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.)

A Road Less Taken

I guess I've come to a crossroads in my collecting.  This summer's "60 Days of Summer" let me evaluate the FR dolls that were deboxed and on the shelves.   Many FR/FR2 dolls found new homes this summer.  I also sold off the majority of my Silkstones and Vintage Ginny dolls.  On the sidebar, you can see how many girls left.

I find collecting FR/FR2 quite stressful at times.   The collecting community is like jumping into a pool of piranha - so few dolls produced, so many fighting to get one - collectors purchasing multiples to sell and fund their own habit.  Sometimes you just need a break and get away.

So … while waiting for the arrival of this springs FR2 collection, I've moved into a different direction.  In 2006, I purchased a Wilde Imagination Ellowyne.  Her name was Chills.  I also purchased an outfit.   These dolls are 16" and look younger than FR dolls.  Over the years, I have kept my collection in check and only purchased a small number of additional dolls and ensembles.  When I was cleaning closets, I found them.  Here is a favorite.  She is Mistakenly Sad, but I call her Brittany.

I had a student who looked exactly like this doll.  That's why I bought it.

I also purchased the first version of Ellowyne's best friend, Prudence Moody.  Her name was ESPecially Prudence.  This is her photo.

As you can see the outfits on these doll are trendy.

I considered selling my small collection of Ellowyne dolls and visited their website.  It seems that Wilde Imagination is now manufacturing their dolls with inset eyes.  They were having a sell with an extra 20% off.  How could I resist seeing what these dolls with inset eyes were really like for only $70?  So, here is Feeling Drained Three.  She is a wigged doll.  She is wearing an ensemble called Languid.

She is too cute!   Rather than sell some of my dolls, I wound up adding others.   This is Essential Ellowyne 5 - who is called "Fern" around here.

Just look at that face!  She is also a wigged doll, so you can change out her looks.

After purchasing Fern, I wanted some symmetry and got her alter ego.  I purchased the platinum version "Starlet Mood" on e-bay for less $75.  I named her "Gillian".  She is wearing "Under the Rainbow".

Many of these Ellowyne dolls an be picked up on secondary market for less than the retail price of most Integrity Toys dolls.  You can have an excellent collection of Ellowynes for what you might pay for the secondary market price of one FR Holy Grail.

I hope the FR2 dolls show up soon or I could get into some real trouble.   Until then, Gillian is definitely keeping me company.  Another beautiful face!