Bits and Pieces! Wave 11!

There's a lot to talk about regarding the toy/collector world, so I thought it'd be best to roll out a new Bits and Pieces! Click below to get the fun started!

Bits and Pieces! Wave 10!

While I try and find a way to heal the wounds on my body from a particularly deadly season of mosquitoes (seriously, if I didn't know any better I'd say Mosquitor is after me) why don't we settle in for a new wave of Bits and Pieces!

Bits and Pieces! Wave 9!

While I finish the finishing touches on my trip to the Conference of Evil, why don't you click below for some exciting news in the world of toys! This is slightly spoiler heavy on upcoming releases for Masters of the Universe Classics and Jem and the Holograms, proceed with caution!

Bits and Pieces! Wave 8!

I haven't done one of these in awhile, but there has been some pretty exciting toy news this week. So ring the alarm, it is time for an all new Bits and Pieces! Toy news you can totally use and that has totally been reported all over the place, but do any of those other news sources contain my wit and charm? Didn't think so!

Bits and Pieces! Wave 7!

I interrupt this usual Toy Chest Tuesday to bring you something new. Actually, the truth of the matter is that I have been wanting to have some good toy talk lately but with all these toy interviews and long winded 50th chapters, I have been behind on getting to the good stuff! So, Toy Chest Tuesday will be back next week, instead, let's check out an all new Bits and Pieces!

The Engine Purrs like a Kitten

So I am not a frequent shopper at Sears. That Kardashian Klothing Kollection just never really spoke to me and I have no use for really nice tools. Sears had become one of those stores I'd always just drive past. Anyways, I have a dorky friend that told me awhile back that Sears sells toys now. I've had this piece of information filed away in the back of my mind for some time, but I never really did anything with it until recently.

About a week or so ago I went on this mad goose chase for a WWE Miss Elizabeth figure. I would go into further detail on that debacle, but I will save that for another time. Suffice it to say, I am still slightly annoyed that Miss Elizabeth was supposed to be exclusively released on Mattycollector.com and instead she was short packed and dropped off at retail. Way to go.

Anyways, so I had this crazy scheme that maybe, just maybe, my local Sears would have a Miss Elizabeth in the toy department. I went to the Sears and instantly felt like I had stepped back in time, if only because it had been well over 10 years since I shopped in one. I marched my way up to the toy department, and well... it was more like three toy racks on wheels. I wouldn't call it a toy department. They did have a ton of WWE Elite figures though! They just happened to be a Series behind. So there was no Miss Elizabeth (yet) but there was something else...

I am no way near being classified as a Hot Wheels collector, but I have been known to purchase a Hot Wheels product if the licensing collaboration was done just right. (Picture a Frank N Berry HW car or the He-Man HW cars.) Needless to say I had to pick up this Catwoman catmobile. It looks so cool, and since I don't really collect these items I had no idea of its existence! I knew that there were some DC Hot Wheels on shelves, but I never would have guessed they'd make one for Catwoman!

It has everything I love in a car. No seat belts. Glittery purple paint that would also look chic on my nails, and ya gotta love painted whiskers. All cars need painted whiskers. (Move over Pope Pinion! Am I right?!)

 

There are also Two-Face and Batman cars in the series too, but I am sure most of you are already aware of this. My big reason for bringing it all up is to say that I would really love to see Catwoman get a larger sized catmobile! I mean do we really need a new version of the batmobile every year? (Don't answer that yet, I am really excited for the Adam West era batmobile later this year.) I would like to see Mattel take a chance on a cool vehicle for Catwoman. And I don't mean a catcycle or some other such nonsense. That is a cheap and simple way to satiate Catwoman fans. I want a hearty vehicle for Catwoman. With glittery purple paint. And whiskers.

 

Major Edit: Thanks to @marionlawless on Twitter, I just found out that Miss Elizabeth will indeed be for sale on Matty Collector during the March 15th sale date! This is a big change from what we were told by Mattel months ago! For more information, head on over to here.

