Tonner 16" Vintage Basic Doll

At last, the Vintage Basic doll from Tonner's Re-Imagination line has arrived, and I have added one to my collection! After playing with J-Dolls for so long, poor Daphne felt big and also not very flexible. Yes, she really doesn't have the range of motion that a lot of doll collectors seem to be currently looking for, but she's going to be great in my own collection. My J-Dolls and my Tonners fill two completely different niches in my doll world. But it certainly was different to hold this new Tonner doll after so much time with a smaller, lighter doll. Time was when the Tonner 16" dolls were the centerpiece of my collection. Maybe I'm getting back to them.

So let's get to the pictures! There's only one photo with any kind of doll nudity. There are so many Tonner dolls with this body type out there, that I was more interested in giving you the details of this doll's face and clothing. If you have any questions, please ask!

So when you open up the box and pull the tissue back, this is what you see. She is being held in with the cardboard inserts and the foam pieces.

Pull those out, and the doll is free! She had a net over her head, which is hard to see in these pictures, and plastic around her hands.

I think she's absolutely gorgeous. Very sweetly pretty, which I like.

 

To me, she is nicer than the preview pictures, which is always a relief. Even with a company like Tonner, there can be a big difference between the preview pictures and the actual doll.

Her only flaw is with the holes made to be able to give her earrings. As you can see, the one on the right side is just about in the normal place for an earring to go.

The hole on the left is a lot closer to her head, and higher up. But considering that this is the only issue, that's wonderful! And not even really a huge problem.

Admittedly, if you want a lot of flexibility, these dolls are not the ones for you. Here I showed you how high the doll's arm go (when it's to the side), and how far it will bend in.

And here's how far her knee will bend up in back. I turned her foot out to the side a little; she came with feet that can be changed out for flat feet or ballet feet en pointe. The high heeled feet could at least at one time be purchased separately, and a line of basic dolls came with flat feet as well as the high-heeled feet. This doll came only with her high-heeled feet.

She does sit very nicely. Since I don't have much in chairs her size, she is perched on a table. She can sit demurely with her ankles crossed

or she can sit normally with legs and feet straight.

Underneath her corset, she is wearing a one piece undergarment, trimmed with lace. Both the undergarment and the corset are very nicely finished on the inside; I didn't bother to take pictures. The tights are also done well, although the blue looks a little funny under the white bloomers. But the tights cover her well, as opposed to some of the stuff J-Doll has made (you will see this in my next J-Doll review.)

And here is the only "special" joint that Daphne has, the joint just below her bosom. It doesn't offer much movement, as you can see here, but it does add a little bit extra to posing.

Tonner's Re-Imagination line at one time featured dolls wearing an unusual take on the traditional fairy tale costume. The latest offering of two dolls and two outfits are more conventional, to my mind. But I do like all four, and plan on getting the Fairytale Basic doll when I have the money. I still feel the outfits are a bit expensive, but when I see what some people are willing to pay for outfits from other doll manufacturers, perhaps I'm just out of touch. Do note that basic dolls from Tonner are no longer coming with stands, so there have been small cutbacks in what you get, even as the price has gone up. But I'm happy with the price that I paid for this doll, and very glad to have her in my collection.