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.

Animal Magnetism Photo Shoot

Tonner's first Marilyn Monroe 16" doll has arrived and now officially been photographed! Based on a scene from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" (1953)...



this doll shows the outfit Marilyn wore when her very young suitor (played by George Winslow) told her, "You’ve got a lot of animal magnetism."



On the plus side...I love the articulation, rooted hair, the outfit, and the jewelry. Wow, the jewelry is amazing and extremely faithful to what Marilyn wore in the film!



Unfortunately, the doll itself just does not capture Marilyn. Here is an unretouched shot of the doll:



And with some retouching; I widened the mouth, raised the eyebrows, and did my best to soften her sculpted face. It seems that Tonner's artists went for a thinner and more sexy Marilyn. A large part of Marilyn's charm was her soft innocent nature.



Another before and after shot:



Even with some retouching, the doll misses the mark. I believe the sculpt would have to be redone to get a closer resemblance.



Before:



After:



The Franklin Mint's Marilyn sculpt perfectly captured Marilyn Monroe's beauty and vulnerability. I love it!



Do be careful if you decide to put the Tonner outfit on Franklin Mint's Marilyn; it is a VERY TIGHT fit. The dress won't hook in the back, and the jacket had to be coaxed to hook in the front.



This gorgeous outfit fits much better on Gene Marshall.





In terms of screen accuracy, the Tonner outfit blows away the version that Ashton Drake did years back for Gene. I do have to give very large kudos to Integrity; the body they did for Gene is one of the best articulated/poseable bodies done. Tonner's doll legs pretty much suck; they don't rotate at all, making model-type poses impossible.



Here's the Tonner version again, mixing the almost fatal drink that Marilyn was mixing up in the film.



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 Marilyn Monroe doll photos on my Marilyn Monroe doll web page.

Marilyn is on her way!

What could be a better way to celebrate Marilyn's birthday (today) than to know that she is on the way to my house?!? Can't wait for her to arrive so that I can photograph her. Wow...my first articulated Marilyn! Stay tuned...



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 Marilyn Monroe doll photos on my Marilyn Monroe doll web page.

More Cocoa Crisp

I wasn't crazy about the Integrity Genes vs. the Ashton-Drake Genes until I saw Cocoa Crisp. By far, she is my very favorite Jason Wu/Mel Odom collaboration, and that goes for both the doll itself and the outfit. I did another shoot with her (it was time to revisit!) last week. Here are the results.







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 Gene Marshall doll photos on my Gene Marshall doll web page.

Grace Kelly: Royal Honeymoon

Grace Kelly was a stunning beauty who had a brief but glorious career on the silver screen, which she gave up to become the Princess of Monaco. Here is the Franklin Mint portrait doll, wearing a replica of the outfit Grace wore on her Royal Honeymoon. Warning: I retouched the eyes and also shrunk the head a bit to make this doll look more realistic.



See more Grace Kelly portrait doll photos on my Grace Kelly doll web page.

Scarlett on Peachtree Street

In this scene from "Gone with the Wind," Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) & Rhett (Clark Gable) are pushing their daughter, Bonnie Blue Butler, down Peachtree Street in Atlanta. Rhett is determined to gain respectability for his daughter's sake, even if they have to "crawl on our bellies to every fat old cat."



Tonner's "Don't Look Back" is a great model to wear the Franklin Mint ensemble corresponding to what Vivien Leigh wore for this scene.













In this shot, Scarlett looks as if she's putting her troubles off until tomorrow.



Note: Peachtree is an actual street in Atlanta, and also happens to be the street author Margaret Mitchell lived on when she wrote, "Gone With The Wind." Sadly, it was also the street she was killed on when hit by a speeding car in 1949.

See more Scarlett O'Hara doll photos on my GWTW doll web page.

Gone With The Wind Bride Wars!

Tonner's Scarlett O'Hara bridal doll, titled "Scarlett's Wedding Day," has recently been released to the masses. Here she is, enjoying her first Daveland photo shoot.



First, I was blown away by the face. Whether the sculpt was changed a bit or the painters have been given more direction, I'd say that Tonner's Vivien Leigh finally gives Franklin Mint's a run for the money. The fact that she has rooted hair is a big plus.



As you can see, the gown is gorgeous. True to the movie, it is a bit oversized for Scarlett. Costumer designer Walter Plunkett took pride in having followed the book, which tells of Scarlett's rushed wedding not even affording her time to have her mother's wedding gown taken in to fit her. The embroidery and lacy leaves are wonderful. Also true to the movie is the necklace, comprised of three stands of faux pearls. And for once - the gloves fit beautifully!



Borrowing from another bride, I decided to give Scarlett a bouquet for her trouble.



The negatives: I can only think of one, and that would be her veil/hat. Why Tonner continues to give his dolls hats with elastic bands instead of hat pins is beyond me. It looks cheap and definitely is not vintage. The hat itself is a bit of a mess; instead of a lacy skull cap like the movie, it is...well, I don't know exactly what to call it. I did my best to hide it in the photos.





The pearls in the necklace could have been a bit smaller as well to make them more in scale, but other than that...this doll is definitely a home run!





Here are a few shots of the Franklin Mint vinyl bridal doll for comparison. Bad wig - check. Cheap looking paper flowers on dress - check. Wedding gown too tailored to match the aforementioned story - check. Garish face paint - check. No articulation - check and done.



Yup - I'd say Tonner wins by a longshot on this one.



See more Scarlett O'Hara doll photos on my GWTW doll web page.