Saturday, September 20, 2014

Getting Discouraged ...

2014 has not been a good year for Integrity Toys at my house.   More Integrity dolls have left than have arrived.  Those that have arrived have been more a let down.

I have really enjoyed the dolls I have gotten from the ITBE line - Shimmering Copper Luchia/Isha, Second Skin Vanessa, Night Strike Monogram, and Gold Glam Adele.  For the price, they are a joy to redress.

The mainline FR2 dolls this year, with the exception of Montaigne Market Elise, have been a big disappointment.   Touch of Frost Eugenia had to take a trip to the spa to have her eyes corrected.  Although I received one of the better Fashion Explorer Vanessa dolls, her hair line is a little high on her "five head" and her screening makes her look like she is scowling.

When my City Prowl Eugenia arrived, you can't imagine how I felt when I opened her box to find that she had escaped her ribbon ties and was all messed up - one lash was barely hanging on.  Here is a photo.
I contacted the dealer and Integrity sent me a replacement immediately.  It arrived recently and was quite an improvement … until closer inspection.

Here is a photo of the doll in the the box.
And a close up.  (EDIT:  In response to comments:  You can see that the eyeliner on the right eye is missing from the corner of the eye up to the tip of the eyeliner which is magically there.  There is actually a gap in the eyeliner.  Patient Care has been contacted.  I guess we are on to City Prowl #3.)
Here are the accessories:
I'm not sure what Integrity is doing with these dolls' eyes now, but I am finding it more and more difficult to get good closeup photos.  The eyes are too shiny.   I usually have to do some photoshop magic to get a clear photo.

In the case of City Prowl Engenia, I actually had to take her outside.
This doll has a reputation for having mold under her corset (which is a knock off of an earlier Dania ensemble).  I took the corset off and there was some white on the underside.  There was also white powder on her skirt and legs.  Speaking of skirt … what's up with this???  There is no lining.  It just looks wrong.  Who's minding the store at Integrity Toys?
Her eyelashes weren't applied correctly, so one eye is more closed than the other.   The hair was messy.  The skirt looks unfinished.  The white accented jewelry doesn't seem to go with the ensemble unless you include the white powder all over the skirt, corset, and legs.  I'm just not so sure about this doll.  For my money, Diamond Society (with whom City Prowl is being compared by collectors) is a much nicer doll.

I guess I'm being so picky because this was the "replacement" doll.  If I owned a business and someone received a damaged item, I would make sure the replacement was excellent.  I don't like messy hair or eyes that are off.   I'm torn between putting her in the box and selling her or trying to fix her hair and redressing her.

Today, "Exploding Agnes" arrived.  This is the nickname given High Visibility Agnes.  Without informing collectors, Agnes and all future FR2 dolls have a body where all the limbs are removable.  Supposedly this is to help with redressing our dolls.  Had I known this was going to happen, I don't believe I would've purchased these dolls.  I still prefer the tall FR body, so the enhancement just makes me even more reluctant to continue collecting Integrity dolls.

Here is High Visibility Agnes still in her box.
Again, the eyelashes are all cattywompus.  The only good photo I could get was a profile shot.  That hair is just wrong!   You can see her white painted scalp in several places.  The lipstick isn't even on the mold lines.
I'm just not happy with the direction Integrity Toys is headed.  I have been fortunate to secure most of my favorite dolls from the earlier years of Integrity for my collection.  They won't be going anywhere soon.   I have enough of them to enjoy.  Unfortunately, the shoes and clothing from the FR2 won't fit these dolls, so there may be no need for me to purchase future dolls released on this body.  So sad!  I really loved Fashion Royalty.  It's seeming more and more a fading memory.

(Please know this post reflects my personal opinions and reviews of the dolls shown.  The photos are property of this blog and are original.  I do not mean to offend anyone, but I am just becoming very discouraged by a manufacturer whom I gave very strong support for many years.  I have been able to capture wonderful photos of dolls in my collection but something is just off with the current production of Integrity dolls; I apologize that the photos are not very good.)

5 comments:

BP78666 said...

I agree. Integrity's facial screenings have been poor for a few years, and the eye make-up is always the same exaggerated style. I miss the blended make-up they used to use. At this point, I don't mind disassembly, I just would just like some replacement bodies for the dolls I have that continue to yellow.

The eye on the left (Eugenia's right): did they smear the cat's eye and shadow on that end or is it just shiny? It's a pity, I thought she looks much nicer than her promo pictures.

billa's dolls and fashions said...

I have to agree with you, this year I joined the club for the first time, and I only bought the shoe packages....I'm not a completist, so I don't feel compelled to buy anything, but after Montaigne Market my expectations were really high....too bad....

Linda Robinson said...

So sad! Perhaps the shoddy detailing will make the earlier FR dolls more valuable. I'm hanging on to the ones I've got.

Lisa Neault said...

I agree with you. I collect both Integrity and Silkstone Barbie and Mattel's collector lines like Haunted Beauty, etc. I have stuck buying only the club offerings and ordering Dynamites and Poppy Parker as those dolls for less money seem to be better quality than the Fashion royalty line, though I do love the Victoire line. I had not paid close attention and didn't know the event Agnes is with one of those dissembling bodies- she has not been taken out of her box.
I'm of the opinion and waiting for convention to make my decision but I may limit my FR line to the hommes, Dynamites, and Poppy and Victoire and give up on the FR line- that new body is hideously impossible to redress. I can understand why you returned the doll but the 2nd one should be excellent ...thank you for alerting us to this fact on this doll. I can clearly see the eyeliner is wrong, I do not know why they didn't check this doll before sending her.

Anonymous said...

This is my third year in the W Club. I joined because of Poppy but quickly became interested in FR dolls. My first few were amazing - Glam Addict Giselle and Another Thing Kyori. Then the trouble started. Two Vanessas with wonky eyes, a Eugenia with wonky eyes and the latest Victoire has weird eyes too. Still sitting in boxes because I don't like them but find trying to sell them too daunting. At least Poppy has been relatively consistent, however, you have to go through the frenzy of trying to acquire her! Doll collecting used to relieve my stress and now seems to be creating it. Please keep speaking your mind - there is nothing wrong with honest constructive feedback. In the end, these doll companies are businesses and they need to know why dolls are or are not selling. As always, love your blog and look forward to each post.