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Articles by Doll Chronicles
Teen Queen: Social Media Star Jojo Siwa and Her Dolls Influence Tweens
It’s JoJo Siwa’s world. We just live in it! The Nickelodeon and YouTube sensation advocates for girl power, an end to bullying, and unicorns, of course. All photos of JoJo and collectibles courtesy of Nickelodeon During these days of sequestering, if you have children or grandchildren around you, you can learn a lot about who is hot and who is not. Influencers can tweet out a single frowny face, and a trite observation (“Gee, this pandemic sucks!” or “Wow! Stuck at home again.
Personal Messages: Elizabeth Cooper’s dolls tell stories about life
One of Elizabeth Cooper’s wholesome and winsome 6-inch characters from the artist’s Down on the Farm series. I know a lot of people turn to familiar movies, dog-eared novels, or even big bowls of mac and cheese to find comfort. For me, I love seeing the familiar faces of beloved dolls. Over the years, I’ve been lucky to get to chat with an array of talented men and women. One of the most earnest and empathetic is Elizabeth “Liz” Cooper of Elizabeth Cooper Studio.
Singing Their Praises: April Norton dolls could star in TV spectacular
One of my current guilty pleasures (truth be told, I have more of these than I can count) is that I really adore the Fox TV show “The Masked Singer.” When I watch this show, with its outrageous costuming and over-the-top accessorizing, I am in seventh heaven. To me, it is like watching an array of fashion dolls spring to life. The costuming runs the gamut from beautifully haute couture to opulently dramatic. The wardrobe is worth a look for all doll enthusiasts.
Fashion First: Sinéad Burke doll will make a big difference for little people
As society becomes more inclusive, it is not surprising that the toy box has become more open and welcoming, too. For many years, a certain notion of beauty and aspirational play reigned supreme. Children were encouraged to act out their fantasies with golden-tressed dolls that boasted impossibly curvaceous silhouettes. Indeed, if Barbie actually existed in our world, she would most likely suffer from extreme backaches and balance issues.
Seriously Quirky: Kim Arnold is very serious about her dolls and collectors
It’s been nearly a decade that Canadian doll artist Kim Arnold has been “seriously sculpting.” Yes, it’s true that Kim has been working steadily for nearly 10 years as a doll artist. However, the “seriously” part is up for interpretation. When a collector looks at Kim Arnold’s dolls, they see everything but “serious.” Asked to describe her work, Kim knowingly says they are “adorable/quirky/comical.” She insists that her Trinket Box BJDs are what the world needs today.
Ride, Sally, Ride: Mattel's Sally Ride doll reaches for the stars
The Sally Ride doll from Mattel mirrors the astronaut’s flight suit, helmet, and head set. When most college and graduate students seek employment, they choose tutoring, campus opportunities, or an apprenticeship in their major’s field. For PhD candidate Sally Ride, she turned to her college’s newspaper and answered a classified ad. From a simple announcement in the Stanford University paper, Ride made history. This year, Mattel honors Ride’s legacy with the Sally Ride doll.
25 Years of Magic: Zwergnase dolls, bears share our lives
Zwergnase dolls and bears are perfect together! Shown here are Lotte-Christel, Mila-Rose, and Mila-Maria. One of the brightest parts of social media is the fact that friends check in occasionally with news of their “fur babies.” Over the last decade, the term “pet owner” has become obsolete. Today, advertising agencies use the term “pet parent” to peddle treats, vitamins, veterinarian visits, and even pet insurance. Cats and dogs are no longer four-legged visitors in our lives.
Birthday Bliss: Corolle turns 40 in 2019
Happy 40th, Corolle! Bebe Calin Madeleine enjoys her birthday treat. The 4th of July is either America’s birthday or its anniversary. It all depends upon how you view it. The notion of an independent nation was birthed on July 4, 1776. So, the birthday idea makes a whole lot of sense. However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing. There has been plenty of turmoil — the Civil War ring a bell — so an anniversary, implying achievement, is sensible, too. Birthdays? Anniversaries? The language is up to you.