 

Trix are for Kids

 

I've mentioned Winx Club before, in the last wave of Bits and Pieces to be exact, but they are coming back up again for all intensive evil purposes. There are things I like about Winx and some things that I don't. One thing for sure though that is really fun are the three main villains from the series. Finally Jakks Pacific is slowly beginning to release these venomous gals in a 3.75 inch Trix Collection.

 

There are three in the collection- evil sisters: Icy, Stormy, and Darcy. By pure chance I was able to pick up a Darcy at a local Wal-Mart about a month or so ago, but I have yet to see anymore of these items pop up in stores. They go for a large chunk of change on eBay, but I do have hope that these specific characters will get a larger release in the coming months.

I'm a little worried about the fate of this line. I don't know how successful the Winx Club dolls have been doing in the U.S. The dolls are popular throughout the rest of the world and are actually big sellers, but for some reason it just isn't catching on like Monster High or something. I really hope this line can make it. I love when villains are introduced into my grabby collector hands, so I want to be able to find Icy and Stormy too.

 

The Blasphemous Oz

 

Is anyone else looking forward to Disney's Oz the Great and Powerful next week? I am. I know that there are some Oz fans that are groaning at the fact that we are getting a special effects heavy Oz film, but I don't mind it at all. It could be worse, Disney could have tried to remake the original. Instead we are getting a nice little prequel with James Bond's wife in it playing the seemingly evil Evanora. (Based on the trailer there is no 'seemingly' about it, Evanora is a real witch!)

 

As such, you know I had to pick up a new doll. I don't play when it comes to movie marketing merchandise. This line of Oz dolls are brought to us by Jakks Pacific and they are really pretty dolls. I picked Evanora first because I really like this green gown. It has me even more excited and ready to take a trip to the Emerald City. I really hope this movie won't be a poppy-induced mess.

The other dolls to collect consist of Oz, Glinda, Theodora, and a larger doll named China Girl. And Jakks Pacific isn't the only toy company making some cool Oz dolls. The Disney Store has special edition Oz the Great and Powerful dolls exclusive to the Disney Store. And finally Mattel will be bringing out some Wizard of Oz Barbie dolls later in the year. Mattel does this every now and then. The dolls will be Dorothy, Glinda, and the Wicked Witch. What a great time to be a Wizard of Oz fan! Not for nothing, but who here has read the Wicked series? Pay no attention to the safe and lovely Broadway musical, I'm talking about the actual books written by Gregory Maguire! Oh those books are scandalous! Now that is what needs to be made into a movie.

 

Sorry Mario, but Our Princess is in a Blind Bag

 

Ok sometimes I feel like I am way behind the times on things. Like I try my best to keep up with the toy blogs and everything. There are some fabulous toy bloggers out there that are always keeping me hip and with it. I am always looking and searching for news on upcoming things that I can't wait to get my hunt on for. However, there are times where I either miss reading something or I have some poppy-induced high that knocks me the heck out, because I was never in a million years expecting this: Blind bag Super Mario Bros. Wii minifigures!

 

I have been patiently waiting for K'Nex to bite the Bullet Bill and make a nice Princess Peach mini figure. I mean they have made minifigures of everyone else! So I was at Toys-R-Us and I blindly stumbled upon these Mario blind bag mini figures! I had no idea.

Right away I went to groping and fondling the bags searching for the Princess. It wasn't that difficult to do because with only a few character selections to search for, each one has very unique identifiable parts. There is also a code on the back that totally helps too. The number 0512310 is the same on each bag, but certain numbers will be underlined for certain characters. The code for the Princess is two lines under the 5. Pretty easy.

 

The minifigure comes wrapped in tissue with a little strip of instructions. It is all very classy.

And here she is, finally, a K'Nex Princess Peach. I do realize that with all the Princess Peach stuff I own, I really did not need this, but it is just nice to see her getting some representation! It doesn't have to always be about Mario and his tall dreamy brother Luigi or all those loud mouthed Toads.

 

So that is about it for Bits and Pieces! I hope that everyone is doing well, and be sure to keep it here, all kinds of fun stuff are coming up! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bits and Pieces! Wave 6

Ok so I wanted to post a brief Bits and Pieces as I get some really fun posts finished. (As in an all new chapter for tomorrow's She-Ra Saturday!) My recent post on the custom Catra I did has received a lot of nice comments as well as some questions. One reader emailed me to ask for more information on the Elmer's Painters Pens that I partially used on the paint job for Catra.

