Clea Bella (doll)

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Clea Bella is a 39 cm (15.5 in) fashion doll similar to Gene Marshall, Madame Alexander's Alex, and Tonner's Tyler fashion dolls.

[edit] Background

Clea Bella is a theatre-based doll, created in 2001 by Christina "Bogie" Bougas, of the Bella! Productions Doll Company. Christina's love of theatre and dance inspired her to create a doll reflecting the grace, beauty and dignity of performing arts. The very first Clea Bella doll she sculpted was called "Peacock Paradise" and was an "en pointe" foot doll with straight, non-bending arms and legs. The doll featured theatrical style make-up, a blue and green dance costume with bird feathers, a matching headdress fashioned after the peacock's crest, white tights and pink en pointe ballet shoes. This was the original en pointe 41 cm (16 in) dancer doll.

Clea Bella is the name of the main character doll, and is a shortening of her full name, Cleopatra Bellisimo. The doll's character is dubbed a "triple threat", as she can dance, sing and act equally well. The main drive of the Bella! Productions Doll Company is the story line behind each character, outfit and dressed doll. Each Bella! Productions product comes with a story card about that item, which allows collectors to fully immerse themselves in this world, if they choose.

[edit] Body Styles

The current style of articulated dolls features multiple points of articulation at the shoulders, waist, hips and knees. The dolls currently come in two body types: a "fashion foot" doll with arched feet for wearing high heeled shoes, and an en pointe style foot for wearing en pointe ballet shoes.

Additionally, there are two body constructions: The original style with non-bending straight legs and arms. They come in both the "fashion foot" and en pointe ballet foot styles. The doll bodies were made of plastic and their head molded of softer vinyl with rooted hair. Their legs were strung together with a rubber band joint in the hips, allowing for a large range of movement in the legs. These older dolls were produced from 2001 through 2004, and are still carried in many online stores.

In 2005, the company introduced their second body construction type, which was the first wave of articulated dolls, and featured bending knees that swivel, an improved rotational hip, and swivel waists which tilt slightly in all directions, offering a dropped-shoulder pose, as well as a more arched back for an arabesque pose for their ballet dancers.

The doll creators decided to change the construction material with these new articulated dolls and turned to rotomolding for the manufacture of their dolls in the softer vinyl material, allowing their dolls to be seamless.

At this time, they also introduced a new character, Clea Bella's best friend, DeeDee Hunt, a Native American doll of Haida Gwaii original. Clea and DeeDee share the same body type. The DeeDee character is not currently offered on an en pointe body.

[edit] Current Status and Future Dolls

In April 2007, Bella! Productions will debut their fully articulated doll body, featuring bending elbows and wrists. These dolls will have the same articulated lower-body type bodies introduced in 2005, and will be fully strung with elastic. This is the first vinyl doll to be strung instead of hard jointed.

Later in 2007, Bella! Productions plans to unveil two more characters: James Windslow, Clea Bella's love interest and archeologist, and his mother, Lady Windslow, a patronress of Clea Bella.

Clea Bella and friends have a stylish wardrobe in a variety of genres, from contemporary casual and formal to theatrical stage costumes.