Mattel finally reveals the BTS dolls!

At the beginning of the year, Mattel announced that they would be releasing dolls made in the likeness of the KPop (Korean pop for those of you that do not know that kind of music) boy band BTS - seven guys who are very popular outside of Korea too, having topped Billboard 200 chart twice in 2018. They are touring the world this summer and the dolls are supposedly hitting the shelves either this summer or in September. They will be available worldwide and each doll will cost $19.99.

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They look cute and definitely articulated, but the body/head proportions are off, like they are kids. They could be sporting the My Scene male body, which, if I remember correctly, is the same as Ken’s articulated one but with longer hands - and of course bigger head. The Mattel shop website, where the dolls are already uploaded, indicates they are 11” and have 11 points of articulation. The sculpts are original, one for each band member. The clothes they are wearing are from the video clip of their song IDOL, which premiered last August. You can sign up at the Mattel shop to get notifications about the upcoming release. I might try to get one, just to check out the outfit - I love the colourful costumes, unlike anything worn by male fashion dolls. Most of the clothes in real life are from well known fashion brands. For example the polka-dot shirt RM is wearing is by Comme Des Garçons, just like Jin’s sneakers (a Converse collaborartion). J-hope and Jung Kook’s sneakers are Valentino Hero Tribes, while V was wearing Walter Van Beirendonck shoes, which unfortunately were not made for the doll.

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A small tribute to David Bowie, 1947 - 2016

David Bowie was (is) one of the most influential and avant guard artists that ever walked this earth. As part of the tributes pouring out from all over the world in the wake of his death, I decided to re-make, with the help of a Fine Print Elise Jolie, two of his most iconic album covers: Aladdin Sane and Low. If you do not know who David Bowie is, please try and discover him, it will open a multitude of new worlds for you.


Alladin Sane cover tribute


Low cover tribute




The original Aladdin Sane album cover - Design Brian Duffy - Photography Brian Duffy/Celia Philo/Philip Castle - Design/Artwork Released April 1973


The original Low cover, Design Steve Schapiro - Photography Released January 1977

Fashion dolls and my favourite music

Every year since 2007 I am part of a countdown that takes place in December: Greek music lover bloggers post their favourite 20 albums for the year in their blogs, beginning at December 1st and going up to December 20th with their number one. In the end, there's a tally and the best albums of the year are announced. Each participant usually makes a special presentation for the albums, using photos, videos or whatever they think best represents their relationship to the music they love. This year I decided to unite my love for fashion dolls with my love for music and use my doll collection in my presentation. At first I thought I'd do photos with the dolls holding the albums. Then I saw there were some albums that their covers could be reproduced using the dolls. So I decided that each album would be a different animal to confront, depending on its cover and the music inspiration, as well as the artist's image. So here are the photos I made as a slideshow. If you want to see them in all their glory, you can visit my music blog here. Enjoy!