"MUSE-ingS" - Collecting in 2021 #26, #36, #37, #38, and #39

(NOTE:  There will be nude photos of a doll front and back in this post.)

Collecting dolls during Covid 19 has been difficult at best.   From factory shutdowns to worker issues to supply chains, it's been a real mess.

If you are a "collector" there has to be something to "collect".   Like many individuals, I have more dolls in my collection than I could redress in a weekend; however, I am always on the watch to add more.  Fortunately, I have been blessed in being able to sell some older less-loved dolls to help offset the number and help fund my addiction.  Even if you have the money, where do you find dolls these days?  Less and less sellers are using e-bay.  There are some sales sites on Facebook.  If you are a member of the W Club, there is a thread for trading and selling (but good deals are getting scare even there).

Integrity Toys is also experiencing the Covid backlash.  This year they have released only a handful of dolls in each line:

Nuface - 4

NuFantasy - 2

Fashion Royalty - 3

Meteor - 5

Poppy Parker - 5

East 59th Street - 5

Unless you cross-collect between lines, pickings have been pretty slim.   This has caused the secondary market to get completely out of control.  Dolls that were selling for less than $300 two years ago have quickly approached the $400 - $500 range.   The Poppy Parker frenzy has pushed some of those dolls in the four-digit area.  Even less popular dolls that were sold close to original retail or nude dolls selling for half retail are now fetching crazy prices.

This is the second year I have "missed" the Integrity Toys Convention due to THEIR server errors.  Last year, they told me that I missed by a fraction of a second, even though I got through the process.  This year, I was told that the site oversold by accident on the server and I was put on a "wait-list".  

The time has passed when collectors only purchased dolls they wanted to add to their personal collections, leaving stock for other collectors to get at retail.  Individuals are buying everything they can get their hands on and then making money on it.  The scalping totally sucks the joy out of the hobby.

Add to that somehow some collectors are getting multiple convention tickets, and it just leaves an extremely sour taste in my mouth.  It also seems that some collectors have an "in" with the design team and always get into conventions and win lotteries.  

Last year, I broke down and purchased all the dolls I wanted from the convention on secondary market.  It was expensive.  I got some great dolls, but I paid too much.   I actually spent between $300 and $400 on a couple of the dolls I really wanted.

I have decided that $400 - $450 is the maximum I am willing to spend on a doll.  That's my cut-off and it has been reserved for gift sets and extremely exclusive dolls.  

All of my frustrations with collecting IT dolls has led me to look elsewhere for spending my money.  This spring I was seduced by the Jamieshow Muses line (A Collaboration with Designer OwenSu).  They retail for $425, but they are articulated strung resin, hand-painted, hand-blushed dolls.  They are 12" and their bodies and feet are extremely similar to the size and shape of Fashion Royalty dolls.   

I got my first one in May (she was a leftover in inventory after dolls were shipped to their owners).  She is Jamieshow Muses Premier Eshe #26 of 2021 in my collection.  This is how she is packaged.  It comes in a thick brown shipping box similar to IT products.

The information is printed on the bottom of the box like IT dolls, except with labels.

The packaging is very similar to Integrity Toys packaging of yesteryear.  The doll's box is inside cellophane (a minor thing I miss about IT dolls).  It has lovely metallic lettering.

The box is tied together with a ribbon (similar to some of the older FR boxes).

There is an elegant sticker on it.

It's like the manufacturer took the best parts of IT packaging and amped it up a couple notches.  The experience reminds me of how I used to feel when I opened an earlier Fashion Royalty Giftset like A Fashionable Life, Ginza, A Brighter Side, etc.  (Lately, I hold my breath when I open an Integrity Toys doll because there have been so many production problems.)  When you first open the Jamieshow box, there is a little fancy envelope that includes the Certificate of Authenticity and information about the line.

The doll arrives inside a box with layers of foam packaging to protect the doll and body.  

Here is the first layer removed.

Here is a closeup of the face. 

At this point, you are probably thinking - "Hey, the doll doesn't have any hair!"  The thing that sets Jamieshow dolls apart from other dolls is the "wig cap" feature.   The dolls come "bald" - their heads are actually cut out for the shape of a hairline.  The bald cap is held securely in place with a strong magnet.  You gently pull the bald cap off and take a ROOTED wig cap with a magnet to replace it.  This makes each doll an unlimited possibility of looks!  (Photo property of Jamieshow)

The Premier dolls came in lingerie with one wig cap, shoes, "paddle hands" for redressing, earrings, and a cleaning/sanding sponge.  The "paddle hands" are easy to use.  You pull on the doll's hands to stretch out the stringing and temporarily replace the original hands with these paddle hands to redress them.  There are "posing" and "grabbing" hands that a collector can purchase from the Jamieshow website.  You can also purchase flat feet and replace the arched feet that come with the dolls.

The body is beautifully hand blushed.  Here is the front.

And the Back ...

Here is a full length shot of the doll out of the box, dressed in her stock lingerie, shoes, earrings, and wig.  The stand is probably the best in the industry.  The telescoping stand actually screws into the base.  If I had nickel for every time I picked up an IT stand and the base fell off, I wouldn't have to worry about doll budget any more.

