Target clearance in Alpharetta

Tonight, at Target, I picked up some cool dolls.  I got a La Dee Da girl, a Monster High Howleen from the Dance Class assortment, and a Bratzillaz fashion.  I will add pictures to this review as I can, but I thought I'd post my initial thoughts.

I don't think I would have bought a La Dee Da doll if it hadn't been on clearance.  The doll I bought is called Cyanne as Peppermint Pose.  I could tell by looking in the box that she didn't have the type of articulation I want in a doll.  But, for less than $9 new, it didn't seem like a big deal.  She has a really pretty face and hair, and I like her mint colored dress and details.  But she has some pretty bad design issues.  Her articulation isn't very good.  I'll show you how weird it is in pictures later.  Another thing I didn't like is that her dress too tight, and that slows down dressing and undressing and makes it more likely I'll eventually damage her dress.  Her shoes, tights, and dress do not fit Monster High dolls.

I also bought a Bratzillaz fashion pack, True Blue Style for Meygana Broomstix.  This set was rather difficult to remove from its packaging, but I did not regret this purchase.  It's really cute, and it fits the Howleen doll I bought tonight pretty well.

Howleen was not on clearance, but I didn't have a doll of this character so I decided to jump while I had the opportunity.  She's Hip Hop Howleen from the dance class assortment.  She's super cute with her pink hair.  Seemed like a very cool buy, and although I didn't care for her outfit, she looks really good in Bratzillaz clothes.

I may go into more detail on these later, and there will be pictures.

Monopoly drops a token

Well, we all know this is a gimmicky publicity stunt on the part of Hasbro.  Monopoly is an immensely popular game.  There are many versions as it is.  There are collector's editions, electronic versions, versions with easier rules, you name it, it's been done.

Interestingly, the pieces we all know and love haven't always been as they are today.  I just learned, through the ap Hasbro has set up, that two of the classic tokens were added in 1952.  Those tokens were the immensely popular scottie dog and the pathetic wheelbarrow.  The game itself was originally produced in 1935.

When asked which one piece to save from removal, the obvious first choice of many would be the little dog.  I voted for the battleship, because the battleship is awesome.  And then you have the second stringers, like the little top hat, the car, the thimble and the shoe.  Those pieces are very cute.

The obvious dead weight here are the iron and the wheelbarrow.  Why on earth did they add a wheelbarrow in the first place?  And, seriously, who wants to be the iron?  The iron is lame.  Hence, the iron and the wheelbarrow have already fallen way behind in the polls, with the shoe and the thimble teetering dangerously near their numbers.

If I were making this choice alone, I would be throwing out the iron and sparring the wheelbarrow.  Alas, everybody gets a say.

Vote here:
https://apps.facebook.com/saveyourtoken/

While you're at it, they'll be asking you about adding a new piece.  I picked the robot.  I like the idea of adding a musical instrument, but I couldn't see how the guitar would stand upright.

It was the best estate sale I've ever seen.

It's story time, children.

Once upon a time, I was working at my now defunct small business, "Midgard Collectibles," at the now closed Turkey Creek Public Market, when I was approached by a customer.  He asked me whether I'd been to the big estate sale that morning.

Now, at the time, my grandmother was very very sick, and a few months later I would lose her.  I don't remember if she was still in the hospital at that point or if she'd been moved to the nursing home.  Regardless, I hadn't been to any estate sales, garage sales, or frankly shopping at all in a little while.  I had three concerns:  keeping my business open, my grandmother's health, and school.  I was in my final semester of college at the time.  Outside of those three concerns, I was useless to everyone, most of all myself.

In this context, I'd like to say that although estate sales are great for shoppers, the changes they symbolize can be very sad.  Although estate sales can happen for many reasons, some common ones are death or permanent nursing home care.  It's important when you're going to estate sales to treat the previous owner and that person's family with respect.

My customer described rooms and rooms of brightly colored plastic at affordable prices.  Kitchen:  full of toys.  Living room:  full of toys.  Bedrooms:  full of toys.  There was even a tent outside, once again, full of toys.  He spoke of tables full of Ghostbusters, Masters of the Universe, Star Wars, you name it, if it was a toy marketed to boys in the 80's or 90's, he had it in multiples.  He told me where I could look at pictures, and I could not believe my eyes!  The sale had everything.  They had the Ghostbusters firehouse playset, they had my little ponies, they had Thundercats, they had Masters of the Universe vehicles.  Everything.

But I couldn't go, because I needed to keep my business open and my grandmother was very ill.  Her situation was grave, we could not leave her.

My customer informed me that the toys would be half off on Sunday, but still, I couldn't go.  It was very disappointing.

I had friends who'd bought Mego figures, which are one of my grail purchases, My Little Ponies, Masters of the Universe figures and playsets, and many other things.

