“Tina Twinkle”
(“Twinks”)
“Tina Twinkle” was a Fairy Baby. We called her “Twinks” for short. Gosh I loved this doll! She was the sweetest doll I ever sculpted. Tina was a new size, in-between big and small. And she had a great look about her. I felt sure she was a winner. She also had a ton of features, way too many, really: Twinkle earring, twinkle bottle, twinkle rattle, twinkle pacifier, twinkle tummy, twinkle toes, and on top of that she spoke, played music and could flap her wings and "fly".
Mel Birnkrant's
Twinks was so adorable; I can’t believe she didn’t sell. But she did come close. Even when she was just a clay model I could tell that she was special, and destined to be a darling doll.
Her Look was somewhere between Baby Face and Babbling Babies: more stylized than one, more realistic than the other, with a mega dose of “Kewpie” added.
Her “electronics” remained to be created. Thus, her features had to be simulated in order to be demonstrated. The prototype was operated from a control panel connected by a bunch of wires. Her wings were animated
by a tiny wind up motor that in production
would have been electric. Inside her head
there was a speaker.
by a tiny wind up motor that in production
would have been electric. Inside her head
there was a speaker.
In retrospect I wish she didn’t have so many features. Magic music, flapping wings and twinkles would have been plenty. All were activated automatically by just pressing the jewel in the belly. Playmates fell in love with Tina, and thus, she traveled to San Francisco for testing. God only knows who was operating the controls, or fumbling with them, as I did myself, when making the video.
Playmates tested Tina against a group of proposed products. She came in second. Even though the folks at Playmates loved her, they had to choose just one. Sorry Tina! Testing Rules in Toyland! Next year Disney’s Fairies appeared, and Playmates did a huge line of them. Suddenly, there were fairies everywhere. And it was too late for Tina.
Now Disney is capitalizing on Tinker Bell, and she has come back with a vengeance. Meanwhile, Tina Twinkle slumbers safely in a box beneath my storeroom floor, hoping and dreaming that someone who believes in faries, will applaud and bring her back to life once more.
CLICK below to SEE the VIDEO
Copyright Acknowledgment: All images of TINA TWINKLE and other
Products and Images, created by Mel Birnkrant, are Copyright
(c) BIRNKRANT KISCOM/ The OBB
Products and Images, created by Mel Birnkrant, are Copyright
(c) BIRNKRANT KISCOM/ The OBB