Showing posts with label IDEX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IDEX. Show all posts

9/13/2013

No Surprise Here: IDEX 2014 is Cancelled

Those who have been involved or who have attended IDEX received this letter today:

IDEX 2014 CANCELED
The collectible doll and teddy bear trade show IDEX Premiere has been canceled for 2014 and will discontinue all show operations moving forward. While we have enjoyed working with the doll and teddy bear industry over the last decade, we have made the difficult decision to cancel the show and all of its related events and workshops.
 
IDEX, a trade show dedicated to the celebration of dolls, teddy bears, toys and collectible playthings, ran without interruption for twenty-two years. Held in cities all over the country, most recently in Orlando, Florida, IDEX was for many years the premiere place to see what trends and developments were to come in the industry, meet and mingle with fellow collectors, and learn crafting skills at a myriad of workshops. While we are sad to see IDEX come to an end, we have a wealth of great memories and personal friendships that will stay with us for a lifetime. 
 
In closing, we would like to thank all of the artists, exhibitors, manufacturers, buyers and collectors who made IDEX a vibrant and exciting environment for more than two decades. We wish you all the best.
 
Sincerely,
 
Susan Fitzgerald
Vice President, IDEX
 
What we saw last April, was a huge decrease in attendance of larger manufacturers such as Madame Alexander.  I had not attended the prior two years but three years ago, the showroom floor was a bustling area with more than one could take in in a day. This time it was downright boring. Except for 4 or 5 booths, little was worth the time and/or effort to look at. 
It is entirely possible that part of the demise of IDEX is due to the changed date from winter to spring. February is Toy Fair in New York. January has been the month to attend IDEX. And the hotel change was a mistake as well. I loved the Rosen Shingle Creek. In a blog post created on 9/26/10, I describe the hotel.

Soon all business will be conducted without talking to a real human in person. That's what's 'trending.'


4/19/2013

Emilia Wins Award for Mirrorball at IDEX

In the category of One-of-a-Kind Dolls, More than $1,250., Emilia Nieminen has won first place.


Congratulations!

4/17/2013

Heading Back to PA from IDEX 2013

I have a little time this morning before having to leave for the airport so I wanted to talk a little about the new Gene doll and post a few pictures.
Phoenix is a pretty doll who comes with two wigs caps and a plain cap for use with your own wigs. She comes with a set of white gloved hands and standard hands. They are easy to switch out once you get the hang of it.
Monday night Sandra Stillwell came over and we spent about 4 hours dressing and redressing Phoenix and an IT Madra in Sandra's designs from her last convention. My rudimentary photo studio consisted of an ironing board, a few dim lamps and a good camera with a small external flash unit attached. Certainly not optimal conditions but we made do.


Yes, the IT dolls were taller. Even blocking out Madra's hair, you can see that the legs or torso contribute to the height. Phoenix is closer to the old AD height. Every other part of the body appears to be the same size.
Here she is with her brunette wig cap.
Phoenix dressed in her own gown without her jewelry and train.
Phoenix dressed in one of Sandra's lovely fashions.
These are just teasers. I will have more pictures of the doll herself later on.

Here are pictures from Saturday, the day of the presentation. The room itself was very dark so there is only one picture from there. Most of these are from the hall outside the venue and from nearby.







Mel went around like a proud Papa showing Gene to attendees. He was glowing with pride and joy.
During his verbal presentation he talked about how much he enjoyed the collectors over the years, sharing with them and traveling around the country to events. Sounds like he wants to pick that up again.
There are a handful of naysayers complaining about the price which was $525. at the event and $550. on line. But there were many more who defended the price of this exclusive resin convention doll as being similar to other resin BJD event dolls.
Apparently there is a market in this price range for resin BJD Gene because Phoenix Gene sold out lightning fast. Another one is on the way from FDQ according to the magazine distributed to attendees by Pat Henry.  More information on that doll will be forthcoming. What we do know is that she will be in day wear a la Dior.
This revival will be very interesting to watch. I'm looking forward to any individual fashions that may be designed and released. No, I do not have insider information on that aspect - I'm just hoping.

