And here are those promised Wendy Lawton pictures I promised!

• Haute Couture -- is the 2002 Guild Doll. She is 14" and is porcelain and wood. She also comes with a dress form and three patterns.


• Here is a close-up of her beautiful face. (I've already named the one I have on order, Katherine Elizabeth.)


• Dressmaker's Mannequin -- This is the gift you get for joining the Lawton Collector's Guild.


• Precisely Paloma -- Another friend added to the "Merely Me" collection. She is 9", porcelain and wood.


• Close-up of Paloma.


• Electa Grace --A 7" wood and porcelain doll from the "Tiny Treasures" collection. She comes nestled in a burlwood box.


• Isn't she sweet?


• Courage to Run -- From Wendy's newest series, "The Daughters of the Faith." Courage to Run is the story of Harriet Tubman as a girl...and the book is written by Wendy!


• Pictures do not do her justice, her coloring is AMAZING.


• The Tinker's Daughter -- Another doll in the "Daughters of the Faith" collection.


• A close-up of Mary Bunyan. Both dolls in this collection are porcelain and 11".


• Meg's Wedding -- Second in the "Little Women" collection. Meg is the homemaker of the March Family.


• And she looks forward to the day when she is going to be married.


• All of the dolls in this collection also include a second ensemble. The dolls are the same size as the Haute Couture doll.


• Meg's wedding dress features 100 year-old lace! The details are not to be missed, the underclothing (full hoop skirt) is amazing!


• Bookworm -- Another doll in the popular 9" size!


• Freckles!!


• The Legend of the Christmas Rose -- She is part of the "Christmas Legends" collection.


• A close-up of The Legend of the Christmas Rose.


• Alice in Wonderland -- "The Lawton Library" collection, each item nestled in her book tells part of her story.


• Curiouser and curiouser...


• Nola and her Nurse Doll -- Part of the "Classic Playthings" collection.


• Nola is a girl from the WWI era.


• Her doll is composition.


• The Lawton Emporium Fashions and accessories for the wonderful 9" dolls! (The details on these outfits are AMAZING!)

I hope you enjoyed this eye-candy. I have been an admirer of Wendy's work for a long time, and I finally got to own one of her dolls last year. They are truly like potato chips, you can't stop at one...I've got Haute Couture on order, but I hear others calling my name!!

Thanks to my buddy Kim for graciously allowing me to share this picture with all of you. If I could have one Tyler this year (Only one? *sigh* but I really like Florentine as well! LOL.) this would be it. She is the epitome of elegance. Forgive me for not knowing the name, but she is one of the Theatre de la Mode dolls.

Torch Song Violet is an Industry Choice DOTY winner!! more >>>

This gorgeous doll, which will premiere at Toy Fair and ship 3rd or 4th quarter, had her dress designed by my graduate Jose D. Sáenz. Joan Greene made it "pop" with the addition of the shawl and the beaded headgear.

Jose also designed Violet's Special Appearance. I am so happy -- maybe now that I have helped others get their designs this far, I can start to get back to some of my own!!

So far El Paso has designed Spotted in the Park, Bolero, The Perfect Gift and Love in Bloom (both by Regina Ganem) and Special Appearance and Torch Song!! And with SA on the cover of DOLLS and now the DOTY --eiii yi yi!!

Please remember to vote for the Public Choice DOTY in June when the mag comes out. Of course, I wasn't sure exactly who Torch is competing with so you may have another choice but I would soooooo love to see her win Public Choice as well as Industry Choice!!

happy happy happy me
(Thanks Trish!)

How I missed my buddy Kim at IDEX is beyond me, but be sure to check out her site for some GREAT pics!! I have pics too...but mostly of my newest love Wendy Lawton Dolls which I will post in the next few days. Suffise to say, if I could have only one doll this year, this would be it! (And I caved and put her on order! LOL.)

Thanks to Patty in Hawaii for creating this wonderful site with pictures from the Theatre de la Mode when it was on exhibit in Hawaii.

OMG! How could I have forgotten the 2002 Kitty Collier line? LOL!! Well here it is, better late then never!

And let us not forget the other Tonner Doll Company lines!

Tyler Wentworth's tribute to Théâtre de la Mode (Also great that it includes pictures of the orginial manniquins!)

