Poppy Parker as Sabrina: Isn't It Romantic?

This particular “Sabrina” doll is called “Isn't It Romantic?” This outfit has become a highly coveted design in its previous incarnation by Madame Alexander for 16" dolls.

Here are a few shots of Audrey Hepburn, wearing this beautifully crafted gown, designed by Edith Head:





Thumbs up on the doll, hairdo, jewelry, and outfit.



Thumbs down (once again) on Integrity's gloves. With the claw-like fingers, chances are you will snag the gloves when attempting to put them on.



See more Audrey Hepburn doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Poppy As Sabrina: Most Sophisticated

I was able to snap off a few shots of the Poppy Parker as "Sabrina" line last night. Today's post shows a few poses from the "Most Sophisticated" set. I've never seen the movie, but as a lover of classic films, I recognize many of the outfits that Poppy wears in this set from the iconic Audrey Hepburn black and white publicity stills.

On the plus side: the use of the Poppy sculpt is a vast improvement over the face used in the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" line by Integrity. Poppy's sweet and innocent face is a better match to Audrey's image.



The outfits fit perfectly, and the accessories are out of the ballpark. The luggage (which actually opens!), the dog and leash, the purse...wow! So many possibilities for photographs!



I'm not a huge fan of the sculpt for Poppy's hands; the fingers look a little claw like...but on the plus side, I love the way that they can actually hold objects without having to use glue dots. The french manicure is a nice touch too on those tiny nails!

Overall, I highly recommend this set!

Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Audrey Hepburn doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Holly Golightly: How Do I Look? Pt. 1

The last three dolls that I ordered in the Holly Golightly line from Integrity Toys arrived last week from favorite seller Doll Peddlar; it was like Christmas! With a short amount of time for a photoshoot, I did the one that appeared the easiest.



No gloves, no difficult jewelry to maneuver (at least for this particular look). The two cigarette holders that come with this set are a blast! Sorry to burst your bubble, but the smoke in the photos is not included in the set!



As always, the fit and tailoring of the outfits is impeccable from Integrity. I've stated my one disappointment before, and that would be with the sculpt of the face. I am SO glad that Integrity has chosen to use Poppy Parker's face for the future Audrey "Sabrina" dolls. Poppy embodies the essence of Hepburn much better than the sculpt they chose for the "BAT" line.



More photos to come...

Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Audrey Hepburn/Holly Golightly doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Holly Golightly: A Girl I Know Named Holly

The other doll recently released in Integrity's "Breakfast at Tiffany's" series is "A Girl I Know Named Holly." This is one outfit that Mattel did not release. I debated whether or not to purchase it; I can't say the outfit itself, consisting of a white shirt and peach colored robe, is really all that exciting. But those accessories...they sucked me in.



The fun earrings, the mask...



I ended up getting her. With her poseability, even this bland outfit seemed fun.







See more Audrey Hepburn/Holly Golightly doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Holly Golightly: Fifth Avenue at 6 AM

The flagship doll of the Holly Golightly line from Integrity has been released: Fifth Avenue at 6 AM. I loved the style & quality of the first doll's fashion; but as I feared from looking at the publicity stills, the face was not really something that I cared for. It was too similar to the squinty-eyed trout-mouthed dolls that Integrity typically churns out, with very little (if any) of the doe-eyed wonder of Holly's portrayer, Audrey Hepburn.



However, with the sunglasses on that come with this doll, I actually like this one. She has grown on me and will probably stay in my collection.



The pluses: unlike Mattel's version of the same doll (made famous in the opening scene of "Breakfast at Tiffany's"), the scale of the wrap, dress, and jewelry is perfection. The glasses actually fold...the earrings, tiara, and necklace are about as close as you could possibly get to looking the actual jewelry used in the movie. INCREDIBLE! The hairstyle and poseability of the doll are also in the plus category.



The minuses: Those damn black gloves. What a b&*%h they are to put on! I already snagged one just trying to get them over the claw-like fingers. Still...there is a silver lining. Unlike the typical gloves you get with a 12" doll, these don't look like mittens. Instead, they fit snuggly over the hand and actually have 3 individual finger areas to make them resemble a scaled-down version even more. It's a Catch-22; easy-to-put-on vs. a snug fit. The necklace is a big minus, too...it just does not stay fastened. For some reason the catch in back doesn't hold very well, and the damn thing keeps slipping off.



One more note - if you like the look of the Schrafft's bag and the decorated coffee cup, don't get too excited; these came from the Mattel set, not the Integrity one.



