The Disney Traveler

The Toy Box Philosopher Reviews and opinions about dolls and doll-related toys. Thursday, January 22, 2015 The Animators' Mini Elsa Playset from The Disney Store I'd like to thank Emma for her suggestion that I take a look at the new Disney Store mini Animators' doll playsets.  Not only is this a perfect suggestion for me (I love minis!) but it would have taken me ages to notice these new dolls on my own.  I actually saw the mini dolls during one of my routine browsing days at Disney online, but passed them over because I assumed they were the larger 16-inch versions of the Animators' dolls--just with more accessories.  Wrong!  These little 5-inch dolls are a whole new thing completely, and they are definitely worth a look. The first release of Animators' mini dolls includes Anna, Elsa, Cinderella, Ariel and Jasmine.  All of these characters come with several cute movie-themed accessories.  For example, Cinderella comes with a flocked Bruno (as a puppy), Gus and Jack the mice, and several smaller accessories.  Ariel comes with Flounder, Sebastian, a glittery starfish, and a seahorse pulling a carriage.  I was tempted by all of these sets, but ended up purchasing Elsa.  I didn't intend to review yet another Frozen doll , but I found the mini Anna and Elsa to be the most appealing of these newcomers. Animators' mini Elsa doll from the Disney Store playset ($19.95). The playsets come in plastic carrying cases with transparent covers that show off the contents: Elsa's case came with a plastic strip holding it closed and a white product description tag tied around the handle:  The tag has a short description of the Animators' Collection and a picture of the Olaf figure that is included in the set.  The caption under Olaf reads, "spring loaded nose on Olaf."  This is an odd feature, but I suppose it references the part in the movie where Anna first gives Olaf his carrot nose and pushes it into his head too far?  That's a great scene. Spring-loaded baby unicorn nose. The handle of Elsa's case is coated with blue glitter and decorated with a molded snowflake pattern: After I removed the plastic strip, the case was easy to open: The case has two hinges at the back that are made out of simple folded tabs of plastic.  These tabs already have white stress lines from being bent once, and so I wonder how long they will last: The doll and all of her accessories are attached to a plastic shell that lifts out of the case.  Behind the shell, there's a disposable light purple cardboard backdrop with Elsa's name on the bottom. Provided that this carry case can hold up over time, it's a great idea.  There's virtually no packaging to throw away with this set, and I will be able to store a lot of small clothes and accessories in the cute container.  I can imagine kids carefully packing their favorite toys into these cases and bringing them along on a car trip or toting them off to a friend's house.  The case also just makes the set look appealing as a whole. Here's the plastic shell with Elsa and all of her accessories still attached: Elsa comes with Olaf, a rag doll, a straw hat, a drink glass, a mandolin, a brush and a glittery ice hill. Many of the accessories were attached to the plastic with longer-than-usual plastic ties.  Here you can see one encircling the waist of Elsa's little rag doll figure: And from the back: All of these long ties were easy to snip and remove. I pulled Elsa out of the packaging first because I was very anxious to get a closer look at her: Her headband does not stay in place very well... She comes with clear rubber bands around both shoes, which made her a little unsteady on her feet right out of the box: Elsa also comes with a swirly vinyl ice accessory on her left hand.  It's attached as though there's a risk of it flying away.  I mean, this thing is rubber-banded to Elsa's hand, strung through two holes in a plastic support, and then plastic tied to her dress...just for good measure: The accessory shows more promise once it's been freed from Elsa's dress: I had a hard time capturing the details of this ice swirl, but it has little snowflake decorations along the side and at the very tip, and it has a handle for Elsa to grab: The ice can attach to either of Elsa's hands. I will look at Elsa in much more detail later, but first I would like to show you the rest of the extras that came in this playset.   The plastic Olaf figure came rubber-banded to a hollow plastic icy sledding hill: This Olaf does not look like the animated character from the movie.  He's simplified with much rounder, toy-like features.  Unfortunately, Olaf's legs are not positioned in a way that allows him to stand up on his own.  He has to lean against something.  Fortunately, the little ice hill offers the perfect prop: Olaf is made out of lightweight hollow plastic.  He reminds me a little bit of a ping-pong ball.  His body is coated in white glitter while his buttons and arms have a dark, iridescent, multi-colored glitter on them.  The glitter is pretty well-attached to the figure and does not shed excessively. Olaf's nose is, indeed, spring loaded and can be pushed in a little bit and then left to pop back out.  It's not a super-exciting feature and it's hard to photograph...but it might be a fun part of re-enacting the movie for some kids.  There are no other moving parts on this figure, and he has very little decoration on the back...as you would expect with a snowman. The ice hill is made out of hollow, glitter-infused plastic, although the base is not open--it is a fully-enclosed shape.  The hill has little molded steps on one side and a slide on the other.  Elsa can be posed sliding down this hill--as long as her ponytail is positioned to keep her from slipping down too fast! Two of the smaller accessories in this set go with Olaf.  