Marvel and Mattel unveil amazing X-Men ladies in SDCC: Storm, Dark Phoenix and Mystique

July 18, 2019

It is not uncommon for Marvel and other big companies to unveil new superhero dolls in SDCC - in fact it’s a given, even when they are not comic-con exclusives. So yesterday, during the event’s preview day, the three X-Men ladies everyone had been waiting for were unveiled. They celebrate Marvel’s 80-year anniversary.

From Mattel designer Bill Greening’s instagram - the SDCC stand of the Marvel Barbies

The three dolls use the same body as the Wonder Woman collector doll and will be available from today to pre-order exclusively from Gamestop.com and Barbie Signature. The release date is October and they will then be available in shops as well. Retail price $54.99. We know dealers have been able to pre-order them so contact your favourite dealer for details.

STORM: Born Ororo Munroe, Storm is one of the most powerful mutants on Earth. As a member of the X-Men team, she confounds enemies with her ability to manipulate weather and the atmosphere. Storm Barbie® doll is as electrifying as the character she emulates. This collectible Barbie® doll captures Storm’s iconic look in a shiny-black bodysuit, cape and thigh-high boots, all with metallic-gold trim. Gauntlets, a headdress and her signature gemstone brooch finish the fierce look.

The dolls are designed with their original comic book looks, no relation to their movie counterparts. I love how Storm looks here, although the lack of heels on her boots is weird for these feet. I know Storm hovers over the ground instead of walking on it when she’s on super hero mode but this does not work perfectly for a doll. Other than that, she’s perfection. It looks like she is using the Selma sculpt.

MYSTIQUE: This Super Villain is a mutant born with the ability to shapeshift. She deceives her enemies by mimicking the appearance and voice of any person. Mystique Barbie® doll is as beguiling as the character she emulates. This collectible Barbie® doll captures the Super Villain’s iconic look in a white dress with a double slit and belt of skulls. Details include white gloves, boots, and the signature skull detail adorning her forehead.

Great Mystique doll - I hope the hair will be perfect like this IRL. Love the scull accessories. She has the Louboutin sculpt.

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DARK PHOENIX: Also known as Jean Grey-Summers, Dark Phoenix is an Omega-level mutant with telepathic and telekinetic powers. This beloved character, who has faced numerous deaths and rebirths, wrestles with her personal demons. Dark Phoenix Barbie® doll is as fierce as the character she emulates. This collectible Barbie® doll captures Dark Phoenix’s iconic look in a red bodysuit with shimmering gold details, including the gold phoenix graphic, thigh-high boots, gloves and a sash.

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Beautiful Jean grey in her Dark Phoenix era, using the Mermaid sculpt. Again no heel boots, probably because she was not walking but flying all the time.

A new Poppy Parker unveiled on David Buttry’s birthday! Gardens Of Versailles exclusive convention 2019 doll

July 13, 2019

This year is the tenth anniversary of Poppy Parker and all releases of her in 2019 are, by default, considered just that bit more special. So what better date than the birthday of Poppy’s designer, the über-talented David Buttry, to unveil the "Gardens Of Versailles" Poppy Parker™ Convention upgrade doll. What this means for W Club members is that, whether they are able to attend the FW19 convention or not, they get exclusive access to a chance to pre-order and obtain this convention exclusive upgrade doll. There is no set edition size, as the final production quantity will be determined by the total amount of pre-orders received by the deadline.

Item # PP155

Gardens of Versailles

Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll

2019 Convention Exclusive Upgrade

Non-attending members-Only Price: $150.00 + s & h

Approximate Delivery Date: October 2019

Edition Size: TBD

Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker

Body Type: Poppy Parker

Foot Sculpt: High Heeled

Skin Tone: Sunkissed

Hair Color: Black

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

12" fully articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;
Full length custom floral printed taffeta gown with halter neckline and black satin sash;
Black satin clutch;
2 pairs of earrings; large “golden” hoops and floral burst drop earrings with faux pink "stone" details;
Two "golden" bangle bracelets, 1 "multi-stone" cuff bracelet;
A large pink "stone" ring;
Black satin ankle strap heels;
Alternate pair of hands with long nails;
Stand;
Certificate of authenticity;

On the 28th of November 1973, a fashion show unlike any other before or after it, was held at the Palace of Versailles near Paris, supporting a charity for the palace restoration. Five French couturiers (Yves Saint-Laurent, Givenchy, Dior, Ungaro and Cardin) and five American fashion designers (Oscar De La Renta, Anne Klein, Bill Blass, Halston and Steven Burrows) were showing together for the very first time. A who is who of celebrities were attending. The event has a historical place in both French and American fashion, as it greatly influenced both industries for the next decade. There is an excellent book about it, The Battle of Versailles: the night American fashion stumbled into the spotlight and made history, by Pulitzer Prize winner, author and journalist Robin Givhan, plus two documentaries, Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution by Deborah Riley Draper, plus Battle at Versailles, by Fritz Mitchell. You can read more about it in this interview of Robin Givhan here and an excerpt here. Also, Ava DuVernay is slated to co-write and direct a film for HBO based on the aforementioned book.