Small World: Anna Zueva is international treasure
Walt Disney was right — though maybe a tad misguided with that cloying theme song — but it is a small world, after all. Yes, social media has made it smaller. You can post a clever comment or a thumbs-up encouragement on Facebook, and then find yourself swamped with marriage proposals from Nigerian princes and other faraway “fortune hunters.” Yep, it is a small world, after all. Lithuanian-based doll artist Anna Zueva knows that universal truth for sure.
Tickled Pink: Meet Phyn & Aero’s newest 2019 dolls
First Blush is the first resin version of Annora. She is available immediately from Phyn & Aero. The first quarter of 2019 is a busy one for Phyn & Aero. The Robert Tonner/Andrew Yang collaboration is filled with brand-new dolls, old favorites, and classic characters that are getting that oh-so-lovely Tonner touch.
Defying Gravity: Will Disney dolls soar with 'Mary Poppins Returns'?
The poster for “Mary Poppins Returns” blends nostalgia and megawatt star power. Usually, a sequel to a book or a movie counts on capturing the audience of the first installment. For that purpose, one can imagine a two- or four-year hiatus between original creation and then its follow-up. These days, sequels seem to take longer to come along — most likely, because films with all of their CGI and technology requirements are becoming longer and longer artistic processes.
Facing Fans: Tonner gives facelifts to 2018 Holiday Debut dolls
Ellowyne in her Wistful Rose costume, a 2018 Holiday Debut One of the quirkiest things about TV shows, soap operas, and long-running movie franchises is when an actor switches a role. It happened on TV’s “Bewitched” and “Roseanne,” plus every daytime episodic show that has ever aired for more than a decade. How to get around having a brand-new performer taking on the part of a well-loved, well-known character? For daytime dramas, the answer is always a simple one: plastic surgery.
Study in Scarlett: Tonner dresses his O'Hara doll as Outlander, more
It’s always fantastic to get an e-mail from Robert Tonner and his colleagues at his ever-evolving Tonner company. The doll artist never rests on his reputation, and the fall season means a burst of creativity and hand-in-hand announcements. Whether he’s creating a doll from another, faraway civilization or a lifelike figure from America’s distant past, Tonner always gives his dolls a sense of realism and professionalism.
Reality Check: American Girl ensures your child doesn't check out in summer
After weeks of blissfully blogging about Meghan Markle and her ascension to royalty, it’s nice to shift gears and write about another American girl. In fact, in many ways, Meghan Markle embodies the traits that American Girl tries to instill in their fans and collectors. American Girl is all about unleashing the power that resides inside all girls: a desire to be seen, to be heard, to be valued, and to be validated.
Monica Reo's newest doll salutes a gambling feminist
Getting a letter from Monica Reo is always a joyous occasion. My doll artist friend never takes a break from researching and creating dolls that tell a story through their wigging, costuming, and lifelike demeanor. This month, she’s unveiled a doll that exposes an often-overlooked part of feminist history. While suffragettes waged war to acquire the right to vote, British businesswoman Helen Vernet toiled to get the right to place wagers.
Netflix's New 'Sabrina' Is Poised for Dozens of Dolls
Netflix continues its domination of the so-called most desirable generations: the Millennials (formerly known as Generation Y) and their follow-up gene pool, Generation Z. These two groupings were born from 1981 to 1996 (for Gen Y), and then 1997 to 2015, respectively. From age 37 down to a precocious 3-year-old, these are the eyes and ears that pop-culture producers and manufacturers strive to capture and tempt with their merchandise.
Toy Fair 2018: Totally Tonner! Get up close with his booth’s designs
Robert Tonner’s booth at Toy Fair 2018 One of my favorite parts of Toy Fair is the opportunity to say hi to colleagues and acquaintances. I’ve been lucky that my path has crossed that of Robert Tonner’s for many years. Tonner is a fascinating doll artist because he creates characters that seem to be alive and well.
