Amy Doll

Monster High

This new line of dolls sounds very enticing!

I have a weakness for "cute monsters." This is a fairly new product launch; there aren't too many photos of the dolls online. Yet.

Here is the amusingly cold-blooded marketing pitch from Mattel:

"Mattel has unveiled a new franchise targeting tween and teen girls called Monster High. The new franchise brings together the hip teenage descendants of the world’s most famous monsters to brave the trials and tribulations of high school. The property delivers rich content and relatable storytelling via publishing, Web, animation and live-action theatrical entertainment and launches consumer products in notable categories including apparel and accessories, and toys.

"Grounded in a fun and humorous storyline, the frighteningly fashionable students at Monster High capture all the awkward moments that teens experience in their high school years, the powerful bonds of friendship and the challenges of fitting in – all delivered through a “monster” chic aesthetic and tone.

"Monster High reaches girls via a line-up of all-star products and partnerships enabling teens and tweens to discover the brand in their own way and engage with the Monster High characters and storyline through multiple points of entry."

Tiny Little Fedora

When Barbie designer Robert Best was a contestant on Project Runway, I spent the whole season commenting repetitively to Guy, "Why is he even on this show? He already has the best job in the world!" I mean, designing clothes for Barbie, what more could you ask for? She's an American icon who never gains weight, gets old, overdoses, or throws diva fits.

Recently, Robert got to design the Mad Men-themed Barbie dolls, and it sounds like his only complaint was that they couldn't come with tiny martini glasses...and that really is too bad, but it's Mattel, and they have certain standards. Barbie does have an image to protect:

Q&A - Robert Best, Mad Men Barbie Designer

Earlier this year, Mattel, Inc., Lionsgate and AMC announced the upcoming release of four Barbie Collector Mad Men dolls. No one has had a bigger hand in the project than Barbie designer Robert Best. AMCtv.com talked with the former Project Runway contender about how his latest undertaking -- both how it began and what challenges it presented.

Q: Where did this idea come from?

A: Well, first of all, of course, I'm a huge fan of the show as are many people at the office. Serendipitously, an opportunity came up to partner with Lionsgate, AMC and the show... so the next thing you know we were showing Matt Weiner and Janie Bryant our whole vision and idea. We invited them to the Barbie design center, gave them a tour and had an initial brainstorm.

Q: The Mad Men dolls are the first in the Fashion Model Collection. Why is that?

A: I think because it seemed like such a natural fit. The era of the show, the fantastic details and style fit within our Barbie Fashion Model aesthetic. All the dolls in the BFMC are inspired by the ladylike 1960s.

Q: What was it like working with designer Janie Bryant? How much was she involved?

A: That was awesome. Janie is such a great character, she's really fun and she has so many great ideas and also from working with Matt she has a very keen attention to detail, and is actively involved in every aspect of the costumes. For Barbie, the details are important particularly for collectors. She was so gracious and gave me access to her huge costume closet. She pulled multiple outfits and props for me to design from so it made the whole process very easy and gave us that access we needed to be very authentic.

Q: How involved was Matt Weiner?

A: He was very articulate and clear about what he wanted. He added things we wouldn't have thought of. He suggested Roger have a monogrammed cuff on his shirt, and changed the color of Don Draper's raincoat lining, things we might not have thought to be important, he let us know that they were important.

Q: Did you meet any of the cast?

A: Yes. We met Jon Hamm and Christina Hendricks and that was incredibly exciting for all of us. Katie [Barbie Collector Marketing Manager] was kind of speechless when she met Jon Hamm. I was in awe of Christina Hendricks because I love her. And I took a picture with her and became like a squealing teenage girl, "Oh, my God! It's Joan Holloway! Let's get a picture!" Not one of my finer moments.

Q: Why did you pick Don, Roger, Betty and Joan?

A: We wanted it to be a nice grouping of characters that were representative of the show, both in terms of costume and in terms of the look of the doll. Of course, since it's Mad Men, it's a very male-heavy cast but it was important for it to be more than Don Draper surrounded by Barbie dolls and I thought that Roger was a really nice yin to Don's yang and they represent two distinct looks which is nice for the collectors and fans of the show. They don't want two dolls that seem too similar. And for the women, that was easy, the only downside was that we haven't done Peggy. Yet.

Q: Which of the four was the most fun?

A: Probably Joan because she's such a visual... the hair, the sassy attitude, the little pen around her neck, the curvaceous figure and again, she's kind of a personal favorite so, I love that one.

Q: Are there any accessories you couldn't include?

