The end of an era: Tonner Doll company shuts down

I was expecting to begin the new year with happier news, but unfortunately that is not the case. Robert Tonner announced in an email that Tonner Doll shut down with the end of 2018. Of course it was to be expected, after the restructuring of his business and his focus on Phyn & Aero, which left Tonner Doll only with licensed product, which was obviously not as commercial as it should. Licensing has the fees sucking out most of the profits, and if a company deals only with such a sector, it needs to have mass production and a wide array of product to be sust, something Tonner Doll had not. I’ll always cherish the Tonner dolls I own, and hopefully will acquire some more in the future. From now own, doll collectors will follow his endeavours with his other company, Phyn & Aero. Below is his letter. 

 My Dear Friends,

I was lucky enough to start Tonner Doll at a point when it seemed that everyone was collecting, making, buying or selling dolls.  At the same time, the Far East was willing and eager to produce whatever we wanted at a price that couldn’t be beat.    High demand and inexpensive, quality production led to the golden age of collectible dolls and great success for Tonner Doll.

It’s often said that the only thing you can count on is change; I whole heartedly agree with that statement.  I could go on and on about the changes in the collectible doll industry, but in short, the business model that I used to build Tonner Doll is no longer viable or sustainable.  Therefore, Tonner Doll Company (including the Tonner Doll web site, doll hospital, phones and emails) was closed as of December 31, 2018.

However……

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.”
― Jenna Evans Welch, Love & Gelato

I’m very excited that Phyn & Areo will continue with a brand-new business model, one that addresses some of the changes mentioned above and we will be exploring new ways of doing business.  Through Phyn and Aero, I’ll be working directly with our favorite retailers to create unique and exclusive dolls (look for the first Ellowyne out this Spring).  I will continue to design for and attend events throughout the year (Dollology, Shaker Doll Club, Doll Circle and UFDC to name a few).  At Phyn and Aero I will also continue to develop new product; we’ll be doing small batch, design driven products.  Rayne, a new character with unique (and I mean unique) accessories will debut around Toy Fair.  In addition, I am working on design projects with other companies (I just did a huge amount of work for FAO; that was both a challenge and a delight).  I think it’s going to be a very busy, very exciting 2019!

Over these past 28 years I have had to honor to meet, work with and befriend some of the most wonderful people there are—doll collectors, doll lovers and doll retailers.  I want you to know how deeply I’ve appreciated our journey together—and here’s to a bright, exciting, shiny, new future!
Warmest,

Robert

P.S.  Starting today, please visit our website at  www.phynandaero.com or call us at 845-802-5552.  You can also reach us through info@phynandaero.com

All photos courtesy of Tonner Doll.  

Tonner Doll Toyfair 2018 reveals

It was good to see that among the other toy companies participating at The New York International Toyfair this year was Tonner Doll, with many new releases, either already announced (but not seen) dolls, final versions of dolls that had already been previewed sometime ago or first time appearances. amazing and it was so great to see and hear about everything that’s happening in the doll world. The dolls and accessories shown below include everything showed at Toyfair with a couple of new additions. When you click through to the site there are buy buttons on many of the items in this release, if still available. Some are shipping now and some have projected availability dates in the future. Please be aware that if you add one of those items to your cart and complete the transaction, you will be charged for all the items now and they’ll ship as they become available. Tonner Doll allocated limited quantities on some items to their direct sale inventory and once they are sold the only way to obtain them will be through one of the Tonner Doll retailers, should they have availability left. Let’s check the dolls out!

T18DCDD01 Wonder Woman-Training Armor - $210.00

Featuring a portrait sculpt of Gal Gadot with hand painted details, this ¼ scale figure on the new 16" RTB 101 hard plastic/vinyl body, is heavily articulated and outfitted in a replica of the Themyscira training armor as worn in the Wonder Woman movie. The removable molded armor is movie accurate and hand painted. “Bracelets of Submission” and three sets of hands (relaxed, fists and gripping) are included with this figure. Diana’s sword, shield and fully adjustable base are available separately. Features mink colored saran hair in a long braid and dark brown eyes. June/July estimated shipping (subject to change).

Another great Wonder Woman doll, again very accurate and detailed. I wonder how many of the people who got the first one would get this one too.She comes without the stand, which is always a problem. Would I buy just the outfit? Maybe. But, there’s a second version of this one...

