I have several online friends who were affected by the Etsy cease and desist. I love buying wigs and patterns to sew for myself (when I have the time 😅) and to customize with. Pink Stardust is the first thing I have bought from AG in about 6 months, partially due to the Etsy strike. All other dolls and AG outfits were Ebay and FB finds. Your Integrity dolls are beautiful- at least the first one you showed with the purple 90s extra outfit. I can see why you loved them.
Ooooh which pink stardust did you get? Not that I’ll judge you if it is as Josefina instead of Claudie 🤪 No really they’re both beautiful, so either way I can see why you broke your strike
Well I have to say I am now into my second month (yes) of collecting AG dolls. I use to collect Barbie when I was a girl, teen, and young woman. I stopped because people would make a big deal of it. I just became an empty nester and took up AG dolls when I was deciding what to do with my daughter's AG doll house. I have not been this happy in so long. I am also glad I found your RUclips because I was going to give it all up when everyone gave me such a hard time. Your story inspired me to do what I wanted and not care what anyone thought. Well, most everyone has come around seeing me happily putting my doll outfits together. I now have my husband's full support as he watches me arrange them. Any how I probably mentioned it before, but thanks again. And yes, those dolls are spooky. LOL
@@LisaWhitmire-c3f isn’t it wonderful how happy dolls can make us? True, not everyone will understand… so maybe they don’t deserve to. I can’t imagine what it’s like to go through life with no passions. You were going to give up something that brought you that much joy to fit into some mold?? Lisa!!! I’m so glad you found the inspiration you needed in time!! Not to be an enabler, but if this makes you happy, I will only encourage you 🥰🥰 And it sounds like you taught those around you something. What a wonderful end to this story!! Bit of a roller coaster as I can as reading lolllll.
@@NightwingAquaman aren’t we awful?? I can’t be left alone for 2 months. Same with you? You should’ve seen his face on the video call when I showed him ☠️🤣
It took me a while to get into Rainbow high because I didn't love their feet for some reason LOL but then I got a few really really cute ones, and then the quality just went down and I haven't found any I like anymore. Same with OMG Surprise dolls, they were really great for a while, and now I just don't care about them.
@@TheHollycopter I could never ever love Bratz because their shoes are detachable feet-so I understand lol! There’s one new RH doll I want… but I’d need to find her in store because I’ve heard the QC is terrible on her. But you’re right, they’re not the same anymore (but I still buy them for my niece-she’ll never be able to grow up because of me 🤣)
I soooo appreciate this video! I recently parted ways with a huge part of my collection and find that other collectors tend to feel some type of way about that (like you were a "fake" collector if you ever sell your collection..?). It's was honestly really nice to relate to someone about this stuff! When I collect I go hard, but when I'm done, I'm done and I feel like that's not the norm in the community.
@@ILUVRH oh I never even thought about that, people relating to the feeling - but I know exactly what you mean! I started a channel to talk about a line of dolls I haven’t been collecting all that long… but it’s okay because I’ve been collecting dolls my whole life. It’s not my fault toy companies eventually disappoint me to the degree I move on to something better 🤣
You are so true with finding joy with one's collection. If it starts to cause more stress... It's good to re think of it. I love integrity toys but at this point, I only get the ones that resonate with my joy. Thank you for this video
@@braynroquero2918 collecting dolls can be so addictive it becomes similar to an abusive relationship at some points 😝 It’s a shame because IT dolls are so beautiful, but opening them became more stressful than exciting. Like, ooooh I hope I got a good one! At the price point there should never he a question
My best friend collected Living Dead Dolls. It was so nice when Hot Topic had them so it was easy to get them for her. I collected other dolls so we would buy each other dolls.
@@MyRealitywithNicole I’m like that with my best friend… but I think I’m more of a doll pusher than she’s a doll collector too 🤣 But it’s the nicest way to get dolls right?
34:45 OH. I remember that! I've said it before, and I'll say it forever, I love my Integrity Toys dolls but I am embarrassed to call myself an Integrity Toys Collector. That "community" is NOT it!
@@ghosty4 are you talking about my experience specifically (it was when I posted Sugar and Spice Poppy) or it happened to you too? I’m sure it happens to everyone at some point 🤣 Yes they’re a very … detail oriented community lol.
Funny thing is I wasn't a fan of Rainbow High dolls, in fact I loathed them, for the longest time. Then last year, my friend told me she was interested in the clothing, and I learned how much detail and quality went into RH clothing (putting Barbie to shame). But then I discovered Shadow High and found them to be much more my vibe and ended up loving them. My collection has only ever consisted of 6 dolls (7 counting one I recently found at a discount store but I haven't opened her because I'm having second thoughts and I'm not sure she fits with my collection.) However, very quickly MGA decided to make them more appealing for kids and less fashionable so needless to say, I don't collect them anymore. But I don't need to. I'm very content with my small collection. I never knew that IT was a Black-owned company, thanks for sharing that info. My relationship with Barbie is getting rough. Like I'm always perplexed and disappointed with them (though I just got the Sapphire Anniversary Barbie as my first Silkstone and I do like her a lot.) But IT does seem very involved to me.
@@Amber-se7qq haha yes the inhuman proportions take some adjusting with RH. SH realllllly brings it all together tho. I could no longer avoid the obsession… so I was glad they took that turn within the last year. I wish I didn’t gloss over important details, like how the owner of integrity toys started the company because no one was making dolls that looked like his daughters. I really hope they can get their quality back to where it was. It’s in fact gotten worse since I quit 💔
@@DisBlaine Yeah you're right. I didn't take to them right away, but I just needed the right ones that appealed to me. I actually like them because they feel more substantial, like a BJD almost. I have the Storm Twins, Glitch, Kim (who is RH but she totally fits), Uma and Demi Batista. I'm really sorry to hear that. It feels like a lot of things in the world are declining in quality. If I ever do get into IT dolls (they seem so exclusive) I don't see myself going crazy with collecting them. I'm very picky and I only collect what I really resonate with.
If you are interested, IT isn’t that complicated if you join the W Club, which has membership open once a year (I think it’s February). If you go to their website and put your name on the email list, they will send you information when enrolment time comes. However, I have been collecting for 3 years, and the quality is definitely not what it used to be before the pandemic, and the prices have gone up. I have only been buying a few dolls a year, which is fine because they cost around $300 CAD by the time I pay for exchange rate, shipping, and taxes.
Mainly a Barbie collector. I, too, got the Sapphire as my first Silkstone. I have a good collection of Rainbow High dolls. I just picked up the ones I liked when they would go on sale. I also collect My Little Pony G1 but I cooled down on them.
@@iamsoverybored878 I like MLP G1 as well. I got rid of my childhood ponies when I went through my minimalism phase years ago. Probably one of the very few things I felt regret about parting with. So I began to collect some of the reproductions but haven’t really looked into collecting the actual vintage ponies. I don’t have many ponies either. I still try to be very selective about what I collect. I’m not a completionist at all.
As a new adult collector, I am snowballing right now lol, I had a few rock/punk/grunge/goth OMGs, and I saw Shadow High... Now I am collecting every second hand Rainbow and Shadow high I can from France 😂
@@stay_in_paris5351 new collecting is the best / worst 🤣 There’s so much fun stuff to get but limited funds… but not limited space (yet). Enjoy the new moments!! One day you’ll look back like, remember that. It was so simple then!
