The fifth and final W Club doll revealed for 2018

January 24, 2019

The late start of the 2018 W Club year meant that we got the W Club doll releases crammed into the six last months of it. Hopefully the next year will be a bit more streamlined. This meant that members of the club got the notification for their last W Club offering in late January. The fifth and final Club doll is Eugenia, missing from the main collection so far, which should be welcome news to everyone. Jessy Ayala designed this doll, with only accessories and small details connecting her to Sacred Lotus and the Luxe Life Convention Collection.

Item #91439

Secret Garden

Eugenia Perrin-Frost™ Mini-Gift Set

The Fashion Royalty® Collection

2018 W Club Exclusive

Approx. Shipping: Early Summer 2019

W Club Retail Price: $175.00 + S & H

Edition Size: TBD

Head Sculpt: Eugenia

Body Type: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

Skin Tone: Japan

Hair Color: Light Champagne Blond

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

12.5" fully articulated doll with fully rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;
Two pairs of hands (one with long nails and one with the regular manicure);
Frothy, ruffled black tulle gown with a crinkle texture bodice, cinched at the waist by a narrow black ribbon belt;
Tan trench coat dress with drape and belt detail on sides;
Chocolate brown flocked hat with black grosgrain ribbon trim;
Black tulle neck scarf;
"Silver" cuff bracelet, chandelier earrings and statement ring with "diamond" and "pearl" accents;
"Silver" necklace with nature-inspired "diamond" and "pearl" stone charms;
Alternate pair of asymmetrical small charm earrings;
"Metal" clutch with sculpted leaf detail and skull clasp;
Pale nude "pearlized" faux-leather purse with quilted detail and "silver"/"diamond" flower charm;
Black and tan faux "patent leather" boots with "silver" zipper closure;
Black holographic glitter high heels with clear bead detail;
Doll stand;
Certificate of authenticity.

Offer Type: W Club Exclusive pre-order.

Participation Deadline: January 30th, 2019, Noon Eastern time.
Special Pricing: $175.00 USD + S & H per doll.($25.00 NRD deposit per doll due now, balance of $150.00 + S & H per doll due approximately early summer 2019).
Final Edition Size: To be determined, will be based on all pre-orders received.
Shipping Timing: Approximately early summer 2019.
Availability: 2018 W Club members only.
Order Limit: Up to 1 doll per membership.

A very beautiful doll to end the year. She’s not groundbreaking or different from older releases, but she’s a lovely doll with gorgeous clothes and lots of accessories, justifying the price tag. Even though generally I preferred the earthy and dark tones of Sacred Lotus dolls versus the eighties pink/blue ones of Luxe Life, in this case I would have gone for the latter.

Another peeve: black gown. We’ve had big black gowns in the past (even though I own none of them). The fashion runways are filled with bright or pastel coloured big frilly gowns - check out the recent couture shows for Spring 2019. Why black? Just think how much better this would look in blue, fuchsia, yellow or green. Or even a lightweight print muslin. And enough with the tan trench coat! Give us one in an unexpected colour, like white, lilac, pink or lemon! Or olive green!

It’s the kind of choices and details that distinguish a properly trained and educated experienced designer from a talented but still-findin-my-way-one. Merely copying runway looks does not help in forwarding your work by itself. Studying and researching needs to be constant and thorough. Even if, accidentally, you score the summer garden thread of the Couture collections now held in Paris. And yes, I did preorder the doll. She’s a keeper. But she could have been a holy grail.

The doll pictured is a prototype. Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2019 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.

FASHION ROYALTY, POPPY PARKER, NU. FACE, EAST 59TH, THE INDUSTRY and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved.

Doll Photography by Tony Pettinato. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing

The fourth W Club doll is Looks A Plenty! Poppy Parker - 3 dolls in one!

January 4, 2019

This is the way a new year should start: a beautiful new doll! And when it is actually three dolls combined into one, even better. That’s the case with the fourth W Club doll, announce on the first day of 2019 to Club members. Poppy gets the Adéle treatment: the set consists of one doll plus two additional heads with busts and three different outfits. Of course Poppy only has one sculpt, but the body does have interchangeable feet: it comes with both high heeled and flat feet, to better accommodate all three looks. A completer pack is also offered: for $30.0 one gets two partial bodies (torso, legs and arms) to make the three dolls complete. It’s a good price for three Poppy dolls: getting both the giftset and the completer set means 229/3=76.33 per doll. Not bad at all. Let’s check out this beautiful set.

Item # PP136

Looks A Plenty!

Poppy Parker™ Gift Set

The Poppy Parker™ Collection

2018 W Club Exclusive

Edition Size: TBD

Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker (For All 3 Heads)

Body Type: 1 Poppy Parker 1.5 Complete Body + 2 Additional Poppy Parker 1.5 Busts

Foot Type: High-heeled Lower Legs

Bonus! Extra Set of Lower Legs with Articulated Ankles Included!

Skin Tone: FR White

Hair Colors: Bright Auburn Red, Azure Blue and Natural Blonde

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: Yes (Switchable at the Torso Level, Not the Neck)

Included:

Fully articulated 12" / 1:6 scale doll body with high-heeled feet and a bonus pair interchangeable lower legs featuring the traditional Poppy Parker feet articulated at the ankles;
Three separate Poppy Parker doll heads, each featuring fully rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes (each comes pre-mounted on its own bust piece).
MUSEUM PODIUM STAND INCLUDED WITH EACH GIFT SET:As mentioned in the description above, the gift set includes a museum podium stand that allows you to display not only the complete doll on her telescoping "saddle stand", but also display the other included portraits "museum style", on stylish acrylic podiums. The busts insert on a peg at the top of each podium, creating a showcase for any of your dolls.

