I do not thing anyone was expecting that the remaining two dolls from the Magia 2000/ Integrity Toys collaboration would appear together, but here they are. W Club members received the corresponding email which revealed the two dolls, with characters from NU Face. The fact that the designers picked these particular sculpts sparked a flurry of comments and conversations in forums, groups and social media. One of the two specifically, Colette, drew a lot of ire, not only for being the 2.0 version (which had so far been used only in the first release of the new Colette sculpt), but also for its appearance. More on that later on. Here is what the designers, Gianni and Mario, said about the dolls:
For the final two dolls of our capsule collection, we wanted to continue with the concept of “day-to-night” fun!
We know how much IT collectors love to play with their dolls, undress them and switch accessories and clothing pieces, therefore, we opted to embrace this facet of collecting as much as possible. We were given the chance to design for two NU. Face characters and we couldn’t be more excited at the opportunity to challenge ourselves by creating extravagant looks for this highly prized, modern, and younger doll collection.
We also jumped at the chance to have Colette and Karolin appear in never-used-before skin tones/hair color combos and incorporate details inspired by the last two cities of the Italian tour, Milan and Rome!"
-Mario & Gianni, Magia 2000
Let’s check out both dolls, whose majority were available through a lottery for the W Club (which I am happy to say have been picked to buy in the lottery), and a small percentage of their edition will be available to the public when they arrive at the IT warehouse sometime in late spring/early summer of 2023.
Item #15108
Runway In Milan
Colette Duranger™ Doll
The Integrity Toys X Magia 2000 Collaboration
Edition Size: 1500
Expected Ship Date: Spring-Summer 2023
Head Sculpt: Colette 2.0
Body Type: NF 3.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: Nubian
Hair Color: Platinum
Eyelashes: Yes, hand-applied
MSRP: $225 + S & H
Special W Club Price*: $199 + S & H
Sales method: This is being sold with a portion to W Club members via a W Club right-to-buy lottery offer, and a portion set aside for the public. Should you not secure any doll(s) in the lottery or want more than your memberships allow, you will be able to try to secure a doll from the set aside portion.
*Special W Club pricing is limited to one per membership
The Story:
Third in a series of dolls created especially for Integrity Toys, each figure and doll in this series will take fans on an ultra-creative tour of some of Italy's most iconic venues and festivals, as seen through the eyes of fabulous design duo Magia 2000!
Milan is recognised as a tour-de-force in fashion, being one of the world's four fashion capitals and leveraging its strengths in the fields of art, design, entertainment, commerce and tourism.
Fashion fans get ready! Magia 2000's tour of Italy continues and today we stop by one of Milan's most sought after runway shows to celebrate the best that Italian fashion has to offer! NU. Face top model Colette Duranger makes a flash appearance on the catwalk, modeling gorgeous fashion pieces that combined, create a mini "day-to-night" wardrobe! She is the perfect muse for designers and drives all the influencers crazy with her posh looks!
Included:
12.5-inch articulated doll with rooted hair;
Black gabardine high-rise culotte pants;
White satin sleeveless cropped top with rhinestone neckline;
Over-the-top jacket with feathery "lashes";
Mesh sleeveless cropped top with applied rhinestone deco (can be worn alone or as an overlay with the satin top above);
Glittery micro-sequined mermaid skirt;
Golden belt with matching, detachable purse;
Golden chrome ruched "leather" high-heeled boots;
Pair of golden chrome chunky heel shoes;
Oversized sunglasses with Magia 2000 carry case;
Magia 2000 black mesh tote;
Drop faux-diamond earrings;
Chunky cuff bracelet with matching faux-diamond accent;
Golden signet ring;
Pair of manicured hands;
Alternate pair of golden chrome "gloved" hands;
Doll stand;
Certificate of authenticity.
I was not a fan of the original version of the Colette new sculpt when it came out during the Supermodel convention (check link in the introduction). The revamped 2.5 version is the best Colette sculpt and I have one. So this doll had me in a conundrum: I really wanted to have all the dolls from this collaboration in my collection, but not liking a sculpt poses a serious problem. The golden make up tones she is sporting did not help the situation either. The make up also drew a lot of hate from people online, many being people of colour protesting that it is always the dark skinned dolls that get the garish, bold or metallic make up, while the lighter skinned ones get the softer tones to look more natural and lovely. Exhibit A is of course Dominique from the 2021 convention (which is a doll I love, in major part because of her make up). My humble opinion is that the truth is somewhere in the middle: yes, it is not fair that darker skinned dolls get this treatment, but on the other hand, bold and metallic colours do look better on them (and pigments have to be stronger to show properly on darker skin). A counter argument of course could be that her golden make up could have been applied more delicately, like the one on 24K Erin Salston from the Fairytale convention. It would have probably looked more appealing - at least to my eyes. The way it is designed in the prototype reminds me of the ancient Egyptian funerary masks found on mummies, which you could either say could be an inspiration or a bad look. Further more, combined with platinum white hair, instead of say a black afro or a more natural hair look, compounds the problem. I love the outfits (two!) she comes in, and the many possibilities in combining the various bits and pieces (despite the clash of gold and silver/white of some of them), but the doll is somewhat problematic - even more so considering it was designed by white cis gay male people. The doll was shown in an accompanying video with the designers being interviewed by Carol Roth and looked quite better in real life. Which of course does not negate the inherent problem it seemingly has.
