Barbie collaborates with Kartell to release doll-size versions of their most popular chairs!

I love doll sized furniture, especially when they are designer chairs. And now we have a new collaboration that results in some iconic chairs being released in Barbie size pink coloured versions! Kartell, the famous acrylic furniture brand, has collaborated with Mattel, making a set of five of their most popular chair designs in 1/6 scale. The set will be available from Mattel Creations on the 16th of April 2024, 9.00 am PT. The price is $60.00 for the set.

Mattel Creations partnered with Kartell, the Milan-based design company known for transforming furniture into art, to recreate five of their iconic designs for Barbie. These bold and elevated doll-sized interpretations also delve into the future of plastics, using innovative materials to produce unique seating pieces. They’re the perfect chairs for your Barbie collection.

• Barbie™ x Kartell 5-Piece Doll-Sized Chair Set

• Includes doll-sized Louis Ghost, Masters, A.I., Venice, and Ero|S| chairs

• Color: Barbie doll’s own unique shade of pink, PANTONE 219 C

• Chairs: Linked to 69% ISCC-Certified Bio-Based Plastic (mass balance approach)

• Packaging components: 100% FSC recycled paper

• Material insert: 20% wood pulp/80% bamboo pulp, 100% recycled, and recyclable

• Package dimensions: 25.50” x 4.75” x 8.50” (64.77 x 12.07 x 21.59 cm)

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Colors and decorations may vary. Purchase limits subject to change at the sole discretion of Mattel.

©2024 Mattel

® Kartell

SKU#: HWY48

The five chair designs are: the famous Louis Ghost, Masters, A.I., Venice, and Ero|S| chairs, all designed by the world renowned designer Philippe Starck for Kartell. They all come in pink coloured plastic, with Louis Ghost and Ero|S| being transparent. They are made with Kartell materials (bio based plastic) and the packaging is from recycled materials, something that (unfortunately) is not the norm for Mattel. I love the box and the way they are nestled inside it. What a magnificent set, not only for doll collectors but also for design lovers! And the price is great, as usually miniature chairs are quite expensive when coming from furniture companies.

Poppy Parker Palm Springs Collection Part 2: The W Club / IT Direct sets

Back again to cover the remainder of the Poppy Parker in Palm Springs collection designed by David Buttry for Integrity Toys. I had to take some time off due to me finally catching covid - now I’m doing fine and we have some lovely things to see, so let’s get on with it! This post features the IT Direct items, either made to order or lottery: the Poppy Parker gift set, separate fashion set, and décor set. All items will be available come Spring 2023.

Item # 77241

Mix 'n Mingle

Fashion Set

Poppy Parker® In Palm Springs Collection

Edition Size: TBD (Made-to-order)

Expected Ship Date: Spring 2023

AVAILABLE ONLY FROM IT DIRECT

Fashion set only, no doll included.

Designed to fit Poppy Parker and similar 12-inch/ 1:6 scale fashion dolls.

MSRP: $89 + S & H

Special W Club Price*: $75 + S & H

The Story:

A "nighttime pool party" was all the invitation said! Poppy wondered if that meant she should be dressed for the pool, for a party, or for a more formal affair. Ever the ingenious gal, she decided to be ready for any of the three scenarios and still confidently mix 'n mingle as the hit of the party!

Included:

Sleeveless bodysuit with golden beading at the neckline;

Matching multi-layered, frilly skirt;

Flowing, aqua-blue chiffon cover-up maxi skirt;

Golden chrome "leather" clutch purse;

Long drop earrings with inset "crystals";

Double strand chain bracelet;

Oversized "gold" flower power ring;

Bejeweled magnetized sarong clasp with "gold", "pearl" and cloisonné flower accents;

Golden chrome cat-eyed sunglasses;

Certificate of authenticity.

I am totally not feeling this. either as a Poppy Parker or a Palm Springs fashion set. All the pieces give off a Barbie 80s vibe instead of late 60s - early 70s desert chic. The flouncy mini skirt in particular looks like she has a scrunchie around her hips. Missed opportunity to give us that white lace top and pants combo we see in most of Aaron Slim’s photos of the pool crowd in Palm Springs. I am worried that if this will not sell (thankfully it is made to order), we will not see another stand alone fashion set for ages. But seriously, I do not want fashion sets to be like this. I expect more stylish and nuanced fashion, not Barbie leftovers.

Item # 15103

Poppy Parker® Palm Springs Decor Set

Poppy Parker® In Palm Springs Collection

Edition Size: TBD (Made-to-order)

Expected Ship Date: Spring 2023

AVAILABLE ONLY FROM IT DIRECT

Decor set only, no doll included.

Designed to fit Poppy Parker and similar 12-inch/ 1:6 scale fashion dolls. One CR2032 cell type battery required, not included.

