She Wants to Know Her ID and So Do I

In my Janay Kick post, I mentioned my desire for a darker skinned Janay with natural textured hair.  Well I found one, but she came to me deboxed; therefore, I have no clue about her true ID.

Mystery dark-skinned Janay by Integrity Toys ©2004

Janay's outfit appears original:  Orange tank top, white one-layered skirt with attached crinoline that has glittery stars applied, and black and white striped tote.  I'm not sure if the orange shoes are original.  Her black curly hair is held away from her face with a black rubber band.  I fluffed the ends to create the look of a curly 'fro.

Her hang tag reads, Janay (on front)
©2004 Integrity Toys, Inc./Made in China (on back)

Janay shows off her new stud earrings.

I added adhesive backed amethyst studs prior to redressing her and replacing these ear studs with tiny adhesive backed crystals.

The stick-on crystal studs were part of a lash art package purchased from a beauty supply shop.  I wanted to give her the appearance of a pierced nose with one, but they are too large.

Janay has been redressed in a winter white halter dress, stick-on crystal studs, gold clutch, and gold high-heel shoes.

Janay asks:  Do you know who I am?

I ask the same question.  

Thanks in advance!


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Janay Kick

Janay's great facial bone structure has caused my recent onset of "Janay-itis."  I already owned three or four Janays prior to the current inflamed desire for more but the others have light to blond hair.  Lately I have craved darker skinned versions with dark, natural textured hair.

Who is Janay?  

According to A Philly Collector of Playscale Dolls and Action Figures:

Janay is a 1:6 scale playline fashion doll produced by Integrity Toys from 1995-2005. Integrity Toys' president, Percy Newsum, felt that dolls of color were under represented among playscale dolls: Janay, Alysa, and Jade were created to fill that void.

Angelic Dreamz adds:

In 1995, listening to his instinct, Mr. Percy Newsum founded Integrity Toys, Inc. in Chesapeake City, Maryland. Noticing the obvious lack of dolls with various ethnic backgrounds in a market filled with blond-haired blue-eyed dolls at the time, Newsum embarked on a mission to provide a product that would exceed the expectations for the price, keeping in mind that its major role would be to give parents access to a product that would help build self-esteem in their children. Many major doll manufacturers have since realized the value of the ethnic toy market and have also started to offer more culturally diverse dolls in their lines.

Shimmering Nights Janay, Integrity Toys, 2004

Recently I added a dark-haired Janay to the doll family.  This doll had not been on my wanted list. The extra doll jewelry and Janay's dark hair, although straight, prompted the purchase.  Her complexion is not as dark as I desire, and I did not realize until after Shimmering Nights Janay arrived that her eyes are blue.  Maybe she's wearing contacts.

Close-up of Shimmering Nights Janay illustrates her blue eyes.

Sharpie to the rescue:  I darkened Janay's eyes with a brown Sharpie and went over the brown with a navy blue Sharpie (since I didn't have a fine-tipped black one and because the brown didn't darken them enough).  This worked to successfully transform Janay's blue eyes to dark brown/black.

Janay's formerly blue eyes are now a warmer dark brown-black.

Still on my want list, among others, is a darker skinned Janay with dark, natural-textured hair. 

It certainly would have been nice if IT had articulated these dolls, but then that would have driven their average 10 to 15-dollar cost up and defeated Newsum's goal of providing affordable self-esteem building dolls to an underserved market.  So I won't complain. 

Addendum:  08/08/2013 5:01 a.m.
So the link does not get buried in the comments, I wanted to add the link to D7ana's Integrity Janay and Friends Pinterest board.  There are some beautiful dolls there. 


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