A: I wanted them to come with a bar cart and lots of liquor but clearly that is not something we'd like to promote and not very Barbie at all! Of course, everyone wants the office set, which I want as well. There are a lot of great details: Betty has a working evening clutch that has a working frame, and compact and lipstick... Don has a fedora, a trench coat.

Q: One last question: Do you ever get recognized on the street from your stint on Project Runway?

A: Oddly I do, because it feels like a lifetime ago. Most people think they know me from some random thing, like they saw me at a wedding. They say "Don't I know you?" No, it's probably from the television show.

"Get Ready for Your Close-up, Joan."

Mad Men + Barbie = Pure Genius

Wow! Mad Men dolls! Of course. It's so obvious once you think of it. It's genius. And, hey! They were designed by Robert Best! Project Runway fans will remember that he was a competitor one memorable season, causing many viewers (like myself) to wonder, "Why is he even bothering with this reality show? He already has the best job ever--designing for Barbie!"

From the NYT (these are just excerpts, see this link for the full article):

The Barbie and Ken versions of the “Mad Men” characters are, from left, Joan Holloway, Roger Sterling, Don Draper and Betty Draper. Soon, the show will enter a realm of the pop-culture pantheon that its creator, Matthew Weiner, says has surprised even him: Mattel plans to bring out versions of Barbie and Ken styled after four “Mad Men” characters.

The dolls are part of a premium-price collectors’ series for adults that Mattel calls the Barbie Fashion Model Collection. Although there have been Barbies and Kens based on other TV series, among them “I Love Lucy” and “The X-Files,” the dolls will be the first licensed line for that collection, Mattel says, with a suggested retail price of $74.95 each.

The characters to become dolls are Don Draper, the show’s leading man; his wife, Betty; his colleague at the Sterling Cooper agency, Roger Sterling; and Joan Holloway, the agency’s office manager who was Roger’s mistress.

That two dolls represent a relationship outside wedlock, and Don Draper’s propensity for adultery, may be firsts for the Barbie world since the brand’s introduction five decades ago. But for the sake of the Barbie image, her immersion in the “Mad Men” era will go only so far: The dolls come with period accessories like hats, overcoats, pearls and padded undergarments, but no cigarettes, ashtrays, martini glasses or cocktail shakers.

“The dolls, we feel, do a great job of embodying the series,” said Stephanie Cota, senior vice president for Barbie marketing at Mattel in El Segundo, Calif. “Certain things are appropriate, and certain things aren’t.”

The pairing of Barbie and “Mad Men” is more interesting than the typical licensing agreement because of their shared history. Barbie was introduced in March 1959, and the first episode of “Mad Men” is set in March 1960.

“ ‘Mad Men’ represents so beautifully the universe that created Barbie,” said Robert Thompson, professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University, because the series is about the selling of the American consumer society.

The personification of Betty Draper as Barbie is particularly resonant, Mr. Thompson said, because she represents “the wife who lives in her dream house whose soul is eaten away.”
“I have this fantasy of an 8-year-old getting a set” of the dolls, he added, “and saying: ‘Mom, can Chelsea come over? We want to play “The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.” I’m going to be the organization man, and she’s going to be the soulless drone.’ ”

Such considerations were, of course, not driving the executives of Mattel and Lionsgate to make the deal. Rather, the arrival of the dolls, scheduled for July, will help promote the fourth season of “Mad Men,” which is to begin that month on AMC.

And postcards bearing sketches of the dolls by the Barbie designer Robert Best, which were used to produce the final versions, will be included in the DVD and Blu-ray boxed sets of the third season, scheduled for release on March 23.

As for fears that “Mad Men” could be devalued by too much kitschy merchandise, Lionsgate “is fairly restrained,” Mr. Beggs said, promising that “no sharks will be jumped” — the TV term for a series that self-destructs through overreaching...

The dolls are “a realization of a fantasy, in a weird way,” Mr. Weiner said, because “on some level it’s such a measure of success to see your characters embodied by Barbie.”

“Anybody who likes the show for its attention to detail will get that from the dolls,” he added, which earned approval from him; Janie Bryant, the costume designer for “Mad Men”; and Scott Hornbacher, an executive producer.

As an example of their scrutiny, Mr. Weiner said he told Mattel that the sideburns on the Don Draper doll needed “to be higher” and the haircut needed “to be tighter.”

The deal also provided Mr. Weiner with a moment evocative of the Rosebud revelation in “Citizen Kane.”

