Interview With Celebrity Fashion Doll Collector - DANIEL MIAGANY!

Many of you may know him from VH1's Brooke Knows Best when he appeared alongside his partner Emmy-Award Winning Choreographer Glenn Douglas Packard. Still others may recognize him from his many pictorials in top fashion and swimsuit campaigns. But, most of you FR collectors remember him as that HOT ASS guy that won the Halloween costume contest at this years FR Convention in Chicago last month!
I just have the pleasure of knowing him as my little buddy - Daniel. In the world of doll collecting I've had the pleasure of meeting some great people. Daniel is as beautiful and sweet on the inside as he is gorgeous to look at on the outside. He has a heart of gold, is generous to a fault and is extremely kind. He loves his dolls with joy and abandon. He collects for the sheer bliss of it!
When it came time to decide who my first interview would be for boyFRiends, there was no one else I could think of that I would like to interview most. Below is an email interview that I conducted with Daniel about his love of collecting FR dolls. Enjoy! 
P.S. Hope you like the pics too....of his collection! Dirty minds! ;-)

INTERVIEW WITH DANIEL MIAGANY

boyFRiends: What got you into collecting fashion dolls?

Daniel Miagany: Ever since I could remember, I've had a fascination with "fashion-sized" dolls.  I used to make my own "dolls" by making "hair" from the plastic ties that came from the Sunday paper. I don't know how this ingenius idea came to me,  but I'd split them into tiny strands and tape it to the top of a pencil.  I'd straighten and curl it (this was around the time spiral curls were in). When I grew up, I pushed my interest in dolls to the side and got interested in BOYS! (LOL)  Only about a year and a half ago, I started meeting adults who shared that same interest in fashion dolls and now that I'm with a guy of my own who collects comic books, we kinda have the collectables-thing in common.

boyFRiends: We know that your partner is Brooke Knows Best TV Star Glenn Douglas Packard. What does he think about your doll obsession? Do all your friends know you are into dolls or are you in the doll closet?

DM: Glenn actually didn't realize it at the time, but he created this doll monster! For Valentine's Day, 2 years ago, he gave me an eBay gift card.  I'm not one to purchase clothes online because I'm always worried about how things will fit so it took me only 2 seconds to think of another option so I searched "fashion doll" and it's been an eBay love affair ever since. He loves that I found a hobby and I've also encouraged him to bring out his Storm/Marvel memorabilia from boxes under the bed and display them.  

I am NOT in the doll closet at all! Are you kidding! I too have a blog and I announce a new purchase all the time via Twitter or Facebook. And, friends and fans are always surprising me with nice things. I've gotten so many nice dolls as gifts from people that know I collect them because they've read it through one of the many media outlets that have interviewed Glenn and I.

boyFRiends: How did you find out about Fashion Royalty dolls?

DM: Well, not to blow steam up your ass but I couldn't have been introduced to FR by anyone more qualified and knowledgeable about them than you, Frank! Just to let the readers in - you and I share the obsession with dolls and your partner, Peter is into comics just like Glenn. When Glenn mentioned to you I was a newbie in the fashion doll community, you insisted I attend the FR convention held in Pittsburgh in 2010. Ever since then, I have been ever so grateful you did! (LOL!)

boyFRiends: You’ve been collecting FR dolls for a couple of years now. What do you like best about them?

DM: I love how limited they are and how special I feel when I hold one I've been lusting over in my hands for the very first time.  Does that make me sound like a weirdo? (LOL)  I love how extremely posable they are. And as far as the quality of the fashions, in my opinion they are the best in the fashion doll world.

boyFRiends: How many do you own? Do you have a favorite character?