In the meanwhile, Sandra Stillwell has some beautiful, era appropriate designer fashions for sale on her website. I photographed many of them for her on Monday and will be sending her the images shortly so she can post them on her site. I'll post some of them on my blog, too.



Robert Tonner
John Dean, Philip Myers



3/04/2013

IDEX Breakfast with Robert Tonner

This notice was sent out today. I added the pictures for reference. If you are going to be at IDEX, this is a good choice of events. First of all, the breakfast will be tasty and then you can pick your favorite City Girl doll. Will we see you there?


Join Robert Tonner and company for a Breakfast of Champions! See the new line up close over eggs and toast, and rub elbows with fellow doll lovers and Robert Tonner himself. Your event fee will include breakfast, a presentation by Robert Tonner, and for the first time ever, get YOUR CHOICE of souvenir at the IDEX Breakfast of Champions!  You'll use Tonner Bucks that will be provided to you to "shop" for your choice of souvenir at the event.  Choose from the following 5 amazing selections:

Basic Houston + Cape Town Fashion Pack


Color Block Astor


Taxi! Billy


Golden Swirl Deluxe Astor

Maudlynne Macabre


Here at Tonner, we give you the freedom to choose!  Exercise your rights and come to the Tonner Breakfast of Champions - You won't want to miss it! $50 per person  Click here to register!  

2/03/2012

Luminous Ayumi and Lottery Drama

Luminous Ayumi was the IDEX exclusive doll offered by Integrity Toys to the public at the recent event. She was $160. The remainder of the dolls were put up for lottery to the W Club members and the results were announced yesterday. 
I was browsing a doll board yesterday evening when I saw a very angry and resentful post regarding the actions of lottery winners who post their lottery wins at an inflated prices. I checked the W Board and saw that, indeed, one winner had posted Ayumi for sale.  She stated that she open to offers higher than what she was asking on eBay. This person native language is not English.
There was anger directed at this woman in the succeeding posts. It was disturbing to read. Why couldn't these  people email the seller to tell her that posting a lottery win on the W Board immediately after the lottery ended could cause a problem and it's not a 'friendly' thing to do? Someone could have explained this to her. Last year a member did the same thing more than once and no one attacked her. I couldn't understand why this woman left to hang in the wind.
Anyway, today the angriest W Board post had been removed (by the poster?) and several voices of reason prevailed. The thread was also closed.
Sad.

Here's Ayumi. A friend picked one up for me at IDEX.


The designers are playing the Name Game again. They call this doll Ayumi however she looks nothing like Ayumi. IMO this new sculpt is unattractive. That could be partly because of the ginormous eyebrows and huge forehead. It's too bad because her fashion is very pretty. The shoes are well made which allows the doll to stand without support.


 Luminous Ayumi has a beautiful and complex hairstyle that is woven with ribbon. This certainly took skill to create and it was done well. For redressers, this could pose a problem as the ribbon probably cannot be removed without undoing the hairstyle.




As of right now the average eBay going price is about $240.  It will drop because as more people actually receive their dolls, more will be offered for sale.





1/21/2012

January - A Slippery Slope for Collectors

With IDEX and New York Toy Fair just around the corner, new doll lines are set to debut. Dealers and manufacturers are anxious to make room for the new products and the sales abound. Collectors are "winter cleaning" their collections and offering up some great stuff. What's a helpless collector to do?  Here's a rundown (read: admission) of my January activities so far:

FR16 Spring Kissed (nude) It hasn't arrived yet but my motivation was that I would use the body for an older Avantguard and sell this giant Poppy face.
FR2 Dominique Makeda Impossibly Beautiful. It was on sale for $50 less than the original retail. I wanted her body and outfit. Sadly, very few want her head so I will probably be stuck with it. Pictures follow.
Superfrock Testament Fashion - Second time around. I sold my first before I ever had Sybarite dolls.
Superdoll iBean sunglasses
Sybarite Blade pantsuit and miscellaneous accessories.
Superfrock Pet Carrier from Automatic
Ponytail wig from Cheryl Wood.
Two reroots and a custom jacket.
Monster High Cleo de Nile’s Vanity and a lot of Monster High Odds and Ends: Although these are adorable, I think this has cured me from buying any more MH stuff. What a waste!
W Club Memberships: We'll see. I did not order any of the upgrade dolls as I didn't care for them.
Perfectly Purple Poppy: This was a pre-order that was delayed for about 8 months.
Theatre de la Mode ROYALE #82: Another  delayed pre-order.
Tonner Deluxe Fashion Closet: A great bargain.
And then there are the dogs. Sigh. 