Menacing Doll Magic: ‘I Walked with a Zombie’ features powerful rituals
Photos courtesy of Movie Star News With Halloween right around the corner, it’s that time of year again to question why are dolls perceived as so wicked and conniving. Yes, I said it. Every October, dolls become Public Enemy #1, thought to be capable of wreaking all manner of havoc upon unsuspecting civilians. There are all sorts of films that cast dolls in the terrifying roles of purveyor of evil and demonic possession.
From the Heart: Doll donation shares a part of yourself
Oh, I know it is bad form to begin a blog with a cliché, but this is an oldie and a goodie — emphasis on the good. “Charity begins at home.” There, I said it and I typed it, and I truly believe it. All acts of altruism, whether they are publicly announced or covertly performed, have their roots in how you live and how you conduct yourself on a daily basis.
Epic Creativity: Ankie Daanen’s dolls become a cast of thousands
I love getting good news! Though “snail mail” is slowly and surely crawling to eventual extinction — I can count on two hands and one foot the number of Christmas cards I get via postman nowadays — the daily give-and-take, back-and-forth, of e-mail is picking up more and more momentum. (Not to mention texting, Facebook messaging, and IMing!) A new doll by Ankie Daanen. That’s why I am so happy that I opened my cyber in-box and found a cheerful and jubilant message from doll artist Ankie Daanen.
Aloha, Miss American Doll! Meet Nanea, this year’s BeForever creation
Over the last few days, all American eyes seemed to be focused on the eclipse — well, not so much on the eclipse, but on quizzes, blogs, posts, and articles ballyhooing how the skies would turn dark, affected cities would fall into shadows, and animals would begin to behave erratically and bizarrely. The press had a field day depicting late August’s solar eclipse as one flip-flop away from the apocalypse! Nanea is American Girl’s newest BeForever character.
Moving Images: The Morris Museum’s “steampunk” marvels are truly amazing
In October, “Hugo” will be screened against a mechanical backdrop. Photos courtesy of the Morris Museum About a decade ago, I saw a really fascinating documentary. It was called “Born Rich,” and it was made by one of the heirs to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company. James “Jamie” Johnson is the heir apparent to all of that wealth — we’re talking about oodles and boodles and maybe even poodles of money! He is going to be richer than most of us mere mortals will ever dream of being.
Discover the underbelly of Pollyanna and her doll dreams
Available on Netflix and Amazon, as well as popping up now and again on Turner Classic Movies On Demand, “Pollyanna” is a film that most people think they know, but truly do they? I mean, if I were to say the title to you, don’t you instantly think about a super-sweet, sickeningly wholesome movie about a Goody Two-shoes who runs around smiling stupidly and grinning vapidly?
Creative Curtsey: Ms Mollie O’s porcelain pieces deserve standing ovations
Photos courtesy of Sarah Maldonado The past few months have been very busy for me. Beyond work duties and family commitments, I’ve also been very involved with catching up with my personal passion — the theater, darlings. Yes, one of the many careers I’ve had in my life involved the footlights, the bright lights, the big-city egos and the small-town dreamers. I loved the years I spent first as an intern and then as a marketing manager, casting assistant, and new development administrator.
Star Turn: Angela Cartwright has excelled as an actress, an artist, and a doll
Angela Cartwright in her art studio. Photo by Jonas Mohr Photos courtesy of Angela Cartwright As summer has advanced upon me — I’d say it snowballed its way onto my radar screen, but that is a meteorologically mistaken metaphor — I have to figure out things to occupy a tween and a teen for long, hazy days without school. One way to provide a few fleeting hours of family bonding is to watch a DVD of a long-ago classic TV series or to unearth a compendium of forgotten film favorites.
