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Dec. 29th, 2015 09:29 amMattel, we have to talk. I just don't know how to quit you, but I do know how to scale way back on certain lines. Let's look at our current relationships, shall we?
Monster High: I like the fact that for however many years you've managed to balance both the darker themes (Freak du Chic) and the lighter, fluffier stuff (Dead Tired) and in general I dig your MH line. Given the fact that sales of MH have been fangtastic, I'd imagine I'm not alone in this.
However, with your video about the upcoming changes combined with the leaked images from the survey, I'm more than a little worried that we've hit the wall of Mattel meddling. I know doll lines have short shelf lives (RIP, MyScene) but I'd hoped that the juggernaut that was (is) MH would keep things churning out in a good way. I... don't know if I feel that way right now. We'll go into this later in a detailed post (headache, go away) but suffice it to say, the kiddification of the line is a weird road to take.
EAH: I don't really know if you knew what you wanted from this line, Mattel. It started off odd and just kept faltering. For every step forward, you seemed to take delight in jumping twenty back. For awhile you were lapping yourself in the failure department. Distribution is still a painful joke and the boxes don't stand out anymore, so when I ventured to Walmart yesterday, it wasn't until my third pass of the actual doll aisle that I even noticed where the EAH dolls were. That's not good, guys. But I do dig the Birthday Bash line (smells so yummy!) even if the price point is ridiculous (19.99? No.) and I want all the Dragon Game girls... So you continue to be a mixed bag.
AG: New stuff has cropped up in stores and I can't wait to see Lea's promo shots (we've seen a couple already) and I'm not known for my patience. If nothing else, the new year tends to renew my interest even in the face of incredible fan wank. The only things keeping me from dusting off the credit card to order Lea immediately? The fact that I shouldn't spend the money and I don't know how I feel about them switching to zip ties. If the backlash is loud enough, they'll go back to strings which'll make customization easier. Or, y'know, AG, you could stop with the hazel eyes for all so people wouldn't feel the need to try and swap out the eyes. I'm just saying.
And finally, DC Superhero Girls: Saw boxed promo pics. NEED ALL OF THEM NOW. You can keep the playset though because no space, no money. But the dolls and figures and the books? YES. NOW.
All in all, Mattel should basically just set up a doll a day kind of thing for me; it'd be cheaper in the long run. :P
Not Mattel related anymore: I ventured to Target yesterday and saw the new Hasbro Disney Princesses (Hasbro has the license now since Mattel lost it, possibly due to EAH and hubris) and... Hrmm. How to put this delicately.
Okay. I wasn't all that fond of the Mattel Disney Princesses, so my brain kind of forgets they were a thing because usually they were/are made of fug. This means that when I initially saw the dolls, my brain compared them to the Disney Store dolls which are, generally speaking, about 1000% cuter. (Scientifically speaking, naturally.) This isn't fair, however, since that's not the comparison to make.
Still.
I mean...
Guys. These heads are huge. And clearly I don't have a problem with large doll heads because my renewed love of dolls came about due to MyScene dolls who had huge heads and huge shoes (which made their feet look huge) and I dabbled more than a bit in the Bratz end of the pool, to say nothing of MH or, egads, EAH. But these heads are HUGE. And not necessarily pretty. Who did I see? Snow White, who I thought would be prettier when I saw pics online, but in person she's got this look of "ohno, why am I here?" and I remember that I hate her voice so meh. Umm... Cindy continues to look sadly vacant. I think I saw Rapunzel and she wasn't. Anna was pretty cute. I don't remember if I actually saw Merida or if she's just one I've seen online.
Online wise, Merida and Pocahontas are lovely. Merida's cute and Pocahontas is gorgeous, even if she looks like she's judging the shit out of you. Belle's bland and Jasmine kind of fell into uncanny valley somehow. Not sure how I feel about Mulan, yet. Ariel looks like she's about to start killing people, though, and I can't get a decent read on Sleeping Beauty.