Paint on!

These pens are very helpful and all the information you could ever need to know can be found here: Elmer's Painters Pens. They can be found at Wal-Mart and most craft stores. I love them because they come in handy and are really easy to use. The paint is permanent and works really well on certain types of plastic that may be tricky when using other types of paints. I love the Testors enamel paints I used for Catra too, the paint was streak free and very easy to apply with a brush. However for certain jobs those Elmer's Painters Pens are just a dream. I have even used the silver and gold pens to fix up my vintage She-Ra toys like for boots and arm cuffs. My old She-Ra doll had golden boots that were turning green with age, but they look as good as new now!

Winx Tartrix

So does anyone else like the Winx Club? Some odd number of months ago the U.S. finally caught up to what the rest of the world as already been loving, and I do find myself drawn to this series. Part of it is because it is the first Italian cartoon series to make it stateside, so the half of me that is Italian is like, "Go stuff from Italy!" But the other thing is that the concept and characters seem really fun. I mean yes most of the dolls do look like they are dressed for a tarty Halloween, or a night club. (Seriously, Bloom sports an outfit that I swear I used to wear when I was tearin' it up at the clubs in my early twenties.) All kidding aside, there is a fun charm about it. Plus this is a line aimed at girls that does not shy away from having villains mix it up with the heroes. I love that! It brings me back to the days when it was ok for a doll line to have a Catra, Sour Grapes, or Nastina.

The only thing I don't like is that Jakks Pacific has picked up the license and though their dolls are made nicely, the paint applications for the faces are just flat out ratchet. The eyes are always messy and look off, like the Winx girls were really living it up at the club. So I like them but I also am slightly annoyed with the way some things look. Does anyone else share this attitude?

Catch Yourself the Perfect POP!

Fans of She-Ra should have their bank accounts ready. Mattycollector.com will be offering up Netossa from the Masters of the Universe Classics line this Tuesday January 15th. The sale will start 9 am Pacific/noon Eastern. This is actually a big deal for She-Ra fans because Netossa was one of the rare POP releases back in the day, so to finally have a chance to own one is nice. Quantities will be limited as all MOTUC 2013 items will be, so if you want this captivating beauty make sure to be there on sale day. Once she is gone I highly doubt Mattel will reissue her. Here is the link to the store sale page if you are interested- Netossa.

Also once I am able too, I will provide a fun review on Netossa for NERDsociety.com. There will no doubt be countless wonderful reviews from other places about Netossa and other MOTUC items, but I hope you'll want to check mine out. I will post more when the time comes.

So everyone enjoy the rest of their Friday. I am off to finish typing up the all new chapter for Adora's Search for Honor Part 3! Take care!

Bits and Pieces! Wave 5

Another quick edition of Bits and Pieces is here. I had actually planned to write about something else, but due to one reader and one website, I have some fun news to talk about.

A Doll is Born

The first wave of Jem dolls are out for pre-order! This was very interesting, because I am the kinda girl that likes information. I love toy companies that send out nice shiny press releases and dates for folks to know when it is time to get a sneak peek or when to start expecting pre-order or sale dates. Integrity Toys (the company responsible for bringing the dolls back) completely snuck this information under every bodies radar. Thanks to the wonderful folks on Jemcon.org, I was able to find out about the new wave.

So let's check out some images of the new Jem dolls from the first wave-

Classic Jem

 

 Jerrica Benton

 

 Synergy

 

 Rio

 

Ok so first thoughts are this: these dolls are simply amazing. They are stunning and come with some really well crafted accessories. To view more from this first wave check out new Jem doll website to check out some gorgeous and stunning pictures. I am loving this line, aside from some minor plot points. First of all the price point is $119 per doll. Now I get why that price is there, because this is a collector line. There is a lot of thought and detail put into the line. Would I prefer them to be cheaper? Yes, of course I would. But I do get it, even if I don't completely like it. I also think that part of the price is that there are four dolls in the first wave. It is a lot to deal with at first, but with such a diverse first wave it might be easy to pick and choose.

