Monster High, how I've missed you.
Oct. 2nd, 2022 07:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impyYesterday was, I think (?), the official launch of the new reboot of the Monster High doll line. I have had terrible luck with the MH line in its weird in-between state. I think my one and only stroke of luck was snagging the Beetlejuice duo and every other time I've failed. Some losses didn't bother me that much and some I'm still very much bitter about (Dracula. DRACULA) so imagine my utter lack of surprise when everything I checked yesterday didn't work. To be fair, I didn't venture out into the stores but that's because I don't go to the store on a good day on Saturday if I can avoid it and I sure as fuck don't go the day after a hurricane.
But even my online attempts were met with failure.
Until tonight when I read Lori's post about snagging some online and I found Lagoona on Amazon. I debated very seriously but then found her on Target along with Ghoulia and I figured I might as well go ahead and go bigger. So I ultimately wound up with Ghoulia, Lagoona, Cleo, and Clawdeen. If they'd all been available and not retailer exclusives, I probably would've swapped out Clawdeen for Toralei but exclusives gotta exclusive, I guess.
I've been keeping to myself for the most part on this reboot and not seeking out a lot of information, probably because the initial backlash was enough to make me not want to deal with reading commentary about it in general. Still, since I did love MH a lot and this is pretty big doll news in my world, let's look at the various offerings and ramble. I'm nowhere near as knowledgeable as say, Lori, but few are.
Onward!
Reel Drama
We're starting with these since they're essentially a hybrid between the old and new and unlike the repros (which my stores never got), there are differences. Basically just the grey scale with pops of color and the boxes, as well as the insanely long hair. I don't get the long hair personally. WHY.
That being wailed, I'd probably snag Lagoona because she's mah baby and Clawdeen because I just love her in this style for some reason. I want to love Draculaura but her face looks pinched and she's easily my least fave of the bunch. I like Frankie and love that shade of blue. This is a line I think I'd probably keep in box though and that means I might actually just try for Lagoona because I don't love the others in their boxes... but these are promo pics so who knows.
Core/Regular/Signature (what are we calling these?)
Deuce : Amazon Exclusive
I really hope character wise they don't go with the Flanderized version and remember he had a brain originally. Uh, anyway. Doll wise, I like this one well enough. He's not my favorite but he's also y'know, fine. I think I'm currently distracted by the shoes. Those are not fine, though I do like the fang detail. But the colors don't go with his outfit and there's no reason for that. Perseus is adorable. ♥ Also, Deuce might work the best in the doll art style of the trio on his box.
Basically, he's on my to buy list higher than some simply because I don't trust them to not shortpack him.
Clawdeen
Clawdeen looks like she's gonna be the main character this go round, so we'll officially begin with her. I loathe her topknot (I think if it was just pulled back further it'd be cute) and I've never been a big fan of Clawdeen's furry coats so that'll just get tossed in a bin and never used. But her actual outfit? Really cute. I love her freckles and while I don't fully love her glasses, I love her having them. Crescent I'm not as sold on but her art sure is cute.
Frankie:
Frankie's switch to being enby makes a lot of sense. Frankie's prosthetic leg a little less so. On the one hand, sure. Why not? On the other, they're clearly stitched together from pieces of ... well, you get the idea. What, we ran out of pieces? I miss Frankie's red accents, but I love their name belt, that camera/photos, and Watzie is awfully cute. I waffle on whether I want this Frankie or if I want to wait for another one. I suspect some Frankies will look very blank in the face and others will have a spark and promo Frankie here looks very bland. Pretty but bland.
Draculaura:
COUNT FAB, MY BABY! I missed you so much, Sweet Prince. Never leave me again! As for Laura herself... I think she's suffering from being the first doll I saw a bunch of pictures of initially. I kind of hate her cape and I'm not really in love with her outfit. I like that she's got a chunkier body but her styling is kind of a damn mess. I'd be buying this one for Count Fab and her accessories.
Cleo:
Cleo remains beautiful. I don't love her fringed jacket as its leaning too close to fringed jacket and I think they really meant for it to be wrappings but uh, no. Not in love with her boots and Tut's cute but I miss Hissette, the only snake I like. Seriously though, she's gorgeous and so is her artwork.
