Doll Talk

The Dolls of TV's "Beverly Hills, 90210" Characters

Few dolls are so essentially 1990s quite like those fashion, Barbie-sized dolls that were created of the characters from “Beverly Hills, 90210." The long-running, beloved teen drama became larger than life as it rose to the top and catapulted its stars into fame, fortune, and the hearts of very loyal fans. Soon merchandise was also created to go along with the surprise hit show, and dolls were created of many of its major characters.

Dolls of the show’s characters created include Brenda (played by Shannon Doherty), Brandon (played by Jason Priestley), Kelly (played by Jennie Garth), Dylan (played by Luke Perry), and Donna (played by Tori Spelling). Fans who liked the character of Valerie might be disappointed that no doll was made in her likeness, but there was a doll made of the actress who played her (Tiffani-Amber Thiesen) as the character she played on “Saved By the Bell,” Kelly Kapowski.

While some dolls of famous television personalities look nothing like the actor who inspired them, many of the dolls in this series are spot-on. Perhaps the ones bearing the strongest resemblance are the dolls of Kelly and Brenda, characters that were the best of friends on the show.

On the Biography Channel’s in-depth profile of the show, it was revealed that these little dolls actually caused drama on the set. After all, not all of the leading characters had dolls made in their likeness, which inevitably hurt the feelings of some of the cast members. For example, the actress who played the mom of teen twins Brenda and Brandon, revealed that Ian Ziering who played Steve, was upset that he was not honored with a doll, and that it caused a bit of on-set tension. That likely blew over quickly, and another series of the dolls were never released.

The World of Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake was a doll first enjoyed by kids in the 1980s. The character of Strawberry Shortcake goes back just a bit further than that, though. The red-headed, charming character was first designed as a greeting card illustration for American Greetings by the artist Muriel Fahrion in 1977. Later, Fahrion designed a whopping 32 characters to go along with Strawberry Shortcake and her little pink cat named Custard. The very first Strawberry Shortcake doll was a rag doll. As always, she had red hair and freckles.

Then there were the dolls created by Kenner. The dolls in the first series were all scented; so would later editions. These first dolls were Strawberry Shortcake, HuckleBerry Pie, Blueberry Muffin, Raspberry Tart (who was later renamed as Raspberry Torte in the later series, Apricot with her pet Hopsalot, and Apple Dumpling with her pet Tea Time Turtle. The next series features the characters who then all had pets with them: Strawberry Shortcake with Custard the cat, Raspberry tart with Rhubarb monkey, Orange Blossom with Marmalade butterfly, Huckleberry Pie with Pupcake pup, Blueberry Muffin with Cheesecake mouse, and Angel Cake with Souffle skunk.

The dolls with the scrumptious names and smells came in many forms. There were baby dolls of several of the main characters that also had the scent. They’d blow scented kisses when hugged. These characters included Baby Orange Blossom, Baby Angel Cake, Baby Apricot, Baby Needs-a-Name, Baby Strawberry Shortcake, and Baby Lemon Meringue.

In addition to the Strawberry Shortcake dolls, there have been television series, television movies, and feature films based on the characters on the world of Strawberry Shortcake. There have been several incarnations of the character in the 1990s, in 2003, and in 2009. It looks like there will be a future for the dolls as well so doll lovers can look forward to future dolls with the Strawberry (and other berry) smell!

The Franklin Mint Rose Doll from "Titanic"

With Titanic hitting the big screen with a 3D transformation in April of this year, there’s a renewed interest in this long-beloved movie. Its 3D debut marks the fifteenth anniversary of the film’s release and the hundredth anniversary of the ship’s tragic sinking.

One thing that many Titanic fans just fell in love with were those brilliant costumes worn by Kate Winslet as the film’s heroine, Rose. The costumes were beautifully recreated by Franklin Mint for several gorgeous dolls they made in celebration of this iconic character.

In addition to the Rose dolls that were made, most of the costumes she wore in the film were recreated and offered separately. Among the dresses offered were the chic, striped boarding suit that Rose wore when boarding the ship, the stunning red dress she was wearing when she almost jumped off the ship, the yellow deck dress she later wore when enjoyable spending time with Jack, the dinner dress that she also wore when abandoning the stuffy dining room to party on the deck below with Jack, and the iconic “flying” dress when she feels like she’s flying on the deck with Jack.

The iconic blue diamond necklace that played such a key role in the movie was also made for this lovely doll version of rose. It was included with a safe that was released by Franklin Mint as a replica of the one in Rose’s room. The necklace was a chain of small diamond-like stones with a saphire-colored, heart-shaped stone as the centerpiece. A carrying case to store all the costumes was also available.

This doll has no shortage of jewels either. The dress Rose wore when she was reunited with Jack in heaven comes with a pearl and golden, double-strand necklace and looped pearl earrings.. The tea dress ensemble comes with a golden necklace that has a green pendant and golden stud earrings with diamond-like stones. The elevator gown has a silver necklace that has a diamond pendant, while the silver dangling earrings feature diamond-like stones. The boarding suit has a golden brooch with an amethyst-like stone, and it has gold bird earrings that also have amethyst-like stones. The other ensembles came with special jewelry as well. This is one wealthy and well-dressed doll.

