Female SW collectors

Just to let you have some facts pertaining to the FAO Schwarz Amidala doll, the doll comes with two outfits, the "presentation" gown and the "kimono" gown. The original price was $1,200 if you bought the entire set (gowns, accessories, stands, huge case), and $495.00 for a doll with just the presentation gown. I have the entire set, #145 in an edition of 200.

Since I am constantly on the look-out for Padme/Amidala items on eBay, I have set up special searches. I haven't seen one of these dolls on there for a long time, probably at least a year. I guess collectors are hanging on to them.

 

Well with only 200 out there- do you blame them? I'd never sell them if I had bought one for myself


I think that this site is proof that Hasbro needs to seriously rethink how they do things. Traditionally, Hasbro has always focused on being the ?boys toys? company. They make action figures, and they?re good at it. But, looking around these boards, I?d say it?s almost safe to say that the boards are nearly 50/50 (or at least 60/40) when it comes to guys and girls who are registered on TF.N.

That?s a LOT of females who love SW.

That being the case, they really need to restructure how they handle the girl dolls. They need to examine how Mattel works and learn from their practices. I think that Hasbro seriously missed the boat when they did TPM line. They definitely had their intentions in the right place, by creating the Padme play line dolls. The outfits and accessories were great, but the dolls themselves were ugly.

One of the problems that toy makers have is that if they don?t make their initial headmold sizes for their dolls small to begin with, they?re going to be in big trouble. After the headmolds have been used extensively at the manufacturing plant, the mold itself starts to increase in size. The result is that you end up w/ dolls w/ balloon sized heads. The Padme dolls were prime examples of that happening. No girl wants to play with a doll w/ a huge head unless they were intended to be that way (Bratz, My Scene Barbie.)

Mattel first noticed this as being a problem with their ?superstar? headmold. When Superstar Barbie was introduced back at the end of the 70?s the heads were very small and proportionate w/ the dolls bodies. Over the years the heads got so large they had to devise new neck knobs to keep the heads in place to prevent them from falling/tipping over. They?ve done a decent job in the last 5-6 years of correcting this problem by getting replacement headmolds to their plants when they notice that the dolls are coming out w/ too large of heads.

Hasbro doesn?t seem to have this same kind of quality control. The Padme heads are huge and look horrible. Same goes for the Zam head.

Hasbro had the greatest opportunity w/ AOTC to produce a truly fabulous Padme line where they could?ve produced a lovely doll w/ her full and fabulous trousseau. What did we get? We got the fanboy dream girl figure of her in her ripped white outfit, w/ mostly molded hair (ick!) and a head that?s 20 times too large for her neck.

No wonder people customize Barbies into Padme dolls. If Hasbro actually bothered to take some surveys, they?d probably discover that there are plenty of female collectors who would love quality dolls. The deluxe line Padmes and the ANH celebration Leia?s were good starts and they never bothered to follow-up on them.

Grrrrr! Wouldn?t you all love to see a series of 12? dolls come out that were high quality in looks, full headed hair, etc for SW? They could do a Leia w/ all of her costumes, Padme same, and even delve into the EU w/ Mara Jade, Jaina, Tenel Ka and plenty of others. I think they?d be very surprised over the overwhelming response they would get.

But the dolls would have to be done well. With the quality and beauty of the dolls that Mattel produces, female collectors are picky. Considering how hit and mostly miss Hasbro?s been in creating their female dolls in recent years, I wouldn?t hold my breath on that happening anytime soon and THAT is a real shame.

 

To quote PadmeLeiaJaina:

Grrrrr! Wouldn?t you all love to see a series of 12? dolls come out that were high quality in looks, full headed hair, etc for SW? They could do a Leia w/ all of her costumes, Padme same, and even delve into the EU w/ Mara Jade, Jaina, Tenel Ka and plenty of others. I think they?d be very surprised over the overwhelming response they would get.

My sentiments exactly! Just in regards to Amidala, the Portrait dolls for TPM, while a good try, were way over-produced, and unsold. Consequently, we got nothing for AOTC -- except the "woo woo" doll which apparently the PTB assumed would appeal to the male collector, since as we all know there are no [insert sarcastic tone here] female collectors out there. Would have loved to have seen a doll with the "refugee" or "arrival on Tatooine" costumes.

I have to assume that FAO Schwarz sold all the Tonner dolls they had. At $1200/$495 a pop (and remember, this is retail, their mark-up was probably 100%), even with limited editions, I think there's a market there, if only someone would see it. Advertise in the doll magazines, for heaven's sake! Ask the Franklin Mint for tips! At one time I collected FM dolls, and particularly remember the "Gone With the Wind" dolls. There were beautifully done, and sold for $295, as I recall (it's been a while). As a serious collector, I will pay whatever it takes to own a high quality item.