The way you feel about Tiana is similar to how I feel about Elena. I know it's not a one-to-one comparison since Tiana had a feature movie and is part of the princess line up and Elena is "just a TV show" but the abysmal marketing for her and the show still irritates me when I think about it. All the merchandise was very samey and I was annoyed that they only released her other outfits as sets or on other dolls. I know some people like to have dolls to display all the outfits, but I simply didn't have the room. Then they pulled the merch plug a year or so after the show. The last of the merch trickled out in 2018 (Show premiered in 2016 and ended in 2020), and most of it was regulated to only the toddler market. She's not considered commercially successful by Disney despite all the award the show won even though it's THEIR FAULT. You can't sell dolls and toys when NO ONE KNOWS YOUR SHOW/CHARACTER AND THE MERCH IS ALL THE SAME. I used to cosplay her and even little kids didn't know who I was supposed to be, which was sad to me. I ended up getting my favourite character from the show (Carla) as a custom doll. Both in "Barbie size" and a Disney Animator version and like you, just started buying other outfits. I have a whole tub of Barbie clothes (mostly older and bought in lots) I got just for my EoA dolls so I could dress them up since it's hard to find Elena's other outfits that aren't her ballgown or standard dress by themselves secondhand. (Now to be fair, the show came out at a WEIRD time and pretty much every Disney show from 2016-2018 flopped hard due to people moving away from cable to streaming. But D+ didn't exist yet and even if people had cable, they often didn't have Disney Junior (where the show eventually ended up) and also the scheduling was absolutely bonkers and no one outside the adult fandom could really keep up.)
@@DropsOfIndigo oh yes I know several Elena fans who feel the same! Maybe even worse because, as you said, she’s “just a tv show” character, so it’s such an easy excuse to ignore her. A few years back Disney Store brought in some great merch for her. It sold well but I think the truth is they have their favorite princesses they’d rather focus on 💔
@@DisBlaine Disney treats their TVA (Television Animation) like rubbish and it's sad. Because EoA is a genuinely good show (except S3. That was a narrative mess) and with a PRINCESS as the main character! In theory, it should have been popular. But Disney let it fall into obscurity fast. Disney Store had GREAT merch! Like I said, the problem is that it was just very same-y. You can only sell so many Elena doll sets and Scepter of Light toys. Japan has some kickass Elena merch though. I can't wait to finally order some when I get some extra funds.
I love hearing about your collecting journey. I was into AG folks in 2009 and we were on discussion boards, Proboards. I’m still a member of 2 boards and they’re still around. They can get very nasty though and some of that has carried into Facebook groups. It’s funny about RH. I always admired them in target, but passed because I was an AG collector and didn’t want another scale of dolls. Shadow High sucked me in. Glitch was my first. You’ll note that Glitch is SH series 2. I collected through this year, but gave up after SH series 3 and RH series 5. The aged down folks and the gimmicks were too much. I’ll enjoy the few I have and maybe try to collect a few that I missed that u still want (Georgia Peach and Delilah Fields). The Toybox Philosopher blog was the first place that I heard of Living Dead Dolls. Can’t wait to see your collection.
@@melangellperry5984 that’s why I’m very quiet on forums and fb groups now. If they’re small, I’ll post. But other than that, I’ll buy what I want and get out 😝 Sometimes I wish I had kept a few more of my Rh dolls - ESPECIALLY my SH dolls, but I don’t even know what I’d do with them aside from pop them in a vide every now and then lol! They are cute tho aren’t they? Ahhh memories. That’s what they’ll remain 🤓
@@melangellperry5984 oh and yes Glitch was amazing! Sadly I forgot SH made it to s3. I never got a single one despite loving them. It was already too late
I remember seeing Living Dead dolls as a kid and thinking they were oh so cool. Like a horror version of Madame Alexander dolls. Never had one though. I didn’t know Integrity Toys was so hard to collect! I’m similar to you, if buying something makes you go through hurdles, I’m like nah no thanks. 😅 I think it’s Volks that has a lottery like that as well. And some bjd companies are only sold in Japan and require proxies. So I’ll likely never bother, unless second-hand. Do you think you’ll ever get into ball jointed dolls? That’s practically its own category of doll collecting 😂 there’s so many companies and doll sizes! There’s something for everyone.
@@HryPotrFreak that’s a good way to describe living dead dolls! They became hit or miss in later series, but those first few 😍🤯 Integrity has made to order dolls for club members - and the rest of the dolls are lottery or sold through “dealers” but if you don’t have a relationship with one (I was very lucky I had a local dealer!) you weren’t getting any at retail! A lot of LDD collectors switched to BJD, but they don’t suit my style of collecting. I want to see multiple dolls on display together - and even selling my Integrity dolls couldn’t afford me a bjd collection like that lol! Same with smart dolls (which I guess are probably bjd too lol)
I can see why you couldn’t resist Rainbow high. I really love them too but decided I couldn’t go down that rabbit hole. I do have two or three I found in thrift stores. They are very cute. I love their hair and outfits. I was sad when the brand started to change. I love seeing the other doll lines you collected!
I really enjoyed this retrospective of sorts! First, it sounds like you did the smart thing with that person from your Living Dead days - all sorts of red flags there, and it's not about being thin-skinned, it's about trusting your gut. Fandom friendships can be absolutely amazing and wonderful (two of my bridesmaids in my wedding were fandom friends that I'd only met in-person twice before!), but they can also be toxic. Your Living Dead dolls seem neat, though if you do a video on them, please forgive me for skipping - I am very horror sensitive, weirdly. I blame my dad letting me watch Chuckie when I was three. I enjoyed your explanation of the Disney dolls - I have a few of the 12" designer dolls that were done lately, but I can see the appeal and then the disappointment of the 17" dolls, ESPECIALLY with how they were awful to Tiana. I am so tired of hearing companies say that Black dolls, or BIPOC dolls, don't sell as well. Part of me is sure that it's true, but part of me is like, well, if they don't sell as well, maybe it's in part because of your TERRIBLE MARKETING STRATEGY??? (See: Claudie.) When you shove white dolls in our faces all day but don't do a single thing for your Black dolls, is it truly so shocking??? Isn't that Marketing and Advertising 101??????? Rainbow High is a line that I collected, too, but I got out around the same time you did. I really wanted some of the Series 5 dolls but could never find them without glaring QC issues (and I am NOT someone who notices QC most of the time!), so I never got any, to my sadness. I did purchase one of the new Rainbow HIgh dolls recently, one of the ones with glitter legs. I bought her as a stim toy mostly, lol. She's actually pretty cute (I got the orange sparkle legs one), but the lack of articulation is still just such a bummer. I still contemplate trying to sell off my Rainbow High collection from time to time, but most of what I have still makes me happy, even if I'm not actively buying anymore, so I'm not there yet. I might have to find a new place for them, though, if I keep growing my AG collection (which I largely don't want to do, because I only want a mid-size collection). Your Integrity Toys story is really interesting. I didn't know they were starting to have QC issues, too. How did you feel about the RTB program? I think that would have been too much for me, personally. They have really striking faces, but I can definitely see what you're saying about the hairlines, especially for the doll that was the final straw. I truly hope AG doesn't go this route for you, at least not for a long time, since it seems to bring you so much joy.
@@eliseelliot that’s true about gut instincts-problem is I don’t really have those 🤣 I’m often too worried about offending people when they’re being a jerk. It takes a LOT to push me to my breaking point. But I was thin skinned in the sense that I let a negative experience with a toxic human ruin my love for a collection of dolls I loved SO MUCH. Watching Chucky at 3 would’ve been a dream for me. It came out when I was 9, so my older brother put me in a hockey bag to sneak me into the theater. I needed to see it THAT BAD! Ugh!!! I’m so sick of toy companies lying to us about the demand for poc dolls too!! I’m so eager to see how pink stardust Claudie sells compared to Josefina. I was very lucky with integrity toys’ RTB dolls for a few years-and when I didn’t win, I would tell myself the “doll gods” knew what I as best. When I started losing way too many, it helped me lose interest… which meant I was right about the doll gods knowing best-because it was time to move on!!
I adore Living Dead Dolls. My Jason Voorhees one is honestly the pride of my whole doll collection and the only one I keep in box. I dunno if he's rare of expensive but I got him from my parents on my 16th birthday and he's so special to me. I never did get involved in any communities back then. Never appealed to me.
@@kayleighbrown459 what a cool bday gift!! I was obsessed when they released that doll. I remember watching my DVD box set every night in anticipation 🤓🤡 Before the drama I had a nice time in the LDD community. I won series 12 (all 5 dolls!) in a contest and a few other things too. I made some nice friendships-but unhinged people are everywhere, just waiting to ruin all the fun 🤣🤣🤣 Idk if Jason is rare either. They stopped making them until these deluxe dolls, so I’d assume the demand for them dropped some-but I wouldn’t know. He’s THE best presents doll regardless
@@DisBlaine He totally is. The detail on his head skulpt and mask and clothes is insane. I don't even know how my parents got it cause we live in the UK. I think it was through a store called forbidden planet. Oh, and hey. If you like horror, have you ever heard of Little Apple dolls?
