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SURVEY! How Do YOU Stay 'IN-THE-KNOW'? Where do you get your information on the latest TONNER dolls - we want to hear from you! And who knows? Your vote may just be selected at random for a special prize! VOTE NOW!   BEST TONNER DOLL NEWS SOURCE - CLICK HERE TO VOTE!   OUR LAST SURVEY: Favorite Fashion Collection? #1 - 55% VOTED REGINA; #2 - 26% VOTED TYLER; AND #3 - 17% VOTED VOSS - THANKS FOR YOUR VOTES!

NEW Awards & Honors Nods from the Industry Tonner Dolls such as Manhattan Grand Sydney and Winter Solstice American Model aren’t the only Tonner properties to receive top honors from industry insiders. TONNER CHARACTER FIGURES™ (TCF) have quickly become favorites among the comic industry insiders as well! Throughout 2007, Plastic & Plush, a fan site dedicated to designer toy news and reviews, has shown Tonner a lot of love with regular product reviews and of course, their 2007 Toy Awards. Tonner was honored in four different categories ranging from “Best Toy Line” to “Best Sculpting.” Our Honorees include: * Best Toy Line: Tonner’s DC STARS made number 3 on the list * Best 1/6 Scale Figure—Female: Mary Jane Watson made number 1! Plastic & Plush said, “The Mary Jane figure also won our award for best sculpt...because it looks exactly like Kirsten Dunst.  In case she doesn't want to be in a Spider-Man 4...try using this figure and stop-motion.  Bingo!” Mary Jane Watson wasn’t the only TCF receiving honors in this category; Wonder Woman was also on the list at number 5. “While it's not Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman  is the spitting image of the classic comic book character.” Plastic & Plush posted on their website.  “Would anyone pay for Lynda Carter - circa 2008 - as Wonder Woman ?”   Best 1/6 Scale Male Figure: Everyone’s favorite swashbuckler, Captain Jack Sparrow won this category making it to number 1! “Disney has released a boatload of licensed Pirates of the Caribbean toys,” Plastic & Plush said.  “But Tonner's line stands out in both quality and attention to detail.  An amazing piece and our favorite figure of 2007.” (hyperlink) * Web-slinging Spider-Man was number 5 and received praise from Plastic & Plush. “While a number of companies could have gotten away with placing a blank body within the Spider-Man suit...not Tonner.  They went all out and included the Tobey Maguire sculpt underneath the mask.” * Best sculpting: Mary Jane Watson won the coveted number 1 spot for Best Sculpting! “By far the most realistic sculpt of the year.  The Kirsten Dunst...err...Mary Jane Watson Tonner Character Figure is from the Spider-Man 3 line and our favorite head sculpt of 2007.”   Plastic & Plush aren’t the only ones honoring our TONNER CHARACTER FIGURES these days. Action Figure Times, a website dedicated to fans of everything pop culture gave one of our TCFs top honors. Our Wonder Woman  won their Editors Choice Award for Best Doll of 2007.

Dolls That Touch Your Heart® Effanbee's Babies It is not really surprising to note that the first taste of doll manufacturing success partners Fleischaker and Baum (the F & B in Effanbee!) received was with a toddler doll—Baby Dainty in 1912. Baby dolls would form the core of this innovative duo’s product line for the 35 years they lead Effanbee. Names like Baby Bright Eyes, Grumpy, Bubbles, Lovums, Baby Dainty and most notably Dy-Dee Baby were THE dolls to own (and perhaps for other doll-makers to copy!).   Their early Effanbee babies generally had cloth bodies with composition arms, legs and head. Their hair was deeply molded and their eyes were painted. The 1926 Bubbles was offered with sleep eyes as well as painted eyes, an open mouth and inset teeth and a few were produced with dark skin tones.     Arguably the first real contemporary doll revolution occurred when Effanbee introduced Patsy in 1927. The Patsy family grew to include a popular baby—Patsy Babyette among the numerous line extensions. This was followed in 1934 by another equally groundbreaking design—a baby that could drink AND wet. Dy-Dee Baby was made from both soft and hard rubber, and had either molded hair or a caracul wig. Touted as “the Ziegfeld of the doll industry,” Mr. Baum promoted the dolls with zest, including creating layettes and accessories for little “mommies” and their babies. “Aunt Patsy” mailed 250,000 copies of the Patsytown news, and consumers learned about the cunning doll that drank and wet like a real baby.   Effanbee was later sold to Noma Electric in 1947, which transitioned to hard plastic for most of their baby dolls, including Babykin, Patsy Babyette, and Mommy’s Baby. The quality of the hard plastic during this period was, and still is considered amongst the best ever made, thus making Effanbee dolls truly durable dolls.   In the 1950’s, Effanbee babies transitioned to vinyl. Tiny Tubber debuted and a vinyl version of Dy-Dee were produced as the first Effanbee babies in this new and even more durable baby doll material. Vinyl remains the material of choice as Robert develops new babies for the Effanbee Baby Collection combining the innovation of the original F&B partnership with the quality that Noma brought to the brand. Sculpts from respected designer Ann Timmerman are featured in the 2008 offering. Today, Effanbee babies are designed with a deep respect for the fine legacy that is Effanbee and its “dolls that touch your heart”.