 

My other point of interest for these dolls is availability. These dolls are selling pre-orders like hot cakes at the McDonald's drive thru at 5:30 am. Folks are hungry for Jem dolls, fans everywhere have been demanding a return to Jem for a long while. I think Hasbro and Integrity are both aware of this. So the numbers for the dolls are high, Classic Jem is marked at a 1,000 for production. The numbers for the other dolls are slightly lower. So that is good, however, the one sore spot is that not everyone is familiar with buying from Integrity Toys. They are a collector based company and for some of their lines, buyers have to purchase their dolls from Integrity dealers.

 

My issue with that is that not everyone knows the ends and outs of that. So I hope that Integrity realizes what a hot commodity they have with Jem and hopefully they can do a bit more marketing for the line. Let fans know when to expect teaser photos of upcoming lines. Or give fans a heads up when to expect pre-order dates. I won't lie, for awhile I was checking the new Jem doll website, but after awhile I stopped checking religiously. So I hope some things can change on that. (I'm spoiled from other collector lines.)

 

Anyways, there is still so much to celebrate though with these new dolls. They simply look stunning and I cannot wait to see what the Misfits will look like. I am dying to see a new updated Pizzazz. So check out the new dolls and here is the list of Integrity Dealers, go through the list to see if any of the sellers have any more dolls for pre-order. Also for all things Jem, please join Jemcon.org, a truly wonderful site with kind and awesome Jem fans that talk about all manners of Jem and other truly outrageous topics!

 

POP! Goes the Universe

 

And just like that, the big bang theory rattled the universe in such a way, that nothing was ever the same. Thank goodness for my readers for always keeping me in-the-know. Courtesy of a comment from faithful reader Nastyroker, I found out some amazing news. The adorable POP! line consisting of vinyl characters from Funko will be releasing a Masters of the Universe wave!

 

 

What a wave! Spikor and a Filmation Hordak? Plus She-Ra? Sign a dorkette up now! I love that Funko is releasing some MOTU product, and with such a diverse first wave too! I am surprised to see Spikor, Hordak, and She-Ra in this first line up. I mean She-Ra! It is so refreshing to see She-Ra get some love. And since Spikor is added to the mix, I can only hope that Funko will release some other lesser known characters with future waves.

 

With a Little Mermaid Ariel already released in POP! form, I think Funko would do wise to make a POP! Mermista and keep that mermaid sculpt going for all it's worth! I would just flip out like never before. Anyways, for more updates on the MOTU POP! line, check out He-Man.org for further details. I am not sure when these will be released, but He-Man.org will be the place to go.

 

So that is about it for some new Bits and Pieces. There are some wonderful things going on right now in the world of toys. I can't wait to see what happens next!  

Bits and Pieces! Wave 4

Oh have I got some news you can totally use. Big things are happening and I am just thrilled to see what develops!

From Sea to Shining Sea

One of the things about growing older is that you can't keep your well manicured fingers on the pulse of everything that is happening in the toy world. I try really hard to make sure I know the score, but sadly I lose my grip. Take a new release I came across at Toysrus last week. I was busy looking around, trying to make sure I hadn't missed anything, when I came across something very interesting. Picture time!

Isn't that interesting? The Sea Wees are back! For those trying to understand what is going on, let me set a context. I have talked about an old toy line called Shimmers twice on this site. They were a lovely line of dolls brought out by Kenner. Well Shimmers was actually a sequel (if you will) from an even older line called Sea Wees.

It would appear that Sea Wees are making a fashionable appearance in the 21st century. After doing some research, I have found out that these new Sea Wees are made by Toysrus. (I had no idea that TRU had its own toy making capabilities.) And these new Sea Wees don't look exactly like the Wees of old, but they do retain that cute charm. A mermaid doll comes with a sponge and animal friend. These toys are made to go in the bath, but I couldn't help but pick one up if only for the connection to the past. I would be somewhat interested in TRU bringing back the Shimmers line too. I wonder what that line would look like. Of course I am not sure the new Sea Wees or a new Shimmers line could ever compare to the originals. But! It is nice to see the words Sea Wees back on shelves.

