I can't believe it is already April, and I am just completing my first post of the year. Last year was not one of favorite collecting years. My sweet husband was recovering from a major car accident and I was devoting a lot of my time to him. Fortunately, after a BIG surgery late in the year, he is finally on the mend and can do more for himself and around the house. We made the life-changing decision for him to take an early retirement to focus on his recovery and it has made the world of difference.
As a doll collector, I was disappointed in myself last year. My guidelines were completely ignored! I was only able to sell five dolls from my collection while 29 joined the herd. That wasn't just a "step" in the wrong direction, but an actual "leap"!
As many of my followers know, the focus of my collection has shifted over the past couple of years to Jamieshow/Owensu Muses. I have pre-ordered fewer dolls over the past several months and have passed on several opportunities. I am truly trying to focus on quality vs. quantity.
I almost didn't join the W Club for 2025 even though I have been a member since it first started in 2006 (I even have my membership pin). That doesn't mean I can't appreciate a beautiful doll when I see one.
The biggest benefit to the W Club is the exclusive offers and lotteries. This brings me to the first doll I received in 2025. Integrity Toys NuFace Baby Blue Imogen Lennox was a W Club Exclusive from 2024 that cost $175 plus taxes and shipping. This doll checked so many boxes for me: Nuface character, hungarian skin tone, short platinum hair, and a ton of accessories and redress opportunities.
Here is a full length photo of the production doll I received:
And here is the closeup in the box.
Although I am not the biggest fan of the new hair trend of that weird gap in the middle of the stiff bangs, it's easy enough to comb it out.
Here is Integrity's promo photo of the accessories. Now, that's a whole lotta fun in one box!
As you can see, there are two full sets of jewelry, one more casual than the other more dressier set. The giftset came with nice sunglasses, a super pair of boots (I probably would've ordered this for the boots alone), flats, socks, a white fun coat, a sparkly top that matches the skirt, cute underwear that doubles as swimwear, and even a little kitten. Collectors got a lot of bang for the buck with this giftset. Personally, I consider it one of the best produced in a long time for the quality of items received. Here is one of the IT promo photos showing different possibilities of the ensembles.
Here is a photo of mine right out of box.
Although I really like the coat, it will probably get used with other ensembles. Here is how Imogen looks without it.
There is no doubting this is one beautiful doll. She just might be my very favorite version of this character. My ONLY issues are very minor.
First, Imogen's hair was very stiff and seems rooted thicker than the promo photos. It's not as easy to attain that slicked back, close to the scalp, look as shown in the promo photos. I just decided to comb mine out a little and actually liked the result. She somehow reminds me of a modern interpretation of Nancy Sinatra's These Boots Are Made For Walking. I LOVE IT!
The other issue is the extreme side glance. When IT produces dolls with this eye screening, one iris is produced larger than the other. I think it is intentional to achieve the correct gaze. If the irises were the same size, it would look quite odd. It was a design choice for this extreme side glance, and although it isn't one of my favorite screenings, it still looks quite nice when photographed at the correct angles.
The first doll added to my collection in 2025 is one that I truly anticipate showing up in my end-of-year countdown, Integrity Toys NuFace Baby Blue Imogen Lennox. Just a true homerun for Jessy Ayala and Integrity Toys!
Looks great after you combed its hair, the only thing I hate about this gift set, it's the neck bow that I broke its magnetic closure trying to put it on.
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that your husband is recovering. Don’t be too hard on yourself for doll acquisitions vs sales: it sounds like you were busy with other things.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know how this W Club year will go with tariffs: I hope small companies like IT are left standing at the end of the year. Even in a usual year, I don’t buy more than a few dolls, but I still enjoy having a membership and being in the loop. So, I did join for the $75 Canadian cost, and have crossed my fingers. At least I have a healthy doll supply to occupy me for a while if need be.
I like the outfit for this Imogen, especially the colours and the cat, but the total package didn’t meet my very selective criteria (with fewer than 5 IT dolls per year) . She see seems very popular, though.