Integrity comes with a generic white coffee cup, without the decorative blue square band around the rim, and there is no Schrafft's bag, either.



All minor points though...overall, I'd say this doll is a winner.

See more Audrey Hepburn/Holly Golightly doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Holly Golightly debut

The first doll in Integrity's "Breakfast at Tiffany's"/Holly Golightly series has been released. Called "Crazy for Tiffany's," this doll depicts how Holly looked on her date with her rich Brazilian boyfriend, José da Silva Pereira (played by José Luis de Vilallonga).



The doll looks very much like the publicity shots that were released. On the plus side, the construction of the outfit is impeccable. The dress blows away the Mattel versions and makes them look extremely cheap. Integrity shows that clothes for a 12" doll need not be ill-fitting and poorly constructed. The purse, jewelry, and shoes are made perfectly to scale and make this doll appear as if she just stepped out of the 1961 movie.



Except for the face. I totally understand that Integrity wasn't licensed to do Audrey Hepburn's face. But for once...just once...could they do a different sculpt that doesn't have overblown lips and half-shut eyes? Even if Audrey couldn't be re-created, they could at least attempt to capture her loveable humor and charm. This doll has zilcho charm in my book. And don't even try to pose her without the stand; this doll with the "Kitten Heel" foot will topple over no matter how you try. Is it that hard to design a shoe that will balance these gals? At least on the dolls with flexible ankles you might stand a chance. Not this one though.



The presentation of the box is lovely, and the extra pair of hands are a nice bonus. I will be looking forward to the other releases in this series.

See more Audrey Hepburn/Holly Golightly doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Breakfast at Tiffany's: Mattel-style

Since Integrity is releasing their own line of "Breakfast at Tiffany's" dolls this September, I decided it was time to take my Mattel version out of storage and do a little pre-comparison to figure out what would stay...and what might go.

Attempting to put the Mattel head on an Integrity body, I discovered that the Mattel clothes were too short, as the Integrity body is longer than Mattel's. Besides that, the skin tones were different; Mattel has the New Jersey orange tan look, and Integrity's is a more natural caucasion skin tone.

I had never really looked too closely at all the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" outfits from Mattel; upon doing so now, I see that the tailoring, attention to detail, and quality are what you would expect from Mattel. In all fairness, Mattel has a price point to meet, and they do it very well. Does it appeal to a high-end picky doll collector? Not at all. Would it appeal to a casual collector who doesn't want to pay more than $25-35? Sure.

So here I present to you Mattel's Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly from the opening scene of "Breakfast at Tiffany's."



Despite the flaws in craftsmanship or fit, Mattel gets high marks for how close they do get in the accessories: the sunglasses, the coffee cup, the donut bag, and the purse. Amazing!



Here's a closeup of the sculpt. Although it definitely resembles Audrey, it more closely resembles what would happen if Erica Kane/Susan Lucci were crossed with Audrey Hepburn. I would hazard a guess that this sculpt was used for both dolls. I definitely prefer this sculpt over the dreaded frozen-bitch sculpt that perpetually comes out of Integrity.



The white shawl is huge though; you could wrap a third world country in it. As you can see, I cropped the photo close so that you wouldn't see the abundance of material.





With Integrity, and I am guessing that the clothes will be pretty amazing; most likely I will ditch my Mattel versions but keep the doll. The Integrity doll's face is awful though; I will either do a repaint or a Frankendolly with the Mattel head. Check back in October!

See more Audrey Hepburn/Holly Golightly doll photos on my Audrey doll web page.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Integrity has recently announced a way cool release: a line commemorating the 50th Anniversary of "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Although they have gone out of their way to re-create the fashions that Audrey wore, they decided to stylize the character of Holly Golightly. Unfortunately, the style looks all too much like the typical frozen-bitch face that Integrity is known for. All of the charm and doey-eyed innocence of Hepburn is gone. In the future, I see a huge amount of nude Integrity "Breakfast at Tiffany's" dolls for sale on ebay.

Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more doll photos at my regular website.

Gene Marshall in Funny Face

Gene digs into the Madame Alexander closet and pulls out this outfit from the Audrey Hepburn movie, “Funny Face.” Adorned with jewels from Facets by Marcia, Gilt-y Girl never looked lovelier! The dress is a little tight on Gene and I couldn’t quite fasten it in the back; again, not a big deal for these photos. I have mixed feelings about the success of the first photo here that shows Gene in place of Audrey in an actual photo from “Funny Face.” Sometimes a photoshopped background works, sometimes,...well, I'll let you be the judges.











Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Gene Marshall photos at my regular website.