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.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
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!
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.
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.
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