The Sturgeon Moon, August’s full moon, carries powerful spiritual symbolism rooted in ancient wisdom and seasonal cycles.

 

Named after the prehistoric sturgeon fish, which was most abundant in late summer, this moon invites us to rise from emotional depths, just as the sturgeon surfaces from the lake bottom.

 

♀️ Spiritual Themes

 

• Resilience & Strength: Like the sturgeon, this moon reminds us of our ability to endure and thrive through challenges.

 

• Release & Renewal: It’s a potent time to let go of emotional clutter, outdated beliefs, or toxic attachments.

 

• Authenticity & Intuition: The moon in Aquarius (2025) encourages introspection, creative problem-solving, and reconnecting with your true self.

  

Thank you for your visit and any faves or comments are always greatly appreciated!

 

~Sonja

I finally caved and got the Disney Parks Ariel LE Doll from Disneyland today, the 4th of the July. I got her from Disneyana on Main Street. They only had one on display, but they got one for me from the back, in an unopened shipping carton. The shipping carton said 2073 of 3000, but there is no evidence of a Certificate of Authenticity for the doll itself. Although I haven't deboxed the doll yet, I did take the front plastic cover off.

 

She is $129.99, the same as last year's Disney Parks Pink Aurora 60th Anniversary LE Doll, which was the first doll in the Diamond Castle Collection. I got 20% off with my Annual Pass discount, so the cost was $103.99, or $112.05 with tax.

 

She is less detailed than LE 17 inch dolls by the Disney Store, and even previous Disney Parks LE dolls. In particular, she doesn't have rooted eyelashes. She doesn't have any rhinestones in the fabric of her dress (but there are stones in the brooch in the bodice). There is embroidery in the skirt near the hem, but none in the over-skirt. There is no decoration or jewelry in her hair. There is no display stand, and apparently no CoA. But she is a very pretty doll.

 

I will debox her soon, and post detailed photos.

Are you never satisfied? Do you keep working at projects until everybody praises you, yet still feel inadequate and frustrated by the imperfection of your work? Does your restlessness rob your sleep? Does your pedantic obsession over small details piss off everybody around you? Worry not longer,...

 

manwithoutfather.com/2015/04/07/how-to-reach-perfection/

Deboxing my Frozen Fever Elsa. First the front cover is removed. Under that there is a clear plastic lid that has white graphics that are similar to the full color graphics of the outer box cover. Then the clear plastic lid is removed, to show the doll in clear view. She is attached to the cardboard backing and plastic supports, and also to the included display stand. Finally the rear outer cardboard cover is removed, leaving her on the cardboard backing. The backing is free standing. Under the backing is the Certificate of Authenticity, which is inside a sealed clear plastic envelope. The CoA is placed in front of the doll.

 

Detailed photos of my Frozen Fever Elsa Limited Edition 17'' doll. I got her in store on release day, Tuesday November 3, 2015. She is #1559 of 5000. She is shown boxed, during deboxing and fully deboxed. I also show her with comparable dolls.

 

Her only accessory is a red string that was used to connect all the birthday presents for Anna. I decided to remove the string for the final photos of her fully deboxed. Her long braid was tacked to her outfit in two places with nylon thread. I cut the lower thread so her cape could be fully opened, but I decided to leave the upper one alone, so the braid would stay in place nicely draped over her shoulder. I show her ice heels from various angles. I has the same mold as the ice heels of the other two SQ LE 17'' Elsa dolls (LE 2500 and LE 100), but is transparent light blue green, with fine embedded glitter and a shiny iridescent surface. It was difficult to show the true beauty of the shoes in photographs.

 

Limited Edition Elsa Doll - Frozen Fever - 17''

$119.95

Item No. 6003040901307P

 

US Disney Store

Released in stores 2015-11-03

Released online 2015-11-04

Sold out online in less than 10 minutes

Purchased in store 2015-11-03

#1559 of 5000

 

Flowerful

Our latest Elsa Limited Edition doll is inspired by the short Frozen Fever. Elegant in aqua gown with sheer cape overlay, and adorned with shimmering floral details, fine embroidery and faceted gems, Elsa makes every day more perfect!

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.

 

• Limited Edition of 5000

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Two-toned ombre print gown with green rhinestones and metallic embroidered detailing

• Mesh sleeve and décolletage with floral embroidery and gemstone trim

• Flowing, sheer organza cape with metallic floral embroidery, iridescent frosted glitter accents, and clear faceted gems

• Beautifully braided hair with shimmering golden highlights and floral fixtures

• Rooted eyelashes

• Glittering translucent shoes

• Satin cord accessory

• Fully poseable

• Display stand included

• Comes in elegant window display packaging

• Inspired by the Disney animated short Frozen Fever

 

The bare necessities

 

• Ages 6+

• Plastic /polyester

• 17'' H

• Imported

 

Safety

 

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.

Peter Pan and Captain Hook Doll Set. Boxed doll set with slipcover and acrylic cover off. The dolls are now in clear view. They are attached to the cardboard backing and display stands by rubber bands, wires and plastic T-tabs. Tinker Bell was left attached to the acrylic cover, so she is not in these deboxing photos.

 

Detailed photos of the Peter Pan and Captain Hook Doll Set. It was released in US Disney Stores on Tuesday October 6, 2015. I got it at my local store through the raffle. My set is #3211 of 6000. There were 18 sets available, and 3 left after the raffle.

 

I have now fully deboxed the set (except for Tinker Bell). I show Peter and Hook separately and together. I also place Peter and Hook back on the display stand. Hook's hat won't stay on his head, so he is without his hat in all the deboxed photos. I found that Peter has hinge jointed elbows, not ball jointed as I had thought earlier, before I deboxed him. I haven't removed the clothing of either doll, but took a peek at their lower backs, and neither has edition stamps there. The outfits of both dolls are impressive, except for Hook's hat. Hook is 12 1/4 inches tall, Peter is 10 inches tall (about the same height as the Disney Store Flutter Wing Tinker Bell dolls).

 

Peter Pan and Captain Hook Doll Set - Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

 

US Disney Store

Release in Stores 2015-10-06

Released online 2015-10-07

Purchased in store 2015-10-06

#3211 of 6000

 

$129.95

Item No. 6003040901263P

 

Green friendly

Peter Pan comes face to face with his arch enemy Captain Hook in this limited edition set. With finely detailed costumes, the pair are part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection inspired by Disney's memorable heroes and villains.

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.

 

As part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection's heroes and villains series, Peter Pan and Captain Hook were carefully crafted by artists inspired by Disney's 1953 movie. Reimagined in exquisite detail, these limited edition dolls were brought to life with thoughtful attention, and uniquely capture the essence of the fairytale characters, creating a one-of-a-kind set that will be a treasured keepsake of collectors and Disney fans.

 

• Global Limited Edition of 6000

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Includes small Tinker Bell figurine

• Peter Pan features a forest green tunic with printed leaf detail

• Detachable sword

• Detachable cap with feather

• Brown faux leather belt with gold buckle

• Leggings and boots with curled tops

• Captain Hook features dramatic suede coat with gold filigree detailing, and full lining

• Suit vest with buttons, and matching pants

• Stockings with boots featuring gold buckle

• White shirt with lace frill and cuffs

• Rooted hair

• Detachable hat with molded feather

• Detachable sword

• Dolls sold in a special keepsake display case with intricate details on the base, including a golden plate with the names of Peter Pan and Captain Hook

• Includes special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Gift Bag

• Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

 

* Intended for adult collectors -- Not a child's toy.

 

The bare necessities

 

• Plastic / polyester

• Peter Pan: 10'' H

• Captain Hook: 12 1/2'' H

• Tinker Bell: 1 1/2''

• Imported

I received the Platinum Aurora and Phillip Doll Set today, March 11, 2019. I bought it from the Disney Store UK on its release date, February 26, 2019. It shipped on March 1, 2019. The cost was 500 GBP + 28 GBP shipping, through PayPal, which came out to be $724 US. This is about $100 less than buying it from the US Disney Store when it is released on March 16 ($750 + 9.5% tax = $821).

 

It came double boxed. The outer shipping box was rather flimsy, and one end of it was crushed. But the inner shipper was undamaged, being protected by a crumpled layer of heavy wrapping paper. It had Cart #69 of 300 written on the shipper, which equates to edition number 269 of 650, as apparently Europe gets numbers 201 through 500.

 

The doll box has a unique design. The front lid has two flaps that have a magnetic closure, and a large orange four leaf design attached to the left flap. The dolls are dimly seen through frosted plastic windows in cutouts of the lids. There are rose gold foil trim in the plastic window and cardboard lid. The full title of the set is 60th Anniversary Disney Sleeping Beauty: The Aurora and Prince Phillip Collector Doll Set. It is a limited edition of 650. It contains a Certificate of Authenticity and individual doll stands. The description of the set in the back of the box states that this is a wedding doll set.

 

Aurora is in a primarily rose gold colored wedding gown, with white satin bodice, rose gold two tiered veil with lace trim, rose gold crown and necklace with white gems. There is gems and gold and rose gold embroidery in the outer skirt, and embossed detail in the inner white skirt. I will describe further detail after I fully debox the dolls.

 

Prince Phillip is in a silver faux leather tunic, with puff upper sleeves in silver and red, and silver lower sleeves with embroidery on the cuffs. He is wearing black pants and boots. He has a full length red velvet cape with red satin lining. He has a black belt with a false buckle that slides along the belt (I had to center it on his waist after opening the box). He has dark brown rooted hair. His expression is rather bland.

 

Aurora is clearly the star of this set, and it's too bad that Phillip doesn't match her in elegance and detail.

 

The set is still available on the UK Disney Store site.

 

Disney Store Sleeping Beauty and Prince Philip Limited Edition Doll Set

UK Disney Store

Released 2019-02-26

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based on historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. It was analogous in concept to the Hawker Sea Hurricane, a navalized version of the Spitfire's stablemate, the Hawker Hurricane. The name Seafire was derived from the abbreviation of the longer name Sea Spitfire.

 

The idea of adopting a navalized, carrier-capable version of the Supermarine Spitfire had been mooted by the Admiralty as early as May 1938. Despite a pressing need to replace various types of obsolete aircraft that were still in operation with the Fleet Air Arm (FAA), some opposed the notion, such as Winston Churchill, although these disputes were often a result of an overriding priority being placed on maximizing production of land-based Spitfires instead. During 1941 and early 1942, the concept was again pushed for by the Admiralty, culminating in an initial batch of Seafire Mk Ib fighters being provided in late 1941, which were mainly used for pilots to gain experience operating the type at sea. While there were concerns over the low strength of its undercarriage, which had not been strengthened like many naval aircraft would have been, its performance was found to be acceptable.

 

From 1942 onwards, further Seafire models were quickly ordered, including the first operationally-viable Seafire F Mk III variant. This led to the type rapidly spreading throughout the FAA. In November 1942, the first combat use of the Seafire occurred during Operation Torch, the Allied landings in North Africa. In July 1943, the Seafire was used to provide air cover for the Allied invasion of Sicily; and reprised this role in September 1943 during the subsequent Allied invasion of Italy. During 1944, the type was again used in quantity to provide aerial support to Allied ground forces during the Normandy landings and Operation Dragoon in Southern France. During the latter half of 1944, the Seafire became a part of the aerial component of the British Pacific Fleet, where it quickly proved to be a capable interceptor against the feared kamikaze attacks by Japanese pilots which had become increasingly common during the final years of the Pacific War. Several Seafire variants were produced during WWII, more or less mirroring the development of its land-based ancestor.

 

The Seafire continued to be used for some time after the end of the war, and new, dedicated versions were developed and exported. The FAA opted to promptly withdraw all of its Merlin-powered Seafires and replace them with Griffon-powered counterparts. The type saw further active combat use during the Korean War, in which FAA Seafires performed hundreds of missions in the ground attack and combat air patrol roles against North Korean forces during 1950. The Seafire was withdrawn from FAA service during the 1950s and was replaced by the newer Hawker Sea Fury, the last piston engine fighter to be used by the service, along with the first generation of jet-propelled naval fighters, such as the de Havilland Vampire, Supermarine Attacker, and Hawker Sea Hawk.

 

After WWII, the Royal Canadian Navy and French Aviation Navale also obtained Seafires to operate from ex-Royal Navy aircraft carriers. France received a total of 140 Seafires of various versions from 1946 on, including 114 Seafire Mk IIIs in two tranches (35 of them were set aside for spare part) until 1948, and these were followed in 1949 by fifteen Mk. 15 fighters and twelve FR Mk. 23 armed photo reconnaissance aircraft. Additionally, twenty land-based Mk. IXs were delivered to Naval Air Station Cuers-Pierrefeu as trainers.

 

The Seafire Mk. 23 was a dedicated post-war export version. It combined several old and new features and was the final “new” Spitfire variant to be powered by a Merlin engine, namely a Rolls-Royce Merlin 66M with 1,720 hp (1,283 kW) that drove a four-blade propeller. The Mk. 23 was originally built as a fighter (as Seafire F Mk. 23), but most machines were delivered or later converted with provisions for being fitted with two F24 cameras in the rear fuselage and received the service designation FR Mk. 23 (or just FR.23). Only 32 of this interim post-war version were built by Cunliffe-Owen, and all of them were sold to foreign customers.

 

Like the Seafire 17, the 23 had a cut-down rear fuselage and teardrop canopy, which afforded a better all-round field of view than the original cockpit. The windscreen was modified, too, to a rounded section, with narrow quarter windows, rather than the flat windscreen used on land-based Spitfires. As a novel feature the Seafire 23 featured a "sting" arrestor hook instead of the previous V-shaped ventral arrangement.

The fuel capacity was 120 gal (545 l) distributed in two main forward fuselage tanks: the lower tank carried 48 gal (218 l) while the upper tank carried 36 gal (163 l), plus two fuel tanks built into the leading edges of the wings with capacities of 12.5 (57 l) and 5.5 gal (25 l) respectively. It featured a reinforced main undercarriage with longer oleos and a lower rebound ratio, a measure to tame the deck behavior of the Mk. 15 and reducing the propensity of the propeller tips "pecking" the deck during an arrested landing. The softer oleos also stopped the aircraft from occasionally bouncing over the arrestor wires and into the crash barrier.

The wings were taken over from the contemporary Spitfire 21 and therefore not foldable. However, this saved weight and complexity, and the Seafire’s compact dimensions made this flaw acceptable for its operators. The wings were furthermore reinforced, with a stronger main spar necessitated by the new undercarriage, and as a bonus they were able to carry heavier underwing loads than previous Seafire variants. This made the type not only suitable for classic dogfighting (basic armament consisted of four short-barreled 20 mm Hispano V cannon in the outer wings), but also for attack missions with bombs and unguided rockets.

 

The Seafire’s Aéronavale service was quite short, even though they saw hot battle duty. 24 Mk. IIIs were deployed on the carrier Arromanches in 1948 when it sailed for Vietnam to fight in the First Indochina War. The French Seafires operated from land bases and from Arromanches on ground attack missions against the Viet Minh before being withdrawn from combat operations in January 1949.

After returning to European waters, the Aéronavale’s Seafire frontline units were re-equipped with the more modern and capable Seafire 15s and FR 23s, but these were also quickly replaced by Grumman F6F Hellcats from American surplus stock, starting already in 1950. The fighters were retired from carrier operations and soon relegated to training and liaison duties, and eventually scrapped. However, the FR.23s were at this time the only carrier-capable photo reconnaissance aircraft in the Aéronavale’s ranks, so that these machines remained active with Flottille 1.F until 1955, but their career was rather short, too, and immediately ended when the first naval jets became available and raised the performance bar.

  

General characteristics:

Crew: 1

Length: 31 ft 10 in (9.70 m)

Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)

Height: 12 ft 9 in (3.89 m) tail down with propeller blade vertical

Wing area: 242.1 ft² (22.5 m²)

Empty weight: 5,564 lb (2,524 kg)

Gross weight: 7,415 lb (3,363 kg)

 

Powerplant:

1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 66M V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine,

delivering 1,720 hp (1,283 kW) at 11,000 ft and driving a 4-bladed constant-speed propeller

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 404 mph (650 km/h) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

Cruise speed: 272 mph (438 km/h, 236 kn)

Range: 493 mi (793 km) on internal fuel at cruising speed

965 mi (1,553 km) with 90 gal drop tank

Service ceiling: 42,500 ft (12,954 m)

Rate of climb: 4,745 ft/min (24.1 m/s) at 10,000 ft (3,048 m)

Time to altitude: 20,000 ft (6,096 m) in 8 minutes 6 seconds

 

Armament:

4× 20 mm Hispano V cannon; 175 rpg inboard, 150 rpg outboard

Hardpoints for up to 2× 250 lb (110 kg) bombs (outer wings), plus 1× 500 lb (230 kg) bomb

(ventral hardpoint) or drop tanks, or up to 8× "60 lb" RP-3 rockets on zero-length launchers

  

The kit and its assembly:

This build was another attempt to reduce The Stash. The basis was a Special Hobby FR Mk. 47, which I had originally bought as a donor kit: the engine housing bulges of its Griffon engine were transplanted onto a racing P-51D Mustang. Most of the kit was still there, and from this basis I decided to create a fictional post-WWII Seafire/Spitfire variant.

 

With the Griffon fairings gone a Merlin engine was settled, and the rest developed spontaneously. The propeller was improvised, with a P-51D spinner (Academy kit) and blades from the OOB 5-blade propeller, which are slightly deeper than the blades from the Spitfire Mk. IX/XVI prop. In order to attach it to the hull and keep it movable, I implanted my standard metal axis/styrene tube arrangement.

