Later then every other year, Integrity Toys unveiled four new collections of dolls this past weekend to the members of W Club through a webinar presentation. The event was not without its problems; many people, including me, were not able to see the photo slides of the dolls, were instructed to log out and back in again which resulted for many in a message saying the webinar is full. That meant no live presentation - we had to rely instead on other members that posted screen caps on the club forum. The company apologised profusely and promised to take the matter up with the software maker. I am not too familiar with the mechanics behind such presentations but I guess that when you organize such a large, worldwide event on-line, things can go bad really fast and also it is good to have immediate access to IT people supporting the event so that they can fix such problems in real time. The dolls are available to pre-order now so get in touch with the dealers from the IT list ASAP.
The collections will be presented on separate posts here in the blog, with a fifth one dedicated to the event doll. Let's start with the first group presented, which is a new brand for Integrity Toys: the Katy Keene collection. These are dolls based on the iconic comic book character Katy Keene and her fashionable friends from Archie Comics. David Buttry presented this collection and said they were inspired by the comics and the related paper dolls produced throughout the years. I was very thrilled to see these incredible fashions and gorgeous faces until I saw that all dolls have Color Infusion bodies. This means that they cannot share fashions and shoes with most of my other dolls. I also think that this is the wrong type of body for this era. I believe that the dolls would look better with either the previous Fashion Royalty body (the tall one with the large bust) or the Victoire body, so that they could exchange fashions and accessories with her, since their eras match. I do not know the reasoning behind the body choice but it made me not order any doll. Otherwise, they look amazing. The detail in the clothing is fantastic and the face paints and hairdos are perfection. On to the dolls:
So who is Katy Keene? A character created by Bill Woggon, she has appeared in several comic book series published by Archie Comics since 1945. She is a model/actress/singer known as America's Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashions. The readers were encouraged to submit original drawings of outfits and accessories for her and her friends to wear, as well as designs for cars, homes, interiors, etc. These designs were used in the comics with credit given to published submissions. Many issues featured paper dolls of Katy in various costumes. After a 20 year hiatus from the 60s to the 80s, the character was revived, was retired again in the early 90s and re-introduced in 2005 as a high school student. I am glad I am not alone in noticing an eerie resemblance of Katy Keene and Katy Perry. Writer Donna Dickens of Hitfix.com wrote an article in April 2014, suggesting pop star Katy Perry had based her entire fashion persona on the character. The story generated enough Internet buzz that Perry actually issued a statement to Rolling Stone Magazine saying she in fact did not base anything about herself on Keene, although jokingly acknowledged the coincidences. Well, sorry Ms. Perry but the resemblance is too strong to have me convinced. Let me know what you think in the comments.
Item # 14069
Winning Number
Lucki Red Lorelei™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition Size of 425 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Late July 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $145.00 US
Available for Pre-order from Any Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer
Doll Tech Specs:
Body Type: Color Infusion
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: B-Tone
Hair Color: Red
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
Lucki Red Lorelei is Katy's best friend. She is a superstitious redhead, also a model, and wears green as it is a lucky colour, as well as accessories shaped like a horseshoe or a four-leaf clover for the same reason. She is stunning and apart from being beautiful, also wears quite an intricate suit - and green. If you want to sell me something, paint it green. She has the Jem sculpt from the Jem and the Hologram line. If she was on another body I would have snapped her up. Lucki Lorelei.is a fully articulated 12.5-inch vinyl fashion doll with fully rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes. A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.
Item # 14070
The Odds are Stacked
Gloria Grandbuilt™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition Size of 500 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Early July 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $145.00 US
Available for Pre-order from Any Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer
Doll Tech Specs:
Body Type: Color Infusion
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Japan
Hair Color: Pale Blonde
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
Katy's rival in her career and love life is the wealthy and snobby blond Gloria Grandbilt - the name is a take on the socialite Gloria Vanderbilt. She's the blond of the trio and what a gorgeous doll, again in a perfectly detailed suit the colour of rubies. The doll uses the Tilda Brisby/Roxy sculpt - and to good effect, looking better than any previous incarnation. Again, if she was on another body, I would get her too. Gloria Grandbuilt is a fully articulated 12.5-inch vinyl fashion doll with fully rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes. A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.
Blue Serenade
Katy Keene™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition Size of 500 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Early July 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $145.00 US
Available for Pre-order from Any Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer
Doll Tech Specs:
Body Type: Color Infusion
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Black
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
The third doll presented is the protagonist of the line. She is using the Rapture sculpt from the Jem line. This particular outfit was picked from a paper doll; it was shown in the webinar and it is almost an exact copy down to the accessories. Katy Keene is a fully articulated 12.5-inch vinyl fashion doll with fully rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes. A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.