Design Room Scoop: TCF Variants Storm Design Emerging Work for CON Exclusives Takes Shape I have some juicy design room scoop this month! As I am sure many of you have heard, we are exhibiting at New York Comic Con April 18th-20th and we will have a very special and very limited show exclusive!   A 100 piece edition of Harley Quinn will be available in our booth (#1127) for $150.00. This Harley Quinn differs from the one on our regular line because she has a short hairstyle under her costume and she comes with her classic Harley Quinn accessories (an oversized mallet and an oversized pop gun). This will be THE exclusive to get at Comic Con!! This is the first time we are previewing the actual production image of show special, but shhhh, this is true design room scoop! (You know the rules we're telling you - but if you share, we're gonna have to...*!$%) To give you even more design room scoop, we will have something special at all four cons this year (New York Comic Con, Wizard World Philadelphia, Wizard World Chicago and Comic Con International in San Diego). Coming soon— more details on these highly limited editions, new sculpts Robert is working on and fall/holiday previews!!

SPECIAL REPORT: What is a CON? Comic CONS, Wizard Worlds, and the Lot! Con artist, contradict, contrary, ex con, convict, confess, conspiracy, concept, contrive – AAAUUUUGGGHHHHH!! What the heck is a CON anyway??   Think you know? Think again! Where once we envisioned five dollar card games on street corners to well-dressed swindlers bilking widows out of their millions, CONs have taken on a new light with the infiltration of geek culture into the mainstream. CONs are the nickname for comic book and pop culture conventions and they are everywhere! Themes run the gamut from the classic comic and toy shows to the more niche anime conventions to science fiction and horror. Collectors, dealers, manufacturers, artists, and many more converge on a single arena to share their talents and tastes.   The CONs are a little different from other collector shows. There is an immersion on the part of the participant not seen elsewhere. People come not just dressed, but as their favorite characters. Have any doubt? Just stop by and ask if you can take a photograph of one (or more) of the costumed attendees. Although polite, I found that it was the telltale sign that I was a newbie when I tapped a Jedi on the shoulder and asked if it would be any bother. He nodded at me as if I were a small child learning my first word as he posed for my camera, patting me on the shoulder as I moved on. Partakers come to display their garb, the detail they’ve recreated, and effort they’ve put into every accessory.     At Tonner we begin our CON season with New York Comic Con from April 18-20, 2008 in the Jacob Javits Center. This is a relatively new show that has grown exponentially since its inception. Dealers, publishers, artist, and toy creators such as us will be on hand to offer our wares. You can find out more about the NYCC at http://www.nycomiccon.com/App/homepage.cfm?moduleid=2577&appname=100453 . Other shows where we will be in attendance are Wizard World, Philadelphia May 30 – June 1, 2008, Wizard World Chicago June 26-29, 2008, and the big daddy Comic Con International in San Diego from July 24-27, 2008! We keep the CONs updated on our calendar, so keep that handy and watch each month for updates!