Look 1:

High-contrast, black and white polka dot evening gown, with train on the back;
Chunky "jeweled" bracelet and matching oversized earrings;
Alternate black "opera" length gloves (with painted on traditional Poppy hands);
Black clutch purse;
High-heeled shoes;

This is my favourite of the three looks, both as doll and outfit. I have a soft spot for red heads. She does remind me of the redhead included in another triple giftset, Mood Changers. This is the evening look, with the upswept hair and the gorgeous polka dot gown and it’s A-line shape. David Buttry confirmed on Instagram that this Poppy’s face is inspired by the screening originally used in Summer Magic Poppy. The dress is a 1964 Balenciaga Haute Couture gown.

Look 2:

Black cowl neck sweater with Punchinello patterned pants;
Black cat-eye glasses;
Bright pink heart shaped enameled brooch (with magnet backing)
Pair of red enameled stud earrings;
Miniature soda bottle and drinking straw accessory;
Black kitten heels;

Blue hair! This one looks a lot like a colour variant w Club 2018 upgrade doll Soda Pop Poppy - different outfit of course. She even has a soda bottle. Love the harlequin pants and the cowl neck sweater. Now there are three Poppy dolls with fantasy coloured hair - this one (blue), Ciao Poppy (pink) and one of the Mood Changers (lilac). Cannot wait to photograph them all together.

Look 3:

Mauve baby-doll nighty and panty set;
Simple bangle bracelet;
Pair of stud earrings;
Mauve pom pom slipper heels;

This is the simplest and most versatile one. I’m not crazy about the lingerie but it is something missing from my collection. The doll is lovely and with the long, flowing hair and relatively softer make up, will be able to wear many different outfits. She does remind me of To The Fair Poppy a bit.

Pair of basic Poppy hands with red nail polish;

Pair of alternate basic Poppy hands with pink nail polish;
Pair of alternate "slight grasp" hands with soft pink nail polish;
Museum podium stand (white acrylic with gold Poppy Parker logo);
Certificate of authenticity.

Offer Type: W Club Exclusive pre-order.
Participation Deadline: January 9th, 2019, Noon Eastern time.
Special Gift Set Pricing: $199.00 USD + S & H per gift set.($30 NRD deposit per gift set due now, balance of $169.00 + S & H per gift set due approximately late-spring 2019).
Optional Body Completer Pack Pricing: $30.00 USD + S & H per completer pack.($15 NRD deposit per completer pack due now, balance of $15.00 + S & H per completer pack due approximately late-spring 2019).
Final Edition Size: To be determined, will be based on all pre-orders received.
Shipping Timing: Approximately late-spring 2019.
Availability: 2018 W Club members only.
Order Limit: Up to 1 gift set and 1 body completer pack per membership.

Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. All text and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2018 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.

Doll Photography by Tony Pettinato. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing

The end of an era: Tonner Doll company shuts down

January 3, 2019

I was expecting to begin the new year with happier news, but unfortunately that is not the case. Robert Tonner announced in an email that Tonner Doll shut down with the end of 2018. Of course it was to be expected, after the restructuring of his business and his focus on Phyn & Aero, which left Tonner Doll only with licensed product, which was obviously not as commercial as it should. Licensing has the fees sucking out most of the profits, and if a company deals only with such a sector, it needs to have mass production and a wide array of product to be sust, something Tonner Doll had not. I’ll always cherish the Tonner dolls I own, and hopefully will acquire some more in the future. From now own, doll collectors will follow his endeavours with his other company, Phyn & Aero. Below is his letter.

My Dear Friends,

I was lucky enough to start Tonner Doll at a point when it seemed that everyone was collecting, making, buying or selling dolls. At the same time, the Far East was willing and eager to produce whatever we wanted at a price that couldn’t be beat. High demand and inexpensive, quality production led to the golden age of collectible dolls and great success for Tonner Doll.

It’s often said that the only thing you can count on is change; I whole heartedly agree with that statement. I could go on and on about the changes in the collectible doll industry, but in short, the business model that I used to build Tonner Doll is no longer viable or sustainable. Therefore, Tonner Doll Company (including the Tonner Doll web site, doll hospital, phones and emails) was closed as of December 31, 2018.

However……

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”
― Jenna Evans Welch, Love & Gelato

I’m very excited that Phyn & Areo will continue with a brand-new business model, one that addresses some of the changes mentioned above and we will be exploring new ways of doing business. Through Phyn and Aero, I’ll be working directly with our favorite retailers to create unique and exclusive dolls (look for the first Ellowyne out this Spring). I will continue to design for and attend events throughout the year (Dollology, Shaker Doll Club, Doll Circle and UFDC to name a few). At Phyn and Aero I will also continue to develop new product; we’ll be doing small batch, design driven products. Rayne, a new character with unique (and I mean unique) accessories will debut around Toy Fair. In addition, I am working on design projects with other companies (I just did a huge amount of work for FAO; that was both a challenge and a delight). I think it’s going to be a very busy, very exciting 2019!

Over these past 28 years I have had to honor to meet, work with and befriend some of the most wonderful people there are—doll collectors, doll lovers and doll retailers. I want you to know how deeply I’ve appreciated our journey together—and here’s to a bright, exciting, shiny, new future!
Warmest,

Robert

P.S. Starting today, please visit our website at www.phynandaero.com or call us at 845-802-5552. You can also reach us through info@phynandaero.com

All photos courtesy of Tonner Doll.