Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Doll-A-Day 2019 #78: Dam Good Luck Troll, What I Bought on My Trip,and the Latest on Tonner

  Today we're looking first at what I bought on my trip south.
  Tammy World was not happy she missed the Hallmark Lite Brite ornament last Christmas,so she was thrilled when we found this:


 It's The World's Smallest Lite-Brite. It's bigger than the ornament, but this one actually works just like a real Lite-Brite.



It comes with tiny pegs and it lights up, and even comes with seven printed picture sheets of pictures you can use.




 Plus it also comes with five blank sheets to make your own pictures.



Tammy got right on that.


 She wanted to show it to you lit up too.


The Lite-Brite is a little big for Tammy. It actually fits Patience better.



Speaking of Patience,some of you may remember reading about the Tonner company going out of business recently. Robert Tonner said he would be designing and selling dolls through a new company called Phyn & Aero. Well, on Friday it was announced that Phyn & Aero would also be closing up shop. Here's what Robert Tonner said in his statement:
 
As I stated back in January, the only thing you can count on is change, and I’m afraid I must change course yet again.  As much as I’ve always loved manufacturing, on-going production issues have continued to wear me down, and as a result, Phyn & Aero will cease operating as of March 31st.  Please know, when I refer to production issues, I’m referring to continuing rising costs and ever-growing lead times.  I’ve always been proud of the fine work done by the factories—they care about the product every bit as much as I have—and the wonderful people we work with are as disappointed as I.  Please know that this was not an easy decision for me or for us, nor a decision made lightly.
 This decision, however, does create an opportunity for you to secure the last of any Phyn & Aero product.  This includes Lila, Annora, Kadira and Nancy Ann—some of which have just arrived.   Look for discounts on the product, but please note there will be no returns nor refunds.  Also, should you order a Kadira item look for a little "freebee" in your box!

   Please note, the Phyn & Aero website will be accessible through April but mainly to print off any images or descriptions you may want to retain.
  
  So, you may ask, what the heck am I going to do now that I’ll be out of the doll business?  Well, I may be out of manufacturing, but I’m certainly not leaving the doll world.  I’m working with various companies on freelance projects—and I’ve even signed a deal to do human (not doll) handbags and jewelry.  So, I’ll be around.  Be sure to check out my new web-site and friend me on Instagram.
  It looks like most of the products on the Phyn & Aero site is already sold out.

And now for today's doll. This one holds quite a bit of sentimental value for me.


For years my kids heard me tell the story of how my sister hounded me into trading trolls with a friend of hers, when I was so little I didn't have the strength to fight her persistence off. I traded my beautiful blue haired troll for an troll with ugly straight purple and white hair.


Not only did I prefer my pretty blue haired troll, but there was another reason I would have preferred to keep my troll.


My parents got divorced when I was seven. My dad didn't live with us for a while before that. He visited, and I relished my chances to hang out with Dad. One day when Dad visited,we took a drive together,as we often did. On that day I took my troll, and I remember making it dance on the dashboard as Dad smiled. That memory had a warm spot in my mind.


So one birthday, my kids got me a replacement for my blue haired troll.
 

That was such a sweet gesture.


This troll is a Dam troll,as I'm sure my old one was. This one is actually made by Jakks Pacific and Playalong Toys,whereas the old ones were made by Thomas Dam.



So this troll also holds a special place with me.


  I still have that purple and white haired troll, but I never really warmed to her.
    Tomorrow we'll see another doll.

8 comments:

  1. Awww that's sad that you 'lost' your original special troll, but this one is very special to you too and is very cute.
    It's a shame about Robert Tonner's company and I know there are a lot of sad collectors of his dolls, but sadly it seems that more and more doll companies are no longer in business. :(
    x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for sharing your troll story. I am glad you got a replacement troll.
    I had two Madame Alexander dolls as a child. They got lost somewhere along the way. I have been able to find others that I love. These dolls always transport me back to my childhood.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a beautiful memory. So happy that you got a new blue-haired troll. My blue-haired troll, with pink clothes like the one on your box, was actually named Tammy. But he is a boy, as is all my trolls. I have three trolls on large skateboards. At least one of them has a football on top of his board, so I named him Buster after a football cartoon (also fitting since messy hair is called "bustet hår" in Norwegian). The other two had names similar to Tammy, but I cannot remember them other than that they started with "T"... It was not Timmy and Tommy... Maybe one was Tobby..

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So a troll would be named 'Buster' because of he hair? I ask because my son has a larger plush troll he got when he was tiny,and it was named 'Buster' by the company. So now that makes sense!

      Delete
  4. Hallmark Lite Brite ornament is fantastic! I don't get to Hallmark that much any more! The one that was close to me closed and I no longer travel past the direction of the other one. I am going to have to go out of my way now and get to Hallmark. Thanks for the heads up!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Hallmark ornament doesn't have changeable pegs like this World's Smallest Lite Brite. It has a set picture made of rubber. It does hold a light though. A light from your light string can be plugged into the bottom,so it does light up in a way. It's much more 1/6 scale than this one though.It was available for about $12 on Ebay after Christmas, but it seems to be up to about $20 now. Grab it before it goes any higher.

      Delete
  5. I had a light bright when I was a kid. And trolls!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks in advance for your comments.