NOTE: Before I get started, I want to send my deepest concerns for the safety of all those who are reading my blog. I hope this blog can help provide a diversion to the panic and anxiety surrounding the current pandemic crisis. Stay safe and always choose kindness.
I finally came up with an appropriate metaphor for managing my collection; it's like trying to manage the ocean tides!
I have really put my mind to selling off dolls that need new homes. If you've noticed the left sidebar, 17 dolls have left here this year! That's more than twice what I sold the entire year of 2019. And it's just March! The tide is out.
I was feeling full of myself when I had to check my e-mails and find that the W Club had just sent me notices that some of my preorders were ready for payment and shipping. That really popped my balloon of euphoria! The tide came back in ...
First up is Your Motivation Erin Salston. Here is a promo photo from Integrity Toys (IT).
And the accessories (photo again from IT).
Here is a production photo of the doll that arrived this week.
Full length in box.
I pre-ordered this doll as a consolation for not getting Heiress Erin Salston from the 2017 Heirloom Collection. It's funny how things turn out. I was on a doll board and another collector was selling a nude Heiress at a great price. I jumped on it. So Heiress Erin Salston (Number 6 of 2020) finally joined my collection right before these girls arrived.
That means Your Motivation Erin would be Number 9 of 2020. That is if she stays. I'm not sure I like her as much as Heiress and they are rather similar.
Arriving with Your Motivation was Like No Other Nadja Rhymes. A photo from IT:
The accessories (also a photo from IT):
The doll that arrived.
And a full length shot.
Like No Other Nadja Rhymes shows up as #8 of 2020. I'm actually eager to get this one out!
When shipments arrive at Integrity Toys warehouses, they ship as much as they can together. Not only did I have to come up with payments for Erin and Nadja, the Friend or Foe Poppy Parker/Ginger Gilroy giftset was billed at the same time!
A nice IT photo of these girls.
And IT's photo of the accessories.
Here is a real life photo of the giftset that arrived.
The Poppy Parker is not getting a lot of collector support right now.
All of the interest is going to her counterpart in the giftset, Ginger Gilroy; every fan of Poppy has been eagerly awaiting this frenemy!
Collectors are loving her. I think she reminds me of that doll called Mizi.
If they stay, they will Friend or Foe Poppy Parker #11 of 2020, and Friend or Foe Ginger Gilroy #10 of 2020.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Unfortunately I could not bond with either doll in this giftset. I am looking forward to the Ginger character with a different screening. The giftset was sold NRFB, so they are not included as #10 and #11 of my Collection Additions for 2020.
And here I thought my ratio of dolls leaving to coming in was 2:1. Hopefully I can find homes for some dolls before IT's next shipment arrives!
It would only seem logical to move from Veronique Perrin to the doll that joined her for the launch of Fashion Royalty, Adele Makeda, but that would've made too much sense. A second option, would be to move to another member of the Perrin family. Again, too simple.
In 2011, Veronique's mold was changed after a short hiatus. A couple other characters debuted during this time. Many collectors believed these characters were "off shoots" of the redesign process for Veronique. Conspiracy theories are always interesting, aren't they?
One of those was Korinne Dimas, which has never made an appearance in the FR2 lineup! I believe there has only been seven versions of this doll even released. Some collectors do not like this mold due to its strong nose. Although I've owned a few of them, the only one with any staying power here was the original blonde version of Shake It Up, an IFDC exclusive with an edition size of only 300. (She was recently put on a FR2 body.)
The reason I brought Korinne up is that I would like to keep at least one version of each mold in my collection. Since Shake It Up is the only version I own, she will remain in my collection by default. This lead me to the realization that I didn't need to keep Royal Treatment Veronique Perrin, especially since I was also keeping Stage Presence Veronique. Three blue-eyed, platinum blondes, with red lips and smoky eyes were just too much. It was especially obvious that Royal Treatment was leaving when I put her next to Shake It Up.
The other mold that came out during this time was Anja Christensen. Again, this mold sadly has never transitioned into FR2 territory. There have been at least ten versions of Anja. I have owned several, and I have five actually living here, just recently finding a new home for Wrap-ture.
Just as I did for a Korinne/Veronique comparison, I found that one of my Anja versions, Agent 355, actually was a little similar to one of the versions of Veronique I planned to keep, Nocturnal Glow.
Although they are different enough, there is still the blue eyes, nude lips, curly long brown hair with smoky eyeshadow connection. I actually prefer Nocturnal Glow's screening.
I purchased In Sequins Anja for her dress. I had a lot of trouble bonding with her hair, so I tried fixing it. I really prefer her this way; she reminds me of a young Priscilla Presley.
But ... she also reminds me of another NuFace doll residing here, Fame by Frame Imogen.
I have only attended two conventions ever, and Fame by Frame was the convention doll at Tropicalia. Not to mention that my table host was Veronica Hage who corrected this doll's eye for me. She has become a good doll friend, and Fame by Frame has such a good memory attached to her.
Veronica also corrected another doll for me, Dark Side Anja, by completely redoing the eyes. She recently transferred to a FR2 body, so she is another "no-brainer" for putting in the "Staying Here" pile.
That leaves me with two more versions of Anja. Both of which are quite under-rated in my opinion. The first is the Carol Roth version called The Entrepreneur Equation.
She will joining her sister, Dark Side, here.
The last Anja in my collection is Dovima, A Woman Who Thinks.
I'm not sure why I like this doll so much, but I do. I keep telling myself that AFL Raven Vanessa Perrin is a much better version of a dark haired doll with a widow's peak, blue eyes, and red lips, but I'm not listening to this argument.
That gets me through three characters.
When I started this process:
Veronique - 15
Korinne - 1
Anja - 6
What is still here:
Veronique - 9
Korinne - 1
Anja - 3
I'm moving in a good direction! Can't stop now!