There's a straw hat and a tropical drink--both referencing the scene in the movie where Olaf sings In Summer: The drink glass is made out of pink hard plastic and has a blue straw and a detailed lemon slice at the top: The straw does not extend down into the drink. The stem of my glass is pretty crooked, though: The hat has a braided straw pattern and a painted red band--just like in the movie: Given that Olaf can't stand on his own, maybe including a cane accessory would have been a good idea?  Still, Olaf can use the drink glass to help him stand: These accessories can also be used for Elsa, of course... ...although the hat is a little small: Elsa comes with her own little collection of accessories, too.  She has a brush, a mandolin and a rag doll: The rag doll is made out of solid plastic and is coated with blue glitter.  This glitter gets everywhere.  The whole playset has a lot of glitter, but I find it particularly inappropriate on the rag doll figure.  I wish this doll was glitter-free and looked more floppy and plush--like a Lalaloopsy mini , for example. The glitter also obscures the simple molded pattern along the hem of the doll's dress: This little doll figure can stand on her own, but she tips forwards or backwards because she's balancing on two tiny rounded peg feet. Elsa also comes with a light blue plastic brush.  This piece isn't very effective for brushing hair, but it is in scale with the doll so it makes a good prop. Elsa's last accessory is a solid plastic mandolin: I don't know much about Norwegian mandolins, but I think they have four (or maybe four paired?) strings.  This instrument appears to be missing one string or one pair of strings: As far as I know, Elsa doesn't have a mandolin in the movie Frozen.  I watched the beginning sequences when both girls are young, and I couldn't find a mandolin anywhere.  Kristoff has a mandolin (he sings Reindeers are Better than People with it, and then Anna uses it to beat off wolves...), but not Elsa.  That doesn't mean that this isn't a good accessory, though!  It has nice detail and is very unique. Now let's take a look at Elsa herself: She's wearing a glittery outfit, shoes and a headband.  Her hair is in a simple ponytail--not the twisted style that little Elsa sports in the movie.  That fancier style probably would have required ridiculous amounts of hair gel, though, so I am thinking this ponytail was a good choice: Elsa's face is clearly recognizable as the character from the movie.  She has the same wide blue eyes, a tall forehead region and a compressed mouth, nose and chin area. I don't own the full-sized Animators' Elsa, but the mini doll's face looks very similar.  Here's a snapshot from the Disney Store as a comparison: Elsa has six brown freckles (which I don't think the movie character has...) that look cute and are in the same arrangement as the larger toddler doll's freckles.  Her eyebrows have an interesting pattern, with some individual hairlines drawn in, and then a dark section of solid brown in the middle.  Elsa's side-glancing blue eyes are a little wonky, but can still look at the camera: Notice the "glitter freckles" all over her face, too.... Elsa comes wearing a thin black ribbon headband with an elasticized section in the back.  This was plastic-tied into her head on one side but it kept slipping out of place.  I just snipped the tie and removed it for good. While I was removing the hairband, I took Elsa's ponytail down to quickly check the quality of the hair and the density of the rooting: The hair has a kink in it from the tight rubber band, but it feels soft and nice to the touch and it has a bit of shine in the fiber.  The rooting is not especially thick in the back, but it's fine for a doll this size, and the overall thickness of the hair feels good. I love the mix of bright colors on Elsa's dress, and the style is cute and very true to the Scandinavian Frozen theme.   The skirt on this dress is covered in glitter, but the glitter doesn't shed much at all, so I don't mind it. The detail on the top of the dress is especially nice, with little red ribbon straps, a navy blue ribbon belt, and a wide bib of black ribbon across the front.  The only problem with the ribbon is that it can snag and look less smooth over time.  My doll's dress already has a small frayed area on the wide black ribbon. The dress opens in back with velcro and is easy to get off. It's not so easy to get this dress back on, though, because the little elasticized sleeves turn inside-out and catch on Elsa's splayed fingers.  Once the sleeve is flipped, it's hard to get it back in place.  Something like a crochet hook would make this a lot easier. The fraying edge of the sleeve is also a bit worrisome to me. Underneath her dress, Elsa has hinged knee articulation and torso articulation (great surprises!), but her pale blue tights are not removable--her lower belly and legs are made out of blue vinyl:  I am never crazy about this as a design choice because it makes a doll less versatile.  What if mini Elsa wants to wear a dress that clashes with baby blue?    Maybe everything goes with baby blue? On the other hand, I often get frustrated when I am trying to put fabric tights onto dolls this small, so if Elsa has to be wearing tights, perhaps the perma-tights are a reasonable option.  The little black shoes are removable, but they stay on pretty well. Just as I was getting used to the idea of Elsa's permanent tights, I took her shoes off and realized that she has little blue toes under her shoes!   No stocking feet here... They're Smurf feet! Overall, mini Elsa has an impressive eight points of articulation (neck, shoulders, belly, hips and knees).  She stands reasonably well on her own. Her shoulders are rotating hinges, so they can lift straight up... But they can also rotate all of the way around for a wide range of other poses. It would be nice if she had elbow movement so that her hands could come together and hold things, but she already has way more articulation than most other dolls this size. The torso articulation is especially fun, even though the contours of Elsa's waist look a little odd when she's twisting around: Elsa's hip joints only rotate around, but her legs do move from side to side a little--not because of a hinge joint, but because they're made out of a slightly flexible vinyl.  