Now Playing: another loud motorcycle at 7-11
Current Mood : Snitty
Leafed through FDQ a bit more. Man, I doubt I'll ever buy another, unless there's a great pattern or a six page Midge article next time. Too many $600. ‘low-end' dolls in there for me ! I guess part of me is still stuck in 1976 - the year every girl in the neighborhood got a Ballerina Barbie for Christmas. It was such fun to play with our identical dolls ! It was like we kind of bonded over having the same one. And the afternoon ballets were beautiful !
So I guess I have trouble understanding why you'd pay more for a doll company to make fewer dolls ! Seems like it would breed envy, frustration, anger, and arrogance, not to mention fostering class issues as well as financial (and family) problems that very few of us have an immunity to experiencing from time to time. Why a toy/doll company would want those things attached to them is beyond me. But several seem to thrive on it.
Reading the new Tonner "Tyler Wentworth Ultra Basic" ad was like a draught of water to my increasingly irritated spirit. Here's the exact text, capitals and bizarre hyphens intact :
"She's just a doll - but not just ANY doll ! Tonner's NEW ULTRA BASIC TM dolls are ready-to-wear the most stylish wardrobe styled by you."
"Exclusively at the Tonner Company Store, Tyler Wentworth ® ULTRA BASIC TM comes in 3 hair colors. Featuring hand-painted faces, rooted saran hair, and 13 points of articulation, she's the ultimate in basic dolls !"
"$49.99 each"
Wow. I was rather surprised - since many Tonner dolls are easily in the triple digits, but it's mostly due to their clothing. His Tyler clothes are pricey. But admitting that a good basic doll is important, and that people often create their own doll clothes and such...it's surprising. With the cost of everything going up, and the exclusive doll market getting more restrictive and selective by the day, it's nice to see a basic high-quality Tonner doll remain around $50. Heck, Elphie had an MSRP of $60. several years ago, I just got her on a good sale.
UB Tyler comes in a very simple white bodysuit, and from the looks of things, doesn't have shoes. Or a stand. Like I've ever used Elphie's stand - and I got creative on her shoes ! Shoot, I still have to take photos of those geta sandals I made for her kimono... I think I'm impressed by Tonner acknowledging that not all doll fans are ATMs for them - that many of us are doll hobbyists who create and repurpose on our own, choosing to have very little to do with the manufacturer once the doll is in hand. I get the feeling most Sybarites and Fashion Royalty dolls would sneer at wearing most of my efforts ! If he made a brunette UB Tyler, I'd probably buy her as a new friend for Elphie. Maybe next year...
I guess that's what I miss the most about Barbie. She was a doll anyone could have and enjoy - and it didn't matter if she came from a yard sale or a Mal-Wart shelf. Anyone could play, for just a couple bucks, even less at a good second-hand venue. Sure, some of the vintage ones are pricey, but there are still amazing discoveries waiting out there, found with a bit of luck and patience and hope. You're not gonna find a Sybarite in a junk shop, though. I just wonder sometimes if the whole doll industry is going in the right direction. I see hopeful glimpses from time to time - like UB Tyler - but then I read another ‘my hubby's gonna divorce me if he finds out...' story on a message board.
There are times I seriously consider activating a ‘Yard Sale Barbie' message board of my own...then I realize that I'm simply too lazy and scattered to moderate the thing !