 

With the smaller Merlin engine, I used the original, smaller Spitfire stabilizers but had to use the big, late rudder, due to the taller fin of the post-ware Spit-/Seafire models. The four-spoke wheels also belong to an earlier Seafire variant. Since it was an option in the kit, I went for a fuselage with camera openings (the kit comes with two alternative fuselages as well as a vast range of optional parts for probably ANY late Spit- and Seafire variant – and also for many fictional hybrids!), resulting in a low spine and a bubble canopy, what gives the aircraft IMHO very sleek and elegant lines. In order to maintain this impression I also used the short cannon barrels from the kit. For extended range on recce missions I furthermore gave the model the exotic underwing slipper tanks instead of the optional missile launch rail stubs under the outer wing sections. Another mod is the re-installment of the small oil cooler under the left wing root from a Spitfire Mk. V instead of the symmetrical standard radiator pair – just another subtle sign that “something’s not right” here.

  

Painting and markings:

The decision to build this model as a French aircraft was inspired by a Caracal Decals set with an Aéronavale Seafire III from the Vietnam tour of duty in 1948, an aircraft with interesting roundels that still carried British FAA WWII colors (Dark Slate Grey/Dark Sea Grey, Sky). Later liveries of the type remain a little obscure, though, and information about them is contradictive. Some profiles show French Seafires in British colors, with uniform (Extra) Dark Sea Grey upper and Sky lower surfaces, combined with a high waterline – much like contemporary FAA aircraft like the Sea Fury. However, I am a bit in doubt concerning the Sky, because French naval aircraft of that era, esp. recce types like the Shorts Sunderland or PBY Catalina, were rather painted in white or very light grey, just with uniform dark grey upper surfaces, reminding of British Coastal Command WWII aircraft.

 

Since this model would be a whif, anyway, and for a pretty look, I adopted the latter design, backed by an undated profile of a contemporary Seafire Mk. XV from Flottille S.54, a training unit, probably from the Fifties - not any valid guarantee for authenticity, but it looks good, if not elegant!

Another option from that era would have been an all-blue USN style livery, which should look great on a Spitfire, too. But I wanted something more elegant and odd, underpinning the bubbletop Seafire’s clean lines.

 

I settled for Extra Dark Sea Grey (Humbrol 123) and Light Grey (FS. 36495, Humbrol 147) as basic tones, with a very high waterline. The spinner was painted yellow, the only colorful marking. Being a post-war aircraft of British origin, the cockpit interior was painted in black (Revell 09, anthracite). The landing gear wells became RAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78), while the inside of the respective covers became Sky (Humbrol 90) – reflecting the RAF/FAA’s post-war practice of applying the external camouflage paint on these surfaces on Spit-/Seafires, too. On this specific aircraft the model displays, just the exterior had been painted over by the new operator. Looks weird, but it’s a nice detail.

 

The roundels came from the aforementioned 1948 Seafire Mk. III, and their odd design – esp. the large ones on the wings, and only the fuselage roundels carry the Aéronavale’s anchor icon and a yellow border – creates a slightly confusing look. Unfortunately, the roundels were not 100% opaque, this became only apparent after their application, and they did not adhere well, either.

The tactical code had to be improvised with single, black letters of various sizes – they come from a Hobby Boss F4F USN pre-WWII Wildcat, but were completely re-arrenged into the French format. The fin flash on the rudder had to be painted, with red and blue paint, in an attempt to match the decals’ tones, and separated by a white decal stripe. The anchor icon on the rudder had to be printed by myself, unfortunately the decal on the bow side partly disintegrated. Stencils were taken from the Special Hobby kit’s OOB sheet.

 

The model received a light black ink washing, post-panel shading with dry-brushing and some soot stains around the exhausts, but not too much weathering, since it would be relatively new. Finally, everything was sealed with matt acrylic varnish.

  

A relatively quick and simple build, and the Special Hobby kit went together with little problems – a very nice and versatile offering. The mods are subtle, but I like the slender look of this late Spitfire model, coupled with the elegant Merlin engine – combined into the fictional Mk. 23. The elegant livery just underlines the aircraft’s sleek lines. Not spectacular, but a pretty result.

 

The Limited Edition Ariel and Eric Doll Set, #12 of 6000, in their display case, with the clear acrylic cover removed. None of the factory restraints have been removed, but I have cleaned up Ariel's face a bit, and cut off a loose thread from her blouse. Photographed using built-in camera flash.

 

My pre-ordered Ariel and Eric Doll Set, from the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection. It arrived on October 15, 2013, and I was thrilled to see that they are numbered #012 of 6000! It matches the number of the other doll sets in the pre-order, except that Snow White and the Prince is #4508 of 6000. There are some slight scratches on the gold nameplate and on the acrylic cover of the display case, but they are very minor, and don't diminish the look of the set. Ariel's head is posed a bit awkwardly, but I'll see if I can adjust it a bit without undoing any of the shipping restraints. There is also a loose thread hanging from the left sleeve of Ariel's blouse. Otherwise, Ariel and Eric look very beautiful, and in perfect shape. I'm so happy that I have them after failing to get them in the in-store raffle earlier in the day.

 

I'm not going to debox the dolls in this set, but I am going to take photos of it boxed, with the cover sleeve off, and with the clear acrylic cover off, to show off the dolls as much as possible without actually removing them from their factory restraints.

 

Ariel and Eric Doll Set

Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

US Disney Store

Release In-Store: October 15, 2013

Release Online: October 16, 2013 (at 12 AM PDT)

Sold Out Online: October 16, 2013 (by 12:15 AM)

Pre-ordered at the D23 Expo, August 9, 2013

Received October 15, 2013.

#12 of 6000

 

Product information from the US Disney Store website:

 

Ariel and Prince Eric Doll Set - Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

$129.95

Item No. 6070040900891P

 

Above the sea

 

The red-headed Ariel gets her wish to be out of the sea and with her handsome prince, Eric, in this pair of limited-edition dolls. Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection, they feature elegantly detailed costumes.

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Each Guest will be limited to ordering a maximum of one of this item per order.

 

As part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection this pair of Ariel and Prince Eric dolls were carefully crafted by artists inspired by Disney's 1989 movie The Little Mermaid. The Disney Princess and handsome Prince have been reimagined in exquisite detail with these limited edition dolls. Brought to life with thoughtful attention, they uniquely capture the essence of the fairytale couple, creating a one of a kind set that will be a treasured keepsake of collectors, Disney fans, and every princess at heart!

 

•Global Limited Editon of 6000

•Includes Certificate of Authenticity

•Ariel features her signature red curls tied back with a blue satin bow

•Rooted eyelashes

•Lacey off-shoulder neckline

•Satin and velvet bodice with embroidery and rhinestone accents

•Embroidered taffeta overlay with printed inset hemmed with lace trim at the bottom

•Prince Eric features billowy satin shirt with embroidered detailing

•Crimson sash, belt and matching boots

•Dolls sold in a special keepsake display case with intricate details on the base, including a golden plate with the name of Ariel and Eric

•Includes special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Gift Bag

•Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

 

* Intended for adult collectors -- Not a child's toy.

 

The bare necessities

 

•Plastic / polyester

•Ariel: 11 1/2'' H

•Prince Eric: 12'' H

•Imported

 

Deboxing Rags Snow White. Front and rear covers removed, leaving the free standing backing, to which the doll and accessories are attached. The Certificate of Authenticity is removed from under the backing, and placed in front of the doll.

 

I got my Rags Snow White Limited Edition 17'' Doll in person from the Disney Store on her release day, Tuesday August 1, 2017. I was #1 in line for the doll, and they let me keep the line card, which I show in the first photo. I picked the second of two dolls that were handed to me. The second one had much neater hair than the first, but her hair do is still not very even, being much fuller on the left side (to her right). Hopefully I can even out her hairdo when I debox her. I liked the look of the curls on the right side. Her eyelashes were very even, and her face was flawlessly painted. I love her face, her pose in the box, the decorations, the Wishing Well background image, and her white dove accessory figure that she holds in her left hand. It is reminiscent of the original LE Snow White's pose with her bluebird friend. She is #2561 of 6500.

The manufacture of real sculpture in Bali, the atmosphere is formidable and authenticity predominates

Deboxing my Designer Fawn doll. First the slipcover is slid off, revealing the doll inside a display case that has a clear acrylic cover. It is much easier to take the slipcover off than it was for the Designer Zarina doll from last year. Then the acrylic cover is taken off. Fawn and the rabbit are still attached to the cardboard backing. I can now take much clearer photos of the doll and the rabbit figure.

 

There were only two of us waiting for Designer Fawn when the store opened on release day, Tuesday February 17, 2015. They had 14 dolls available, so 12 remaining after we bought ours. The Fawn that they first gave to the other person in line had a rabbit that broke free from its restraint, and it was lying on its side in the other corner. Mine is #441 of 4000.

 

The Designer Fawn doll was released shortly after midnight, on the morning of February 18, 2015. However, at the same time there were continuing glitches in the US Disney Store website, so that it was nearly impossible to purchase the doll (and many other items) for at least an hour after it became visible on the site.

 

Fawn Disney Fairies Designer Collection Doll

US Disney Store

Released in stores 2015-02-17

Released online 2015-02-18 12 AM PST

$59.95

Item No. 6070040901174P

 

Fawn patrol

Pixie Hollow's animal fairy is joined here by her bunny friend Calista. Elegantly styled by Disney Store artists to capture her playful character, this detailed, limited edition Fawn doll is part of our Disney Fairies Designer Collection.

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.

 

Enter into an enchanted world of magic and adventure with our Disney Fairies Designer Collection. Carefully crafted by Disney Store artists to uniquely capture the essence of each character, this collection reimagines Disney Fairies with a touch of ethereal sophistication. Inspired by nature and lush organic textures, this doll is sure to be a treasured keepsake of collectors and Disney fans everywhere!

 

• Global Limited Edition of 4000

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Fawn features elegantly twisted hair with detailed leaf accent

• Rooted eyelashes

• Gathered off-the-shoulder bodice of sheer organza embellished with gems

• Feather-style skirt with metallic print and gems layered over chiffon petals

• Glittering wings

• Fawn is accompanied by Calista, her adorable bunny friend

• Doll sold in a special keepsake display case with intricate details on the base, including a golden plate with the name of Fawn in ornate font

• Part of the Disney Fairies Designer Collection

 

* Intended for adult collectors -- Not a child's toy.

 

The bare necessities

 

• Plastic / polyester

• 11'' H

• Imported

bought at Dille & Kamille in Brussels.

 

saidosdaconcha.blogspot.com

Deboxing Blue Aurora. First the front cardboard cover is taken off. Underneath there is clear plastic window with the name of the doll and decoration similar to that of the front cover. Then the clear cover is removed, and the doll is in clear view. Then the rear cover is removed, leaving the doll attached to the cardboard backing, which is free standing. The Certificate of Authenticity is removed from under the backing.

 

Full set of photos of my Blue Aurora LE 17'' Doll. She is shown boxed, during deboxing, and fully deboxed. She is posed next to the Pink Aurora, who I had deboxed earlier. She is #2993 of 4000. She is identical in design to the Pink Aurora, except for the color of her gown (and gemstones), and the color of the artwork and decorations on her box. The only other significant differences are that the background scene is different than that of the Pink Aurora, and that they are glancing in opposite directions. The middle panel in the front of her skirt wasn't centered, so I rotated her skirt after loosening her bodice. The ends of her plastic belt were tacked together with a plastic tie. After I cut it, the belt kept on coming apart, so I had to tape the ends together. There was a small post that went into a small hole on the other end, but the fit wasn't very good, and the closure wasn't very secure. There was a similar problem with the golden crown of Fairytale Designer Pocahontas. It is very cool to have twin Auroras posed next to each other.

 

Limited Edition Aurora Doll - Sleeping Beauty - Blue - 17''

US Disney Store

Released in store 2014-10-07

Released online 2014-10-08

Purchased in store 2014-10-07

#2993 of 4000

 

$119.95

Item No. 6070040901084P

 

Make it blue!

The Disney Store proudly presents the Princess Aurora Limited Edition doll. Stunning in her blue satin gown adorned with sparkling blue and gold jewels, our serene Sleeping Beauty is a romantic vision found ''Once Upon a Dream!''

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.

 

• Limited Edition of 4000

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Detailed satin gown with blue and gold rhinestones and golden embroidered filigree

• Soft chiffon pleat insets

• Draped medieval sleeves with satin lining

• Beautifully styled hair with shimmering golden highlights

• Rooted eyelashes

• Bejeweled golden crown

• Golden necklace and belt with delicate sculptured rose accents

• Fully poseable

• Display stand included

• Comes in elegant window display packaging

• Celebrating the return of Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty to DVD and Blu-ray disc

• Look for our Limited Edition Prince Phillip and Maleficent Dolls, each sold separately

 

The bare necessities

 

• Ages 6+

• Plastic /polyester

• 17'' H

• Imported

• Safety

 

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.

In the wild we stop chasing life - and start loving it .. because in presence we find freedom .

"Consumers seek meaning and a brand they can trust. They are busy at work on Web 2.0 platforms creating ways to cut through the noise in search of products and services that resonate with integrity and transparency; in a word, authenticity. That quest for authenticity is a call to action for any company intending to be relevant in the 21st century." | Sohrab Vossoughi, Business Week

 

www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/may2008/id20080528_...

I just received the #009 of 6000 DFDC Snow White and the Prince Doll Set (2013), from a Facebook group. It has the second lowest number of any of my LE dolls, next to my #0004 of 4000 Designer Fairy Zarina, which I got first hand when she was released. I wanted to get it not just because it was a very low number, but also as sort of a consolation for the fact that my pre-ordered DFDC set was all #12 of 6000, except for Snow White and the Prince, which was #4508.

The cert. that came with the necklace when it was purchased.

From Walt Disney's 1937 Production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

Original One of a Kind Production Drawing

Fantastic Drawing of DOC

Graphite & Color pencil

Certificate of Authenticity (COA)

Graphite on Management Bond Paper, 5 Peg, Production Stamps, Slightly Yellowed Due to Age - Original drawing by Ken Andersen

12 Field Paper (10.5" x 12"), Unframed & Unmatted

  

Production Drawings are the building blocks of animation; through these drawings, the animator carefully plans the look and movement of each character. Drawings are refined (often using different colored pencils) until the animator is satisfied with the look, detail, and degree of motion for each character; at this point, cels are created by tracing drawings onto clear acetate. Production Drawings provide perhaps the most intimate look in the animation process.

 

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American film based on the eponymous German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full length animated feature to be produced by Walt Disney, and the first American animated feature film in movie history.

 

Snow White was one of only two animated films to rank in the American Film Institute's list of the 100 greatest American films of all time in 1997 (the other being Disney's Fantasia), ranking number 49. It achieved a higher ranking (#34) in the list's 2007 update, this time being the only traditionally animated film on the list. The following year AFI would name the film as the the greatest animated film of all time.

 

In 1989, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was added to the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

 

Development on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs began in early 1934, and in June 1934, Walt Disney announced the production of his first feature to the New York Times. Before Snow White, the Disney studio had been primarily involved in the production of highly successful animated short subjects in the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies series. Disney hoped to expand his studio's prestige and revenues by moving into features, and estimated that Snow White could be produced for a budget of $250,000 - ten times the budget of an average Silly Symphony.

 

Walt Disney had to fight to get the film produced. Both his brother Roy Disney and his wife Lillian attempted to talk him out of it, and the Hollywood movie industry mockingly referred to the film as "Disney's Folly" while it was in production. He even had to mortgage his house to help finance the film's production, which eventually ran up a total cost of just over $1.5 million, a massive sum for a feature film in 1937.

 

Snow White, which spent three years in production, was the end result of Walt Disney's plan to improve the production quality of his studio's output, and also to find a source of income other than short subjects. Many animation techniques which later became standards were developed or improved for the film, including the animation of realistic humans (with and without the help of the rotoscope), effective character animation (taking characters that look similar — the dwarfs, in this case — and making them distinct characters through their body acting and movement), elaborate effects animation to depict rain, lightning, water, reflections, sparkles, magic, and other objects and phenomena, and the use of the multiplane camera.

 

The names of the Seven Dwarfs (Bashful, Doc, Dopey, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy and Sneezy) were created for this production, chosen from a pool of about fifty potentials. The one name Disney always had in mind from the start was Grumpy, or something similar. Blabby, Jumpy, Shifty, and Snoopy were among those that were rejected.

 

The songs in Snow White were composed by Frank Churchill and Larry Morey. Paul J. Smith and Leigh Harline composed the incidental music score. Well-known songs from Snow White include "Heigh-Ho," "Some Day My Prince Will Come," and "Whistle While You Work." Snow White became the first American film to have a soundtrack album released in conjunction with the feature film. Prior to Snow White, a movie soundtrack recording was unheard of and of little value to a movie studio. {from Wikipedia}

The Lost World (20th Century Fox, 1960).

youtu.be/h1CLA-gJbmA?t=5s Trailer

Irwin Allen, the producer who would go on to make the disaster film a huge success in the seventies, brought us this Saturday afternoon fodder with giant lizards posing as dinosaurs. Starring Michael Rennie, David Hedison, Claude Rains and Jill St. John.

