Changes at TRU for 2017

I ran out to my local TRU a few days ago, to get the EAH Birthday Ball Cupid and Duchess to go with my Birthday Ball Blondie. It became imperative to get them, after I saw that Target is now starting to stock the same version of these dolls, only without wrist articulation. Now that the less articulated dolls are out, I don't feel safe buying the dolls on Amazon anymore, either. So it was off to TRU to get the original versions. I bought the last Duchess at my store, and there were only a few Cupids left. As with Blondie, I'm pleased with the dolls for what they are. They have all the EAH articulation, plus their hair is very soft and not too thin, and their clothes and accessories have some level of detail.

I thought TRU was only going to be going to be carrying the Wellie Wishers dolls, but it seems a good bit of my TRU has changed into an American Girl Place, at least for the modern AG girls! I feel perhaps TRU and Mattel are both feeling a bit of a financial pinch since they seem to be trying to milk the AG brand for all that it's worth. I'll admit that it was neat to see all this stuff in person, and I do like the two American Girl dolls that I have. This set-up at TRU makes me wonder if the historical dolls might be on the way out completely, although I have no concrete reason to believe that. I will admit that the latest historical doll release, Melody, seems to have been hugely popular, and Felicity is also making a return. Still, I've also heard AG is releasing a modern doll for Felicity's line as well. She is the character who will go back to Felicity's time for the "choose your own" adventure style book that other historical girl dolls have. I'm not the target market for these dolls, however, so whatever happens, happens for the American Girl line.

The display case model scheme was also carried into the Barbie aisle, which was just past the aisle that looks like a mini Claire's store. The actual Claire's store that was only a few minutes away from where I live, went out of business a few months back. But that's neither here nor there. Let's look at the Barbie aisle.

I guess you could also call this aisle the Mattel doll aisle, since as you can see, Monster High and Ever After High dolls are on the back left side of this section. People may not like the changes that are being made to Monster High, but I wish EAH was getting as much attention paid to its line as MH is getting. I can only assume the interest in EAH is just not as strong.

I didn't have time or energy to check out the rest of the doll sections, although I'm wondering now what they look like. I'm sure Hasbro has a pretty decent section with all the Disney dolls, except for Moana, who has her own large area near the front of TRU, since her movie just came out. I'm sure I can find an excuse to go to TRU sometime soon to find out. :)

Star Darling Sage, with EAH Raven and Farrah

First off, let me say that I blame my latest doll purchase on Doll Dimensions, although I was already feeling a bit of a twinge for not picking up any of the Disney Star Darling dolls when they went on clearance at my Target. But her recent review of Wishworld Scarlet pushed me into taking a special trip to my local Wal-Mart to see what they had left of the line. They didn't have any Scarlets, but I did end up coming home with Sage. She was marked down to $11.00, but when I got to the register, she rang up at $9.00. Woo hoo! Minus the stand, this is the same doll that the Toy Box Philospher reviewed, so you can go there if you want to see all the nitty gritty details. This doll has already been out for awhile, so I didn't plan an in-depth review. I really love Star Darling dolls for their inset eyes, and their fashions, anyway. Let me get out of the way here, that these dolls were produced by Jakks Pacific for Disney.

I've already said that I love her inset eyes. They look kind of freaky from the side, but who cares? She's adorable to look at straight on! Her hair is very silky, except for the curls at the ends of tresses, which are crunchy with gel. Also, I can see now why the eyebrows on the more basic dolls seem to be trying to creep up into the hairline. On these "fancy" dolls, the eyebrow placement makes more sense, because they're placed above the sparkly eyeshadow that she's wearing. I wish they would have done the basic dolls' facial screening differently.

She had already lost her star necklace by the time I took this picture. It really doesn't stay on very well. Her star headband is still attached with a rubber band, so I don't know how well it would stay in. Oddly enough, that rubber band curls down and around her neck/chin joint. I think that would have been very difficult to get a picture of.

This Sage does not have a normal human skin tone, because she is in the form she has when she lives with the other Star Darlings on their planet or wherever. I took a picture of Sage with Farrah Goodfairy from Ever After High, because Farrah also has slightly odd colored skin, being a fairy, I guess. In the comparison picture, I think Sage just makes Farrah's skin look almost normal. Maybe that's because Farrah's skin is not as shiny and translucent looking as Sage's. (By the way, what kind of a name is Farrah Goodfairy? Yeah, The Fairy Godmother does not really give one a base for good name matches, but I need to find a better name than Farrah.)

