This past weekend was very busy for my mom and me. Friday, we attended the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2). I was looking forward to it, being the first convention of a very convention heavy summer. Overall, it was a fun day. I put together my first ‘real’ cosplay, which was exciting. (Past years, I’ve usually just tossed on a Her Universe Everyday Cosplay look.) I’m very proud of my costume, actually. A few people recognized my slightly obscure character, Daria, which made me really, really happy.
Besides that fun, we actually found some pretty nice doll related items in the vendor hall. Besides growing my C3PO collection a bit with a few affordable action figures, I picked up a fair amount of Jem and the Holograms items, too! Now, these are all fan made items, no actual dolls, but still, finding one Jem thing is usually a big deal for me and at C2E2, I walked away with a few neat pieces.
If you’ve followed my blog, you’ll know I love when a doll related product can be used in real life. That is what drew me to my first Jem and the Holograms purchase– a belt. Yes. It’s a new Jem and the Holograms belt with vintage promotional graphics on it. Being a huge fan of the promotional/box art, I couldn’t not buy this Seatbelt Belt from Buckle-Down. I just noticed Kimber and Shana aren’t on the belt. Strange, right? I love the graphic with Rio, Jerrica and Jem, though. It’s always been my favorite.
The second item I picked up was the first issue of the new Jem and the Holograms comic with the subscription cover (cover art by Sara Richard). I had been searching for this at my local comic book shop since it made its debut, but hadn’t found it yet. I’m glad I didn’t, because the cover artist was able to sign this for me at C2E2.
Last, and this is totally due to my mom, I picked up this amazing Jem and Cheetara print. You might remember Cheetara from Thundercats. This is a truly outrageous print, in my opinion. I love the classic, yet updated look the artist, Catherine Saturn, gave Jem.
To see the full photo album, visit my flickr. It has pictures of the other items I bought and some of the guests I saw, including the dreamy Eoin Macken. Embedded below are two blind box videos we shot after the show. They include a cameo from my brother!
Now, onto the following Sunday, when mom and I went to the Chicago Doll and Toy Show. Usually, I leave the Kane County Fairgrounds with bags of goodies. This year was a little different. Nothing really spoke to me, like it has in the past. One whole walk around and nothing really said, “Buy me, Ashley!”. The ‘Doll Room’ seemed lighter than usual, vendor wise. We didn’t see what we usually do, either. There were a lot of porcelain and older composition dolls, but not a lot of baby boomer dolls, like Little Miss No Name, Sketchy or Giggles. There also weren’t as many fashion dolls or Madame Alexander’s for sale. It was a really strange showroom floor.
That being said, we still managed to buy some pretty awesome things and the best part? We got them for amazing prices. One of the dolls I purchased was a reproduction Terri Lee doll, Bonnie Lou. She was part of the KMart exclusive line, according to the seller. There were a few on the show floor, but the one I picked up was the cheapest to be seen at $15.00.
Another purchase, my first for the day, actually, was a 21″ R&B (Arrenbee) composition bride doll from the 40’s or early 50’s. She wears a brown mohair wig, has dark brown eyes and tan skin. This bride doll is my first R&B doll and my first composition doll. I’m currently on the hunt of finding the exact name of this doll and a more definitive year of production.
The third item I picked up was a 14″ Madame Alexander hard plastic Amy. This was the only lonely Madame Alexander doll in the dealers booth and when she saw us taking an interest in her, she came over to tell us the dolls story. It turns out one of the vendors dear friends had passed away and she was trying to get her friends doll collection into good hands. The marked price on the doll was $85.00, but by the time I got to the booth, she had been lowered to $35.00. There wasn’t a question about if she would go home with me at that price. Her face needs some work, but her hair is practically perfect, due to the previous owner being a hair dresser.
My mom picked up a number of fun dolls, too, which include a mint in box Baby First Step and Rosebud. Watch the video reveal to see everything we bought and some fun little banter, as well. Also, visit flickr for a few more images of these beautiful dolls!
Did you see anything fun at a doll show recently? Have you added something new to your collection? Do you know the name of my new R&B or have you seen an Amy in the outfit mine is in (because I haven’t yet)? Share your thoughts below!
Filed under: Introductions & Reviews, Uncategorized Tagged: convention, conventions, impulse, madame alexander, mattel 
