Anyone seeing the original North American Sailor Moon 12 inch doll release had the same response, “Why doesn’t she have a nose?” For reasons that remain a mystery, rather than using their existing molds, Bandai/Irwin created new “stylized” molds that went beyond unattractive looking to achieve downright bizarre. Unsurprisingly, the original release sold poorly and … Read More →
Hasbro’s Star Wars Portrait Edition line has produced some breathtaking dolls, especially those based on the elaborate costumes and hairdos of The Phantom Menace’s Queen Amidala (apparently Leia’s preference for elaborate and slightly weird hairstyles was inherited). Last year, when Star Wars was favored to be the hottest craze around, three dolls were released in … Read More →
Wonder Woman is an unusual figure in the world of comic books. When she was created in 1941, comic books were read by an overwhelming number of children and adults of both sexes, and her creator (noted psychologist, William Moulton Marston) was concerned that the popular comics media had no good FEMALE role models. His … Read More →
Last fall, Mattel produced three fabulous Major League Baseball Barbies- one for the Dodgers, one for the Yankees, and one for the Cubs. Designed for the Barbie Collectibles line, as opposed to the play line, these dolls are extremely high quality with great eye appeal. Although I’ve never been a fan of any of the … Read More →
Every now and again, a TV spin off takes on more life than the original show. Such is the case with Xena, the fantasy adventure show starring Lucy Lawless. The fabulous action sequences and convoluted story lines have brought the show a dedicated following, as well as a barrage of merchandising. The Roman Xena doll … Read More →
The Sailor Moon license has gotten a steady workout since the first line of dolls was produced in 1993. In every country where the show has aired, fans of all ages have clamored for dolls of their favorite characters. There are dolls unique to markets in Japan, Europe, Italy, the US, Canada, and Asia. The … Read More →
To mangle an old phrase, “Irony, thy name is Mattel.” When the original Toy Story movie was still in the very early stages, Mattel flatly refused permission from Pixar to use Barbie in the story, feeling that the role as Woody’s sweetheart might make the B-girl look bad. Pixar shrugged and created the adorable Bo … Read More →
The Disney family of companies and Mattel have had a long and profitable relationship, happily intertwining their respective specialties to part the consumer from their money. They have also created some wonderful exclusive dolls. (Anyone else remember Toontown Stacie?) This particular doll is designed to celebrate the rollover year, and it helpfully provides a map … Read More →
This guy isn’t your typical fashion doll. Done on the 1:6 scale (the same scale Barbie uses) the Captain Action dolls were first introduced in the 1960’s by Ideal Toy Company, the same people who made Tammy. The idea behind Captain Action was to make an action figure that, through a change of costumes and … Read More →
The romantic story of Sailor Moon has won the hearts of fans everywhere since the manga (comic book) and anime (animated tv show) first appeared in Japan. Sailor Moon dolls have been manufactured by the Bandai company in Asia, Europe, and North America. This doll is unusual because she was produced only in Italy, by the Italian company Giochi … Read More →
