Thursday, January 14, 2016

Anthony Julian (Julian for Short)

Stock Photo
Part of Integrity Toys' (IT) Jem and the Holograms Collection, Anthony Julian was an IT Direct exclusive that sold out immediately when preordering became available in June 2015.  He is now only available on the secondary market, and you know what that means.

This past June, I preordered Anthony Julian from IT Direct before quantities sold out.  His arrival took months and I was just about to inquire about his whereabouts when I received a balance due email from IT Direct last week.  He was well worth the wait!

His official Integrity Toys description reads:

Meet music video director Anthony Julian, friend and collaborator of JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS! Anthony Julian is a fully articulated vinyl figure with sleek rooted curly and flocked hair. The man of the hour comes dressed in one of his key looks from the hit 80's animated TV series. His elaborate layered outfit sends us that "oh so 80s" vibe with his turtleneck, V-neck knit sweater and plaid pants, topped by his signature royal blue driver coat, perfect for those late night takes out by the chilly banks of the Seine river in Paris. Of course, no film director would be complete without his stylish watch, bullhorn (plastic) and movie clap board (cardboard)... Cut! It's a Wrap! For adult collectors ages 15 and up. Figure cannot stand alone; stand included.

Anthony Julian was produced in an ultra limited edition of 500 dolls worldwide.  He stands 12 inches and has a head sculpt that has never been used previously.  He retailed for $130 to the general public with W Club members given advance ordering privileges at a cost of $125.

The following photos provide additional details.

Front of Anthony's personalized box, which is made of heavy cardboard, has a pink removable band of cardstock that contains the Jem and the Holograms logo.

The back of the box has a brief description of Jem and the Holograms.

Closer look at the description -- click, tap or stretch the image to enlarge.

Close-up of the handsome Anthony Julian (I keep wanting to call him Julian and probably will from hereon).

Accessories include doll stand, wristwatch, extra pair of hands, director's cut board, plastic bullhorn, socks, and shoes.

Certificate of authenticity is enclosed in plastic along with an instruction sheet on how to assemble his doll stand and how to remove his hands and feet.  As noted, he comes with an extra pair of  hands.  The feet are removable for ease of removing his pants.

Julian strikes a pose.

He poses with blue jacket removed to illustrate his gray sweater under which is worn a pink turtleneck.

The pullover gray sweater and turtleneck are two separate pieces.  The turtleneck has a hook-and-eye closure in back.  The pleated plaid, dark gray trousers, which have belted sides, also have a front hook-and-eye closure and functional zipper.
Julian has black curly rooted hair on top with flocked sides as illustrated here and in the next two images.



In this height-comparison photo, Julian appears taller than Tobias.

The two are actually about the same height.  It is Julian's hair that makes him appear slightly taller.

Julian takes one final photo.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Anthony Julian is the second dark skinned doll in the Jem and the Holograms Collection by Integrity Toys.  In 2013, IT introduced Shana Elmsford, shown next, with her official description immediately following.

Shana by Integrity Toys introduced in 2013 (stock photo) 
SHANA ELMSFORD is a fully articulated 12-inch vinyl doll with rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes. Always ready for a good jam session, SHANA ELMSFORD comes dressed in her truly outrageous stage costume and includes high-heeled pumps, her signature ultra-detailed bass guitar, complete with realistic miniature strings, whammy bar and plug-in amp cable! It also includes a doll stand and a certificate of authenticity. For adult collectors 14 and up only!

I do not own IT's Shana, but I do own the original Shana and Krissie of the Starlight Girls, made by Hasbro in 1985 and 1987, respectively (shown next).

Jem and the Holograms Krissie Starlight Girl (1987) and Shana (1985) by Hasbro.  Shana is dressed in Smashin' Fashions Winning is Everything outfit.
In the absence of IT's Shana, I wonder if Julian and the original Shana will make a connection (probably not since the original Shana has a more mature face.)

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26 comments:

  1. He's very handsome! The mustache looks great on him, and his hair is nice. The accessories are cool too :-). Great doll!

