Newbie collecting question(s)

[yazbelle]

Are the 1983 dolls the same size as the 2003 soft dolls?

Where is a great reference guide?
I don't know what sprites I need to buy with what doll.
It might be staring at me in the face, but with 5 kids and little sleep, I don't see it. LOL!

[Clinozoisite]

One of our board members has made a really nice guide:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Rainbow-Brite-D ... 0003812605

And this comparison guide:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Rainbow-Brite-C ... 0003932295


I would also suggest reading this over:
http://www.rainbowbrite.net/collect/dolls.html

[Rainbow Brite]

They're the same height, but the 2003 dolls have bodies that are a bit bulkier...there are also easy-to-recognize differences once you've seen a few. I apologize that my guide doesn't have many pictures yet. I'll be getting a light box soon so that I can finally finish that project

[Blondine Arc-En-Ciel]

.
Jazbelle, the Gen 3 dolls have one other major difference to them compared to the Gen 1 dolls. The newer dolls have a cheaper feel to them than the originals because of the quality of the materials that Toy Play used. The Mattel RB dolls had orange hair (except for the Dress Up doll) and the Toy Play RB dolls have yellow hair. Toy Play could not make exact copies of the Mattel dolls for legal reasons. Also, had there been no legal restraints, making exact copies of the originals would have badly hurt the collectors value of the originals and would have put Toy Play in the dog house with those owing the originals.

Here's a rundown of the four generations of Rainbow Brite;

Gen 1: These were the original Mattel dolls made between 1984 and 1986 or slightly later. They were wildly popular at first and there were many lookalikes made back then that tried to cash in on the popularity of the originals. They were also truly international in scope. These are my favorites and I want to collect every Mattel RB item MIB. I'm not that far away from having them all.

Gen 2: These dolls were distributed by Up, Up and Away and were sold in 1996 and 1997. This version of RB had nothing in common with the originals. These dolls have almost no collectors value even when found MIB. There was a large RB plus a small RB and four friends called the Color Crew. They were sold in the USA, Canada and Europe. I'm one of the few people that seriously collects them.

Gen 3 was the Toy Play revival of 2003-2005. These were sold in the USA and Canada only. The line was limited compared to the Gen 1 dolls but there were about 10 different RB dolls produced in various sizes and from various materials. My take on this lot is that they were just OK although I really like a few of the items such as the RB Cuddle Pillow and the Color Castle. I normally collect only the RB items from this group.

Gen 4 was the 2010 line. They were first sold in stores on December 24th, 2009, a little late for the holiday shopping season. Unlike the originals, they were all plastic and had a "cuddle factor" of around zero. I personally can't stand them and have only the two RB dolls in my collection.
.

[stormberryfairy]

I like these guides a lot:

http://www.80stoysale.com/rainbow.html

http://www.80stoysale.com/newrainbow.html

[yazbelle]

Uh-oh!!
That thing just made me fall in love with the TALKING RBB. Oh, I want one!!!!

[stormberryfairy]

Sorry! LoL! I already sold mine, or I'd sell her to you, lol.

[Blondine Arc-En-Ciel]

Uh-oh!!
That thing just made me fall in love with the TALKING RBB. Oh, I want one!!!!

That's one of the better dolls in the Toy Play line. She's also something of a joke. When she recites the colors of the rainbow, she forgets to say green. If you find a boxed example it comes with several accessories that the other dolls didn't have. If you get her loose, you'll most likely end up with just the doll.

[IndigoJoy]

If you find a boxed example it comes with several accessories that the other dolls didn't have.

Yeah! A plastic color belt, a hair ribbon, a star bracelet, some color belt stickers, and some purple star face stickers!