I Vant to Suck Your Blood

Until recently Vampires were the stuff of horror novels and movies. Stories of the undead go way back in mythology and folklore but according to Wikipedia, the "charismatic and sophisticated vampire of modern fiction was born in 1819 with the publication of The Vampyre by John Polidori..." "However, it is Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula that is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and provided the basis of the modern vampire legend."

My Mom told me that when she was a teen she saw the original Dracula movie and was truly terrified. It was reported in newspapers that at the opening of this film, members of the audience actually fainted at seeing the horror. Bella Lugosi could scare the crap out of a door knob without saying a word.

Oddly enough it was my mother who introduced me to Anne Rice's books. First I read the fabulous Mayfair Witch series and then I went on to read The Vampire Chronicles and the rest of her books. If you have never read her witch novels, you don't know what you're missing! The two themes ultimately entwine. They are very satisfying. The Twilight series pales by comparison. There are similarities Meyers sprinkled in her books but like the entire series, there is no depth.

This wasn't meant to be a book review but I just finished reading the Twilight series. Most of it was fun and rather simple-minded. There was nothing scarier than speeding cars in any of the four books. The really scary vampires get torn to pieces or go floating off back to Italy.

For those who couldn't get enough of the Twilight movie, Robert Tonner produced Edward and Bella last year. They are two of the most boring-looking dolls that could be imagined. Robert Pattinson does not look like this doll. I wonder what he thought when he saw it. Kristen Stewart is prettier than her vinyl counterpart as well. But I think the vacant look on the doll portrays Bella's personality well. Edward's hair looks afraid.

Images are property of Tonner Doll Company.

Last week, Mattel revealed their version of Bella and Edward. The Mattel dolls are truly tragic. There was no attempt to make the Bella doll look like the character at all. She's Barbie. The Edward doll looks like a miniature Tonner Edward with bad skin.

Image property of Mattel.

Come on...this guy is fabulous-looking. I collect Tonner's dolls and if there were a doll that looked like Robert Pattinson, it would have been in my house already.

Now for a little more realism in a set of (just under) 7" action figures from NECA. According to promotional material they are posable and highly detailed. They're very appealing at under $30 for the pair compared to $139.99 retail for Tonner's dolls. Mattel's duo come in at about $25 each.

Give me Lestat, Louis or Marius any day.

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By the way, bats are good. They eat mosquitoes.

Mini Gene Dolls Set to Debut

It was announced to the public that three new Hollywood Royalty dolls based on the fictitious Gene Marshall designed by Mel Odom, would be coming soon.
I have created three montages to show the new dolls and the original 16" Gene doll upon which it is based. The original dolls were manufactured by Ashton-Drake and are some of the earliest of all the Genes.

"Blue Caprice" is based on Blue Goddess [inset]

"Red Desire" based on Red Venus [inset]

"Midnight Lace" based on Pin Up [inset]

The first two will be available from dealers, the last, Midnight Lace, will be a W Club exclusive available to lottery winners. Each is a limited edition of only 250. The estimated delivery date is Mid-Late November, 2009. And the price is a whopping $150.

I like the idea of these dolls. I was never a movie star-doll lover and Lana Turner, although nice, never really grabbed me. Josephine Baker wasn't a Hollywood star and I didn't care for the quality of the dolls. Since I am already fond of the Gene line, past and present, these are "just right" (says Goldilocks.)

I've had people ask me today who Gene Marshall was. I suppose for non-Gene collectors it can be confusing to find out that she wasn't anyone but the product of the creative mind of her creator.

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There's a touch of sibling rivalry going on between dedicated Gene collectors and Fashion Royalty collectors. Some are saying that Integrity should have made these into 16" dolls. It's never enough! I think the Gene line this year was amazing!

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With that said, two new dolls in the Return to Hollywood (Gene) line-up have been announced and they are absolutely gorgeous.

Pearls and Pink Ivy "Vee J." Jordan® Dressed Doll

Heat Wave Violet Waters® Dressed Doll

Both dolls are limited to just 200 each and are estimated to arrive in October, 2009. Price $119.00

Monica Doll Studio

Monica Doll Studio was in operation in Hollywood, CA from 1941 to 1952. The dolls were designed by Mrs Hansi Share, who wanted to market a doll with rooted hair so that children could brush and style it. Glued wigs did not allow for much play by children, so Mrs Share designed a doll with human hair that was rooted into a cement-like composite material.

Monica was the first of these dolls, and three more dolls were created for the line: Veronica, Rosalind, and Joan. The dolls are made of composition and range in size from 15 - 24 inches tall. The tallest dolls may have been made with hard stuffed cloth bodies. Their eyes are painted with great detail and they come in dresses and gowns appropriate for the time period. The dolls are unmarked, but it's hard to mistake them for anything else, as they were the only dolls manufactured at this time, with rooted hair. Their face sculptures and paint are also very recognizable and distinctive.

From 1948 to 1952, Monica Doll Studio made a hard plastic doll with rooted hair. Her name is Marion.

Monica Doll Studio dolls do occasionally come up for sale, and it's difficult to find one without balding (due to hair breakage) and composition crazing - but keep looking. These dolls are unique and have beautiful faces. Truly a doll for the golden age of Hollywood.

My Monica Studio dolls are both 20 inches tall and are fully made of composition material. One has been re-dressed, and the other comes with her original gown. Both dolls have had to have crazing repair, but luckily, they have most of their hair, despite some breakage. The re-dressed doll, I am fairly certain, is Monica, but I'm not sure who the other one is. I may just call her Rosalind, after screen legend Rosalind Russell. Anyone see a resemblance?