She can do front-to-back splits very well (although she can't balance like this--notice the blue brush propping her up from the back): And she can sit on the ground with her legs at about a 45 degree angle, but she can't really do full side-to-side splits. Elsa's knee joints are simple hinges with no rotation:  These joints seem very thick and sturdy, but they also look a little clunky, especially when they're bent. The bending knees allow Elsa to sit nicely at the edge of a chair: And she can also sit further back in a chair with her legs straight: I wasn't able to get Elsa to balance in a huge range of poses, but she did do this for about 5 seconds: And she's really good at doing her stretches on the ground: Or striking a nice natural walking pose: I really enjoy the torso articulation and the bendable knees on this doll.  These joints are not typical for a 5-inch mini and I think they add a lot to her posing and play value. Mini Elsa is about the same height as several of my other small dolls, but her proportions are quite different.  She has an unusually large head and a cute belly that these other girls don't have: Moxie Girlz Friends "Tally," Sparkle Girlz mini, Animators' Elsa, Barbie Chelsea, Lottie doll. Looking at these five dolls together, Elsa struck me as being the most similar to my Sparkle Girlz mini , Nara.  Sure enough, Nara's princess dress fits Elsa very nicely--and looks good on her, too!  It even coordinates with the blue perma-tights: Those toes look frozen, though. Nara is a little shorter than Elsa, so while she can wear Elsa's dress, it's has a floor-length hem on her: Moxie Girlz Tally can also wear Elsa's dress, but Elsa can't quite fit into Tally's outfit: Elsa is quite a bit shorter and slimmer than Our Generation Sienna and American Girl Kit , so these dolls can't share clothes with Elsa at all: Our Generation Sienna, Animators' Elsa, American Girl Kit. Just for reference, here's mini toddler Elsa next to the mini adult Elsa that came in the Elsa Wardrobe Playset : And here's toddler Elsa next to one of the 12" Elsa dolls (this is the J.C. Penney or "Parks" version of the doll): These new mini toddlers actually make great child-sized companions for the 12-inch Disney dolls: They could even be used in games with some other brands of 12-inch fashion doll--especially those with larger heads, like Ever After High : Ever After High "Holly O'Hair" with Animators' Elsa. Last, here's mini Elsa with my full-size 16-inch Animators' Anna doll so that you can see the size difference between the two: 16" Animators' Anna doll, 5" Animators' Elsa doll. I have always liked the endearing facial features of the Animators' dolls, but I like these faces even better in a small scale.  None of the personality has been lost, but the level of detail seems more impressive to me on the 5-inch doll: I have one more quick comparison to make.  I want to contrast the Disney Store's mini Elsa to the 6-inch "Young Elsa" that is made by Jakks Pacific and sold at Toys R Us: The box is 7.5 inches tall. I was looking at these dolls during my last "research" outing at Toys R Us.  My first reaction to this version of Elsa was that she's cute, but she's awfully generic.  Without the movie graphics on the box (and the Olaf figure) I'm not sure I would have guessed that this is supposed to Elsa.  She's like a child dressed up as Elsa. My second reaction, when I saw the price tag on this doll, was to assume there had been a mistake.  She cost me $16.99.  No joke.  I was thinking $6.99 would be reasonable.  I ran two price checks because I simply could not believe what I was seeing.  Ordinarily, I would never buy a doll like this for $17, but I had to bring her home so that I could contrast her to the Animators' Elsa...and also just to see if I was missing something. What makes this Elsa's price worse is that all of the non-Frozen Disney Princesses in this Jakks Pacific line cost $9.99.  Those characters are sold under the slightly different name of "My First Disney Petite," but they're basically the same dolls.  Apparently, toys with a Frozen label can get a $7 mark-up. Anyway, the doll comes with an outfit, a comb and a plastic Olaf figure: Olaf is pretty cute, but he is not even remotely in scale with the doll.  He should be similar in height to the young Anna and Elsa. Here's the little Olaf figure that came with the Disney Store's Elsa Wardrobe Playset --just as a comparison.  The two figures are exactly the same height: Young Elsa is wearing an aqua blue dress with a purple center panel and a tulle overskirt.  There's nothing at all about this dress that suggests the doll is meant to be Elsa from Frozen.  It could easily be a Young Rapunzel dress with that purple fabric...or just a random fancy dress from any play doll line. The doll's face just seems so bland to me, although this reaction is surely magnified by the fact that I've been looking at the Animators' dolls for the past several days.  All of the other Jakks Pacific 6-inch Princess dolls look very similar...like little princess clones. The tiara is very plain compared to what is shown in catalog pictures: The doll is made out of hard, solid vinyl that has a nice weight to it.  It feels durable.  She has five points of articulation (neck, shoulder, hips): All of the joints have simple spin movement, so Elsa can strike some basic poses like sitting on the ground or doing front-to-back splits: With her tiara removed, Elsa's long bangs come free and hang down to one side of her face.  This is not like the ringlet style of the online catalogue pictures, but I like it better: Her hair is ridiculously long (more like Rapunzel's hair) and pale golden blonde (more like Cinderella's hair).  