Hey Gang!
None of the playline male dolls from 2017( see below) or 2016 are as nice as the
older versions of Ken. Many of the dolls from the 70's on had "real" hair and almost
all had click knees. I was coming to expect click knee from Mattel. That is what
made them better that the knock off/cheap dolls!
Ken dolls from 2017
Chelsea boy 2017
Ken from 2016
I would have expected "real" hair and articulation on the Batman, Superman and
Star Trek dolls! But Nope!
Batman
Superman
Star Trek
Well thank goodness Uhura got real hair! More on her later! Were Hunger Games
and Divergent the last of the "real" hair and articulated doll we can expect for Mattel?
OK, here is where everyone gasps!
I have been stocking up on articulated bodies for a while! Their price is slowly
rising! So with none of the Ken dolls this year and last year have articulation
(or click knees) or "real" hair, are older dolls with those features more valuable?
Have you too noticed issues with the new bodies that should not have passed
Quality Control? Hmmmm! You tell me what you think in the comments and the
poll!
11 comments:
Value of a doll is usually determined by availability and demand. I don't personally mind molded hair on the male and baby dolls. Probably because it's one less thing I have to spend time on in order to do photos. It also cuts down on the hair wispies and hair product needed. I'm also used to it because of the number of action figures I have here. Most of them have molded hair. I do like real hair on the ladies. I haven't paid much attention to the nonarticulated body quality since those bodies are replaced (except the curvy dolls). I, for the life of me, can't understand why Mattel moved away from the click knees. At least with click knees we could get away with using the nonarticulated bodies.
I certainly hope not. I believe collectors are much less interested in molded hair Kens. I'm optimistic that they have paid attentions to the response to these dolls and will view the Batman, Superman & Stark Trek dolls as a failed experiment in this area and go back to real hair. Playline I don't expect to change anytime soon.
I totally agree about the hair and bodies on all of the Ken dolls as of late. I do like their faces though, especially on the AA guy. I do not get why the male dolls have plastic hair especially the collector dolls. I do kind of get why the Batman Ken has plastic hair because of his headgear, but Superman --- No! I have stocked up on male articulated body and get them whenever I see a sale or I have eBay bucks, Ebates cash or other cash bonuses to spend! I also get the MTM bodies for future use too. I do see a lot of flaws also on the latest doll bodies as well, such as gate marks, texture and color variations on the same body and so on. Since I do body swaps on pretty much all of the stiff bodies, I don't really complain about them, but flaws on jointed bodies are a different story!
I was a little disappointed too but I still end up getting 2 of the new fellas and the little boy!! Finally another little boy so I was happy with that. I think we will always be on the hunt for articulate male bodies what will fit pretty good.
Ooooohhhhh...I know EXACTLY what you mean!!! It's one of the reasons I've stopped buying Ken dolls. HATE, HATE, HATE the molded plastic 'do. It only works on the AA Kens with short "textured" hair. And even there, I would prefer flocking!!!! But it's just like the fashions Mattel creates. Was soooo much better many moons ago!
I wish Mattel would do more with Ken. He deserves it after all these years! I would love a Ken with rooted hair AND Made to Move articulation.
I agree about the articulated bodies. They will be more expensive as they become more rare. We need more articulated brown guys too.
Thanks for your comments Vanessa, Havilland, Phyllis Brini, April, Watchme81 and Jaye! It is good to know that is more than just me who feels this way about the new dolls!
Vanessa, I really thought that click knees was the baseline for all dolls above $3.00! If it wasn't for the head sculpt, you might as well have a bargain store doll!
Havilland, welcome to my blog! I find that Mattel needs a competitor to change their practices. The Imani line, Bratz, Liv, Lammily have all made Mattel do better when they find their sales are being eaten into! They need competition to stay on their game!
Phyllis and Brini, there was a time that Mattel would not have allowed all of the flaws that they seem to find acceptable now. If you check doll site you might notice that the price for articulated dolls on the secondary market has gone up! BTW I have seen new AA guy flocked! Looks good!
April, Watchme81 and Jaye, We need a revolt! We can't accept it!
Watchme81, Welcome to my blog!
Hi, Ms. Leo!
I go by faces first. If I like the face, then I can accept the body whether it is articulated or not. I prefer articulated, yes, but I have stiff dolls I adore. I prefer rooted hair, but I can take molded hair for guys. I loathe molded on clothes. That's my breaking point. Unless I can immediately re-body the doll or figure.
Alas, I doubt Mattel's quality will improve. While they can be gratuitously mean about any hint of infringement on Barbie, they are not Barbie's best friend in keeping her quality standards up.
D7ana, So true, so true!
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