By Stephanie Finnegan

In 2009, the doll world was taken by storm with the emer­gence of Poppy Parker. Integrity Toys’ teenage fashion mod­el was a brilliant hybrid of youthful energy and ingénue glamour. Envision Twiggy meets Audrey Hepburn, or Sandra Dee meshing with Jean Shrimpton. It was a beautiful blend of a girl-next-door vibe with a fascinating jet-setting backstory. Poppy debuted as a pretty, fresh-faced teen who was catapult­ed into celebrityhood as a model, actress, icon, and 1960s “it girl.” Now, 15 years later, Poppy is still causing flashbulbs to pop and her clothing choices entice her fans to applaud and collect. She is a diva for the ages — even though she is ageless and perennially pert.

“The idea to make her a teenage model really comes from my love of vintage fashion teen magazines from the 1960s and their usage of young models who became very popular during the Youthquake era. Of course, there had been other doll lines who featured teenage models at that time, but with Poppy, we’ve been able to explore more in-depth fashion trends of the 1960s and early ’70s from a different point of view and not aimed at children, which allows us a bit more freedom creatively,” David Buttry, the line’s designer, stated.

An aficionado of the whole Swinging Sixties scene and the 1970s Saturday Night Fever disco beat, Buttry and the Integrity team have a field day with conjuring up costumes, coiffures, and storylines that propel Poppy from one enviable adventure to an­other. She is a media personality that travels the globe and dis­covers romance, friendship, excitement, and stardom at every locale along the way.

“Poppy gets to be a teen and a young adult, as we have given her a timeline that floats between 1962 and 1972, but we’ve even explored her life and career a bit into the late 1970s. But it changes with every line and goes back and forth. She can be young and youthful, with cute teen looks from the earlier ’60s, or she can even be disco-glam from the late ’70s. That flexibility keeps her fun and fresh for collectors,” Buttry said.

Poppy is indeed a magnet for collectors who like to immerse themselves in swoon-worthy ensembles and who appreciate outfits that would be at home in both Vogue and Seventeen, or Elle and Mademoiselle. Teens, women in their early 20s, older admirers, and people of all stripes would covet these original designs to hang in their own closets if the togs came in real-life sizes. This universality is a deliberate decision. “We have a very diverse collecting commu­nity of all ages and backgrounds that loves her,” Buttry said. “Cer­tainly, our older collectors love Poppy as a remembrance from their own youth, but 1960s and ’70s fashion has never gone out of style and is continually referenced by modern fashion designers. It also helps that our collectors love her face sculpt. It’s her trademark and certainly one of her biggest selling points. This is an era where col­lectors love to re-dress, play, and photograph their dolls for social media, so even if they don’t love the era she’s in, they still can enjoy her their own way.”

The creation of Poppy’s visage cleverly broadens her allure and her followers. Her facial features are able to be enhanced and tweaked enough to make her the epitome of every woman’s beauty and sophistication. “Poppy’s face sculpt lends itself to being eth­nically diverse, which has allowed me to use the doll to represent her in all different ways and skin tones. The fact that she has been accepted and embraced by our collectors worldwide has been im­portant to me, because representation does matter to me and our company,” Buttry said.

One of the ingenious ways that Buttry and the Integrity team manage to highlight Poppy’s inclusivity is through her hectic travel schedule. Not content to lounge about in a Manhattan penthouse or a Malibu bungalow, Poppy is always collecting stamps in her passport. By circling the world, she is inviting different and diverse heritages, cultures, and experiences into her résumé: “We had Pop­py go to the International Fair, which was an homage to the 1964 New York World’s Fair. So that was a fun way to include costumes from around the world. We’ve had her in Brazil for her TV show, where she plays a spy. And, of course, we’ve had Poppy spend time in London for the mod scene in fashion and in Paris for the cou­ture, among other locales.”

As Poppy soars above the skyscrapers of New York and the pa­godas of Japan in her first-class airline seat, this lovely lass is never alone. She is surrounded by her costars, friends, press representa­tives, and occasionally Chip Farnsworth III, who was initially de­signed to be her numero uno swain. The fans, though, had another thing in mind. Buttry said, “We sorta set up the idea early on that he was her steady boyfriend, but as the Poppy line has progressed over the years, we’ve introduced other possible male suitors to her storyline. And that will probably continue, as I think our col­lectors don’t want her to settle down with one guy yet. She’s young and traveling the world. Let her have some fun!”

One of her fun moments is her special 15th anniversary reveal, which is featured here in DOLLS magazine. Pink of Perfection is a gorgeous salute to Poppy’s enduring elegance and her dazzling good taste. It is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. “We, of course, would like to thank all of our collectors who have supported the com­pany and the Poppy Parker brand for the last 15 years. It’s amazing that her popularity con­tinues to grow as more collectors all over the world have discovered her and us,” Buttry acknowledged. “I recently had a collector come up to me and thank me for creating Poppy because her collection was her needed escape from her struggles in life and gave her hope. Their words hit me in a profound way because I design her from a place of complete joy and love. In a way, designing Poppy is my escape, too. And for that collector to get that from my work, it is the greatest gift.”

Integrity Toys

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