Betsey McCall (tiny) and her 14" Cousin: More Betsey McCall!!

And last, but certainly not least is the Mary Engelbreit family of dolls!

And don't forget Miss TYLER WENTWORTH and her new line for 2002!

Check it out! Wendy Lawton has outdone herself again! So many choices, so little money! But you can see her new line here: What's New

Oooooooh! Some interesting new rumors....(msg) Dark Desire Madra has a dark streak in her honey blonde hair? Inquiring Minds want to know...
Gene Marshall will(?) have a 20th Century Fox Trunk Set this year, and it will be a dressing room style trunk... hhhmmmmmmm...maybe she hasn't lost ALL her princess points?
The Spring FAO exclusive Gene will be limited to 500(!?!), with a price point of $195-and apparently worth every penny! OO-LA-LA!!! Maybe Gene can't be written off as a faded goddess just yet? (Did we REALLY hear ARCHED EYEBROW?!!)
Another female character will make her fashionably late entrance in a tailored evening ensemble...this gal will certainly have everyone climbing the walls, and green with envy!
Mizz C and Ms. W will soon have a man to sharpen their nails over, maybe this storyline will finally appeal to the "campy gay" collector...JUNGLE RED!! My bet is on Sydney to win this one, any other bets ladies?

AND in other wonderful doll news, Franklin Mint is pulling out the stops in its additions to their vinyl fashion doll line. It started with Jackie, then Diana, Lily, Marilyn and Josephine, followed by Rose from Titanic and Scarlett O'Hara. Then we have Liz Taylor, and Twiggy, Lucy, not to mention Vanna White, Jennifer Flavin Stallone, and a Harley Davidson inspired doll. AND just announced Sandy from Grease. Think that could be enough? Well, FM just introduced a Czarina Alexandra doll! OH is she ever gorgeous!!! The jewelry will make you faint! Wanna see pictures? Ya got to be a member of the FMvinyl e-mail group on Yahoo!. But trust me, it's worth it. You can join by following this link. Once you've joined, click on photos to go to the albums.

Once again, we have Heather LINY(sharethedream.com) to thank for this information: The Official AD/Gene News (msg) 1. The whole FAO not carrying Gene rumor was false. As I stated yesterday, what really happened was that AD is not having a big retailer/press shindig this year at FAO during Toy Fair like they did last year, but that's about it.
2. The news about AD disbanding the Gene Team is completely true.
3. The Gene line will continue as planned this year, and we have been told the line will continue next year as well. So it ain't over til it's over folks. ;-)
Keep sharing the dream!
Heather

She also posted this addition:

I just learned that Joan will not be involved in the Gene Team at all! I can't imagine how devastating this is to the people who have worked with Gene since the beginning.

Joan -- you will be greatly missed. Such a classy lady and a real inspiration.

--Heather

That's all the important stuff going on right now. It will be interesting to see the mood at IDEX next week. I shall be there and post a full report (and pictures if I can manage!)

This will be my first, last, and only link to a site from Dollzine.com, but if offers another (if not jaded, in my opinion) take on the whole AD "disbandment." The Soapbox - Why Gene Marshall is Losing Popularity from Dollzine

And after you have read that, be sure to take some time and read the reaction to her post on Vicky's.

And today Nancy (who posts as nancerich), posted a wonderful rebuttal to Auntie's article. I post all of it here, since it is so eloquent:

Stop the Deathwatch!! A few things about Gene...

No sooner than the announcement that the Gene Team had been broken up, Auntie April posted a link to an 'editorial' delivering what I believe is a rather premature post mortem on the Girl Star. Though I have only been in the doll world for little more than a year, perhaps I can provide a less "inside Baseball" analysis of the crisis and opportunities options open to AD or Mel Odem...and I speak simply for myself, as an observer and collector.