MSRP: $125 + S & H

Special W Club Price*: $100 + S & H

The Story:

Here's a fantastic chance to create a perfect setting for everyone's favorite teenage fashion model, Poppy Parker! Whether she just wants to lay back and relax in her posh accommodations in Palm Springs or wants to throw an impromptu cocktail party for some of her closest friends, our gal will be ready! With its sleek period-accurate inspired ultra-comfy, fully upholstered sofa chair, faux-wood side table, elegant fully operational LED-driven lamp, and other absolutely adorable miniature accessories, Poppy Parker and her friends will have the best pad in town! Designed and engineered by Alain Tremblay for Integrity Toys.

Included:

Fully upholstered retro sofa chair, with faux-wood finish/effect structure (approximately 4.5" tall overall. Designed to fit 1:6 scale dolls and figures);

Side-table with faux-wood finish/effect;

Lamp with light-up feature*;

Printed area rug (approximately 9" X 9");

Two decorative pillows;

Two paper "magazine" accessories;

Picture frame with photo of Sergio Silva;

Instructions**;

Certificate of authenticity.

*Requires one CR2032 cell type battery, not included.

**Simple assembly is required; instructions will be provided.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

It has been a while since we got furniture, but not as long as Alain tried to make it sound like in the presentation - it was almost as if we never got another chair since the Barcelona imitations back in 2004! The plastic imitating wood reminds me a lot of Playmobil sets. I love the design and the complete package looks great alongside Poppy (and not only the Palm Spring ones) - even the lamp lights up. So I did pre-order one set - it will go nicely along both the Panton chairs from Dynamite Girls that are actually contemporary to Poppy (it first came out in 1959) and the Arnio Ball Chair (1965) we got with the Swinging London collection. More please.

A reminder that, due to shipping restrictions, batteries for the lamp are not included with the set.

Item # 77229

Perfectly Palm Springs

Poppy Parker® Gift Set

Poppy Parker® In Palm Springs Collection

Edition Size: 2000

Expected Ship Date: Spring 2023

AVAILABLE ONLY FROM IT DIRECT VIA RTB LOTTERY (LOTTERY WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT SPRING 2023).

Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker

Body Type: Poppy 1.5

Skin Tone: Nubian

Hair Color: Raven

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled & Articulated Ankle

Eyelashes: Yes, hand-applied

MSRP: $225 + S & H

Special W Club Price*: $199 + S & H

The Story:

Poppy will be on the go today! She'll go from an early breakfast in her cute short set to a mid-morning press conference in her sunny yellow dress to an afternoon poolside photoshoot in her vividly striking bathing suit, and finally, to an evening “meet and greet” with local dignitaries. Thankfully, her coordinating bright-colored jewelry and accessories will make it all look not just effortless but perfectly Palm Springs!

Included:

One full 12-inch articulated doll with long, fully rooted hair;

Additional doll bust/portrait with fully rooted curly hairstyle;

Colorful custom-printed one-piece bathing suit;

Lime green floor length gown with glamorous custom-printed, asymmetrical sheer caftan overlay;

Lime green panties (not shown);

Yellow baby-doll style dress;

Yellow panties (not shown);

Pink sleeveless cropped top with flirty frilled hem detail;

High-contrast high-waist shorts with a removable aqua-blue micro belt;

Custom-printed clutch purse;

"Palm Springs" embroidered beach tote;

Aqua blue stud earrings;

Two high-contrast pairs of oversized, chunky hoop earrings;

Two high-contrast cuff bracelets;

Cloisonné "flower power" bib necklace;

Chunky, graduated bright pink "pearl" bib necklace;

Oversized, bright pink cloisonné ring;

Pair of oversized aqua blue sunglasses;

Bright yellow wedge peep-toe sandals;

Lime green open-toe kitten-heeled sandals;

Alternate pair of articulated ankle lower legs;

One pair of long-manicured hands;

One pair of regular Poppy Parker hands;

Doll stand;

Certificate of authenticity.

This is the pièce de résistance of the entire Palm Springs collection. Two gorgeous Poppy dolls, in Nubian skin tone for the first time, dressed in magnificent colourful clothes, with beautiful and stylish accessories, that are sure to be the grail of many a Poppy doll collector in the years to come. Too bad this is a lottery, instead of a made to order release, like the rest of the IT exclusive stuff. I’d rather have this than any Alice in Wonderland club doll Poppies anytime. The main inspiration for David was the 4 covers of British Vogue back in April 2021, with their bold colours and hairstyles on African-American models (he even mimicked the two different coloured earrings styling, while giving us two sets of earrings as accessories). And he managed to make it look era appropriate too, unlike the fashion set. There will be a body completer set available to purchase optionally, for those that want to have two separate dolls (who doesn’t?). I love how the two versions have differently coloured faces, one with bolder colours, the other more neutral. And the afro looks amazing on her. The huge braid looks plain in comparison and could have been, to make this even more perfect, a slightly more elaborate era-appropriate hairstyle. Will definitely enter the lottery for this, although I’d rather this was made to order.

Pre-order Instructions

1. Log in to the same IT Direct account that you signed up for your 2022 W Club membership and then please click on the button below to access the pre-order deposit for this item.

