The Dolls Site

Kate Middleton and Prince William Barbie Dolls to Be Released to the Public Plus Other Dolls that Have Been Done in …

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:43:21 +0000

In honor of their one year wedding anniversary on April 29, Mattel is releasing limited edition wedding day dolls of Prince William and Duchess Catherine. The Barbie dolls are going on sale on April 7^th and will cost $155.00. Each comes in their wedding attire that they wore to their wedding held at Westminster Abbey. As of now they’re not going to be released in the United States. However, there are several other dolls that have been done in their likeness that you can check out in the meantime.

Engagement doll

Right before their wedding, the Franklin Mint released alimited edition doll of Kate in a replica of the outfit she was wearing during the announcement of her engagement. The 16-inch doll is wearing a blue jersey dress and a miniature version of the necklace she wore and the sapphire engagement ring. It took them three months to create the doll and 23 steps just to paint the face. Only 5,000 of the dolls were made.

Engagement doll with two outfits

Released by The Ashton-Drake Galleries, the 16-inch Kate Middleton doll is comprised of hand-painted porcelain and comes with two different outfits – a replica of the blue jersey dress she wore for her engagement announcement and a replica of the cream-colored dress she wore for her engagement portrait. The doll also comes with a replica of the necklace and ring she wore. Many dolls on the market come with the jersey dress, but it’s not very often that it also comes with the one she was wearing in her engagement photo. Not including shipping, the doll costs $149.99.

Bride doll

Should you prefer the non-Barbie doll version of the Duchess dressed as a bride, the Ashton-Drake Galleries carries a 16-inch hand-painted porcelain doll dressed in a replica of the wedding dress she was wearing on April 29. The doll also comes with the tiara, veil and bouquet. The doll costs $149.99 not including shipping. It actually bears a striking resemblance to the real life version.

Groom doll

Available through The Bradford Exchange, the groom doll features a replica of what William was wearing on the day of his wedding. The 17-inch doll is wearing a replica Irish Guards uniform, complete with small replica medals on his chest. The doll is $149.99.

Which dolls do you think look the most realistic?

Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network here to start publishing your own articles.

Nolan Middle School students rehearse ‘Guys and Dolls’

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:43:19 +0000

It was a big step up for some of them.

Greg Short, for instance, who last played a grave digger in Tom Sawyer, this time around plays Nathan Detroit, Frank Sinatras role.

Jackie Koelsch, who last played a squirrel in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, steps up to play Miss Adelaide, a role played by Vivian Blaine in the movie.

Riley Knutson may have a little more experience as a lead actor, including playing the prince in Cinderella.

But this time he plays Sky Masterson, Marlon Brandos old role.

I have seen the movie and he is really cool, Knutson said of Brando.

There is a lot of singing and dancing numbers in Guys and Dolls, which revolves around a high-roller on Broadway and a strait-laced urban missionary.

Spoiler alert: it all works out as the gambler repents, and the dolls get their guys.

Its a lot more challenging being the main character. Its not something Im used to. I feel I have a lot to live up to, said Short.

Taylor Halbeck has Jean Simmons role, Sgt. Sarah Brown.

I like the combination of singing and acting, Taylor said.

She doesnt intend to pursue a career in theater; she plans to follow her mothers path as an artist.

I do this for fun, Taylor said.

Nolan annually does a large musical in the spring, Branning said.

There was no shortage of students wanting to take part. There were about 150 vying for 40 spots in the cast, and another 20 for the crew, she said.

Its great working with students who are so talented, Branning said.

Tickets will be sold at the door for $5. Children under age 5 are admitted free. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Nolan Middle is located at 6615 Greenbrook Blvd.

James A. Jones Jr., East Manatee editor, can be contacted at 941-745-7021. Tweet@jajones1

Get the Downton Abbey Paper Dolls

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:09:27 +0000

For Downton Abbey fans who’ve been longing to spend more alone time with their favorite characters, Vulture has devised the ultimate plaything in the form of Downton Abbey paper dolls!

For Dolls frontman, 'It's all about songs'

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:09:27 +0000

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Less than a week from tonight, New York Dolls frontman David Johansen will be playing a star-studded tribute to Howlin’ Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin at the Apollo Theater alongside legends like Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Elvis Costello.

A longtime friend of Sumlin, Johansen played, along with Clapton and Richards, on Sumlin’s final album, “About Them Shoes.” He says the show was originally booked as a Sumlin concert before he died in December at the age of 80.

The Friday night show in Harlem has since morphed into a benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America and an appreciation of the influential blues man.

“Hubert was a good friend of mine. I sang with him for many years,” Johansen, 62, says from his New York home earlier this week. “He was a great guy and a really extraordinary man.”

