boyFRiends - A Virtual Club For Men & The FR Dolls They Love & Collect

Flame Rouge Veronique Doll On Tall Handspeak Body Wearing Platinum Jordan's Dress
& Convention Imogen's Purse and Shoes. GORG!

I’ve been collecting dolls now (collectively) for almost 20 years. I first collected Barbie (my first was Silver Screen Barbie from F.A.O. Schwarz) and then I took close to a 10 year hiatus from seriously collecting. When a doll would come out that would fetch my eye…I would get it, but they were far and few between in those years. When I came back to collecting full throttle it was mostly due to the Integrity Toys line. They had been out for a couple of year at that point, but I had really not noticed them. It was not until, I met one of the designers and bough his inaugural line that I was truly hooked again. It was like black tar heroin. On hit and I was back at square one.

I’ve never been a completest. I’ve always just collected what I “like”. The problem is with Integrity Toys….I love all of it! I try to hold off and only order a all my “must haves”. Inevitably, I always regret the ones that I deem I don’t “need”. So, I end up chalking it up to my theory of putting what I want out into the Universe and hopefully they will come (or won’t) sooner or later.

I have “grail dolls” like Venus Eugenia, Optic Verve Agnes…etc., but I try to not obsesses about it. Again, I try to be grateful for the wonderful collection that I have and enjoy and not for the few dolls that have escaped my grasp.

Sometime though….you just get lucky! At this year’s convention , I was able to do a bit of serious room shopping for the very first time. As many of you know, I don’t buy anything first night of convention. I’m usually too busy catching up with friends and /or mixing drinks. Also, friends don’t let friends “drink and shop”. I did that the first year and blew all my money on the first night (shut up David Carr). I’ve met some great people over the last couple of years of going to the FR Convention. Every year I come back with a “grail doll”, spend less than I would have on ebay and additionally have a great story to accompany the purchase of the doll. I tend to attach memories to things that I get from special people. This year I was able to get a very special doll (that I’ve wanted for eva…) from a very special person.

The story starts at the 2011 Convention, when I met three very sweet guys that were sharing a room together that they were selling out of. Two were a couple and one was a single, handsome strapping tall bearded man (just like I like ‘em…hehehehehe) named Frank Villa. After finding out that we had very similar taste in dolls (they all had great things to sell from their room….even a Superman Tonner doll for Peter) we all became good convention friends. To the point that I was so exhausted (and/or hung over) that I slept (and drooled alittle) during one of the workshops in 2011 (which wasn’t entirely my fault…there was a slideshow presentation in which the professor turned out the lights to see the screen better  and like a Pavlovian dog I went right to sleep. I do it at movies I PAY to see too. I always have to catch the end of everything on Cable).

This year I did not fall asleep on Frank again (although I totally would of..he’s very cuddly) but I did buy a doll from him…..drumroll please…..FLAME ROUGE VERONIQUE nude! A doll that I thought I would never be able to afford….EVER! Well, now she is finally re-transplanted on a tall handspeak body and dressed in the a combo outfit that I also got at this year’s convention souvenir room (Platinum Jordan’s dress and convention Imogen’s shoes and purse….red in homage to the “flame” namesake of the doll). Now she is GORG! (inside joke!)

So, I again I repeat…your grail dolls will find their way to you if you “put it out there…let go….and let GOD (or whatever greater power that you connect with).

Thanks again Frank…everytime I look at her I think of YOU my friend and how you made a dolly dream come true for me!

Xoxo,

F