your privacy. We do not sell, rent, loan or transfer any personal information regarding our customers or their kids to any unrelated third parties. Any information you give us . . . will not be used in ways to which you have not consented." However, when eToys sold off its assets,  eToys decided to sell its customer list, containing customers' personal and financial information, to national toy store chain KB Toys  However, Maryland, Texas and Delaware in court contested eToys' breach of its privacy policy during bankruptcy court proceedings in Wilmington, Del. In the resulting settlement last month, eToys agreed that no customer information would go to KB Toys without the customer's consent.  Supposedly, the settlement required that an opt-in notice be sent to customers.  I am curious if any About users who were customers received this notice, since I know many eToys customers that have not yet received it. 

eBAY USERS ANGRY OVER SUBSCRIPTION FEES FOR POPULAR AUCTION ASSISTANT SOFTWARE:  Many eBay users who sell  on eBay are angry with eBay because of its recent decision to charge subscription fees for a popular piece of auction assistance software.  In message boards and auction e-mail lists, sellers accuse eBay of getting greedy and losing the very community image which helped propel eBay into one of the most profitable sites on the Internet.   Some users have even threatened class-action suits because older versions of the software, which cost as much as $200, stopped working when eBay decided to charge for subscriptions.   The eBay software was known as Auction Assistant, and now is called Seller's Assistant. The software helps eBay sellers manage their auctions and also create attractive item listings.   The software was created by Blackthorne Software, a company that eBay acquired in 1999, and was available for prices ranging from $50 to $200 over the years with the understanding that Blackthorne would upgrade the software for free when improvements were made or when eBay changes required technical upgrades.  In February, Blackthorne informed users that Auction Assistant was being upgraded,  would take on the new Seller's Assistant name and would switch to a subscription model - $4.99 a month for the basic version, $15.99 for Pro.  Existing Auction Assistant users were told they could get a year's subscription to the new software for free.  However, after April 30th, the company claimed that Blackthorne ``cannot assure users (of the non-subscription model) that Auction Assistant will continue to be fully functional or compatible with the eBay site.''   Despite the warning, many users were caught off guard when their Auction Assistant programs stopped working last week. They accused eBay of intentionally making Auction Assistant useless to force them to buy the new software.  THIS is what infuriated the eBay/Auction Assistant users.   On a cautionary note, Arthur Newman, head of Internet research at ABN Amro Inc. says that this is part of the new economics of the Internet: ``I think the Internet over the last few years has spawned a whole generation of people who expect to get everything for free and forget you have to pay for services,'' he said. "If people can't make money providing them, they're going to stop providing them. There's a limit to good will. EBay is hardly alone in starting to charge for things.'' 

CHAT WITH DOLL COLLECTORS:   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 Doll Chat--Wednesday nights at 8:00pm Pacific, which is 11pm Eastern, 10pm Central, 9pm Mountain.   http://collectdolls.about.com/mpchat.htm. 

TOY FAIR LINKS:  In case you missed the 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.  PLUS,  More Toy Fair Coverage: Toy Fair News  contains news from Toy Fair organized by doll company. Recently expanded, with TONS of companies covered with their doll and toy news for the year!!

Toy Fair and IDEX Main Page and  Photo Gallery

Toy Fair and IDEX Links

About Dolls Daily Archive:
May 21, 2001:  Raggedy Ann And Andy Want IN to The Hall Of Fame; McDonalds Barbie and Kelly set.
May 10, 2001:  Christmas Kellys; Fashion Model Barbies 2001 Selling Out; Theriaults on Incurable Collector.
April 24, 2001:  Power Puff Girl Barbies; Josie and the Pussycats; Hasbro and Mattel loses; Robert Tonner Convention; Dutch Treat Auction. 
April 12, 2001:  Easter Baskets changing; Photopoint to Charge for Services; Barbi site is a no-go.
April 4, 2001:  Barbie Fashion Model News; iDolls goes out of business; glasses for dolls and kids are IN! 
March 28, 2001:  Eminem dolls banned; Ken turns 40--a humorous look; Bobble Head Dolls are big; doll pattern charity program.
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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