Friday, February 28, 2014

Knight's Doll & Bear Show

Last weekend I attended the Knight's Doll & Bear Show in Jacksonville, Florida. Admission was $6, but only $5 if you filled out a card with your address and email on it. I don't like people knowing my business, so I paid the $6. The venue, located in the meeting rooms of a Ramada, was relatively small and was strictly vendor driven. There were no classes, demonstrations, exhibits or the like. It was a straight up doll and bear sale... and I loved it!









This was my first time seeing a Tonner and a Fashion Royalty doll in person. I had no idea that Tonner dolls were so enormous. While I admired them both, I certainly didn't have $110 - $225 to spend on a single doll. I did manage to find quite a few items that were more in the Muff price range.



Paid $20. The box had seen better times, but the set is fully stocked with not a single thing missing and it even came with the instructions.


Paid $10. I really only wanted her for the kimono and to me it was worth the price just for that alone.


Paid $5. I couldn't believe that's all the lady wanted. Yes the dress is stained underneath, but I still think she's great. A new body and some hair conditioner - good as new!


Paid $3. I don't know why I wanted this tiny little Bratz, but I did. Maybe she can be a doll for one of my bigger dolls.



Paid $10 for the chaise. So here's the story on these two dolls. My niece was with me and while I was busy buying stuff she comes up to me and says, "Look what I got!" It was a $20 NRFB catwoman doll. I asked her where she got it because I wanted one too, but of course, she had bought the only one. Naturally, I was all, "That's my doll! You stole that out from under me!" and she was all, "Ya snooze, ya lose!" Anyway, she offered me her old catwoman doll that was missing half an arm, no whip, one shoe and had wobbly knees which is why she was replacing her anyway. I said fine and she threw in a Moxie doll (which I already have but now I don't have to take mine out of the box) and I gave her $3 bucks for them both. Long story short (too late, lol), once she gives me the catwoman, I realize it doesn't look like Halle Berry AT ALL! I just assumed it would be the same mold as the 007 Barbie but it's not. So basically, my niece saved me $20 on a doll that looks nothing like Ms. Berry and I got the cat outfit anyway! So there, in her face!


$1 each and the box contains 12 more. There was a bear guy selling these and first I just bought the black ones, then came back and got some white ones, went to breakfast and then came back and got a whole box of them. Shoot, $1 is a good deal.


Paid $3 for each dish set, $1 for the vase and my sister bought me the ukulele for only $3. There was a miniatures lady there with thousands upon thousands of items, many as little as $1.


Paid $10. This will probably be the only Tonner item that I will ever, ever have and it was the only Tonner accessary there that I could afford.

These last photos are of the marvelous clothing sets one lady was selling. I could not believe the prices she was asking and I bought every single one she had:










I had so much fun at this show. Often times it felt like I was in a wonderful museum and I wish I could have stayed there for hours. The vendors were really great and so many of them were willing to haggle their prices but I actually paid full asking prices because having been a vendor myself, you really need all that money to cover your expenses. Although, this one guy was willing to sell me a FR at $75 off and I was tempted. However, even at a steep discount, it still would have cost more than everything I bought combined.

There will be one more Knight's show in my state later on this year that is a couple hours away and I hope to attend. Except this time I know not to take my niece - she's a doll poacher!

EDITED TO ADD:

Here's the address of the doll show website in case you want to see if it's coming to your state:

Knight Doll Shows Website

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Poopsy Pets ... Why?

I like novelty items as much as the next guy, but I don't get these:

$21.99 for a pooping pink rabbit.
 

They look like eggs. Is it for Easter, maybe?

Whatever this is poops red jewels.
That cant be good for its colon.
 
Seriously, what kind of animal is it?
A blue panda perhaps?
 
My favorite - a rainbow pooping unicorn.
Nothing will ever top that!

Again I ask, why? Are little girls clamoring for pseudo LPS's that poop? Are these teaching aids for young kids that want pets? "Here you go, Susie Mae. When we get your new puppy, you're going to feed it like this, okay? Then, when you take it for a walk, it's going to poop rainbows or maybe jewels!"

You know, I never understood wanting a baby doll that peed on you. So, I guess I'm not the target audience for an animal that leaves fecal glitter all over your desk. That's just me though.

I'm not trying to be a hater, so if you've purchased one, uh, hey, at least there's something out there for everyone. Whatever floats your boat, man.



Sunday, February 16, 2014

J-Doll and Little Dal at Tuesday Morning

Some Tuesday Morning's are now carrying an assortment of the Japanese dolls, J-Doll (1:6 scale) for $19.99 and Little Dal (1:12 scale) for $9.99. So, if you ever wanted to try an imported doll for 60% off retail, now's your chance. Here are a few of the ones I found:




I got this one! I just thought he looked like a bad a$$.

Stylin'

Profilin'

And here are the J-Dolls:




I wanted the last one, but she was busted in each version I saw of her.


I went to 4 stores trying to find a good one. Her hand was either gone, cracked or had a fracture going up her wrists. You can find her at Amazon, but I would be scared to order one now and I certainly don't want to pay full price. But, in searching all over for her, I found this awesome one instead and she was in perfect condition!

Love her! This is so my style - well, if I was half my size
and half my age, this would be my style.


Their heads are twist and turn only, no up or down motion. That sorta bothers me, but not by much because I don't view her as a "play" doll, but more as a "collectible." They also have glued on wigs instead of rooting.

The metal pole in her stand is adjustable, but it's wobbly.

Back of the dress has 2 single stitches to gather it.
 
The bolts are in her back and waist, but not legs.

The black band is actually a bra but I think it works as a belt.

Vest closes with a hook.

Bolero jacket

Bag has a snap closure and leg warmers are kinda crunchy.


Her shoes do not have a slit in the back, and because of this, I will never try to put them on her because I think her articulated feet would snap and fall off if I tried to remove them. She can wear Barbie/Monster boots and high ankle pumps.

In her sensible undies

Even though she was plastic wrapped, she still got stained.

Her articulation lets her sit really nicely.


She compares well to other dolls, however, her wrists don't turn and her elbows only bend one way so there are some hand movements that she cant achieve. Basically, if she's sitting, her hands will always be palm up.

Surprisingly her outfit can be worn by a Barbie body.
On a Monster, not so much.


Because of her stature, she can wear a variety of clothing. The hoochier the Barbie wear, the better it fits her. Liv clothes are pretty loose on her, but many Bratz tops are a good fit.

My final impression of this doll is that she is exceedingly fragile. Her joints are tight, which is a good thing, but the material of her plastic body is quite lightweight. She has to be handled carefully or she will fracture easily. Her clothes, however, are top notch! Such high quality and very well made. Would I buy another J-Doll? Probably not, but only because I don't think the quality of the body is worth paying $20 for. If they were $10, my goodness, I'd buy every single one just for the clothes alone! I do doubt these will make it to prices that low because there is something quite charming about them and I think they will sell quickly. And, like Big Lots, Tuesday Morning doesn't restock. They sell out a shipment and that's it. So, if you want one, I'd get one now.

I'm glad I got mine!