Lagoona:
My baby! Girl, why are you pink? And why are your legs beige and your translucent blue? On further inspection I guess it's just that one shot and the pink just kind of leans less monster color and more beige-y. Where are your webbed fingers? Luckily, I think she's pulling off the salmon pink and her mermaid hair is most appropriate. I just don't think we needed two pinks, though I guess since Frankie's now blue... I waffle on Neptuna. She's now festively plump but also looks kind of bland whereas before she had bite and more character. Lagoona's art is adorable though.
Ghoulia: Target Exclusive
What the shit is this, Mattel? What the hell did you do to Ghoulia? This look is tragic from a styling perspective. Why are you going with the blood splatter if you're making it pink? Why is Ghoulia's face soft and bland? WHY. I like the gaming aspect and her earrings but I'm mostly snagging her because I refuse to believe she'll be this blah in person. Don't tell me otherwise, let me believe the lie a little while longer. What did they do to you, Ms. Yelps... Though I do like the nods to her previous incarnations (DF on the skateboard) so it's not all gloom and doom.
Toralei: Walmart Exclusive
Fucking Walmart. I'll be hunting her until I die, huh? I won't say "I wonder why" when it comes to her hair because duh, they're hedging their bets on things but I still feel like giving Toralei long hair is a dumbass move. Or maybe it's brilliant because now I want 2: one to cut and one to leave as is. The Hissfits is killing me in the best way possible, honestly. While I don't 100% love her color scheme, it fits well enough and she's probably one of my favorites thus far.
Misc:
Draculaura Goreganizer Playset
Sooooooooooo, I love this Draculaura a lot. Like... I have every intention of buying her as soon as a) I have MH money again and b) her price comes down just a smidge.
No real interest in the new Coffin Bean set but I do want those pets so I guess maybe half an eye open for sales? Mmkay, maybe I want it for the cat because that is not a raven. What the heck.
Clawdeen's bedroom set is actually very nifty and I like it more than her original.
Ghoul Spirit 6pk
I...am so confused. Why do Toralei and Draculaura have two different colors for their Fearleading uniforms? I don't mind different styles but I do mind different colors. Also I hate pink and red together and then you throw in yellow leg warmers for Toralei and that odd bun on her head and wtf happened? Also, her outfit looks like it's super cheaply made in certain shots. :/
Frankie, is their head shaved on the side and is it purple? Cute. I don't love the slime shoes but I like the look they were going for even if I'm not sure they nailed the execution.
Draculaura's outfit is cute but I really wish they'd just given her fabric poms. They'd look better and be more useful.
Cleo's the goddamn star in gold holo but I do question why she's on the sidelines. I guess it makes sense since this is Clawdeen on the court and we already have two fearleaders but still.
Clawdeen's outfit is hideous and I hate everything it choses to be. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate it so much.
Deuce's mask thing is just...odd. Nah, I take it back. It's stupid. I like his outfit otherwise though.
This thing is also stupidly expensive even though it works out to be a decent deal per doll.
Frankie and Deuce 2 pack:
Perseus's bike is almost worth the whole damn thing for me, honestly. If I liked Deuce's outfit more/at all, this probably would've jumped in my cart when I made my order. I'm not totally in love with Frankie's outfit but I am definite in like, and chrome Watzie is cute. It's weird we've already got three Deuce dolls though.
Creepover Party:
Draculaura's adorable as hell and I neeeeeeeeed her. I love Clawdeen's little pillow and Frankie's pretty cute, too. TWYLA! I was hoping that by now her doll would've leaked but if it did, I haven't found it. To be fair, Mom's watching ye olden Transformers and thus my concentration is shot (I'd forgotten than Soundwave's voice was made of magic) but still.
Budget:
Okay, why does Frankie have no neck? Is this a stylistic choice or a proto choice ? Draculaura's all neck and Frankie is giving me flashbacks to when my Barbie's heads would pop off and you'd shove them back on and it was not good then and it's not good now. I like Frankie's zap ring, like Lori pointed out, but I think this is actually pushing me more towards either the two pack or the Core doll. Clawdeen's shirt is cute (the phases one) but I don't love the weird fringed bag (why are you trying to make this happen?) and Draculaura is mildly cuter than her Core version but I need Count Fab so.