Wonder No More: Wonder Woman is the perfect hero for today
Mattel’s Wonder Woman movie doll, photographed at New York Toy Fair. The summer blockbuster season was kicked off by a femme fatale (emphasis on the “fatal”) in a form-fitting bustier/armor and a pair of sensible work boots. (That is, if your work is making the world safe for democracy and rid of evil-doers!) Yes, the new-and-improved version of Wonder Woman has hit cineplexes around the world, and the sound of cash registers ringing and credit card readers … beeping? blipping?
Will 'Once Upon a Time' have a happy, collectible ending for fans?
Over the years that I’ve been blogging for The Doll Chronicles, I’ve always loved to discuss what entertains me on the old, reliable flat-screen TV. In my defense, it’s not just what is occurring on the television set. Nope, it’s also what is being inspired by the images that flicker into my home every night of the week.
Joan Crawford and Bette Davis Dolls
It makes perfect sense — well, to me at least — that two people who have an enormous amount in common might not get along at all. Religious scholars, therapists, and candid authors all point out how many of us are blind to the great big hunk of lumber sticking out of our own eyes, but we can eagerly point toward the speck of dust inhabiting our neighbor’s vision.
Over the Rainbow: Monica Reo’s newest porcelain dolls reside in imagination
Rapunzel rendered in porcelain by Monica Reo I don’t think I’m going too far out on a limb when I say doll collectors love it when an artist branches out into the fantasy realm. Heck, not just doll collectors—apparently, every female, ages 4 to 104, are hooked on the fantastic and the majestic.
Tonner Doll Co heads in new direction
I received a lot of curious feedback about Mary Astor and the Tonner Doll Company’s Toy Fair unveilings. Many folks wanted to know if Robert Tonner was simply going to visit the decades of film noir and long-ago, long-simmering Hollywood scandals. (Why not?
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary: Tonner Doll Co. shines a spotlight on Mary Astor’s “bad” behavior
Photos of Mary Astor courtesy of Movie Star News A visit to the Tonner Doll Company booth at Toy Fair is always a worthwhile stop. This year’s showcase was small on quantity — were there just about a dozen dolls on hand? — but definitely large on quality. There was also an invisible thread that connected three of the dolls that were highlighted on the artist’s display counter.
Mattel Steps Up with Anime & More
One of the hardest parts of going to Toy Fair, and then filing reports, is figuring out what to chat about, when to display it, and in which particular order. Luckily for me, I have the blog — which is weekly, so keep checking it for more and more reveals — plus DOLLS magazine will publish the printed version of the event. So, for this second outing of what was new at Javits Center, I am going to unveil some of what I saw at Mattel.
Movie Stars and their Best Dolls
(“Imitation of Life,” made in 1959, and surprisingly relevant today? Photo courtesy of Movie Star News) The Academy Awards are going to be broadcast on February 26, 2017, and one can only imagine the level of forward-thinking fashions, political barbs (subtle and not-so-subtle), and cultural surrealism that will be swirling about during the 89th annual orgy of opulence! It’s sort of impressive that the Oscars are a year shy of 90.
Super Women as Super Dolls with IAmElemental
(IAmElemental Series 1 and 2) Photos courtesy of IAmElemental In past postings, I’ve honored the female pioneers who have firmly established doll creating as an art form. The Madame Alexanders and Lencis of the world deserve all the kudos that they have received because they elevated what is often dismissed as a “toy” or “plaything” to a heightened level of beauty and realism.
Beautiful Dreamers: Looking Back at Some of Sherry Rawn’s Sleeping Cherubs
Photos courtesy of Sculpty’s Creations Dreams are an odd thing, aren’t they? For many folks, if they get a notion in their head, they feel they have to pursue it immediately. If they fail to respond in a certain, calculated number of hours, then that’s it. Game over. Dream over. For Canadian doll artist Sherry Rawn, her professional life proves that a dream never dies.
Find out why Xenis rules the world of wooden dolls
Photos courtesy of Marlene Xenis I recently had the chance to chat with Marlene Xenis, the owner and driving force behind Xenis Gallery. We were talking about the ever-changing, always-evolving demands of owning and running a handmade business.