Intended as a grand sci-fi/fantasy epic remake of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel. The first film adaptation, shot in 1925, was a milestone in many ways, but movie making and special effects had come a long way in 35 years. Irwin Allen's Lost World (LW) & 20th Century Fox version was derailed on the way to greatness, but managed to still be a respectable, (if more modest) A-film. Allen's screenplay followed the book fairly well, telling of Professor Challenger's expedition to a remote plateau in the Amazon upon which dinosaurs still lived. Aside from the paleontological presumptions in the premise, there is little "science" in The Lost World. Nonetheless, dinosaur movies have traditionally been lumped into the sci-fi genre.

Synopsis

When his plane lands in London, crusty old professor George Edward Challenger is besieged by reporters questioning him about his latest expedition to the headwaters of the Amazon River. After the irascible Challenger strikes reporter Ed Malone on the head with his umbrella, Jennifer Holmes, the daughter of Ed's employer, Stuart Holmes, offers the injured reporter a ride into town. That evening, Jenny is escorted by Lord John Roxton, an adventurer and big game hunter, to Challenger's lecture at the Zoological Institute, and Ed invites them to sit with him. When Challenger claims to have seen live dinosaurs, his colleague Professor Summerlee scoffs and asks for evidence. Explaining that his photographs of the creatures were lost when his boat overturned, Challenger invites Summerlee to accompany him on a new expedition to the "lost world," and asks for volunteers. When Roxton raises his hand, Jenny insists on going with him, but she is rejected by Challenger because she is a woman. Ed is given a spot after Holmes offers to fund the expedition if the reporter is included. The four then fly to the Amazon, where they are met by Costa, their guide and Manuel Gomez, their helicopter pilot. Arriving unexpectedly, Jenny and her younger brother David insist on joining them. Unable to arrange transportation back to the United States, Challenger reluctantly agrees to take them along. The next day, they take off for the lost world and land on an isolated plateau inhabited by dinosaurs. That evening, a dinosaur stomps out of the jungle, sending them scurrying for cover. After the beast destroys the helicopter and radio, the group ventures inland. When one of the creatures bellows threateningly, they flee, and in their haste, Challenger and Ed slip and tumble down a hillside, where they encounter a native girl. The girl runs into the jungle, but Ed follows and captures her. They then all take refuge in a cave, where Roxton, who has been making disparaging remarks about Jenny's desire to marry him solely for his title, angers Ed. Ed lunges at Roxton, pushing him to the ground, where he finds a diary written by Burton White, an adventurer who hired Roxton three years earlier to lead him to the lost diamonds of Eldorado. Roxton then admits that he never met White and his party because he was delayed by a dalliance with a woman, thus abandoning them to certain death. Gomez angrily snaps that his good friend Santiago perished in the expedition. That night, Costa tries to molest the native girl, and David comes to her rescue and begins to communicate with her through sign language. After Gomez goes to investigate some movement he spotted in the vegetation, he calls for help, and when Roxton runs out of the cave, a gunshot from an unseen assailant is fired, nearly wounding Roxton and sending the girl scurrying into the jungle. Soon after, Ed and Jenny stray from camp and are pursued by a dinosaur, and after taking refuge on some cliffs, watch in horror as their stalker becomes locked in combat with another prehistoric creature and tumbles over the cliffs into the waters below. Upon returning to camp, they discover it deserted, their belongings in disarray. As David stumbles out from some rocks to report they were attacked by a tribe of natives, the cannibals return and imprison them in a cave with the others. As the drums beat relentlessly, signaling their deaths, the native girl reappears and motions for them to follow her through a secret passageway that leads to the cave in which Burton White lives, completely sightless. After confirming that all in his expedition perished, White tells them of a volcanic passageway that will lead them off the plateau, but warns that they must first pass through the cave of fire. Cautioning them that the natives plan to sacrifice them, White declares that their only chance of survival is to slip through the cave and then seal it with a boulder. After giving them directions to the cave, White asks them to take the girl along. As the earth, on the verge of a volcanic eruption, quakes, they set off through the Graveyard of the Damned, a vast cavern littered with dinosaur skeletons, the victims of the deadly sulfurous gases below. Pursued by the ferocious natives, Roxton takes the lead as they inch their way across a narrow ledge above the molten lava. After escaping the natives, they jam the cave shut with a boulder and, passing a dam of molten lava, finally reach the escape passage. At its mouth is a pile of giant diamonds and a dinosaur egg. As Costa heaps the diamonds into his hat, Challenger fondles the egg and Gomez pulls a gun and announces that Roxton must die in exchange for the death of Santiago, Gomez' brother. Acting quickly, Ed hurls the diamonds at Gomez, throwing him off balance and discharging his gun. The gunshot awakens a creature slumbering in the roiling waters below. After the beast snatches Costa and eats him alive, Ed tries to dislodge the dam, sending a few scorching rocks tumbling down onto the monster. Feeling responsible for the peril of the group, Gomez sacrifices his life by using his body as a lever to dislodge the dam, covering the creature with oozing lava. As the cave begins to crumble from the impending eruption, the group hurries to safety. Just then, the volcano explodes, destroying the lost world. After Roxton hands Ed a handful of diamonds he has saved as a wedding gift for him and Jenny, Challenger proudly displays his egg, which then hatches, revealing a baby dinosaur. The End.

The 50s had seen several examples of the dinosaur sub-genre. LW is one of the more lavish ones, owing to color by DeLuxe and CinemaScope. The A-level actors help too. Claude Rains plays the flamboyant Challenger. Michael Rennie plays Roxton, perhaps a bit too cooly. Jill St. John and Vitina Marcus do well as the customary eye candy. David Hedison as Malone and Fernando Lamas as Gomez round out the bill.

The first film version of LW was a silent movie shot in 1925: screenplay by Marion Fairfax. The film featured stop-motion animated dinosaurs by a young Willis O'Brien. Fairfax followed Doyle's text, but Fairfax added a young woman to the team, Paula White. Ostensibly trying to find her father from the first failed expedition, she provided the love triangle interest between Malone and Roxton.

Allen's screenplay tried to stick to Doyle's text as much as Hollywood would allow. It carried on Fairfax's invention of the young woman member of the group as triangle fodder. Fairfax had Doyle's ape men (ape man) but omitted the native humans. Allen had the natives, but no ape men. Allen revived the Gomez/revenge subplot, which Fairfax skipped. Doyle's story had Challenger bringing back a pterodactyl. Fairfax made it a brontosaur who rampaged through London streets (spawning a popular trope). Allen suggested the baby dinosaur traveling to London.

Willis O'Brien pitched 20th Century Fox in the late 50s, to do a quality remake of LW. He had gained much experience in the intervening 35 years, so his stop-motion dinosaurs were to be the real stars. Fox bass liked the idea, but by the time the ball started rolling, there was trouble in studioland. Fox's grand epic Cleopatra was underway, but was already 5 million dollars over budget. Cleo would nearly sink 20th Century Fox when it was finally released in 1963. To stay afloat, all other Fox films' budgets were slashed. Allen could no longer afford the grand O'Brien stop-motion.

Allen's production is often criticized for its "cheap" dinosaurs, which were live monitor lizards and alligators with fins and plates and horns glue onto them. (more on that below) These were already a bit cheesy when used in the 1940 film One Million B.C.. O'Brien is still listed on the credits as "Effects Technician," but all Allen could afford was lizards with glued on extras. Somewhat amusingly, the script still refers to them as brontosaurs and T-Rexes.

The character of Jennifer Holmes starts out promising. She's a self-assured to the edges of pushy, and is said to be able to out shoot and out ride any man. Yet, when she gets to the Amazon jungle, she's little more than Jungle Barbie, dressed in girlie clothes and screaming frequently. She even does the typical Hollywood trip-and-fall when chased by the dinosaur, so that a man must save her.

Bottom line? FW is a finer example of the not-quite-sci-fi dinosaur sub-genre. The actors are top drawer, even if some of their acting is a bit flat. Nonetheless, FW is a fair adaptation of Doyle's

classic adventure novel, given the constraints of Hollywood culture.

 

The Movie Club Annals … Review

The Lost World 1960

Introduction

There was absolutely nothing wrong with Irwin Allen's 1960 production of The Lost World. Nothing. It was perfect in every way. I therefore find myself in the unique and unfamiliar position of having to write a rave review about a Movie Club movie that was entirely devoid of flaws.

Faced with such a confounding task, I half-heartedly considered faking a bad review, then praying my obvious deceptions would go unnoticed. But the patent transparency of my scheme convinced me to abandon it posthaste. After all, leveling concocted criticisms at such an unassailable masterpiece would be a futile and tiresome exercise, the pretense of which would escape nary a semi-cognizant soul.

Thus, having retreated from my would-be descent into literary intrigue, I start this review in earnest by borrowing a quote from the legendary Shelly Winters, spoken during the 1972 filming of Irwin Allen's The Poseidon Adventure:

"I'm ready for my close up now, Mr. Allen.” Shelly Winters, 1972

Review

A bit of research into the casting choices of Irwin Allen, who wrote, produced, and directed The Lost World, begins to reveal the genius behind the virtuosity.

The first accolades go to Irwin for his casting of Vitina Marcus, the immaculately groomed Saks 5th Avenue cave girl with exquisite taste in makeup, jewelry, and cave-wear. No finer cave girl ever graced a feature film.

Vitina Marcus, as The Cave Girl

She was the picture of prehistoric glamour, gliding across the silver screen in her designer bearskin mini-pelt, her flawless coiffure showing no signs of muss from the traditional courting rituals of the day, her perfect teeth the envy of even the most prototypical Osmond. Even her nouveau-opposable thumbs retained their manicure, in spite of the oft-disagreeable duties that frequently befell her as an effete member of the tribal gentry.

By no means just another Neanderthal harlot, Vitina had a wealth of talent to augment her exterior virtues. Her virtuoso interpretation of a comely cave girl in The Lost World certainly didn't escape the attention Irwin Allen. In fact, he was so taken with her performance that he later engaged her services again, casting her as the Native Girl in episode 2.26 of his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series.

Leery of potential typecasting, Vitina went on to obtain roles with greater depth and more sophisticated dialogue. This is evidenced by the great departure she took from her previous roles when she next portrayed the part of Sarit, a female barbarian, in episode 1.24 of Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel TV series.

Vitina, as Sarit

Vitina's efforts to avoid typecasting paid off in spades, as she was soon rewarded with the distinctive role of Girl, a female Tarzanesque she-beast character, in episode 3.14 of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. TV series.

Lured back from the U.N.C.L.E. set by Irwin Allen, Vitina was next cast in the role of Athena (a.k.a. Lorelei), the green space girl with the inverted lucite salad bowl hat, in episodes 2.2 and 2.16 of the revered Lost in Space TV series.

And with this, Vitina reached the pinnacle of her career. For her many unparalleled displays of thespian pageantry, she leaves us forever in her debt as she exits the stage.

For those who would still question the genius of Irwin Allen, I defy you to find a better casting choice for the character of Lord John Roxton than that of Michael Rennie. Mr. Rennie, who earlier starred as Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still, went on to even greater heights, starring as The Keeper in episodes 1.16 and 1.17 of the revered Lost in Space TV series. Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Rennie often played highly cerebral characters with

unique names, such as Garth A7, Tribolet, Hasani, Rama Kahn, Hertz, and Dirk. How befitting that his most prolific roles came to him through a man named Irwin, a highly cerebral character with a unique name.

The selection of David Hedison to play Ed Malone was yet another example of Irwin's uncanny foresight. Soon after casting him in The Lost World, Irwin paved Mr. Hedison's path to immortality by casting him as a lead character in his Voyage to The Bottom of The Sea TV series. Although Voyage ended in 1968, Mr. Hedison departed the show with a solid resume and a bright future.

In the decades following Voyage, Mr. Hedison has been a veritable fixture on the small screen, appearing in such socially influential programs as The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Knight Rider, The Fall Guy and The A Team. Mr. Hedison's early collaborations with Irwin Allen have left him never wanting for a day's work in Hollywood, a boon to the legions of discerning fans who continue to savor his inspiring prime time depictions.

Irwin selected Fernando Lamas to play Manuel Gomez, the honorable and tortured soul of The Lost World who needlessly sacrificed himself at the end of the movie to save all the others. To get a feel for how important a casting decision he was to Irwin, just look at the pertinent experience Mr. Lamas brought to the table:

Irwin knew that such credentials could cause him to lose the services of Mr. Lamas to another project, and he took great pains to woo him onto the set of The Lost World. And even though Mr. Lamas never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his talent is not lost on us.

Jay Novello was selected by Irwin Allen to play Costa, the consummate Cuban coward who perpetually betrays everyone around him in the name of greed. In pursuing his craven calling, Mr. Novello went on to play Xandros, the Greek Slave in Atlantis, The Lost Continent, as well as countless other roles as a coward.

Although Mr. Novella never appeared in the revered Lost in Space TV series, his already long and distinguished career as a coward made him the obvious choice for Irwin when the need for an experienced malingerer arose.

Jill St. John was Irwin's pick to play Jennifer Holmes, the "other" glamour girl in The Lost World. Not to be upstaged by glamour-cave-girl Vitina Marcus, Jill played the trump card and broke out the pink go-go boots and skin-tight Capri pants, the perfect Amazonian summertime jungle wear.

Complete with a perfect hairdo, a killer wardrobe, a little yip-yip dog named Frosty, and all the other trappings of a wealthy and pampered prehistoric society, Jill's sensational allure rivaled even that of a certain cave girl appearing in the same film.

With the atmosphere rife for an on-set rivalry between Jill and Vitina, Irwin still managed to keep the peace, proving that he was as skilled a diplomat as he was a director.

Claude Rains, as Professor George Edward Challenger

And our cup runneth over, as Irwin cast Claude Rains to portray Professor George Edward Challenger. His eminence, Mr. Rains is an entity of such immeasurable virtue that he is not in need of monotonous praise from the likes of me.

I respectfully acknowledge the appearance of Mr. Rains because failure to do so would be an unforgivable travesty. But I say nothing more on the subject, lest I state something so obvious and uninspiring as to insult the intelligence of enlightened reader.

Irwin's casting of the cavemen mustn't be overlooked, for their infallibly realistic portrayals are unmatched within the Pleistocene Epoch genre of film. Such meticulous attention to detail is what separates Irwin Allen from lesser filmmakers, whose pale imitations of his work only further to underscore the point.

To be sure, it is possible to come away with the unfounded suspicion that the cavemen are really just a bunch of old white guys from the bar at the local Elks lodge. But Irwin was an absolute stickler for authenticity, and would never have allowed the use of such tawdry measures to taint his prehistoric magnum opus.

In truth, Irwin's on-screen cavemen were borne of many grueling years of anthropological research, so the explanation for their somewhat modern, pseudo-caucasian appearance lies obviously elsewhere. And in keeping with true Irwin Allen tradition, that explanation will not be offered here.

1964 - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Season One, Episode 7 - "Turn Back the Clock", featuring Vitina Marcus as The Native Girl. Produced by Irwin Allen.

And then there was Irwin Allen's masterful handling of the reptilian facets of The Lost World, most notably his inimitable casting of the dinosaurs. His dinosaurs were so realistic, so eerily lifelike, that they almost looked like living, breathing garden variety lizards with dinosaur fins and horns glued to their backs and heads.

The less enlightened viewer might even suppose this to be true, that Irwin's dinosaurs were indeed merely live specimens of lizards, donned in Jurassic-era finery, vastly magnified, and retro-fitted into The Lost World via some penny-wise means of cinematic trickery.

But those of us in the know certainly know better than that, as we are privy to some otherwise unpublished information about The Lost World. The lifelike appearance of the Irwin's dinosaurs can be attributed to a wholly overlooked and fiendishly cunning approach to the art of delusion, which is that the dinosaurs didn't just look real, they were real.

While the world abounds with middling minds who cannot fathom such a reality, we must follow Irwin's benevolent leanings and temper our natural feelings of contempt for this unfortunate assemblage of pedestrian lowbrows. In spite of Irwin's superior intellect, he never felt disdain toward the masses that constituted his audiences. He simply capitalized on their unaffectedness, and in the process recounted the benefits of exploiting the intellectually bereft for personal gain.

The purpose of all this analysis, of course, is to place an exclamation point on the genius of Irwin Allen, the formation of his dinosaur exposé being a premier example. Note how he mindfully manipulates the expectations of his unsuspecting audience, compelling them to probe the dinosaurs for any signs of man-made chicanery. Then, at the palatial moment when the dinosaurs make their entry, he guilefully supplants the anticipated display of faux reptilia with that of the bona fide article.

Upon first witnessing the de facto dinosaurs, some in the audience think they've been had, and indeed they have. Irwin, in engineering his masterful ruse, had used reality as his medium to convey the illusion of artifice. His audience, in essence, was blinded by the truth. It was the immaculate deception, and none but Irwin Allen could have conceived it.

Indeed, the matter of where the live dinosaurs came from has been conspicuously absent from this discussion, as the Irwinian technique of fine film making strongly discourages the practice of squandering time on extraneous justifications and other such trite means of redundant apologia. For the benefit of the incessantly curious, however, just keep in mind that Irwin Allen wrote and produced The Time Tunnel TV Series, a fact that should provide some fair insight into his modis operandi.

Carl R.

  

This Week in PHOTO’s Frederick Van Johnson sat down with Black Women Photographers + Flickr member Genesis Falls, 2023’s Flickr x BWP grant winner to talk about her journey with film photography, experience with BWP, and more about the upcoming grant opening March 17th! ⭐

 

Check it out on TWiP now: thisweekinphoto.com/beyond-the-frame-genesis.../

Deboxing LE Elena. All covers are removed, leaving her on the cardboard backing, which is free standing. The Certificate of Authenticity is taken from under the backing, and placed in front of her.

