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Toy ID Boards => Archive Of Identified Toys => Topic started by: Ned on Thursday 10 June 2010, 11:33 am

Title: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ned on Thursday 10 June 2010, 11:33 am
Around springtime in 1988 in Toronto, I saw a commercial a number of times for a toy line called "My One and Only". Like many commercials, I remember it almost verbatim. It was basically dolls for girls, but they were teenage or college-age guys. The commercial showed one or two girls probably, and shots of the boy dolls (maybe also shots of real guys wearing the same clothes as the dolls). A male crooner's voice sang "My one and only! You stole my heart away! Be my one and only today." A girl's voice - not a teenage girl but a little girl - said more or less the following: "At first, I didn't know. There was Colin, Graham, Mark, Max, Greg...and then it happened. Cory. Now You're my one and only." I think Cory was a guy with brown hair and a red and white varsity jacket.

I have gone all over the internet and have found almost nothing about these toys. No examples on sale, no reports about them, only two details:

-a corporate profile of Irwin Toy, the Canadian company that made this line, mentions it.

-on some website, someone was also asking about this toy line (he had acquired a doll called Matt, obviously the "Max" I remember above).

There wouldn't happen to be anyone who remembers more about this or has seen the toy somewhere? Did the series even get into retail sale? I would imagine it was limited enough (only 6 characters, one commercial, no accompanying TV show) that it may never have really even been noticed).  
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: mouse on Thursday 10 June 2010, 03:39 pm
Lol no idea. They sound so corny!
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ned on Sunday 13 June 2010, 08:56 pm
I just did another google search for this, and was able to come up with a little more info from an article from 1999:

http://siliconinvestor.advfn.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=12259428

"To make up for lost business, Irwin tried to develop its own lines and expand into the US?with varying results. In 1988 the company introduced a line of six "My One and Only" male dolls?Marc, Rad, Matt, Cliff, Cory and Colin?for lovelorn, preteen girls. If the girls wrote letters to the dolls, the company promised it would write back and send them perfume on their birthdays. The line was an utter failure, although to this day Irwin still gets dozens of letters intended for the dolls."

Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Blippo on Sunday 20 June 2010, 03:49 am
I think we should all send a love letter for the dolls to the Irwin company. It the company still around?
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ned on Sunday 20 June 2010, 06:37 pm
I think we should all send a love letter for the dolls to the Irwin company. It the company still around?

The company is still around but I think it has restructured.
http://www.irwintoy.com/
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: zuse on Wednesday 16 November 2011, 06:58 am
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: invaderhorizongreen on Thursday 17 November 2011, 01:49 am
well i can say i have heard of these but that is all i know.
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Dollquestion on Wednesday 30 November 2011, 05:02 am
im very excited to see that others have inquired about these dolls! I actually still have my Colin doll!! It's been a running joke in my family since I was a kid. I have no idea who gave it to me - but I do know that it asked you to write to guy, and he would write you back. And so, I did. I got a letter and a photo , both of which I still have in a box of keepsakes. Why did I keep this colin doll stuff? Just so I could look back at it and laugh. And trust me, I just read the letter and I almost DIED. It's weird and slightly creepy.
Anyways hope this helps u!! I can post the pics and letter if u would like. Let me know. I actually took photos of them with my iPhone tonight just to text to my brothers so they could have a good laugh. :)
I wonder where Colin is now??? ???


Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Dollquestion on Wednesday 30 November 2011, 05:10 am
And btw... I also got perfume on my bday! It was a small, clear rollerball.... With a terrible smell!!
The glossy photo is hilarious. My guy is holding a rubber chicken. In the letter he writes some odd things. But he does like NKOTB and purple.. So that was a plus. :) lol
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: zuse on Wednesday 30 November 2011, 05:29 am
That's awesome! Please post them! (You'll need to use something like Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa, etc.)