Item # 14072
Shimmering Dynasty
Katy Keene™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition Size of 500 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Early July 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $145.00 US
Available for Pre-order from Any Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer
Doll Tech Specs:
Body Type: Color Infusion
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Japan
Hair Color: Black
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
Since she was revived in the 80s, David thought it would be a good idea to have an outfit based on that era. Very Nolan Miller/Dynasty like (hence the doll name), it could have easily appeared in the series, worn by Joan Collins. Look at the jewellery! Katy Keene is a fully articulated 12.5-inch vinyl fashion doll with fully rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes. A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.
Item # 14073
Everything's Keene
Katy Keene™ Dressed Doll Gift Set
Limited Edition Size of 500 Gift Sets
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Late July 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $185.00
Available for Pre-order from Any Authorized Integrity Toys Dealer
Doll Tech Specs:
Body Type: Color Infusion
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Cream
Hair Color: Black
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
So this is actually a gift set with a good price. She has two dresses, a coat and lingerie, with two gorgeous pairs of shoes - the beige ones are to die for. And does she look like that other Katy or not? Katy Keene is a fully articulated 12.5-inch vinyl fashion doll with fully rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes. A doll stand is included as well. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.
So what do you think about this line? Let me know in the comments. I am certain that if it is a success, we will also see the men in Katy's life: the red-headed boxer K.O. Kelly, his rich blond rival Randy Van Ronson and their 80s replacements, the Latino airline pilot and talented dancer Ramon Ramirez and the Arnold Schwarzenegger parody Arnold Horsenlegger. She also had a sister, simply called "Sis" that could also make an appearance. People in the webinar asked about other Archie characters entering the line and David said it would of course depend on the success of the line.
Please note that the dolls shown in the photos are prototypes and the final production dolls, colours and fabrics may vary slightly. All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2015 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. KATY KEENE is a registered trademark of Archie Comics. ™ & © 2015 Archie Comic Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used Under License.
Hello from Spain: I really like your dolls. Your photos are great.Keep in touch.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I was disappointed that she wasn't on the Victoire body. Sharing clothes between them all would have been a natural. The CI dolls from the convention and those shipping are in the 1970s era, so that won't work as well. Sometimes clothing can be shared between the lines, but it isn't a given, and shoes are almost always a problem.
ReplyDeleteFor that reason, I didn't pre-order any of these dolls, despite liking their faces and outfits. Maybe I'll cave at some point. It may depend on when they come out, and whether they are still available.
I think the CI body type is just great. I love the length of the leg, although the articulation is not as much as FR2 body type. I love all the dolls and the outfits are just detail and flawless for me. Thank you for sharing! tifde_moscow
ReplyDeleteThank you for these reviews - they are great ! ❤️ I have just bought Shimmering Dynasty Katy on the secondary market and I am hungrily reading reviews while I wait for her to arrive �� I have very recently dived into the world of Integrity toys, having been a Pippa and Barbie collector for a few years, and I am captivated! ❤️❤️❤️ I was on the verge of buying a doll with FR2 body but read some reviews and was very put off by the dodgy waist joint. I'm also not keen on the look of the 'old' FR body - my dolls have to look good naked! The CI body is stunning and the articulation is great! I have 4 Jem dolls and they are all fabulous! However, I fully understand that if you have an extensive collection of beautiful clothes which can't be shared with the CI dolls then that would be a drawback. I have however found that lots of Barbie clothes (some of the collector clothes are really very nice��) fit them perfectly. And they can wear Monster High shoes which is great fun! Oops, sorry for the essay... ��
ReplyDeleteI've read and collected Katy Keene comics for years, and I must say, none of these fashions and certainly NONE of these dolls look anything like the paper dolls in the comics. The faces and hair are generic, the outfits--which are indeed gorgeous--don't strike me as Katy inspired. Outside of the 80s tribute, there's nothing here that suggests the late 40s, 50s, or early 60s. And, of course, the price is extravagant. This looks like a knock-off of the old Gene dolls to me. I don't expect they'll be very successful, since their line depends heavily on nostalgia. Not many people outside of Baby Boomers remember Katy Keene, and the version today is nothing like the glamorous iconic Katy we all know and loved.
ReplyDeleteI love these dolls. I have been trying to remember the name of this comic that was featured in the Archies for the last year and today I stumbled upon these dolls based on it. I am also a doll collector and so just love this. My main doll collection is the Wilde Imagination dolls and while I really like these I'm just not sure if they fit into my collection. It would also be nice to see what kind of box they come in as I'm not familiar with this line. Are the dolls easily removable to display or are they like barbies and can't be removed at all? Something to think of.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the walk down memory lane!
Integrity does great packaging to go with their great dolls. And yes, they are easily removable to display, unlike Barbies.
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