Now is the summer of discontent...with Tonner

[TheHighlander]

Excuse me for venting - a little. But I am totally fed up with Tonner Doll Company. As some of you know I like their DeeAnna Denton doll in particular, and have some of their other fashion dolls, such as their older Cinderella and some American models too. I also have a number of Prudence and Ellowyne dolls from Wilde Imagination (part of Tonner).

Well, Tonner has totally lost this collector. I read recently about their new playline dolls, and that was kind of the final nail in the coffin for me. Tonner used to be a company that was all about making high quality collectibles for collectors. Increasingly they have moved into smaller dolls and character figures. The playline was, I suppose a logical extension of that, but to me it is nothing less than a slap in the face of the collectors that have made Tonner what it is. The reason I say that is that this increased focus on character figures and smaller dolls, and now their playline, comes at the expense of their focus on the collector market.

This impact is seen clearly with regard to the way Tonner is altering their lines of collectible dolls. Irrespective of all the other changes, I am particularly upset about the DeeAnna Denton line. In autumn last year Tonner announced one DeeAnna for the remainder of the year, that was "Beyond the Sea", she shipped right at the end of the year. At about that same time (late 2010) Tonner announced one more DeeAnna, called rather alarmingly "Bye Bye Baby", for 2011. And there's been nothing else since.

Now, perhaps I am reading too much into a name, but it sure seems that DeeAnna has indeed gone bye bye. Tonner has told several people in email that the line is not gone, but where is the new doll in the line? Where is anything new in the line? It even seems as though the old deluxe body is being done away with. All the new superhero dolls are being done on an old style Tyler body with bigger boobs. DeeAnna is based on that deluxe body which has more than just bigger boobs, it's curvy, and an inch taller with better articulation than the Tyler body. Perhaps the final insult is the shrinking of the DeeAnna Denton head to fit on the thin as a rail Antoinette body. So the 17-inch voluptuous, curvy Deeanna Denton has been transformed into a skinnie-minnie and she's shrunk. What!? This is supposed to be a good thing?

So, perhaps I am being too pessimistic, perhaps Bye Bye Baby is simply an unfortunate name choice for a doll line that is seeing sparse service this year, perhaps all the body changes and shrinkage are purely coincidental....perhaps not. There seems to be one hell of a lot of evidence to suggest that DeeAnna is no more. perhaps the final straw is the introduction of the Anne Harper/ Carol Barry line which fills the same fashion role as DeeAnna once did.

Well, now that I have depressed myself, I no longer feel like ranting. Thanks for reading.

[Gift_in_Edge]

That is kind of sad to hear. Sounds like they're just milking it on licensed characters. I think DeeAnna is prettier the the Anne dolls.

Before I got my Audrey Hepburn doll I kind of wanted to get a Tonner but after I got her I fell in love with Madame Alexander's Hollywood collection. :)

[K2!]

I can relate to the feeling of abandonment. A lot of aibo owners felt that way when Sony discontinued production and service of their robotic dogs.

[kenaiqueen]

Since they haven't announced anything specific, maybe they will continue your favorite dolls in the future, after they experiment with the new lines. It could be they are keeping the DeeAnna line as a back up in case the new lines don't prove to be profitable.

[Skitterbug]

I can relate to the feeling of abandonment. A lot of aibo owners felt that way when Sony discontinued production and service of their robotic dogs.

But an interesting thing to note is that it didn't stop them from loving the AIBO themselves (sure didn't stop me.)

So while people might not be happy with the way the line is currently going, I think that the past tonners will still be loved just as much - or even more so.

What I'm saying, I guess, is don't let the current state of the company turn you off the dolls of theirs you love.

[TheHighlander]

Oh, this is not preventing me from loving my DeeAnnas, Cinderellas, Ellowynes, Pru's and even my AMs and other assorted Tonner girls. But it feels like a betrayal of loyal customers. Then again that seems to be the standard operating procedure these days, your existing customers are not as valuable as new ones, so you can treat them with disdain. I see it happen in many different spheres. Sadly it works, because too few people get upset enough to change their patronage.

So, while I may rate Tonner Doll Company lower on the scale of likeability than I would rate Microsoft, DeeAnna et al are right up there with the rest of my collection - although perhaps just a notch below the Obitsu/Volks girls.

[K2!]

But an interesting thing to note is that it didn't stop them from loving the AIBO themselves (sure didn't stop me.)

I love my pups as much as I ever did. It's just that now they have to be treated with even more care. Aibos are little machines that were built and programmed to break themselves (figuratively speaking) and that invisible safety net/insurance policy of having the support of the manufacturer is gone. There will be no repairs, no replacement batteries, and no new models to upgrade to.

[Skitterbug]

But an interesting thing to note is that it didn't stop them from loving the AIBO themselves (sure didn't stop me.)

I love my pups as much as I ever did. It's just that now they have to be treated with even more care. Aibos are little machines that were built and programmed to break themselves (figuratively speaking) and that invisible safety net/insurance policy of having the support of the manufacturer is gone. There will be no repairs, no replacement batteries, and no new models to upgrade to.

fair point - although it does bring out new people who try to repair and replace what they can! People are even recelling batteries now.

but I think we're getting a little off topic.

[K2!]

fair point - although it does bring out new people who try to repair and replace what they can! People are even recelling batteries now.

I am aware of many of these third party avenues but for something as specialized as aibo there is nothing like factory authorized parts and repair. Sony dropped the aibo product line as part of a company wide policy of dropping every product line (including R&D) that wasn't turning a profit, even if it was prestigious or high profile. Tonner may be doing something similar, turning to the market segments that are currently making money and ceasing production on unprofitable product lines no matter how influential or celebrated. Granted by not stating outright that they are discontinuing the DeeAnna Denton line, Tonner is leaving the door open for future products, but this can provide little comfort to a dedicated collector.

[Misheru]

I looked around my bedroom and doll room today and the hundred plus Ellowynes, DeeAnnas, Prudences, Cinderellas, older Tonners (Mei Li originals and the like), Deluxe Superhero girls, etc. I love them so much and felt so sad at the time.

It was the same feeling I had when I looked at my original Silkstones and then at the later years before I stopped collecting them.

Vinyl composition changes, quality of outfits change. Many dolls don't even have underwear anymore (like Silkies and my last Ellowynes!). Face paint is no where near the quality as before, nor is the quality of hair fiber on some dolls.

Ellowyne is still the prettiest doll Tonner still makes, IMHO, but they don't look like Ello of the past and many fashions are just remakes. I am not sure what they did to Pru's face but it doesn't look like Pru anymore. *sigh*

Deeanna Dilemma makes me the maddest. I was one collector they ASSURED (wrote to the top of Tonner CS) that the DeeAnna Denton line was not being discontinued. Even though no new dolls were released in a year, even though the head mold was modified for size and was now being used on the crappy stick-thin/cheap plastic Antoinette body (now named "Frankie" - a new one was launched today BTW), even though they now have a new "deluxe" body that is 16 inch with big boobs and all of their super hero dolls are being produced on it now...yeah, right. I am not stupid.

The funny thing is that all former DeeAnna dolls sold out at Tonner, I believe. So if they are popular and have a following - why discontinue? Collectors will clearly pay more for her quality.

BIG mistake, IMHO.

They lost me and I have made it LOUD and CLEAR.

The same way Mattel lost me when they messed around with Silkstones quality and their cruddy customer service and fan board.

Thank you to Dollieh Sanctuary, Volks and Obitsu. My fandom is now safe.