Howliday:
Well fuck me, she's gorgeous and since she's got the older face she's gonna be expensive and impossible to get. FUCK. I kinda hate the earrings and the weird striped arm warmers aren't working for me but everything else is very much a yes, even with the pretty basic shoes. The black ice look is working for this and now I'll just curl up and cry.
I think that's everything I could find pictures of. Later I might try to actually find close up pics of the Coffin Bean pets but I'm hungry so it'll have to wait.
Wrap-up by character:
Cleo: Her dolls are pretty similar, which does seem to be a theme for this reboot thus far. I really love the gold holo on the 6pk but overall her Core doll is ahead.
Frankie: Their 6pk doll is my favorite with the 2pk outfit probably being my fave thus far. If the Creepover doll has a friggin' neck, that'll probably be my favorite overall.
Deuce: His Core doll is probably best overall, but I have a soft spot for that stupid 6pk, and Perseus having a little motorbike in the 2pk? Yeah. I'm gonna wind up with three of a MH boy doll. Who knew?
Clawdeen: Doll wise, I think Budget or Creepover is actually the cuter look, but overall, I think her Core is my favorite thus far. She's not wildly different between each look and I loathe her 6pk look. When I wind up getting it, if I do, everything Cheeto orange will be jettisoned ASAP.
Ghoulia: You have one doll AND you disappointed me. Please be better in person.
Lagoona: You also have one doll (though I would love to see your playset doll) and I love you.
Draculaura: Not counting the Howliday doll (stunning), the Goreganizer is my favorite currently available but the Creepover doll is definitely on track to dethrone that one. I'll wind up with Core because of Count Fab.
Toralei: Gonna need a short haired version ASAP. Hate her look in the 6pk but that's why one will simply redress her. Her Core version is probably my favorite doll so she's going to be impossible for me to track down at a time I can afford her.
But even my online attempts were met with failure.
Until tonight when I read Lori's post about snagging some online and I found Lagoona on Amazon. I debated very seriously but then found her on Target along with Ghoulia and I figured I might as well go ahead and go bigger. So I ultimately wound up with Ghoulia, Lagoona, Cleo, and Clawdeen. If they'd all been available and not retailer exclusives, I probably would've swapped out Clawdeen for Toralei but exclusives gotta exclusive, I guess.
I've been keeping to myself for the most part on this reboot and not seeking out a lot of information, probably because the initial backlash was enough to make me not want to deal with reading commentary about it in general. Still, since I did love MH a lot and this is pretty big doll news in my world, let's look at the various offerings and ramble. I'm nowhere near as knowledgeable as say, Lori, but few are.
Onward!
Reel Drama
We're starting with these since they're essentially a hybrid between the old and new and unlike the repros (which my stores never got), there are differences. Basically just the grey scale with pops of color and the boxes, as well as the insanely long hair. I don't get the long hair personally. WHY.
That being wailed, I'd probably snag Lagoona because she's mah baby and Clawdeen because I just love her in this style for some reason. I want to love Draculaura but her face looks pinched and she's easily my least fave of the bunch. I like Frankie and love that shade of blue. This is a line I think I'd probably keep in box though and that means I might actually just try for Lagoona because I don't love the others in their boxes... but these are promo pics so who knows.
Core/Regular/Signature (what are we calling these?)
Deuce : Amazon Exclusive
I really hope character wise they don't go with the Flanderized version and remember he had a brain originally. Uh, anyway. Doll wise, I like this one well enough. He's not my favorite but he's also y'know, fine. I think I'm currently distracted by the shoes. Those are not fine, though I do like the fang detail. But the colors don't go with his outfit and there's no reason for that. Perseus is adorable. ♥ Also, Deuce might work the best in the doll art style of the trio on his box.
Basically, he's on my to buy list higher than some simply because I don't trust them to not shortpack him.
Clawdeen
Clawdeen looks like she's gonna be the main character this go round, so we'll officially begin with her. I loathe her topknot (I think if it was just pulled back further it'd be cute) and I've never been a big fan of Clawdeen's furry coats so that'll just get tossed in a bin and never used. But her actual outfit? Really cute. I love her freckles and while I don't fully love her glasses, I love her having them. Crescent I'm not as sold on but her art sure is cute.
