Why did I choose this toy?
I chose this doll in honor of Jordan Knight’s birthday earlier this week. Also, New Kids on the Block just started their latest “Mixtape Tour” with special guests En Vogue and Rick Astley.
When was this toy line produced?
At the height of New Kids on the Block’s popularity in 1990, Hasbro announced they were releasing not one, but two lines of dolls modeled on the boys: Hangin’ Loose and In Concert. All five of the band members were at the press conference, holding his own vinyl counterparts in each hand.
The Hangin’ Loose dolls were dressed in casual clothes modeled on actual outfits the boys wore in photo shoots. The In Concert dolls outfits were based on outfits the guys wore when they performed.
Unfortunately, Hasbro made the same mistake with the New Kids dolls they made with the Jem and the Holograms line. They didn’t manufacture the New Kids dolls in quite the same size range as Mattel’s Ken dolls. Shirts and jackets were fine, but the pants were tricky. This would have quadrupled their wardrobe options.
I remember being really anxious to get home to watch the coverage of the press conference announcing the dolls. My mom set up our VCR to tape the press conference, which must have been announced on Entertainment Tonight the night before.
Was there a cartoon?
Yes. There were thirteen episodes of a Saturday morning cartoon including a Christmas special. The cartoon was produced through DiC.
Who was the villain?
There weren’t villains in either the DiC New Kids cartoon series or the comic book line. The guys’ main antagonist was time itself because whatever situation they found themselves in, they would have to resolve in time for their concert.
Throughout the story portion of the show, there were live clips of the New Kids’ reactions. When one of the guys made a really silly pun or something there would be a live action clip of one of the other guys reacting to it. Sometimes they reacted to things that happened in the plot of the show.
Where/When did I acquire this toy?
This is a tough one because when I go shopping in stores, I tend to get overwhelmed. There’s also a slight anxiety factor. Would the dolls be on the store shelf or will they already be sold out? What if the doll I wanted most wasn’t there?
In this case, I didn’t have that stress at the store. One day, I came home and Jordan was in his box on the shelf where we put our mail! Mom had been out running errands and she saw him and his friends on the shelf. She told me once that she wasn’t sure if she picked the right band member or not.
Do I still have this toy or any of its accessories?
I didn’t keep the box, but I do still have the doll. The Hanging Loose dolls didn’t come with any additional accessories. Those were all with the In Concert dolls.
Did I have any other toys from this line?
In addition to the Hanging Loose Jordan doll, I had (and still have) the In Concert Jordan doll, the Hanging Loose Joey doll, and the In Concert Joey doll. I still have the cassette tapes that came with the concert dolls.
I also still have a New Kids puzzle and I had the Fashion Plates. The New Kids on the Block Fashion Plates were just like the regular Fashion Plates toy, but instead of women, it was the band members. Some of the outfits you could put the plates together to “create” outfits were the same as some of the outfits the dolls came with.
Did anything surprise me while researching this toy line?
Not so much in the research on the toy line, but just by looking at the doll itself, I noticed a lot of really fine details on the doll. All of the dolls had painted hair on their heads. Three of the New Kids (Donnie, Danny, and Jordan) had rattails in real life and so did their dolls. Another impressive detail about the hair is that Jordan’s painted on hair features his forehead curl.
Sticking with the head/face sculpt, Jordan has dimples and so does his doll. Also, he has a small painted on gold earring and a little round “gold” ring on his finger.
His jacket has tiny shoulder pads. He’s wearing red socks that match the red stripes in his jacket and his shoes are very clearly loafers.
These days, Jordan and his buddy Joey hang out with the Barbie and Ken dolls.
Do you have any memories of the New Kids on the Block or other celebrity-based dolls?
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