The kinks from the braid also make the hair pretty frizzy and hard to tame when it's down: The hair is smooth at the top and quite coarse at the ends.  The rooting is noticeably thinner and less regular than the Disney Store mini Elsa's:  Now that the miniature Frozen princesses are available through the Animators' line, I cannot see any reason to buy Jakks Pacific's equivalent version of these characters.   If you are searching specifically for a doll that looks like Elsa, there's just no contest here: Jakks Pacific Elsa ($16.99), Disney Store Elsa ($19.95). The Jakks Young Elsa isn't even coming close to offering the same level of personality, movie accuracy or articulation as the Disney Store's mini.  And the Animators' Elsa came with a slew of accessories and a carrying case. Fake Elsa, Real Elsa. Here are some side-by-side comparisons of the two dolls' faces: I find the contrasting vinyl colors particularly interesting here.  The Jakks Elsa looks like she has a tan.  No care was taken to make this doll at all specific to the character. That was a bit of a tangent, but I simply can't fathom how the Jakks doll is on the market for $17.  If Young Elsa had been priced at $6.99, she'd be ok as an economical alternative to Disney's $20 playset, but $17?  I feel like I paid about $10 for the Frozen graphics on the box.    With that rant out of my system, now I can show you a few more pictures of the Disney Store Elsa and her accessories: One cute way to get Olaf to stand up is to have him lean against Elsa as though they're holding hands: I was unimpressed with the ice swirl when I first saw it, but this is actually a really fun accessory for photography.  I'm not sure if it would be as much fun in a game, but I have certainly been enjoying it for the review.  It could be a little taller, I guess, but it's a neat idea. Elsa can't hold her rag doll on her own, but with the help of some clear rubber bands, I can make it look like she's toting this loyal companion along with her--albeit a little awkwardly: And with those same rubber bands, I could get Elsa to hold the mandolin in a semi-convincing way--but only if she's sitting down.  I couldn't find a way to get her to hold this instrument while standing: And here's Elsa back with Olaf: Bottom line?  I am very excited about this new series of dolls.  I have always enjoyed the faces and personalities of the traditional Animators' Collection toddler dolls, but they are made in a scale that doesn't fit well with the other dolls I own.  Also, while the original Animators' dolls are a great size for younger children's cuddles and games, their bulk limits display and collecting options.  To me, these new mini dolls maintain the character and appeal of the Animators' dolls, but they are much more portable, collectible and manageable.  As a bonus, the mini dolls can be used as children or younger siblings for 12-inch Disney Store Classic dolls--or any other big-headed 12-inch doll. Elsa is just wonderful.  I love her heart-melting, movie-accurate face and highly-articulated body.  I am not wild about her permanent blue tights and Smurfy toes, but I also don't really enjoy trying to put real tights on tiny little dolls.  It's hard.  Elsa has an attractive, authentic outfit that is made to the same level of quality as the 12-inch Disney Store doll outfits (which is to say that it's nice, but has a few areas of weakness--like the frustrating sleeves and the frayed ribbon).  It might be hard to find new outfits for these mini dolls, but so far I was able to get one of my Sparkle Girlz dresses to fit.  I am partial to the Disney toddlers whose characters actually appear as children in their movies, but I wouldn't hesitate to purchase any of these new Animators' minis, just because they're so incredibly cute and they can be used to expand the imaginative story world of the 12-inch Princesses. I am conflicted about whether or not I appreciate the playset element of this toy.  On the one hand, it's always fun to get a playset, and the accessories justify the appealing carrying case packaging.  On the other hand, part of me looks at this set and sees a wonderful little doll with a bunch of lesser-quality, (slightly random) accessories that are inflating the price.  It's not that I dislike the accessories, it's just that I don't need them...and I wonder how many kids will end up playing with them long term.  Here are some pros and cons for each of Elsa's accessory items: Olaf is sweet, but he's hard to play with because he doesn't stand on his own.  Olaf's hat and drink look good, but the hat doesn't stay on and my set's drink is very crooked.  The brush is pretty ineffective as a brush, but it's in scale with the doll, so it makes a decent prop for Elsa.  The ice hill is large and plain, but it makes a neat little slide and would be fun for re-enacting the early scene from Frozen when the two princesses are playing in Elsa's magical snow.  I really like the look of the mandolin, but it's hard to make Elsa interact with it.  The rag doll is a great little accessory...with way too much glitter.  I'd probably prefer it if these new mini dolls were sold without accessories for a price closer to $10, but I'll happily admit that the range of accessories in the different sets is very fun to look at.  Anna's accessories look especially good to me.  For kids who play a lot with their dolls, these little extras might be more than worth their price. Until now, the Jakks Pacific Young Elsa has been the best (only?) option for a small-scale child Elsa doll.  Perhaps that exclusivity is what caused these dolls to be so overpriced.  Fortunately, now there's another choice.  Not only do I find the new Disney Store mini dolls to be superior to the Jakks dolls in every way, but I think this whole series offers a delightful (addictive!) new outlet for the enchanting Animators' doll concept. Will you buy my sister Anna for me now, please??
