Tonner Dolls Puts on a Show!

Playing with dolls is a way for people — not just little girls — to be creative and to express themselves.

TDmonthly gets the scoop direct from tween trendsetter Juliette Brindak.

A three-course gourmet meal with a very exotic salad; tender, juicy chicken and then apple pie a la mode for dessert: Broadway musical stars? A fashion show? Sound like a glitterati premier for Brangelina? Nope, it was all for a doll!

Dolls have always been associated with little girls. Growing up, they’ll play with the dolls and after they reach a certain age, dolls become no longer cool. If tweens are still playing with them, they’re playing with them on the sly and usually have them in a big tub under their beds. Tonner Doll Company (ToyShow)makes the idea that dolls are just for little girls completely old fashioned. And having a full-feature fashion show with live models dressed up as dolls? Even the adults wanted to get in on the act.

For the Tonner Doll Company’s 15^th anniversary, Tyler Wentworth, the company’s flagship trendsetter, put on a fashion show of her new collection. What was so cool was that there were the actual dolls dressed up in the outfits and then models that looked like the dolls in life-size clothes. Robert Tonner, who used to work in the fashion industry (Bill Blass), was able to combine his old passion and his new. The fashion show brought these dolls to life.

For those not in the doll “know,” the Tyler Wentworth collection features a doll that seems as if she’s based on an actual person, she’s so detailed and thought out. In fact, she is a fictional fashion designer who owns her own company and whose life is represented through the dolls. By using Tyler as almost an alter-ego, Robert Tonner brings a whole new aspect to the Tonner doll line. Not only are the dolls exquisite, but one can see that their clothing is, too.

Being up-close to the fashion show, I got to see the intricate details of the clothes and how extraordinary they were. The real-life clothes were perfectly matched up with the dolls’ outfits and they put a whole new meaning to the dolls. The dolls weren’t just dolls anymore, but they were real people — which is what the Tyler Wentworth collection is trying to accomplish. The models not only looked like the dolls themselves, but they also had the same persona and gave off the same vibe that the dolls did.

It’s all so classy. The Tonner Doll Company creates figures that are not only high quality, but also extremely beautiful. Looking at these dolls causes collectors’ jaws to drop and makes anyone who doesn’t collect wish they did.

There are many different lines of Tonner dolls. Some are specialty dolls such as those based on characters from the “Harry Potter”movies, “The Wizard of Oz” and “Memoirs of a Geisha.” Others are Tonner classics such as Effanbee or Betsy McCall. But in all cases, Robert Tonner has not settled for just mimicking his source, he’s taken the doll form and turned it into art.

Robert Tonner stressed when I talked with him “if you don’t take the dolls out of the boxes, they never have a life.” Although many people love to have their dolls up on shelves in boxes so one day they can sell them for thousands of dollars, what is the fun in that? All that time just looking at the doll and never actually being able to dress it up or play with it seems such a waste. Seeing the models dressed up like the dolls gave the dolls a life and made them real. Playing with dolls is a way for people — not just little girls — to be creative and to express themselves. The Tonner Doll Company allows people to do that through their diverse and exceptional dolls.

The following is more information on unique Tonner Dolls.