Luckily for area Johansen fans who didn’t have the $150 to $1,000 for tickets to the show, the man who once morphed from a protopunker to his eclectic alter ego Buster Poindexter will perform in Arden tonight. And the price of a ticket, $25, is a bit more manageable.

In between tours with the New York Dolls — they re-formed in 2006 and released a softer album called “Dancing Backward in High Heels” last year — Johansen likes to do a couple of solo shows a week “just to be able to sing, which is what I do,” he says.

For tonight’s show at Gild Hall, a show concert promoters have been angling three years to land, Johansen will be accompanied by Brian Koonin on guitar, who has played with the New York Dolls, led the Buster Poindexter band and also performed in Johansen’s other band, the folkier Harry Smiths.

Johansen says his set will be a mixture of material from across his 40-year career, including songs from his solo work, Dolls songs that are “ballady that we never really play on stage,” Harry Smiths tunes and even one or two from his Buster Poindexter years.

“It’s all different kinds of stuff and then some others that aren’t from any of those places,” he says.

In between touring and recording — he’s perhaps eyeing a new solo album soon, his first since 2002′s “Shaker” and is planning a summer tour with the Dolls — Johansen unloads his diverse musical knowledge on his own SiriusXM Radio show, “David Johansen’s Mansion Of Fun,” which airs Sundays at noon on The Loft.

Prince William and Kate Immortalized as Dolls Plus Other Celeb Barbies

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:30:35 +0000

If you can’t get enough of the gorgeous royal couple, now you can own their likeness. The famous Barbie making company, Mattel, is capturing the day the world watched Prince William and Kate Middleton say, “I do,” by releasing Barbie dolls just in time for their one year anniversary in April.

These are probably not the kind of dolls that children should play with, at $100 a pop, they’re said to be for adult collectors. The royal dolls feature the same attire worn for their famous lavish ceremony, with Barbie Kate wearing a replica of her Alexander McQueen gown with all the intricate details included, even a miniature sapphire engagement ring.

Prince William‘s doll has quite the full head of blonde hair, and looks suspiciously like a Ken doll, donning a red military jacket, while Middleton’s doll has luscious brunette locks similar to what the 30-year-old newlywed has in real life.

Kate’s little sister, Pippa, is still single and has yet to find and marry her true love, but when it comes to dolls she has already been immortalized. Last November, both sisters were made into somewhat scary looking muscular action figures. She’ll find to wait until she finds her Prince Charming before she has a chance of being a part of a famous, and far more flattering, Barbie doll couple.

Mattel hasn’t given the honor only to British royalty. Country superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were made into doll replicas for the long-time couples’ 15th anniversary last fall. While Hill looks very much like Barbie in real life, her doll was probably quite easy to design, while her husband’s doll wears a big black cowboy hat and has a much thinner build than McGraw sports. Mattel was said to take two full months to be sure to “get it right,” but we’re not so sure they pass the test.

Last month it was reported that Mattel was working on creating Kardashian sister Barbie dolls, duplicating details such as their designer outfits, and even dress measurements. It’s unlikely that the reality star siblings will be immortalized with a partner, especially considering they might have to make a new Ken doll for Kim every few months.

“Twilight” couple Bella and Edward were made into Barbie dolls wearing their wedding attire from the movie for special release this month. It just so happens that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are boyfriend and girlfriend in real life. Are the dolls a glimpse into their romantic future? Only time will tell.

Who do you think will be the next celebrity couple to be immortalized as Barbies?

Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network here to start publishing your own articles.

Get the Downton Abbey Paper Dolls

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 04:30:31 +0000

For Downton Abbey fans who’ve been longing to spend more alone time with their favorite characters, Vulture has devised the ultimate plaything in the form of Downton Abbey paper dolls!

Mattel to issue William and Kate dolls for royal anniversary

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:48:01 +0000

(Reuters) – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are really getting dolled up for the first anniversary of their royal wedding.

Mattel Inc, the U.S. maker of Barbie dolls, said this week it will release a special two-doll set in April to mark the one-year anniversary of Prince William and Kate Middleton‘s wedding at Westminster Abbey.

The figures, part of Mattel‘s Barbie Collector series, will come dressed up in outfits duplicating those the couple wore in a ceremony that was viewed by an estimated 3 billion people worldwide.

For William, that means a pint-sized version of his red Irish Guards outfit with a bright blue sash.

For Kate, that means a miniature of the traditional white dress and veil she wore, as well as a teeny-tiny tiara just like the diamond-studded original she borrowed from Queen Elizabeth.

The price for the two-doll set is $100 and Mattel is taking pre-orders at www.barbiecollector.com.

The royal couple joins others in Mattel’s Barbie Collector, including country singers Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, as well as TV stars Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

(Reporting by James B. Kelleher)

Not all child's play

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:47:58 +0000

SOCIETY: Dolls that look like me

By Vicki Gough

Posted 2 hours ago

Brenda Travis loves dolls. It’s a life-long affection with no end in sight.