T18DCGS01 - WW Training Armor Deluxe Set - $310.00

Featuring a portrait sculpt of Gal Gadot with hand painted details, this ¼ scale figure on the new 16" RTB 101 hard plastic/vinyl body, is heavily articulated and outfitted in an exacting replica of the Themyscira training armor as worn in the Wonder Woman movie. The removable molded armor is movie accurate and hand painted. “Bracelets of Submission”,  three sets of hands (relaxed, fists and gripping) , her mythical sword, shield and fully adjustable base are included with this ultra-limited set in a custom, collapsible box. Features mink colored saran hair in a long braid and dark brown eyes. June/July estimated shipping (subject to change).

Same doll as before but with all her weapons added, apart from the lasso. We get to see the lovely braided hair at the back here, great job. 

T18DCDD03 - Wonder Woman Variant # 1 - $275.00

The new 16" RTB 101 hard plastic/vinyl body has 15 points of articulation and Gal Gadot’s likeness is captured in detail. Saran is used to create lifelike hair set off with an accurate, highly detailed tiara. Accurately sculpted depicting her movie costume, the WW armor consists of a molded breast plate with a genuine leather battle skirt; her armband and “Bracelets of Submission” are made of real metal. Wonder Woman carries her golden lasso in a genuine leather harness. Boots are made of detailed vinyl and resin.  Figure comes with changeable open hands, fists and gripping hands. Fully adjustable Wonder Woman themed stand, sword and shield are available separately. Wonder Woman has mink saran hair and dark brown eyes. June/July estimated shipping (subject to change).

Third WW doll. She’s like the first release, with the cape added. I don’t like the cape, always thought it looks out of sync with the rest of the outfit. The cape is sold separately as well, for those who have the first doll and want to add it. Still no stand. I really don’t like this policy with dolls. They all should come with a stand, so the buyer can display them properly. Making people buy them separately does not look nice, to me at least. 

T17DCOF01  Wonder Woman Gala Gown Set (outfit only) - $109.00

Featuring an asymmetrical plunging neckline, and draped accurately to reflect the 1918 period, the gown is completed with a train and, in true Amazonian warrior fashion, Diana conceals her “God Killer” sword, which is included. Matching blue pumps (authorized by Warner Bros.) are included should you choose to dress another Tonner doll in this outfit. As Shown on WW#1 with an updo. Shipping Mid-March.

This is one of her outfits I really wanted to have. The sword does look plastic in the back photo but I’ll wait to see it in real life. Could not preorder it fast enough. 

T18DCOF01 Wonder Woman 2018 Black Cape (outfit element) - $50.00

Replicating the one from the 2017 movie, this version is complete with a hood and arm holes and the chevroned elements are top-stitched to accentuate the accurate detail. As shown on WW#1. June/July estimated shipping (subject to change).

And here’s the cape, as sold separately. Meh.

T18GWDD01 Scarlett O’Hara BBQ dress (dressed doll) - $235.00

Scarlett’s chiffon gown, emblazoned with green floral sprays and highlighted with a deep green satin sash, is further accentuated by a wide-brimmed straw hat with a generously proportioned matching green satin tie. The outfit is complete with a petticoat, pantyhose and green “velvet” pumps. Featuring the 16" RTB 101 hard plastic/vinyl body and new Vivien Leigh portrait sculpt with green eyes and mink saran hair. Acrylic base stand included.  Limited Edition 300 Shipping Mid-March.

I wonder why did Robert Tonner feel the need to make a new sculpt for his Scarlett dolls. It does not look like Vivien Leigh at all and it’s harsh and square looking, compared with the previous sculpt. She looks more like Heddy Lamar would have looked had she gotten the part. And that’s no 17” waist, fiddle dee dee.

T18OTDD03  (previously T17OTDD03) Jamie Fraser  (dressed doll) - $235.00 (PROTOTYPE)

A portrait sculpt of Sam Heughan, the actor portraying Jamie Fraser in the TV series Outlander, by Robert Tonner, authorised by the licensor. Jamie is wearing a monochromatic but elegant black suit and striking white dickie and cuffs, brocade vest, stockings and black knee high faux leather boots, from the episode where he makes his formal entrée to French society, attendind the levee at Versailles hosted by King Louis XV. Offered on the 17" “Matt” body with Jamie’s deep rich auburn hair and blue eyes. Acrylic base stand also included.  Limited Edition 500. June/July estimated shipping (subject to change).