Item #15109
Grand Gala In Rome
Karolin Stone™ Doll
The Integrity Toys X Magia 2000 Collaboration
Edition Size: 1500
Expected Ship Date: Spring-Summer 2023
Head Sculpt: Karolin
Body Type: NF 3.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: Cream
Hair Color: Platinum
Eyelashes: Yes, hand-applied
MSRP: $225 + S & H
Special W Club Price*: $199 + S & H
Sales method: This is being sold with a portion to W Club members via a W Club right-to-buy lottery offer, and a portion set aside for the public. Should you not secure any doll(s) in the lottery or want more than your memberships allow, you will be able to try to secure a doll from the set aside portion.
*Special W Club pricing is limited to one per membership
The Story:
Fourth and final in a series of dolls created especially for Integrity Toys, each figure and doll in this series will take fans on an ultra-creative tour of some of Italy's most iconic venues and festivals, as seen through the eyes of fabulous design duo Magia 2000!
With a long history that spans more than 28 centuries, Magia 2000's tour of Italy concludes with a thrilling final stop at the center of it all, the "Eternal City"; Rome! Also called "Caput Mundi" (Capital of the World), Rome is generally considered to be the cradle of Western civilization. Famous artists, painters, sculptors, and architects made Rome the center of their activity, creating masterpieces throughout the city. In 2019, Rome was the 14th most visited city in the world, with 8.6 million tourists, the third most visited in the European Union, and the most popular tourist destination in Italy.
For this final stop, NU. Face top model Karolin Stone makes a most memorable appearance in Rome just in time for the Rome Film Festival, a yearly affair that is attended by hottest actors and directors in the film industry! Wearing a look inspired by some of the architectural details of one of the city's most famous landmarks, the Trevi fountain, Karolin's look can transform from an extravagant cocktail look to a show stopping Grand Gala "entrance" moment! With such over-the-top, glamorous looks at her command, Karolin is sure to leave an undeniable mark in the history of Italian fashion!
Included:
12.5-inch articulated doll with intricately styled, rooted hair*;
Pink, long sleeved off-shoulder "bonbon" mini-dress with embroidered and beaded embellishments on the skirt;
Seafoam green tulle petticoat/underskirt (not shown);
Floor length, show-stopping overskirt finished with ruffled details;
Floor length, seafoam green lace veil with ruffle accents;
Matching clutch purse with rhinestone accents;
Pink stockings;
Pair of thigh-high pink boots;
Pair of pink chunky platform heels;
Intricate choker necklace with three rows of "pearl" and rhinestone accents;
Over-the-top, ultra-intricate chandelier earrings with rhinestone accents;
Alternate, delicate earrings with "pearl" drop;
Tiara/comb accessory with rhinestone accents;
Chrome "silver" powder compact accessory;
Matching chunky signet ring with rhinestone accents;
Pair of manicured hands;
Doll stand;
Certificate of authenticity.
*NOTE ABOUT KAROLIN'S HAIRSTYLE: Please note that Karolin's hair has been rooted to specifically create her elaborate hairstyle. If you opt to undo this hairstyle and take it down, we cannot guarantee that the full head will be rooted and some bald spots may be present. Undoing this hair style will void the warranty.
If it wasn’t for her grand baroque madonna style, with a bit of Moschino by Jeremy Scott Fall 2020 RTW inspiration, Karolin would have been left in the shadow of Colette. I love what the guys did with her, managing to make me actually want to by a Karolin doll (I really do not like her sculpt). Maybe Mario and Gianni should have made Karolin a dark skinned lady in her crinoline gown (Bridgerton anyone?) instead, she would have looked awesome with the pinks. She is a direct connection to their usual work, with all the pomp and decoration she has (including the madonna veil), while still remaining a production doll instead of an OOAK offering. I love both versions of the outfit (long and short) and the accessories are gorgeous - the Valentino boots and pumps alone are amazing (but would have been perfect if she had something more impressive on her head, like the ship True Royalty Vanessa had). Pure winner.
PUBLIC PURCHASING
More information on public purchasing will be sent after the dolls' arrival, approximately later in Summer 2023.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Prototypes shown, final product may vary. This collectible is meant for adult collectors ages 15 and up only.
All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2022 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. NU. FACE and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved.
Magia 2000 is a trademark of Magia 2000. Used under permission.
The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.
Photography by Bill and Shaunessey Peck. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.