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit The Animators' Mini Elsa Playset from The Disney Store

Tyler Wentworth's 15th anniversary My own Signature Style Tyler Wentworth, dressed in a Gene Marshall outfit. Photo by Stratos Bacalis Dressed to the nines. As Tyler Wentworth should always be. Ready to celebrate her 15th anniversary. as dear Tommy Courtney (who spend a decade with her, making her look glamorous and fantastic through his photographs for Tonner Doll) kindly reminds us in his lovely commemorative article.  On the 14th of December 1999, the first Tyler Wentworth dolls shipped to retailers. And thus begun a dream story, with a core idea so simple, yet so powerful: The power of play. A version of Tyler that became a classic throughout her career - and embodied her "life" and story more than any other is the Signature Style Tyler. The first one, in 1999 (above), had some problems at first, but quickly became the darling of collectors. And while the doll progressed through the years. the style became a staple that kept on being re-released as a basic dressed doll version of Tyler - and a great entry doll for those seeking to discover Tyler's world. Fashion designer extraordinaire. She even got her own design desk and atelier accessories. I hope I will be able to find a set one day for my signature style Tyler. Yes, my one and only Tyler Wentworth doll is a BW (bending wrist) Signature Style with raven hair from 2004. Signature Style Tyler through the years Of course through the years she came with a magnificent wardrobe, lots of accessories, many friends (and a boyfriend, who finally married her) and furniture - even a piano! She even got released in a resin BJD version (with inset eyes even). She got to wear some of the best designs Tonner has ever released, from suits to gowns to casual wear, from pret-a-porter to haute couture - even goth! I am a proud owner of some, even one from the first ever collection in 1999: the Central Park Benefit Luncheon suit, exquisitely made. Central Park Benefit Luncheon, outfit only, 1999 Even her body evolved. From the original one with articulation only at the shoulders, hips and knees, she gradually became articulated at the elbows, waist, wrists, bust and even got interchangeable feet: high heeled, flat and even ballet arched ones. She even got a new sculpt in 2007, with a slightly more angular face. The power of play indeed.  Fifteen Years Dressed Doll, 2014 Fashion Design Weekly  Awards, outfit only, 1999 Chicago Sophisticate LE 500 United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC) "Fin du Millenaire" Convention Standing Ovation Gold - Special Edition Tonner Doll 10th Anniversary Celebration Convention, May 2001 Papillion, 2002 Special Edition, Collector's United, 2003 Anniversary Gala, 2004 I'm a lucky owner of this amazing outfit Red Hot Tonner Doll Company Convention 2004 Grand Tour. 2004 Tonner Doll Company Convention; Auctioned for Children Affected by AIDS Foundation Femme en Noir, 2004 Paris Fashion Doll Festival, 2007 Au milieu de l’hiver, 2008 Special Tyler exclusive for Kathy Moreau’s Boutique Museum in Paris, France Mademoiselle à la Mode, 2008 Paris Fashion Doll Festival Tonner Doll Nightmares Halloween Convention Shown wearing the table favor set A Perfect Ten, 2009 Tonner Direct Exclusive, 10th anniversary Tyler's wedding to Matt O'Neil, Sydney and Marley are bridesmaids Tonner Doll Collector's Convention - On Film 2009 2010 Ultra Basic - Raven, 2010 Tonner Direct Exclusive I think this is the first pale Tyler, Lily skintone Signature Statement, 2011 A Whole Nu Mood, 2012 IDEX Event Website Exclusive There were only basic Tyler dolls in 2012 Classic Elegance, 2013
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit Tyler Wentworth's 15th anniversary

Yesterday saw the release of four new Sybarite Holiday gowns on the Superdoll site. All four are rather stunning as you can see and if you are lucky enough not to have blown your budget pre Christmas then you can order all four for a 10% discount.... [This is a summary only. Be sure to follow the link above to see the full story and photos]
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit Superdoll Happy Holidays Gowns

  Once in a while a perfect doll comes along. Luxe Life is one of those. I have never redressed her which is quite unusual for me. She's just perfect the way she is. LL was one of the stunning dolls from the Iconic 2009 convention. Priced at $130. then, you can't touch this doll on the secondary market for less than several hundred. There wasn't a single off-key note at that event. The Elise Jolie sculpt was introduced for one. There were two Agnes (Agnii?), a gorgeous Eugenia, a Marilyn Monroe-like Dania, a light skinned Natalia and a beautiful Avantguard 12" clone. The 'Iconic' theme referred to Jason's prior iconic doll designs. Luxe Life was meant to honor Veronique Perrin "Lush Life." (2001-02) This doll originally sold for $60.  Integrity Toys Promotional Photo
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit Daily Dose of Vanessa - Luxe Life

The Toy Box Philosopher Reviews and opinions about dolls and doll-related toys. Monday, September 29, 2014 A 1:9 Scale Horse and Rider by Paradise Kids Writing a review of the Breyer Let's Go Riding Western set last week inspired me to get some of my Paradise toys out of storage for their long-delayed review.  I have reviewed a few of the Paradise horses before, but only the larger animals designed for 18" play dolls .  I was so pleased to see the level of articulation on the Breyer doll, I wanted to find out how the Paradise riders compare.  Also, as a long-time fan of Breyer model horses, I was curious about the equivalently-sized 1:9 scale articulated Paradise horses. This scale of Paradise toys has a few size options.  There are 9.5 inch horses (measured from hooves to ear tips) and also 8.5 inch ponies.  The riders also come in a few sizes.  In the Barn Buddies collection, there are 7.5 inch "adult" dolls to fit the horses, and 6 inch child dolls for the ponies.  The newer Cowgirl Cool collection of riders contains 10 inch dolls that I suspect are made to fit a different group of Paradise horses--the 10 inch fuzzy-skinned ones that look like miniature My Life As horses.  Today I will review a 9.5 inch (non-fuzzy) horse and one of the larger Barn Buddies dolls. This review will serve as a companion to the Breyer post, and my hope is that it will provide a resource to help horse lovers figure out which company's 1:9 scale horse and rider toys are best for them. Paradise Barn Buddies "Eva," and horse "Merlin." I also want to briefly mention yet another scale of Paradise horse toys: 6 inch horse and rider sets called Poz-ABLES. These sets have smooth-skinned ponies and little riders that look like miniature Barn Buddies.  