Remember on my Edna Mode post I mentioned she didn't come with her instruction sheet so I wasn't able to check out her interactive abilities in detail.
Amazon.com
Well, I emailed Thinkway Toys to ask if it was possible to get hold of a copy so I can try her out properly and...
Today I heard back from Thinkway Toys who were kind enough to send me a copy of the "Chat List" that originally came with this doll! Yay!!
I watched the first Incredibles film with my son when it came out because he was in the age bracket and wanted to see it and while I found it quite an ok film, I can't say I really remember much about it.
I'm afraid the second film completely passed me by, in fact I didn't even realise there was a second film until a year ago.
By the time it was released in 2018 my son was no longer 9 years old and no longer interested in these characters, being 23 by then and as he wasn't particularly impressed by the first film, he had no interest in it's sequel so I never bothered watching it either.
That said, you're probably asking yourself why the heck I'm writing a post about a character who appeared in these films and why I happen to own not only a toy from the franchise but an interactive toy to boot?
Well, it was kind of an accident, as I mentioned I hadn't paid attention to the film so had no idea that there were new characters in it, so it wasn't something I set out to get my hands on...
amazon.co.uk
I was doing my usual, nosing around on Ebay which normally consists of something catching my eye and then seeing what else the seller is offering. So there I was minding my own, having a little nosey through a seller's listings and then I spotted this very quirky looking lady who really appealed to me... I placed a bid and a few days later, she moved in.
The first thing that struck me was just how big and heavy this doll is...
She stands around 14 inches tall and has a very "chunky" aesthetic, she is articulated at the shoulders, which allows her arms to be moved up and down and outstretch sideways, backwards or straight ahead. Her head, however, only moves from side to side.
Listing Photo.
Her wrists are articulated in such a way that her arms can be turned 360 degrees and up and down, but her hands are moulded in such a way that they cannot grip or move out of the pose they are in - her right is open palmed with her index finger pointing, while the left is moulded into a "thumbs up" gesture.
As her feet are also an odd shape and look like they have been put in on the wrong sides, she isn't able to stand up by herself which is a little annoying as she is quite heavy and bulky to hold. .
Listing Photo.
Her clothes are made from a thick felt material which opens up at the back, held in place by Velcro.
The style is really quite boring for someone who'd supposed to be a fashion designer! I know this is movie perfect but it's still a weird choice.
Her Glasses cannot be removed from her head which is fine as she looks much better with them over her eyes anyway.
The lens portion is made from magnifying plastic so when they are lifted away from her face her eyes look a lot smaller; this doesn't make her look less quirky, but to my mind she looks much cuter when they enlarge her eyes.
As for the interactive bit, well her box told me she has over 55 sayings in her original voice and that she is able to respond to your voice and answer back.
Unfortunately I don't have her "Chat List" which she originally came with so I'm unable to explore this feature fully. I did email Thinkway Toys asking for a copy, so maybe I'll be able to try this feature out soon.
I replaced her batteries and tried her in both test and play modes but again, without the "Chat List" I cannot really say whether this is a cool function or not and as I hinted at earlier, this wasn't the reason I bought her anyway.
The above video depicts my first interactions with her, spoiler alert it got a bit frightening!
Also Roxy got scared too and decided to shout at her, so sorry about that!
I had planned to customise her or take her apart and use bits of her to make another doll, but since handling her I've changed my mind a bit and am not not really sure what I'm going to do with her.
While I was getting to know the doll, I couldn't help wondering if she had been modelled on a real person, her look was vaguely reminiscent of someone I've seen on my travels in Art History.
I kept thinking black and white photos, 1930's so I did a little research and discovered this little titbit...
Many people seem to think that Edna was based on Edith Head; an amazingly talented costume designer who was responsible for many of the most iconic outfits seen on the silver screen during Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1930's - of course there are many similarities between the two in terms of surface looks, but I personally believe she is actually an amalgamation of several iconic women.
Also, Edith Head was such an iconic and talented woman who's career spanned 44 years and designed some of the most beautiful gowns and outfits I've ever seen, that I feel it wouldn't do her justice to talk about her her as a footnote to a Disney Pixar character so I will be writing a separate post where I can go into more detail and show you the gorgeous things this woman brought to life soon.
