Back in 2012, when these first came out, I owned Color Block Astor. I'd love to have her back, but Billy was my second favorite, so I'm glad I was able to get her. I only ever had Astor, so this is my first time having Billy.
Tonner Toys was Robert Tonner's experiment with producing lines meant for "beginning" collectors. The first dolls released were Little Miss Matched, followed by the City Girls. (I can't remember where Maudlynne Macabre fit in, but she had the same body as the LMMs.)
There were four City Girls. At the $39.99 price point, you could get a doll sporting a ponytail and high heels with a satiny robe over a lacy camisole and boyshorts. This more basic doll came as a blonde, white character named BrookLynn or the sole brown girl, who was called Houston. (With the New York City vibe they were going for, Houston was not the right name for a doll. The NYC street is pronounced how-stun, not like the Texas city.) The next level up was priced at $49.99 and Billy here was one of the two. Color Block Astor, the doll I used to have, was the other one. These dolls were dressed nicely, but still on the simple side. Finally, they made Golden Swirl Astor, the one deluxe doll, which had Astor with an updo, dressed in a long golden gown with lots of tulle. Not sure of her original price point. There were also three outfit packs that cost $24.99.
Billy's outfit is nicely made and there are a lot of pieces. She has a long-sleeved top that she wears over black stockings. This doesn't feel like a dress to me. I think they were going for top over leggings but decided to make them stockings. Maybe to work with the boots better? I dunno. Then she has a sparkly belt that goes over the top and a cropped jacket. Her shoes are spike-heeled booties, and she comes with sunglasses and a nice purse, which has a velcro seal.
Looking at Billy here, I slightly remember why I sold Astor on years ago.
The main oddity about these dolls is that they're automatically mismatched in color. Billy's head, arms, hands and lower legs all have a much more pink tone than her torso and upper legs.
The other big flaw is that they're rather loosely-jointed. Billy's legs really like to swing around and it's not due to age. That's how they were made.
Billy's one leg is bent in a bit thanks to how she was packaged, and both feet have black staining. Tonner's dolls always did have staining issues, so a beginner collector doll also having them is somehow fitting.
She is nicely articulated. The torso joint was a newer thing back then in 2012. Her hands pop off for easy redressing.
These girls are about 16" tall and thin, thinner than other Tonner dolls, but they have a similar vibe to the collector-level Tonner pieces.
I had to wash some gel out of her hair. I'd probably be able to straighten all that out with boil treating, but I'm too lazy. I don't really mind the choppy, wavy thing she has going on. Her hair is decent, though nowhere near the quality of modern dolls like RH.
When it comes to easy-to-dress, these dolls are not. For something aimed at beginning collectors, they didn't make it easy for the kids! My Ellowynes are easier to dress than this girl.
The top's long sleeves aren't going to fit easily under that jacket without bunching, so I used the old trick of popping the hand off and then trapping some of the sleeve into the wrist joint. That keeps the sleeve in place while you put the jacket sleeve over it.
But that was nothing compared to the shoes. UGH. They really should have just gone with leggings and left her feet bare so the shoes could go on better. I had to put in quite a fight on both of them to get them back on her feet. And the heels are very sharp!
Last, I wish there was a closure on her jacket. I wanted to undress her to show what the body looked like, but now I wish I'd just left her dressed. The jacket looked better when it was loosely sewn shut.
Nitpicking aside, I really do love her. I'm glad to have one of these girls back.
So yeah, this is Billy, the 24-year-old bakery owner. The other girls are a personal shopper (Houston), a fitness model (Astor), and an event planner (BrookLynn).
If I can get my hands on either of the two casual outfit packs, I'll change her clothes, but otherwise, she's staying in this forever. I am not fighting those boots again. They won.
I can see where this line didn't really do well. It had a lot of flaws. But I still like them and I'd love to get Astor again and the two casual fashions.
PHOTO CREDIT: Mine.
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