Another closeup.

So ... how does she redress?  How about Mattel Barbie clothing?  Here she is in the Herve Leger ensemble (yes, even the boots fit).

Maybe something more simple like an older Fashion Avenue ensemble.  (Eshe is wearing the wig from IT Monogram Mini Aphrodisiac, so you can see how a hair change can make a big difference.)

A silkstone ensemble?

Fashion Royalty?  Wearing Fabulous Fields.

How about some mix and match IT pieces?

Nuface Violaine Perrin Beyond This Planet's top and Giselle Diefendorf's Sister Moguls pants with a different wig cap.

East 59th Street 2019 Glamour Pus?  (And a different wig cap from Jamieshow)

Even Poppy Parker's Garden of Versailles ...

and Randall Craig?

You can see these dolls are extremely versatile.  The Premier lineup was announced in December 2020 (after I had spent all my extra money on secondary market IT Convention dolls).   There were five female dolls, 14 evening ensembles, four accessory sets, 9 wig cap styles in several different colors each ($30 each), and a holiday evening gown.  

I had to wait until May and hoped for something leftover.  Fortunately, I was able to acquire my favorite from the lineup at retail.  To say I was impressed would be a major understatement.  These dolls are exquisite.  They are heavy, feel expensive, and are extremely versatile.  I decided I wasn't going to spend those secondary markup prices on IT dolls when I could get a doll of this quality for a similar price.

Premier Eshe was my first, but I wound up getting four more from the Summer Kisses lineup (there were six female dolls in the series).  The Summer Kisses series also included six more wig cap options ($45 each),  four accessory sets that included 3 pair of shoes, multiple purses, and caps ($125 each), and 18 ensembles ($110 each).  The Summer Kisses dolls included paddle hands, a long wig cap, and a swimsuit.  

Here is Summer Kisses Nicole

The dark skinned dolls have a resin issue where they dry out and need a moisturizing treatment.  It's amazing what a little moisturizer will do.

Here is a photo of Nicole wearing IT Giselle Diefendorf's Old Is New Ensemble with a different wig cap:

And a closeup.

Here she is wearing Faces of Adele's evening gown and a different wig.

Here is Summer Kisses Ginnie

Some redress fun ... first a wig from an etsy seller.

And what about Summer Kisses Look #8 with a different wig cap?

Or another wig cap and Look #3 (boots from IT Supernova Colette Duranger).

It's hard to believe this is the exact same doll, but with different wigs, right?

Here is Summer Kisses Grace

Here is a different wig cap, wearing IT 2015 Stage Presence Veronique

And here she is in Poetic Beauty Eden Blair's ensemble (and yet another wig cap)

Finally (and probably my favorite from Summer Kisses), we have Sasha.  Here she is in stock.

She truly comes alive with a different wig and ensemble like Glam Addict Giselle Diefendorf's .

So... Jamieshow dolls can wear almost anything.  But can IT dolls in your collection wear the Jamieshow clothing?  The short answer is "usually".  The Jamieshow clothing can be too tight for the FR2 body's chest, but I've found that Nuface/Nuface2/Monogram dolls have no problem wearing their ensembles.  Here is Natural High Lilith wearing Look #4.

Also released this summer was a very luxe collection called Queen's Palace.  It included shoes, crowns (headdresses), and incredible gowns.  Here is a sample of the offerings ... (Photo property of Jamieshow)

Pretty amazing, huh?

The last release of Jamieshow Muses was called "Dangerous Love".  It included four female dolls, several ensembles, new wig caps, and four accessory packs.  It also included 4 MALE dolls, male ensembles, wig caps, and accessory sets.  I just added my first male doll!  Here is the promo photo of the dolls (Property of Jamieshow)

These dolls are expected to ship in January.

... So since I am not "aMUSEd" by the shenanigans with Integrity Toys (IT) dolls: the quality control issues, not getting convention tickets when others are apparently getting multiple tickets, not policing W Club policies, secondary market prices, etc, etc, it seems I am beginning to shift my focus.

These dolls are not cheap, but you can still get them for less than many IT dolls being sold on secondary market.  The wig cap feature is game-changing for me.  I never liked wigged dolls because the wigs often looked too big in photos.  These caps are actually rooted and fit along a doll's natural hairline.  They look fantastic in photos.  The resin material Jamieshow uses is a special formula specific to their dolls. It is durable and just "glows" in person.  You do have to moisturize the dark skinned girls, but you can use a 99 cent moisturizer from Walmart called Nivea Creme (comes in a little blue tin like shoe polish).  You have to be careful switching hands and feet, or redressing for that matter, so you don't accidentally chip the resin.  Some collectors prefer to wear white cloth gloves when redressing and photographing to prevent oils from their hands getting on the dolls.  

Are they worth the price and trouble?  I definitely think so, but look back at the photos and you be a judge.

There is a Facebook Group for Jamieshow Muses collectors.  You may want to check that out.  

Here is a link to the Jamieshow archives for Muses:

Jamieshow Muses Archive