In every telling, it was regarded as a must see if not a certain destination for purchases.

When it was all over, I found out that there would be a second sale.  Unbelievably, in spite of how incredibly well stocked the house was in the first sale, I discovered there was an entire basement level that was sealed off because they couldn't possibly go through all the boxes of toys in time for the sale.

Long story short, I had the opportunity to attend the second sale, and it was the most amazing toy collecting experience of my life.  Outside the house, there was a tent with leftovers from the first sale.  In it, there were McDonald's toys from the 80's, which were being sold at a deep reduction by the box.  There were 80's and 90's toys in there of various kinds.  I got some cool Fraggle Rock merchandise in this area, and bought an entire box of just Darkwing Duck pvc figures from 90's cereal boxes.  We made many purchases from this area.

In the kitchen, I remember lunchboxes both with and without thermoses stacked in cabinets.  There were also thermoses by themselves.  There was a big box of mixed parts from Masters of the Universe playsets and vehicles.  I bought a Slime Pit here which I later sold to a friend.

One memorable room had been converted from a living room to a star wars showroom for the purposes of the sale.  This was a huge room.  There were boxes and bins of NIP 90's Star Wars action figures.  Make no mistake, this was a diverse array of merchandise.  Not only did they have the standard size figures, there were also 1/6 scale figures, multiple figure packs and sets, micro machines sets, bendies, etc.  There were standies, collectible merchandise, and other promotional materials.  I filled two or three cardboard boxes with these figures when the end of weekend reduced price sale took place.  There were also 12 inch Star Wars figures and vintage 3.75 inch figures out of the package for sale.

The rest of the upstairs had a diverse selection of toys.  There were toys from Batman, the Terminator movies, and other properties I have forgotten.  There were so many toys there it was hard to look at it all.

Downstairs, there were dolls, trolls, comic books, model cars,  Food Fighters, Lone Ranger figures, ET merchandise, and many other items.  It was amazing.  There were rarities and oddities and everything was very organized.  And there was a reduced price day on Sunday.

Do you have any cool estate sale stories?  Let me know in the comments!

Sale tips and tricks.

Today was the Tonner digital factory sale, so it brought to mind some of my experiences with sales that may be useful to you, faithful readers.

The types of sales I'm talking about are limited availability scheduled sales with deep price reductions.  Examples of this would include online sales like The Junky Spot's black Friday sale this year, any cyber Monday sales, Tonner's DFS or Thrifty Thursdays or Tonner Tuesdays, or similar.  Some of this advice will apply specifically to retail or estate sales offline.  I will specifically outline doll and toy related sales here, and I will discuss clothing sales on my other blog.  But generally, it should be applicable to most really compelling sale experiences.

The absolute most key thing about acquiring sale merchandise is being advised of the sale long enough before hand to plan for it.  Finding out about a sale can be more complicated than it sounds.  If you want the deals, you have to be really invested in finding them.  A good start would be Facebook.  Find the dealers you like to buy from on Facebook and follow their pages.  The Junky Spot and Tonner both have pages that update frequently with new inventory, sales, and upcoming releases.  This can be a very useful set of services to serious collectors.  You can also get on e-mail lists, but I don't check my email very often.  :P  Still, e-mail lists can be extremely useful when it comes to estate sales.

Once you find out about a sale online, begin prepping immediately.  Check your finances, move money into the bank if you plan to pay by debit card or into Paypal if you plan to pay that way.  Practice logging into your account on the dealer's website.  If you can't log in, you can't check out.  Resolve any problems.  Insure you can use your browser to make purchases on that site.  I've had Firefox problems on Tonner's website, so I used Internet Explorer this morning.

The morning of the sale, double check your preparations.  Watch to make sure you have the time right.  Now, just because you have an official starting time doesn't mean you know when the sale will actually start, especially if the wording around the time is a little fuzzy.  Words like "approximately" or "about" are telling.  This morning, the Tonner sale started about thirty minutes earlier than stated.  I made the mistake of not being vigilant, and it cost me an opportunity.  Even after making purchases at three different Tonner sales, I still make little mistakes.  ;)

Now, here's another crucial point.  The sales I'm talking about are very, very limited.  So, when you're making your selections, think critically.  Would you rather be sure you get one or two amazing items or combine shipping for your entire purchase?  Yes, these sales are that extremely limited.  If you dilly dally, you will miss out.  Period.  Are you willing to split your order up and pay extra shipping?  Because if it's that good of a deal, you should be.  Grab your must haves.  Do not waste time in those early seconds with third stringers.  Come back and look at those again after you've seen everything else.  Make your purchase, and check back.  If you see a price that's ridiculously low, it will sell out.