So I'll leave it to you to make up your own mind if Edna is secretly Edith... And in the mean time I'm going to go and tweak some other posts I'm in the middle of writing...
Take care, stay safe, keep washing your hands and don't go outside without a mask.
Original Post on Dolls More Dolls, on Multiply - 18th May 2009, 9:02 PM
Original Post:
I just finished him last night and as I'm really happy with how well he turned out I couldn't resist showing him off!
Sorry if the pic's are a little hazy I had to take them with my phone :(
Ooo yeah 2 things I noticed while I was sorting him out...He was made in Malaysia and is copyrighted to Walt Disney Productions...I can't read the date tho' :( maybe this helps with timescale I.D?
lilacmermaid wrote on May 18, '09
Wow, that is really incredible, he looks great, you are a master with those paint's, forgot the name lol, but must get some, good on ya, Janet.x
kitschartherb wrote on May 18, '09
lol...thank you so much Janet...I'm really please with how he's turned out!!
Oh and yes...Daler Rowney System 3 Acrylics and a few coats of clear varnish to seal it. *Grin* ievelyn wrote on May 18, '09
well done herbie, looks as good as new now : ) kitschartherb wrote on May 18, '09
Thanks Evelyn *Glows with Pride*
I couldn't have done it without your amazing intellect lol ievelyn wrote on May 18, '09
I come in handy at times : ) kitschartherb wrote on May 18, '09
lol you sure do girl! juliejunejulie wrote on May 18, '09
hell he looks nice..well done :)
kitschartherb wrote on May 18, '09
*Grin* Thank you Julie!
Unfortunately the Seller had no information on him at all, not even a date, so he still remains a bit of a mystery to me, but at least now I have an idea of his value too!
Originally posted for Manufacturer's I.d and information on age of this toy, in Dolls More Dolls Group on Multiply - 13th May 2009
Copy of post:
1960's or 1970's Rubber Donald Duck...I just could resist his little face! lol I won him for the grand total of 99p!!
Don't know much about this toy tho' so if anyone has any info I'd be really grateful :D
The seller musta known I was gonna be on Ebay 'cos the pic' was taken from such an angle it made him look so unhappy, and I just kept looking at him and thinking man...if I don't buy him soon I'm sure those big eyes are just gonna well up with tears!
He has a few cracks in the rubber tho' but the seller was honest enough to say this on the listing and I'm sure that can easy fixed with a little know how..."Anyone know how?" Lol
I mean like coating it with something to protect it from further cracks & colour fade?
lilacmermaid wrote on May 14, '09 i don't know if it would melt the little duck, but would the paint they paint plastic bumpers do, check with someone who knows though first,
kitschartherb wrote on May 14, '09 Lol...thankies :D...here...have a cookie! *Grin*
wrote on May 14, '09 hmmmm...that's an idea..Thanks.
But I was thinking maybe along the lines of a varnish as long as it didn't change the colour.....I was also wondering if the glue to fix bicycle punctures might work?
Been trawling the internet but I'm coming up blanks :( weebairns wrote on May 14, '09 He reminds me of one my little brother had years ago, Herbs, and I had a mouse toy, we got them for Christmas in the 50s, oops showing my age again, Is he bendy?
kitschartherb wrote on May 14, '09 Yes he is Angie...He has wire going all through him...only I didn't try and pose him like that 'cos he has some cracks and I dont want to make them worse :-S To be honest I thought he was a bit older too...but that's what the seller put on the listing ... lol when I look at him I keep thinking about that Mickey Mouse one the nurse in American Werewolf in London has on her lounge table...trust me to ignore the fun horror bits in favour of scouting for toys! weebairns wrote on May 14, '09 Well I think it would have been about 1958 or 59 when we had them, bendy toys were very popular then and stayed so until about mid 60s, my brother had loads, pity he doesn't still have them, don't know where they all went to. If you would be interested, I have a bendy Miss Piggy toy from the Muppets that you can have if you like, she isn't in good shape but has no cracks, just a bit dingy but these toys are so hard to wash, they can easily go discoloured ievelyn wrote on May 14, '09 What about pva glue herbie, it could fill in the gaps and it dries clear, then you could paint it. You can get bottles of it cheap everywhere nowadays.
kitschartherb wrote on May 15, '09 Oh Evelyn....You're a bloody genius!!!
