The Exhibitors of NYCC/NYAF

Located at booth 1643 is the Bluefin Distribution company. On display were many awesome looking Gundams. Pictured here are the adorable and cute Gundam SDs! One can fit easily in the palm of your hand. To learn more about model kits, check out Ninja101’s article, Nothing Beats the Smell of Gunpla in the Morning.

Getting to Know: Robert Tonner and Comic Book Collectible Dolls Part 4

Please read Part 3 of the interview before reading Part 4

Other Doll/Company Questions

I checked out the calendar on the website and there are comic conventions listed. Plus I saw them at New York Comic Con 2009. So, I got curious. Since I have never seen dolls, such as Tonner, at a convention, I decided to ask him a question about the company’s participation. What is the goal or purpose of Tonner Dolls Company at these conventions other then promoting the comic book dolls? “I’m a big believer in going where the action is. The Comic book conventions are fun and exciting—it’s very stimulating to go to one. I’m able to meet the collectors and hear what they’re interested in. It’s great research. Plus, it’s a fantastic way for the collector to get to know my Company.”

Getting to Know: Robert Tonner and Comic Book Collectible Dolls Part 3

Please read Part 2 of the interview before reading Part 3

Experiencing the Doll Making Process

So what was it like for Tonner to work and design the dolls with DC Comics and Marvel? The man loves working with DC and Marvel. “They have amazing characters and they’re fun to work with. I do know the people at DC better, but I really think they like how we handle their characters—it’s a real partnership.” When it comes to doing the work itself, there is “no set schedule.” Why you might ask? “Seems like we are always working on some part of character, but we’ve never had the luxury of working on just one at a time. Plus we do many more dolls, and they have to get done too!” Even though there is work to be done for projects at Tonner Doll Company, there is a challenge in the doll making process. “I think the hardest part of working on the dolls is the sculpting. Everyone “reads” the look of a character a bit differently—so that can be frustrating.”

Getting to Know: Robert Tonner and Comic Book Collectible Dolls Part 2

Please read Part 1 of the interview before reading Part 2

Tonner Doll Company, Inc. and Comic Dolls continuation

Before any project, Marvel and DC Comics, can begin, the first step Tonner had to “build the relationship.” In the words of Robert Tonner, here is his explanation on the step by step process: “We would contact the licensing department of each company and explain what we wanted to do. In some cases, a licensor may not want their name on a product that you make, but in our case, both companies were very receptive. I believe they both knew of our work. We then discussed the terms of an agreement (usually the length of time for the agreement and the royalty rate). Once we came to terms, we would start the development process. We submit prototypes to the licensor along the way and at the time when everything is approved, we would start production.”

Getting to Know: Robert Tonner and Comic Book Collectible Dolls Part 1

Introduction

I present to you the founder of Tonner Doll Company, Robert Tonner. He was born in 1952 and in 1957 he received his first fashion doll, Horsman Cindy. Then in 1973, Tonner enrolls into Parsons School of Design and after graduation he joined Bill Blass in the fashion field. Later, he became one of the company’s top designers. However, he had a long time interest in dolls that led him to be a doll collector, sculptor and designer and became the founder of his company in 1991. Today, the company is still flourishing and has moved into other areas of doll making, namely comic book characters.

New York Comic Con Feb 6, 2009

This is day one of the convention and the time is way before public hours. I was there at 9:00am and spotted people on the professional line. It was a lengthy line that went as far back as the bridge in the lobby, but everyone was calm and waiting patiently. Others, who just came into the lobby, went on the line and, like everyone else, waited to get their badges and entrance ability into the convention hall.