I'd guess these are about 1:12 scale.  They're adorable. The Breyer set that I reviewed cost $40 and included a horse, tack, and a rider.  I could not find an equivalent all-inclusive set among the Paradise toys, so I had to piece together my own group of roughly similar items.  Here is what I have: 1. Barn Buddies "Eva" (left) 2. English Hunt Seat Riding set (center) 3. Black horse "Merlin" (right) 1. Barn Buddies "Eva:"  The Paradise rider dolls all retail for around $20, but I found this particular character on sale for $7.50.  In fact, since the retail focus seems to have shifted to the Cowgirl Cool dolls, the older Barn Buddies can usually be found for between $5 and $13. 2. English Hunt Seat Riding set: this set has a listed retail price of $39.99, but it's marked as "temporarily unavailable" on the Paradise Kids site right now and getting hard to find.  I paid $19.99 for my set about a year ago.  This set happens to be on clearance at Chick's Saddlery for $4.99 right now.   3. The black Paradise horse: this horse is called "Merlin" (great name!) and currently retails for $49.99 (Toys R Us) but can easily be found for less (he's $29 at Amazon). The full price for these three items is about $110 (way, way more than the Breyer set), but I paid $56, which is closer to the Breyer price.  Still, after some investigating, I don't think it's fair to compare the quality of the Breyer and Paradise tack sets I own.  The Paradise tack is probably more equivalent to the saddle and bridle sets that Breyer sells separately.  I do think it's fair to compare the horses and riders, though.  Despite their high M.S.R.P., these Paradise toys are quite easy to find for very reasonable prices.  There are bundles on eBay where you can get a horse, two ponies, and several riders for under $40. First, let me show you the Paradise horse, Merlin: I was excited to see the flexibility of these horses featured on the front of the box.  The box states that they are "fully posable," though, which is an ambitious claim: Does that mean that every single joint is posable?  Unlikely. The box also advertises an online horse club that's free to join: I was happy to see that the horse comes with a halter and a carrot--the carrot suggesting that the horse has a mouth that can be opened (like some of the earlier 18" Paradise horses ): The back of the box is bright red and has a paragraph about the Paradise philosophy.  This text is the same on all of the boxes and the words are slightly easier to read on the doll's box, so I'll show you a larger picture when I review the doll. The back of the box also has a picture showing all of the other available horses: I love the flea-bitten grey, but he's hard to find. Unlike Breyer models, these horses all come in the same generic standing pose.  The only difference from horse to horse is in their coloring.  That's fine--as long as the joints allow them to come alive a bit more. Merlin is displayed against a scenic cardboard backdrop that slides out of the main box.  He's actually held in place with a molded plastic shell, though.  There are no ties, wires or rubber bands holding this horse down.  I simply had to bend the plastic a little and out he popped: Super-easy de-boxing. The accessories were slightly harder to get out because of some tape and a plastic tie, but basically this toy is a breeze to de-box. Merlin came with a sheet of plastic taped around his neck to keep his mane under control.  This was also easy to remove.   One thing that's hard to appreciate about these horses from looking at photographs is how heavy they are.  They are made out of solid rubber (or maybe it's vinyl) with an underlying bendable armature.  They weigh significantly more than the hollow plastic Breyer models. I had quite a few Breyer horse legs break on me when I was a kid.  This was not a huge deal (nothing a little super glue couldn't fix...) but the solid-feeling construction of these Paradise horses could be great for younger kids or kids with an energetic style of play.   Right away, this horse's face doesn't give me anywhere near the same kind of emotional reaction as the Breyer horse faces, though.  Merlin has a small, narrow head with a weak jaw and high-set, blank-looking eyes: That is an unusual horse face. His only marking is a perfectly symmetrical white star on his forehead: To be fair, Merlin is probably the least expressive horse in the Paradise lineup because of his dark color.  There's no distinction between his eye color and his coat color, and he can't have any darker shaded areas.  This might explain why he is the easiest horse to find on sale.   I am tempted to add a little white to the very edges of his eyes, just to see if that would make them less vacant.... Merlin has a long black rooted mane that can be brushed, and a very long, blunt-cut forelock: As I played with Merlin, I had quite a bit of difficulty keeping his forelock under control.  The hair wants to stick out straight, and this can look pretty funny.  It takes a lot of slicking down to get this patch of hair to behave. He also has a brushable tail: On the side opposite Merlin's long mane, it is easier to see the contours of his body.  He is very nicely muscled, especially in the neck.  To me, Merlin's body is more realistic than his head.  His neck and withers look really good--especially with the light catching them and making Merlin look like his coat has been brushed to a glossy shine: Merlin's legs also have a good level of realism, with all of the correct bone, muscle and tendon contours:   However, his hooves are not as well done.  That far hoof, in particular, looks blunted and shapeless: Merlin's front legs each have two points of articulation.  He doesn't bend at the elbows at all.  The nice thing about the joints that he does have--at the wrists ("knees") and fetlocks--is that they can only bend in the anatomically correct direction.  However, they don't bend very much in this direction. When I bend Merlin's knee joints, the underlying armature seems to stress the rubber "skin." In the picture below, you can see two details--one is the "chestnut" callus on the inside of Merlin's left leg, the other is the pointy knee armature threatening to poke a hole in the skin: When I bent Merlin's right leg for the first time, I noticed a small hole in the joint: I was surprised to see how thin the black covering is--at least in this area.  Now I am even more worried about the pointy knee joints and the skin's durability.  