And I think that's part of the problem -- someone out there isn't taking this seriously. "Heck, let's give those guys their widdle 3" action figures and call it a day. OK, we're done." Sheesh.

But the dolls would have to be done well. With the quality and beauty of the dolls that Mattel produces, female collectors are picky. Considering how hit and mostly miss Hasbro?s been in creating their female dolls in recent years, I wouldn?t hold my breath on that happening anytime soon and THAT is a real shame.

No need for me to add to this statement. Take one more chance, is all I'm asking. Give me a doll (from AOTC AND EP III)that I would be proud to place on my shelves.

OK, I'm done ranting. Time to return to your regularly scheduled programming .

Helen

 

ValedaKor Oh please- don't stop w/ your ranting! I'm glad to see that there are others who are as frustrated as I am.

Advertise in the doll magazines, for heaven's sake! Ask the Franklin Mint for tips! At one time I collected FM dolls, and particularly remember the "Gone With the Wind" dolls. There were beautifully done, and sold for $295, as I recall (it's been a while). As a serious collector, I will pay whatever it takes to own a high quality item.

Exactly! I love the FM dolls. I have the Jackie and the Diana (and still would love to get my hands on the Rose ?Titanic? doll.) Maybe we need to launch a huge write-in campaign to LF and let them know that there is a need.

Do you recall has FM ever done SW stuff? I know they do Star Trek replica items. I think I recall that they once did a couple of bronze type replicas of the Falcon and an AT-AT. If that?s the case, if they?ve had licensing contracts w/ LF in the past it wouldn?t be too hard for them to be able to do a couple of Padme dolls and an Anakin.

Just think about the possibilities.

They could sell a singular Padme doll in the Fireplace scene dress and have it basically sewn onto her and non-removable. Then they could have a whole trousseau for w/ her in the meadow dress as the launching doll. Included can be senatorial gowns, the backless dress, the tatooine dress, the white outfit, and then the wedding gown.

If the doll is successful they could launch a second trousseau from TPM w/ handmaiden Padme as an individual doll and then the trousseau doll would have the face paint already done up. How they?d handle all of the hair accoutrements is beyond me- but I have faith in them.

If Padme is successful, they can follow-up w/ a Leia trousseau and then have a Han and a Luke.

At the very least Mattel has this line of GREAT COUPLES collector dolls that they do- they did an Aragon and Arwyn this year- they should be given the license to do Padme/Anakin.

I think that the costuming in the Prequels is what really sets the films apart from all other sci-fi films. The fact that the Prequels have received ZERO Oscar noms for the amazing work that Trisha Beggars (is that correct????) has done for creating the opulent look for the prequels is a crime.

The costumes are a huge draw to the people who visit the Magic of the Myth tours. When all other films are long gone, SW will always endure and its costumes will always be remembered. Lucas himself has worked very hard to preserve the costumes that are made for his films that are all safely stored in the archives at LF ? I should think that he would love to have those amazing pieces of fabric art available on high quality dolls for collectors to enjoy and cherish for many years to come.

EDIT: I found a site w/ piccies of the Amidala doll. Click here!

 

Your points are all well-taken. Wish someone was listening LOL.

And thanks for the photos! I searched and couldn't find any.

 

The Portrait edition Leia has a wonderful headmold. She's actually made of a very high quality resin plastic as well. She's a nightmare for trying to customize however. I bought one on ebay who had her braid cut off at the neck with the plans to give her a complete headed reroot. But she's only got hair plugs around the outside edge of her head, and the plastic is so hard I can't make new holes

Guess I'll eventually just have to give her a new long ponytail. That's why I love the older Leia's. Their heads easily come off and are soft enough for me to add new holes into.

 

OMG AMEN LADIES!!!

They had started off in the right direction with the portrait edition series (the Leia was great), but it seemed to die out almost as soon as it had started. There was a prototype of the pre-senate kimono gown but I don't think it ever made it to production. I for one, had been hoping they would eventually do all of Amidala's gowns from Phantom Menace.

PadmeLeiaJaina, how tall is the Amidala from FAO? And is she porcelain? That doll is absolutely gorgeous, and probably near impossible to find now

I also love the Madame Alexander dolls of Luke, Leia and Han. I had many of her dolls when I was a child, so seeing these really takes me back...LOL.

And at the risk of getting on a soap box here, how many of you are sick to death of the "ultra sexy" versions of our favorite female heroines? I give you the Unleashed line (snicker) as an example. I enjoy the Unleashed figures as much as anyone else, but I will go out on a limb here and say that I think both Leia and Padme were a little over the top. I can only imagine what Aayla Secura will come out like.

