This year the Tonner Doll Company took some really wild liberties with the Oz line. When I first saw the photos of the dolls in January, I thought they might be hard sells, but that seems to not be the case. Over the past few months the 2006 line has really grown on me and I've decided there is something for everyone after all.
Dressed Dolls
If you missed them last year, Glinda, the Wicked Witch, Dorothy, and the ruby slippers are available again this year.
The Winged Monkey has been added to the accessory line. If you were unable to purchase the porcelain Winged Monkey from Mattel a few years ago, the new Tonner monkey would be a suitable, more affordable substitute. He is an open edition.
The Lady Ozmopolitan is a thrill to see. The Emerald City hairdresser is rarely represented in Oz collectibles. Her blonde hair is perfectly coiffed and her make-up is flawless. She's the beauty you'd expect to see in an Emerald City salon.
The Emerald City Cosmopolitan Wicked Witch doll seems strange to me. I've read rave reviews about her from doll aficionados, but as an Oz fan........this doll seems very un-Wicked Witch like to me and I find the yellow and teal colors of the outfit odd against the green skin. In my opinion, the outfit should have been boxed separately and marketed toward the raven haired basic Ozmopolitan.
Emerald City Elegance is a fiery haired stunner barely seen in the Wizard of Oz film. This particular character was featured more prominently during the reprise of 'Ding, Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead' when Dorothy and friends return to the Emerald City with the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. Unfortunately for these lovely ladies, their already minimal screen time was made even shorter when the reprise was cut from the film. This engaging doll wears a green halter dress topped with beading at the neck and a pleated skirt. A green flower pot hat with white flowers is perched smartly atop her head. This character has never been captured in collectible form before. Tonner has given her the immortalization MGM denied her due to time constraints. It's refreshing to see Tonner really taking chances with this line and bringing inconsequential characters to to the forefront.
The Poison Ivy doll is another one that strikes me as kind of strange. Due to copyright issues with the original name this doll was changed to Haunted Stroll. Like the Emerald City Cosmopolitan, the whole Haunted Stroll getup does not seem to fit the character of the Wicked Witch at all. The copper tresses do not seem to work on the witch.
The one dressed doll I absolutely adore is Ambassador in Pink. Glinda, the fashionista of Oz, is a cotton candy confectionery vision. She has a classically beautiful sculpt with a lovely painted face. The pink hair is neither garish nor outrageous. The color really works well for this doll. I'm not a big fan of the color pink, but his doll is really gorgeous. To me, she's SO Glinda or Galinda, for those familiar with Wicked the musical.
Outfits
Perfume Lady is an outfit modeled by the basic Ozmopolitan doll. Like the Emerald City Elegance doll, this represents a character with very little screen time.
The Winkie Business suit wins the award for ozzyest costume of 2006. The Wicked Witch looks prepared to give her legion marching orders to find a certain Kansas refugee and her little dog too!!
There's nothing uniquely Oz about the Oz Rhapsody dress, but I think it's very feminine and compliments Glinda's beauty.
I think the design of Griffin Splendor is appropriate for the Wicked Witch because of the embroidered griffins, but I'm not crazy about the silver color. I think a darker hue more suited to the Witch with silver embroidered enhancements would have been better. It's modeled on the basic Wickedly Silver doll and all that silver doesn't work for the Wicked Witch the same way pink seems to for Glinda. However, Griffon Splendor is a really cool outfit unto itself.
Finally, finally Dorothy gets a wardrobe! With all the money MGM spent on the lavish costuming in The Wizard of Oz you'd think Dorothy would be allowed at least one costume change. A farmgirl in the big city would certainly benefit from some Emerald City glamour. A pretty frock for an audience with the Wizard would certainly have been warranted. Maybe they wanted Dorothy to be a sharp contrast to the fanciful world around her. At least she got a new hairdo! Robert Tonner picked up MGM's slack and gave Dorothy two charming outfits.
The Back to School ensemble I can picture Dorothy wearing down a dusty Kansas road carrying her books with Toto at her heels. It includes a white dress with a flowered pinafore, black stockings, and black shoes.
Bedtime Dreams is a cute nightgown but not very original to Dorothy. I think a poppy design alluding to Dorothy's nap in Oz would have been more appropriate.
All dressed dolls and boxed clothing for 2006 are in editions of 1500.