There's another imperfection on this horse right out of the box: a small scuff on the right side of his belly: The black color appears to be skin deep. Here's the range of motion in the hind limbs.  Only the hocks and fetlocks are jointed: The bent hind limbs look ok, I just wish the hooves had more natural-looking positions. The bottoms of all four hooves are decorated with silvery grey horseshoes.  The right front leg also has the Paradise Horse logo in orange: I was really hoping that Merlin's articulation would allow him to bend his legs more than this: Nowhere near "fully posable." Furthermore, with both a front leg and a back leg bent like this, Merlin looses a lot of his stability. I still had some hope for the articulation at this point, though, because the neck is also advertised as being flexible, and I love being able to move a model horse's head.  Unfortunately, the range of motion is not very good here, either.  The neck can only bend a tiny bit to either side: In fact, it's hard to tell if this horse has his neck bent or not sometimes.  The head doesn't lift up or down at all, which was another disappointment. I had to use some photo-editing magic to get Merlin to finally strike an interesting pose.  Even here, I really wish those front legs could bend more (and the rip in his knee is quite visible, too): Maybe the neatest form of movement that Merlin has to offer is his opening mouth: Not only does this mean that he can munch on a carrot... ...but the open mouth also adds a lot of personality to his otherwise plain features: He looks like he's smiling. In addition to the carrot, above, Merlin came with a small plastic comb and a red halter with a lead rope: The halter is very realistic and works exactly the same way that a real halter would...except for the fact that it opens in the back with velcro (the metal buckle is just for decoration).  This style of construction makes it very easy to get the halter on and off--there's no fumbling around with tiny straps and buckles. The lead rope is made out of twisted cotton twine and comes wrapped the way a real lead rope would be stored: Great detail. Tack like this isn't supposed to be tight, but Merlin's halter seems excessively loose: I do love the construction on this piece, though, and all of the tiny metal details.  I especially like the clip that fastens the lead rope to the bottom of the halter: That's another very realistic detail. Ok, now let's look at the tack set I have for this horse.   As far as I can tell, Paradise only offers two tack sets (Western and English) and both sets appear to be scarce right now--perhaps discontinued.  The horse models come in two sizes, though (horse and pony) and so I was curious about which size of horse this tack was designed to fit. The English Hunt Seat Riding Set. On the side of the box, it says, "for use with all your Paradise Horses."  So, does that mean that it fits the ponies, too?  I think it must, because the pinto in the picture, below, is one of the ponies.   The back of the box looks very similar to the back of Merlin's box, except that all of the different tack options are displayed at the bottom: Mostly blankets and one saddle/bridle set. The tack is elaborately arranged on a cardboard horse.  The realism of this display has caused confusion about what exactly is included in this set.  From a distance, and shopping online, it almost looks like there's an actual model horse in the box: Except for the fact that this horse is missing half of his legs. After carefully detaching the tack from the cardboard horse and the surrounding plastic shell, I was left with this jumble of confusing straps and leather: The fancy packaging makes more sense when I see the tack like this. The set includes a quilted saddle pad: The pad is nicely sewn and has a dark crimson border.  The underside of the pad has a fuzzy texture--like very fine fleece. The saddle is made out of realistic-looking imitation leather.  This material has some stretch to it, which makes manipulation a little easier.  I have been cautious about over-stretching the girth, though, since I am not sure how tough this stuff is. The saddle has metal stirrups and lots of detail--including two different shades of rich brown imitation leather. You can even lift the saddle flap to reveal a row of leather strips made to mimic the adjustable girth straps on a real saddle: I love this! The pommel is secured with two metal rivets, and also has two small metal rings at the front (I am not sure what these are for--presumably for the attachment of more tack?): The underside of the saddle is even padded--look at how gorgeously realistic this is! The saddle is attached to Merlin by stringing the girth through a metal ring... ...and then folding the loose end over to where it attaches to the rest of the girth with a long strip of velcro:  The stretchy strap makes the fit nice and tight. The saddle looks amazing: The stirrups on this saddle are even adjustable: And the straps can be tucked into the stirrups (which is what I was taught to do when I was leading a horse around--to keep the heavy stirrups from banging against the horse): The bridle came with a removable martingale harness.  Here's the bridle with the reins on the left and the martingale on the right: The best thing about the bridle is that it has a snaffle bit--for Merlin's opening mouth! It also has several metal buckle decorations--but as with the halter, the actual attachment points are all done with velcro. I removed the martingale so that I didn't get confused by all of the straps.  Here's how the bridle looks on Merlin: The reins on this piece are the perfect width, but I feel like the rest of the bridle is too chunky and wide for Merlin's narrow face.  He is overwhelmed by imitation leather straps: Oh, dear.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit A 1:9 Scale Horse and Rider by Paradise Kids

She has rejected him and he's pissed. Now he can keep the fist for a while. Angelo's tuxedo and wig by Chewin. Brunel's wig by Cheryl Wood. Fashion from Superdoll.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit Rejected! Or What To Do With A Fist Hand