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    1. I like his mustache, too, Linda. It sets him apart from most of the males here. IT really did a nice job of presenting, accessorizing, and sculpting this one. I am thoroughly pleased!

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  2. That's a lovely acquisition! I am really happy for you. As Linda said, he is very handsome.
    Now with your DuVernay and Julian dolls, you are almost entirely set to start filming a great movie :-)

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    1. Thanks, Arlette. I thought about that as well: I have received two doll directors back-to-back, both of which were produced in ultra limited editions. I couldn't have planned the timing of their arrival if I tried. It is funny how things happen and usually for a reason.

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  3. Congratulations on getting your Anthony Julian. I did the same thing. I preordered him in June and was about to contact IT to see where he was as I had seen someone post their's on Flickr. Then I did a search in my email on IT to see if I had received anything and lo and behold, I had received an email invoice from them last Thursday. I am now not so patiently waiting for his arrival! From your photos of the actual doll, I think he is even better than I imagined! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. He is extremely handsome, Phyllis. You'll love him. I am so glad you found the email notification from IT. I think they gave us a deadline to pay (January 20th, if I am recalling correctly). It would have been awful for you to have missed out on owning him and to have lost your down payment.

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    2. Yes, that would have been awful! I would have cried! I am in the process of switching my email accounts, so things have been just a little confusing!

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  4. Congratulations on being able to get this guy! He looks fabulous - I love the pure 80s-ness of his outfit and hair.

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    1. Thank you, jSarie. IT nailed the '80s look! Julian reminds me of my late-brother's "GQ" style in the '80s and '90s (and basically throughout the decades of his life; he was always a very well-dressed man).

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  5. Sweeet! That's a great addition to your collection. I look forward to seeing more of him.

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    1. Yes. It's always nice to get a long-awaited doll. I'm sure he will make additional appearances.

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  6. Wow! Congrats on getting him! I grew up watching the Jem cartoon in the 80s and am now revisiting it with my girls as they have it on Netflix. IT has done a great job with this line of dolls. :)

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    1. Thank you, FL.

      That must be super fun to rewatch the original Jem episodes with your girls. I hope they enjoy it as much as you did as a child.

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  7. His jaw line is so sharp you could cut glass with that thing! Tre sexy!

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    1. Yep... he definitely has a chiseled jawline. I was tempted to explore whether or not he has a six pack. With a jawline like that, I'm sure he does.

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  8. Wow he is awesome!!!!! I love those new Jem dolls so much! I wish the cartoon was remade!

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  9. He looks ever better than his promo pics! I am anxiously awaiting mine. :-) Congratulations on getting him!!!

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    1. Congratulations on getting him GG. Hope he arrives to you soon.

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  10. Congrats on your new guy! The Integrity men are always so handsome. This one reminds me of a young Little Richard.

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  11. Thanks for this informative post, Debbie! He's a handsome doll. My Anthony Julian has been here for over a week, and I haven't even opened his box yet. I know something's really wrong when I don't feel like doll play. But, I did feel like doll purchasing, so I know things can't be too wrong. :) I wish that I had pre-ordered this one.

    Are you in the W Club?

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    1. You're welcome, Roxanne.

      It's hard to believe that you have had your doll for over a week and haven't opened the box. I hope you feel motivated for doll play soon.

      I am not in the W Club. I have never been a member. I believe I read in a FB group or on a fashion doll blog post that ordering would be open to the public on the day I ordered. It wasn't long after I placed my order that he sold out.

      Secondary market buying can be costly for newly released popular dolls. I hope you didn't have to pay too much over the retail price.

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  12. Hi,

    I get so much great information from your site. I wanted to share this information about the My Little Pony integrity dolls released today at www.integritytoys.com/mlp/ there is an African American male I think you will love I just purchased. A lot of people I know had no clue about this release so pass it on we need to show these companies we like, and will spend money on black male dolls too.

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    1. Honey Brown! Thank you so much for sharing the link. What is his name and what is the cost? Do you know?

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    2. Never mind answering my question. In my excitement, I should have scrolled down a bit at the link you shared. I found the price and the individual purchasing page for the Rainbow Dash-inspired guy. Thanks again for sharing the link.

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