TONNERDIRECT REPORT: Artist's Proofs The 'Proof' is in the Pudding - or Character Figure! Artist’s Proofs (APs) have their derivations in prints beginning in the late nineteenth century. The artist would take samples in a very small quantity to verify the accuracy of the reproduction of his work, representing more the incomplete work than the finished product. Today, proofs are generally verification quantities usually held outside of the limited edition of the finished product. This sort of limited edition of the limited edition (ok, you can use the word rarity!) is what gives the pieces their value. The generating of artist’s proofs at Tonner, Inc. is naturally suited to the way we assure the quality and standards of our production pieces. Basically, we’re production snobs. Think of it as a bad infomercial that won’t stop adding just one more thing for the low, low price of $19.95. We send a sample of a figure to the manufacturer; they re-create it, and send it back to us for approval. We may make a correction or two and send it back. BUT THAT’S NOT ALLLLLL! If any adjustments were made, the design team will eagerly await the return of the second re-creation, make any corrections, send it back, and so on.   BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE! (That was in my cheesy infomercial announcer voice.) Once the approved production quantity has been manufactured, we have it shipped to our headquarters in Hurley, New York. Between ten and twelve pieces are rushed in before the rest of the production arrives to be sure the figure you are about to procure is up to the standards Robert Tonner has set...and you demand. (I was borderline about to do the announcer thing, but was able to resist.)   Each of the rushed pieces are inspected, then signed by Robert Tonner himself, numbered, and relabeled as the artist’s proofs.  Currently, we make some Tonner Character Figure™ APs available via TONNERDirect - You can be the FIRST to know about them if you sign up for the TONNERDirect mailing list at http://www.tonnerdirect.com/t-TD-deep.aspx.   Please understand the TONNERDirect email list is NOT the same as the TONNERSpace Newsletter email sign up...so if you want specific news about APs and TONNERDirect, you must be on its separate email list.

TRAVELS WITH ROBERT Paris Fashion Doll Festival & Collectors United Nashville   PARIS!             Robert traveled to the fabulous 'city of lights' once again to meet Kathy Moreau and the Paris Fashion Doll Festival Attendees. This year's highlights included a trip to the Château de Pierrefonds and a luncheon celebrating the Paris Opera (complete with The Phantom & Christine - LE 100 each) - Emilie and Charlotte Harding display the dolls while attending the luncheon at the famous Café de la Paix.  Looks like one certain Miss Harding would be portraying 'Christine Daae'.                   The opera luncheon was held at the famous Café de la Paix, which is adjacent to the opulent opera house.  For the doll specials at the festival, Robert presented a Tyler and a Sydney, each wearing historic designs inspired by the fashions of Charles Worth.  La Belle Mademoiselle (Sydney - LE 100) and Mademoiselle à la Mode (Tyler - LE 100 in original face sculpt) were a big hit with the collectors!  We love the pic of Nicole and Robert...As one of Kathy Moreau's volunteers, Nicole was able to see the Tyler gown in advance, so she could make a stunning life-size replica for the fashion show - excellent work, Nicole!  And thanks for the pics, Kathy!                 And be sure to check out the stunning one-of-a-kind charity fund-raiser doll that Robert brought to Kathy and her event. 'Parisian Passion', featuring the 'Mera' head sculpt was purchased by Marcia Friend (shown here with Robert and the OOAK doll). And we love the life-size 'Euphemia & Hortencia' additions to the fashion show!                       NASHVILLE! Pretty Little Holiday Dru & Betsy Specials Editions                       Then, it was off to Nashville, TN for the annual Collectors United Gathering.  There, Robert presented a fun table centerpiece of four dolls dressed in Vaudeville-inspired dancing costume to meet the holiday theme.  Each were LE 25 and the featured sculpts were Jac, Layne, Stella and Angelina.  And it wouldn't be a CU event with Tiny Betsy - special editions included Betsy & Dru.  Finally, twenty-five 22" American Models were sold, each made in-house in Hurley, NY - the doll, 'Silver Sensation' featured the tan skin tone model wearing a silver dream gown trimmed in pink (thanks for the pic, Paula!).  And as always, Gary's 'reverse raffle' brought top ticket sales of those hopeful to win the 16" One-of-a-kind dressed in the stunning black cut-out gown (featuring the 'Kit' head sculpt).           A special note: Robert debuted an new up-and-coming Scarlett O'Hara in her infamous red gown at CU Nashville in a limited debut edition.  The balance of this limited edition will be carried by your favorite Tonner Gone With The Wind retailers later this spring - watch for her!

TONNERPICKS! Collectors Share Their Fun, Fancy as They Believe in the Power of Play®   Sharing recent collector photos is always a big joy for us...we get the biggest kick out of seeing your pics and making them our 'picks'!  Please send us your images of your displays, you and your dolls...anything you feel other collectors would love to see and share.  For May: Do you collect other things besides dolls?  Send in your pics and let's share them with the group - please send your images to help@tonnerdoll.com!  Thanks...and keep those pics coming!   In this issue, we just love Jerry Buyck's grand-daughter, Marly, posing with her Mimzy bunny - Mimzy was quite the hit in 2007...and she still seems to be on everyone's list!            Then, Jan Dyer of Over the Rainbow Doll Club in Lawrence, KS sends us a pic of their club's Valentine's Day challenge.  They each were given a pair of red slacks, and they had to create a top--no sewing, no knitting--they could use whatever medium they chose, and then put it together with glue, staples, ribbons, just no sewing. They were very creative!         Finally, Carol & John Graham at Bearzabout recently had a trunk show where they displayed new 2008 samples - and we love that you did that, Carol & John...thanks!  BUT...the truly fun pic they sent speaks louder than any 2008 preview ever could!  It's our April fave!                 Thanks, Everyone!