This is applicable with estate sales too.  Once you get inside, if you've seen pictures of what will be included in the sale and you know what you want, don't look at anything else until you've seen it or you know it's gone.  Then you can do your piddling about.

Speaking of estate sales, prep for those similarly to your prep for online sales.  Know what time it starts.  Get cash ready, because you'll be paying in person.  Bring your own shopping bags if they'll let you, and fill them up quickly.  Familiarize yourself with the location of the sale.  Examine the pictures carefully, and try to determine what type of room the picture was taken in and what part of the house that room is likely to be in, head straight there when the doors open.  Dress warmly even in the summer, because in the dark of early morning, it can be chilly.

Now, here's a key difference between online sales and estate sales.  When you're going to an estate sale run by a professional estate company, come early!  We're not talking five minutes early, we're talking hours in advance of the sale, because they may hand out numbers.  If they do hand out numbers and they promise they're not opening early, you can get in your car and come back, but again, make sure you're about fifteen minutes early for the opening time just in case.  If a sale starts at eight and you get there at six, you may still be the fifteenth person in line.  Estate sales are serious business.

I don't have much specific advice for doll collectors in the estate sale context.  If you're paying for the items outside and you're done  shopping, look at the items you've selected in the light of day.  This can make a huge difference, because estate sale houses are frequently dimly lit.  Sometimes houses that are unoccupied like estate sale houses will have no power.  So, looking at your purchases in the light of day can make a big difference.  Some parts may not be original or may have been glued back together.  I once nearly bought a JFK doll which had a replacement rocking chair from a craft store for what I would have paid for one with its original chair.  Barely caught it before leaving the sale.  This is not the estate company's fault, nor is it the former owner's fault because it was not intentional deception.  The previous collector made the decision to replace a broken or missing chair for display, and is no longer available to advise buyers about the condition.  And the estate company, although well meaning, may not notice little details like this.  Give your purchases a once over, pay, load up your trunk, lock your car, and then go back in to see if you missed anything.

Don't get carried away.  Collecting can turn into hoarding if you're not careful.  Pick gems, leave the junk.  And get in on some of these amazing deals.  I'm still shocked at the prices you can get awesome Tonner dolls and imported dolls if you know where to go and catch a sale.

Why Did Liv Fail?

I was reading a blog tonight by The Toy Box Philosopher that got me thinking.

Why did Liv fail? This is a fairly difficult question to approach, because I thought Liv dolls were brilliant at the start. But it is interesting to think about why Spin Master's first foray into the world of fashion dolls did not last.

I think it's appropriate to examine what brought Liv dolls their initial success in terms of comparison to other brands.

Liv dolls were appealing to me in the beginning because they shared certain qualities with BJDs. Following that model, they're highly articulated. They can be posed in many lifelike ways. They're great for photography in that respect. They're fun to display. By comparison to ball jointed dolls, they're made of more durable materials. Like ball jointed dolls, they're very customizable. Liv wigs are easy to remove and swap for a whole new look.

There were several other doll brands that tried to wade into BJD style dolls. Why did things go wrong for them?

The first one I was made aware of, and probably my favorite so far, was Juku Couture. Juku Couture dolls were very, very cute. I have three in my collection, but I'm sad to say one is a duplicate Jun. They're great dolls, if you can find them. They had lots of mismatched layers of clothing, designed to resemble Harajuku girls in Japan. You could choose to redress them in their original outfits several different ways. They had beautifully painted faces and expressive inset eyes. They had fairly good articulation.

What went wrong with Juku Couture dolls? They had some trouble getting their price point and quality control at a level where you felt like you were getting a good deal for your money. The first issue dolls were amazing looking, the second issue dolls looked like they'd been made much more cheaply to bring down costs. The articulation, although good overall, produced some bizarre and awkward looking sitting poses. Jun was a particularly pretty doll in this series, but she had way too much product in her rooted hair, and once it got messed up it was rather difficult to restyle. They were an odd size too. They're smaller than Bratz. They had almost no name recognition or public enthusiasm. So, is it any wonder that after only three lines, Jakks Pacific pulled the plug?

The big advantage Liv had over Juku Couture was in the basic design details. The wigs, the ability to share fashions with barbie, and the greater range of motion were all huge points in Liv's favor. Although they never directly competed, you can see why one survived longer in the market than the other.

Another doll that shared qualities with BJDs was Lorifina, and she was a beaut. She was massive and elegant and had great customization qualities. She had options for different skin tones and eyes, and you could order her from Hasbro however you liked. You could even customize which clothing and accessories they sent with her for a price. She had a lovely soft face and you could swap out her wigs. She was rather a lot like a BJD for little girls.