Meet Krypto.

 This is a Tonner product and was made to accompany his Superman figure from several years ago. Sadly he is stained from the red cape but I may have him painted eventually. Why did I buy this? I loved the original Superman comics and Krypto was such a great dog. January fever got me so Krypto moved in.
If that weren't enough...
Obitsu makes these jointed dogs and in a January mindset, $25. each seemed like a good idea. I bought a white one as well but I can't find it and it's not even out of it's box. Sigh, again.
No she's not a dog. Miami Glow Vanessa was the recipient of Dominique's body and fashion. I like the gown now. There were some problems with the product, however. The beautiful silk (?) gown was stitched to the box and even with ultra careful removal, thread holes remain. I even steamed the fabric to no avail. Sad. It's really a beautifully designed and carefully constructed garment. The body itself is the first FR2 body I have received that was wobbly. There is a huge space at the thigh joint which allows the legs to swing loosely. Going backward? My temporary fix is to put tape around the joint (not inside) to hold it. The seams on this body are not finished nicely. She's got stripes on her arms and neck and probably on her legs, too, where the seams are joined.  I don't know if I will seek a replacement body.
 __________________________________

I was ill all week and I thought I'd feel better if I deboxed something. I am a deboxer but occasionally I will get a Mattel product and put it somewhere without opening it. Too bad I was able to find this one - the Grace Kelly Trousseau. This has to be one of the least attractive of all modern Mattel sculpts. Not only is it unattractive, they forgot the matte finish. 
The second outfit is a very nice navy sheath. Unfortunately the coat is not made properly. The empire seam which should be under the bust, hits almost at the largest part of the but. It was cut too short for a silkstone body. There is a big white hat but it never made it into the pictures. It's probably hiding with the white Obitsu dog somewhere.

Needless to say, deboxing this set did not make me feel better. 

Did you all have a good January (so far?)


7/11/2010

How Many Alices Are There in Wonderland?


 Has the Alice in Wonderland theme been overdone? Yes, it's been going on forever. It's the definition of a classic. The story is an ageless one that has enchanted children and adults alike since it was written in 1865.  The story embodies the battles of good vs. evil, apathy vs. involvement, greed vs. generosity and on and on. Who doesn't identify some opposing characteristics in their own personality?

When I saw the numerous Wonderland dolls at IDEX in January, I was impressed by how many different companies and individual doll artists chose to do Alice themed dolls this year. It was not that surprising due to the Alice in Wonderland movie but seemed rather odd that there were so many.

Has one company 'done it right' above all others? No. With the variety of Wonderland themed dolls out there, it's foolish to compare.

I understand that some collectors have an irrational loyalty (also known as ass-kissing) to some manufacturers and so their praise for that company is endless. These people need to become educated about what's out there.

I have already posted the new Integrity Alice.

Tonner has produced several Wonderland character dolls and stunning fashions. 



This is Mattel's latest Alice:


Some others that may be available at different sources on the internet:


Madame Alexander Cloth Alice

Madame Alexander Alice


Living Dead Doll - Alice

Vogue Marge Meisinger's Alice Vintage Repro Ginny Doll



 Azone's Sahra in Wonderland



Pullip Fantastic Alice  (12")



Gwen Stefani "Tick Tock Gwen"

This is just a small sampling of Alice in Wonderland dolls. I've not even touched on the fantastic OOAK and artist dolls which are gorgeous and very pricey such as Maggie Iacono's "Painting the Roses Red" for $1,695.00 or R. John Wrights "Alice in Wonderland for $1,180.

 Doll Reader magazine has published several issues with cover stories that depict artist dolls that are Alice themed. 





There's no comparing one with the other. But...if a company decides to do Alice, one hopes that it's different from any Alice that's been done before and not just another run of the mill blond in a blue dress with a white apron.