“I grew up with two older sisters and lots of Barbies in the house,” he recalled, including “a doll named Midge,” a pal of Barbie’s. In retrospect, he said, she may have been the inspiration for Midge Daniels, a mistress of Don Draper’s in Season One.

Short Hair

For some reason, the stylists at Gene Juarez often seem to me to be cold, bitter, and depressed. But you can usually get a pretty good haircut there.

My previous long-time hairdresser, Secondary Jennifer, had a baby. After the arrival of Baby Julian, she cut her hours waaaay back, making it much more difficult to see her. For the past year or so, I've been cutting my own hair, using some professional tools I bought online. It's been working out pretty well but it got to the point where I just really wanted to get a professional haircut again.

Today I took the day off work and went to see someone called "Riley" at Gene Juarez. I'd never met her before so I didn't know what to expect. I tried to find some photos of the cut I wanted (short but soft in the back and sides, full in front) but I didn't manage to find any.

When Riley walked up, I was pleased to see that she herself sported exactly the hairstyle I wanted! So I just told her, "I want your hair!" and she did an amazing job of replicating it on my head. She did seem kind of withdrawn and unhappy, like all the Gene Juarez stylists do, but she was perfectly pleasant to me and did beautiful work.

In my book, a good hair day = a good day!

Shahrukh Khan

Regular Beebo reader D7ana alerted me to this really cool Shahrukh Khan doll! Unfortunately, he's only available from Amazon UK and it looks like they are currently out of stock. He is part of a Bollywood Legends series.

You can check out D7ana 's awesome doll collection at Philly Collector. Shahrukh is not currently in her collection, but she has ordered some of the other Bollywood dolls (Mr. Hrithik Roshan, Ms. Kajol, and Ms. Priyanka Chopra).

Here are some more doll and Shahrukh Khan fun facts:

Welcome to the exotic & wonderful World of Bollywood.
Now you can bring their stars to your homes.
These dolls are truly authentic & approved replica images.
The range includes of 4 of the most successful Bollywood actors.
Hrithik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol & Priyanka Chopra.
Each doll comes with traditional Indian clothing.
The male dolls come with an additional Western outfit.
Also includes background information about the actors.
So you can learn all about your favourite stars.
Collect them all!
For ages 3 years and over

Shahrukh Khan (born 2 November 1965), sometimes credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian actor and a prominent Bollywood figure, as well as a film producer and television host.

Khan began his career appearing in several television serials in the late 1980s. He made his film debut in Deewana (1992). Since then, he has been part of numerous commercially successful films and has earned critical acclaim for many of his performances. Khan has won thirteen Filmfare Awards for his work in Indian films, seven of which are in the Best Actor category.
Khan's films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Chak De India (2007), Om Shanti Om (2007) and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) remain some of Bollywood's biggest hits, while films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) have been top-grossing Indian productions in the overseas markets, making him one of the most successful actors of India.

Since 2000, Khan branched out into film production and television presenting as well. He is the founder/owner of two production companies, Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment. In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.

In 2007, Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the third series of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The previous had hosted the show for five years from 2000–05. On 22 January 2007, Kaun Banega Crorepati aired with Khan as the new host and later ended on 19 April 2007.

On 25 April 2008, Khan began hosting the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, whose last episode was telecasted on 27 July 2008, with Lalu Prasad Yadav as the special guest.

Sugar Daddy Ken Doll

Wow! How fabulous! I love how he comes with a little bottle of water. He really should have a martini and shaker too, but I can see why Mattel didn't want to "go there," even with a doll for adult collectors only.

Here is his official description from Mattel:

Head to Palm Beach with Barbie!

Part of the elite Gold Label Collection, made with collectors in mind!

Cool sophistication in breezy Palm Beach! Sporting a dashing jacquard-patterned jacket with a light pink polo shirt and crisp white pants, Ken doll is ready for Palm Beach social season, sunning by the pool and a stroll with his little companion. Fashion designed exclusively for the Silkstone Barbie doll body. Includes Ken doll, jacket, pink polo shirt, white shoes, dog with leash, swim trunks and accessories, doll stand and certificate of authenticity. For the adult collector. Order yours today!

Ladies of the 80s

Guy just alerted me to these amazing new Barbies!

When I was in the eighth grade, I thought Cyndi was the coolest, most beautiful woman in the world. I wanted to be her. In retrospect, I can see the down side: did I really want to be the person who irrevocably conferred celebrity status upon Hulk Hogan? But in her defense, how was she to know that he would never, ever go away?