We had already seen a peek of this sculpt months ago, when a photo partially showing the doll was posted on social media and now we have the full monty. He looks a lot like the actor, the outfit is gorgeous and I’m so glad I preordered him way way back. Only thing I don’t like: the boots that look plastic (the description says faux leather) and cheapen the whole look. He’s has a larger edition than Versailles Claire had, so that’s good, I hope that his body is tall enough to stand next to Claire, who, lest we forget, has Wonder Woman’s body. I will be able to tell sooner, rather than later, since the first WW Doll is almost here and I have a few Matt Tonner dolls to measure them against her.

T17OTDD04 Claire’s New Look (dressed doll) - $235.00

Claire and Christian Dior converge as she re-interprets 18th-century fashion with a version of Dior’s 1940’s “bar suit”. The bespoke off-white satin jacket and floor-length black satin skirt are accented by sparkling faux diamond earrings, white gloves, stockings, family crested bag and bow-front black pumps. The outfit also features a black straw hat which completes the ensemble. Claire’s New Look is on the  16" RTB 101 hard plastic/vinyl body and has a Robert Tonner portrait sculpt of Caitriona Balfe with mink saran hair color and ice blue eyes. Acrylic base stand also included. Limited Edition 300. June/July estimated shipping (subject to change).

La pièce de résistance! That’s the outfit I most wanted to have Claire in, even more than the red Versailles dress! The genius of Terry Dresbach, Outlander’s costume designer shines through in all of her work for the series, but so much more in this particular outfit. A 40s woman, getting her clothes made in 18th century France, presaging the New Look that would debut a few years after her first time travel. Brilliant. Preordered already!

Spring Release 2016 by Tonner Doll

It seems that the merging of Tonner with One World Doll has put the company on hold, otherwise I cannot explain why the Spring 2016 release consists only of ten items, out of which only eight are dolls (one of them not even a fashion doll). Fashion doll wise there are four Deja Vu dolls, two De De Denton dolls, one Marley Wentworth outfit, one Scarlett O Hara doll and a doll carrying case. I like the De De Denton dolls but not enough to buy them, while the Scarlett doll is interesting but not a must have unless you're a completist. You can order now, some are in stock (see below) and some will be in a month, from Tonner or your favourite dealer.

De De Denton Power Play Dressed doll

• Face includes hand-painted details
• Fine quality vinyl and hard plastic
• DeDe Denton head sculpt
• 17” Athletic body
• Bisque skin tone
• Green painted eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Mink rooted saran hair
• Grey knit dress
• Brown faux leather belt with antiqued “gold” buckle
• Grey faux fur shawl
• Antiqued “gold” hoop earrings
• Natural-colored mesh pantyhose
• Brown open-toed booties
• Stand
• LE300
• $179.99 - in stock

De De Denton Producer's Lunch Dressed doll - Expected to arrive 4/1/2016

• Face includes hand-painted details
• Fine quality vinyl and hard plastic
• DeDe Denton head sculpt
• 17” Athletic body
• Bisque skin tone
• Blue painted eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Strawberry rooted saran hair
• Burgundy cowl neck knit dress with 3/4 sleeves
• Burgundy faux leather jacket
• Burgundy stretch knit headband
• Burgundy hoop earrings
• Black sunglasses with black lenses
• Burgundy faux leather strappy heels
• Stand
• LE300
• $179.99 - pre-order

Marley on the Move - Outfit Only

• Fits 16" Chic body
• Cream coloured cotton twill jacket with matching zipper
• Cream coloured cotton twill skirt with matching zipper and brown faux leather skirt lacing
• Black cotton t-shirt
• Pink faux leather purse with gold hardware
• Multi-coloured brocade booties
• LE300
• $99.99 - in stock

Deja Vu - Warrior Woman Dressed doll - Expected to arrive 4/1/16

• Face includes hand-painted details
• Fine quality vinyl and hard plastic
• Déjà™ Vu female head sculpt
• 16 ” Déjà™ Vu body
• Cameo skin tone
• Light blue painted eyes
• Pale blonde rooted saran hair
• Tan linen dress with “gold” chain maille bodice
• Off-white crochet lace long vest with brown faux-fur and faux-leather trim
• Tan pants
• Brown belt
• “Gold” helmet with white resin horn accents
• Brown faux-suede and faux-leather boots
• Painted brown wood spear with “gold” painted tip and thread decoration
• Stand
• LE500
• $229.99 - pre-order