NEW EXCLUSIVES TONNER COMPANY STORE & FAO SCHWARZ SPRING EXCLUSIVES   From the Tonner Company Store, ULTRA-BASIC TYLER WENTWORTH® IS HERE! Available in Blonde, Raven & Redhead...we think the Ultra-Basic phenomenon will sweep through collections everywhere! Get them now - HERE!                   FAO Schwarz is allowing us to pass sneak peeks of their new Tonner Spring Exclusives - they may not be in the system yet, so please have patience with them...visit their website HERE. Look for HARRY POTTER'S CHO CHANG at the YULE BALL; SNOW WHYTE from Tonner's wildly popular 'Re-imagination Series'; and The BATMAN Exclusive Gift Set, featuring BRUCE WAYNE in his formal tuxedo.

MONTHLY CHALLENGE: Did YOU Know...? Testing your Tonner Know Congratulation to Barbara Beeler (North Carolina) for our last challenge; she correctly named 5 completely different Tonner fashion doll body types...and in doing so, won herself a FREE Tonner American Model!   March's Question: Robert Tonner's 19" Vinyl American Models™ Series introduced fashion doll collectors to new heights in fashion doll artistry.  Can you name 5 completely different Tonner fashion doll body proportion styles? Remember, you couldn't use the American Models in your answer.  We DID tell you to refer to this example: two different child body proportion styles would be 14" Betsy and 8" Betsy; BUT, this question does not apply to child doll styles, though.  Also, the various incarnations of the 16" Tyler body style (Original, BA, AR, BW, Geisha/NYCB Bust, etc.) could NOT be used.           It's amazing how many of you didn't fully read the question as we had tons of answers with 'American Model' and 'Tyler' in it! There were many answers with 'Marley' but we asked that you NOT include child doll styles.  We did not specify male or female dolls...so we did allow 'Matt' in the answers.  We also had many answers with other companies dolls' such as Ellowyne Wilde & Evangeline Ghastly (not a Tonner doll, but a Wilde Imagination doll), Seventeen (made by Ashton-Drake), Julia (made by Georgetown Collection), Kate (made by Family Company), Toni (made by Effanbee) - we also had answers for 'Zoe', but this doll was never produced (we would have accepted it, though as we didn't specify dolls not made).  We did accept dolls by name (Audra, Nina, etc.) that fell into the original porcelain models; these dolls were never named 'American Models'. The NYCB/Geisha body is considered a 'Tyler' type body, but we also accepted this. The original 17" Emme doll is one type that could be used; but the16" newer version of Emme was not correct as it is considered derivative of the Tyler body (but again, we did accept those that answered this because of the ambiguity). In fact...we gave you guys a HUGE amount of leeway!   Here's the complete list of Tonner fashion doll body types, not including American Models, Tyler-type bodies (including NYCB) or Matt - we would have taken size or product line name: 8.5"-adult (Mini-Mood) 10"-adult (Tiny Kitty) 13.5"-adult (Ella Enchanted) 14"-adult (Ava Gardner, Jane Seymour) 16.5"-adult porcelain (Audra, Nina, etc.) 16.5"-adult (Emme Body 1) 18"-adult (Kitty Collier, Miss America) 19"-adult porcelain (Decades of Fashion, Louisa Carlyle, Porcelain Lady Dolls) 24"-adult (Boudoir Dolls)   Oh Dear...it does look like we need to do some studying, now don't we?! How about  new challenge?   Since you are so focused on 16" Tyler and friends, name ALL the 16" body variations made for Tyler and her derivatives? Do not include male dolls, child dolls or any other doll made by any other company - which would be incorrect anyway, because no other company has used the Tyler body.  Make sure you read the answer in the top paragraphs if you want to answer this correctly!   Email your answers (PLEASE ONLY ENTER ONCE - YOUR FIRST SUBMISSION WILL BE SAVED AS YOUR ENTRY) to help@tonnerdoll.com with "April Monthly Challenge" in the subject line - get your answers right, and you will be eligible to win a FREE 16" GRAND OPENING Doll!!! - check for the answers in the next Newsletter!