Years later, in the 90s, I went through a Joan phase and finally listened to her records. It helped that I was cat-sitting for a few weeks for a couple of lesbians who owned every single thing Joan had ever recorded.

For some reason, Debbie never did capture my imagination, at any age...but I know that her fans are legion. LEGION! No disrespect, Debs.

Here are their official (slightly hyper) descriptions from Mattel (I think their copywriter must have been hopped up on goofballs):

Have you ever said (or sung) "I Love Rock 'n' Roll"? If so, you're gonna love this doll! An acclaimed guitarist and one of the greatest leading ladies of rock, Joan Jett is a legendary singer and songwriter. Featuring her look and rock 'n' roll spirit, the Joan Jett Barbie Doll is part of the Ladies of the '80s collection and a must-have for her many fans! Includes doll and guitar, and stands approximately 11 1/2-inches tall.

Call on Debbie Harry for your collection!..."One Way or Another," you better find her! The platinum-blonde punk goddess of a decade, Debbie Harry is singer, songwriter, and front woman for Blondie. The Debbie Harry Barbie Doll captures her sassy spirit and famed beauty, and it's the first doll in the Ladies of the '80s collection. Just like Debbie, it screams charisma! She stands about 11 1/2-inches tall and comes with a dress, shoes, doll stand, and certificate of authenticity. Call on Debbie Harry for your collection! Ages 6 and over.

"She Bop," no?..."Girls Just Want to Have Fun"… especially Cyndi Lauper!...This Barbie Doll is Cyndi-stylish and shows her spunky personality.
You'll find yourself looking at her "Time After Time"! "Girls Just Want to Have Fun"… especially Cyndi Lauper! Cyndi is one of the foremost female singer/songwriters who left her mark on pop culture, and this Cyndi Lauper Barbie Doll really displays the popular singer's trend-setting fashion sense and spunk. She's part of the Barbie Ladies of the '80s collection. Have some fun of your own as you gaze admiringly at her "Time After Time"! Stands about 11 1/2-inches tall.

Cat Doll and Pink Hair

Know what I mean?

Momoko

After my last post, I couldn't resist posting some Momoko photos here (found mostly at Flickr). These dolls are so impressive in their variety and attention to detail. And of course, the artfulness of these photos (painstakingly arranged by obsessed collectors) is impressive too!

http://fiveprime.org/hivemind/Tags/momoko

Liv Dolls

Could they be the next Bratz?? After Barbie jealously murdered her rival last year, there hasn't been much new competition. But these dolls look pretty cool:

"Spin Master Ltd. is launching Liv dolls, a line of teenage fashion dolls. Spin Master says the girls are targeted at girls aged six to ten. The dolls include Daniela, Sophie, Katie and Alexis.

"Spin Master says some features of the dolls include 14 points of movement, easy to change wigs, insertable glass eyes and detailed fashions. Accompanying the retail launch of Liv is livworld.com, which offers a daily narrative of each doll's life to anyone who's purchased the doll. Liv dolls have a unique access code that opens an online world and invites girls to learn more about each Liv doll and play wth the Liv doll's virtual closet.

""Liv shines because it looks amazing and is incredibly realistic," says Nicole Perez, Senior Marketing Director helming Spin Master's new girls' division based in Los Angeles. "Not only do Liv dolls stand out because of their outstanding design and features, but they are deeper than your average fashion doll. Each teen has a detailed, relatable story that girls will love to follow." Liv dolls are in stores now and retail for $19.99 and accessory items range from $5.49 to $19.99."

Well, I don't know if I need a doll to be "deep" but the removable hair/wigs really appeal to me, and these dolls look more jointed and pose-able than Bratz dolls. And they look cuter and less insipid than Barbie.

They actually remind me quite a bit of the Japanese Momoko dolls which are absolutely amazing but also prohibitively expensive...unless you are a Japanese collector with quite a bit of disposable income, in which case you probably have a good-sized collection of these dolls which you enjoy by: taking them on vacation with you, photographing them / posting your photos online, and sewing, knitting, and designing your own fashions for them. I'm not even kidding. If you do a Google Image search using the key words "momoko doll," you will find the most impressive assortment of photos lovingly posted by Japanese adult collectors of the doll.

It's about time somebody produced a cheap American Momoko doll rip-off which we Americans can enjoy in our own non-committal, non-intense, non-Japanese way. Why should the Japanese have all the fun (just because they commit more fully to their weird hobbies)?

http://www.shoppingblog.com/blog/731099 and www.livworld.com.

Monster Teens

"Monster Teens" by Charles Burns