Emme doll embraces realistic proportions

GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

Barbie's got herself some heavy competition.

At first, Tonner Doll Co. created the plus-size Emme doll -- honoring the supermodel host of E! Entertainment Television's "Fashion Emergency" show -- for high-end collectors. But there was so much buzz at its unveiling during February's American International Toy Fair in New York City, the company is working on a lower-priced version for children to play with.

Owner and designer Robert Tonner, who sculpted the 16-inch likeness from stacks of pictures, wasn't expecting such interest from the mass market.

"I really get it, now that we've put the doll out there," he says. "I thought I was just doing a celebrity doll, but the press response to this has been, 'It's about time.' I guess this is something that people were hungry for -- a doll that doesn't look like a size 2."

At 5-foot-11, Emme, whose birth name is Melissa Miller, weighs 160 pounds and wears a size 16.

Both versions of her full-figured self will be out in the fall. The collectible dolls will sell for between $70 and $150, depending on the outfit. For her Toy Fair debut, the plasticized Emme wore a black silk satin gown and matching wrap with fishnet stockings and open-toed heels. The children's version likely will cost about $30.

Tonner's other creations have immortalized fictional characters Little Orphan Annie and Superman, as well as real-life stars Natalie Portman and Annette Funicello.

The New York company sells several collections, including a line of "boudoir dolls" with names such as Brigitte and Giselle, dressed in lavish fabrics and accessories.

"I have a whole line of dolls that are a size 2, and I love that body image," says Tonner, who began his career as a designer for Bill Blass. "But I think the Emme body image is just as beautiful, just as valid."

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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