Podcasting?!

Hey hey hey!
So I tend to be fairly diverse in my online projects and endeavours. And Iv just started up a new thing!
Recently, my husband and I have begun recording a bi-weekly podcast, every Sunday and Wednesday. Its not exclusively about toy collecting, but we are a couple of dorks and collecting does come up from time to time as well as whatever nerdy movies or video games weve been gushing over. It also always features bizzar Canadian factoids, because we are Canadian.
I dunno if that sort of tomfoolery would interest you, but if it does, please check us out, it would make our day 🙂

CHANDITOYS!

I recently discovered a truly magical thing on Kickstarter: Chanditoys.
I pledged to the campaign right away. Unfortunately it did not end up being funded, but that didn’t stop me from purchasing one from the lovely girl who makes them regardless.

Chanditoys are each handmade and 100% unique. They are designed by the artist Cat as a representation of who you are inside. From the website:

Chanditoys are plushies based on people. They reflect who you are and what you feel. They were created to help people (mostly troubled ones) to talk about their experiences and views. This is meant to help as light therapy, as even the toy itself shows you inner beauty you might not see or what you become when filled with negativity. The overall goal of Chanditoys is to help people feel happier -even if it’s the slightest bit of happiness- one smile at a time. (: 

That is quite possibly one of the coolest and most adorably caring toy concepts I have ever heard.

So you answer a series of questions about yourself (and don’t be shy! The whole point is to open up!) and the wonderful Cat designs the toy based on your answers. You will then be sent the drawing to double check you like what she has designed, and if you do, the plushie gets created. Each unique. Each special. Each a representation of a beautiful individual.

I’ve decided to name mine Chara.

Beyond just being in love with the concept, I also love the design. They kind of remind me of CLAMPs Mokona character, crossed with something you would find in a Serendipity book. They are super cute, as well as being wonderfully well made. Chara feels sturdy, and shes well stuffed. I couldn’t ask for a better hand made piece.

I highly recommend checking out the website, and getting yourself a Chanditoy. Cat is wonderful every step of the process and will respond to your inquiries with prompt friendliness. Great experience, through and through!

Lalaloopsy Girls – Mittens Fluff ‘n Stuff

I have been super stoked for a while seeing that Lalaloopsy was releasing a line of fashion dolls. Iv always loved the Lalaloopsy dolls; I collect the minis and considered getting the mix ‘n match dolls. The main line is adorable, but a bit too large for me. But these ones really did it for me, and I was so excited when my Toys R Us got them in.

 
The first I’ve picked up is Mittens Fluff ‘n Stuff, one of the cutest of their line of characters. I’ve always loved Mittens’s snuggly winter coats and cute kitty touque. The bright blue braids are defonatly a big win in my books!
I LOVE the face on these dolls. Shes super adorable but also kind of classy. She looks glamourous at the same time shes sugary sweet.

 
The Lalaloopsy Girls dolls have molded hair on their heads, and plastic elasticy hair in pigtails that can be styled. She came with a comb, but I dont think I will be taking her pigtails out of the braids.
The hair also changes colour in cold water! It truely does work, but its pretty light and dosnt last for long, so I wasnt able to get a picture of the effect. Its neat though, I always liked heat activated changes in toys when I was a kid.

I dont generally feel it nesisary to display the doll in the nude, but the Lalaloopsy girls have one of the most unique body molds Iv ever seen. I think her large non-feet are utterly adorable, I almost died with glee when I removed her shoes to find these big blobs. Its sweet and simplistic and very reminisant of the old cloth dolls their look is based on.

Altogether, I think this is a fantastic looking line, and Im looking forward to getting some more 😀

Zecora

Zecora has always been one of my favourite characters in the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic show. And while theres not a lot of merchandise for her, theres certainly more then I ever expected. Getting a Zecora pony was not very expected, and neither was getting a Zecora Equestia Girls doll! So when I saw the Toy Fair photos, I knew this was one I would have to add to the collection.

 
Now shes got added pink streaks in her hair because she is a part of the “Rainbowfied” line, but I really think Zecora pulls that off nicely, especially with the matching makeup.
I rather love her asymetrical look; she looks punky and classy all at the same time. I was a little skeptical how the earrings would look on top of her head like that, but they end up looking pretty cool IMO. I think that she translated to doll form very well actually, all in all!

I do wish that she had bigger, more prominent stripes though. Shes supposed to be a Zebra, remember?

Now Im sure you already know my feelings about the clothes that the Equestria Girls come in. Really the only EQG outfit Iv liked was Trixies.
This one is… quite possibly my least favourite outfit ever. Its… the skirt, really. I hate the skirt. There, I said it. The jacket is totally cool and the tank is cute, but the skirt is awful.
That said I dont really think any of it suits Zecora specifically because, if youve seen the show at all, Zecora is African.
So you can bet that I will be redressing her sometime soon 🙂

Mother of Dragons

Finally got my hands on one of the new Game of Thrones articulated action figures from Funko!
Iv been eagerly anticipating the release of these and waiting with bated breath for my local stores to get them in. Iv had to wait a bit longer then I hoped, too, because the first time attempted to pick up Daenerys, she was already sold out. Bummer. But its been well worth the wait!

As usually from Funko, the sculpt is absolutely gorgeous. The detailing on her clothes and hair is phenomenal, and although the face mold isn’t the most accurate to the actress Iv seen, its certainly not the worst either. She looks just great! Shes also way more articulated then I ever dreamed. Shes got the usual articulated points at the shoulders, elbow wrist, as well as thigh, knee, ankle. But shes also articulated at the waist and can turn this way and that, as well as bend over backwards!
Of course as I have also found with Funko, the paint job isn’t the greatest and there are certainly a few smudges on my figure. I also wish the elbow joints had been fully painted!