I knew Sage wouldn't fit into Ever After High clothes, but I wanted to see how Sage's clothes fit Ever After High! I chose Raven as being the best model, based on her coloring.

This also gives me a chance to show Raven's new boots. I read on an Ever After High bulletin board, that Bratzillaz shoes fit Ever After High. I bought a fashion pack to try from Amazon, which had the shoes that I wanted. From the front, they look like granny boots, but I don't think grannies wore stiletto heels. :) They still suit Raven wonderfully. As usual, the stilettos are a thin plastic which bends easily.

I tried Raven's top and pants/leggings on Star Darling Sage just to see what the fit was like. The leggings fit just barely, although I'm afraid Sage would stretch out the waist if she wore them for very long. Raven's top came nowhere near closing on Sage.

However, Raven rocks Sage's outfit! The waistline of the leggings is a bit loose, but they stay up. Raven's boots were a tight fit over Sage's leggings, so I left them off.

As on Sage, the sleeves are just a bit long for Raven's arms. Also, the sleeves still have a good bit of the seam allowance left on the inside of the sleeve, which makes the fit awkward. I'm not sure the picture I took shows this well. I wonder if the prototype Sage outfit was gathered tighter on the sleeves than the gathers on the actual top she wears. That would have pulled up the sleeves a little. You can also see that a lot of the edge finishings are large serger seams. I would care more if Sage wasn't just a play doll to me. Although it makes her original price ($19.99, I think) seem a bit iffy.

Sage's boots are darling, but far too small for Raven. A little silver paint on the buckles would probably look great. Like I don't have enough things I want to paint.

I forgot that Doll Dimensions wondered if Liv high heeled shoes would fit the Star Darlings. I have a pair, so I'll check, and post about it. I have some doll shoes that just came today, that I want to blog about, so I'll throw the Liv shoes in that post.

Two more things:
1. My backdrop was a room scene for Barbie made by Mattel during the Fashion Fever era. I threw some scrapbook paper down on the floor. The only problem is the walls are glossy and tend to reflect light.
2. I still want that Scarlet doll! She's still at Toys 'R Us, for full price. However, she is only $14.99, being a more basic doll, so hopefully I'll pick her up soon. I don't want to wait too long, in case she disappears completely.

Thoughts on 2016 Toy Fair

First, let me say that this Toy Fair brought home to me how bad the economy is now. I think that's a big reason why some of my favorite doll manufacturers had very weak offerings. It may also explain why toy lines are focusing on old, proven stuff like Marvel, DC, Disney and Star Wars.

I'm also wondering why I got the best, and fastest, coverage of Jakks Pacific, Mattel, Hasbro and Tonner, from sites that generally focus on comic books and action figures the rest of the year. I definitely appreciated their coverage.

So, Ever After High was apparently not represented at Toy Fair at all. I've seen some pictures elsewhere of new dolls that are supposed to come out in 2016, including some with a new, "friendlier" face mold like Monster High is getting. But if the dolls weren't in the Mattel booth at Toy Fair, there's no guarantees. I can be happy with the Ever After High dolls I have, although there are a few more dolls I want to get, that have already been produced. I'm just sad that the line is not doing well. I don't really like monsters.

Tonner is driving me crazy. I'm interested in a new doll named Miette. There is even an exclusive Miette doll for sale on the Tonner/Wilde Imagination website. But I can't find out any information about her, like how tall she is, or what body type she has. What little I've found out came from eBay auctions selling off the exclusive doll after the Wilde Imagination event in January where she debuted. And I don't trust an eBay auction to be accurate. I feel like her size and body type should at least be included on the page where the one Miette doll is for sale. And it's not. See for yourself. Also, since Miette is in the Wilde Imagination line, I'm thinking the doll won't be at the Tonner convention. Maybe I'll be wrong.

I guess the Madame Alexander Travel Friend doll line is officially dead. I wish MA could have tried to deal with some of the issues, like the strange elbow joint, but that might not have been worth it in the long run.

Lastly, and this is not directly related to Toy Fair, I'm wondering when I'm going to get my Petite Barbie from Mattel. The ordering website still says the doll is slated to be released on 02/01/16. Obviously that hasn't happened, so could I have a more accurate date, Mattel?