But in a way, her highly structured customization features damaged her chances. She was rather expensive for a playline fashion doll from a parent's perspective. Also, I don't remember ever seeing her in a store. I remember her website being a lot of fun to play around with and try different combinations, but I wonder whether the website got enough publicity to hold up a toyline. Also, from the reviews and other information I've read about Lorifina, her articulation isn't great, and her wigs are rather funny looking. They are also an odd size, and don't have an easily associated doll to share clothes. This contributed to the impression of high expense, individual Lorifina fashions would have to be purchased and shipped to the child.

By comparison, Liv dolls were very inexpensive, easy to acquire, and looked pretty good even without their wigs.

The third similar playline doll to go, I'm very sad to say, was Moxie Teenz. These dolls are stunning. They have very large eyes and good articulation. They are bigger than the standard fashion doll, and yet occasionally you find something that fits them pretty well from another doll's wardrobe. They have the cool wig swapping ability. And, best of all, they had a really cute guy friend.

Moxie Teenz came into the game late. The dolls are very pretty, but poor distribution and high price prevented parents and enthusiasts from purchasing the doll when it wasn't on sale. There were some pretty bad MGA quality control issues. The wigs range between terrible and okay. I don't remember ever purchasing a Moxie Teenz wig and thinking about how fantastic it is. And, unlike Liv dolls, the wigs did not secure into place well. The earrings are terribly prone to falling out and getting lost. And their articulation? Far inferior to Liv articulation.

So, let's revisit the question, why did Liv fail?

This is my opinion. I think Liv failed because Spinmaster did not look at what happened to these other doll companies, first of all. Quality deteriorated over time. Accessories (such as shoes) that would have been painted in the early lines became molded plastic. The great articulation that interested adult collectors and kids with active imaginations were replaced with gimmicky action bodies. Price and value became hard to justify. Finally, quality control issues started cropping up. Doll head pegs were breaking off in the doll's skull straight out of the package.

Also, the premise got kind of stale, after a while. Much like Barbie, they became flat fashion dolls. You feel like you only need one of each character, and then you could just buy fashions for them. Instead, it felt like you were buying the same doll over and over with a different outfit on.

The Toy Box Philosopher made a really good point in another post about Bratzillas. Why didn't Liv try some other eye colors? It would have been very cool to see some fantasy eye colors in Livs.

Really, what I would have liked for Liv to try would have been customizable eyes. If they had a line where you could open up the back of the head like a bjd and clip in a new set of eyes with a mechanism of some kind, that would have been a new lease on the whole series. Granted, that wouldn't be the end of their problems, but it would have bought the dolls some time.

But instead, Liv slowly declined into mediocrity and then stopped selling. The Liv girls, who had personality in the beginning, became merely color variations of the same boring character. Also, Monster High dolls have become so explosively popular that it became difficult for some of the other doll companies to keep up.

These are the same problems that killed Lorifina, Juku Couture, Moxie Teenz, and even high end dolls like Delilah Noir.

So, to tie all this together, toy companies should try to do the following with this relatively new style of doll making:

First, make the doll a fairly common and popular size. It doesn't have to be the same as barbie, but it helps if it's close to her size, or the size range of Bratz and Monster High. That way, parents feel like the toys that the child already has are compatible with the doll on the shelf. Liv got that part right.

Second, make a doll that is highly customizable. I think Liv was on the right track, and to be honest I think Liv was doing a better job than Monster High is at that right now. The Create a Monster dolls are fun, but they're a hot mess. There's farther that can be taken, though. I think much more interesting things are possible with the customization concept that the industry just hasn't learned to utilize creatively yet. Maybe Liv could have had a small trial run of blank dolls or dolls that come in interesting plastic colors? Or maybe an eye changing line?

Third, keep articulation up. Liv was right on that until the line wasn't serious about it anymore. Then the bodies of the dolls weren't even useful for people who were using those bodies for customs.

As my fourth point, I would say that quality and value should be rationally comparable. By the end of the Liv line, these two things weren't tied together, and this is the same problem that killed the other three lines I mentioned. I should get what I'm paying for when I buy these dolls or accessory packs.

And lastly, there needs to be a way to capitalize on a doll line without depending on selling a blue million versions of the same doll. I think Lorifina was closer to being right about this than Liv was. I think Liv needed to find a way to make the fashions and wigs more desirable. With ball jointed dolls as the model (and I'm not saying any of these companies were trying to be ball jointed dolls but stick with me on this) doll owners spend just as much money on accessories and clothing as they do on dolls. In many cases, more money is spent on the doll's stuff than the doll itself. Quality wigs, clothing, and accessories are expensive but worthwhile parts of the hobby. And yes, there are people who sew their own fashions, make their own wigs, and so forth, but aren't there ways that the doll company could capitalize on that? Couldn't the company sell sewing kits and patterns for kids? Or even no-sew designing kits? Wig making kits for kids? These are all fun doable things that a line could try.

But of course, that's just the way I would do things.