Popular Songs About Dolls

Dolls have been one of the delights of childhood for centuries. Of course, as any serious doll collector knows, an affinity for dolls and their roles in bringing us joy can reach far beyond the first few years of life. Next time you are working on building your doll collection or perhaps simply surfing the web and dreaming about doing so, put on a playlist of doll songs just for fun. You may find yourself collecting doll songs to go along with your physical dolls once you hear some of these.

“Just a Toy” from the soundtrack of Babes In Toyland is a classic song. In the film, Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello sing this song partly while holding a beautiful blonde doll. The song seems to have dual meanings. At first, she sings about doll, then he sings about her as though she is a doll. The scene is a classic to watch, and the song is a great one to add to your iTunes playlist.

Cliff Richard and the Shadows recorded “Living Doll” in 1959. Although that is an oldie, it’s still quite a goodie. Like “Just a Toy,” it’s safe for all ages. It’s a fun ditty. Lionel Bart wrote the song, and it was inspired by a magazine advertisement for a child’s doll.

Other songs about dolls include “Rag Doll” by The Four Season, “Doll Parts” by Hole, and “Paper Doll” by Rachael Yamagata. For adults only, you may enjoy “Barbie Girl” by Aqua. Even though it’s an adult in several of its suggestive lyrics, it’s rather a roundabout tribute to one of the most popular dolls on the planet.

A Brief History of Dolls

Doll lovers may know the full catalog of their favorite doll manufacturer, but many may not realize that archaeological evidence suggests that dolls are the oldest known toy to mankind. Also, as any veteran doll collector knows, dolls are not just children. The history of dolls is extensive, and these models of human beings have traditionally had many uses.

Wooden paddle dolls have been found in Egyptian tombs that go all the way back to 2000 B.C. More intricate dolls with limbs that move and changes of clothes have been found dating back to 200 B.C. Dolls have also been found in the archaeological findings in older cultures in Japan, where dolls date back even further to 8000 BC. Historical African dolls were used to entertain, education, and in spiritual endeavors. The oldest dolls of Native Americans are thought to be the Hopi Kachina dolls from the Hopi tribe; these dolls were used in ceremony.

Russian Matryoshka dolls are some of the most collected dolls in modern society, and they date back to 1890. These dolls are those which consist of hollow wooden figures that are stacked within one another. A fun, modern take on this traditional doll is made in the likeness of Madonna and sold on her official website.

What we know as modern doll manufacturing began during the 15th century in Germany, and the first dolls that were mass produced were those being placed in nativity scenes for other countries, mainly Italy. They were made of wood, and wooden dolls were the norm until the 19th century in Europe. Of course, some dolls are still made of wood.

This is just a peek into the vast history of doll making, something that has been a part of many countries and societies the world over.

The 2012 American Girl Doll of the Year

It is official! Fans of American Girl should be pleased to know that the 2012 American Girl Doll of the year is McKenna. For those who are not familiar with which doll McKenna is, let me start off by saying she is the winner of the coveted American Girl 10^th contemporary Girl of the Year Honor.

McKenna is a new American doll. She is a gymnastics enthusiast and has trouble reading and understanding what she is reading. She is a fourth grader. McKenna is the new doll to show young girls everywhere that everyone has things that they may struggle with and find challenging. Her story is to motivate them how to stay positive and learn to turn any strengths and weaknesses into victories and even more strengths. McKenna is a doll every young lady should have and her story is very similar to millions of girls everywhere. This offers girls a way to relate to someone without feeling discouraged or misunderstood.

On January 1^st and 2^nd, 2012 American Girl Place in Los Angeles will be throwing a big two day celebration honoring McKenna. McKenna along with her story will be on sale for a special price starting January 1, 2012 in the Los Angeles retail location and online for all of you American Girl collectors. This is a great way to start the New Year! Let us welcome the New Year with a big shout of approval and round of cheer for McKenna and welcome her to American Girl!

Welcome McKenna and Happy New Year!

What Makes Cabbage Patch Kids So Special

Cabbage Patch Kids may be forever associated with the decade of excess, when kids wanted everything to do with these yarn-haired, oh-so-unique dolls. However, the dolls are still popular to this day. So what is so magical about them?

The concept for the dolls came from Xavier Roberts. He designed them in 1978 when he was an art student. He originally called them Little People, and the all-cloth dolls were sold at fairs and craft shows only. The name change came later on from Roger Schlaifer, when he acquired the licensing rights to the dolls. Coleco began mass-producing the dolls in 1982, and the rest is pop culture history.

Every little girl, including me, wanted a Cabbage Patch Kid in the 1980s. My sister and I were even published with our preemie CPK dolls in the official magazine of the Cabbage Patch Kids. There was so much to love about the dolls. They made it really fun. Each doll was different. Each one came with his or her own birth certificate and adoption papers. You got to do an adoption oath and promise to take care of the doll, then later you received official adoption papers in the mail with the name of you and your “kid.” It seemed so official and so real.

There are also many different types of Cabbage Patch Kids. It started as just the regular “kids” dolls, but then there were preemies, baby-like dolls who were either bald or with a patch of hair. “Twins” were made to look exactly alike and sold as a pair. There were astronauts who each came with a trading card of a real astronaut, and there were clown dolls. There were world traveling dolls who came with clothes inspires by other countries, ranging from Spain to Holland to Russia. Through the years, there have been many varying types of Cabbage Patch Dolls, but their uniqueness and the ability by the makers of the dolls to make kids feel special remain the same.