@@kayleighbrown459 haha yes a lot of LDD collectors were into LAD too! They never got to me at all tho, because it was just the same doll in a different outift as far as I could tell.
@@DisBlaine Yeah, pretty much. They don't even differ in terms of hair. I was properly obsessed with them as a kid. They were the perfect combination of spooky and adorable. The clothes were so intricate and they all came with stories and names and had these little foam apples that you could stick pins into. Loved them so much.
It took me a while to like RH with the big heads but it was like one day they clicked in my brain with the outfits, articulation, hair and faces! It was such fun collecting them but like you I began to lose interest when MGA’s started cost cutting and then when they moved the line to young children, that closed the door for me. However Lol OMG doesn’t look so strange as they once did. 😂 So now I’m focused on American Girl but proceeding more cautiously. Claudie is top on my wish list. Thank you for an enjoyable afternoon watching your video. Love your stories❤
@@azeverinarizona1931 it’s a shame the trajectory RH took-but I hope it’s doing well. I love the original concept… but the rebrand is way too young to appeal to adult collectors (I think). I would buy omg dolls to put the clothes on my RH girls-then give the dolls to my niece 😝 Do you have AG yet? Be careful if you take the plunge! I once thought having 30 AG dolls was the limit…
I have been an AG fan and customer since 1995 when I started by buying a Bitty Baby for my daughter when her brother was born in '96. I bought her and made a complete layette for her including diaper bag, carrier, bassinette and what have you. When my son was born she got the doll (aged 4) and she and i changed and fed our babies together. Then when she was she was 7 she got Molly and eventually, (aged12) she was embarrassed to play with her now numerous dolls and I took over for her and I now have more than I dare count and a multitude of outfits along with some accessories. No dollhouse so not very many really large pieces. Neither she nor I were never tempted by any of the other types of dolls. None of them stole oir hearts like they did and still do. None.
@@lisbetsoda4874 oh wow that’s honestly impressive-and really wonderful to hear! You have so much history and sentiment with AG. Thanks for sharing that!! It’s really touching 🥰
I started collecting again 4 years ago after a long absence from Barbie collecting. Now I collect many different lines and price ranges, and I haven't really quit any totally. I feel similarly about current Rainbow High and Integrity as you do, but I am still interested in a few new offerings and will occasionally buy one. I think the line I am most disillusioned with is the $100+ collector Barbies because they are poor value in comparison to play line like Monster High, and they pale in comparison to earlier decades. I had to laugh at your Net-a-Porter Aymeline story because I was also trying to get one, and that was my first Integrity doll. After much online stalking of the website, I managed to get the Nubian-skinned one. I like her, but she cost around $400 CAD once delivered, and I don't think she was worth that. Also, despite there only being 500 of each skin tone, they both generally now sell for less than original retail. I think it was a small group of people who had really big FOMO and were hunting her down. That whole episode taught me some important lessons about collecting, so I guess there is some added value and sentimentally around her from that standpoint.
@@c.w.2000 I’ve never collected Barbie (or MH despite his much it suits my taste) but I’ve always heard collectors go back and forth, I guess with the yoyo quality. Ugh! Those NAP dolls!!! I got the midnight garden one really easily a couple years earlier, so I wasn’t prepared for the lunacy of lilac and plum. Lilac was okay but someone had to help me get plum (my fave in pics of the two but lilac was nicer in person). That was definitely the beginning of the end for me. It was the stupidest release I’ve ever experienced with anything I’ve collected. Nubian poppy sucked me back in… but not for long 💔 And you’re totally right about that small group - they started a WhatsApp chat (which i joined) only furthering the fervor and paranoia lol. NEVER AGAIN! I feel the same as you: lesson learned
Great video! I get so excited when I see you have uploaded a new video. I get the doll collecting journey. I went from Barbie to Integrity to American Girl. I have dabbled in Rainbow High and of course Disney Princess. I don’t get the concept that black dolls don’t sell because I have the hardest time finding them and the second hand market jacks up the price. If they make them I will buy 😂
@@luvlyleo2836 what a relief! I almost didn’t go through with this one because it felt so deviant from my other vids. I’m glad you liked it! Barbie->Integrity->AG is surprisingly similar to my journey, because mattel had the Disney license when I first started, so they were very Barbie 🤣 Ughhhhh don’t get me started on the black dolls thing!! It will daunt me for the rest of my collecting life!! I have the same experience: try to buy the black character, it’s not available because they didn’t make enough. They don’t sell, so they make less. Try to find that doll on the secondary market, and it’s triple the price of the others. I often wonder if that’s the intended scam all along… 😩
Blaine, I noticed you changed your profile picture here on RUclips. It’s lovely. I also chose a picture of my own AG for a medical patient portal that I’m using. The receptionist said, “Uh, Ms. Haley…why do we have a picture of your daughter on here?” 😂
@@Zombiecupcake157 wait… what doll is your profile pic, and how human does she look that someone really thought it was your daughter?? And what they think when you said it was a doll? And why did they ask in the first place? So many questions 🤣
@@DisBlaine I chose a picture of Lea dressed in some cute 90s clothes. She doesn’t look very realistic at all. When I told the receptionist it was a doll from my doll collection, he just shrugged it off. 😅
Blaine, great reasons to stop collecting/buying these lines off dolls. I collected Mattel Barbie vintage modern and BFMC that was loosely similar to the integrity toys line. At the end of the BFMC line it was pure garbage. I also stopped collecting Barbie at that point. I have only collected American Girl for about a year now. It’s fun and I don’t take it as serious as BFMC.
Yeah integrity has a line called East 59, which is a lot like the silkstones. But for some reason, those collectors took more to Poppy Parker. She’s the integrity it girl. I can’t believe I didn’t show her 😝 I can’t believe I’ve never been into Barbie! As a kid she looked too plain to me (I was blond and blue eyed until my hair darkened in the 4th grade). And maybe I didn’t like the body shape because I preferred Jem as a kid and they were chunkier. Did everyone take bfmc seriously? I guess that’s true about AG: it’s more fun than dolls like integrity.
It is sad about BFMC, especially for me because I didn't start collecting Barbie until BFMC ended in 2020. I only managed to get a few of the last ones at retail price, and then the prices on eBay skyrocketed in 2021, so I have fewer than 10. I do have some Integrity dolls to fill in the gap left in the market. The reboot of BFMC falls far short of the original dolls. I do still like some modern Barbies, though, like the Looks line, so I haven't completely quit Barbie.
@@c.w.2000 Yes the collectors of BFMC were sold a high quality high fashion line and a unique line for so many years designed by Robert Best when he left, these levels fell to low quality cheap fashion and zero uniqueness. BFMC collectors were very picky about their dolls , detail stitching of clothes, hair and face make up and even the outer boxes Had to be perfect.
@@c.w.2000 I had been collecting BFMC since its launch day. I have a huge collection. My only regret at the time was that I could not afford all the big ball gown. I’m ready to let go of it. 90% of my collectionc is mint in box never removed and it’s been decades since I have seen them as they have been put away and stored.
I totally agree about how obsessive-compulsive people in doll forums can ruin the hobby if you let them. I won't be measuring to be sure that all the hair plugs are exactly the same distance apart from each other, thanks. 😂
@@andthentheresmod haha yes! And it’s so easy to expand / zoom a picture and scrutinize details you will NOT see in person. They might be better off collecting AI pics of dolls 🥴
I joined w club last year and there certainly has been frustrations, I have lower standards so I’ve had no issues with my dolls lol but the main thing is the exclusivity and hard to get aspect is really frustrating plus so expensive. Although you’re done with them, you said you still have hundreds? I would love to see your IT collection if you can since I still actively collect them. If it’s too much maybe just your favorites who you would never sell? There are so few IT collection vids here on RUclips it would be a dream to see yours if you can ❤
@@contentcastle yes I should definitely showcase my IT dolls while install have them. I was VERY lucky to have a good relationship with a local dealer, so when everyone else would get mad about dealer doll reveals, I would quietly be like 🥳🥳🥳 I’d say I had close over 300 before I started selling (among all the lines including Jem), so I wonder if I still have more then 100. I should do a headcount!!
