Hot Holiday Dolls 2000: Dolls For Collectors

Doll Collecting

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Doll Collecting

Hot Holiday Dolls 2000
Dolls For Doll Collectors

Below are my picks for the top five Hot Holiday Dolls for collectors in 2000. Part one has hot picks for children's dolls for this holiday season. And, don't miss my Santa Panic List--the Dolls and Toys that are hard to get and hot right NOW, including current eBay prices.

FASHION MODEL BARBIE

Meet the line of Barbies that are all the rage with Barbie and fashion doll collectors! Fashion Model Barbies are made of a new type of vinyl called Silkstone™, which has the weight and feel of porcelain. Only 4 of these new Barbies were released this year--brunette and blonde "basic" dolls that come in lingerie, a dressed doll, Delphine Barbie (pictured) and a limited edition FAO Schwarz doll called "Fashion Editor." The basic dolls are sold out from Mattel, and the Fashion Editor doll is already hard to find. These dolls are HOT, innovative, and a BIG favorite with collectors. There are also two lovely, separate fashions available for these dolls, "Garden Party" and "Lunch at The Club." The basic dolls retail for approximately $32, and the separate fashions for $38; Delphine Barbie retails for approximately $65.

ALEX IN CRIMSON CHRISTMAS

Alexandra Fairchild Ford is the 16" fashion doll introduced by Madame Alexander this year. Alex is catching on with collectors, and her clothes are high-quality (which is something that Madame Alexander dolls have been known for decades!). This is the first holiday doll in the Alex line. Crimson Christmas is a lovely red evening dress (looks like About.com red!) with a beaded bodice. The doll comes with a "diamond" necklace and earrings. Some of the most popular fashion dolls, including Gene and Barbie, produce a holiday outfit or doll each year. It is unknown at this time if there will be an Alex holiday doll or outfit each year. The doll is produced in a limited edition of 4,000, and it retails for $159.99.

MADRA LORD (preferably in Highland Fling!)

Madra Lord is hot this holiday season! This doll is only the SECOND doll in the popular Gene line of dolls, which has been produced since 1995. Madra is Gene's rival, and she has her own story, costumes, and attitude! Two dolls and several outfits have just been introduced in this line, including the impossible to get Black Widow and the introductory doll, First Encounter. Also new for the Gene line--Madra is the FIRST doll to have bendable elbows, which makes her quite poseable. The holiday outfit, Highland Fling, has been produced in a limited edition of 3,500, and is quite hard to find. Madra outfits also fit Gene. Highland fling retails for $59.95, and it is still available at some retailers. Black Widow can only be found at secondary outlets (see the Santa PANIC List for current prices on eBay). Close Encounter has just started to ship, and is not a limited doll.

ELLE DOLLS

Elle dolls are the new budget-line 15" fashion doll produced by JAAKS Pacific. Most of the dolls in the line retail for between $19.95 and $29.95. The dolls are available at big-box retailers like Toys R Us and Target (which makes them the only doll of this size that are available in many small towns). The dolls can also share The clothing that comes with these dolls is NOT the highest quality (for instance, the coat shown below on the Elle doll is slit in the back to the waist so that a waist-tie could keep the doll in the box; ties also damaged the sleeves on the coat. However, collectors can find Gene, Tyler and Daisy and Willow outfits that fit these dolls, AND they can sew for them with patterns for Gene and Tyler that they can adapt (the dolls are slightly different sizes). There are approximately 9 Elle dolls, including African American and Latina versions.

EVE

Eve, by Susan Wakeen, is a doll that has been eagerly anticipated by many collectors. JUST released, the dressed dolls are being produced in very limited editions of 2000 to 2500 dolls. Premiere Eve, pictured, is in an edition of 2,500. Eve dolls cost from $90 to $120 dressed, and "basic Eve" is available for $55 (in a swimsuit). Unlike Gene or Daisy and Willow, which have clothes to represent various eras, Eve is a contemporary doll with contemporary clothing (like Tyler Wentworth). Separate fashions are available from $35 to $40, and an African American version is also available. Eve dolls are 16" tall. Time will tell if Eve will develop the following of other 16" fashion dolls such as Gene and Tyler Wentworth.

What I based my selections on:

Collector interest, quality, value, and uniqueness.