DM: I own over 150 dolls all together. Not bad for only 2 years time! But, 45 of them are Integrity Toy dolls and about half of those are FR. I also have a couple on their way in the mail that I can't officially count as MINE! (LOL!) I'd own more but they're so rare and often sold out that it wrecks me that I have to wait until September for next year's convention (which by the way I'm so glad that it is in Orlando so that I can save on the flight and just drive up with Glenn!). As for my favorite character, I don't have one per se. I love all of them because of their own individual fierceness and...DRAMA!

boyFRiends: Do you collect other IT brand dolls like Dynamite Girls, Monogram or Poppy Parker?

DM: I do own other IT lines. I can't get enough of The Dynamite Girls because I use them to do mini photo shoots and turn them into celebrities for my blog but I just got 3 Eve Kittens in the mail yesterday. Even though they're not articulated, I love their attitude and they're pretty hard to find as well. I only have 3 Poppy Parkers, 2 AG Clones, a Monogram (on the way) and a couple FR2's.

boyFRiends: You’ve been to 2 conventions now. What is the best thing about 
FR Convention?

DM: Meeting the fellow dolls collectors from around the world is the best part for me. Also, I love the gasps from the audience everytime a new doll is revealed on the big screen! It's awesome. Oh, and let's not forget - ROOM SHOPPING! 

boyFRiends: Do you display your dolls or keep them in the box?

DM: I take them out of the box and display them because, as you say so yourself,"I'd rather enjoy them now before another queen gets hold and plays with them." That always stuck with me when you said that! Plus, they are just as easy to put back in the box due to Alain's brilliant packaging.

boyFRiends: With your background in fashion, do you ever see yourself being interested in designing one of a kind dolls?

DM: I respect the OOAK artist territory too much to even think of trying my hand at it. I know how hard detail is at that scale and  the challenge it is to keep it at a quality. For right now, I'll stick to "styling" my dolls!

boyFRiends: If you could have any “holy grail” dream doll show up on your doorstep, which would it be?

DM: Oh WOW! Just the though of it makes me HOT! (LOL) I love gowns so I'd die for a True Royalty Vanessa or Flame Rouge Veronique. But, I guess I would settle for Red Queen Tatyana (which BTW is Glenn's favorite, too).

boyFRiends: If you could give  the Integrity Designers  a hint of something you would like to see more of or something they haven’t done yet – what would that be?

DM: Geez! I don't know what I would say to the amazing IT Designers, I think they do such a wonderful job keeping us on our toes as it is! I'm always excited by their new ideas. Maybe a new celebrity doll? No one in particular, but someone that hasn't been done by any company yet. That would be cool!

AGNES VON WEIS Custom Paperdoll Set! Hires for Download FREE!

Hello Friends!
This year as a special treat, I emailed all the people that came to the FR Seminar "Back To OUR Roots" Re-Rooting Class a copy of the step-by-step seminar and a set of OOAK Agnes Von Weis Paperdolls. Well, I'm making them available to everyone now for download Hires on my Flickr (look up Orlando Doll Dork). You will be able to download these paperdolls and send to your nearest Kinko's and have as many as you want printed up. Cut them out and play, give them to your friend and club mates....but if I see you sell them on eBay I will hunt you down! LOL! Enjoy and early Holiday Gift! More to come!
xoxo,
Frank
P.S. Tell your friends and join my blog!

POINT OF "NO RETURN" EUGENIA: Read How Ebay and Paypal Are Protecting A Thief!

This story is a sad one…so get ready cause it can happen to YOU TOO! Last month, I had a wonderful time at the Integrity Convention in Chicago. I was lucky enough to have my partner Peter go with me and therefore was able to get an extra convention package. I thought to myself,”This is a wonderful opportunity to help make back some of the cost of the flight, hotel and miscellaneous expenditures (aka: room sales dolls) that I will most definitely be incurring.” I started my process by selling one of my convention packages to a friend from Flickr named David East. He is an awesome, sweet guy and I was happy to do this for him. He was the first person that I had ever dealt with selling to internationally and that process went so well, I decided to open my eBay sales to International Bidders. Now, I’d never sold to anyone Internationally so I did not know all the “ins and outs” of the process, but I figured,”How hard can it be!”  Famous last words.