@@DisBlainethat is very lucky! I’m one of the people that get annoyed with dealer dolls it’s just too stressful lol! Can’t wait to see what you have left one day, thanks!
I’ve been following you for years over on instagram and I remember your amazing Small World Disney store doll collection!!! Did you get rid of that collection as well?? I, a thousand percent agree with you about so much from the toxicity in fandoms to quality going down and prices going up. I’ve been taking a step back from the Disney store dolls because the quality and overall creativity is so mediocre at this point. Especially as a person that was there from the beginning, with Snow White and the first set of designer princesses, what an era🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 I miss those days honestly. I’m not an American Girl collector but I love seeing your collection and hearing your thoughts. I wish they made Barbie size accessories with the details AG gets. The way you feel about integrity is the way I feel about the D23 expo exclusives. When it gets to be such an ordeal to obtain the dolls, it takes the fun away from it. And as a fellow Princess and the Frog collector, I was so disappointed that she didn’t get a platinum edition doll set of her and Naveen. This is the 15th anniversary so I’m hoping Disney Store will do something for it. I love Charlotte and she’s completely forgotten about as well. PATF has so many amazing characters.
@@thatsforgurls SHAWNTEL!!! The way you started that comment as if we haven’t had dozens of conversations over the years 🤣🤣🤣 You know, I started to sell some of my small world dolls. I didn’t want to have anymore doubles / triples. I had to stop because parting with them was hard. Then when I moved here I put them in my storage locker, which was way too full, so I brought them up to sell the rest of them. One look at their cute little faces, and I cleared out a spot in my coat closet for them 🤣🤣🤣 Such a good point about d23! Things like that really take the fun out of collecting. But… if they had made more Tiana exclusives this year, I would’ve paid whatever fortune necessary on eBay 🤡 I’m not sure they’ll ever give her a platinum set. Do they even do those anymore? It’s her 15th anniversary. They need to give us something that screams milestone.
@@DisBlaine 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I didn’t wanna assume you remember because not everyone has a good memory 🤣🤣🤣🤣 It would be wonderful to see you take a trip down memory lane and share your small world collection. Have you seen the new Moana AG??? I don’t know if she’s official or a custom because I saw her in someone repost, in their story but she’s ADORABLE!!! Especially her hair 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
@@melissabazile I don’t know why I brought it up and then gave ZERO background. Mattel has been going after 18” doll clothes makers on Etsy who use Jess Mold dolls (so far) in their pics and getting the listings removed. And they can’t even relist those particular items! And then 2 days later they released Summer, their GotY small business starter. Like… what? I don’t buy much handmade stuff myself, but they really filled a need for many adult collectors by offering things Mattel refuses to make. AND! Many collectors actually bought dolls thanks to the clothes, so really it was creating business. Such a silly thing for Mattel to do. Also… I combed the internet looking for pics of my customs, but it was way too long ago. I’m actually piroud of a couple of them, so I wish I could lol.
This will be fascinating. Making a tea while I listen. I hope you dumped the same ones I did lol! I just saw ten living dead dolls on fb marketplace for 40 each, in box. I was tempted, but honestly…they’re too ugly. If they had one endearing quality I would have done it, I think, but I just couldn’t find anything I loved about them, other than the price! I don’t bother with Integrity. I don’t pay for a chance to buy a product. Never will. I think those dolls are overrated, anyway. I mainly collect Barbie 1999 and under, and some mermaid lines of other dolls. But I do admire the 18” collectors. I just have to stop somewhere! I’ve already taken over an entire spare bedroom in our home!
@@alijane6675 you didn’t tell me what dolls you quit!! Any of the same ones? It doesn’t sound like it. 😆 Haha why were you tempted to buy the living dead dolls?
@@DisBlaine I’m Gen X. The Exorcist seriously did some damage. I thought I’d exert control over the fear, you know? So I saw the dolls, and the price was great, and I could see their detail. They’re gorgeous in their ugliness. And the juxtaposition of them against Barbie’s sickly sweetness really appealed to me! They’re still on fb…I may just do it…. One of the doll lines I cancelled was Disney. I bought maybe ten or so, mostly 90s, and I opened a few whose boxes were wrecked. The quality was awful. Just cheap feeling, and cheap looking next to Barbie of the same era. So I opened them all, which in my house is equivalent to sending them to dolly purgatory, and put them in my grandkids’ playroom. I’m fairly new to this, about a year in, and so the only way I know if I like a doll is to buy it. I don’t have much experience with them myself.
Your dolls are so beautiful! Even the one you hate, that was supposed to look like Leonardo DiCaprio. He reminds me of Edward the vampire in the Twilight series. Also who is the Rainbow High doll with the white skin, blue eyes, and long black hair? I've never seen her before.
@@crystalbluepersuasion3897 hahaha I don’t know what it is about that doll!! I had such a visceral reaction I could only guess he reminded me of someone hateful I can’t put my finger on 🤣🤣 That’s Ainsley. She started in Rainbow High then moved to Shadow High in a later season. She’s not wearing her iconic outift here (she came with a bunch of extra outfits) so she’s probably harder to recognize.
Hi I when to a doll show in usa 🇺🇸 and I ask the american girl doll collectors wich you tuber do you want to meet and they all said your you ❤❤❤ I hope one day you can come to Chicago american girl doll store so we all can meet you God bless you
@@marylopezoficial1260 well I hope if I ever do run into anyone in the wild they say hi. Chances are I wouldn’t recognize anyone I talk to on here because they don’t usually have pics in their avatar. I went to Chicago once - I loved it! They say Chicago and Toronto are sister cities, and I can see why. This was before I collected AG but I walked through the store almost every day (because, dolls!)
@@elenyzoe12 oh definitely! I think every collecting community I’ve been part of had Blythe fans as well. They’re adorable and have great fashions-but I never got into them myself. Do you collect them?
@@DisBlaine I don't collect them, but I recently got one to customize for myself. I saw someone who makes custom dolls, but their pricing is way too much for me to afford. But honestly, I can see why they're priced the way they are, but I decided to give it a try.
I can see why you couldn’t resist Rainbow high. I really love them too but decided I couldn’t go down that rabbit hole. I do have two or three I found in thrift stores. They are very cute. I love their hair and outfits. I was sad when the brand started to change. I love seeing the other doll lines you collected!
@@CherishedDollFriends yeah it felt like they went too cheap and too young. But they were a lot of fun for a few years! And my niece still likes them, so I think kids are happy with the slime 🥴🤣
I have several online friends who were affected by the Etsy cease and desist. I love buying wigs and patterns to sew for myself (when I have the time 😅) and to customize with. Pink Stardust is the first thing I have bought from AG in about 6 months, partially due to the Etsy strike. All other dolls and AG outfits were Ebay and FB finds.
Your Integrity dolls are beautiful- at least the first one you showed with the purple 90s extra outfit. I can see why you loved them.
Ooooh which pink stardust did you get? Not that I’ll judge you if it is as Josefina instead of Claudie 🤪
No really they’re both beautiful, so either way I can see why you broke your strike
We want to see the horror dolls! We want to see any or all your dolls, really. The passion you have for the dolls keeps me watching.❤
@@furball192 wellll I’ll see how people feel when I do a living dead dolls unboxing for spooky season 🎃 👻
I might be bias but I have a few LDD and they are SO cute. Like little Madam Alexander dolls but....dead. Little spooky babies.