 

I got the Elena of Avalor LE 17 inch Doll from my local Disney Store on the release day, Tuesday November 21, 2017. I went to my store at 11:30 am, instead of my usual line up before the store opens for LE doll releases. There were three of the doll behind the counter, but placed sideways and with no promo placard. So it wasn't obvious that there was a Limited Edition doll release today. The CM I bought the doll from didn't seem to know anything about the release, so I don't know how many dolls the store got in, how many they sold, or how many were remaining. I took the first doll that was handed to me, since the doll looked perfect to me. She is #1375 of 6000.

 

Elena of Avalor Designer Doll - Limited Edition

US Disney Store

Released online and in-store 2017-11-21

Purchased in-store 2017-11-21

#1375 of 6000

 

$119.95

Item No. 6003040900403P

 

Collectors and fans of Elena of Avalor alike will adore this highly detailed designer doll featuring the teenager in charge. Looking regal in her embroidered, rhinestone-studded dress, this limited edition doll will become a treasured favorite.

 

Safety

 

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.

 

Magic in the details

 

Please note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.

 

• Limited Edition of 6000

• Certificate of Authenticity

• Fully poseable

• Multi-layered dress features embroidered and rhinestone details

• Removable tiara, bracelet, and shoes (earrings are attached)

• Scepter features rhinestone accents

• Includes display stand

• Scenic display presentation box

• Inspired by Elena of Avalor on Disney Channel

 

The bare necessities

 

• Plastic

• 16'' H

• Imported

Here Designer Zarina is boxed, with the slip cover and acrylic cover off. She is now in the clear. She is secured to the factory packaging by wires, thread, rubber bands and plastic T-tabs. Photographed in daylight.

 

First look at my Zarina Limited Edition Designer Doll. My Zarina is 0137 of 4000. There were no designer bags, as there were in the previous Designer doll collections.

 

My visit to my local Disney Store on Februay 18, 2014. I was there for the release of the Disney Fairies Designer Collection dolls. I also noticed that they had several items in the Frozen section that had been missing for several weeks, especially the mugs and Classic Anna dolls, but no Elsas.

 

They had eight of each Designer Fairy doll, Tinker Bell and Zarina. There were about that many people waiting in line before the store opened, waiting to buy them. I didn't do an actual count, but no one left the line when it was announced how many dolls there were, so there were probably seven or eight of them in the line. They had no designer bags, so they just put them in regular Disney Store bags.

 

I inspected my dolls, and they looked in perfect condition. I was surprised by their shiny pearly skin (similar in texture to LE Ursula and Harrods Elsa), but they looked very beautiful. The artwork on the boxes were also very beautiful, but the backgrounds behind the dolls were plain looking. The CM had to help me take off the slip cover of the Zarina doll, as it was very tight. She said all the Zarinas seemed to be that way.

 

Below is information from the UK Disney Store website, as the dolls are not yet available online in the US site.

 

Zarina Limited Edition Designer Doll

UK Disney Store

Released Online and In Stores: 2014-02-18

£50.00

Item No. 411048312633P

 

The swashbuckling enchantment of Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy is forever captured in this limited edition Zarina doll, beautifully realised with embroidered fabrics and meticulous detailing.

 

Magic in the details...

 

•Limited edition doll

•Zarina from Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy

•Part of the Disney Fairies Designer Collection

•Worldwide limited edition of 4000

•Includes a certificate of authenticity

•Exquisite attention to detail

•Realistic hair with ribbon headband

•Full eyelashes

•Shimmering, iridescent wings

•Sword with detailed handle

•Nautical coat with asymmetric collar, intricate embroidery and buttons

•Faux leather bodice with lace-up detail and embroidered belt

•Comes in a tough plastic display case with a stand

•Doll measures H30cm approx

•Display case measures H38 x W17.5 x D18.5cm approx

•Suitable for children aged 6 years+

•Created for Disney Store

 

A peaceful beach at sunset — the sky glowing with soft, soulful hues of gold and rose. A simple wooden bench and a weathered sign stand quietly, overlooking the calm waves. A moment of stillness and beauty, where time feels suspended and the world breathes in harmony. 🌅✨

Hello and welcome si-fier to another Rab's Reviews. A friend 'lent' me an old Bush Black and White Console Cabinet Television Model TUG 12.

He said, "Why not enter into the mood of things, and watch the movie on this old Bush black and white console t.v. add some authenticity as you review the show, so as a little tribute to si-fiers long ago, this I did.

I must say this old Black and White Bush t.v. took a 'wee' while to warm up, just like the film, but well worth the effort, for there are many rewards to be gleaned from this movie, as only the committed si-fier will know.....

A young Amreican couple are cuddling each other in a convertible in a layby, to the sound of some great 'Do-Wap' music, some chilling orchestral music builds, a heart rendering scream is heard,the picture fades, and the titles roll.....

Welcome Si-Fier to another adventure in Black and White land, a compendium of emotions awaits you under the guise of.....

BEGINNING OF THE END 1957 si-fi Movie.

Just trying to comprehend, the comprehensibility of this incomprehensible title, has me writhing on the floor blowing bubbles from the side of my mouth.

Two Policemen in car 254 are patrolling the area, the scenery in the background is moving but car 254 is not, (this is an illusory ploy by the film makers which has fooled me again and again, look out for it throughout the movie) They pull over to where the young couple had been, and find their convertible a torn, tangled, wreckage, (no sign of the couple). One officier suspects foul play. The driver of the vehicle was a Mr William Summerfield, (Ludlow address). Investigators arrive and find a 'girls sweater'. Car 254 is sent to Ludlow to locate Mr Summerfields house, and reports back.."The whole town of Ludlow has been destroyed", "send help lots of help quick"....(screeching ghoulish music is played...oooeeerrr)

Cut to a new scene and a beautiful young woman driving along the countryside in her convertible (so real), approaches a road block, soldiers with automatic weapons draw near, she is told she can't pass and to follow the arrows. She pulls over gets out of the car, taking her camera, she tries to persuade one of the gaurds to let her through and is told, "the old man says no one is to get through, no one is what the old man said". So she drives away, stops gets out of her car, climbs some hills, and takes a picture, (you will love the sight of this old American flash camera, usually carried by people from the press), but a soldier quickly snatches the camera out of her hand saying "no pictures allowed mame". She goes to the Commanding officier, and sees Captain Bartlett. We find out that this is no other than Miss Audrey Aims, who covered the Korean war and has written a book, and she now works for the National Wire Service, and gives her word she won't publish anything, and is told "last night a town with a population of 150 people was completely destroyed, vanished, no bodies, no nothing." "150 people just don't vanish into thin air," says Audery. Captain Bartlett asks, "we're still trying to find out what happened, would you like to 'sit-in' Miss Aims.

A witness comes into the office and is questioned about the overnight events in Ludlow, and asked if he noticed anything strange about the town or people, anything unusal. He replies he heard something like thunder, and about midnight a plane went overhead. Thats all Dave has to offer, but a very 'Droll' telephone operator is questioned and is very helpfull. Audrey is introduced to Colonel Sturgeon he remarks, "I've read alot of your stuff and seen alot of your photographs". The Colonel is going to Ludlow, Audrey wants to go with him, but is not allowed, she also wants her camera back, and (just to keep us all in suspence) says "there has to be a logical explanation for all this, a town with 150 people doesn't just dissapear." Captain Bartlett says, "this one did."

(Good things come to those who wait...) At this point I thought there isn't much happening, but just when I was about to give up, one of the most imaginative, contrivances ever to be conceived by Man takes place...I refer to The in car telephone call, (Hands free it's not) I will say very little about the telephone call Audery makes from her convertable, a person to person call to Norman Taggart. What you will witness here you will tell your children about, and I have come to the conclusion that 'the great british telephone box', was invented after someone had watched this 'acting'. Note how Mr Taggart is a very fast writer as his pencil speeds across the paper. Audrey drives back to the road block outside Ludlow looking for her camera. Norman phones back and tells her, "the only people who have been playing around with radioactive materials are the U.S. dept of Agriculture, an experimental project in illinois Experimental Station. Audrey heads out to the Station in her 'American Convertible with white walled tyres', she goes into a greenhouse, there are some intresting yet suspicious looking potted plants.Wait till you see the size of these beauties, "you'll think you are watching Irwin Allen's Land Of The Giants." she tries to talk to a deaf mute, (Frank) a radition accident has left him in this condition. She meets the project director a Mr Wain Wright, explaining she's trying to find out what happened in Ludlow, and how she thinks radition might have something to do with it. Wain doesn't think so, as the radition isotopes he uses isn't explosive, "your answer isn't here," he says. So Audery checks out the giant strawberries, Wain comments, "this is the future for the American farmer, and all farmers everywhere," but there's a bit of a problem, you can't eat them. Audrey asks"how do they get so big," Wain explains "Radition causes photosynthesis which makes the growing process to continue night and day, acting like an artificial Sun that never sets."

So it's back into the 'non-movable-white-walled-convertible' and back to illinois national grand H.Q. Audrey meets the Colonel who will not let her go to Ludlow, but he soon gives-in to her questioning, and makes Bartlett drive her to Ludlow....adding, "I hope you have a strong Stomach." Eventually Audrey and the audience get to see Ludlow, and it looks like the 'Left-Overs' from a Tsunami, Audrey takes photographs as they drive through the town, (quite a large town for 150 people and the roads are uneffected) but the 'unmovable-convertible' can go anywhere. Audrey recalls the different wars she has covered as a photographer. Bartlett says, "you must be used to it by now," Audrey replies, "Captain some things you never get used to."

Audrey returns to Wain's giant fruit stall, and asks him to take her to the warehouse that was destroyed 3 months ago. So of they go all three, Audrey, Frank (the deaf mute), and Wain, (in the 'horizontal-convertible-telephone-box). I really love these 'Driving along the road scenes', and I do hope the si-fier is convinced that the convertible is actually moving. Audrey informs the occupants that she was born inquisitive and Inherited her 'photography' from her Father. Wain tells her he's always been a scientist, (everyone in this film has read one of Audrey's articles at some point in their lives including Wain!!!) They arrive at the warehouse, which is a mass of wreckage strewn everywhere, (Wain puts fourth a well scienced statement) "some force pushed these walls out from the inside." The deaf mute beckons them over and they discover that the ground is completely barron, they chat abit about jobs and work. Audrey wants to get some shots and goes for her camera.

A strange noise is heard......at last!!!! the audience get to see some 'state of the art' "Kinematography" and a strange creature appears from behind some corrugated-iron.

WOW !!!!....It's a Giant Locust...Yes ! Si-Fi enthusiasts this is a Giant Insect Movie, (I held out on you as not to spoil it for you), just look at the 'Kinematics' of this creature, this makes the movie very special indeed, in that they are not only giant grasshoppers, but they are the type that are 'sort-of-see-through', looking somewhat out of place, Im sure that the cinemas of yesteryear 'rang-out' with screams of terrified people. The Giant locust has taken Frank (deaf mute) by surprise, poor Frank tries to scream, but being a deaf mute he can't. Audrey sees what has happened and tells Wain, "Franks gone you can't save him," (a fine piece of acting Frank) Audrey and Wain get into the car and speed off.

Back at H.Q. Wain has an explanation for all the events thats happened he tells Tom, "locusts giant locusts," "Giant locusts are responsible for all this, 8 feet tall vicious merciless killers, some locusts must have gotten into the greenhouse, and ate some of the giant food, and became giant locusts, each one has the strength of ten men." So Tom takes Wain back, with a truck load of fully armed soldiers to see if the giant grasshoppers are still there. The soldiers dismount and 'fan-out' around the wreckage, and Wain shows Tom the 'spot'. No body is found so they go into the woods. (the orchestration is becoming very tense now, and the 'trenchant' si-fi observer will instinctively know something is about to happen, I wonder what it will be?) One of the soldiers says to his mate, "maybe we could train one of these giant 'what's-it's'to pull a plough." (more operatic music, strumming, thrumming, and vamping, danger must surely be nigh!) Sure enough some high pitched grasshopper noises are heard, and everyone is listening intently wondering what it is making all the noise, sure enough a Giant locust appears. (this is intoxication frame by frame, this is the stuff 'tantrums' are made of) the soldiers 'let-loose' with all the 'firepower' they have, and make a retreat. The hoppers are in hot persuit and one or two of the soldiers 'buy-it'. Hope is not lost, what looks like a Gatling Gun is mounted on the back of the truck, and a soldier 'lets-rip' at the Giant Insectile Creatures, but all this 'fire-power' has absolutely no effect on the Giant Cicada, so the soldiers make their escape in the Army truck. Every available man is needed, plus air-support to Bomb 'them' out of the forest, 3 infantry units deployed in 3 hours for 100 locusts, Wain says "It's not enough." Wain and Audrey deside to go to Washington to see some 'Top-Brass', Wain delivers the hard facts to Audrey, "we've got to convince them Audrey," "we may be witnessing the beginning of an era that'll mean the complete annihilation of man." Audrey says "Annihilation." Wain says "Annihilation......THE BEGINNING OF THE END.

We are in Washington now, and Wain is making a presentation, along with a film show to all the 'top-brass' and congress, saying "If a tiny locust can do all this damage, imagine what a locust as big as a man can do, and growing bigger," "we haven't much time." The Congress believe that the illionis national gaurd can handle the situation, but an unexpected telephone call from Ludlow changes everything, when the news that the grasshoppers have broken through the National Gaurd Line. The 'Top-Brass' make their appologies.

The General and Wain are sitting in an Aeroplane bound for Paxton Ludlow, they are discussing plans, the voice from the radio informs the General, they can't land in Paxton, and tell the General that the giant locusts have 'Over-Run' Paxton at 1400 Hrs. (look out for the antediluvian 'Bakelite' radio, they don't make them like that anymore) so next stop has to be Chicago. The General recieves a tele-message from General John Short to.....DEFEND CHICAGO AT ALL COSTS.....Refugees are pouring into Chicago now, food is running low, meanwhile thousands of troops are being deployed.

Back at the Lab Wain is studying locust behaviour, and has come up with the idea of shipping 2000 gallons of posion to the front-line, but a telephone call informs Wain, that the last batch of posion didn't even slow the locusts down, he tells his colleagues, "the stuffs no good forget it."

Many towns and cities have already been destroyed. Some 'Doom-watching' music is playing.....Ahhh the hopelessness of it all, with the probability of complete and utter destruction,....(this is the best black and white music I have ever heard) and to 'top' it all, there's a newspaper on the desk with the Headlines, 'CHICAGO NEXT.' Audrey arrivies and lighten things up a bit by telling Wain, "you're doing everything you can," but Wain has sunk to unimaginable depths and replies, "the time will come when the beasts shall inherit the Earth."

The scenario changes, we see a battlefield, hundreds of military tanks, foot soldiers, all manner of vehicles along with the best fire-power America can 'muster-up', rumbling across a plain somewhere in Chicago, looking for locusts. A background news report tells us that General Hanson is confident he can keep the 'meanace' at bay, the air force, and marines are moving in, back-up for the Army. (every man and his dog.) The viewer will witness this report on a wonderful television set that your Granny might have watched. (look out for this scene, check out the legs on the t.v. stand....best ever.) The reporter informs us, that before the locusts attack, they let out a high pitched 'screech' and when the 'screech' reaches it's maxium they attack. Back at H.Q. officies all is going to plan, suddenly the noise from 1000 locusts are heard. In the streets outside multitudes of people are running around like 'headless chickens' panic has taken grip of Chicago. Meanwhile the army has set up a 'front' with soldiers, tanks, and Artillery as the locusts appear, an officier shouts, "hold your fire men," as the locusts draw near. Suddenly all hell breaks loose, handguns, atomatics, tank shells, flame throwers, and (did I mention Bazookas) 'let-rip.' These are great Scenographical images, "this is what the cinema ticket holder long ago came to see." As I watch I think Realistically this could be happening anywhere in the World, especially when I see a sky filled with choppers, these are the best Helicopters I have ever saw in my life. Do you remember a television programme called "Whirlybirds" (if you haven't seen at least 1 episode, make it your business to do so) boy!!! this takes me back to my youth.

So the locusts breach all the might of the American front line. The reporter announces, "that the giant locusts have reached Chicago southside." There is total intimidation, along with a state of terror, stampedes, and palpitating pandemonium in the streets, all the major roads are blocked with cars full of fleeing Americans, while a voice from a 'tannoy' announcement is heard, "Do not Panic!," "Do not Panic!," The locusts have entered well into the city now, chasing people, and climbimg skyscrapers.

We focus on a beautiful young lady inside one of the skyscrapers, wearing nothing but a bath towel, she is gently brushing her hair, and in the window behind her, the terrifying head of a giant locust appears, the window is broken, and the lady turns around and screams. (Method acting takes over.....see as the woman turns, both her hands lift the table and overturn it for effect, it really can't get any better than this. I imagine long winter hours spent alone, in deep thought and mediation, treading back and fourth, chiselling away at her very soul and heart to manufacture and decipher for us this moment of 'ballet' and bring it to boards of theatreland......may I say thankyou, thankyou so much dear lady, I will never forget this piece of acting.)

At H.Q. officies Audrey and Wain enter and meet the General who informs them that the locusts have stopped their advance, Wain informs the General, "when the temperature drops to 68' the locusts just stop moving, and when the sun comes out they'll be active again." The General tells Wain "there's a B52 bomber ready with an Atom bomb aboard." Wain says, "you can't drop an Atomic bomb on Chicago," General speaks, "but Washington has given permission to do just that, so the city has to be evacuated, we drop at dawn." Audrey suggests that the 'Early Settlers' drove the locusts into the lake. This gives Wain an Idea, "we can't drive them, but we could attract them, if we could reproduce their call it might work General," Wain continues, "have you ever been duck hunting General," The General thinks for a minute, then says, "the duck call." Now the General is convinced, he asks Wain, "What do you need." Wain tells the General "I need an 'Osio ossicillator', 2 audio amplifiers, the most powerfull you can get, an ossicillope, and some high frequency radio equipment, and a boat." The General responds, "what ever you need we'll get," Wain suggests, "well there's one thing I have to get my-self, something that will tell me I've succeeded," "Whats that?" says the General. Wain tells him, "A live giant Grasshopper."

So the plan to lure the Grasshoppers, is put into action. Troops are employed "hither and thither." Wain and the General enter into an alleyway, (menacing music is playing, Wain accidently kicks and empty tin can, which makes me jump,) we hera some 'hopper' noises and a giant locust rises out of the basement in front of them. Wain and the General 'Don' gassmasks, and deploy some gass bombs at the 'see-through' locust. (great 'super-duper' effects) Wain runs out of the alley, blows a whistle and shouts, "come on men, we've got one in here," and lots of troops run into the alley.

Back at Washington H.Q. they have a giant locust captured and put in a glass case for observation, Wain and Audrey are experimenting on the locust, trying to find the right 'sound' that will lure the creatures, "the polygraph will record the reactions," says Wain. An assistant asks, "How does it work?" (Dear si-fier always pay attention to a question like this, they crop up quite often in these old movies, for the answer to these questions will enhance and enlighten your knowledge of the universe, it will also give you an insight in the 'Psyche' of the writer) Wain replies, "I just attach the wires of the polygraph, to the two copper strips at the base of the cage, the locusts like every other living thing has, galvanic reflexes or electrical charges in direct ratio to it's activity or emotional stimulation." Audery says, "I don't understand." (tut-tut) Wain explains again and Audrey says, "It's like a lie detector test isn't it." (best line in the movie) also listen out for the noise the lie detector makes, (I really enjoyed that), the Colonel walks in and tells Wain, "you've had your chance, it's the Air-force's turn," and calls General Wagner at the air base. Wain returns to his experimentation, but there may be no time left, the Bomb drops in 90 minutes. Audrey won't leave Wain, she wants to stay with him even though an A-Bomb is gonna drop soon. The Colonel tells Wain, "there's a get-a-way car waiting outside, and if he's sucessful to contact him right away so he can stop the bomb. The streets of Chicago are desolate now, evacuated, and back at the experimental lab Wain and Audrey are hard at work, (the clock on the wall reminds us there is not much time left).

Suddenly they 'hit' the right 'frequency' and the 'needles' on the polygraph machine 'run amok', just as this happens the locust breaks out of it's glass cage, and devours an assistant, Wain 'lets-loose' with a sub-machine gun, and the 'hopper' becomes 'hopper-stew'. They have found the right frequency now, and Colonel Hanson has to be informed, for it is only Colonel Hanson who can STOP the A-Bomb. (there are some great aerial shots of a B-52 bomber being diverted from it's flight path...Phew!!!) Colonel Hanson radios Wain and tells him, "the show is all yours Wain wright, get the equipment into the boat on the lake, and I'll be your 'Pied Piper'." (look out for this 'mind-boggling' scene a speed boat, speeding across a lake, there is something 'Pseudo' about it. In fact this is 'Pseudoblepsis' at it's very best, indeed this film is a film based on Pseudoblepsis, and untill one watches, the boat speeding across the lake the 'word' 'Pseudoblepsis' will mean nothing to you.) The temperature is rising and the locusts are starting to move, a helicopter is tracking their movements, meanwhile the General is on board the boat on the lake as the Grasshoppers invade the city.

A high pitched frequency is sounded from the top of a skyscraper over all the city to attract the grasshoppers. The emergency lab is now completely surrounded by locusts, a poor soldier on the roof doesn't see the giant locust behind him and 'buys-it'. There are some excellent scenes of the locusts climbing up the skyscrapers, (very unsettling), but if you look closely enough dear si-fier, you might detect that it is grasshoppers just walking across photographs of skyscrapers, (this is the stuff 'Pseudoblepsis' is made from). Wain has to hold-out a while longer because all the locusts have not reached the downtown area yet, the all clear is given, and Colonel Hanson, who is out on the lake, turns on his Amplifier to lure the locusts into the lake, meanwhile a 'running-battle' is taking place at H.Q. lab. (some good scenes as the grasshoppers are being shot of the skyscrapers) The locusts begin to retreat towards the noise from the boat, and as the locusts enter into the water they die.

Wain takes Audrey into his arms and hugs her, (romantic, loving music is playing in the background) they don't even kiss,.....Ahhh!!...the age of innocence....it's all over.

 

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY.........JACK MARTA

MUSIC COMPOSED AND CONDUCTED BY.........ALBERT GLASSER

SPECIAL TECHNICAL EFFECTS........BERT I GORDON

SOUND EFFECTS MEN.....................DOUGLAS STEWART / GEORGE J EPPICH

SCREEN PLAY..................................FRED FREIBERGER / LESTER GORN

PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY........BERT I GORDON.

To the people I have listed above and many others involved in the making of..

"THE BEGINNING OF THE END", I say this, From the infinite boundaries of the universe, there was a time allotted, where each individual would be brought together......the result,

A transcendant Movie. nay! nay!..Sovereignty reigns supreme in this supernormal production, to delight audiences for years to come.....a big Thank-you to all....

Disney Movie Club Joy VIP Pin. Joy is pinned to Certificate of Authenticity, which also serves as the backing card. Original price was $4.95, for Disney Movie Club members. Size is 1 1/2 inches high.

Here Designer Tinker Bell is boxed, with the slip cover and acrylic cover off. She is now in the clear. She is secured to the factory packaging by wires and rubber bands. Photographed in daylight.

 

First look at my Tinker Bell Limited Edition Designer Doll. My Tinker Bell is number 2710 of 4000. There were no designer bags, as there were in the previous Designer doll

collections.

 

My visit to my local Disney Store on Februay 18, 2014. I was there for the release of the Disney Fairies Designer Collection dolls. I also noticed that they had several items in the Frozen section that had been missing for several weeks, especially the mugs and Classic Anna dolls, but no Elsas.

 

They had eight of each Designer Fairy doll, Tinker Bell and Zarina. There were about that many people waiting in line before the store opened, waiting to buy them. I didn't do an actual count, but no one left the line when it was announced how many dolls there were, so there were probably seven or eight of them in the line. They had no designer bags, so they just put them in regular Disney Store bags.

 

I inspected my dolls, and they looked in perfect condition. I was surprised by their shiny pearly skin (similar in texture to LE Ursula and Harrods Elsa), but they looked very beautiful. The artwork on the boxes were also very beautiful, but the backgrounds behind the dolls were plain looking. The CM had to help me take off the slip cover of the Zarina doll, as it was very tight. She said all the Zarinas seemed to be that way.

 

Below is information from the UK Disney Store website, as the dolls are not yet available online in the US site.

 

Tinker Bell Limited Edition Designer Doll

UK Disney Store

Released Online and In Stores: 2014-02-18

£50.00

Item No. 411048313135P

 

Let the feisty star of Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy touch down in your home as this limited edition Tinker Bell doll, beautifully realised with embroidered fabrics and meticulous detailing.

 

Magic in the details...

 

•Limited edition doll

•Tinker Bell from Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy

•Part of the Disney Fairies Designer Collection

•Worldwide limited edition of 4000

•Includes a certificate of authenticity

•Exquisite attention to detail

•Realistic hair with leaf hairpin

•Full eyelashes

•Shimmering, iridescent wings

•Sheer organza bodice with metallic embroidery and gems

•Layered leaf skirt embellsihed with gems

•Comes in a tough plastic display case with a stand

•Doll measures H30cm approx

•Display case measures H38 x W17.5 x D18.5cm approx

•Suitable for children aged 6 years+

•Created for Disney Store

 

As you can tell, I won NaNoWrimo by meeting my word count goal of 5,000 words with a novel inspired by a LEGO minifig, believe it or not! Here's the novel that I wrote, if you're interested!

Space Police System Log (Sector Twelve)Stardate 10.29.2110 11:00 AM GMT

>System accessed from portable pad 100198

>Portable pad 100198 info: Pad no longer exists

>Query to portable pad 100198 pertaining to identity

>Portable pad 100198 reply: “I’ve got a new recruit, so I had to give the recruit Hime’s old pad”

>Portable pad 100198 authenticity: Security access level Green permitted

>Security system access by portable pad 100198: Security code “Admin” entered

>New security status of portable pad 100198: Security level Red all areas accessible

>Portable pad 100198 request access to level 9.

>Portable pad 100198 request granted

>Portable pad 100198 has went offline.

>Weapon discharge in Level 9.

>Establish lockdown.

>Lockdown established.

>Portable pad 100198 online.

>Portable pad 100198 requests removal of lockdown.

>Portable pad 100198 request granted.

>Portable pad 100198 requests shutdown of all security systems.

>Query portable pad 100198 authentication code.

>Portable pad 100198 authentication code Piccadilly.

>Portable pad 100198 request granted.

>All security systems disabled.

>Weapon discharge in Level 9

>Operator 195 vitals zero.

>Medical units dispatched.

>Portable pad 100198 request: Cancel medic dispatch and do not call medical again.

>Portable pad 100198 request granted.

>All medical response circuits disabled.

>Medical assistance call 009 canceled.

>Weapons discharge in Level 9.

>Operator 004 vitals zero.

>Weapon type established: Walther Silenced Disintegrator S/N 009.

>ERROR: Portable pad 100198’s owner has not been issued with such a weapon.

>Weapons discharge in Level 9.

>Operator 894 vitals zero.

>Weapon type established: Walther Silenced Disintegrator S/N 008.

>ERROR: Portable pad 100198’s owner has not been issued with such a weapon.

>ERROR: Discharge of two different weapons of the “Pistol” class, one in each hand, is a recognized violation of Marksmanship Statute 8976.

>GENERAL ERROR CONDITION

>Portable pad 100198 has been disabled.

>All changes revert to fifth-to-last save.

>Security teams dispatched to Level 9.

>Owner of portable pad 100198 has been disabled.

>Large explosion of the type “Fission Bomb” has been detected.

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 10.31.2110

 

I couldn’t decipher much of the system log, as I am not that good with computer language. From what I can piece together, it happened like this:

 

It was a cold, dark, dry Martian night in the Sector 12 station. Sergeant-at-Arms Kelby had just begun checking his third-quarter timesheets, when an old, disused pad (100198) started to hack into the system form the disused back entrance. Eventually, it managed to hack the security codes so that it carried Captain Piccadilly’s code! The operator of the pad used this to get into Level 9, our chaotic call center. Then, he/she opened fire on the cavernous room, filled to the gills with vidphone operators. We lost three operators at that instant. They were Susan Adams, “Acid” Wund, and Jon Baker. They were all at the top of their game, and much too young to die. The security cameras caught a glimpse of a completely black-clad figure dual-wielding banned Walther Disentegrators. I ran a face-match on this picture, and had no luck. The perp suddenly teleported out of there. A small orange and red object dropped, and then KA-WHAM!, no more feed or system logging. I instantly recognized the explosion type. It was a 1-2 megaton fission bomb, with about the yield of the one that destroyed Hiroshima. Thankfully, the system’s last gasp included activating the rad shields and sealing off every section. The system and all the other electronic devices went kaput, because the Keptin designers forgot to add shielding to their design. We had no deaths from the blast, but about 50 got concussion wounds, and all of the evidence was destroyed. I might mention that the café’s food suddenly tasted like a mouthful of brick dust. I can only hope the radiation didn’t affect Sector Twelve’s food stores. The case is nowhere near closed, though.

                      

Chapter 2

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 988) Stardate 11.2.2110

Today started out well enough. I had just figured out a new lead on Case 987. By looking at what was visible of the perp’s face through the mask, I was able to figure out that the perp was the same species as the infamous mugger Slizer. It is definitely not Slizer, though, because he is safe and sound in Planet Lisa’s max-security prison. Then, the worst happened. Reports started filtering in that the Skaalgan, a warrior race, had rebelled against the good rule of the Galactic Republic. First, le me give you a bit of background on the Skaalgan.

 

The Skaalgan are categorized as a Type 12 species. Normal Earth composition air is quite toxic to them, so they have to wear chlorine-filled pressure suits off their home planet, Schvinge. They are also a traditionally violent race, so these methane suits, if punctured, also serve as a deadly gas bomb to Type 3 (oxy-breathing mammals like the Humans) species. At last count, they have orchestrated a baker’s dozen rebellions against the Republic. (source: Hyperwikipedia)

  

They appeared to have no reason other than “it was Bob’s birthday, and that means we go rebel against somebody”. Their main forces for the initial assault consisted of the Mustard Juggernauts, the deadliest combination of armor, gas suits, and weapons the galaxy has ever seen. The Mustard Juggernauts are armed with the deadly GE Minigun and the Heckler&Koch MP5. While outdated, the Minigun puts out an astonishing 3,000 rounds per minute, and the MP5 is astonishingly accurate. Our forces were only ray-shielded, so these “outdated” mass throwers came as quite a surprise. Their main spearheads were on three planets: Planet Lisa, a then-deserted asteroid, and Space Station EM-3. It was a complete massacre. The Space Police peacekeepers, using the completely wrong type of shielding, dropped like flies. We had to call in the Space Marines.

 

I didn’t hear much from HNN on the issue. It soon went deep black. I had to go through the official channels to get any information on the rebellion. From what I heard, it has already been resolved. It’s not my department, anyways…..

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.5.2110

 

I think I have a lead! The only place where Walther Disentegrators can be found is Jack Jeebs Pawn in Queens, New York. I have a void in my schedule tomorrow, so I think I’ll go to Queens to check this out. There’s also a few friends of mine up there that may have some information pertaining to the case. By the way, Sally has been acting up lately. I think she somehow got a copy of Windows Vista to run as a background emulator to relieve boredom, and it is bugging up the system like heck.

    

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.6.2110

I am on the evening rocket back to HQ as I write this. The visit to Jeebs’ place was quite eventful. It’s fresh in my mind, so I’ll give you a play-by-play.

 

I walked into the pawn shop at high noon, with a spring in my step thanks to some spring-augmented stilts from a street vendor. I soon accidentally bumped my head on the chandelier. I asked Jeebs about the Walther disintegrators nicely, and then he unexpectedly tells me about these kids walking in and stealing every single bit of high-tech weaponry he has, including the Walther Disentegrators! Luckily, those kids frequented the shop, so Jeebs new exactly who they were. They were Derek Rodriguez and Alfred Lord, both 17. They lived in the Jamaica Estates apartments, room 131 and 342 respectively. I will have to file for a warrant to both interview and interrogate these kids about the robbery and where the disintegrators went.

  

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.7.2110

 

Paperwork sucks eggplants. I had to go through a Trip Value Assessment, an after-action report, an incident report, a polygraph test, an appeal for a warrant, an overhead expense justification sheet for the spring-augmented stilts, and a part replacement chitty for Sally’s graphics chip (it had become infested with gremlins) just for those past two days! Arrghh!

 

Anyway, I pulled up the files on those kids. Nothing came up except for this odd code fragment from Sally.

>fuzzy wuzzies

That’s all. I think I need to replace the monitor again.

                   

Chapter 3

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.8.2110

 

I finally got the warrant for search of the Jamaica Estates apartments, rooms 131 and 342. I am right in front of the building right now, so I’ll go ahead and log it. The log may prove crucial.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.8.2110 Supplemental

 

2:00 I am at the lobby.

2:01 I ask the receptionist which way I should head to get to room 131.

2:02 Receptionist: “Here’s a map, you should know how to use it.”

2:03 Note to self: Do not ask directions from the receptionist. Ever.

2:04 I am knocking at the door of room 131.

2:09 Nobody has answered.

2:10 I am using the ancient elevator in lieu of a turbolift to get to room 342.

2:15 I am knocking at the door of room 342.

2:16 I apparently am knocking at the front door of the Odd Species Embassy in New York, New York.

2:17 Something has gone seriously wrong. I appear to have entered a spatial disturbance.

2:18 Starfleet Lieutenant Commander Data answers the door. I ask him about the disturbance.

Data: “I have no idea as to what just happened. However, I am on vacation and am able to assist.

2:19 Data pulls out his tricorder and scans me.

Data: “You appear to have come from the year 2110. Welcome to the twenty-fourth century.”

2:20 Make that temporal disturbance. I hate it when Carl Sagan forgets to carry a number.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.8.2410

 

I have entered a temporal disturbance while knocking at the door of room 342 at the Jamaica Estates apartments in Queens, New York. I have acquired a helper in the form of Starfleet Lieutenant Data. He is an android with a positronic brain. I have no leads on either Incident 987 or how I am supposed to get out of here. Yikes. Of course, the fuzzy wuzzies may have something to do with that.

          

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.12.2410

 

I just searched “fuzzie wuzzies” about a minute ago and it came up with some interesting results. Fuzzie wuzzies appears to be an asteroid in the next sector over with an odd temporal anomaly on its surface. I’m in the middle of coordinating an attempt to figure out which time and system it goes to.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.16.2110

I am not allowed to divulge the methods by which I got back because of the Prime Directive, but here I am. Everything’s good now, but the Jamaica Estates apartments are going to have to have a thorough scientific scan for anomalies. I hope I can interrogate the two kids while they’re waiting for their rooms to finish the scan. Meanwhile, back to Sally’s defective monitor…

 

Transcript of interview of Derek Rodriguez and Alfred Lord by SPSI Saxon Fletcher

Stardate 11.16.2110 2:00 PM

Saxon Fletcher: Do you happen to know anything about the temporal anomaly in Alfred Lord’s room?

