Dolly Review: Tonner’s Sindy’s TV Dream

A few weeks ago, Tonner announced that the license to produce Sindy was ending and discounted all the remaining stock to crazy awesome prices. Tonner’s time with Sindy was, well, not perfect. They missed the anniversary and never marketed this iconic British series properly to the US audience.  Another thing they never got right was the pricing. Sindy was priced way too high. As much as I hate to say it, I would have felt so ripped off had I paid full price for the Sindy you’ll be seeing in this review. Tonner would have done themselves a huge service had they aimed this series towards the younger set and not solely collectors. If Tonner Toys, for example, had produced it and gotten a select number into big chain stores, I think this could have been a real hit. However, deciding to make her a collectible with a high price tag just didn’t work.

But, to the review! The Tonner sale saw Sindy’s usually priced between seventy to one-hundred or more dollars marked down to as little as thirty-five US dollars! Clearly, the time to buy! When I logged in, Tonner had pretty much most of their stock available. Very quickly, though, they started selling out.  I was lucky enough to snatch up two, one for me and one for my mother for Mother’s Day. The latter is being kept a secret for now, but I would like to introduce you to my new Sindy (which is also my first Sindy) Sindy’s TV Dream.

Unknown to me at the time of ordering, Sindy’s TV Dream was limited to 225 pieces and exclusive to the Guilty Pleasures Tonner Collectors Convention in 2015. This doll comes dressed in a mod style outfit with a pink and green checkered jacket with a peter pan collar, a pink top and mini skirt in the same pink and green checkers. There are small details like white buttons on the jacket, a thick pink belt on the skirt and matching pink heels. She also comes wearing pantyhose and undies. One element I particularly like is the long silver chain necklace. It totally completes the look.

Sindy has a cute little face!  Her blue eyes are large and round. Sindy’s round face has two chubby cheeks. Her lips are a nice mauve color and there’s light blush on her cheeks. Sindy has ‘real’ eyelashes and a handful of painted ones. Her real lashes are a bit disappointing. They’re not done very well, to be honest. They’re hard and thick, not effortless, like you’d expect from a brand known for high quality products like Tonner. Between these and painted lashes, I’d have much preferred painted lashes.

Sindy has the most adorable brown wigged hair! I love her short bob with bangs. It goes perfectly with her groovy outfit. She wears a pink ribbon in her hair. It’s just a normal pink ribbon, nothing special, but it looks nice. At 11″ tall, she’s a great size. Her vinyl is surprisingly thick and of a nice quality. There’s no hollow limbs on this girl! It’s very apparent when you feel her head. Her head is made of very thick, hard vinyl.

As far as articulation goes, Sindy is lacking in that area. Now, I can’t fault Tonner for this, because if they were making a true reproduction, then many they purposely decided against giving this girl articulation. But, in this current doll market, she would have been much more popular, I think, if she had some more articulation. Sindy’s shoulder and leg joints only allow her limbs to move up and down, not out. If you put her in a sitting position, she will sit in a straddle. She has no elbow or knee joints. On the upside, she does have a twist and turn waist and a head that moves in all directions. While I love the TNT waist, she’s hard to pose in natural and different poses due to her lack of elbow and knee joints.

I thought it would be cute to take a few photos of Sindy with my Big Chief 11th Doctor, seeing they both hail from across the pond (in relation to Illinois, at least). The prop TARDIS you’ll see in the background is actually from a convention I attended earlier. A company was selling mystery boxes shaped like the TARDIS. It turns out the box was the coolest thing about the mystery box, because it was perfectly scaled for MSD sized dolls or those of a similar size. (It’s a little big for these two, but it works!) Due to Sindy’s lack of articulation, poses were limited between the two very different dolls, but you know what? I think these turned out so cute!!! (And no, I don’t know why I always make my Doctor pose romantically with his assistants. It just happens.)

Overall, I like this Sindy, I really do. But I can see why she may not have gone over so well with consumers. Her lack of articulation isn’t really on trend for today’s collectors. Sindy’s high prices didn’t help, either. I think, if you find a Tonner Sindy for $50.00 or below, you’re good. She’s a solidly made doll and was produced in some super cute looks. At the time of this writing, there are still two outfits (no doll included) for sale at $20.00 a pop, originally priced at $70.00 (yikes!). You can easily find Sindy’s TV Dream and others in the line on eBay and most likely at your favorite doll shops.

Do you own a Tonner Sindy? How do you think she compares to the original Sindy line? Do you think her original price tag is justified? Share your thoughts below!