Why all this history lesson? Because this is the story frame of this particular Poppy doll, according to the story details Integrity Toys released. She’s supposedly the most famous model walking the runway at this event. It’s early seventies, so she’s at the end of her career. The dress does not look like the ones you can see if you google photos of the event. Most of the outfits shown were either monochromatic (lots of beige for the opening and black for the finale), with Stephen Burrows rainbow coloured dresses in jersey standing out.

The silhouette and print of the dress are very true to the seventies, looking like something either De La Renta or Bill Blass would design. But there was none like that in the show. The story accompanying the doll mentions a Bartholomew Barrows as the designer Poppy is wearing, clearly referencing Stephen Burrows. The real Burrows mostly did colour blocking designs, using a lot of jersey cut asymmetrically or in geometric shapes, using a lot of “lettuce” curly edged hems. People complaining her dress looks too mature should remember that in 1973 Poppy is mature herself, not a fresh faced ingénue.

From the March 2015 issue of W magazine, article about Robin Givhan’s book.

Oscar De La Renta early seventies print dress

Anjelica Huston with David Bailey in Corsica, 1973

My major objection with the dress is the sash. Big, flowing dresses in the early seventies had either a thin belt shaping their waist, in leather or fabric, or a draped narrow basque-like design, with dangling ends on the side, made of the same fabric as the dress. The wide black sash is more emblematic of the eighties. The deep V neckline to the waist is very typical of the era.

The doll is beautiful, with her Sunkissed skin tone (first time for Poppy) and curly hair in a style clearly reminiscent of the famous seventies model Pat Cleveland.

Pat Cleveland by Irvin Penn, Vogue US, March 1971

The accessories are nice, although I think only one of the bracelets is original. The straps on the shoes will be hell to fasten. Love that she has two pairs of earrings to choose from.

The price tag is higher than usual for a non-giftset Poppy, but remember that this is the slightly higher price Integrity Toys charges on convention dolls for non attendees. I’m definitely getting her, how about you?

Final doll will be unveiled closer to convention time. Final fabrics, colors and textures to be announced. 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. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Doll Photography by Jayme Thornton. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

David Bowie’s Space Oddity was released 50 years ago today and there is a Barbie inspired by him.

July 11, 2019

The seminal David Bowie song “Space Oddity”, was released as a 7-inch single on 11 July 1969. The opening track of his namesake 2nd studio album, it became one of his signature songs. And curiously enough, Mattel has released a Barbie inspired by the amazing artist.

The doll will be produced in a limited edition, as she is a Gold Label™️ doll. She’s dressed in one of his iconic Ziggy Stardust outfits, the metallic “space” suit with red and blue stripes, winged shoulders and red platform boots, as pictured in this legendary photo by Masayoshi Sukita from 1973. The suit was designed by his then costume designer Freddie Burretti (21 years old then and David’s boyfriend too!) alongside Kansai Yamamoto. The boots were designed and made by Kansai Yamamoto, bought by David and Angie from Boston 151, the shop in London’s Fulham Road that represented the designer in the UK. The boots would be worn again by Bowie, this time with jeans, in his nineties homecoming tour.

The make up was by Pierre LaRoche, Bowie’s personal make-up artist. He designed the sunburst circle on the singer’s forehead (and later the lightning bolt). Which brings us to what I think is a missed opportunity here: I would have preferred for the Bowie tribute doll to be more androgynous, as befits the great artist, and also have the lightning bolt make up, plus more spiky hair. The doll looks nice and I will probably get her, but she’s too slick and proper for a representation of the artist in that era. Just see what it might have been in this OOAK doll made by talented Russian duo AFD Group Dolls.

Here is the information from Mattel:

Barbie® David Bowie Doll

Ages: Adult Collector

$50.00

PRODUCT FEATURES:

Introducing Barbie® as David Bowie. In a definitive celebration of two pop culture icons, Barbie® honors the ultimate pop chameleon, English singer, songwriter and actor, David Bowie, whose dramatic musical transformations continue to influence and inspire. With a career spanning over five decades, David Bowie was at the vanguard of contemporary culture as a musician, artist, and icon. He was, and remains to be, a unique presence in contemporary culture. Dressed as Bowie’s fantastic sci-fi alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, in the iconic metallic ‘space suit,’ this collectible Barbie® doll honors the cultural legacy of the musical genius who redefined rock and roll. Subject to availability. Colors and decorations may vary.