A New Life Cissette! Cissette? Cissette.  The ten-inch Madame Alexander Doll Company tiny star has been working steadily since 1957. Vintage models aside, there is a slew of hard plastic babes floating around the world of closets and garages dressed in fashions that range from ballooning lace flower girl creations to exacting recreations of a famous literary or movie characters. Easy to find and to acquire 1980's Cissette and Portrette dolls (with their twinkling sleep eyes that sometimes freeze and require the gentle nudge of a finger to open or close) deserve to be saved from their unfortunate state of limbo and be given a proper glamorous and beautiful life. But where to find the fashions that will allow Cissette to lead the aforementioned existence? Who in the world of freelance doll artists understands the needs and the potential of this tiny glam puss? Liz Cole of Retros , of course. For this Dolldom exclusive, Liz created a vintage-inspired yet revolutionary wardrobe that combines quality of fabric and construction and the sense of humor that a doll like Cissette needs in order to shine brightly in the real of fashion dolls. Flower Girl. When properly done, there is nothing wrong with wearing the color of flowers or a tulle over magenta silk cocktail dress. When the proportions are correct, Cissette is no longer a lace and tulle balloon. She's a sophisticate.  Starlet Power. This is not the way this doll was meant to look. She was a sedate "Little Woman" who is now ready to rule the 1950s Hollywood scene in her slinky and sparkly Lurex gown and recycled mink (from a vintage human coat) stole. Bold gold chain by Joy Jarred. Sunglasses are vintage original. Her sandals are from the Tiny Kitty Collier line of dolls. Satinée. In emerald silk satin brocade, Cissette cuts a very luxurious yet traditional figure. The pillbox is pure 1960s... But behold what occurs when she takes of her enveloping coat! A figure hugging silk dress with waist corsage gives Cissette a different outlook on life. Bring out the canapés! Now... There are times when Cissette's professional life (the preceding photos depict Cissette enjoying her hours of leisure) call for a more sober take on the same design. In a beautiful wool tweed, the A-line coat is perfect for meetings to plan the next issue of a magazine or to defend unjustly accused dolls in court. A green-grey silk dress cut with a longer hem spells elegance and fashion know-how. Lace, You Say? Yes, lace. There is a way to do lace that will not offend the senses. And here you have it. Based on a vintage design, this new version features a lace over silk jacket and black shantung slacks. Flapper? In her own way. This 1920's Flapper model turns into a major fashion maven in her red and black separates. The skirt exemplifies Retros' philosophy that nothing made today beats a witty vintage print. A black Lurex top and red silk turban are absolute necessities if the goal of the doll is to be fabulous. Boy Magnet! Cissette can and will (if you give her the opportunity) turn heads at your next doll party! Visit Retros' sensational boutique and give your less-than-twenty-dollar-e-Bay-find a new life of fun.  White tuxedos also by Retros . Posted by
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit A New Life

Life de luxe in a smaller scale Saturday, July 19, 2014 Operation: Action Hero What to do when the man doll arrives with a factory flaw? A rubbed spot from paint not yet dry. Find someone with an airbrush? Or go bold and have the man doll flocked à la Action Man and G.I. Joe? Dolldom chose the later to impart a "Men's Club" Trent Osborn doll (from the very last Gene Convention hosted by Integrity Toys) with the vigor and life force required to excel as Monolithic Studios man's man. The idea of giving Trent a full head of flocked hair is not new as at the aforementioned convention, Alain Tremblay, marketing wiz at Integrity Toys, created a limited (ninety-one) number of Trent Osborn dolls flocked by him. Named "A Man's Do," the dolls were only available for purchase at Mr. Tremblay's flocking seminar at the Gene Marshall 15th Anniversary Celebration Convention in June 2010. Mr. Tremblay went all out and did what is know in the business as electro-static flocking. No flat glued-on flocked fibers for Trent, no! Mr. Tremblay gave Trent the look of vintage G.I. Joe - fresh out of the box and a signed certificate of authenticity. Sadly, Integrity Toys does not produce Mel Odom's Gene Marshall anymore. What to do? Ray Cairo of Flock Concepts is the man to go in the USA for professional electro-static flocking. Although primarily serving the G.I. Joe/Action Man community of collectors, Mr. Cairo also accepts commissions for other types of action figures that are in need of hair help. Dolldom wishes to thank Mr. Cairo for his professionalism, incredibly fast turnover, and exacting hand. Thanks to Flock Concepts , Trent Osborn is able to escape a life of cap and hat wearing and be a full-fledged action hero type! Posted by
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit Operation: Action Hero

Quick Switch Feature: Yes Eyelashes: No Techrat is a fully articulated 12.5-inch vinyl fashion figure with fully rooted hair. He comes dressed in his layered 80's look with sport shoes. He also comes with his period accurate personal computer. As a bonus item, the doll also includes a second long-haired head that can easily be swapped using the Homme version of the QuickSwitch system. Doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up. **Clear computer stand not included. Hmmm. I do not collect Jem, so the doll is outside my scope. Declan is the most coveted sculpt from the male Colour Infusion dolls, but here he does not look as sexy or hip as he does in that collection. In fact, if the informative email from Integrity did not mention it was this particular sculpt, I would not have believed it is the same one. What a different hairline and styling can do! I bet it will be popular with the non-Jem collection pack, as they covet the sculpt, hence the second head (the normal pricing also will play a part as the CI male dolls go for mucho mullah). Some Jem fans complain about how the pants and shoes are quite not like the 80s styled look he has in the series, They also mention his hair part starts lower on the left side of his head (i.e. smaller bald area). In any case, this is still a prototype we are seeing and the final doll could be tweaked. **IMPORTANT NOTE: Prototype shown, colours may differ depending on your computer monitor. Clear computer stand not included. All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2014 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.**
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit Jem and the Holograms line gets a new addition: exclusive WClub Techrat doll

Paul Pham has announced his latest Numina doll, Emry. Emry will be available for pre-order at www.dollcis.com on Saturday, November 29 at 12 Noon EST. A 50% deposit plus shipping is due upon pre-ordering. Doll will be ready to ship in March of 2015.
For the original version including any supplementary images or video, visit Numina Emry