Well I have to say I am now into my second month (yes) of collecting AG dolls. I use to collect Barbie when I was a girl, teen, and young woman. I stopped because people would make a big deal of it. I just became an empty nester and took up AG dolls when I was deciding what to do with my daughter's AG doll house. I have not been this happy in so long. I am also glad I found your RUclips because I was going to give it all up when everyone gave me such a hard time. Your story inspired me to do what I wanted and not care what anyone thought. Well, most everyone has come around seeing me happily putting my doll outfits together. I now have my husband's full support as he watches me arrange them. Any how I probably mentioned it before, but thanks again. And yes, those dolls are spooky. LOL
@@LisaWhitmire-c3f isn’t it wonderful how happy dolls can make us? True, not everyone will understand… so maybe they don’t deserve to. I can’t imagine what it’s like to go through life with no passions.
You were going to give up something that brought you that much joy to fit into some mold?? Lisa!!! I’m so glad you found the inspiration you needed in time!! Not to be an enabler, but if this makes you happy, I will only encourage you 🥰🥰
And it sounds like you taught those around you something. What a wonderful end to this story!! Bit of a roller coaster as I can as reading lolllll.
I laughed so hard when you said your partner was away for an extended time, so you bought an entire doll line! 😂 That is so relatable!
@@NightwingAquaman aren’t we awful?? I can’t be left alone for 2 months. Same with you?
You should’ve seen his face on the video call when I showed him ☠️🤣
@@DisBlaine Finding joy in your hobby when a loved one is gone seems so reasonable! Orrrrr…. maybe that’s how I justify it 🫣
Never minimize your instincts if someone or something makes you uncomfortable/ unsafe pay attention . Continue to enjoy your collecting.
@@nailahvenable7989 I can be so weird like that! Too nice / polite or question if I misunderstood. Sometimes it takes me a minute to catch on 🤡
It took me a while to get into Rainbow high because I didn't love their feet for some reason LOL but then I got a few really really cute ones, and then the quality just went down and I haven't found any I like anymore. Same with OMG Surprise dolls, they were really great for a while, and now I just don't care about them.
@@TheHollycopter I could never ever love Bratz because their shoes are detachable feet-so I understand lol!
There’s one new RH doll I want… but I’d need to find her in store because I’ve heard the QC is terrible on her. But you’re right, they’re not the same anymore (but I still buy them for my niece-she’ll never be able to grow up because of me 🤣)
I soooo appreciate this video! I recently parted ways with a huge part of my collection and find that other collectors tend to feel some type of way about that (like you were a "fake" collector if you ever sell your collection..?). It's was honestly really nice to relate to someone about this stuff! When I collect I go hard, but when I'm done, I'm done and I feel like that's not the norm in the community.
@@ILUVRH oh I never even thought about that, people relating to the feeling - but I know exactly what you mean! I started a channel to talk about a line of dolls I haven’t been collecting all that long… but it’s okay because I’ve been collecting dolls my whole life. It’s not my fault toy companies eventually disappoint me to the degree I move on to something better 🤣
You are so true with finding joy with one's collection. If it starts to cause more stress... It's good to re think of it. I love integrity toys but at this point, I only get the ones that resonate with my joy. Thank you for this video
@@braynroquero2918 collecting dolls can be so addictive it becomes similar to an abusive relationship at some points 😝 It’s a shame because IT dolls are so beautiful, but opening them became more stressful than exciting. Like, ooooh I hope I got a good one! At the price point there should never he a question
Those integrity toy dolls are so beautiful in my opinion! I might look into them👀
@@stephmariem wellllll as long as you’ve already been warned about how expensive-and addictive!-they are ☠️☠️
I love your sense of humour! This was a very cool video - thanks for walking us down your collecting path so far!
@@MaxineAndrew oh cool I’m glad you liked it! I wasn’t sure if I should make this or not. Too late now! 🤣
My best friend collected Living Dead Dolls. It was so nice when Hot Topic had them so it was easy to get them for her. I collected other dolls so we would buy each other dolls.
@@MyRealitywithNicole I’m like that with my best friend… but I think I’m more of a doll pusher than she’s a doll collector too 🤣
But it’s the nicest way to get dolls right?
34:45 OH. I remember that! I've said it before, and I'll say it forever, I love my Integrity Toys dolls but I am embarrassed to call myself an Integrity Toys Collector. That "community" is NOT it!
@@ghosty4 are you talking about my experience specifically (it was when I posted Sugar and Spice Poppy) or it happened to you too? I’m sure it happens to everyone at some point 🤣
Yes they’re a very … detail oriented community lol.
@@DisBlaine When it happened to you because you lived so close to the distribution center and you got them super fast.
Funny thing is I wasn't a fan of Rainbow High dolls, in fact I loathed them, for the longest time. Then last year, my friend told me she was interested in the clothing, and I learned how much detail and quality went into RH clothing (putting Barbie to shame). But then I discovered Shadow High and found them to be much more my vibe and ended up loving them. My collection has only ever consisted of 6 dolls (7 counting one I recently found at a discount store but I haven't opened her because I'm having second thoughts and I'm not sure she fits with my collection.) However, very quickly MGA decided to make them more appealing for kids and less fashionable so needless to say, I don't collect them anymore. But I don't need to. I'm very content with my small collection.
I never knew that IT was a Black-owned company, thanks for sharing that info. My relationship with Barbie is getting rough. Like I'm always perplexed and disappointed with them (though I just got the Sapphire Anniversary Barbie as my first Silkstone and I do like her a lot.) But IT does seem very involved to me.
@@Amber-se7qq haha yes the inhuman proportions take some adjusting with RH. SH realllllly brings it all together tho. I could no longer avoid the obsession… so I was glad they took that turn within the last year.
I wish I didn’t gloss over important details, like how the owner of integrity toys started the company because no one was making dolls that looked like his daughters. I really hope they can get their quality back to where it was. It’s in fact gotten worse since I quit 💔
@@DisBlaine Yeah you're right. I didn't take to them right away, but I just needed the right ones that appealed to me. I actually like them because they feel more substantial, like a BJD almost. I have the Storm Twins, Glitch, Kim (who is RH but she totally fits), Uma and Demi Batista.
I'm really sorry to hear that. It feels like a lot of things in the world are declining in quality. If I ever do get into IT dolls (they seem so exclusive) I don't see myself going crazy with collecting them. I'm very picky and I only collect what I really resonate with.
If you are interested, IT isn’t that complicated if you join the W Club, which has membership open once a year (I think it’s February). If you go to their website and put your name on the email list, they will send you information when enrolment time comes. However, I have been collecting for 3 years, and the quality is definitely not what it used to be before the pandemic, and the prices have gone up. I have only been buying a few dolls a year, which is fine because they cost around $300 CAD by the time I pay for exchange rate, shipping, and taxes.
Mainly a Barbie collector. I, too, got the Sapphire as my first Silkstone. I have a good collection of Rainbow High dolls. I just picked up the ones I liked when they would go on sale. I also collect My Little Pony G1 but I cooled down on them.
@@iamsoverybored878 I like MLP G1 as well. I got rid of my childhood ponies when I went through my minimalism phase years ago. Probably one of the very few things I felt regret about parting with. So I began to collect some of the reproductions but haven’t really looked into collecting the actual vintage ponies. I don’t have many ponies either. I still try to be very selective about what I collect. I’m not a completionist at all.
As a new adult collector, I am snowballing right now lol, I had a few rock/punk/grunge/goth OMGs, and I saw Shadow High... Now I am collecting every second hand Rainbow and Shadow high I can from France 😂
@@stay_in_paris5351 new collecting is the best / worst 🤣 There’s so much fun stuff to get but limited funds… but not limited space (yet).
Enjoy the new moments!! One day you’ll look back like, remember that. It was so simple then!
The way you feel about Tiana is similar to how I feel about Elena. I know it's not a one-to-one comparison since Tiana had a feature movie and is part of the princess line up and Elena is "just a TV show" but the abysmal marketing for her and the show still irritates me when I think about it. All the merchandise was very samey and I was annoyed that they only released her other outfits as sets or on other dolls. I know some people like to have dolls to display all the outfits, but I simply didn't have the room. Then they pulled the merch plug a year or so after the show. The last of the merch trickled out in 2018 (Show premiered in 2016 and ended in 2020), and most of it was regulated to only the toddler market. She's not considered commercially successful by Disney despite all the award the show won even though it's THEIR FAULT. You can't sell dolls and toys when NO ONE KNOWS YOUR SHOW/CHARACTER AND THE MERCH IS ALL THE SAME. I used to cosplay her and even little kids didn't know who I was supposed to be, which was sad to me.