2. Adjust the quantity that you wish to pre-order via the drop-down menu and click on "Add to Cart".

3. Once you are done, click on "Place Order" to complete the transaction.

*Remember*

Pre-order by the deadline: If you do not complete your pre-order(s) for the fashion and / or decor sets by the payment deadline, you will forfeit your right to purchase these items.

No shipping on deposits: When paying for your non-refundable pre-order deposit(s), there is no shipping option available. You will choose your actual shipping method when you pay the remaining balance when the collectibles arrive.

Email changes can affect pricing: We have done everything that we could to put the correct markers on active W Club accounts to ensure that members get the correct pricing. However, if you changed your email in the shopping cart since you registered in March or if you know that you are logged into the correct account and the W Club exclusive pricing doesn’t appear, please contact us immediately.

Wrong login = no special price: If you do not log in with your W Club membership account to make your purchase and end up being charged the public pricing, we will not be able to adjust your invoice after the fact.

ONCE PLACED, ORDERS CANNOT BE CANCELLED AND DEPOSITS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE AND NON-TRANSFERABLE; NO EXCEPTIONS!

Please note that by pre-ordering either or both of these items, you are agreeing to abide by the above conditions. Please ask any questions before submitting your non-refundable deposits!

BY PLACING YOUR DEPOSIT(S), YOU AGREE TO THESE TERMS.

Mix 'n Mingle

Fashion Set

Special W Club Price*: $75 + S & H

(Only a deposit of $25.00 USD per doll is due now to pre-order-

make sure you are logged into your W Club account for correct pricing)

Poppy Parker® Decor Set

Special W Club Price*: $100 + S & H

(Only a deposit of $25.00 USD per doll is due now to pre-order-

make sure you are logged into your W Club account for correct pricing)

We would like to congratulate David on these groovy new entries in the Poppy Parker Collection and Alain for the fun decor set he created! If for any reason you did not receive “Part 1” of the collection in your inbox, as usual, it will be reposted in the W Club forum shortly.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.

Thank you!

The W Club Liaisons

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prototypes shown, final product may vary. The acrylic block in the accessory picture is for display purposes only and is not included. This collectible contains small parts and is meant for adult collectors ages 15 and up only.

**All text and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2022 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.

POPPY PARKER and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved.

The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.

Photography by Bill Peck and Shaunessey Smith. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

Tatiana's Doll House: Home Office

This office display is a permanent set-up inside one of the shelves of Tatiana's new bookcases that make up the structure of her black and white doll house (search this blog for more of the rooms). She loves the nice black finish on them and the fact that there are no predrilled holes. Each room is about 17Hx37Wx15D inches.

Tatiana used large wooden shadowbox frames with white coverstock inserted inside for the windows. The middle part is a piece of black on black foamcore that I cut to the size and wedged in between the frames. The fireplace is a wooden Christmas display miniature that Tatiana purchased from City Lights Collectibles online. She could not find it on their website to provide us with the link - looks like they do not carry it any more.Tatiana did not modify the fireplace, it came with nice metal candle holder in copper colour with white wooden candles. On top of the fireplace is a wooden 4x6 inch photo frame with real mirror inserted inside. 

The vase is a playline Barbie accessory that she repainted. The ashtrays are Re-ment, one of them was spray painted silver. The flowers are from the wedding isle of Michael's craft store. The desk is a smaller size shadowbox frame cut with a mitre saw and put together at a 90 degree angle. Computer, phone, I-pod, CDs and printer are Mattel minis. Tatiana repainted the desk lamp and vase. The office chair is from a Barbie playset and she spray painted it black.

The white sofa is a leatherette covered jewelry box that came with two matching pillows. The coffee table is black wooden drawer from Tatiana's jewelry box turned upside down and propped with two wooden mini photo frames. Notebook, portfolio, glasses and remote came with various playsets, coffee cup and saucer are Re-ment. The carpet is a sheet of black craft felt.

 

 Venus Eugenia is wearing her own outfit with random FR basic pumps, while Most Desired Eugenia is dressed in "Black as Night" blouse and Capri pants.

Lula Cioccolato in Milan for Salone del Mobile - 50's dollhouse kitchen

Wallpaper magazine posted on their website about the special project of the incredible Lula Cioccolato chocolaterie in Milan. It is the Salone Del Mobile (Furniture Fair) in Milan, the biggest design event of the year, and every shop in the city of course is tuned to this mega-event. So this chocolate shop displays some of their products into this amazing vintage 50's kitchen. Even the packaging is influenced by that era. Check the article here.

Photo courtesy of Wallpaper magazine.

Modern miniature furniture in New York Times

For all of you who, like me, love to look at (or even aquire) modern furniture for their dolls, here is an article in the New York Times about them. I resent the implication that people who collect stuff like that are eccentric and weird - it is the only thing that marred this article for me. I would love to have some of that stufff to photograph my dolls with. They have a nice slideshow too.