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.  

My instagram dolls

I have an Instagram account and only post doll portraits from my collection, plus the first photos I shoot when unpacking my newly arrived dolls. Since many blog readers do not have an account there, I thought I would post some of them here for you to see. Playing with filters and effects there is not as complex as Photoshop but it is fun and I love people's reactions to them as many who see them are not collectors. Hope you like them.

Ghost Of Christmas Future by Tonner Doll

Irresistible In India Poppy Parker by Integrity Toys

DAE Dolls Glamour Gal Vivien wearing Portrait by DAE

Reluctant Débutante Poppy Parker by Integrity Toys

Holiday Grand Brenda Starr by Effanbee Dolls and Tonner Doll (no filter used)

Pas De Deux Gene Marshall by Mel Odom and Ashton Drake

Versace Barbie by Mattel

Ready For Wardrobe Joan Crawford by Tonner Doll

Star Of The Red Carpet Daphne Dimples by Effanbee Dolls and Tonner Doll

Take The Picture Jo Stockton by Integrity Toys (here still in her box)

Think Pink by Integrity Toys

Manhattan Grand Sydney Chase by Tonner Doll

Grace Kelly by Franklin Mint

Poppy Parker "The Happening" by integrity Toys

Tonner Doll Mainline Release 2013 - Tyler Wentworth

Tonner Doll revealed their mainline release a while ago, with a variety of styles and doll series, many of them fashion and many from the films they hold licences for, older and new. We will check out most of them, starting with the classic Tonner fashion line, Tyler Wentworth. This includes two dressed dolls, two basics and one outfit.

All Drama Sydney
Price: $224.99
Availability: Reserve yours now.
T13TWDD02
LE 500

Sydney is a dressed doll in fine quality vinyl and hard plastic. She has the classic Sydney head sculpt and the 16" Tyler bending wrist body in the Tyler skin tone. She has blue painted eyes, mink rooted saran hair. Her outfit is a red one shoulder strap ruffle dress, accessorized with a matching red fascinator with faux flowers, rhinestones, and veil. Finishing the look are red rhinestone stud earrings, a red rhinestone bracelet, nude pantyhose and red satin pumps. She comes with a stand. 

Normally fascinators like this are intended to be worn with cocktail suits or dresses, for official morning or afternoon functions. It looks way over the top with a long gown, which should have something quite different accompanying it. The dress is just a cascade of ruffles, which for me is too much. A combination of draping and flounce, like the Ungaro dresses of the 80s, would look way better. Sydney looks beautiful though.

Classic Elegance Tyler
Price: $199.99
Availability: Reserve yours now!
T13TWDD01
LE 500

The Classic Elegance Tyler is a  dressed doll with the Tyler head sculpt and the 16" Tyler bending wrist body in the Tyler skin tone. She has light green painted eyes and flame rooted saran hair. She is wearing a black velvet dress with attached ribbon belt and rhinestone decoration. The outfit comes with rhinestone bracelets and matching rhinestone earrings. She wears nude pantyhose with attached panties and black faux suede shoes. She comes with a stand. 

This is a very beautiful Tyler, I am a sucker for red hair and green eyes. She reminds me of Rita Hayworth in Gilda, but translated into a tamer, more fashion-y style. Superb.

All Glamour - Sydney Deluxe Basic
Price $114.99
Availability: Reserve yours now!
T13TWBD02
LE 500

This is one of the basic dolls. She has the Sydney head sculpt on a 16" Tyler bending wrist body in the Tyler skin tone. She has grey painted eyes and golden blonde removable wigged saran hair. She wears a gold and yellow lamé swimsuit with a pair of gold molded plastic shoes and gold sunglasses. She comes with a stand.

If you see the close up photo above, it looks like they photoshopped the wig on the doll - and a really bad photoshop job it is.  It surely makes the doll look worse than she really is.

All Glamour - Tyler Deluxe Basic
Price: $114.99
Availability: Reserve yours now!
T13TWBD01
LE 500

The second basic doll has the Tyler head sculpt on a 16" Tyler bending wrist body in the Tyler skin tone. She has blue painted eyes and amber removable wigged saran hair. She sports a pink and gold lamé swimsuit with gold molded plastic shoes and gold sunglasses. She comes with a stand.

There it is again. Botched photoshop job. Even worse than the previous one. And the doll looks so beautiful, but the impression is ruined by the photoshopped wig. Shame.