Alfred Lord: Woops, sorry about that. It’s a leftover from when my whole family lived in the apartment and I wanted to keep my little sister out of my room. I really must recalibrate that thing.

Saxon Fletcher: What do you know about the thief of Jack Jeebs’s whole weapons stock?

Derek Rodriguez: His weapons stock has never been stolen, ever. I should know. He lies to any overly curious people so they don’t go spreading rumors that Jeebs has some illegal weapons. He only sells those illegal weapons to people threatening him with a much bigger gun or a permit, though.

Alfred Lord: His whole stock is intact. I bought a target blaster off him just yesterday.

Saxon Fletcher: Do you happen to know anything about a pair of Walther Disentegrators that disappeared from Jeebs’s store about two weeks ago?

Derek Rodriguez: He sold them to a light-green colored alien that looked a lot like that Slizer dude you see on the “Most Wanted” posters.

Saxon Fletcher: That’s all. Good day.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.17.2110

I had to go through more paperwork than ever today! I think the paper I used was about the yield from an entire tree. I had to go to a debriefing run by the Physicists that Formerly said Theoretical, make an absence excuse sheet, negotiate with Sally’s defective gremlin-catching lawyer, file an After-Action Report from the interview of Rodriguez and Lord, explain the Prime Directive to about fifty of my coworkers, go through a full bio scan, and last but not least, a cost-risk assessment for some utterly unrelated thing that accidentally got wired to me. I plan to quantify Rodriguez’s statement about Jeebs’s sales with my old pals at MiB, test out those stilts, and try to catch up on my doctorate of investigation.

  

CHAPTER 3

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.18.2110

I’m at the Queens MiB bureau as I write this. It appears that both the MiB have developed a lifespan-enhancing drug called “boosterspice” with no ill effects. This has Potential with a capital P. Sadly, I am not allowed to divulge any details about this breakthrough, or I would have to brain-wipe you. Anyways, I checked with K about Jeeb’s activities. Turns out the kids were right. Jeebs uses everything he can to keep the long arm of the law out of his shop. The MiB (or Mibbies as we call them in the amateur xenobiologist community) assigned me Agent J to help me out on the case, as they lost one of their own (“Acid” Wund, who was visiting). I’ve also been assigned an extremely potent version of the famed Noisy Cricket with a longer antenna to use if things get interesting. Here’s a play-by play log of our “visit” to Jeebs’s shop.

11:00 AM Agent J and I are exiting the Mibbie’s Queens Bureau through the west exit.

11:02 AM I see the street vendor that sold me those spring-loaded stilts. I thank him.

11:05 AM Agent J and I stop to talk to a pug. He quantifies the kid’s statement yet again.

11:15 AM J and I are waiting at the bus stop.

11:45 AM J and I are still waiting.

12:00 PM We get on the bus to MacDougal Street.

1:00 PM We get off the bus.

1:15 We are at the “Question of Time” jewelry shop, aka Jeebs’s shop.

1:16 Agent J: “Jeebs, let’s see the goods.”

1:17 Jeebs: “I don’t know nothing about any goods! I’m just a humble jewelry shop owner!”

1:18 Agent J: “Skip it. We know you have extraterrestrial weapons here.”

1:19 Jeebs pulls out a fearsome-looking shotgun and presses it to J’s head. It’s time for the Son of the Noisy Cricket.

1:20 I shoot the Noisy Cricket II at Jeeb’s head and simultaneously cause Jeeb’s head to disappear, the shotgun drops on the button that changes Jeebs’s shelves, and the recoil throws me back about 10 feet. “Noisy Cricket” my butt.

1:21 Jeebs: “You idiot! Do you know how much that stings?”

1:22 I ask Jeebs about the two Walther Disentegrators he sold a couple weeks ago.

1:23 Jeebs: “That guy said he was mafia. I can’t tell you anything”.

1:24 Agent J: “The mafia doesn’t have aliens.”

1:25 Jeebs: “Alright, fine. I don’t know his name, but I do know where he lives and what he is. He is a rouge Igor from Discworld, transported here by a temporal anomaly. He currently lives in the Jupiter sky colonies.

1:26 Me: “That pretty much seals it. All Igors call themselves Igor, so we know his name, location, and timeframe.”

1:27 Agent J and I are heading back to MiB HQ.

5:00 We are back at MiB HQ. I hate rush hour.

     

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.19.2110

I am starting preparations for the trip to Jupiter to track down the Jovian Igor. I’ve collected a warrant, a small rocket-powered atmosphere skipper, and the pressure suits necessary so far. I’m in the process of figuring out a vehicle-mounted weapons system that won’t accidentally shoot through the gas envelopes of the colonies. My solution so far uses a combination of a railgun shooting small, thin-walled ampoules of hydrogen at an incredibly high speed. Theoretically, this design will have a darn-near unlimited ammo supply, given that the Jovian atmosphere is primarily made up of hydrogen. I just have to keep the whole atmosphere from going up in flames! Agent J has come through with some of the gadgets we are going to need, and my alma mater Clark County University has provided us with a prototype warp drive capable of going Warp 4. Now all we need is a vehicle to cram all this stuff in.

    

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.20.2110

We’ve got a ship. It’s a robust cargo hauler called the Star Porter. I’ve got a configuration for everything. The railgun design has been fabbed and is in shipping, and I am trying to cram the CCU warp drive into Engineering. I’ve collected a crack crew. Now to get the muscle to operate the lifts right… Agent J is wrestling with installing the scanners and matter-energy reactor. I have also come up with another lead about the Jovian Igor. He lives in Sky Colony 4, near the equator.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.21.2110

Ha, all the keys I had to press were the two, the one, and the zero. Anyways, we’ve got everything ready and will be underway once the FAA gives us a clearance, which could be tomorrow or the next millennium, knowing how the FAA hates everyone. I’m trying to find more info on Sky Colony 4. Apparently, the fourth colony disappeared into the Big Red Spot about five years ago, yet its transponders are giving the “all clear” signal, and their locators are disabled. Rumors have been circulating that Four broke away from the Republic. This adds another SP team to my crew compliment, but they’re good people. Heading up SPSI Team TWO will be Special Operator Medvedev. He will have Agent K, Bob and a young upstart named Kirk under him.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.22.2110

We’ve got an FAA clearance at last. We launch tomorrow. All preparations are done.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.23.2110

We have launched. We are going to do a mid-trip refuel with a Ramses-class supertanker, net info dump near Asteroid AP Alpha, and finally detach the atmospheric hopper section, which contains the bridge, living quarters for the SP investigation units, and a gas envelope inflator. I also am riding the hopper down. When we hit the atmosphere, we will gather inflatable gasses for about a minute (sixty kilometers downwards), inflating the gas envelope as we go down. Once the gas envelope inflates, we will gain the designation Sky Rover One. We will make our way over to Five’s last known location, then deploy rocket hoppers in a spiral search pattern.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.24.2110

 

We have made it to the refuel point with the Ramses-class supertanker Star Provider.

No sight of her, yet, which is very weird. Meanwhile, the crew has been amusing themselves with the holodeck. They have been having as much fun with the constant power and picture tube repairs as with using it. Changing the picture tubes requires hooking into a safety line climbing rig and climbing a hundred-foot ladder of titanium-sheathed Net conduits to the projector. There, they have to input a thirty-two digit hexadecimal security code to gain access to the projector assembly. Once they replace it, they face a hundred-fifty foot rappel down to safety. It’s not for the queasy. The projector blows quite a lot, so they get a lot of chances. One of our engineers is testing a wing system to eliminate the rappel. He has went through five “Frequent Patient” cards at sickbay.

The power units are a whole different story. When they go down, all heck breaks lose. The subject has to suit up in full “battle rattle”, containing a deactivator pistol, a high-strength locator beacon, a holoresolver HUD, and a Scout power armor suit. Once down to the engineering levels, he has to literally do battle with the failing holoprojector computer. The computer generates random images, most used in battle training and therefore quite frightening. The subject uses his holoresolver HUD to check and see if the hologram can do any damage (the holodeck computer has been known to interface with the replicator at times) and takes the required action. If the hologram is innocuous, he adjusts his HUD to block it out and move on. If the hologram’s matter-energy settings are off and it looks to be malicious, the subject tries to access the shipwide network and shut that down. If not, he shoots it with the deactivator, which tells the computer to shut that image down. The computer has, on occasion, taken cues from early pre-warp two-dimensional “videogames” and have a life system, which causes the image to take multiple shots to shut down. To counter this, the arts department is working with the geeks to create higher-power weapons such as deactivator cannons. I think that, with the proper modifications, these weapons will be quite useful on Sky Colony Four. Once the subject has gotten to the central holodeck computer, he has to interface directly with it via his Net implant to reprogram it to accept the new power circuitry. This is incredibly tedious at the best of times, and utterly nauseating and terrifying when the computer is really on the fritz or in one of its moods. After he has reprogrammed it, he has to come back through the “stacks”, which contain, at total, fifteen thousand terabytes of data. He must not bump a single memory stack for fear of taking down life support or his locator beacon receiver software. The Adar designers, in their endless wisdom, made this a fun little labyrinth. Thankfully, we haven’t lost a man yet, but it took five hours until we heard from SP Investigation Team ONE Matrix Specialist Max “Job Title” Porkins.

     

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.25.2110

We have finally sighted the Star Provider and refueled. The Bussard-Cherenkov balance refueling process is quite a spectacle, so I’ll relate the process to you.

First, the subject has to bleed off all its fuel. This is usually accomplished by having the refueling point when the subject is almost completely out of fuel, but the modified Star Porter is a bit different. Our modifications meant that the quad-blaster cannon gas reserves are in the previous main fuel tank, and the fuel is contained in MASSIVE external conformal fuel tanks (ECFTs). The ECFT designer forgot to add external dump valves. Additionally, our refuel point had to be when we were midway there, because that was the last refuel point until Jupiter. We could have lasted until we were three-quarters there, but then we would be dead in space with no refueling opportunity.

Our pilot accomplishes this by taking the Star Porter through VERY aggressive combat maneuvers. He first detaches the atmospheric hopper section so the crew doesn’t get nauseated, and then goes through about twenty barrel rolls. It worked, thankfully, and I didn’t have to ride shotgun on THAT stagecoach. Next, the atmospheric hopper pilot reattaches with the main section (taking up precious fuel, but the main section pilot made it within a kilometer). Next, the tanker takes down an umbilical and refuels each ECFT individually, a painstaking process. Finally, the tanker detaches. Anyways, we refueled well and are now going towards the Net dump.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.26.2110

We have made it to the Net dump but are having some problems. The conduits are overflowing and maxing out the processors. It’s definitely going to be interesting. The engineers have hacked up a solution, involving some duct tape and a welder. We’ll see how long that holds up. I’ve actually managed to dredge u some information regarding these rebel Igors. They actually have a secret society and are plotting to take over Jupiter. They have, so far, only been able to put one Igor in, our perp.

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.27.2110

We are now separating the atmospheric section from the section with the warp drive.

T+1 The section has been successfully separated.

T+2 The section is in free fall.

T+3 The envelope has been inflated.

T+4 Redesignation: Sky Rover One.

T+5: Heading to the bearing of the last transmit from Five.

T+6: Preparing to offload rocket hoppers.

T+20: Last known position of Five reached. Initiating full sensor scan.

T+25: Faint signal heard spinwards. Deploying rocket hoppers one and two to investigate.

T+30: Rocket hoppers have reported that they have found Five. I’m heading in.

T+35: I have launched in Boarding One. I am really regretting not taking those drop sickness pills.

T+40: Boarding One has inflated its envelope and we are coming alongside Five.

T+41: Sending query.

T+42: Five has fired its railgun.

T+42: We are undertaking evasive maneuvers.

T+43: We are firing at Five’s weapons stations.

T+44: We have disabled Five’s weapons.

T+45: Coming alongside Five.

T+46: SPI teams ONE and TWO have boarded.

/end log

 

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.28.2110

We have tracked down the Jovian Igor and he is in jail, but it’s no fun if you, dear reader, do not know how it happened, so here goes!

 

It was an all-too-stormy day on Jupiter. The time: high noon. We had boarded the rebel Sky Colony Five via the good ship Boarding One and swept the colony like the old Navy SEALs. Suddenly, our old friend the Jovian Igor fired at my first officer Sgt. Novak. Sadly, the perpetrator was a dead shot. I set my trusty Noisy Cricket to “stun” and went after the direction of the shot, with Men In Black Agent J trailing close behind. Little did we know, the Igor had professional training. Like any good blaster sniper, he never shot from the same spot twice. With holographic decoys that we had set out earlier dropping like flies, it looked like a miniature D-Day, except for two details: We were on a blimp and using blasters. Agent J suggested using jetpacks, which we did. Thankfully, they were the new repulsor units. Taking energy from the batteries of the dearly deceased hologram units, we took to the air like so many birds. Trouble is, our flight skills weren’t all that good (both of us having barely passed Basic Jetpack Skills in primary), so we barely made it over the courthouse roof . These comedic antics acted as excellent evasive maneuvers, so we were never hit once. I pulled out my binoculars and had a look around. Surprisingly enough, the Igor was smack-dab in my sights. I took my Noisy Cricket off safety and fired. The recoil knocked me back about 10 feet, thus throwing off my gyros. I barely had enough time to compensate before I hit the ground. My jetpack busted, I had to chase the perp on foot. He ran up a fire escape, firing wildly (and missing) all the time. When he got up, he had to change blaster gas cells. I took the opportunity and fired. The infamous Jovian Igor was down. I took out a Styrette from my supplies and injected the Igor with an anesthetic, which would keep him out for at least 5 hours. Then the worst happened. Blaster fire started pouring in from all directions. It turned out that our little friend was not alone. I left the perp to the paddy wagon and dove for cover. Fortunately, his henchmen were not as well trained, firing from the same spot all the time. Agent J was able to take most of them out, but had to leave the ones better fortified to the Noisy Cricket, which was in possession of me. I found the first one near the radio shack. He was pretty well dug in there, with Dura Crete walls and a heavy ML42. One shot with that weapon, and I would have been dead. I saw him before he saw me, though, and took him out. One shot, and KABOOM! No more bunker! I moved on to the next one, who was snug as a bug I the armory. “This is going to be hard,” I thought to myself. Completely the opposite, this guy was the dumbest of them all. He barely fired and stood way out in the open, where I shot him with the Noisy Cricket. He was, without a question, disintegrated. I took a weapon with less recoil from the armory, as well as a new repulsor pack. Again, I took to the air, but with a little more confidence this time. I spotted the third and plinked a grenade into his hideout near the commissary. It failed to go off. I plinked another, ditto. The grenades must have been affected by the harsh Jupiter atmosphere. I landed and fired my Noisy Cricket at him, and he then went down. That was the last of them. I then went back to our base and we packed up and headed for home with the Jovian Igor safe behind bars.

  

Investigator Saxon Fletcher’s Case Log (Incident 987) Stardate 11.29.2110

We are en route back home. We have successfully reconnected with our warp drive section, made our Net dump, refueled from the atmosphere, and solved the dual mysteries of the Jovian Igor and the missing Sky Colony Five. It turns out that the Igor society hopped onto Five disguised as normal passengers and then executed a military coup. The colony turned off its transponder and went completely self sufficient from the Republic. I can’t wait to be done with all this running around!

 

~~

Image credit goes to ywp.NaNoWriMo .org. Used with permission.

Disney Movie Club Joy VIP Pin. Joy is pinned to Certificate of Authenticity, which also serves as the backing card. Original price was $4.95, for Disney Movie Club members. Size is 1 1/2 inches high.

Air Jordan 1 Low Royal Toe, Menâs Size 13, Blue, White, CQ9446-400, UPC 00193153548526, 2019, leather upper, nylon tongue, leather toebox, Perforated toe box for ventilation, Jumpman branding on tongue, Jumpman tongue emblems, mid-throat #23 , â23â lace holders, Nike Swoosh Branding, leather Swooshes, Air Jordan "Wings" logo embroidery on the heel, encapsulated Air units, White midsole, Rubber midsole, Rubber outsole, Michael Jordanâs first signature for women reddealsonline, eBay shoes, Authenticate, Authenticity Guarantee

"Authenticity is the guiding principle in all of Lather Bee Rich’s creations. Ingredients are all natural, not synthesized or chemical. No newfangled soap experimentation is being performed in the soap’s manufacture.Instead the soap is made using authentic recipes from the 1920. For each of the six scents, names and photos of Lather Bee Rich’s actual ancestors were incorporated. Blazing Betty, Corky’s Cute Patoote, Dapper Dan, Dollface Darla, Lusty Lu-Lu and Papa Bob were authentic people with stories to tell and foibles to enjoy.

 

As the use of tin was prevalent in the early 20th century, tin soap tins were custom made to package the soap. Not only does the use of tin lend authentic credibility to the packaging design, tin is a strong environmental choice for the 21st century. It is endlessly re-usable and recyclable and at the end of its lifecycle it naturally biodegrades to its iron mineral components. Lather Bee Rich is a beautiful product carefully handmade and gorgeously packaged to capture the luxurious decadence of a former time."

  

Designed by Canada based El Designo.

"Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery — celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: “It’s not where you take things from — it’s where you take them to." "

-Jim Jarmush

  

enough said.

