Guys Grab Dolls for the Holidays

Most of Stafford’s clients for high-end fashion dolls are men.

The Witch isn’t dead, but Ashton-Drake’s Gene may be, according to retailers who specialize in collectible fashion dolls. The Tonner Doll Company’s green-skinned Wicked Witch of the West doll flies off the shelves on her little straw broom, while Gene just sits there gathering dust on her gray eyebrows. Tonner, Integrity Toys and Mattel have the gals of the moment, and smart retailers have ordered extra Tyler Wentworths, Jason Wu-designed Fashion Royals and I Love Lucies for well-behaved adults this Christmas.

“Collectors have really gone wild over Tonner’s ‘Wicked,’ series,” Gigi Williams, co-owner of Gigi’s Dolls and Sherry's Bears in Chicago, told TDmonthly Magazine.

“I have the Green Witch in Red Dress on order as well as several basic wicked witches and Miss Gulch,” said Ellen Stafford, owner of The Dollhouse in Jonesborough, Tenn. “Anything Wizard of Oz sells,” including the Alexander Doll Company’s various collections.

For 2006, Tonner’s adding new costumes and dress dolls for the Wicked Witch and Glinda. “We’re also doing a Fashion Lady of Oz, reproducing some of the Emerald City fashions,” Tom Courtney, director of marketing for Tonner, told TDmonthly Magazine.

A clothes line will debut for the popular 22” American Models. And Tyler Wentworth, minuscule fashion designer, is hitting the runway.

“The day before Toy Fair, we’re doing a fashion show with live models and a couture line at the Westin Hotel in Manhattan,” continued Courtney. “It’s a special thank you to our retailers and a charity event for Broadway Cares: Equity Fights AIDS.”

Over at Integrity, they’ll be celebrating the Fashion Royalty dolls’ fifth anniversary in 2006. “We're planning a huge line for next year,” designer Jason Wu told TDmonthly. “There’ll be a preview, with a cocktail party” during Toy Fair at Integrity’s brand new “W Space” at FAO Schwarz, he said.

Those out of the loop for these hot tickets might want to drop by for The Dollhouse’s bimonthly fashion-doll collector’s club meeting. Most of Stafford’s clients for high-end fashion dolls are men, but her Barbie fans are an even mix.

Adults tend not to buy separate outfits, noted Janet Kysia, manager of A Pink Princess in Boynton Beach, Fla. If another outfit catches their eye, they just buy another doll. At Doll World Surroundings in Columbus, Ga., though most of owner Lucille Eilland’s clients are women who like to change the dolls’ clothes.

Eilland carries Alex by the Alexander Doll Company. It sells steadily for her but most retailers complained that the doll doesn’t move. However, at the Pink Princess, Alex, Cissy and Coquette are all “doing well, and the clothing too.”

At Anna’s Collectibles in Cherry Hill, N.J., “If there's a dark-skinned [fashion doll], I do very well with that because a lot of my clientele are African Americans.” She also sells Helen Kishes.

Theories varied on why Ashton-Drake’s Gene had fizzled. “They flooded the market,” complained one retailer. Others cited Internet competition and the company’s slow response to customer requests.

The same wasn’t true of Mattel. “They listen to collectors,” raved Susan McDonald, owner of Susan’s Shop of Dolls in Middletown, Md. She and other retailers agreed that the Silkstones and I Love Lucy lines were their best sellers.

“I’ve been in business for 19 years and have seen all the fads come and go,” continued McDonald. “But I still love Barbie and most collectors do … They all come back to Barbie.”

Here are some of the hottest fashion dolls for 2005, a preview of what’s up for 2006 and a few fashion dolls that potential collectors (i.e., kids) want to play with today, according to retailers: