Memorial Day Weekend at the Millennium Museum

Before I begin today's post, let us take a moment of silence, and remember those who serve and have served at home and abroad; and those who have died in wars past and present.

 

As we move through 2013, the Millennium Museum honors its first Memorial Day. I've never really called it a "holiday" as such, because to me the word signifies happy celebrations. As far as holidays go, Memorial Day is a solemn occasion.

To that end, I looked at the current "general" banner and thought of ways to recognize the day. My first impulse was to take away most of the frills and keep everything simple; accordingly, the main font here is Times New Roman rather than the usual Copasetic. 

I will keep the Copasetic on the tags, as that's part of the blog's overall look.

Normally, my policy is never to use pictures taken from the Internet, because that sort of defeats the purpose of looking for new Items. I only do it here because I didn't have time to track down, buy, and wait for this doll to be shipped to my house. My thanks to whoever took the picture I'm borrowing!

So...Millennium Salute G.I. Joe. As you can see in the picture, he wears what appears to be a U.S. Marines dress uniform, complete with cap, gloves, and ceremonial rifle. Pushing down on a "switch" on his back triggers his "salute" action.

Besides the rifle, he also carries a special "2000" badge that you can wear or display. These accessories could have significant impact on Joe's market value: if he's in his box, but is missing the accessories, he could be worth far less than if he had them!

Overall, I'm not entirely happy with Millennium Salute Joe. His uniform isn't cut that well, and his head looks as if it's retracting, turtle-like, into his shirt! The "gloves" are painted onto his hands, which would be all right if the wrists weren't jointed, but here it looks...weird, is the only word I can think of.
 

Technically, this isn't a Millennium Item, but it has a story behind it.

I don't think it was Memorial Day *on the day*--it was probably a Sunday--but I had done a Memorial Day ceremony with Boy Scout Troop 610 at our local VFW hall. After that, Mom and Dad and I went to Chicago Ridge Mall to see the first "Star Wars" movie. Either before or after (it's a bit fuzzy ten-plus years on), we ate at the food court's Taco Bell, where I got this super-size cup and a figurine of Darth Maul on his hover-bike. (Sadly, I no longer have the figurine, as it got sold at the village garage sale last year. A shame...he was very well-made.)

"Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace" was the most heavily-marketed event of the year. 

YUM! Brands, Inc. restaurants Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut participated in what I still consider one of the cleverest promotions ever: Each restaurant took on the role of a Star Wars planet. KFC was Naboo; Taco Bell was Tatooine; and Pizza Hut was Coruscant, and each had its own themed premiums. 

It was clever on paper, I should say, but it didn't work that well in practice for those of the "collect 'em all!" mindset. It is worth mentioning that the experiment wasn't repeated: by the time Episode III came out, only McDonald's offered any kind of premiums.

May 26, 1999: House Leaders Back Senate Bills on Gun Control

May 26, 2000: Keegan calls for Beckham best

 

Presenting a landmark moment in Museum history...

It's a moment in which I demonstrate once and for all that I shouldn't be an actor, that's for sure. :)

A better view of the candy dispenser

May 19, 1999: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace opens in theaters today. (This will become slightly important next week.) --
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace-1999

May 19, 2000: George Ryan, Governor of Illinois, postpones a decision on abortion-funding limits. --http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2000-05-19/news/0005190192_1_poor-women-abortion-funding-limits-health-or-life



Mother's Day Madness Continues @ The Millennium Museum

(As featured in Dolls, January 2000)

When last we left the Museum, we ended Part One of "Vision Quest," in which eight doll retailers shared their thoughts about trends in the New Millennium. Now, in Part Two, we continue with the final nine.

Florida native Celia Neadel, owner of Celia's and Susan's Dolls and Collectibles, believed that fashion dolls would define the beginning of the next century. As well as artists such as R. John Wright and Jan McLean, Ms. Neadel held that doll manufacturers such as Effanbee and Ashton Drake will continue to prosper in the coming years because their dolls are so well-known for being of extremely high quality.

But for Ms. Neadel, the future for dealers might be a little dimmer thanks to online shopping and the Home Shopping Network. For her, the worst result of this is "more, but weaker, dealers" in the market. "Weaker" in the sense of "less knowledgeable": in all areas of life, your best bet is to talk to an extremely knowledgeable specialist when you need quality information. At any rate, "Only the dealers who are smart enough to diversify their business will survive."

Ann Rozell, who owns The Doll House in Oklahoma, went only so far as to say that vinyl dolls will be a hot trend, and that artists such as Robert Tonner and Virginia Turner will continue to see high sales. I think it's a shame that she didn't have more to say on the matter: so many of the other dealers in the article have expressed more detailed thoughts.

Danny and Barrie Shapiro, who manage The Toy Shoppe in Richmond, VA, said that there would be two big names to watch out for in the Third Millennium: Lynne and Michael Roche from England; R. John Wright from America; and Regina Sandreuter from Germany, citing the creativity, craftsmanship, and beatuy of their dolls.

Arthur Weston of New Jersey maintained that fashion dolls such as Tyler Wentworth will be the top sells in the 2000s. But he also foreshadowed the mid-2000's nostalgia boom by proclaiming that Tonner's Betsy McCall and Ann Estelle would be big sellers. He was right: there was a nostalgia boom, exemplified (in somewhat more disposable manner) by the success of the recent "Transformers" movies.

Rosalie Whyel, manager of the Rosalie Whyel Museum of Doll Art in Washington State, predicted that the doll market would see a return to the past. Genuine antique dolls would sell very well, especially those made of bisque, china, and wood. In newer trends, though, she stated that cloth dolls would also be a good trend to follow. "Buy your neighbor's dolls while you can still find them," she said. "One day you may have to compete for them with the rest of the world."

Chicago's own Gigi Williams, owner of Gigi's Dolls and Sherry's Teddy Bears, was also in the fashion dolls camp. Her reasoning came not from the quality of the artists, but from the idea that even mature collectors can find the appeal in changing a doll's clothes every once in a while. She also expressed some frustration at the tendency of "one-of-a-kind" artists to price themselves out of business with their one-of-a-kind dolls. She also wished that "we could get the manufacturers not to manufacture so much, because this just frustrates the collectors...You can still have their variety, just don't have so much as the same thing."

California retailer Pey Yuan didn't offer much in the way of specifics in his answer. Instead, he somewhat cryptically alluded to "a lot of up-and-coming new artists" who detail not only faces, but unexpected things such as hands and feet. For this dealer, the personality of a doll is key. "I think in the future, collectors will be looking more closely at the artist's real work, not just his or her name."

Finally, New Jersey retailer Isobel Weill offered her perspective. Besides the usual citation of Gene and Tyler Wentworth, she added, "We also note a trend toward licensed dolls," offering Disney and Warner Bros. as potential licensors.

ANALYSIS

Ah, the optimism of the New Millennium Era shines through. Looking back, of course, these seventeen doll-dealers were absolutely positive that collectors would have plenty of money to spend on dolls. Of course, everyone had nothing but confidence that everything was looking up. Then, of course, Enron was the first blow in just 2001. Every year thereafter until 2013, this "Vision Quest" became steadily more bleak. People stopped spending money on big-ticket luxury items such as dolls and things....in fact, people stopped spending money on just about everything. In that light, this article perfectly demonstrates why I set up the Millennium Museum: to preserve even the faintest glimmer of long-lost optimism. I've heard things are picking up again, but I know for a fact that it won't be quite the same way again.

"In the morning, in the evening, ain't we got fun..."

May 12, 1999: Saul Steinberg, renowned for more than 50 years of cartooning at The New Yorker, dies at age 84.

May 12, 2000: Elian [Gonzalez] Case Opens on Far-Reaching Details





 



It's Mother's Day Madness at the Millennium Museum!

Today's Museum update goes out to moms and grandmas all around the world. Raising children is a lot of hard work, and it often seems like a thankless task. So, just for you, here are some all-new Millennium Items to go with that breakfast in bed.

(Or: "Girls, if you're reading this, he's single!")



(The one on the left was a picture taken with my camera; the one on the right was scanned)


Dolls and Doll Reader were two special-interest magazines for serious doll collectors. They were, that is, until 2012, when the two merged into Dolls. The two titles share in common their theme and journalism, so joining forces would seem a natural move. My mom has an extensive collection of both titles, going back to 1992 or so; in January of this year, I realized that there had to be at least one Millennium issue for each.

I wasn't disappointed! Both titles celebrate the New Millennium in a major way--these issues are jam-packed with advertisements for Year 2000-themed dolls, ornaments, and other collectibles. Surprisingly, Doll Reader cracked the bubbly later than Dolls: its Millennium issue came out in February 2000, compared to December 1999/January 2000. 

Besides the wealth of advertisements, which I will post separately in later Museum updates, Dolls ran an article in two parts called "Vision Quest." In this feature, Dolls writer James van Maanen asked seventeen high-profile dealers, including Chicago native Gigi Williams of Gigi's Dolls and Sherri's Teddy Bears fame, about their thoughts on what the new century might hold for the world of doll sales and collecting.

Therefore, without further ado, I will summarize each dealer's thoughts and predictions.

The first dealer to share her thoughts is Alisa Benaresh of New Jersey, whose primary specialty is (was?) contemporary doll art, "which evolved from the worlds of dolls and fine art and has emerged as an art form unto itself." She cites artists such as Hanna Kahl Hyland, Liz Shaw (no, not that one), Peter Wolf, and Japanese artist Takahashi.

Esther Bright, also of New Jersey, believed that trends lie in the materials dolls are made of. For example, she mentions that porcelain dolls sold well 15 or 20 years prior to 2000; as the porcelain trend gave way to vinyl dolls in the 90s, the pendulum would either swing back towards porcelain or forth to new and unusual materials--she conjectures that titanium might be a possible trend.

New York's Louis Camilleri, owner of Dear Little Dollies, felt that the future of doll collecting and retail lies in the Internet. A full five years before Youtube became popular, Mr. Camilleri predicted the rise of "video exposure" as a means of establishing one's presence.