I ended up getting my favourite character from the show (Carla) as a custom doll. Both in "Barbie size" and a Disney Animator version and like you, just started buying other outfits. I have a whole tub of Barbie clothes (mostly older and bought in lots) I got just for my EoA dolls so I could dress them up since it's hard to find Elena's other outfits that aren't her ballgown or standard dress by themselves secondhand.
(Now to be fair, the show came out at a WEIRD time and pretty much every Disney show from 2016-2018 flopped hard due to people moving away from cable to streaming. But D+ didn't exist yet and even if people had cable, they often didn't have Disney Junior (where the show eventually ended up) and also the scheduling was absolutely bonkers and no one outside the adult fandom could really keep up.)
@@DropsOfIndigo oh yes I know several Elena fans who feel the same! Maybe even worse because, as you said, she’s “just a tv show” character, so it’s such an easy excuse to ignore her.
A few years back Disney Store brought in some great merch for her. It sold well but I think the truth is they have their favorite princesses they’d rather focus on 💔
@@DisBlaine Disney treats their TVA (Television Animation) like rubbish and it's sad. Because EoA is a genuinely good show (except S3. That was a narrative mess) and with a PRINCESS as the main character! In theory, it should have been popular. But Disney let it fall into obscurity fast.
Disney Store had GREAT merch! Like I said, the problem is that it was just very same-y. You can only sell so many Elena doll sets and Scepter of Light toys. Japan has some kickass Elena merch though. I can't wait to finally order some when I get some extra funds.
Don't let people take your joy away.
I’ve learned to compartmentalize what others do / say that might interfere with my doll joy.
I love hearing about your collecting journey.
I was into AG folks in 2009 and we were on discussion boards, Proboards. I’m still a member of 2 boards and they’re still around. They can get very nasty though and some of that has carried into Facebook groups.
It’s funny about RH. I always admired them in target, but passed because I was an AG collector and didn’t want another scale of dolls. Shadow High sucked me in. Glitch was my first. You’ll note that Glitch is SH series 2. I collected through this year, but gave up after SH series 3 and RH series 5. The aged down folks and the gimmicks were too much. I’ll enjoy the few I have and maybe try to collect a few that I missed that u still want (Georgia Peach and Delilah Fields).
The Toybox Philosopher blog was the first place that I heard of Living Dead Dolls. Can’t wait to see your collection.
@@melangellperry5984 that’s why I’m very quiet on forums and fb groups now. If they’re small, I’ll post. But other than that, I’ll buy what I want and get out 😝
Sometimes I wish I had kept a few more of my Rh dolls - ESPECIALLY my SH dolls, but I don’t even know what I’d do with them aside from pop them in a vide every now and then lol! They are cute tho aren’t they? Ahhh memories. That’s what they’ll remain 🤓
@@melangellperry5984 oh and yes Glitch was amazing! Sadly I forgot SH made it to s3. I never got a single one despite loving them. It was already too late
I remember seeing Living Dead dolls as a kid and thinking they were oh so cool. Like a horror version of Madame Alexander dolls. Never had one though.
I didn’t know Integrity Toys was so hard to collect! I’m similar to you, if buying something makes you go through hurdles, I’m like nah no thanks. 😅 I think it’s Volks that has a lottery like that as well. And some bjd companies are only sold in Japan and require proxies. So I’ll likely never bother, unless second-hand.
Do you think you’ll ever get into ball jointed dolls? That’s practically its own category of doll collecting 😂 there’s so many companies and doll sizes! There’s something for everyone.
@@HryPotrFreak that’s a good way to describe living dead dolls! They became hit or miss in later series, but those first few 😍🤯
Integrity has made to order dolls for club members - and the rest of the dolls are lottery or sold through “dealers” but if you don’t have a relationship with one (I was very lucky I had a local dealer!) you weren’t getting any at retail!
A lot of LDD collectors switched to BJD, but they don’t suit my style of collecting. I want to see multiple dolls on display together - and even selling my Integrity dolls couldn’t afford me a bjd collection like that lol! Same with smart dolls (which I guess are probably bjd too lol)
I can see why you couldn’t resist Rainbow high. I really love them too but decided I couldn’t go down that rabbit hole. I do have two or three I found in thrift stores. They are very cute. I love their hair and outfits. I was sad when the brand started to change. I love seeing the other doll lines you collected!
I really enjoyed this retrospective of sorts! First, it sounds like you did the smart thing with that person from your Living Dead days - all sorts of red flags there, and it's not about being thin-skinned, it's about trusting your gut. Fandom friendships can be absolutely amazing and wonderful (two of my bridesmaids in my wedding were fandom friends that I'd only met in-person twice before!), but they can also be toxic. Your Living Dead dolls seem neat, though if you do a video on them, please forgive me for skipping - I am very horror sensitive, weirdly. I blame my dad letting me watch Chuckie when I was three. I enjoyed your explanation of the Disney dolls - I have a few of the 12" designer dolls that were done lately, but I can see the appeal and then the disappointment of the 17" dolls, ESPECIALLY with how they were awful to Tiana. I am so tired of hearing companies say that Black dolls, or BIPOC dolls, don't sell as well. Part of me is sure that it's true, but part of me is like, well, if they don't sell as well, maybe it's in part because of your TERRIBLE MARKETING STRATEGY??? (See: Claudie.) When you shove white dolls in our faces all day but don't do a single thing for your Black dolls, is it truly so shocking??? Isn't that Marketing and Advertising 101??????? Rainbow High is a line that I collected, too, but I got out around the same time you did. I really wanted some of the Series 5 dolls but could never find them without glaring QC issues (and I am NOT someone who notices QC most of the time!), so I never got any, to my sadness. I did purchase one of the new Rainbow HIgh dolls recently, one of the ones with glitter legs. I bought her as a stim toy mostly, lol. She's actually pretty cute (I got the orange sparkle legs one), but the lack of articulation is still just such a bummer. I still contemplate trying to sell off my Rainbow High collection from time to time, but most of what I have still makes me happy, even if I'm not actively buying anymore, so I'm not there yet. I might have to find a new place for them, though, if I keep growing my AG collection (which I largely don't want to do, because I only want a mid-size collection). Your Integrity Toys story is really interesting. I didn't know they were starting to have QC issues, too. How did you feel about the RTB program? I think that would have been too much for me, personally. They have really striking faces, but I can definitely see what you're saying about the hairlines, especially for the doll that was the final straw. I truly hope AG doesn't go this route for you, at least not for a long time, since it seems to bring you so much joy.
@@eliseelliot that’s true about gut instincts-problem is I don’t really have those 🤣 I’m often too worried about offending people when they’re being a jerk. It takes a LOT to push me to my breaking point. But I was thin skinned in the sense that I let a negative experience with a toxic human ruin my love for a collection of dolls I loved SO MUCH.
Watching Chucky at 3 would’ve been a dream for me. It came out when I was 9, so my older brother put me in a hockey bag to sneak me into the theater. I needed to see it THAT BAD!
Ugh!!! I’m so sick of toy companies lying to us about the demand for poc dolls too!! I’m so eager to see how pink stardust Claudie sells compared to Josefina.
I was very lucky with integrity toys’ RTB dolls for a few years-and when I didn’t win, I would tell myself the “doll gods” knew what I as best. When I started losing way too many, it helped me lose interest… which meant I was right about the doll gods knowing best-because it was time to move on!!
I adore Living Dead Dolls. My Jason Voorhees one is honestly the pride of my whole doll collection and the only one I keep in box. I dunno if he's rare of expensive but I got him from my parents on my 16th birthday and he's so special to me.
I never did get involved in any communities back then. Never appealed to me.