                The first issue was caused when the items that were prepaid by the conventioneers did not arrive in their homes until 2 weeks after the convention. Many other people choose to fly with their dolls in their luggage. I figured it was safer to ship them back. Many of my eBay buyers, of which 90% were international bidders (lucky me) understood that I didn’t have the items in hand and was waiting for them to arrive from Integrity Toys. Trust me, I was as anxious to get my stuff as they were!

All was going great, until I got the nastiest email from an individual in China that won my “Point of Departure Eugenia Giftset”, I got a bad feeling in my stomach. My gut instinct was letting me know that this person was an ASS! Well, first he asked me to lie about the customs amount (which I refused), then he asked for a type of mailing but did not want to pay for the extra service because he had already paid $40 and said it was my mistake not his….and he must have asked for the tracking number 20 time. Each time I politely let him know what his options were and that seemed to appease him. Finally, his package went out. I had a sinking feeling.

A couple of weeks later, I receive an “open case” email from Ebay from this sociopath who insists that he did not receive his package. Wow! What a coincidence right. The ONLY international package that was not received WAS HIS! Well, without so much as batting an eye…and although I provided all the information needed (aka tracking number..etc) eBay decided to put a hold on my Paypal account for the amount of $300! I was in shock. This person literally just stole $300 from me and according to ebay and Paypal there is nothing I can do about it. All because the buyer (who had obviously done this before) didn’t pay for the signature confirmation method of shipping required by eBay for anything over $250…..his item went for $260! I just got screwed out of $300 over $10! AMAZING! Now, I’m out the cash and the product and I cancelled all my ebay auctions until this whole debacle is resolved.

                What has this lesson taught me you wonder?

1-      DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH INTERNATIONAL BUYERS.

2-      Ebay and Paypal will ALWAYS defend the buyer.

3-      Karma is a bitch….and I hope this idiot gets what’s coming to him in spades!

Ok….I think I feel better….not really! ;-(

CRUZ CONTROL - In The City Dynamite Girl Collection

Ok...so I don't know about you guys...BUT I ALMOST LOST MY MIND...when I saw this doll.

So many people have been losing their minds abou the "boy" dolls lately. I remember when I was the only one that gave a crap. It also seems to only have to do with the Dynamite Boy Collection....because you can still pretty easily locate most of the male FR 2011 collection on most dealers sites. Is it just the young hip style? The cheaper price point? The fact that it seems everyone would kill for one? I don't blame dealers that are making people buy the whole collection just to get him. Afterall, IT doesn't allow them to order just one or two of the characters...they have to get the whole assortment and hope that they win favor with collectors. Either way...I JUST CAN'T WAIT TILL THEY COME OUT IN JANUARY!

PLAYBOY CLUB Has Been Cancelled! Ugh!

No! Say it can't be so! Please get picked up by another network....it was my favorite show this season!!!! Well, I guess that I will have to make myself content with recreating scenes using my new FR Dolls from the convention! Boo-hoo! I'm crying in my dirty martini!

Holiday Monogram Gowns on FR

Just recently got the NEW Monograms and immidiatley wanted to see how they looked on my FR Girls!

As you can see the dress fit them wonderfully (the green was a little tight...but thanks to the zipper it fit!

Can't wait to figure out what I'm gonna do with those naked Monograms? HMMM?

My OOAK Auden's Are Coming Home!

Everyone who knows me...knows how much I love Dynamite Girls and Boys....Meet the two new "jewels" of my collection - Jett Set Auden with Auburn Hair and Black Hair with Silver Streaks! My Twins will be coming home and finally be in my hot little hands in less than 10 days! Reflocked and styled by the man himself Alain! Thanks dear friend ;-) They will be forever treasured in my collection! The Jet Set goodness just keeps coming and coming.....