My first impression on the who killed Gene discussion is that changing the facial paint on Gene in an attempt to make her more contemporary would be suicide. First, the stylized paint is a signature...and updating her to Son of Gene would put her directly in competition with three lines of excellent contemporary dolls which have already have an existing customer base, excellent design, and terrific modern clothes. That the market for these dolls overlap, adding another "modern" doll to the fray would lose the customer base for those loyal to Gene because of their love of the design eras she represents, as well as hurt the story angle of the doll, which allows her to be cast in period dramas and the like which makes her wardrobe less confined than the modern dolls. The logic of the "story" plus the groundbreaking elements of her era in both movie and couture design sets her apart from the rest of those who came after. Trying to keep alive the line by seeking out gimmicks like pastels and a different paint would just kill the line faster. It would raise the value, however of Real Gene...(and make certain retailers hoard NRFB dolls of the line.) Also, I believe Mel would never, ever go for it...for several reasons...1. he has already made serious money on the line. 2. Artistic integrity with regard to his creation would keep him from watering down the look of the doll.

If AD does a comtemporary doll, you can bet the farm, her name won't be Gene.

The point was raised that fewer doll shops are selling Gene. Well, that can be explained by the fact that THERE ARE FEWER DOLL SHOPS! The market is one that successfully moved to the internet, the savvy customer is looking for the best price, and therefore the changes of the market place has made dollshops without a web presence victims of a changing economy. Also, as AD competes directly with those they supply, provides a conflict of interest...and puts them at odds with the interests of their distribution chain. We all know that, and it will take the larger retailers who actually do have the clout to stand up to AD (rather than people who sell primarily Barbies) to force AD to end the practice of forcing retailers to operate at a huge disadvantage by selling at artificially high prices. This is happening. Plus the limited number of GREAT AND WANTED ITEMS will increase demand.

The Gene Family is fine. Madra is a great doll and has a strong loyal base, as is Trent. And no code words for the Gay area of the market, without which there would be no Gene, Alex or Tyler can change that fact. There are middle aged women like myself who understand this, and see gay men as a vital part of the creative force which makes our little subculture actually vital and strong. We are not talking about millions and millions of units sold, we are talking about a customer base of less than 100K people. Trent appeals to healthy heterosexual women....just as stars like Cary Grant, Rock Hudson, Troy Donahue, Randolph Scott, and Tyrone Power did and do.

Trent's only problem was he was short of street clothes on his first year.

If the Gene line dies, it won't be cause AD wasn't nice to Marl or the line didn't have enough pastels or that Madra was more fun to design for.....it will because, like the Beatles or Seinfeld....it was time for her to go...

Then again, like The Simpsons...she has a few more years to go before she pulls a Garbo.None of us can really know...but one thing is certain, there will be as many opinions why...until people get caught up in the NEXT BIG THING.

Thanks Nancy! You can read Nancy's original post and its reaction here.

Possible bad news???

This was on one of my e-mail lists, and I'd like to know if anyone here knows if there is any truth to it? Here goes copy and paste:

For everyone that collects or loves to work on Gene, this might be of interest. It was posted on another board but was told that it was alright to post/tell somewhere else, so thought I would post it here for those of you that haven't heard.

"I just got permission from Wendy to tell you all about the sad news she called me with day before yesterday. In an unexpected turn of events, Ashton Drake has disbanded the Gene team. All of the former Gene team with the exception of Borum Kim are now assigned to
other departments. She told me, "Everything is set for this year, Joan and I are scrambling to make things happen for the rest of the year." However, Wendy does not know what the future holds for Gene except that AD apparently does plan to keep producing the doll, maybe
as a smaller line. Wendy did not know how this would effect Mel or the designers or what their future relationship with AD would be. Joan will still be a director, but will work on other projects. Wendy said they are all "shell shocked" over this.

When she emailed me today with permission to tell you
guys, this is what she said, "I spoke with Kirk about the current state of events around here, and asked him if Joan was going to have any kind of official statement or press release done up. He told me that something would be released directly after our return from Toy Fair.

If you want to tell people about what I told you, I think that would be
ok. But it just won't officially be announced to the public until next
month."

I have thoughts, lots of thoughts, I just must put them all together. Stay tuned!

Thanks to Pat Henry, we have a better look at the Alex 2002 Line

Heather LINY posted on Vicky's that the Swingtime Seranade at the FAO signing in February will be in white.

Dontcha just love this time of year? Toy Fair excitement builds, IDEX is two weeks away, and we have many manufacturers just slipping stuff out!