@@kayleighbrown459 what a cool bday gift!! I was obsessed when they released that doll. I remember watching my DVD box set every night in anticipation 🤓🤡
Before the drama I had a nice time in the LDD community. I won series 12 (all 5 dolls!) in a contest and a few other things too. I made some nice friendships-but unhinged people are everywhere, just waiting to ruin all the fun 🤣🤣🤣
Idk if Jason is rare either. They stopped making them until these deluxe dolls, so I’d assume the demand for them dropped some-but I wouldn’t know. He’s THE best presents doll regardless
@@DisBlaine He totally is. The detail on his head skulpt and mask and clothes is insane.
I don't even know how my parents got it cause we live in the UK. I think it was through a store called forbidden planet.
Oh, and hey. If you like horror, have you ever heard of Little Apple dolls?
@@kayleighbrown459 haha yes a lot of LDD collectors were into LAD too! They never got to me at all tho, because it was just the same doll in a different outift as far as I could tell.
@@DisBlaine Yeah, pretty much. They don't even differ in terms of hair. I was properly obsessed with them as a kid. They were the perfect combination of spooky and adorable. The clothes were so intricate and they all came with stories and names and had these little foam apples that you could stick pins into.
Loved them so much.
It took me a while to like RH with the big heads but it was like one day they clicked in my brain with the outfits, articulation, hair and faces! It was such fun collecting them but like you I began to lose interest when MGA’s started cost cutting and then when they moved the line to young children, that closed the door for me. However Lol OMG doesn’t look so strange as they once did. 😂 So now I’m focused on American Girl but proceeding more cautiously. Claudie is top on my wish list. Thank you for an enjoyable afternoon watching your video. Love your stories❤
@@azeverinarizona1931 it’s a shame the trajectory RH took-but I hope it’s doing well. I love the original concept… but the rebrand is way too young to appeal to adult collectors (I think). I would buy omg dolls to put the clothes on my RH girls-then give the dolls to my niece 😝
Do you have AG yet? Be careful if you take the plunge! I once thought having 30 AG dolls was the limit…
I have been an AG fan and customer since 1995 when I started by buying a Bitty Baby for my daughter when her brother was born in '96. I bought her and made a complete layette for her including diaper bag, carrier, bassinette and what have you. When my son was born she got the doll (aged 4) and she and i changed and fed our babies together. Then when she was she was 7 she got Molly and eventually, (aged12) she was embarrassed to play with her now numerous dolls and I took over for her and I now have more than I dare count and a multitude of outfits along with some accessories. No dollhouse so not very many really large pieces.
Neither she nor I were never tempted by any of the other types of dolls. None of them stole oir hearts like they did and still do. None.
@@lisbetsoda4874 oh wow that’s honestly impressive-and really wonderful to hear! You have so much history and sentiment with AG.
Thanks for sharing that!! It’s really touching 🥰
I started collecting again 4 years ago after a long absence from Barbie collecting. Now I collect many different lines and price ranges, and I haven't really quit any totally. I feel similarly about current Rainbow High and Integrity as you do, but I am still interested in a few new offerings and will occasionally buy one. I think the line I am most disillusioned with is the $100+ collector Barbies because they are poor value in comparison to play line like Monster High, and they pale in comparison to earlier decades.
I had to laugh at your Net-a-Porter Aymeline story because I was also trying to get one, and that was my first Integrity doll. After much online stalking of the website, I managed to get the Nubian-skinned one. I like her, but she cost around $400 CAD once delivered, and I don't think she was worth that. Also, despite there only being 500 of each skin tone, they both generally now sell for less than original retail. I think it was a small group of people who had really big FOMO and were hunting her down. That whole episode taught me some important lessons about collecting, so I guess there is some added value and sentimentally around her from that standpoint.
@@c.w.2000 I’ve never collected Barbie (or MH despite his much it suits my taste) but I’ve always heard collectors go back and forth, I guess with the yoyo quality.
Ugh! Those NAP dolls!!! I got the midnight garden one really easily a couple years earlier, so I wasn’t prepared for the lunacy of lilac and plum. Lilac was okay but someone had to help me get plum (my fave in pics of the two but lilac was nicer in person).
That was definitely the beginning of the end for me. It was the stupidest release I’ve ever experienced with anything I’ve collected. Nubian poppy sucked me back in… but not for long 💔
And you’re totally right about that small group - they started a WhatsApp chat (which i joined) only furthering the fervor and paranoia lol.
NEVER AGAIN! I feel the same as you: lesson learned
YEYYY!!!! Story time! 😌
@@rosyp71 this one is about 50% longer than I planned… so you’ll need to watch when you has the time for it 🥴
Great video! I get so excited when I see you have uploaded a new video. I get the doll collecting journey. I went from Barbie to Integrity to American Girl. I have dabbled in Rainbow High and of course Disney Princess. I don’t get the concept that black dolls don’t sell because I have the hardest time finding them and the second hand market jacks up the price. If they make them I will buy 😂
@@luvlyleo2836 what a relief! I almost didn’t go through with this one because it felt so deviant from my other vids. I’m glad you liked it!
Barbie->Integrity->AG is surprisingly similar to my journey, because mattel had the Disney license when I first started, so they were very Barbie 🤣
Ughhhhh don’t get me started on the black dolls thing!! It will daunt me for the rest of my collecting life!! I have the same experience: try to buy the black character, it’s not available because they didn’t make enough. They don’t sell, so they make less. Try to find that doll on the secondary market, and it’s triple the price of the others. I often wonder if that’s the intended scam all along… 😩
Blaine, I noticed you changed your profile picture here on RUclips. It’s lovely. I also chose a picture of my own AG for a medical patient portal that I’m using.
The receptionist said, “Uh, Ms. Haley…why do we have a picture of your daughter on here?”
😂
@@Zombiecupcake157 wait… what doll is your profile pic, and how human does she look that someone really thought it was your daughter??
And what they think when you said it was a doll?
And why did they ask in the first place?
So many questions 🤣
@@DisBlaine I chose a picture of Lea dressed in some cute 90s clothes. She doesn’t look very realistic at all. When I told the receptionist it was a doll from my doll collection, he just shrugged it off. 😅
@@Zombiecupcake157 I can’t imagine how he thought she was a human child 🤣
Lol. That integrity doll looks like handsome squidward
@@kayleighbrown459 ugh KAYLEIGH!!!! Handsome Squidward isn’t even this ugly - but thanks for putting THAT image in my head 🤣🤣🤣
@@DisBlaine
Lol. He does tho.
Blaine, great reasons to stop collecting/buying these lines off dolls. I collected Mattel Barbie vintage modern and BFMC that was loosely similar to the integrity toys line. At the end of the BFMC line it was pure garbage. I also stopped collecting Barbie at that point. I have only collected American Girl for about a year now. It’s fun and I don’t take it as serious as BFMC.
Yeah integrity has a line called East 59, which is a lot like the silkstones. But for some reason, those collectors took more to Poppy Parker. She’s the integrity it girl. I can’t believe I didn’t show her 😝
I can’t believe I’ve never been into Barbie! As a kid she looked too plain to me (I was blond and blue eyed until my hair darkened in the 4th grade). And maybe I didn’t like the body shape because I preferred Jem as a kid and they were chunkier.
Did everyone take bfmc seriously? I guess that’s true about AG: it’s more fun than dolls like integrity.
It is sad about BFMC, especially for me because I didn't start collecting Barbie until BFMC ended in 2020. I only managed to get a few of the last ones at retail price, and then the prices on eBay skyrocketed in 2021, so I have fewer than 10. I do have some Integrity dolls to fill in the gap left in the market. The reboot of BFMC falls far short of the original dolls. I do still like some modern Barbies, though, like the Looks line, so I haven't completely quit Barbie.
@@c.w.2000 Yes the collectors of BFMC were sold a high quality high fashion line and a unique line for so many years designed by Robert Best when he left, these levels fell to low quality cheap fashion and zero uniqueness. BFMC collectors were very picky about their dolls , detail stitching of clothes, hair and face make up and even the outer boxes
Had to be perfect.
@@c.w.2000 I had been collecting BFMC since its launch day. I have a huge collection. My only regret at the time was that I could not afford all the big ball gown. I’m ready to let go of it. 90% of my collectionc is mint in box never removed and it’s been decades since I have seen them as they have been put away and stored.