Toys 'R Us Trip: Moxie Girls Ice Castle and Disney Star Darlings

I took a ride with Mr. BTEG to the other side of town yesterday; he wanted to go to Microcenter. In the line of stores there was also a TRU. I didn't find a doll I couldn't live without, or at least one I couldn't get far cheaper on Amazon. :) Seriously, it was nice that they still had Ever After High Spring Unsprung dolls, but I was disappointed to see they were still charging full price.

A few play dolls, though, caught my eye that I thought were worth blogging about.

The first thing I found interesting was this Princess Ice Castle play set. Not because of the play set, but because the dolls included appeared to be Moxie Girlz. Sure enough, the MGA copyright mark is on the box, but it is also a TRU exclusive. Note that this picture shows two boxes, one stacked sideways on top of the other.

I've seen a few bloggers mention the new Star Darlings, which go with a new Disney television show. I saw some of them at TRU, and took some pictures. The bigger boxed dolls were $19.99, the smaller, $14.99. The dolls for sale online at Disney come with a light-up stand, for $10 more than the big box dolls. The smaller boxed dolls are what they apparently look like on Earth, without their star personae.

First the three more expensive dolls.

Next, the two "Wishworld" dolls.

The dolls and the outfits are cute, although the outfits don't match a promotional article I read about these dolls that talks about how not all fashion dolls need to wear mini skirts, and the Star Darlings were going to be something different. I mean, most of these skirts are over leggings or tights at least, but still, pretty short skirts. I like the clothes anyway, in general. The dolls are supposed to be 10.5" (26.67cm) tall. I wonder if any of the outfits or shoes would fit other dolls. Separate outfits would be great if other dolls can wear these clothes, but since these dolls are based on the Zodiac, and therefore there will be twelve dolls, I think separate outfits would be too much to add on top of that.

What really appeals to me about these dolls is the eyes. The eyes remind me a bit of Bratzillaz, and while I didn't care for those dolls, I really did love how the eyes looked. The eyebrows are ridiculously far apart from the eyes on the Star Darlings dolls, but still, this face is adorable.

Are you finding anything good at your stores now that they're restocking toys?

Stay tuned! My next post is about something cool related to Makies! (Although not about the move to the US, which is the big source of conversation right now.)

My Cinderella Dolls and New Cinderellas at Target

Not only has the new live-action Cinderella movie produced new dolls in the likenesses (more or less) of the actors, Cinderella and Prince Charming dolls were also featured on an endcap at Target recently. I'll show you those pictures, but first I thought this would be a good time to put up pictures of my own Cinderella and Prince Charming dolls.

This may be the first Disney Cinderella doll Mattel ever made. I'm going to guess this dolly is about twenty years old, give or take a few years.

Welcome to My Online Garage Sale! --Updated

I'm going to be putting up a "real" post, hopefully tonight, but in the meantime, I wanted to get up some more things for sale, especially since I found a Monster High doll at a garage sale today! It's a Cleo de Nile, with one top that doesn't really cover her fairly well, in case you don't want to scroll down.
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I am finally starting this! I took some pictures today so I can start getting stuff online. Be warned, this is not a super fabulous sale! I'm putting up now (May 18th) a little less than half of what we have. However, since a lot of you bloggers that I read seem to enjoy picking up a deal or two at the thrift store, I thought I'd throw this stuff up here cheap and see if anyone finds a little gem inexpensively. I'm also up for trades

Just a few things: 1. Anything that is not labeled as being from my collection, or an actual garage sale, is from my daughters' toys. That means that very often these items were lying on a daughter's bedroom floor. We Have Cats. That means that anything that comes from my girls' toys was exposed to cat fur and dander. The cats are not allowed up where I keep my toys. :) Also, the "toy" dolls' hair will be a mess, matted, and often rather dry. However, it hasn't been hacked up, nor are there huge plugs missing.

2. If you see something you want, but want to see what else I put up before you buy it, I can put it on hold.

3. I think for the most part Paypal will be the easiest way to deal with payment. I would consider a check, but is it worth writing a check for such a small amount?

4. I will ship the cheapest way possible, or however you prefer. I have several small boxes saved up, and a huge wheel of bubble wrap, so I won't charge for handling or packaging or anything similar. I will only be charging exact shipping.

5. I'm going to be super lazy with my descriptions. I'm assuming that you have a general idea about the world of Barbie. I'm also generally going to put up just a picture of the face, unless there's marks on the doll or something else worth noting. If you want to see a doll's entire body, let me know.