I have loads of it just floating around in my art boxes...and it's gentle enough so if it doesn't hold him together it won't do any real damage... I could kiss you for that...come here baby!! lol
kitschartherb wrote on May 15, '09 Thanks so much for that info Angie...I had a feeling they were 50's to early 60's...although I was also going by the fact that in the 50's Donald duck looked slightly different...Different Artist?? Well what ever it was he definately changed and become more rounded with more defined features after then...and as this little baby of mine has the more cutesy, round art-style I was placing him at the later end of the spectrum. Yes please to the Miss Piggy...just think of the fun I could have with her around my wildlife pond when those tadpoles finally delvelop into frogs! lol I can picture the photo's already...woooot ievelyn wrote on May 15, '09 lol my pleasure. good luck with it, good thing is, its pliable so any movement wont crack it, ive loads here too, i'll have to post a pic of the card I made for Jamie, ive all sorts lying about here for cardmaking & stuff. Also got myself a brilliant little sewing machine off ebay. It weighs only 5lbs, its quite small and can do all the usual stitches so as well as cardmaking gear ive matertial and threads everywhere, It was only £30. I already have a good one but its up in the loft and weighs too much to move about. Ive been reading all your messages herbie and love the one in chat about the guy and his barbies, reminds me of Russ.
Cant help you with the price of your ooak dolls though as i;m hopeless at that and always start my listings cheap because of it but i'll tell you one thing, if you can do Amy Winehouse ooak you will make some money. good luck with the glue : )
Evelyn weebairns wrote on May 15, '09 Hi Herbs, they are pics I must see!!! LOL. Righteo then, pop your address to me and Miss Piggy is yours, I really must get a list together of addresses, I know I've had yours in the past, but lost it now. kitschartherb wrote on May 15, '09 Lol...Evelyn...clever you finding that machine! And yes I thought of Russ too when I was reading that article so I just had to post it for him to see....as for Winehouse lol yeah I wondered if I should sell the siamese version lol I've seen some right shockers on Ebay that look nothing like her and sell for loads...no accounting for taste I guess as my old Nan used to say! Oh and Angie...Thank You...will do!! kitschartherb wrote on May 16, '09 Hey Evelyn.....It's working!!!!!!! Now to get out the Acrylic Paints woooot.....will post pic's when I've finished and managed to borrow someone's camera :(
I bought these to customise but now I'm not so sure lol the one on the right has hair like vintage action man with just a couple of tuftie bits of saran...her eyes look kinda nuts tho so I could change her into a insane pixie or something!
You may remember from a couple of posts ack, I'd got my hands on an adorable Vintage Donald Duck Bendy toy? Well...
I decided to restore him...first I had to find a rubber friendly way of fixing the cracks in the rubber and sealing it so it won't re-crack...
Then I gave him a paint job in Acrylic Paint ... I tried to make the colours as close to the original colours as I could mix *Grin*
I noticed a few things about him during this process...firstly he has made in Malaysia on his back.
Under his tail you can just make out the copyright symbol and the words Walt Disney Productions.
There is a date just above this but the numbers are so worn I can't read them :(
Still never mind here he is ... my restored Donald....Wooohoooo!
The pic's are a bit hazy tho' as they were taken on my crappy little mobile phone!
But I think you may be able to guess, I'm very pleased with the result and have decided to show him off in my Dolly Collector Group as well as for my Flickr Friends!
He needs a bit of work done on him as his paintwork has chipped and cracked in quite a few places, still I'm more than happy to do that, he's a great addiction to my collection as is, but when he's restored he'll be awesome!
He's a rubber Donald Duck from the 60's or 70's.... If anyone one has any info on him I'd be grateful!
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