BIG BARBIE 2002 NEWS:  Believe it or not, dealers are starting to take orders on the 2002 line of Lingerie/Silkstone Barbie dolls! These pre-orders are sight-unseen, since Mattel has not yet released photos of the dolls.  The dolls announced include a blonde wedding doll, a gift set with a dark-haired doll, a #4 Lingerie doll with pink lingerie and shoulder length blonde hair, and 2 fashions that have not yet been named.  Additional 2002 Barbie dolls that have been announced include the next Collector's Request--Gold 'n Glamour, one of the most sought-after 1600 vintage outfits ever made.  The Keepsake Treasure Series will feature Peter Rabbit 100th Anniversary, due out early January.  Storybook Favorites will be Little Red Riding Hood.   Pop Culture will be Bewtiched.  Coca Cola series will feature a Coca Cola Majorette, and the Salt Lake City Olympics will have a Fire and Ice series doll.  Grand Entrance Series will feature talented designer Sharon Zuckerman and Barbie 2002 will debut in early January.  Dolls of the World will be Princess of Ireland, China and Egypt.  The Bridal collection for 2002 will have Sophisticated Wedding Barbie.  Next in the Oz series, as expected will be the Lion.  Elvis our favorite rock and roller will come back in 2002 as the King of Rock 'n Roll.  Lucy will have a new doll called "Be A Pal".  Much thanks to Sandi Holder's Doll Attic for the news!, www.dollattic.com 

TEDDY BEAR PICNIC CONTEST:  Do you collect and adore teddy bears?  If so, you might want to enter the Lee Middleton Teddy Bear Picnic Contest.  To enter the contest, just take a snapshot of your favorite Teddy Bear picnic scene, along with the written description of your event and send it to Lee Middleton Original Dolls, Inc.!  Entries must include a Lee Middleton Original Dolls, Inc. Nursery Bear.  Winners will receive a signed Linda Henry bear, and the winning picnic bears will appear on the Lee Middleton website!  For more information and the full set of contest rules, visit The Lee Middleton Teddy Bear Picnic Contest. 

eBay STORES OPEN FOR BUSINESS:  On Monday, the eBay Stores opened for business.  eBay stores are regular store fronts that eBay sellers may open, selling items for fixed prices.  Currently, eBay stores are free, but starting later this summer  they will cost $9.95 a month plus listing and sales fees.  MANY long time eBay users see this as just one more part of eBay's strategy to completely dominate the online buy/sell marketplace.  The stores look just like regular auction pages--you can see the stores at http://www.ebaystores.com/

ANOTHER VICTIM OF THE DOT COM DOWNTURN:  eppraisals.com  has gone out of business.  There is the following message on its web site:  "Eppraisals.com is no longer operating. If you've initiated an Eppraisal, Second Opinion, or Ask an Expert request, we will complete it as soon as possible or refund your fee. All pending requests for our Personal Advisor service will be cancelled at no charge."  The eppraisals.com online magazine had some excellent articles and it will be missed.

LITTLE BIG EYES: Little Big Eyes are new dolls that have a unique feature--their eyes change color with he press of a button hidden in the back of the doll's head.  The dolls also change eye glance direction, which changes their expression.  The heads of the dolls, which are created by Street Wise Designs,  are oversized, similar to the heads on the Diva Starz dolls.  The dolls will ship to United States toy stores starting in June, and will be available internationally as well.  

BUILD A BEAR WORKSHOPS:  The Build-A-Bear chain of stores are hot!  At Build-A Bear, your new Teddy bear get stuffed while you watch. You can record your new teddy's  computer-chip voice yourself. Before each critter is stitched up, the new owner makes a wish and kisses a tiny, red satin heart, which is then slipped firmly into the bear's fuzzy chest.  The 49-store chain, which plans to grow to 73 stores by the end of 2001, has become one of the most highly recruited new chains in mall retailing.  Clerks at the store are called Teddyologists, and they guide customers through the choices they need to make to have their bears custom-built.  Find out more in The St.Petersburg Times.

DRESSING 15,000 DOLLS FOR CHRISTMAS:  Read about how the Old Newsboys Goodfellow Fund  in Detroit, Michigan accomplishes the near impossible task of dressing 15,000 doll for needy children for  Christmas.  In the Detroit News.  

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 2001 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:
June 6, 2001:  Gene's new African American friend announced; angry eBay users; Cher is a real doll! 
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.

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