Outlander Porcelain Dolls from Creations in Porcelain
(Claire Randall is the newest romance heroine from Monica Reo.) Photos Courtesy of Creations in Porcelain One of the greatest joys of penning a doll blog is the chance to see so many lovely dolls visiting in my in-box. It’s always a delight when I get a note from an artist acquaintance — my far-off, faraway friends — and they are eager to share a brand-new design or theme with me. Just recently, I got a very upbeat, happy e-mail from an artist that I have always admired.
Future Shock: Robots are here, and they’re just big cuddly dolls, right?
Photo courtesy of the University of Science and Technology in China/USTC Wow, we live in a world of scaredy-cats, don’t we? (My apologies to fierce felines everywhere who bravely stare down mice, dogs, and vacuum cleaners.) I’m thinking about the big human babies who are bawling about the invasion of “lifelike” robots. They are trembling nervously over these animatronic figures, which so far are female and quite “feminine” in demeanor.
Body of Proof: These dolls and pop icons have interesting past and double lives.
It seems that there are a few truisms in life: the sun will always come up tomorrow; you can’t escape death and taxes; Disney will always find a way to land in the news cycle. This week, a long-held rumor about Ariel, the underwater princess, has surfaced to the top of the blogosphere. If you’ve ever wondered whom the redheaded nymphet was based upon, the answer is the very young, teen-star sensation Alyssa Milano.
The Half-Time Report, Part II: A look back at the most discussed and commented-upon blogs of July to December
Many of us have gone over the river and through the woods this holiday season to visit grandma, grandpa, assorted uncles, aunts and cousins. In other words, we’ve logged a frequent fliers’ tachometer of miles to celebrate with the whole assemblage of Christmas-sweater-wearing moms and dads, silly, smart and successful siblings, and eggnog-swilling neighbors. It’s the whole effervescent enchilada, bursting at the seams with good cheer and much merriment.
The Half-Time Report: A look back at the most discussed and commented-upon blogs of January to June
It’s always good during the frenetic holiday season to take a step back and ponder the past year’s triumphs and failings, personal gains and professional stumbles. It’s a “day at the spa” for one’s soul to sit down and figure out what has brought you great joy and what has peddled despair or sadness to your doorstep. If you can calculate what has been the happiest moments, perhaps you can work twice as hard at embracing those during the upcoming year.
Freeze Frame: Toys, tots, and creativity close up
This weekend was a cause for celebration in my household. Saturday, May 5, was a once-a-year outpouring of love, lettering, and loot: it was Free Comic Book Day, aka “FCBD.” As the name suggests, if you visited a participating comic book store, you were given a free comic book.
Tonner Trends: Can a Doll Be a Sexual Pioneer?
Earlier this week, I read a press release from Robert Tonner (one of my most favorite doll artists in the world) and I said to myself, “This is either the bravest decision ever, or the most foolhardy.” Mr. Tonner unveiled the debut of a new snazzy doll, a handsome fellow named “Andy Mills.” The “dapper Dan” isn’t your typical plaything. No, in creating this newest arrival, Tonner swung open the closet door and issued Andy out into the bright spotlight of public scrutiny.
I Spy: iPods and eBooks are eliminating the need for clutter. What does this mean for collectors?
The whole world of communicating has changed. Think about how history textbooks and our national archives have been based upon the exchange of both earth-shaking epistles and mundane correspondence. Letters have been the way to express emotions, to beseech favors, to deny endeavors, and just to swap information. Now, ask yourself, when was the last time you sat down to pen a letter? Everyone, save a few folks who are either elderly or are confirmed Luddites, have grown to rely upon e-mail.
Living Dolls: Could Your Life Stand Up to the Doll Challenge?
While promoting the latest installment of the Twilight series, actress Kristen Stewart (Bella) and actor Taylor Lautner (Jacob) were asked about the merchandise that swirls around their teen box-office sensation.
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