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2000's |
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"Celebrity" Dolls |
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Now Playing:
"Oops! I Did It Again!"
by Britney Spears |
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Return to
"Who's That Doll?"
Home Page |
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"Celebrity" dolls is a rather unique category for miniature fashion dolls. These dolls are based on real people, usually in the entertainment world, who have had dolls made in their likeness. For the most part, celebrity dolls are larger; either eight inches tall (made by Mego) or Barbie-sized (made by any toy manufacturer). The Mego dolls were mostly made in the 1960's, 70's, and 80's, and often were super-hero dolls that might or might not resemble the actor who played the role.
The celebrity dolls shown here are of a more recent vintage. Before her plummet into the tabloids, Britney Spears put on a wholesome front (yes, my tongue was in my cheek when I wrote that) and became the star of a line of dolls made by Play Along, Inc. Britney was made as both a miniature six-and-a-half-inch doll, and as a taller, 11-1/2" figure. A few extra fashions were made for the mini-Britney, based on costumes worn in her stage show, but mainly the fashions seem to have been sold with the doll. Part of this had to do with how Britney would wear her hair, and what type of footgear she wore with the costume. |
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At left is a close-up of one of the Britney dolls in my collection. All of the boxed dolls I've seen on the internet are associated with a song performed by Britney Spears. Since the loose dolls in my collection came to me without their packaging, I can't say for sure which performance they're associated with.
The doll on the left, however, is in my opinion, prettier than some of the others. |
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At right you can see the body style of the Britney Spears doll. She has rooted hair but no rooted eyelashes, and facial features are painted on. The head rests on a pivot joint, which is not a complete ball-and-socket, but still provides some vertical movement, in addition to the horizontal.
Arms are jointed only at the shoulders, and they pivot away from the body. The torso is a one-piece construction with no twist-n-turn waist, and painted-on undies. Britney should consider this in the future. It would save her a lot of time and embarrassment.
Legs are jointed only at the hips and do not bend at the knees. Shoes are formed for the feet, and the type of shoe depends on which costume the doll is wearing. |
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The dolls were packaged in hanging blister boxes; the doll came with one fashion and a few accessories. At left is the only MIB Britney Spears doll in my collection, entitled "Baby One More Time". I have seen another version of this same "performance", below (not one of mine): |
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The back of the package shows a few of the larger, 11-1/2" dolls available, as well as photos of Britney from some of her performances. It doesn't show any of the smaller dolls available, or any fashions that could have been purchased separately. |
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Above are the other Britney dolls in my collection.
Below are a few more photos I've saved of MIB dolls, so you can see the fashions. |
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"I Am A Slave For You" |
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Like MIB doll above, but without title text above the blister. |
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"White cat" fashion |
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Pink pantsuit |
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Another celebrity doll made by Play Along was the Aaron Carter doll, produced in 2001. Aaron may forever be known as "Nick's little brother" (Nick Carter of The Backstreet Boys), but he had a limited success as a solo singer and even ventured into acting in movies and made-for-TV specials that appeal to the pre-teen and teen set. |
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At left is the only Aaron Carter doll I own, and as far as I can tell, that's not his original fashion. At least, I haven't seen any photos of boxed dolls with that particular coat. This doll was given to me by Celine Conoboy, and this is what he was wearing when I got him.
At right you can see the body style of the male doll in the Play Along line. Like Britney, above, he has a one-piece torso with no twist-n-turn waist, arms at pivot out from the shoulders and unbending legs jointed at the hip. His head only turns left-to-right, and his hair is molded on. Facial details are painted in.
Aaron has a bit more muscular definition in the chest and "six-pack" area than most male dolls I've seen, but he still doesn't have much in his painted-on "banana hammock", as my son calls it.
Below is a close-up of his face. |
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At left is the back of the hanging blister box, showing a short bio and other info that I'm sure pre-teens and teens "had to know" about their idol.
If the picture on the box is any indication, Play Along was overly generous in the sculpting of the face. The doll, unfortunately for Aaron, looks better than he does in real life. |
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I believe the fashions may have names, but I haven't been able to determine positively what they are. This one, at right, was simply listed as "Flag Fashion" at the auction site where I found the photo. |
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Coming soon: Mandy Moore |
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"How I Beat Shaq" |
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Lightning-emblazoned long-sleeved tee shirt with docker slacks. |
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