REBOOT - 2024 - Collecting Cycle 2024 Number 1

Maintaining this blog helps me keep up with my collecting habits each year.  When January rolls around, I always get anxious about looking back over the previous 12 months of spending and selling.

I honestly try to keep my collection manageable, but it's not easy.  I'm sure many of you reading this entry feel the pain as well.   

In 2023 I managed to re-home 36 dolls.  Things seem to be shifting in the doll collecting community lately.  Sellers are finding other means for connecting with buyers through social media.  It is getting more difficult selling on e-bay.   Merari has established itself as an alternative as well.  I feel good that I was able to sell what I did with the current economic climate and shifting interests.

Unfortunately, I added 46 dolls in 2023, which was ten more than left.   The lion's share of these were Integrity Toys dolls.   I discovered Dominion Doll this year though a great doll friend.  I hope to add more of these high quality resin ball-jointed girls, but they are quite expensive.  My love for Jamieshow Muses has only increased in 2023 as has their production of quality dolls and ensembles.

The only good news is that I have seriously limited the purchase of dolls on secondary market.   Another good thing is that Integrity Toys has started producing dolls in larger quantity which has seriously affected after-market resell prices.  The majority of my secondary market dolls were purchased as "lottery takeovers" at original retail cost!   If you take away W Club exclusives, I only purchased three dolls as secondary market prices and two of those were actually less than the original retail prices!  I can feel good about that.

Last year, 25% of the new dolls I purchased were received in January.  That was quite overwhelming.  Fortunately, there has been only ONE doll purchase so far in 2024.  This doll was purchased retail through a U.S. seller, Fabric Friends.

One of the main reasons I purchased this doll is that it represented the last doll in this line to be designed by Mark Tinkey, who has since resigned from Integrity Toys.   Here is a full length photo in the box:

And a closeup!  I am usually not a fan of fantasy hair colors, but I am totally smitten by this cutie (there's something Wednesday Addams about her)!  Collecting Cycle 2024 - Number 1 is Frills & Kills Misaki.  

Best of 2023 - Number 1

It's hard to believe that I have been collecting Jamieshow/Owensu Muses for three years now!   This line continues to impress me more than I can express in words, and I have amassed quite a number of dolls, ensembles, and wigs.  2023 was another outstanding year for Jamieshow/Owensu Muses.

The last capsule collectors received in 2023 was called Moments of Joy.   Similar to Integrity Toys, Jamieshow/Owensu Muses premiers a line to the public prior to production.  They take orders on their offerings to gauge popularity with collectors and then place their orders with the factory.

There were only three female dolls and one male doll included in the Moments of Joy capsule, but there were 13 ensembles, 11 shoe packs, four luggage/pet accessory sets, and three new wig cap designs in various colors.  This capsule had a more formal feel than previous collections this year.

Here is the promo photo for Jamieshow/Owensu Muses Moments of Joy.

From this collection I only added two dolls and three ensembles.   

The first capsule making its way to collectors in 2023 was Bonjour Paris.  This collection was more to my liking.  It was very "casual chic" and the dolls seemed younger somehow.  Here is the promo photo for Jamieshow/Owensu Muses Bonjour Paris:

I don't usually order so many dolls, but I wound up with all three females and one of the males.  I also succumbed to five ensembles!   What is so fantastic about the fashions is that they can be worn by other 12" fashion dolls.  Here is my Dominion Doll Nika wearing Look 2.

Arriving in the summer, we received my very favorite capsule ever produced by Jamieshow/Owensu (and it was the one I was most skeptical about when it premiered).   Here is the promo photo for Jamieshow/Owensu Go East:

I just pretty much lost all reason with this collection.  I ordered 5 of the six dolls and 8 of the ensembles!

Here are some photos of my favorite 2023 Jamieshow/Owensu Muses wearing some of favorite 2023 Jamieshow/Owensu ensembles.

First up we have Bonjour Paris Eileen wearing Bonjour Paris Look 7:

Also from Bonjour Paris is Sabina wearing my favorite Bonjour Paris ensemble Look 6

To showcase Bonjour Paris Look 8, we have Go East Natalie: 

While we are at it with Go East, here is Go East Lan wearing the most intricate and detailed ensemble in my collection Go East Look 5

How about Go East Sakura wearing Go East Look 8

And my favorite Go East girl, Sasha, wearing Go East Look 1:

From the Moments of Joy Collection, here is Moments of Joy Grace wearing a look from last year's Enchanted Look 4 (that I just purchased secondary market this year):

And probably my most photographed doll from 2023 is Moments of Joy Valentina wearing Go East Look 11

My dilemma with creating my countdown this year was that Jamieshow/Muses would've dominated the top 10, especially if I took into consideration these amazing ensembles.  All it takes is a change of the magnetic wig cap and you get a completely different look!  And all the dolls can share the same wig caps.  I know it doesn't seem fair to compare Integrity Toys dolls to these little resin works of art individually painted by hand, not using stencils.  And they do cost almost three times more than a Fashion Royalty doll.  And besides that, I wanted to try and include a doll from all the lines I collect.  My only solution was just to group them together as one collection as my Best of 2023 - Number 1, Jamieshow/Owensu Muses 2023