Dolls are difficult, man.
Monster High: I like the fact that for however many years you've managed to balance both the darker themes (Freak du Chic) and the lighter, fluffier stuff (Dead Tired) and in general I dig your MH line. Given the fact that sales of MH have been fangtastic, I'd imagine I'm not alone in this.
However, with your video about the upcoming changes combined with the leaked images from the survey, I'm more than a little worried that we've hit the wall of Mattel meddling. I know doll lines have short shelf lives (RIP, MyScene) but I'd hoped that the juggernaut that was (is) MH would keep things churning out in a good way. I... don't know if I feel that way right now. We'll go into this later in a detailed post (headache, go away) but suffice it to say, the kiddification of the line is a weird road to take.
EAH: I don't really know if you knew what you wanted from this line, Mattel. It started off odd and just kept faltering. For every step forward, you seemed to take delight in jumping twenty back. For awhile you were lapping yourself in the failure department. Distribution is still a painful joke and the boxes don't stand out anymore, so when I ventured to Walmart yesterday, it wasn't until my third pass of the actual doll aisle that I even noticed where the EAH dolls were. That's not good, guys. But I do dig the Birthday Bash line (smells so yummy!) even if the price point is ridiculous (19.99? No.) and I want all the Dragon Game girls... So you continue to be a mixed bag.
AG: New stuff has cropped up in stores and I can't wait to see Lea's promo shots (we've seen a couple already) and I'm not known for my patience. If nothing else, the new year tends to renew my interest even in the face of incredible fan wank. The only things keeping me from dusting off the credit card to order Lea immediately? The fact that I shouldn't spend the money and I don't know how I feel about them switching to zip ties. If the backlash is loud enough, they'll go back to strings which'll make customization easier. Or, y'know, AG, you could stop with the hazel eyes for all so people wouldn't feel the need to try and swap out the eyes. I'm just saying.
And finally, DC Superhero Girls: Saw boxed promo pics. NEED ALL OF THEM NOW. You can keep the playset though because no space, no money. But the dolls and figures and the books? YES. NOW.
All in all, Mattel should basically just set up a doll a day kind of thing for me; it'd be cheaper in the long run. :P
Not Mattel related anymore: I ventured to Target yesterday and saw the new Hasbro Disney Princesses (Hasbro has the license now since Mattel lost it, possibly due to EAH and hubris) and... Hrmm. How to put this delicately.
Okay. I wasn't all that fond of the Mattel Disney Princesses, so my brain kind of forgets they were a thing because usually they were/are made of fug. This means that when I initially saw the dolls, my brain compared them to the Disney Store dolls which are, generally speaking, about 1000% cuter. (Scientifically speaking, naturally.) This isn't fair, however, since that's not the comparison to make.
Still.
I mean...
Guys. These heads are huge. And clearly I don't have a problem with large doll heads because my renewed love of dolls came about due to MyScene dolls who had huge heads and huge shoes (which made their feet look huge) and I dabbled more than a bit in the Bratz end of the pool, to say nothing of MH or, egads, EAH. But these heads are HUGE. And not necessarily pretty. Who did I see? Snow White, who I thought would be prettier when I saw pics online, but in person she's got this look of "ohno, why am I here?" and I remember that I hate her voice so meh. Umm... Cindy continues to look sadly vacant. I think I saw Rapunzel and she wasn't. Anna was pretty cute. I don't remember if I actually saw Merida or if she's just one I've seen online.
Online wise, Merida and Pocahontas are lovely. Merida's cute and Pocahontas is gorgeous, even if she looks like she's judging the shit out of you. Belle's bland and Jasmine kind of fell into uncanny valley somehow. Not sure how I feel about Mulan, yet. Ariel looks like she's about to start killing people, though, and I can't get a decent read on Sleeping Beauty.
Dolls are difficult, man.