Yeah, I see in that article they based these guys off real male models. I guess it's not any creepier than being handpicked for a boy band or something, haha.
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ianua on Sunday 04 December 2011, 12:45 pm
You HAVE to post pictures of the doll and letter it sounds hillarious :)
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: invaderhorizongreen on Sunday 04 December 2011, 10:37 pm
I really cant imagine being the person in charge of writing the letters. I mean come on if you are a guy how do you put yourself in the position of writing as a doll and not trying to sound to creepy/pervy/ etc...  All at the same time trying to come up with something in answer to hundreds of letters .
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: pikapal on Monday 05 December 2011, 07:40 am
Maybe the letter writer has some kind of randomizer or picked things out of a hat.
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Dollquestion on Monday 19 December 2011, 05:53 pm
It's definitely not random... "Colin" responded to everything I wrote to him - from my favourite colour, to my favourite band (NKOTB...lol).
Anyways I will be posting the pics later to Photobucket - finally created an acct. I will post the link later, so you can all have a good laugh! :) I hope the original person that started this forum has seen all of this!
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Dollquestion on Friday 23 December 2011, 03:45 pm
Alright everyone, here are the links to the pics!

the letter and photo (hit 'previous' to see the pic!: http://s1081.photobucket.com/albums/j354/CJS1983/?action=view&current=colin_doll_letter1988.jpg&newest=1

(http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j354/CJS1983/colin_doll_letter1988.jpg) (http://s1081.photobucket.com/user/CJS1983/media/colin_doll_letter1988.jpg.html)

(http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j354/CJS1983/colin_doll1988.jpg) (http://s1081.photobucket.com/user/CJS1983/media/colin_doll1988.jpg.html)

Hope you enjoyed! lol
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: zuse on Friday 23 December 2011, 04:07 pm
AGHHHHHHHHH! OH MY GOSH! That is HILARIOUS! THE SWEATER! THE GLASSES! THE RUBBER CHICKEN!
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ianua on Saturday 24 December 2011, 04:30 pm
Fantastic
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: zuse on Saturday 24 December 2011, 06:35 pm
Now I must see the doll that is supposed to represent him! :-P
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: invaderhorizongreen on Sunday 25 December 2011, 03:12 am
thanks zuse that made my night ! keep it up !
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ghost Of The Doll on Wednesday 18 January 2012, 07:10 pm
Ahh, that photo has made my day!  ;D
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Skyhorse82 on Sunday 12 February 2012, 01:25 pm
I only just stumbled on this thread but THAT is gold! LOL *wipes away tears of laughter*. I want my own 'One & Only' too! He's out there, I just know it, haha. What a bizarre concept for a pre-teen toy. No wonder the line never took off...young girls probably had weird guys rocking up on their doorstep unannounced; the ones who just took it that little bit too far, lol.
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: jazzmatazz on Wednesday 15 February 2012, 08:55 pm
that is golden! :D now you must post of photo of his doll form!
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: voorhis on Saturday 18 February 2012, 02:30 am
Here is a link to a photo of all six "My One and Only" dolls by Irwin.  

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ruthvoorhis/6894313027/in/photostream/lightbox/
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7043/6894313027_3dcc5373da_b.jpg)

I bought them from a vendor at a flea market in 1995 who got them from a collector who had saved them mint in box in his cellar.  The sewer backed up flooding his cellar and ruining the boxes.  The dolls were unsoiled, but the collector was discouraged and sold the dolls.

They are arranged in the picture in alphabetical order from left to right, Cliff, Colin, Cory, George, Marc, and Matt.  They are 12 inches tall.  There are no markings on the heads.  I haven't undressed them to look for marks on their bodies.
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: zuse on Saturday 18 February 2012, 07:16 pm
FANTASTIC.

I don't know what I was imagining... but those are pretty great.

So, little girls were carrying around dolls that looked like Ken/NKOTB or something and calling them their boyfriends. :-P
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ned on Saturday 18 February 2012, 08:49 pm
@Dollquestion & @voorhis My best regards, ladies, for putting up these unique pictures! And thank you, too, zuse, for averting me about their contributions to my old post!

Man, it's taken what, almost 24 years, for me to encounter any visual of this memory. What can I say? The Colin model...typical 80s brainiac hunk...but hilarious with that rubber chicken. Pretty smug of Irwin Toy to customize the letter. Not sure I like the comment about him getting 96% on his mid-term because his computer did all his homework, if he didn't study properly, how did he do his midterm, where he had no computer? What kind of message is that sending?

If you look at the model and then at the doll, isn't it kind of funny that the doll has longer hair and no glasses?

This kind of thing is always good for checking how clear your memory is on such pedantic details. The guy I seemed to remember best is "Cory" (hey, this was the age of Corey Hart, what have you). Looking at the dolls (what a treat to have all 6 displayed at once!), I see I remember his letterman jacket to the dot, but he has short blond hair, whereas I recall a head close in appearance to Marc's - I evidently mixed up the heads of two of the dolls.

One way or another, this line seems to have been a flop. Makes me wonder what retail chains carried it in the first place. Perhaps our catalog-order chain Consumers Distributing did?

Anyway, you guys have really made my day here.          
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: voorhis on Sunday 19 February 2012, 04:25 am
Actually, Colin the doll does have glasses.  They're lying beside him in his storage compartment here, but I didn't put them on him.  Also, someone mentioned one of these dolls named Rad.  I have a note that Rad is George's nickname.

Voorhis
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ned on Sunday 19 February 2012, 09:24 am
Actually, Colin the doll does have glasses.  They're lying beside him in his storage compartment here, but I didn't put them on him.  Also, someone mentioned one of these dolls named Rad.  I have a note that Rad is George's nickname.

Voorhis

I thought "George" would be the same as "Rad", as it was the only name that didn't match up with the others. When watching the commercial as an 8-year-old, I misheard his name as "Graham". It's one of the articles quoted above that gives his name as "Rad". Out of interest, here's how I remembered their names for 20-odd years vs. their actual names: Me - Colin, Graham, Mark, Max, Greg(???), Cory. In actual fact - Colin, Rad (George), Marc, Matt, Cliff, Cory.
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: clifftheaviator on Monday 03 December 2012, 11:32 pm
hey there.....I WAS one of the dolls(Cliff..the aviator.. not the most popular one from any comments...lol) but just googled my one and only to see what I could find....wondered whatever became of the dolls.....found this forum and thought I would say hey ........was a cool job when I did this .....anyways...would love to hear back from anyone
ps-wasnt given any free ones(paid a lot for the job though).....had to buy my own doll....found it in a bargain bin at Towers Departmaent store marked down half price......was kind of sad....lol
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: ForeverKokiri on Tuesday 04 December 2012, 08:21 am
"Cliff," that's a scream! Do you have any photographs of yourself dressed as the doll? So far we've only seen "Colin's" photos.

Also, do you still have the doll of you?
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Mysstica on Tuesday 04 December 2012, 12:53 pm
All of the dolls look the same to me?? Was the doll modelled after you or were you the guy in the pictures that went out? :P
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ned on Thursday 06 December 2012, 10:50 pm
Well, this is just a treat! One of the original models? What a success this thread has been. You coming on the thread has made it progress beyond my wildest dreams. I hope it brought back some memories for you. Could you write us a bit more about the experience?

Looks like this thread has become the premier source of information for the elusive "My One and Only" doll line. Might it be time to create a fan website?
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: clifftheaviator on Sunday 16 February 2014, 08:37 am
I was the model/actor for all the photos(boxcover/billlboards/magazines ads etc)/commercials and personal appeareances made for the Cliff doll......not sure what they did with the actual doll......think they just used a generic
mold for all the faces...(yes they all are identical....just different hair clothes etc...) ....were designed and  mass produced in Japan based on the photos
sent over by Irwin(and to them we would all look the same facially..(no offense intended ) so thats how they eneded up) ..major flaw in the product...I was dissappointed though it "sort of" looks like me ....lol.....look me up "Michael G. Brown"  (some pics and other stufff I did on imdb.com -click on "resume".....
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: clifftheaviator on Monday 12 May 2014, 06:39 am
Check Me out...(my latest stuff)

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1042668/

Hope to hear back...

Cool

Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Mysstica on Friday 16 May 2014, 07:16 pm
*giggle* AWESOME!!! I still watch Ready or Not online to this day. :D
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: zuse on Tuesday 14 July 2020, 01:18 pm
I set up an eBay watch ages ago and one finally popped up in box! And it's Cliff! :P

My One and Only / Mon Ami de Coeur

Ned Strongin Creative Services (1987) Irwin Toy Limited.

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/dXkAAOSwQ2tfC4KD/s-l1600.jpg)

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/rOYAAOSwjAJfC4KJ/s-l1600.jpg)

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/AaMAAOSwpstfC4KL/s-l1600.jpg)

(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/KeYAAOSwTc1fC4KM/s-l1600.jpg)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/143655710292
Title: Re: [ID: My One and Only - Irwin Toy] Obscure toy line 1 - "My One and Only" (1988)
Post by: Ned on Wednesday 03 February 2021, 01:19 am
I set up an eBay watch ages ago and one finally popped up in box! And it's Cliff! :P

My One and Only / Mon Ami de Coeur

Ned Strongin Creative Services (1987) Irwin Toy Limited.


OMG, no!!!

This is just so 80s, unbelievable. God, the toy manufacturers were creative in that decade. LOL - "For Young Women 8 and Up"