OK rant over...LOL. Sorry if I offended anyone, but as most of us here have been saying...there ARE female collectors out there, so there would be somewhat of a demand for elegant dolls, or trousseaus as you've pointed out. I like the idea of getting together and writing someone. Let's do it!

 

I'm not into collecting SW dolls and partially because I dislike the "ultrasexy" versions. (the other reason is I've never really liked dolls).

And I think it's not just dolls but normal toys as well. I'm tired of female battle outfits and such things being produced first. The market is wider than that.

 

Those unleashed figures are just fanboy fantasy dolls. They certainly shouldn't be sold in the children's aisles. GL may have made his leading ladies reveal skin- but it's always under extreme duress and not by their choice.

I couldn't believe that Hallmark chose to make the white suit Pamde ornmanet- what the HELL??? She wore at least 2 dress in AOTC that would've made for looking like angelic ornaments.

GRRRRR! Why oh WHY does everyone think SW is just for boys????

 

GRRRRR! Why oh WHY does everyone think SW is just for boys????

Because of what the marketing suits see at cons, in stores, on message boards, even. "Your focus determines your reality" LOL.

Go to Comic-Con -- what do you see? I believe the precentage is about 75% male attendees. Want to sit in on the Hasbro panel? 95% of the people sitting around you will be young males. Wizard World -- same thing. In comic book stores -- the buyers are male.

Heck, even in my L.A. Fan Force group there are only a few of us women. What's nice is that nobody thinks anything about it <g> -- we're all just fans of the franchise.

Unfortunately that attitude doesn't necessarily translate to the heavy pressure world of toy marketing. Until someone decides to take a chance on producing something else, and that's exactly what it would be, a big gamble, we'll continue to see "Star Wars Stripperellas."

 

Well if we have to endure Leia and Padme "Stripperellas", then I demand Obi-Wan and Anakin figures, shirtless, with their clothes half ripped off as well...ROFL.

Hey, one can dream can't they? hehe

 

Hee hee- Yeah! We want Anakin's nightmare scene unleashed! Or the Balcony scene Unleashed

 

Bacta Tank Luke Unleashed! ROFL

Anakin's Nightmare Unleashed...LOL...I like that.

 

How about Ewoks unleashed? Think that might make some fanboys actually think they're cool?

 

Hee hee- Yeah! We want Anakin's nightmare scene unleashed! Or the Balcony scene Unleashed

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I just went through my boxes of stuff last night and found a 12" POTF talking Vader w/ removable helmet in box. I never even knew that I had him! Well, I probably knew and just promptly forgot.

It was rather like Christmas finding all sorts of lovely, fun stuff

 

I just found all my vintage dolls on Friday! I had totally forgotten I still had them, never mind where they were! I am SO psyched! They're all in decent shape too...Leia's hair is even still in it's plastic donuts...ROFL. I have Leia, Luke, Vader, Threepio, Chewie, Ben and a Jawa...LOL. Plus a rubber Yoda hand puppet I had forgotten about.

 

So what's your favorite "guy" thing in your collection?

I think mine's my POTF Millenium Falcon. I never had vehicles for my figures as a kid and the Falcon was always just wayyyy too expensive. I love it, it's so detailed and looks fabulous for displaying w/ all my mixed vintage and newer POTF figures

 

GRRRRR! Why oh WHY does everyone think SW is just for boys????
Because I think when it first came out...it was mostly a boys movie, but the times have changed...but the marketing people haven't!

I'm a female and for the most part my Fanforce (Cleveland) is about 50/50 between us....

My favorite figures are the Padme ones...there would be more choices in her outfils then but that's just me!

 

My favorite "guy thing" that's a very tough choice. I really can't come up with one, I love them all pretty much equally. My over all fav is my vintage Bespin Leia, in package. Best V-day gift EVER.

 

I have a new favorite "guy" thing, a 2 foot tall AT AT walker. It so rules! Fits a bunch of 3.75" in there, talks, makes noise. I love my walker.

 

I love the LEGO's too Obi Anne I have all the minis, which are all on a little shelf in my computer room...hehe.

As far as "guy" stuff...I suppose my favorites are my MR Obi-Wan and Darth Maul lightsabers, and my Obi-Wan and Darth Maul Kotobukiya statues (are we sensing a theme here? LOL), and my Unleashed figures (again, Obi-Wan is my favorite there as well). Not really sure what classifies as "guy" stuff since I've played with action figures and Matchbox cars since I was about 8 years old...LOL.

I just find it funny when my boyfriend says I have cooler toys than he does...LOL

EDIT: Let's have some fun

What is the ONE Star Wars item that you would absolutely lose your mind over if you could have it?

Mine would be the lifesize Han Solo in Carbonite (the one that was going for about $1,200 when it was originally out). I think that would make the coolest coffee table in the world...ROFL. You could put your drinks on his hands...hehehe.