A Rush of Sugar to the Head

Is anyone else looking forward to the movie Wreck-It Ralph by Disney? It comes out next month and there is already a cool release of merchandise. The premise sounds really cute, Ralph is a video game bad guy who realizes he is tired of doing the same gig over and over, so he leaves in the hopes of finding a purpose in a new video game. I really think this will be a cute movie. Even better are the toys. One of the video games in the movie is like a cross between Candy Land and Mario Kart, super fun. Even better: They have made figures to the drivers of the candy vehicular confections! Let's look.

Now I don't know too much about these characters, but they look super cute and seem to be a perfect fit for the style of game (in the movie) that involves sweet treats and fast cars. I also think these items might be rare, so if you think you will be a fan of this movie, be sure to pick them up if you see 'em!

Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away

So the other day I was at my local Wal-Mart doing a bit of grocery shopping and toy hunting. Just a regular day. Well I also stumbled upon something that completely caught me off guard. I was in the book section and I noticed they had some Sailor Moon manga. Like multiple volumes. I was stunned. For a second I thought these were old, because Sailor Moon has been so off my radar I just had no idea there would be any new material... in Wal-Mart of all places. I mean I kinda assumed that she'd be in a big bookstore or online, but Wal-Mart?

Here's the thing. Wal-Mart typically carries the current stuff. You don't go to the book section hoping  to find a library of older releases. Except for that one time 4 years ago when they had old school Fear Street books for a dollar. I thought I was dreaming and half expected to be carted away at any second for being delusional. It was real. Just like the Sailor Moon manga.

Anyways, when I saw these Sailor Moon volumes I realized something shocking. They were re-released stories with some new pieces of material, which meant Sailor Moon must be fetching a comeback. So I did some research and sure enough, Sailor Moon is indeed coming back in a big way. (Some would say she never went away.) From what I have read, Sailor Moon has a new series in production due out in the summer of 2013! How did I miss this? Am I getting that old? (Don't answer that.)

I am really hoping this is all true and that there will be some dolls and figures too. I never collected much when Sailor Moon was last at her height of popularity in America, and I could just kick myself for that. (I have my reasons, and maybe one day I'll share them.) Of course how could anyone not get into Sailor Moon? It was like She-Ra and Jem hooked up and had a baby. I'm really looking forward to this.

So these are some Bits and Pieces that I've been checking out. If any of you have any updates or news about these topics feel free to post a comment! I hope everyone is doing wonderfully well and get ready! An all new Adora's Search for Honor will be out this weekend and it will be great! Evil-Lyn makes an appearance. Frosta works hard for the affections of He-Man. And a certain bombshell bee lady throws a big honey wrench in quite a few people's path. Until next time!

Bits and Pieces! Wave 3

There is a lot of toy scoop going on, so let's get started!

Bits and Pieces

Look What I Found! The Jetsons!
A couple weeks ago I was perusing my local Toysrus to see what was new. Most of the time I know what I am looking for or hoping to see on shelves. With the Internet on our sides, it isn't difficult to find out news on the latest toy lines and when they might be showing up. However I do love when I get a little surprise at something I wasn't even aware of.

Jazwares has worked on a very cool toy line dedicated to some great Hanna-Barbera cartoons from yesteryear! Up on shelves were Dino and Fred Flintstone, and Rosie, the robot maid of that intergalactic family: The Jetsons. I just about flipped. I never thought I'd be excited to own a plastic robot maid figure. (If only she could really clean my house.) Anyways, here are some pictures!

So this is the first time that I have seen a Jetsons figure with such detail and articulation! She even comes with her duster. I think this is just the coolest thing and I hope Jazwares continues to make more Jetsons figures. (I totally want a Judy Jetson figure!) I have done some research and it seems like Jazwares is really putting forth a lot with this Hanna-Barbera line. There are various items coming out ranging from small figures, to the figures like Rosie, all the way to 6 inch figures too!

In addition to Rosie, Dino, and Fred, I have also seen a Tom and Jerry as well as a Yogi Bear. They all have nice details and articulation. There was also a pack of tiny mini figure Jetsons figures of the whole family. So much fun! I can't wait to see more.