I totally agree about how obsessive-compulsive people in doll forums can ruin the hobby if you let them. I won't be measuring to be sure that all the hair plugs are exactly the same distance apart from each other, thanks. 😂
@@andthentheresmod haha yes! And it’s so easy to expand / zoom a picture and scrutinize details you will NOT see in person. They might be better off collecting AI pics of dolls 🥴
I joined w club last year and there certainly has been frustrations, I have lower standards so I’ve had no issues with my dolls lol but the main thing is the exclusivity and hard to get aspect is really frustrating plus so expensive. Although you’re done with them, you said you still have hundreds? I would love to see your IT collection if you can since I still actively collect them. If it’s too much maybe just your favorites who you would never sell? There are so few IT collection vids here on RUclips it would be a dream to see yours if you can ❤
@@contentcastle yes I should definitely showcase my IT dolls while install have them. I was VERY lucky to have a good relationship with a local dealer, so when everyone else would get mad about dealer doll reveals, I would quietly be like 🥳🥳🥳
I’d say I had close over 300 before I started selling (among all the lines including Jem), so I wonder if I still have more then 100. I should do a headcount!!
@@DisBlainethat is very lucky! I’m one of the people that get annoyed with dealer dolls it’s just too stressful lol! Can’t wait to see what you have left one day, thanks!
I’ve been following you for years over on instagram and I remember your amazing Small World Disney store doll collection!!! Did you get rid of that collection as well?? I, a thousand percent agree with you about so much from the toxicity in fandoms to quality going down and prices going up. I’ve been taking a step back from the Disney store dolls because the quality and overall creativity is so mediocre at this point. Especially as a person that was there from the beginning, with Snow White and the first set of designer princesses, what an era🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 I miss those days honestly. I’m not an American Girl collector but I love seeing your collection and hearing your thoughts. I wish they made Barbie size accessories with the details AG gets. The way you feel about integrity is the way I feel about the D23 expo exclusives. When it gets to be such an ordeal to obtain the dolls, it takes the fun away from it. And as a fellow Princess and the Frog collector, I was so disappointed that she didn’t get a platinum edition doll set of her and Naveen. This is the 15th anniversary so I’m hoping Disney Store will do something for it. I love Charlotte and she’s completely forgotten about as well. PATF has so many amazing characters.
@@thatsforgurls SHAWNTEL!!! The way you started that comment as if we haven’t had dozens of conversations over the years 🤣🤣🤣
You know, I started to sell some of my small world dolls. I didn’t want to have anymore doubles / triples. I had to stop because parting with them was hard. Then when I moved here I put them in my storage locker, which was way too full, so I brought them up to sell the rest of them. One look at their cute little faces, and I cleared out a spot in my coat closet for them 🤣🤣🤣
Such a good point about d23! Things like that really take the fun out of collecting. But… if they had made more Tiana exclusives this year, I would’ve paid whatever fortune necessary on eBay 🤡
I’m not sure they’ll ever give her a platinum set. Do they even do those anymore? It’s her 15th anniversary. They need to give us something that screams milestone.
@@DisBlaine 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I didn’t wanna assume you remember because not everyone has a good memory 🤣🤣🤣🤣
It would be wonderful to see you take a trip down memory lane and share your small world collection. Have you seen the new Moana AG??? I don’t know if she’s official or a custom because I saw her in someone repost, in their story but she’s ADORABLE!!! Especially her hair 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Ok wait, what’s going on with the handmade doll clothes??? 👀
Also, we NEED to see some of the custom dolls you did!!!!!!!!
@@melissabazile I don’t know why I brought it up and then gave ZERO background.
Mattel has been going after 18” doll clothes makers on Etsy who use Jess Mold dolls (so far) in their pics and getting the listings removed. And they can’t even relist those particular items!
And then 2 days later they released Summer, their GotY small business starter. Like… what?
I don’t buy much handmade stuff myself, but they really filled a need for many adult collectors by offering things Mattel refuses to make. AND! Many collectors actually bought dolls thanks to the clothes, so really it was creating business. Such a silly thing for Mattel to do.
Also… I combed the internet looking for pics of my customs, but it was way too long ago. I’m actually piroud of a couple of them, so I wish I could lol.
This will be fascinating. Making a tea while I listen. I hope you dumped the same ones I did lol! I just saw ten living dead dolls on fb marketplace for 40 each, in box. I was tempted, but honestly…they’re too ugly. If they had one endearing quality I would have done it, I think, but I just couldn’t find anything I loved about them, other than the price! I don’t bother with Integrity. I don’t pay for a chance to buy a product. Never will. I think those dolls are overrated, anyway. I mainly collect Barbie 1999 and under, and some mermaid lines of other dolls. But I do admire the 18” collectors. I just have to stop somewhere! I’ve already taken over an entire spare bedroom in our home!
@@alijane6675 you didn’t tell me what dolls you quit!! Any of the same ones? It doesn’t sound like it. 😆
Haha why were you tempted to buy the living dead dolls?
@@DisBlaine I’m Gen X. The Exorcist seriously did some damage. I thought I’d exert control over the fear, you know? So I saw the dolls, and the price was great, and I could see their detail. They’re gorgeous in their ugliness. And the juxtaposition of them against Barbie’s sickly sweetness really appealed to me! They’re still on fb…I may just do it…. One of the doll lines I cancelled was Disney. I bought maybe ten or so, mostly 90s, and I opened a few whose boxes were wrecked. The quality was awful. Just cheap feeling, and cheap looking next to Barbie of the same era. So I opened them all, which in my house is equivalent to sending them to dolly purgatory, and put them in my grandkids’ playroom. I’m fairly new to this, about a year in, and so the only way I know if I like a doll is to buy it. I don’t have much experience with them myself.
Your dolls are so beautiful! Even the one you hate, that was supposed to look like Leonardo DiCaprio. He reminds me of Edward the vampire in the Twilight series. Also who is the Rainbow High doll with the white skin, blue eyes, and long black hair? I've never seen her before.
@@crystalbluepersuasion3897 hahaha I don’t know what it is about that doll!! I had such a visceral reaction I could only guess he reminded me of someone hateful I can’t put my finger on 🤣🤣
That’s Ainsley. She started in Rainbow High then moved to Shadow High in a later season. She’s not wearing her iconic outift here (she came with a bunch of extra outfits) so she’s probably harder to recognize.
Hi I when to a doll show in usa 🇺🇸 and I ask the american girl doll collectors wich you tuber do you want to meet and they all said your you ❤❤❤ I hope one day you can come to Chicago american girl doll store so we all can meet you God bless you
@@marylopezoficial1260 well I hope if I ever do run into anyone in the wild they say hi. Chances are I wouldn’t recognize anyone I talk to on here because they don’t usually have pics in their avatar.
I went to Chicago once - I loved it! They say Chicago and Toronto are sister cities, and I can see why.
This was before I collected AG but I walked through the store almost every day (because, dolls!)
Come to Chicago, yes. Please let us know, I'll be there. I'm only 1 girl and lots of good stuff. Just started in June.
Have you seen Blythe dolls? 💕
@@elenyzoe12 oh definitely! I think every collecting community I’ve been part of had Blythe fans as well. They’re adorable and have great fashions-but I never got into them myself. Do you collect them?
@@DisBlaine I don't collect them, but I recently got one to customize for myself. I saw someone who makes custom dolls, but their pricing is way too much for me to afford. But honestly, I can see why they're priced the way they are, but I decided to give it a try.
You have had quite the collecting journey and I know you still haven't discussed/shown it all. The Chucky collection... hmmm....
@@ladero01 you’re totally right, and I plan to tell the Chucky story… but it’s likely going to take longer to tell than these 4 stories combined ☠️💔
Now, I am intrigued.
I can see why you couldn’t resist Rainbow high. I really love them too but decided I couldn’t go down that rabbit hole. I do have two or three I found in thrift stores. They are very cute. I love their hair and outfits. I was sad when the brand started to change. I love seeing the other doll lines you collected!
@@CherishedDollFriends yeah it felt like they went too cheap and too young. But they were a lot of fun for a few years! And my niece still likes them, so I think kids are happy with the slime 🥴🤣