(I should point out that, in 2000, it was possible to watch video online thanks to Apple QuickTime, RealVideo, and other programs, but there was still a lot of untapped potential.)

But, he warned, two other factors must be considered: "refinement and sophistication." Doll buyers have become more educated over the years, and as this trend moves forward, "the hobby of doll collecting will continue to move...into the realm of sculptural art."

Maryanne Corbett Gorman, again of New Jersey, held a different viewpoint from either of the three previous dealers. In her mind, a doll's play value is the most important trend. Interestingly, she brought up the Lee Middleton Company's toppling of American Girl--then a giant in the doll industry--as proof. In her mind, American Girl fell from the #1 spot because its dolls' personalities were too defined, and girls could not use their imaginations in the same way that they could with a "blank" doll.

Still, Ms. Gorman knew of the huge collectors' market, and she nominated Robert Tonner's doll, Tyler Wentworth, as Doll of the Millennium, citing Tonner's no-holds-barred approach to creating Ms. Wentworth's clothing. "He uses cashmere and silk in a coat, beaded silk in a dress. It's all couture quality," she wrote.

Marie Gardyne of Albany, CA, agreed with Maryanne Gorman's assessment of Tyler Wentworth, but noted that Effanbee's then-upcoming doll of newspaper comic heroine Brenda Starr, could give Tyler Wentworth a run for her money; Ms. Gardyne also believed that cloth dolls, such as Raggedy Ann and Andy, could prove to be a significant trend. But she also expressed her distaste for doll discounting, especially when it concerns dolls made by high-profile artists. In her view, discounting undermines a doll's collectibility.

Deborah Hellmann of Chicago, IL, felt that 21st Century collectors might look to broaden the range of their collections with "character" dolls; also, like Marie Gardyne above, Ms. Hellman saw potential in dolls made from fabric, wood, and materials other than the usual porcelain and vinyl.

New York retailer Brigitte Hess predicted (somewhat vaguely, I thought) that dolls would continue to move into fine-art sculptures, and that only the finest, most original artists would survive in the years to come.

Kim Malone, who owned (still owns?) the Dollery in Massachusetts' Merry Christmas Shoppe, firmly believed that vinyl and resin would be the dominant forms of expression in the new century, if only because high-quality dolls can be made from them less expensively than from porcelain. (Not cheaply, mind, but less-expensively.)

In the world of doll artists, Ms. Hess held that the two most important artists would be Hildegard Gunzel and Annette Himstedt.

==============================================================================

Well, I think I'll "close up shop" for now. It's been a long day, and a long week. Tune in tomorrow for my summary of "Vision Quest, Part 2," analysis of the article, and the "On This Day" feature.





Presenting...the very first exhibit of Series 2!

Starting in 1999 and ending in 2008, the U.S. Mint released a set of quarters to represent the fifty states. Though many considered the program controversial, President Clinton signed the act into law in 1997. The release of the quarters was organized in Constitutional order—that is, Delaware was the first to ratify the Constitution in 1787, and Hawaii was the last in 1959.

1999:                  Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut,

2000:                 Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia

2001:                  New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, Kentucky,

2002:                 Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi

2003:                 Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri, Arkansas

2004:                 Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin

2005:                  California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia

2006:                  Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North & South Dakota

2007:                 Montana, Washington State, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah

2008:                 Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii

I've only listed the original quarters for the 50 states here, though the U.S. Mint did put out quarters for Washington, DC and US territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam starting in 2009. My dad got this set as a Christmas present from Home Shopping Network; they are uncirculated quarters, plated in 24-carat gold. I only post this set because it's the best-looking example we have at home. I do have a fill-in map of 2000 vintage, but it looks really ratty after years of digging gouges into the cardboard to put the quarters in.

So why is it significant as a Millennium Item? I can easily see the State Quarters as a celebration of history. America itself is one of the world's younger nations, and it doesn't have quite the same stake in the Millennium Celebration that, say, Great Britain did, but the founding of America is still one of the most historic events since the year 1000. The idea of releasing the quarters by date of admission into the Union is a neat gimmick, too, as it combines a lesson in social studies with a "collect 'em all!" marketing gimmick.

For the most part, it worked, but the distribution of quarters from state to state was...uneven. It got to the point where I claimed that you could only find the quarter of your home state outside of your home state. (When the Illinois quarter first came out, I was only able to find it while on vacation in Florida! Weird, that.)

May 5, 1999: "A series of vicious tornadoes in the Midwest have left at least 44 people dead and hundreds more injured in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Arkansas."

May 5, 2000: Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu backs online music retailer CDNow.

And....WE'RE BACK!

It's been a long time since I closed up shop...more than a month, in fact. Many, many things have happened since then. First, and most importantly, I got a job. The hours have been long, and I haven't had very much time at all for Museum 2.0. But that's okay, because now I have money in my pocket, and that means I can hunt for Millennium Items with a free conscience! Wa-hey!

Oh my...there are so many of you standing out at that locked gate. *ahem* I had a really beautiful speech prepared and all that, but...ah, you just want to come in and see what I have in store for you. And that's perfectly all right!

The gate and doors are open now, and the Museum is all yours once again.