My Little (Glow-in-the-Dark) Pony!
My Little Pony has become a huge cultural phenomenon. I am totally fine with that, because I have always been down with anything MLP related. (The original cartoon is always a good time.) Anyways I have been collecting the new Ponies since they were released a couple years ago. There is a hint of flavor from the original line (Spike, we have missed you) but this new line is full of so much personality and winks to pop culture in all its glory. One can't help but love it.

So with all its fandom, it was only a matter of time before the exclusives came trotting out. Toysrus had a San Diego Comic Con 2012 exclusive, the glow-in-the-dark Zecora. She was for sale at the con, and was going to be ready in stores in the fall. Well she is already hitting shelves! So if you are a fan, keep your eyes peeled! I mean a cool looking MLP character that also glows in the dark? How can you resist?

Some Sad News
Remember the Toy Chest Tuesday for Miss Elizabeth? I was so excited for the news of her release into the special WWE Legends line on Mattycollector.com in November. Once she was also revealed at SDCC I was even further thrilled for her release, because it has been ages since the world has seen a new Miss Elizabeth figure. Well according to Mattel, it looks like fans are going to have to wait:

"WWE® Fans,
We’re gearing up to head over to San Diego Comic-Con, and wanted to let you know about a few things that are happening once we get there. First, we’ll be announcing a slight change to our lineup of fan-favorite WWE® Legends figures. Everyone loves Miss Elizabeth, so we’ve decided to move the figure from MattyCollector.com to the mainline Elite Collection in 2013! This will ensure that the Miss Elizabeth™ figure is widely available, and fans can find the figure right in their favorite stores."

This quote came from a WWE thread on Mattycollector, and can be found here.

I'm not sure what to make of this. First off, I only just found this out and can't believe more people aren't talking about it. There are good and bad things about this. On the one hand, it is nice that Mattel is wanting to put Miss Elizabeth in stores again. And with her being in stores means there won't be much of a fight for her on the sale day on Mattycollector.com. This also means that her fans may have to have an epic Royal Rumble with scalpers to actually get her. Miss Elizabeth is probably one of the most fan demanded characters from the WWE  Legends line. A lot of people will be searching for her and I just hope that with her release being moved to retail, that we will actually have a chance to pick her up. (On another good note though, I think her being in retail will be cheaper than buying her from Matty. I think.) Of course, I put my Nancy Drew skills to the test and found out a little bit more about the push for Miss Elizabeth to go retail:

According to Ask the WWE Guys on Mattycollector.com, this was their answer to a question posed by a fan on July 12th,

"We knew this would be an unpopular decision but to be honest we didn't have a choice. It was either put her in Elites or not at all (or charge an outrageous sum for her on Matty, which we weren't willing to do). The Legends on Matty have done so poorly that we literally weren't allowed to continue the program.

We're hoping honesty is the best policy here."

You can check the source here.

So basically, the WWE Legends line hasn't sold very well. The ironic thing about all this, is that had she been released sooner on Matty, I'm sure the line would have seen a good increase in sales. As nice as the other figures are in the WWE Legends line, Miss Elizabeth was the only reason I voted for those folks in the first place! And I know I am not the only one! So WWE fans, what are your thoughts on this bit of information? Which, keep in mind, was actually released before SDCC! I can't believe I just found this out! Am I the only one?


Shopping Etsy Style!
Alright, I am always looking for new sites to shop from. eBay is not the only place to find cool finds on wonderful items. Etsy is also a really nice site for collectors to search for their heart's desires! So I wanted to give a moment to share with you about a wonderful seller on Etsy that you should totally check out! TJ (friend to Diary) has just recently opened an Etsy shop. I bought a really cool item from him that you will be seeing soon. He also included a nice postcard with the item I purchased that features his talented art. His Jem art is super fun and gorgeous!

So check out his Etsy store, MilkyMixer he has some fabulous art that celebrates Jem and the Holograms and Rainbow Brite. (I'm sure more cool things will also be added.) His pieces all look fantastic. They pop with so much vividness and color. Go now!


