Creature Features: Makies and Mattel provide made-to-order fun.
If you’re like me, you’re always astonished when you watch movies that depict family life from 100 or 200 years ago. It seems that every father could whittle a complete dining-room set from a single...
View ArticleElectoral Collage: Dolls & figures pay tribute to the first president and his...
Well, it’s the week after Election Day, and depending upon one’s political slant, it’s either a cause for celebration or a case of consternation. Regardless of how the vote turned out, and your...
View ArticleHighlands Heroines: Disney’s “Brave” celebrates the strength and spirit of...
My family watches a lot of movies. Many times it’s classics that my husband and I grew up seeing and adoring—lots of MGM entertainment vehicles, cinematic adaptations of great books, movie musicals...
View ArticleSecond Helpings of Wisdom: A banquet of brainy doll talk and witty observations.
Thanksgiving was once again a test of endurance. It’s the one meal a year that separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls, and your waistline from getting easily back into your “skinny...
View ArticleGuys and Dolls, Girls and Guns? Do toy trends reflect our world or create our...
With only 12 days left until Christmas, the panic of “what, where, when, why, and who” is in full gear. Back in journalism class, those were the all-important five W’s—the essential questions and...
View ArticleThe Half-Time Report: A look back at the most discussed and commented-upon...
It’s always good during the frenetic holiday season to take a step back and ponder the past year’s triumphs and failings, personal gains and professional stumbles. It’s a “day at the spa” for one’s...
View ArticleThe Half-Time Report, Part II: A look back at the most discussed and...
Many of us have gone over the river and through the woods this holiday season to visit grandma, grandpa, assorted uncles, aunts and cousins. In other words, we’ve logged a frequent fliers’ tachometer...
View ArticleChristmas Carnage: How the “Elf on the Shelf” mistakenly got incinerated in...
If you are sensitive to the wanton destruction of wayward mythical creatures, read no further. If you have a strong stomach, and realize that bad things can sometimes happen to good elves, read on....
View ArticleIkea Ideals: Like a well-loved dollhouse, there’s always room for dreams and...
One of my favorite pastimes is heading to Ikea. Luckily for me, my friends and family know my obsession with snap-together sofas and “easy”-to-assemble armoires. At Christmastime, I’m fortunate that I...
View ArticleInauguration Ideal: Dolls venerate the highs and lows of the highest office...
The past three days have been officially labeled as “Inauguration Weekend,” and while Washington swells are dressed to the nines and burning the midnight oil, I’m home with the kiddies playing Clara...
View ArticleOn the QT: “Django Unchained” dolls have gone underground and are netting...
Director/producer/screenwriter Quentin Tarantino is turning 50 years old in March, but he doesn’t show any signs of mellowing or chilling out with age. Nope, instead the self-proclaimed “film geek” is...
View ArticleGuys and Dolls: A “manly man” gets in touch with his “Chatty Cathy” side.
Like many other Americans—and actually citizens the world over—I took part in the annual ritual of Super Bowl watching and snacking. Since I didn’t have a preference for either team, and wasn’t really...
View ArticleWorldwide Wonders: Collectors set records with their doll passions and...
My daughter is in second grade and her math class is expanding beyond basic addition and subtraction. When she was younger—that phrase makes me laugh as I type it, because 8 is so gosh darn young—but...
View ArticleToy Fair 2013: Dying for a good time? The Javits Center was alive with wicked...
February means a lot of things to me: Valentine’s Day, mini winter break for the children, and endless discount codes for Broadway shows. (Producers realize the demand for their offerings declines in...
View ArticleOooh’s and Ahhh’s: Disney’s Oz: The Great and Powerful dolls are works of...
I might not know what I’m going to be doing five years from now, a year from now, or even six months from now—believe me, this shunning of long-range planning makes me a nightmare client for financial...
View ArticleReturn to Oz: More wizardly and magical dolls crop up along the collectible...
Well, I have to admit, I was caught up in the cyclone juggernaut that is “Oz: The Great and Powerful.” My family caught a Sunday matinee (in 3D) and we were transported to a land of enchantment,...
View ArticleOn Your Toes: Madame Alexander keeps dance fans cheering with their ballet...
When I was a very young girl, I loved the ballet. My family, which was not very big on the notion of formal extracurricular activities, knew that I loved to dance, but they didn’t mentor that drive. I...
View ArticleSpring Awakening: Bunnies, baskets, babies, and divinely inspired...
I imagine it’s a sign of the times that even the Easter Bunny has grown more health-conscious. The altruistic rabbit isn’t as fretful and haranguing as New York’s Mayor Bloomberg, but there is...
View ArticleThe Cat’s Meow: Zelda &Scott, the Great Gatsby and fashion fads, are part of...
The other day I was watching a DVD and a trailer for “The Great Gatsby” exploded on my TV screen. Now, I’m a real devotee of F. Scott Fitzgerald. I have visited his college of choice, Princeton...
View ArticleFrankly Speaking: Anne Frank’s words inspire doll artists and give strength...
On April 15, 2013, terrorism reared its ugly head once more. Like all other Americans—and, really, TV viewers from around the globe—I watched in horror and amazement as reports of the Boston bombing...
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