Deja-Vu Innocence - Expected to arrive 4/1/2016

• Dressed doll
• Face includes hand-painted details
• Fine quality vinyl and hard plastic
• Déjà™ Vu female head sculpt
• 16 ” Déjà™ Vu body
• Bisque skin tone
• Brown painted eyes
• Light brown rooted saran hair
• White cotton dress with white striped accents and white lace trim
• Natural pantyhose with white attached panties
• Gold-colored chain necklace with gold charm
• Gold-colored beaded earrings
• White striped cotton headband with gold decoration
• Purple chiffon scarf
• White faux leather shoes
• Stand
• LE300
• $179.99 - pre-order

Deja Vu Afternoon Walk Dressed doll - Expected to arrive 4/1/2016

• Face includes hand-painted details
• Fine quality vinyl and hard plastic
• Déjà™ Vu female head sculpt
• 16 ” Déjà™ Vu body
• Cameo skin tone
• Violet painted eyes
• Pale blonde rooted saran hair
• Gold chiffon dress with gold and purple lace and ribbon
• Purple shantung coat with purple bow, multi-colored dots and gold lining
• Natural mesh pantyhose
• Gold-colored faux pearl earrings
• Purple, gold and green -  feather, ribbon and flower hair decoration
• Purple shantung shoes
• Stand
• LE300
• $189.99 - pre-order

Deja Vu Penelope's Cover Up Dressed doll - Expected to arrive 4/1/2016

• Face includes hand-painted details
• Fine quality vinyl and hard plastic
• Déjà™ Vu female head sculpt
• 16 ” Déjà™ Vu body
• Bisque skin tone
• Blue painted eyes
• Golden blonde rooted saran hair
• Faux suede black sleeveless top
• Grey flannel wool skirt
• Cream and  burgundy knit & faux suede poncho
• High black faux suede boots
• Stand
• LE300
• $159.99 - pre-order

Gone With The Wind - The Lost Barbeque Dressed Doll

• Face Includes Hand-Painted Details
• Fine Quality Vinyl and Hard Plastic
• Scarlett O'Hara/Vivien Leigh Head Sculpt
• 16” Tyler Bending Wrist Body
• Green Painted Eyes
• Mink Rooted Saran Hair
• Cameo Skin Tone
• White Printed Dress with Forest Green Velvet Belt and Bodice Trim with Faux-Coral Decoration
• Pantyhose
• White Petticoat
• White Gloves
• Brown Ribbon Bracelet with Coral Decoration
• Faux-Coral Earrings
• Wide Brimmed Straw Hat with Fern Decoration and Green Satin Strap
• Green Faux Leather Shoes
• Stand
• LE300
• $214.99 - in stock

Leather Look Carrying Case

Red in color and faux crocodile in texture, this case boasts antiqued gold hardware and an ivory satin interior to safely and stylishly transport your 16” doll. 

$49.00 - in stock

Photos and information © 2016 Tonner Doll®. All Rights Reserved.

Tonner Doll Mainline 2013 release: Scarlett and American Model 22"

I am a big fan of Gone With The Wind and so I had to have Scarlett dolls - one of my first ever dolls was the Franklin Mint Scarlett. I have several of the Tonner ladies too, plus Rhett and Melanie, so I could not leave out the sole release of the GWTW Tonner Doll line. To complete this post, I will include the 22"American Model releases, because the era (but not the size) of their outfits fits Scarlett to a T. There is of course a 22" Scarlett release as well but there are no photos of her yet.

Scarlett
Price: $224.99
Availability: In Stock - Now. Expected to ship 2/15/2013
T13GWDD01
LE 300

This is the only Scarlett 16"release on the mainline so far. She is a dressed doll (there are so many dressed Scarlett dolls by Tonner that Franklin Mint must have less than half of them by now).  She has of course the Vivien Leigh portrait sculpt  on a 16" Tyler bending wrist body with the Tyler skin tone. She has the famous green painted eyes and  brown rooted saran hair. She is wearing a  red dress with black trim and red beads and a gold brooch at the collar and bronze hair decoration. She sports a white petticoat, nude pantyhose with attached panties and red taffeta shoes to match. She comes with her stand.

There is no description on the Tonner website but fans of the film already know this is the dress Scarlett is wearing as Mrs. Kennedy, when trying to convinve Ashley to come work for her. The hairdo is not a match as you can see below.

The brooch at the neck is not similar either (where is the red stone at the middle?) but it looks intricate. It should have sat on top of the collar though, not beneath it.

The rest of the outfit is a perfect match. I cannot remember what she was holding at the photo below.

You can see how the bronze hair ornament is supposed to look like in the film capture below, although no photo fro the company shows it.