In childhood though, Travis says she didn’t have dolls that looked like her.

“All my dolls were white, when I was growing up,” Travis said.

She didn’t have black dolls until much later in life when she could afford to buy them.

Travis has collected over 300 dolls and counting.

A number of them are now on display at the Chatham-Kent Black Historical Society to mark Black History Month.

They include eight new dolls she created to reflect black Canadian women of interest.

To start, Travis made their clothes. Local art student T. J. Brown painted their faces.

“I was very pleased to get a local artist,” Travis said.

The new additions to her doll collection include Viola Desmond. She was an African-Canadian woman who spent a night in jail for refusing to move from the “White Only” seats at Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, during a show in 1946.

She later challenged the court, which led to Nova Scotia dismantling its segregation laws.

Canada Post has just released a stamp honouring Desmond.

Another doll portrays Dr. Sophia Jones. Born in Chatham in 1857, Jones was denied admission to medical school in Toronto in 1879. She eventually went on to become the first black female doctor to graduate from the University of Michigan and established medical practices across the U.S.

There is also Marie-Joseph Angelique, a slave, who was tortured and publicly hanged after starting a fire in her owner’s home that grew to destroy 46 buildings in Montreal in 1734.

“We don’t know about these women and we should,” Travis said.

Dolls commemorating contemporary women include Michaelle Jean, Canada’s Governor General from 2005 to 2010, and Jean Augustine, the first African-Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons in 1993.

The doll display also includes a doll design competition for local students.

Paige Osborne entered her breast “canser” doll dedicated to her grandmother.

“Her story was so moving we didn’t change a thing on her entry, including her spelling,” Travis said.

There are also dolls of different nationalities including Irish and Japanese. Travis has some favourites of her own. Among them, a Fulani Tribe doll from West Africa, which she has been told could be part of her ancestry.

The dolls remain on display until the end of March.

vgough@chathamdailynews.ca

Twitter: DailyNewsVG

Concern over dolls

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:52:43 +0000

THEY look like real babies, feel like real babies and, with eyes closed, sleep like real babies.

Getting to toy with emotions

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:52:43 +0000

Hello Dollies at Penrith Regional Gallery. Green Wash Warrior by Penny Byrne
Source: Supplied

AT first glance these dolls look like ordinary childhood treasures. But take a closer look and themes ranging from parental love and Easter Show memories to racism and political disputes start to emerge.

Hello Dollies, now showing at Penrith Regional Gallery & The Lewers Bequest traces the history of dolls, from the 1940s onwards.

“I was cleaning up my home and my daughter was helping me and I opened up a trunk and there was three dolls from my childhood,” says curator Shirley Daborn.

“The memories were there and I was telling all the stories.

“It made me think how many other people had dolls that were important to them as keepsakes.”

Not only did Daborn discover there was a widespread love for dolls among both children and adults, but many artists had long been using the toy as a vehicle for their messages.

“In hindsight it kind of seems an obvious choice because everybody seems to be able to identify with dolls. We tend to personify them,” she says.

“I think because the doll is such a common kind of visual imagery in our everyday life that we basically end up not seeing them. The works definitely push the boundaries of what we typically understand the doll to be.”

One such is Green Wash Warrior by Penny Byrne.

“Penny is very political with her art process and the Warrior is like a play on the white washing,” Daborn says.

“(The doll) is like a fictitious warrior coming in to save the day … lots of words but no action.

“Artist Peter Baka gets lots of objects from the street, op shops, second-hand stores, whatever catches his eye he gathers them up and takes them back to the studio.”

Baka’s Falling Deep Into Myself shares the gallery with Kate Just’s life-sized knitted statue titled Uniformed/Dad.

“That’s a personal work, an exploration, because that’s her father represented there in his policeman’s uniform,” Daborn says.

“She said it took quite a few months (to complete) but during that time it was very contemplative, so she thought about the different paths that her father had taken compared to herself.

“He’s standing very straight and looking stern, but obviously he has a warmth about him.”

Heartbreak is around the corner with Joy Hester’s artwork Gethsemane – a portrayal of her dear friend Sunday Reed’s doll.

“Sunday Reed was unable to have children, so this doll she made was a substitute,” Daborn says.

Traditionalists will enjoy the three miniature doll tableaux by Euronwy Rene Wilson, on loan from the Powerhouse Museum.

The dolls are from the late 1950s to mid-’60s and received first prize ribbons at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

“Everyone will walk in and start recalling memories because most of us would have had a doll that we told all our secrets to, our fears,” Daborn says. “It becomes an important part of our past.”

Penrith Regional Gallery, 86 River Rd, Emu Plains; until April 22 (official opening on Saturday), free, penrithregionalgallery.org