Shades of Grey - Outfit
Price: $89.99
Availability: Reserve yours now!
T13TWOF01
LE 300

The only outfit of the series. It fits the 16" Tyler bending wrist body. It consists of a gunmetal taffeta skirt with rosettes, a grey bodysuit with dark grey draped chiffon overlay. The outfit is finished with a gunmetal faux leather textured belt with beaded decoration, metallic tights, a pair of grey faux leather shoes and a pair of gunmetal silver flower cut-out earrings.

I love the ruched gathering of the top and the faux leather of the belt looks great too. The earrings are magnificent from what little they show. Really nice.

All photos copyright of Tonner Doll. 

Tonner at IDEX 2012: Nu Mood in the air

Most doll collectors are eagerly anticipating the IDEX Fair at Orlando, FL this weekend, as it is the place where most doll makers present their collections for 2012. Tonner Dolls is no exception of course. They even organize an event:  “It’s a Whole Nu Mood™!” , the Tonner Collectors Breakfast January 29, 2012 from 8 - 10:00am IDEX, Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®.  Robert Tonner will introduce highlights of the 2012 collection. Attendees will have the opportunity to win fabulous door prizes and will receive a special, limited-edition 16” souvenir doll from the debut Nu Mood™ collection. We do have a sneak preview of the new collections and, as the blog is fashion doll related, we are mostly sticking to that part of them but not only. So let's see what's on offer. Check with your dealer or directly at the Tonner website for pre-orders and availability.

The big news is the new fashion line and doll body. Nu Mood is the name (reminding me of Nu Face by Integrity) and what the dolls featured in this one share is the many options that their body offers. There are three basic bodies: dance, curvaceous and fashion. All three can have their hands and feet changed into three different types. The feet are dance, flat and fashion (for high heels) and the hands are holding, fist and graceful. The dolls come with only one set of both but there are separate sets of hands or feet available to accommodate all. There are two skin tones, the Tyler (Caucasian) and the Spice (African American) skin tone. Furthermore, some of them are rooted, some with wigs. The line is completed with lots of fashions, accessories and wigs to dress and redress your dolls ad infinitum. 

 

The dance body dolls are three, from left to right: Jess (Cinderella sculpt), Parker (Friday sculpt) and Carrie (Carrie sculpt). Dance body and feet, rooted hair.

 

The fashion body dolls are the mainstays of the Tonner fashion world, Tyler and Sydney. They have saran wigs.

 

The curvaceous body dolls are also two: Paige (spicy skin tone) and Betty (Tyler skin tone) share the body as well as the sculpt (Pin Up). They are wigged dolls and come with their saran wig.

 

There are eight saran wigs to choose from, short, medium and long, sold separately, to change your dolls look. My favourite is the short jagged red one, here shown on Sydney.

Lots of fashions are sold as separates: tops, skirts, pants, all in various colours and styles to add pizazz to your dolls. The colours are black, red, pink and champagne. Below are two combinations I liked, in black (note that all items are sold separately, not as a complete outfit).

The accessories are varied as well, so I picked up my favourite from each category: a bag, a flat shoe, a high heeled shoe and a tiara-and-pointe-shoes set.

 I love the interchangeability of the hands and feet but what I miss is better articulation for feet and torso. I would love the dolls to be able to sit or take poses like a fashion model and the hip and knee joints need a bit more work to do that. But the sheer quantity and choice is amazing. And I imagine there are lots more to come, plus most of older Tonner fashions fit, except maybe for the curvaceous body. In my next post, some of the other dolls previewed in IDEX.

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.  

Chewin gallery: The repaints!

Here are the Chewin repaints I managed to archive from his e-bay photos. His work is truly amazing and the detail he lavishes on each doll is breathtaking. Usually apart from repainted, they are re-rooted too, with equally amazing results.So without further ado, here is his unique work:

Angelina, a former Tonner Sydney

A repain of Tonner's Aquaman doll, posing as a model for Chewin clothing.

A Tonner Basil repaint

A Tonner Charlotte

Eugen, an Effanbee Basil

A Tonner Matt repaint as a Native American called Jerome.

Mahiru was a Tonner Matt. Notice the tattoo on the shoulder & chest.

Going to smaller dolls for a change: Sadao is a Fashion Royalty Francisco Leon repaint.

I have not included dolls already featured in previous posts. And of course this is far from a total archive of Chewin's work so far. So feel free to join in with your own dolls made by Chewin. His outstanding outfits will be featured in a similar presentation on the next post.

All photos courtesy of Pornchewin Malipunte