A Special Thanks
Before I go to get things ready for tomorrow's Toy Chest, I wanted to give a thank you to another reader to Diary, Brothermidnight. He has a fun site ranging from toys all the way to classic food commercials (and a whole lot in between.) Green Plastic Squirt Gun is the name and last week he posted a nice shout out to Diary of a Dorkette, and I just really thought that was very sweet of him. I am always thankful for those who find this site fun and entertaining!

I also have a really cool new feature coming up among some other fun stuff. So everyone, enjoy your week! And get ready, Toy Chest Tuesday will be out tomorrow!

Bits and Pieces! Wave 2

The Latest in Toy News!!!

Masters of the Universe Classics in Trouble?

The popular MOTUC toyline sold on Mattycollector.com is facing a bit of an uphill battle in terms of sales. Club Eternia Subscriptions are at a low and in order for the line to continue more subs need to be sold according to Scott Neitlich (Toyguru) the brand manager along with the Four Horsemen, Sculpt-ors of the awesome toy line. Club Eternia is the program created by Mattel to lock in customers for the year's release of figures. In the past sub sales have been great, but there were some changes with the 2013 subscription process that have not sat well with fans. Some do not like the five dollar increase as the increase effects the shipping for international customers. Also some fans are not thrilled with the items shown so far for the 2013 sub at this year's San Diego Comic Con and are unhappy that the full 2013 line up is not being released. (Due to legal reasons, the full lineup will not be released, but so far the items for 2013 do look pretty nice.)

These are just a few things that have lit some fans up, though the real reason behind the lower number in sub sells could really be anything. In all reality a pointed finger is not what fans need. What has come out of this new predicament is actually a rallying of fans wanting to see MOTUC continue and thrive. The toy line is an ultimate love letter to fans of He-Man and She-Ra as all manner of characters from the entire universe have been released since 2008. Next year has high hopes of very interesting and highly fan demanded characters seeing the light of day. Now all any one can do is get a sub, which is what fans are doing everywhere. From emailing online retailers with requests for bulk sub purchasing to special fan made videos, the He-Fans and She-Ravers are in full force to make sure this wonderful toy line continues. The enrollment period for purchasing a sub ends on August 6th, 2012. So for those interested, get a MOTUC sub. Like yesterday.

After SDCC

Well the 2012 San Diego Comic Con came and went in a flash a couple weeks ago, which means that a lot of fans are searching and hoping to get their hands on some cool exclusives. Some items are going to be difficult to come by. Who knew Derpy would reach such dizzying heights on the secondary market? Let's not even broach the subject of the exclusive Hollywood Jem doll. I've seen prices start from $350 all the way to $999 on the secondary market. I can only hope that Integrity Toys and Hasbro make the new Jem line in ample numbers. For fabulous Jem talk, head on over to Jemcon.org. It is free to join and is the perfect place to talk with other fans of Jem!

If you can't find an exclusive Hollywood Jem doll, I highly suggest purchasing the Haute Doll magazine. The August issue was given a special cover of the new Jem doll exclusively for SDCC. They are still going for a decent price on ebay and the magazine features a nice article by Carie Ferg with some pictures of Hollywood Jem on the inside. It is a nice magazine with all kinds of other articles for the doll collector too! 

Most of the exclusives from Hasbro are sold out, but there are a few items still available by Mattel on Mattycollector.com. (Items like the Monster High doll are gone.) The exclusives from Toysrus are slowly finding their way into the fantastic toy stores as well. However, that lovely Zecora from My Little Pony will be showing up in the fall.

And buyer beware, there are certain items that can be found that are not exactly what they seem. For example there is an Exclusive Sneak Preview Monster High item from SDCC that can be found fairly inexpensive on ebay, but this is not a sneak peek of any upcoming dolls (like I thought it would be.) The item actually contains a snippet of an upcoming MH book (Ghoulfriends Forever) with illustrations that might also show up in the book when it is released. The new story is written by Gitty Daneshvari and will debut this September at bookstores everywhere.

Gone for Good?

There were two lines I was hoping for new information on at SDCC. Sadly the new Thundercats relaunch is over and done. The Bandai line is scrapped and as of right now the animated show has been axed. I hate to see that, but don't count the 'Cats out yet, there may hopefully be some interest elsewhere for the line. Hopefully.