   

©All rights reserved. Use without permission is illegal.

Deboxing the Peter Pan and Captain Hook Doll Set. Peter Pan has been deboxed. He is free standing, without his sword.

 

Detailed photos of the Peter Pan and Captain Hook Doll Set. It was released in US Disney Stores on Tuesday October 6, 2015. I got it at my local store through the raffle. My set is #3211 of 6000. There were 18 sets available, and 3 left after the raffle.

 

I have now fully deboxed the set (except for Tinker Bell). I show Peter and Hook separately and together. I also place Peter and Hook back on the display stand. Hook's hat won't stay on his head, so he is without his hat in all the deboxed photos. I found that Peter has hinge jointed elbows, not ball jointed as I had thought earlier, before I deboxed him. I haven't removed the clothing of either doll, but took a peek at their lower backs, and neither has edition stamps there. The outfits of both dolls are impressive, except for Hook's hat. Hook is 12 1/4 inches tall, Peter is 10 inches tall (about the same height as the Disney Store Flutter Wing Tinker Bell dolls).

 

Peter Pan and Captain Hook Doll Set - Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

 

US Disney Store

Release in Stores 2015-10-06

Released online 2015-10-07

Purchased in store 2015-10-06

#3211 of 6000

 

$129.95

Item No. 6003040901263P

 

Green friendly

Peter Pan comes face to face with his arch enemy Captain Hook in this limited edition set. With finely detailed costumes, the pair are part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection inspired by Disney's memorable heroes and villains.

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.

 

As part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection's heroes and villains series, Peter Pan and Captain Hook were carefully crafted by artists inspired by Disney's 1953 movie. Reimagined in exquisite detail, these limited edition dolls were brought to life with thoughtful attention, and uniquely capture the essence of the fairytale characters, creating a one-of-a-kind set that will be a treasured keepsake of collectors and Disney fans.

 

• Global Limited Edition of 6000

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Includes small Tinker Bell figurine

• Peter Pan features a forest green tunic with printed leaf detail

• Detachable sword

• Detachable cap with feather

• Brown faux leather belt with gold buckle

• Leggings and boots with curled tops

• Captain Hook features dramatic suede coat with gold filigree detailing, and full lining

• Suit vest with buttons, and matching pants

• Stockings with boots featuring gold buckle

• White shirt with lace frill and cuffs

• Rooted hair

• Detachable hat with molded feather

• Detachable sword

• Dolls sold in a special keepsake display case with intricate details on the base, including a golden plate with the names of Peter Pan and Captain Hook

• Includes special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Gift Bag

• Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

 

* Intended for adult collectors -- Not a child's toy.

 

The bare necessities

 

• Plastic / polyester

• Peter Pan: 10'' H

• Captain Hook: 12 1/2'' H

• Tinker Bell: 1 1/2''

• Imported

Deboxing my LE 2500 Anna 17'' Doll. First the front cardboard box lid is removed, revealing the doll behind a clear plastic cover. Next the bottom box lid is removed, then the plastic cover removed, leaving the doll in the open, but still attached to the cardboard backing. Now she can be photographed without the glare from the plastic cover. Between the plastic cover and the bottom of the cardboard backing is the Certificate of Authenticity. My doll is #1202 of 2500.

 

Notes on the back of the LE Anna's box:

 

From the Movie Disney Frozen

 

Disney Store proudly presents the worldwide Limited Edition Anna doll. With its intricate details, this beautifully designed doll magically captures the beauty and spirit of Anna, from Disney's newest feature film Frozen. Inspired by the movie, Anna's dress features romantic off-shoulder draped sleeves, velvet sweetheart bodice, and a box-pleated floor-length skirt. The Norwegian rosemaling embroidery, sparkling rhinestones embellishments, and intricate lace details provide the final touches of a truly spectacular gown. Designed and carefully crafted by Disney Store artists, this limited edition doll is a must-have for Disney fans and collectors alike.

 

Certificate of Authenticity and Display Stand included.

 

First look at the Limited Edition Anna and Elsa 17'' Dolls, that I just brought home from the Disney Store. I camped out outside my local Disney Store at 6 am, waiting for them to open at 10 am. At about 7 am a group of three other adults and one child joined me in front of the store. I'm happy that the mall opens so early (for mall walkers), so I didn't have to wait outdoors. The leader of the group, a fellow collector, also got the Harrods LE 100 doll set. He and his daughter and granddaughter were also there with me at the same store for the release of TLM LE dolls. A CM was nice and let us have a closeup look at the dolls around 8:30 am (from behind the store's metal gate). We were surprised that no other people joined us in line before the store's opening at 10 am.

 

The dolls are LE 2500, and cost $99.95 each. They will be photographed boxed, during deboxing, and fully deboxed. They will also be posed with other comparable dolls, especially the Harrods LE 100 Anna and Elsa dolls.

 

Product information from the US Disney Store website:

 

Anna Limited Edition Doll - 17'' - Frozen

US Disney Store

Released online and in store on November 20, 2013

SOLD OUT online in about 15 minutes

$99.95

Item No. 6070040900951P

 

Winter wonder

Anna's stunning beauty will warm any occasion. Designed and crafted by Disney Store artists, and inspired by Disney's Frozen, this gorgeous limited edition Anna doll features her glamorous gown studded with colorful rhinestones.

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Each Guest will be limited to ordering a maximum of one of this item per order.

 

• Limited Edition of 2500

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Satin dress features romantic off-shoulder draped sleeves, velvet sweetheart bodice, and a box-pleated floor-length skirt

• Norwegian rosemaling embroidery, rhinestone accents and lace detailing

• Red hair with blonde streak and satin ribbons

• Rooted eyelashes

• Necklace

• Fully poseable

• Display stand included

• Comes in elegant window display packaging

• Inspired by Disney's Frozen

 

The bare necessities

 

• Ages 6+

• Plastic /polyester

• 17'' H

• Imported

(for English scroll down)

 

Meine erste Foto-Einzelausstellung präsentiert im Café Berio, Berlin

Vernissage 31. Juli 2018 | Finissage 22. September 2018

 

In meiner ersten Foto-Einzelausstellung zeigte ich meine Berliner Portraits und einige meiner Vogel-Fotografien; daher der Titel der Ausstellung. In meinem Fotoprojekt wollte ich einmal weg von den sonst bewusst gewählten Orten, an denen man ein Fotoshooting durchführt. Ein Studio oder eine ausgewählte Location haben für die Menschen meist etwas sehr Unpersönliches. Ich wollte dorthin, wo es am authentischsten ist; an die Orte, an denen die Protagonisten (überwiegend Künstler) zu Hause und in ihrem Element sind: auf der Bühne, hinter der Bühne und vor, während und nach einem Auftritt bzw. Event. Ich möchte dem Betrachter Bilder zeigen, die er nicht unbedingt während einer Veranstaltung wahrnimmt und Außenstehende gefangen nehmen, als hätten sie es live miterlebt.

 

Über 70 Arbeiten präsentierte ich in der Ausstellung; darunter Portraits von Romy Haag, Henry de Winter, Hanna Schygulla, Georgette Dee, Dieter Rita Scholl, Gloria Viagra, Ades Zabel, Frank Wilde, Gaby Tupper und vielen anderen.

 

Vögel leben auf allen Kontinenten. Sie sind flüchtige, scheue Tiere. Auf meinen Fotografien lassen sie aber eine unwahrscheinliche Nähe zu. Das eigentlich Fremde und in der Natur nicht Sichtbare habe ich in meinen Vogel-Portraits festgehalten.

 

Mein Motto: "Authentizität ist das Schlüsselwort, das hinter meiner Fotografie steht. Ich ziehe es vor, mehr die menschliche Note zu zeigen und weniger die Retusche."

 

Die meisten der Exponate sind in der queeren Community entstanden.

 

berio-berlin.de/ausstellungen/berliner-und-andere-schraeg...

____________________________________________________

 

My first solo photo exhibition presented at Café Berio, Berlin

Opening July 31, 2018 | Closing September 22, 2018

 

In my first solo photo exhibition, I showed my Berlin portraits and some of my bird photographs; hence the title of the exhibition. In my photo project, I wanted to get away from the usual deliberately chosen locations for a photo shoot. There is usually something very impersonal about a studio or a selected location for people. I wanted to go where it is most authentic; to the places where the protagonists (mostly artists) are at home and in their element: on stage, backstage and before, during and after a performance or event. I want to show the viewer images that they don't necessarily see during an event and capture outsiders as if they had witnessed it live.

 

I presented over 70 works in the exhibition, including portraits of Romy Haag, Henry de Winter, Hanna Schygulla, Georgette Dee, Dieter Rita Scholl, Gloria Viagra, Ades Zabel, Frank Wilde, Gaby Tupper and many others.

 

Birds live on every continent. They are elusive, shy animals. In my photographs, however, they allow an improbable closeness. I have captured what is actually alien and invisible in nature in my bird portraits.

 

My motto: "Authenticity is the keyword that lies behind my photography. I prefer to show more the human touch and less the retouch."

 

Most of the exhibits were created in the queer community.

 

berio-berlin.de/ausstellungen/berliner-und-andere-schraeg...

Front and rear covers are off. The doll is attached to a cardboard backing, that is free standing. The Certificate of Authenticity (CoA) is taken from underneath the backing, and placed in front of the doll.

 

Detailed photos of the D23 Expo exclusive Hag Limited Edition 17 Inch Doll. She is #204 of 723. I got her first hand from the D23 Expo Disney Store on the release day, Saturday July 15, 2017.

 

She is actually about 16 inches tall with her legs straightened. But her feet are angled such that she has to stoop to stand up, and that is the way she in in the included display stand. Then she is only about 14 1/2 inches tall, about 2 inches shorter than D23 LE Snow White. In the box, she is lifted about 2 inches off the base by a plastic support, so she would be more centered in the viewing window.

 

Her head only swivels about in a single plane, and because I didn't cut the threads attaching her pony tails to her outfit, she can only turn her head about 45 degrees to the left and the right. Her head is permanently tilted upwards, and her gaze is also up, as she is supposed to be looking up at the taller Snow White. Her torso is stuffed, but her limbs are all articulated and made of hard plastic. She has jointed shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips and knees. Her body is entirely custom made for this doll, and is very close to the design of the Hag in the DFDC Heroes and Villains set with Snow White, except that the Designer Hag has a hard plastic torso rather than a stuffed one. I left some factory ties that prevent the shawl from falling off her arms. However, I did remove some plastic tacks that hid part of the sheer overskirt under her apron. I left she scarf tacked to her head, so it stay in position over her head. She is fairly stable free standing, but is much more stable on her display stand. The accessory apple is very realistic, and secured to her left hand by a clear rubber that goes through a hole near the bottom of the apple. It is a larger version of the apple included in DFDC Hag and the D23 Once Upon a Time Evil Queen doll.

TITLE OF PAINTING:

BOSS LEVEL 5

 

APPROXIMATE SIZE: 11 x 8.5 Inches

 

MEDIA: Acrylics On Card Stock Paper

 

DATE: July 2018

 

*Signed/Dated/Titled On The Back For Authenticity.

There is something to be said for authenticity.

 

When it comes to my pictures, I try to keep the image processing as natural as possible to the original subject photographed.

 

With artistic expression authenticity, I keep to possessing original or inherent authority.

 

In other words, I share my vision to improve on the original subject but keep true to originality, honesty and integrity.

 

In life, there is so much we need to filter through to find what is authentic.

 

Because sources we listen to sometimes take their vision or expression too far or to the point of deciding what they think we need to hear.

 

It's good to listen to what they say but, keep our eyes open, as Pope Francis recently Tweet:

 

"The most radical antidote to the virus of falsehood is purification by the truth."

  

Luckily, the internet makes this easier to do.

 

Enjoy your day.

  

Frank J Casella

 

---

 

frankjcasella.mobileprints.com

  

(for English scroll down)

 

Meine erste Foto-Einzelausstellung präsentiert im Café Berio, Berlin

Vernissage 31. Juli 2018 | Finissage 22. September 2018

 

In meiner ersten Foto-Einzelausstellung zeigte ich meine Berliner Portraits und einige meiner Vogel-Fotografien; daher der Titel der Ausstellung. In meinem Fotoprojekt wollte ich einmal weg von den sonst bewusst gewählten Orten, an denen man ein Fotoshooting durchführt. Ein Studio oder eine ausgewählte Location haben für die Menschen meist etwas sehr Unpersönliches. Ich wollte dorthin, wo es am authentischsten ist; an die Orte, an denen die Protagonisten (überwiegend Künstler) zu Hause und in ihrem Element sind: auf der Bühne, hinter der Bühne und vor, während und nach einem Auftritt bzw. Event. Ich möchte dem Betrachter Bilder zeigen, die er nicht unbedingt während einer Veranstaltung wahrnimmt und Außenstehende gefangen nehmen, als hätten sie es live miterlebt.

 

Über 70 Arbeiten präsentierte ich in der Ausstellung; darunter Portraits von Romy Haag, Henry de Winter, Hanna Schygulla, Georgette Dee, Dieter Rita Scholl, Gloria Viagra, Ades Zabel, Frank Wilde, Gaby Tupper und vielen anderen.

 

Vögel leben auf allen Kontinenten. Sie sind flüchtige, scheue Tiere. Auf meinen Fotografien lassen sie aber eine unwahrscheinliche Nähe zu. Das eigentlich Fremde und in der Natur nicht Sichtbare habe ich in meinen Vogel-Portraits festgehalten.

 

Mein Motto: "Authentizität ist das Schlüsselwort, das hinter meiner Fotografie steht. Ich ziehe es vor, mehr die menschliche Note zu zeigen und weniger die Retusche."

 

Die meisten der Exponate sind in der queeren Community entstanden.

 

berio-berlin.de/ausstellungen/berliner-und-andere-schraeg...

____________________________________________________

 

My first solo photo exhibition presented at Café Berio, Berlin

Opening July 31, 2018 | Closing September 22, 2018

 

In my first solo photo exhibition, I showed my Berlin portraits and some of my bird photographs; hence the title of the exhibition. In my photo project, I wanted to get away from the usual deliberately chosen locations for a photo shoot. There is usually something very impersonal about a studio or a selected location for people. I wanted to go where it is most authentic; to the places where the protagonists (mostly artists) are at home and in their element: on stage, backstage and before, during and after a performance or event. I want to show the viewer images that they don't necessarily see during an event and capture outsiders as if they had witnessed it live.

 

I presented over 70 works in the exhibition, including portraits of Romy Haag, Henry de Winter, Hanna Schygulla, Georgette Dee, Dieter Rita Scholl, Gloria Viagra, Ades Zabel, Frank Wilde, Gaby Tupper and many others.

 

Birds live on every continent. They are elusive, shy animals. In my photographs, however, they allow an improbable closeness. I have captured what is actually alien and invisible in nature in my bird portraits.

 

My motto: "Authenticity is the keyword that lies behind my photography. I prefer to show more the human touch and less the retouch."

 

Most of the exhibits were created in the queer community.

 

berio-berlin.de/ausstellungen/berliner-und-andere-schraeg...

Please check the time and watch (bottom right) if you can. It is a really excellent service for Palm Sunday.

 

I decided to be real with today's photo. I am rarely creative or smart. On any given day, if you stop by my house, this is what I will look like. As much as I want to be the girl who wears a lot of jewelry and knows how to curl her hair, I'm not. It is as simple as that, really. Part of me can pretend to be and enjoy it, but this photo is 100% me. I don't know how else to put it. I mowed the front yard dressed just like this, except I had two boots on, not one. I had to take one off for this photo because it gave me a blister. The mailman drove down our street and when he got to our mailbox, he nodded his head and laughed at me. And that's fine with me. It brought his day a little bit of joy. At the cost of me looking ridiculous. Which I do anyway, regardless of who's watching.

 

I'm Southern and I'm proud. I wear glasses some days and my hair is a mess. I am not very good at makeup and my clothes are pretty plain. I really don't know how to be a girly girl. But I will lie in the mud and dirt with you any day.

authenticity is presenting to the world that who you are on the inside

 

openly

 

proudly

 

honestly

 

uncompromisingly...

 

to get to that part of yourself, one must strip away habits, expectations, implementations of survival...

 

'this above all: to thine own self be true.' ~ shakespeare, hamlet ... piece of text preserved in resin, aged around the edges... words as old as time to be worn as crown jewels...

 

hematite is a grounding stone bestowing courage and and strength to the wearer...

Deboxing my LE 2500 Anna 17'' Doll. First the front cardboard box lid is removed, revealing the doll behind a clear plastic cover. Next the bottom box lid is removed, then the plastic cover removed, leaving the doll in the open, but still attached to the cardboard backing. Now she can be photographed without the glare from the plastic cover. Between the plastic cover and the bottom of the cardboard backing is the Certificate of Authenticity. My doll is #1202 of 2500.

 

Notes on the back of the LE Anna's box:

 

From the Movie Disney Frozen

 

Disney Store proudly presents the worldwide Limited Edition Anna doll. With its intricate details, this beautifully designed doll magically captures the beauty and spirit of Anna, from Disney's newest feature film Frozen. Inspired by the movie, Anna's dress features romantic off-shoulder draped sleeves, velvet sweetheart bodice, and a box-pleated floor-length skirt. The Norwegian rosemaling embroidery, sparkling rhinestones embellishments, and intricate lace details provide the final touches of a truly spectacular gown. Designed and carefully crafted by Disney Store artists, this limited edition doll is a must-have for Disney fans and collectors alike.

