Happy Valentine's Day!

T.J. and her male friends say, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

T.J. and Two Vampires

T.J. has a skeleton in her hands. She's setting the stage for the 2010 EPDAF* Halloween Party.

Barnabas recounts events past to T.J. while [No]Angelus prepares to tweak her hair. Or does she sense him ready to grasp her ponytail?

Happy Halloween to All!

*East Philadelphia Doll and Action Figure

Top Ten DAFs of 2009: Heartbreaker T.J. at 1

Manufacturer: Integrity
Series: Dynamite Girls
Character Name: Heartbreaker T.J.
Box Year, if Noted: 2009

Why is T.J. on the Top Ten list?

Well, she's pretty and pose-able. I like her side-glancing eyes -- having attractive side-glancing is no small feat. Her overall coloring pleases - whoo hoo for red pepper lips instead of pink or tomato red. The red pepper color looks more sophisticated. And add a plus for her pouty-shaped mouth ... it gives her a stubborn, aloof air.




Why is T.J. first on the Top Ten list?



Let's see, Mai has the best articulation; Luchia has the most glamour. How did T.J. shoot ahead to Number One? The two winning factors are the Pout and the Connection.

The Pout is easy: it gives T.J. "attitude." "Attitude" as in hands on her hips and taking a stand and NOT backing down. The fight is on. Mai has a little attitude, too, but she's younger. Think teenager flouncing out a petulant "whatever." Luchia has Attitude Galore, but her attitude comes from confidence, maturity, and a little ennui. Luchia has world-weary captured. Arched eyebrow and curled lip ... how bored she is. T.J. has that I'm-not-getting-my-way-and-somebody's-gonna-pay look.

What cinched T.J.'s place though is the Connection. Not T.J. being brown-skinned or dark-eyed or dark-haired. But T.J. having small breasts. Luchia and Mai are both bosomy. T.J., on the other hand, revives the teenaged me. Back when I was "tall, thin, with not too much up there" as one stranger informed me many years ago. Like I needed him to tell me that. Think narrowed eyes rolling. Head shake. Back to the present. So that feature sets T.J. apart from the other top three. Did anyone see that coming?

Both Integrity Toys dolls, Fashion Royalty W Club 2008 Bewitching Hour Luchia and Dynamite Girls Heartbreaker T.J. can be found on eBay and possibly in online shops. They can be in stock one day and gone the next so my suggestion would be for interested buyers to do a Google or a Bing search for the dolls to have the most current information.

For those interested in reading other Top Ten Dolls/Action Figures/Toys, see the post initiator, Shaun Wong's blog for incredible photography and interesting reviews. Other doll and action figure collectors participating in the Top 10 of 2009 Reviews include:

Corsetkitten
Mick
Smidge Girl

The Vampire Grabbed My Hair ...

and I grabbed the Holy Water.

Thus a vampire learns that you do not touch a Black woman's hair.

Fellow DAF blogger, E.A. of Blog of Eternal Stench sent me this link to a Boston Globe article about the Mattel So in Style Barbies and the good hair focus among Black women. This article stimulated the above Halloween photograph.

Integrity Toys' AA T.J. struck me as the perfect actress for this scene: her hair is sleek and straight. She has an elegant, formal air. I could see her being annoyed at any handling of her hair. Angel is one of my few adult vampires; he struck me as more likely to bite T.J. than Barnabas. (Added bonus; he was quicker to debox LOL)

Comedian Chris Rock has a movie about good hair and Tyra Banks offers more information about this phenomenon.