Strawberry Shortcake was also noticeably absent from all the SDCC festivities. With My Little Pony currently having a moment at Hasbro, I hope everyones sweet smelling friend is just chillin' in the kitchen and hasn't reached her expiration date. I'll be putting my Nancy Drew skills to the test and will get back to you all with any news on the matter!

Turtle Power!

Now that the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line from Playmates is slowly finding its way out of the sewers and onto toy shelves, I have a very cool review for you that can be found on NerdSociety. Yes, yours truly, will be writing every now and then on the wonderful and super cool NerdSociety website. Paladin, faithful reader to Diary, asked me to join the great folks on NerdSociety. So I did! And I am taking the opportunity to hone my writing skills and open myself to even more readers! More will be detailed later, but that is it for now. Until next time!



Bits and Pieces

Hello dorky fans! Thank you for stopping by. I hope the toy angst hasn't chased you off. Yet. Anyways Diary of a Dorkette is not really a spot for breaking toy news. I'm not a toy insider. I don't get special information before the rest of the dorky public. (I wish.) But I do keep up on what is going on in the world of toys and other amazing stuff. So I thought this post would be a nice little way of sharing some interesting tidbits and pieces of information that I think are important for dorky folk to know.

First off, let's look at some important:

Toy Trends!

Toy Edition: Matty Collector Mishaps

Super Hot- Stinkor's stinky forearm snafu

Yesterday's News- Sorceress and her drummies 

Practically Prehistoric- Mr. Roboto and his sassy shoulder swap

In other news...

Monster High Teens Get Hip Replacements-

There is some good news for collectors of the highly popular Mattel line: Monster High. Mattel has been rolling out Monster High dolls with a new hip piece or leg joint system. Starting with the series featuring Operetta, Nefera, and Toralei, it appears that the dolls no longer have the elastic band connecting the legs to the main torso piece. Excellent news! Seriously, we live in the 21st century, a great time in the world where we can have all of our media in a Cloud (chillin' with the Care Bears.) There is no excuse for toys to utilize rubber or elastic pieces to hold a body together. Stuff eventually dry rots. Just gruesome.   

The new hip and leg joints now allow even better articulation to the doll's legs. The new articulation reminds me like that of Mattel's WWE female figures. Legs are able to move back and forth as well as outwards, if that makes any sense. The old method of elastic legs could do the same thing, but the elastic would snap the legs back into regular place. Now the guys and ghouls of MH can be displayed in all kinds of poses. For a line of dolls that have always had a great deal of poseability, this is really good news!

And as of this posting Mattel is implementing this feature on older releases. One of my local toy stops just got in a new set of the Dead Tired and Skull Shores line of MH dolls. They now have the new hip/leg joints. I am still not sure how to tell which dolls will have the new pieces or not, but I am willing to bet that if your local store has been empty on Monster High, whatever new shipments they get might actually feature the new hip piece. If there is anything else I can find out, I will post it here.

She-Ra Week in the Works?
I have received some emails from fantastic readers about Adora's Search for Honor. Some of these readers have already been following the chapters and asking, when will I be posting Chapter 18? (Chapters 1-17 were originally posted on MattyCollector.com.) So I have been reposting and remixing the chapters every Saturday, but I am thinking having a She-Ra Week soon. Every day for a week will be a brand new re-posted Chapter so that we can all be caught up for the highly dramatic and action packed Chapter 18. So keep posted!

Blind Item-
A particular toy line has recently seen prices drop at certain toy stores. Could these clearance prices that have been occurring for the last month be the beginning of the end? Or are the clearance prices an attempt to move out stock to make way for newer items? Nothing has really been said, though if the line were to end, a great deal of fans would not be pleased!

We Need to Care More-
The Care Bears are coming back! A new show is coming out this Summer, which means that the Care Bears will be returning to the shelves! I don't know what all will be released, however let's hope that the Care Bear cousins make a much needed comeback. Big Bad Toy Store does have some new items for sale. The mini Care Bear figures look pretty cool!

Until next time toy fans!