6. I'm going to keep a bookmark either at the top or the side of my blog, so as I post more, this will still be findable.

7. All monies raised by the sale of the toys will go to my daughters. Or perhaps just my youngest, who is too young legally to work yet.

DOLLS

A blue-haired fairy. I'm also including a picture of her body, as her legs are permanently light blue with blue flowers. I didn't realize she had crud on her face until I looked at the picture! I'm going to wipe what I can off. I'm also including the one shoe of hers that we could find. Maybe you'll find the other at a thrift store someday, or you could use this one as a template to make her more? $1.00

Gabriella from High School Musical, aka Vanessa Hudgens. Will come wearing her red bathing suit. Gold paint on her earrings is wearing off. Her body is smaller and shorter than the Barbie body. She has flat feet. She has paint on her leg, and possibly some ink. $1.00

Sharpay from High School Musical, aka Ashley Tisdale. Will come nude. Gold paint is also coming off of her earrings. Has the same body as Gabriella. Has some glitter on her upper legs from her dress. $1.00

Gymnast Whitney, friend of Stacie. Joints aren't exactly loose, but the best word I can think of to describe this body is floppy. Kind of like a puppet, perhaps? $2.00

Gymnast Teresa. She has a crack on the seams of her upper right leg, front and back. $1.00

Cali Girl Teresa. Don't think this was the bathing suit she came in, but she rocks it. If you would like just the bathing suit or the doll, I'll split them up. Legs curve a bit strangely down by the ankles. $2.00

Monster High Cleo de Nile. Found her at a garage sale. She doesn't seem to smell like smoke or anything, and her hair seems intact. Comes in the "top" that she's wearing, which doesn't really cover much. Seems like it is an overblouse. $1.00

My Scene guy. Jointed elbows and knees. $2.50

My Scene Barbie. Jointed elbows, rubber click knees. Mark on right breast. $1.00

 CLOTHES

Fashion Fever jacket. One plastic snap at the top which is still intact. Ribbon belt is gone. One ribbon belt loop is intact, one is broke. $1.00

Esmerelda's dress from Hunchback of Notre Dame movie. One piece dress with attached shawl. Doll that wore this was not standard Barbie body. May have been like Gymnast Teresa's body, as the doll was jointed at elbows and knees. Tagged Disney. $2.00

Neon is back in style this year! I think this fits the Barbie belly button body. $1.00

My Scene boots, purple with blue laces. $2.00

My Scene purse, one solid molded plastic piece. Also throwing in matching boot. Again, maybe you'll come across the other one some day. Showing the purse next to Teresa for proportion. $2.00

My Scene high-heeled shoes $2.00

My Scene boots. For some reason, one of the boots has the number 7 drawn on it in ink or marker on the side sole. $1.00

Accessories and Furniture

2-liter bottle and bowl of pretzels. $1.50

Soda fountain. $1.00

Footstool. Probably could use repainted. I have Gabriella sitting on it to show size, although the picture is unfortunately at an odd angle. Her feet are not touching the table, although her legs aren't bent very far either. $2.00

Two starfish. Have included a Barbie hand in the picture for proportion. Will split these up. $1.00

Pink bathtub. Has slots on the side of the tub where something probably clipped in at some point. Has little "jets" in molded gray plastic on either side of the tub on the inside. You can see one by Barbie's right hand. $2.00

Treasure chest. Pink with a clear pink sparkly lid. 2 inches (5 cm)  high. $1.00

Plastic pinata. Has a little door that opens on the bottom so the loot can come out. Perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebration next year. Pictured with older Stacie and Kelly dolls so you can get an idea of proportion. $1.50

Kelly size bumper car. From amusement park playset. Rolls. $1.00

Boomboxes. Smaller two $.25 each. Larger one $.50

 
 MY PERSONAL DOLLS AND ACCESSORIES

Spring in Tokyo doll comes as you see her, in suit with attached gold chain necklace. Her hair is pulled back into a hard gelled ponytail "bun." $5.00

I think this doll was a holiday Teresa. Her hair is rather static-y right now, but the twisted braids seem to be intact. $2.00

Fashion Avenue skirt and matching cloth purse. Front of skirt is wrinkled because I had my doll sitting down while wearing it. $1.00

Only Hearts Club shoes and tights. I bought the outfit and kept the other pieces. These have never been played with, never even been on a doll. $.50

This is all as of Thursday, May 22nd. I will update this with more items as soon as possible. Thank you for looking!