Believing in the Power of Play: FAO Makeover Putting our Own Touch on the Fifth Avenue Toy Store We're SUPER-excited to announce the completion of our NEW FAO Schwarz department at the New York City Fifth Avenue location. Robert spent a great deal of time working on the design for this new space that would showcase all of his doll offerings to collectors of dolls, character figures...and even Wilde Imagination's Ellowyne Wilde.  Other than the Tonner Company Store, we feel this new presence is a destination for collectors - so we hope to see you while in Manhattan!  For more information on the New York store location and opening times, please visit the website at www.fao.com.

COMPANY STORE REPORT: Body Upgrades! Getting a little Plastic Work from Dr. Noreen! The Tonner Company Store’s new full-service Doll Hospital now offers a special opportunity for 16” fashion doll body upgrades! That’s right, we are now selling the BW (bendy wrist) fully articulated bodies so you can upgrade your straight-arm, bendy-arm or articulated bodies to the newest body type with bendy wrists! We have a variety of skin tones available for Tonner 16” fashion dolls in the regular and smaller bust size. Call us at 845-339-2960 or email nmorris@tonnerdoll.com and we’ll help you find the perfect match to upgrade your 16” fashion doll. Although the art of head-swapping is a well known phenomenon in the dolly world, we do not recommend swapping heads if you are inexperienced—as damage can occur. We can provide step-by-step instructions on how to do this orthopedic procedure safely or we can arrange to do the head swapping for you when you purchase a body upgrade. If you need to speak with the Doll Doctor Noreen about non-Tonner doll emergencies, please call the Tonner Company Store directly at (845) 339-2960 or (845) 339-2961 for an estimate and appointment. If you are local or planning a trip, stop in! Our hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 10am - 6pm; Sundays from 12 - 4pm.

TONNER COMPANY STORE - WWW.TONNERCOMPANYSTORE.COM

GOINGS ON: 2008 Calendar Keeping In Step with Robert Tonner   We have many exciting events coming up this year (see below) and if you would like your event to be added, please email event details and contact information to help@tonnerdoll.com. WE NOW HOST ALL EVETNS ON OUR NEWSLETTER CALENDAR April 18 - 20 - NY Comic Con - Javits Center - call 888.605.6059 for information, or visit the website at www.nycomiccon.com. April 26 - Memphis Doll Club, Memphis, TN - Memphis Doll Club and Southern Belles Doll Club invite you to attend their "birthday party" on April 26, 2008 in Memphis Tennessee. Make your plans now to attend; Robert Tonner will be the guest speaker. Cost: $100.00 per person. Tiny Kitty will be the souvenir doll. For more information contact Louise Moss at 901.323.0498 or email hilow614@aol.com or Donna Brown at 901.755.0701; email cricket1937@comcast.net May 3 - UFDC Region 14 Convention, Albany, NY - This convention is already a SOLD OUT event - call the registrar Janet Smith at 518-371-1508 for information. May 16-18 - TONNER COLLECTORS CONVENTION - LOMBARD, IL - Details CLICK HERE TO REGISTER - http://www.tonnerdoll.com/2008convention.htm ACCEPTING WAIT LIST REGISTRATIONS ONLY May 30-June 1 - Wizard World Philadelphia - visit http://www.wizardworld.com/philadelphia.html for more information. June 26-29 - Wizard World Chicago - visit http://www.wizardworld.com/chicago.html for more information. July 24-27 - Comic Con San Diego - visit http://www.comic-con.org/cci/ for more information. July 28 - August 1 - UFDC, Las Vegas, NV. Visit the website at www.ufdc.org August 2-3 - Sauder Village Event - for more information call Leslee Hartman at 419-572-9592 September 7 - MetroDolls on Broadway 10AM-4PM, Woodbridge, NJ - Join MetroDolls for a luncheon event celebrating American theater and benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  Souvenir doll from Tonner Doll Company and companion items will be available!  The luncheon also features a OOAK fashion doll charity auction, door prizes, and lots of other surprises.  An optional Saturday night dinner includes a vintage fashion display of "Opening Nights Through the Decades" presenting over a century of elegant evening wear.  Please visit www.metrodolls.com or call Marcia at 732-583-5608 for more information. September 24-28 - Modern Doll Collectors Convention, St. Petersburg, FL details TBA - click on the thumbnail at left for the official announcement, or visit the website at http://www.moderndollcollectors.com   October 17-19 - 2008 Tonner Halloween Convention, Framingham, MA - SAVE THE DATE - THIS EVENT IS EXPECTED TO SELL THROUGH QUICKLY AS SEATING IS VERY LIMITED. Watch website for details and online registration.