Frankie:
Frankie's switch to being enby makes a lot of sense. Frankie's prosthetic leg a little less so. On the one hand, sure. Why not? On the other, they're clearly stitched together from pieces of ... well, you get the idea. What, we ran out of pieces? I miss Frankie's red accents, but I love their name belt, that camera/photos, and Watzie is awfully cute. I waffle on whether I want this Frankie or if I want to wait for another one. I suspect some Frankies will look very blank in the face and others will have a spark and promo Frankie here looks very bland. Pretty but bland.
Draculaura:
COUNT FAB, MY BABY! I missed you so much, Sweet Prince. Never leave me again! As for Laura herself... I think she's suffering from being the first doll I saw a bunch of pictures of initially. I kind of hate her cape and I'm not really in love with her outfit. I like that she's got a chunkier body but her styling is kind of a damn mess. I'd be buying this one for Count Fab and her accessories.
Cleo:
Cleo remains beautiful. I don't love her fringed jacket as its leaning too close to fringed jacket and I think they really meant for it to be wrappings but uh, no. Not in love with her boots and Tut's cute but I miss Hissette, the only snake I like. Seriously though, she's gorgeous and so is her artwork.
Lagoona:
My baby! Girl, why are you pink? And why are your legs beige and your translucent blue? On further inspection I guess it's just that one shot and the pink just kind of leans less monster color and more beige-y. Where are your webbed fingers? Luckily, I think she's pulling off the salmon pink and her mermaid hair is most appropriate. I just don't think we needed two pinks, though I guess since Frankie's now blue... I waffle on Neptuna. She's now festively plump but also looks kind of bland whereas before she had bite and more character. Lagoona's art is adorable though.
Ghoulia: Target Exclusive
What the shit is this, Mattel? What the hell did you do to Ghoulia? This look is tragic from a styling perspective. Why are you going with the blood splatter if you're making it pink? Why is Ghoulia's face soft and bland? WHY. I like the gaming aspect and her earrings but I'm mostly snagging her because I refuse to believe she'll be this blah in person. Don't tell me otherwise, let me believe the lie a little while longer. What did they do to you, Ms. Yelps... Though I do like the nods to her previous incarnations (DF on the skateboard) so it's not all gloom and doom.
Toralei: Walmart Exclusive
Fucking Walmart. I'll be hunting her until I die, huh? I won't say "I wonder why" when it comes to her hair because duh, they're hedging their bets on things but I still feel like giving Toralei long hair is a dumbass move. Or maybe it's brilliant because now I want 2: one to cut and one to leave as is. The Hissfits is killing me in the best way possible, honestly. While I don't 100% love her color scheme, it fits well enough and she's probably one of my favorites thus far.
Misc:
Draculaura Goreganizer Playset
Sooooooooooo, I love this Draculaura a lot. Like... I have every intention of buying her as soon as a) I have MH money again and b) her price comes down just a smidge.
No real interest in the new Coffin Bean set but I do want those pets so I guess maybe half an eye open for sales? Mmkay, maybe I want it for the cat because that is not a raven. What the heck.
Clawdeen's bedroom set is actually very nifty and I like it more than her original.
Ghoul Spirit 6pk
I...am so confused. Why do Toralei and Draculaura have two different colors for their Fearleading uniforms? I don't mind different styles but I do mind different colors. Also I hate pink and red together and then you throw in yellow leg warmers for Toralei and that odd bun on her head and wtf happened? Also, her outfit looks like it's super cheaply made in certain shots. :/
Frankie, is their head shaved on the side and is it purple? Cute. I don't love the slime shoes but I like the look they were going for even if I'm not sure they nailed the execution.
Draculaura's outfit is cute but I really wish they'd just given her fabric poms. They'd look better and be more useful.
Cleo's the goddamn star in gold holo but I do question why she's on the sidelines. I guess it makes sense since this is Clawdeen on the court and we already have two fearleaders but still.
Clawdeen's outfit is hideous and I hate everything it choses to be. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate it so much.
Deuce's mask thing is just...odd. Nah, I take it back. It's stupid. I like his outfit otherwise though.
This thing is also stupidly expensive even though it works out to be a decent deal per doll.
Frankie and Deuce 2 pack:
Perseus's bike is almost worth the whole damn thing for me, honestly. If I liked Deuce's outfit more/at all, this probably would've jumped in my cart when I made my order. I'm not totally in love with Frankie's outfit but I am definite in like, and chrome Watzie is cute. It's weird we've already got three Deuce dolls though.
Creepover Party:
Draculaura's adorable as hell and I neeeeeeeeed her. I love Clawdeen's little pillow and Frankie's pretty cute, too. TWYLA! I was hoping that by now her doll would've leaked but if it did, I haven't found it. To be fair, Mom's watching ye olden Transformers and thus my concentration is shot (I'd forgotten than Soundwave's voice was made of magic) but still.
Budget:
Okay, why does Frankie have no neck? Is this a stylistic choice or a proto choice ? Draculaura's all neck and Frankie is giving me flashbacks to when my Barbie's heads would pop off and you'd shove them back on and it was not good then and it's not good now. I like Frankie's zap ring, like Lori pointed out, but I think this is actually pushing me more towards either the two pack or the Core doll. Clawdeen's shirt is cute (the phases one) but I don't love the weird fringed bag (why are you trying to make this happen?) and Draculaura is mildly cuter than her Core version but I need Count Fab so.
Howliday:
Well fuck me, she's gorgeous and since she's got the older face she's gonna be expensive and impossible to get. FUCK. I kinda hate the earrings and the weird striped arm warmers aren't working for me but everything else is very much a yes, even with the pretty basic shoes. The black ice look is working for this and now I'll just curl up and cry.
I think that's everything I could find pictures of. Later I might try to actually find close up pics of the Coffin Bean pets but I'm hungry so it'll have to wait.
Wrap-up by character:
Cleo: Her dolls are pretty similar, which does seem to be a theme for this reboot thus far. I really love the gold holo on the 6pk but overall her Core doll is ahead.
Frankie: Their 6pk doll is my favorite with the 2pk outfit probably being my fave thus far. If the Creepover doll has a friggin' neck, that'll probably be my favorite overall.
Deuce: His Core doll is probably best overall, but I have a soft spot for that stupid 6pk, and Perseus having a little motorbike in the 2pk? Yeah. I'm gonna wind up with three of a MH boy doll. Who knew?
Clawdeen: Doll wise, I think Budget or Creepover is actually the cuter look, but overall, I think her Core is my favorite thus far. She's not wildly different between each look and I loathe her 6pk look. When I wind up getting it, if I do, everything Cheeto orange will be jettisoned ASAP.
Ghoulia: You have one doll AND you disappointed me. Please be better in person.
Lagoona: You also have one doll (though I would love to see your playset doll) and I love you.
Draculaura: Not counting the Howliday doll (stunning), the Goreganizer is my favorite currently available but the Creepover doll is definitely on track to dethrone that one. I'll wind up with Core because of Count Fab.
Toralei: Gonna need a short haired version ASAP. Hate her look in the 6pk but that's why one will simply redress her. Her Core version is probably my favorite doll so she's going to be impossible for me to track down at a time I can afford her.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-10-03 06:15 am (UTC)I'm also contemplating two Toraleis but her hair in the animation is definitely short, which makes the long-haired dolls even worse, in my opinion. She's the only one I haven't tracked down yet. Grr.
I'm a little worried we haven't seen Twyla yet, but she is in the art, so I'm trying to relax.
Gah, I want to like the holiday doll but I prefer her older collector-level doll and I just don't see holiday here at all. Spiderweb snowflakes are not enough to qualify.
Okay, gotta go edit some pics or it's going to take eternity.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-10-03 11:28 am (UTC)Twyla's shy and keeping herself hidden until the last minute and it's totally in character and that's how I'm gonna think about that.
I shall let you know if/when I find Toralei, either online or otherwise, though I must admit I'm not holding my breath for in stores since we've basically been behind on *everything*. Or the local scalpers are just that good.
Oooh, that is good news! If they can win you over, I have great hope/faith in loving them more when I see them in person. I peeked at Reddit and there've been some relatively cute Ghoulia restyles though none has fully won me over yet. But it could happen. Maybe.
Lagoona!