The other Scarlett release is a 22"version of the wedding dress dol, but no photos of her are available yet. She would be a sized up version of her 2012 16"release by Tonner, seen below:

Charming Lady - Outfit
Price: $224.99
Availability: Reserve yours now!
T13AMOF02
LE 100

Outfit only Fits 22” American Model™ . Blue jacket with white lace trim and black ribbon trim, over a blue skirt with black trim. Includes white petticoat, faux leather boots to match and a mink curly saran wig. Very late Victorian style, could have been worn by Scarlett on her later years.

Moonlight Waltz - Outfit
Price: $224.99
Availability: Pre-order until 3/4/2013
T13AMOF01
LE 150

Outfit only Fits 22” American Model™. Off white dress with a lace overlay and ruffle trim, and black sash and bow with rhinestones. Black gloves, a black ribbon choker, off white feather hair decoration with a pearl brooch, taffeta shoes to match and nude pantyhose complete the outfit. Includes a long, black, wavy centre part saran wig. This is Edwardian, reminds me a lot of My Fair Lady - the Ascot scene.

The line also includes two basic dolls, a vintage and a glamour basic. You can se the latter below, there is no image released on the vintage one. 

All photos courtesy of Tonner Dolls.

Tonner Dolls at IDEX 2012: more dolls

Nu Mood is not the only line of dolls previewed by Tonner at IDEX 2012. More lines got additional dolls and outfits and I include here the fashion dolls and some facourite picks from the other lines (films and superheroes).Remember this is just a preview, and the balance of the Mainline Release will be revealed in late February/early March (dates TBA). It will include DeeAnna Denton™ on a brand new body, Cami & Jon™, Antoinette™, and the brand new fashion line known as Precarious!

The Freedom for Fashion line is the Asian themed/styled fashion doll line from Tonner. It got two new rreleases, Akemi and Neo Tokyo. Both are dressed dolls, Asian sculpts and very fashion forward. I love Asian dolls but these two are not my cup of tea, mainly for two reasons: Akemi's too funky outfit and boring ponytail (last year's was much better) and the eyes are painted with a very upwards slant that looks weird. particularly on Akemi. Maybe a future release will fix that, unless it's a promo doll only thing. Gorgeous shoes.

Cami is another Tonner fashion doll line that has new entries at IDEX: a doll and one outfit. She looks great, as usual. To my mind, Antoinette is the high fashion doll and Cami is the pret-a-porter one.

Just Right Cami 

Just Right Cami close up

Soho Jaunt outfit

The Antoinette line has another basic doll, the Goth Antoinette released, plus two outfits. Goth looks amazing, one of the best Antoinette dolls released so far.

Goth Antoinette 

Starshine outfit.

Radical Red outfit (if this is a Cami one, please correct me). Not radical enough but looks lovely.

Apart from the fashion dolls, new additions came for one of my favourite Tonner lines, the Gone With The Wind franchise. Two new dolls (although I would much rather have the outfits only, how many Scarlett dolls can one collection have?).

This is the wedding dress from Scarlett's first marriage in the film. It was her mother's, hence it is supposed to look a bit big on her. I think it does look as it should but her hair do is wrong. It should have looked fuller at the bottom and sides, with a more pronounced centre part as shown in the movie still. Also notice the "pannier" look of the skirt in the original, instead of the fuller A line on the doll. 

This is the Heartbroken doll, with the blue velvet rob trimmed with fur and the night gown underneath. The fur was darker in the original, probably black or dark blue/grey as one can see in the photo of the original robe. It is a gorgeous outfit and would love to have it.

In their super hero series, Tonner releases Elektra, one of my favourite Marvel ladies. She looks stunning and I already pre-ordered her.

Another stunning doll is the Corpse Bride, from Tim Burton's film. I recall that there was one Bride doll released alongside the film, in 16" or 17" size that was a perfect copy but too expensive. This one is rather an interpretation of it, still impressive, with a gown to die for. I do not like the Monica Merill sculpt - too doll like for my taste. But the doll looks incredible. She has the curvaceous body.

The fun doll in this release is definitely the Ms. Beetlejuice doll - a female version of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice! She shares the same body and sculpt of Corpse Bride. The outfit is again incredible. 

With so many lovely dolls previewed, I cannot wait for the rest of the mainline Tonner release, later in the year, it promises to be exciting!

All photos courtesy of Tonner Dolls. Please note: Any design element, including but not limited to fabrics, face painting styles, body styles and/or hair colors may be subject to change during production.