 

Certificate of Authenticity and Display Stand included.

 

First look at the Limited Edition Anna and Elsa 17'' Dolls, that I just brought home from the Disney Store. I camped out outside my local Disney Store at 6 am, waiting for them to open at 10 am. At about 7 am a group of three other adults and one child joined me in front of the store. I'm happy that the mall opens so early (for mall walkers), so I didn't have to wait outdoors. The leader of the group, a fellow collector, also got the Harrods LE 100 doll set. He and his daughter and granddaughter were also there with me at the same store for the release of TLM LE dolls. A CM was nice and let us have a closeup look at the dolls around 8:30 am (from behind the store's metal gate). We were surprised that no other people joined us in line before the store's opening at 10 am.

 

The dolls are LE 2500, and cost $99.95 each. They will be photographed boxed, during deboxing, and fully deboxed. They will also be posed with other comparable dolls, especially the Harrods LE 100 Anna and Elsa dolls.

 

Product information from the US Disney Store website:

 

Anna Limited Edition Doll - 17'' - Frozen

US Disney Store

Released online and in store on November 20, 2013

SOLD OUT online in about 15 minutes

$99.95

Item No. 6070040900951P

 

Winter wonder

Anna's stunning beauty will warm any occasion. Designed and crafted by Disney Store artists, and inspired by Disney's Frozen, this gorgeous limited edition Anna doll features her glamorous gown studded with colorful rhinestones.

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Each Guest will be limited to ordering a maximum of one of this item per order.

 

• Limited Edition of 2500

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Satin dress features romantic off-shoulder draped sleeves, velvet sweetheart bodice, and a box-pleated floor-length skirt

• Norwegian rosemaling embroidery, rhinestone accents and lace detailing

• Red hair with blonde streak and satin ribbons

• Rooted eyelashes

• Necklace

• Fully poseable

• Display stand included

• Comes in elegant window display packaging

• Inspired by Disney's Frozen

 

The bare necessities

 

• Ages 6+

• Plastic /polyester

• 17'' H

• Imported

Aladdin has been fully deboxed. He is standing, supported by the included display stand.

 

I received the LA LE Jasmine and Aladdin set today, Friday June 14, 2019. I bought it from Disney Store UK when it was released on May 28, 2019, and saved over $300 versus getting if from the US site. It was shipped double boxed, and was delivered by USPS. The outer box was damaged, and the packing tape loose on top, but the inner box was in perfect shape, as was the doll box and the dolls themselves. The carton was #161 of 505, and the Certificate of Authenticity was #376 of 750. The set depicts Jasmine and Aladding in their wedding outfits from the movie. I am very impressed by the level of detail in the outfits and jewelry. Jasmine is very beautiful and looks good from any angle. Aladdin looks better in person than from the stock photos, but his hair is a little messy, and he looks better from the side than from the front.

 

After deboxing I discovered that neither doll has the edition number or size stamped on their backs. Aladdin has three layers of clothing: outer coat, inner coat, and shirt with pants. All are separate items, but I left the inner coat tacked to the outer coat. The lower part of his outer coat is in four panels. The two panels in the back are more than floor length, so form a coat tail. He can free stand, but isn't all that stable posed that way. So for all but one photo of him standing, I had him supported by the included display stand. Jasmine has three layers of clothing, too. Outer skirt, inner skirt and pants with top. Her skirts are longer in the back, and are more than floor length.

Disney Store Limited Edition Ariel Doll Certificate of Authenticity - 1,424 of 6,000

I received the LA LE Jasmine and Aladdin set today, Friday June 14, 2019. I bought it from Disney Store UK when it was released on May 28, 2019, and saved over $300 versus getting if from the US site. It was shipped double boxed, and was delivered by USPS. The outer box was damaged, and the packing tape loose on top, but the inner box was in perfect shape, as was the doll box and the dolls themselves. The carton was #161 of 505, and the Certificate of Authenticity was #376 of 750. The set depicts Jasmine and Aladding in their wedding outfits from the movie. I am very impressed by the level of detail in the outfits and jewelry. Jasmine is very beautiful and looks good from any angle. Aladdin looks better in person than from the stock photos, but his hair is a little messy, and he looks better from the side than from the front.

 

After deboxing I discovered that neither doll has the edition number or size stamped on their backs. Aladdin has three layers of clothing: outer coat, inner coat, and shirt with pants. All are separate items, but I left the inner coat tacked to the outer coat. The lower part of his outer coat is in four panels. The two panels in the back are more than floor length, so form a coat tail. He can free stand, but isn't all that stable posed that way. So for all but one photo of him standing, I had him supported by the included display stand. Jasmine has three layers of clothing, too. Outer skirt, inner skirt and pants with top. Her skirts are longer in the back, and are more than floor length.

I got my pre-ordered Designer dolls today from UPS. They came in a huge box, 50 inches long and weighing 40 pounds. It was the original manufacturer's shipper, and the label said Cart #186. Inside the shipper the five doll sets were in individual cartons. I opened Ariel and King Triton first, and saw that it was numbered 188 of 6000, as were all the others. They were all in near perfect shape, with no glaring defects or messy hair. I show photos of each set in the order that I opened them. Then group photos of all five sets, placed side by side.

Boxed, with slip cover off. The dolls are inside a display case with an acrylic cover that is clear on three sides and the top.

 

I bought the Alice and Queen of Hearts Doll Set at my local Disney Store on release day, October 4, 2016. It is numbered 0989 of 6000. I was called fifth out of ten persons who entered the raffle for 18 doll sets. They called names to determine the order in which we would go to the registers. The Designer doll display was moved from the floor to behind the counter. They still had Cinderella and Lady Tremaine doll sets available. I inspected the first set that was handed to me. Alice had slightly irregular eyelashes, but not enough to bother me. I didn't notice any other defects, so I took the set. I didn't bring my camera, so I didn't take any photos in the store.

 

Here are photos of the set boxed, and with all the covers off. I will debox the set at a later time, and post photos here.

 

I think Alice is a very beautiful doll, and I'm glad Disney finally made a Designer Alice. The most surprising thing I noticed about Alice are her shoes, which are very realistic looking. I like the Designer Queen of Hearts' crown, but it is nowhere as realistic looking as the crown on the LE 17'' Queen of Hearts.

 

Alice and The Queen of Hearts Doll Set - Alice in Wonderland - Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

$129.95

Item No. 6003040901410P

US Disney Store

Released in store 2016-10-04

Released online 2016-10-05

Purchased in store 2016-10-04

#0989 of 6000

 

Head turner

Disney's Fairytale Designer Collection pairs heroes and villains in lovely limited edition doll sets. You'll lose your head for the simply mad embroidered and bejeweled detailing in costumes for our classic Alice in Wonderland set.

 

Magic in the details...

 

Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.

 

Our Disney Fairytale Designer Collection brings together beloved heroes and villains in a series inspired by your favorite animated film classics. Disney Store artists have captured the timeless struggle between good and evil in magnificent detail, conveying both the wonderful wickedness and bold, heroic spirit of these unforgettable characters. Rich, evocative and dramatic, the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection will be a treasured keepsake for collectors and the young at heart.

 

• Global Limited Edition of 6000

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Set of two Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Dolls*

• Alice wears an exquisite floral patterned dress

• Satin apron features elegant floral embroidery with shimmering gems, plus delicate lace trim

• The Queen's knife-pleated collar boasts ornate golden lace

• Heart-shaped bodice features an ornate embroidered floral pattern with rhinestone accents

• Delicate embroidery and gems ornament the Queen's skirt

• Includes heart-shaped scepter

• Gem set crown

• Rooted, styled hair and eyelashes

• Displayed in a deluxe keepsake case with intricate details on the base, including a golden name plate

• Includes special Disney Fairytale Designer Collection Gift Bag

• Celebrating the 65th Anniversary of Walt Disney's animated classic Alice in Wonderland (1951)

• Part of the Disney Fairytale Designer Collection

 

* Please note: Intended for adult collectors. Not a child's toy.

 

The bare necessities

 

• Plastic / polyester

• Alice: 10'' H

• Queen of Hearts: 12'' H

• Case: 15'' H x 7'' W x 7 1/4'' D

• Imported

LE Briar Rose with all the box covers removed. She is attached to the free standing backing cardboard.

 

I purchased the Aurora Limited Edition doll on her release day, Saturday March 16, 2019, from my local Disney Store. They had 16 dolls, and only about half sold at store opening. My doll's edition number is #1269 of 4500, exactly 1000 more than that of my Aurora and Phillip wedding doll set. She commemorates the 60th anniversary of Disney's Sleeping Beauty.

 

She is dressed as Briar Rose, and has a forest scene in the background art of the box. She has a little owl in one hand and a basket in the other. Her golden blonde hair has her signature curl in front of her front bangs, and waist length hair with curls at the ends. She has violet eyes glancing to her right and coral lips in a open mouthed smile. She has long curvy eyelashes. She has a pink shawl around her shoulders and arms. It has a brocade pattern on one side and gold embroidery on the other, and gold tassels at the ends. I untacked the ends from her skirt, but left them tacked to the sleeves of her blouse to prevent the shawl from falling off. She has a black satin bodice with fake laces in front of gold embroidery in the center panel. Her blouse is actually part of her bodice, and has sleeves down to her elbows, with flared ends tied with golden strings. Her skirt is made of dark magenta satin that is pleated in the front and is asymmetrical. Under that there are two layers of pink tulle and one layer of white tulle, and then a layer of light pink tulle with a lace border. These under skirts are sewn in the back to the outer skirt. Finally there is a half length stiff tulle petticoat. The lower lace underskirt is floor length in the back, but is higher and is slanted in the front, revealing her legs and feet. She has fixed angle feet with no ankle joints. She is wearing black flats with a small bow decoration in front, and a black satin bow around her ankles. She has dark magenta painted on panties, that match the color of her outer skirt.

 

Although her outfit's colors aren't film accurate, it is very pretty and well made. Her face is gorgeous, and although her lips are coral rather than red, at least they aren't the pink color of previous LE Aurora dolls. I like the doll very much. She is also a very good match for the Rags Snow White LE doll from 2017.

 

There are now a total of eight Aurora Limited Edition 17 inch dolls released by Disney. That includes the pink and blue Disney Store dolls (2014), the pink and blue Harrods dolls (2014), the blue and pink Disney Parks dolls (2015 and 2018), Disney Store Briar Rose (2019) and Disney Store Wedding Aurora (2019). That is two more than the number of Snow White, Elsa and Anna dolls. There is also speculation that there will be a Saks Aurora doll released late this year.

 

Aurora Limited Edition Doll - Sleeping Beauty 60th Anniversary - 17''

US Disney Store (Shop Disney)

Released Online and In Stores 2019-03-16

Sold out online 2019-03-16

 

The Aurora (Briar Rose) LE Doll initially sold out online at about 7 am PDT on release day (Saturday March 16, 2019), but still had the Add to Bag button. However people were still occasionally able to add to their bag and checkout the doll afterwards. By about 7:30 pm it showed the grey Sold Out label in place of the Add to Bag button. The doll might still be available in some stores in Canada and the United States.

 

$119.95

Item No. 6003040900721P

 

The Disney store proudly presents our Sleeping Beauty 60th Anniversary Limited Edition doll. Delicately costumed as ''Briar Rose,'' Princess Aurora is a romantic woodland vision found only Once Upon a Dream.

 

Safety

⚠ WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.

 

Magic in the details

Please Note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Household.

 

• Worldwide Limited Edition of 4500

• Includes Certificate of Authenticity

• Aurora is costumed as ''Briar Rose'' while in hiding from Maleficent at the Woodcutter's Cottage, deep in the forest

• Satin skirt, corset with crossties, and headband

• Embroidered, golden floral filigree detailing

• Sparkling rhinestone studs

• Peasant blouse with ruffled collar and cuffs

• Brocade shawl with metallic gold tassels

• Fine mesh underskirts with floral lace detailing

• Molded shoes

• Berry basket accessory

• Bluebird friend

• Beautifully styled hair with shimmering golden highlights

• Rooted eyelashes

• Fully poseable

• Display stand included

• Comes in elegant window display packaging with rose gold foil filigree

• Celebrating the 60th Anniversary Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959)

 

The bare necessities

 

• Ages 6+

• Plastic /polyester

• 17'' H

• Imported

 

Minnie with the slipcover and plastic covers off. She is now in clear view from three sides and above. She is attached to the cardboard backing, plastic supports and the built in display stand.

 

Here are detailed photos of the 2018 Minnie Mouse Rock the Dots Limited Edition Signature Doll. I picked her up in person at my local Disney Store on release day, Monday January 22, 2018, which is also National Polka Dot Day in the US. She is also available online in the US and European Disney Store websites. She is the sixth Signature Minnie doll to be released by the Disney Store, but the first Signature Minnie doll that I have bought for my collection. She is #2405 of 6000.

 

She is 11 inches tall to the top of her head, or 12 inches to the top of her ears. She has rooted hair and eyelashes, and her ears are covered in her hair. She has a rocker style outfit, with black faux leather jacket, white shirt, red double layer tulle skirt with silver glitter dots, and a red satin underskirt. She is wearing black leggings, and faux suede boots. She had molded white plastic gloves, large red cloth bow, and red plastic rimmed sunglasses. She also has a black purse hanging from her left wrist. She comes in a designer style case, with black plastic base, clear acrylic cover, with a black and white polka dot background. She also comes with a cardboard slipcover.

 

Minnie Mouse Signature Doll - Limited Edition

US Disney Store

Released online and in-store 2018-01-22

$79.95

Item No. 6003040900451P

 

Minnie Mouse is a fashion sweetheart, and this limited edition collector's doll has her rocking her Signature style. Minnie's faux-leather jacket is complemented by her polka dot skirt, large red bow, and cool sunglasses.

 

Safety

 

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.

 

Magic in the details

 

Please note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Guest.

 

• Limited Edition of 6000

• Certificate of Authenticity

• Disney Store Exclusive

• Fully poseable and free standing

• Features faux leather jacket, slouch boots, sparkling red metallic skirt, and envelope clutch purse

• Removable sunglasses

• Rooted hair styled in the form of Minnie's ears

• Rooted eyelashes

• Includes display stand

• Display presentation box

• Part of the Minnie Mouse Signature Collection

 

The bare necessities

 

• Plastic

• 13'' H (including bow)

• Imported

 

I received my Premiere Series Tiana doll today. I ordered her online from the Disney Store when she was released last Saturday, November 3, 2018. She is #253 of 4000. She is unusual in that her CoA number is only one greater than the Cart #252 that is on the original shipper label. All the other Premiere Series dolls so far have had an edition number 3 greater than the Cart #. The box and doll are close to perfect, except for a broken chain on her purse. I have read that this is a fairly common defect in the doll. Rather than trying to get a replacement from the Disney Store I think I will try to fix it on my own. She has a beautiful face, but the outfit is my least favorite of the series. The large yellow green cloth flower on her chest is really tacky and distracting, and covers her neck and part of her face. The neon yellow green of the skirt is also too gaudy for me, looks like a tutu, and the floral embroidery on her skirt looks childish. Her shoes are lovely, however. She is the fifth of the six doll series, with Belle being the last release in the US and Canada.

 

I show the box, and the doll with successive layers of the box removed, until the doll is in clear view. I will debox the doll soon.

 

Tiana Disney Designer Collection Premiere Series Doll - Limited Edition

US Disney Store

Released online and in store 2018-11-03

Sold out online in less than 10 minutes

Purchased online 2018-11-03

Received 2018-11-09

#253 of 4000

 

$109.95

Item No. 6003040900600P

 

The Disney Designer Collection proudly presents our Premiere Series Tiana Limited Edition Doll inspired by the fashions of 2009 when red carpet fashion presented bold contemporary looks kissed by personal style.

 

Safety

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small Parts. Not for children under 3 years.

 

Magic in the details

 

Please note: Purchase of this item is limited to 1 per Household.

 

The Disney Designer Collection is proud to present the Premiere Series, breathtaking collector's dolls inspired by the fashions on runways and red carpets during the year of each theatrical debut. The dolls, garments and accessories have been carefully crafted to combine a moment in fashion history with the unmistakable signature icons of our beloved Disney heroines.

 

The Princess and the Frog premiered in 2009 during a time when red carpet fashion merged with personal style to create bold, statement-making looks.

 

• Limited Edition of 4,000

• Certificate of Authenticity

• 2009 fashion-inspired designer Tiana doll

• Beautifully sculpted and highly detailed

• Delicate airbrushed cheeks

• Eyelashes

• Rooted hair, finely styled

• Tailored jacket with embroidered trims and rosette applique on shoulder

• Silken wrapped bodice

• Embroidered top skirt with floral filigree and rosette appliques

• Triple-layer tiered tulle underskirts

• Silvertone finish metal jewelry with faceted gems

• Silvertone finish metal shoulder bag

• Matching pumps with ankle straps

• Doll stand

• Deluxe display packaging with full-length picture window and dramatic skylight window

• Flocked red carpet stage

• ''Doorway'' cover opens outward with magnetic closure

• Fashion illustration graphics and metallic inks

• 2009 inspired decorative movie tickets, poster, and premiere invitations tucked inside

• Disney's The Princess and the Frog premiered in Los Angeles on November 25, 2009, followed by U.S.A. general release on December 11, 2009

• Part of the Disney Designer Collection Premiere Series

 

Please note: Not a toy. Intended for adult collectors.

 

The bare necessities

 

• Plastic / polyester / metal

• 11 1/2'' H

• Box 16 1/2'' H x 12 1/2'' W x 6'' D

• Imported