A Penny Worth of Thought

This entry is inspired after reading another blog (http://dollsaga.wordpress.com/2012/08/29/when-barbie-was-9-99/). So when did doll prices sky-rocketed?

Some say it was when these dolls were seen as collectible items that could fetch a higher price in the future. That sort of gave them the right to be expensive to start with. Dolls are mainly grouped in two--the collector/limited edition and the play line. That distinction alone spells a big difference in price. Some play line dolls have comparable quality with the collectors edition dolls, so it's not always about quality. It's the mere branding.

At first, I thought it was our fault that the prices went high. We kept on patronizing their products. They saw we were willing to pay so they asked for higher prices.

But then I asked myself, why are we doing that? I realized that they made us. There is this delusion being unconsciously implanted in our minds that a high price means a high quality.

I have a friend who creates custom jewelries. I asked her how she prices her items. She said that one should know the buyer to figure out the best price for the item offered to the specific buyer. Some customers wouldn't buy a cheap item for the sole reason that they are cheap. When she figures out that a certain customer abhors cheap jewelries, she instantly charges them triple the price she offers to her friends.

You have to understand their need for this delusion. The more they can make us pay for something, the more they will earn.

If you're inspired, it shows.

The inspiration top

The handmade top with the third and final high-low skirt... for now.

I'm not impressed...

I'm not impressed with what you can buy but with how you work with what you have, so work it.

- Working Girl Kayla

The New Look

Old doll. Contemporary fashion. New look.

1. I don't want to buy a new doll. The old ones can still work it.

2. I don't want to buy too many mass-produced doll clothes especially if they cannot be mixed and matched. If everybody will, our dolls will look like they're wearing a uniform.

3. I want my dolls to look different (from yours). It's my way of saying, "I can think on my own."

Storm

Male dolls are some sort of accessories to the female fashion dolls. I wonder if the early female Marvel Universe (MU) figures are sort of accessories to the male characters. For one, female figures are usually limited in number compared to their male counterparts. Maybe because they are unwanted by the manly male collectors and sees them as dolls. They end up as peg warmers.

The Giant Size X-men #1 (35th Anniversary) version of Storm seems to be that way. She is shackled to her immobilizing cape making her arm articulation useless as is. All she could do is stand in the background if one decided to pose his/her figures in battle scenes.

That is why I decided to make a custom cloth cape for her. She now enjoys the freedom of motion, something the real Storm character enjoys.