I was shopping at Target today and they have completely reworked their toy department. Of particular note are the new Beach Party line of the Bratz dolls. I happened upon Yasmin and Cloe. "Summer just got a little hotter!" In looking at the two dolls I bought, and from a quick search on eBay and the graphics on the box, there is an interesting thing I noticed. Jade is wearing the second outfit Yasmin comes with, and her second outfit is the one Cloe is wearing. Sasha is shown on the box wearing Cloe's second outfit, so I am going to assume that her second outfit is the one Yasmin is wearing. So if you wind up buying all four dolls you will have duplicate outfits and shoes. Yasmin and Cloe come with the "Gilligan" style hats, while Jade and Sasha come with plastic visors. All of these dolls are marked on the box as a "2002 Limited Edition" and also have a star shaped hang-tag that says the same.

There ia also a new line of shoe packs. I counted three different ones, each with three pairs of shoes. Two pairs of boots and a pair of sneakers. The boots were the same in all the packages, but the sneaker colors were different.

And if that weren't enough, there is also a line of "Micro Bratz." These are miniature versions of the dolls that came out last year, wearing copies of the larger dolls' clothing. VERY cute!

Alana beat me to the punch, but here is her scan of the newest FM doll: Sandy from Grease! I love the trunk! This was on the back of today's Parade magazine.

Register Here for your Alexander Doll Company Catalogs!

photo #3 And last but not least, we have Evening Sunrise. (An oxymoron if I ever heard one.) Jury is still out on this one, what's that big black thing by her head?

photo #2 This is Top This a must have for me. LOVE IT!

3 additional photos of 2002 Gene line... This one shows the 2002 Simply Gene -- although from this shot I can't really tell what the difference in the face paint is.

From Wendy of the Gene Team: Toy Fair FAO Schwarz Signing Event February 10, 2002 The Ashton-Drake Galleries invites you to join Gene Marshall Collection creator Mel Odom and famed fashion designer Tim Kennedy for a special guest appearance at:
FAO Schwarz/Manhattan
Fifth Avenue at 58th Street
Sunday, February 10, 2002
11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
200 “Swingtime Serenade: Special Edition” limited-edition Violet Waters dolls from The Gene Marshall Collection (limited to 350 worldwide) will be available exclusively at this FAO Schwarz/Manhattan signing.
The costume for “Swingtime Serenade: Special Edition” was designed by Tim Kennedy.
Please call the store directly for directions and more details. Thanks!

According to someone named Julian Mobley on Vicky's: 2002 Gene Line There are 3 pictures missing from the 2002 Gene Line.
Simply Gene with new face paint
Madra doll Top This Suit with "Top hat"
Violet costume Evening Sunrise Short cocktail dress with lace overlay

Very interesting. I wonder if the new face paint Gene will actually have a different look. Or just new colors? Mel has been adament in the past about not changing it. Hmmmmm.

Leave it to Heather from: Gene - Share the Dream to get us the BIG pictures!! Thanks Heather!! :o)

AND if I had bothered to read the caption of the Trent Neat as a Pin doll I would have noticed that he had red hair. LOL.

And I will be posting my opinions of this year's line in the next coming days.

collectiblestoday.com-Gene-2002 Neat As A Pin Trent Doll Is it me? Or does Trent's hair look red? Zoom in as close as you can and tell me what you think.

So far this is my one MUST HAVE: collectiblestoday.com-Gene-2002 It Happened In Monterey Gene Costume

It was designed by my good friend Wayne Nilson, who is the man behind House of Dumont.

Check it out!! collectiblestoday.com-The 2002 Gene Marshall Collection has the new line up!!

Here's another cool treasure for your Daughter of the Nile display: Art & Artifact Pantheon Of The Gods Statues Product Detail We have some of these at home already, and they are wonderful!

Check it out! My buddy Kim has a new doll website! Check it out for awesome pics of Tyler and Sydney!

How cool would this be for Daughter of the Nile? (Thanks to my Mom's keen eye for this one!)

D.A.E. Originals - Extravagance In Doll Design, has a new doll coming out. Meet Vivian here!

Madra's PASSION (pics inside)

Here's another fabric site that looks promising: Welcome to Farmhouse Fabrics!

Happy New Year Michelle always has wonderful pictures. Thanks Michelle! And Happy New Year to All!!