All in all though she looks amazing…. and absolutely gorgeous from the back, too 😀
Word of caution though; if you want to display her with the dragon perched upon her shoulder and not loose the darn thing, I would recommend gluing that sucker in place. He dosnt stay very well.

 

Vitruvian H.A.C.K.S.

So I have backed another awsome looking kickstarter!
Vitruvian H.A.C.K.S. is an awesome looking line of articulated action figures by Boss Fights Studio.
I was instantly drawn to how detailed and realistic the Medusa armor was (Plus, an articulated gorgon figure?? Yes please!)
Upon further checking out their product, I am super impressed by how ludicrously well articulated these things are. I could use the darn things for anatomy study! They are also designed to be easily modified and customized, if thats your thang. They can be taken apart and put back together for ease of repainting and modding. Cool beans!

I think these look super sweet, and I totally want all three of the Gorgon Sisters.
Check out their Kickstarter and show them some love!

“Plastics” Photo

 Today I bring you another photo from my lovely husband Travis.
He is doing a wonderful photography project, photographing various “Nerdy Things”, and this particular photo featured some of my dolls! He seems to very much like the Kurhns. Last time he wanted to photograph inanimate plastic humans, he also picked a Kurhn as well.
Elsa makes an appearance as well there in the background though!
I thought the photo came out lovely, so I thought I would share it.

More of his photography work is found here, and he also has a blog.

Cerise Hood

Cerise Hood!
This character is one of my favourites on the Ever After High webisodes, both in look and design and in character and personality. Cerise is super cool looking, with a darker, edgier outfit then most of the others (she is a Rebel, after all!) So when the first images of her as a doll started appearing online, I was super excited. And now I am very glad to have added her to my collection, and shes a stunner!

I absolutly love everything about her outfit, from her red hooded cape, her plaid dress and her stockings/boots combo. She looks freaking awsome. But this doll does of course have one major dissapointment: she does not have wolf ears. The character on the show has wolf ears, in fact there was a whole episode dedicated to the reveal of Cerises “secret”. This is a very odd ommission to me, since Mattel is of course also responsible for the Monster High line, several characters in which do indeed have animal ears. So we know that it isnt as though they dont have the budget or ability to make a unique head mold for this character featuring wolf ears.

Iv been waiting to see if any of the other Cerise releases have the wolf ears, but no dice. Even the Comic Con Exlusive Cerise, which features a completly wolf-ified design (which looks gorgeous by the way, that item is going on my grail list for sure) looks as though it may or may not actually have the wolf ears. So I finally caved and bought the basic Cerise because I do love her a lot, even if the lack of wolf ears greatly dissapoints me.

 

Everything else about this doll is amazing however. I love all of her accessories, and shes one of the few dolls I am actually displaying with her purse! She also has a slightly darker skintone then the other Ever After High girls (though the lighting in my photos is making it appear a lot more yellow-y then it is in person)
Her straight hair is beautifully cut into bangs. Its a lot longer then it appears in the show, though in the show her hair is always obscured by her hood, so its hard to tell exactly how long her hair actually is. I know a lot of people have expressed dissapointment not to find a cute little bob cut, but I do very much like the length here.

All in all I do love her… Wolf ears or no. Shes one of my favourite characters, so I could hardly pass her up 🙂

Jane Boolittle

So I’ve actually had Ms. Boolittle for a while now, and just been too lazy to get off my butt and make a blog entry about her! But it’s high time I did because she is absolutly LOVELY!

I’ve been in love with her design since I first laid eyes on her online. Shes a monster of unknown species… her backstory has her being discovered in the jungle as a baby by a researcher named Dr. Boolittle (clearly a referance to one Dr. Doolittle)

Shes got the most delightful purple skin, which I think is absolutly fetshing. (I especially love how it stands out against yellow, oh my)
Her whole outfit is jungle themed and I just adore it. The mis-matched feather earrings and sandals are excellent (with the bigger sandal on the left foot and the bigger earring on the right ear, some of my favourite kind of balance asymetry)
It may be simple little details, but its the simple details on this doll that really stand out.

    

Details like the cute little blue tattoos under her eyes, or the fact that the shape of her lips is absolutly beautiful and totally unique.  She even has accessories that I enjoy, unusual for me. I love her staff and ADORE her little sloth friend who can ride on her back as a backpack.

Jane is absolutly awsome! And Im so glad I picked her up 🙂

IAmElemental

 I just backed an awesome looking Kickstarter campaign, and I thought Id share the info around because these look AMAZING.

Its no secret in the doll community that in the mainstreme, non doll collecting world dolls are the subject of hot debate for their reprecussions for young girls. I dont really want to touch on that debate too much because I actually really understand both sides of it and dont feel like pointing any blame fingers around. Suffice to say though that while I am a girl who loves to collect super girly princessy kinds of dolls (Ever After High anyone?) I am also a nerd who loves me some awesome super heros and feminist empowered icons. And theres no escaping that in the world of toys, things are pretty skewed to exclude girls from most action oriented characters and play.

Unfortunatly most starry eyed feminist adults with dreams of changing the world one empowered toy for girls at a time dont actually understand toys enough and the results are really sub-par products as alternatives to the status quo. Or they try to tear down on the establishment of the pretty princess, creating feelings of resentment in those of us who really actually happen to like long flowing hair and gorgeous princess gowns thankyouverymuch.

But IAmElemental has fallen into neither of these traps and Im really really really excited by what they are doing. The design is good… like real good. These girls are beautifully feminine while still exuding an aura of power and badassery. They arent scantily dressed… but they arent un-fashionable either. They just look damn good.

I backed this Kickstarted in a heartbeat and cant wait to get some of these figures in person by the end of the year. I am of a firm belife that princesses and super-heroines can and should live side by side.