Zelfs Elfa review

First of all, let me say that I'm just a hair behind on my blog.  Yeah, I've gotten more posts out this month than I usually do (Selah), but I'm still running behind schedule.  My intention was to get Malie Tasker, my new Create-a-Monster set, this Zelf, and an additional doll reviewed before November 20th.  Well, here it is December fifth and I'm...well, I'm halfway through that list.  As I mentioned yesterday my area is in the crosshairs of a violent winter storm, so now I've got time on my hands.  That being said, I want to introduce you to my new Zelf, Elfa.

First though, a bit of info on Zelfs.  Zelfs are little troll-like creatures created by Moose Toys, a company that I'm not familiar with.  They are relatively new things; I think they've just been released this year.  Beastsbelle has reviewed these in recent posts, but I initally wasn't sold on them.  Beastsbelle's daughter's Elfa doll was what won me over (you can see her in Beastbelle's Super Mermalade review).  Elfa is green and yellow, which happen to be my old high school's colors.  But anyway, Zelfs live in a far-away, super-secret garden called Zardinia.  Each Zelf has his or her own personality and strength, a strength which the owner can supposedly also have if they believe enough in themselves (or theirzelfs, as the Zelfs put it).  Zelfs come in three different sizes:  super, medium, and small (or Lil').  Super Zelfs are four inches tall, Medium Zelfs are about two and a quarter inches, and Lil' Zelfs appear to be an inch and a half tall.  My Elfa is a Medium Zelf.

Before I get into the doll herself I'm going to address the collectors' leaflet that comes with her.  The leaflet is cute too, by the way...it's a leaflet of paper and it's in the shape of a leaf (thank you Beastsbelle, for pointing this out!)

When I reviewed Sila Clops and Malie Tasker I left their personalities until the end of the review, which doesn't make sense now that I think of it.  So I'm going to share this first.

According to the leaflet, Elfa is an "Elf Zelf" and her Zelf Power is laughter.  "Laugh at yourself, LOL!" she says, and I think it's good advice.  I love to laugh.  In addition to the love of laughter, Elfa is a prankster who shirks off her chores to play pranks on people!  Her hovel, or "fabitat" is a zelk tree, whatever that is, and her birthday is the last day of Fall.

Now, Elfa herself!  She has lemon yellow vinyl and painted features.

She has an adorable face with molded eyebrows, a little nose, and a cheerful little smile.

Her eyes are inset orange marbles.  They appear to move as I change her position, and this effect allows her personality to shift.  From above she looks shy, vulnerable, almost sad.

Looks can be deceiving, though.  From the side she looks a trifle mischievous.

From below she looks downright goofy!

Elfa's nose is sprinkled with orange freckles, and her cheeks have some pale blush and pink leaves.  She has cute pointed ears that remind me of Novi Star ears.  The packaging said that Elfa is supposed to be an Elf Zelf and these ears add a touch of elfishness to her.  Pointed ears are not exclusive to Elf Zelfs, however; most of the other Zelfs have pointed ears as well (see Angelala the Angel Zelf for an example of this).

On top of Elfa's head is...well, hair!  She has dark green and light green hair that stands straight up.

I'm not sure what this fiber is.  It doesn't feel like saran, and it sure as heck isn't that nylon crap that a lot of MGA dolls use.  It's very soft and smooth, and it doesn't tangle or shed.  One can't make too many styles with it, so keep that in mind if you have a budding stylist in your household.

Elfa's body is jointed at the neck, shoulders, and hips.  She has only rotational motion at these joints.  This cuts down on posability quite a bit, but she can still strike a few cute poses.  She can sit:

walk:

and hold her arms up like this:

Malie:  "Want a hug, small earthling?"

Elfa's build is chubby.  She has a thick little torso and a tummy that sticks out a bit.

Her hands have four stubby little fingers:

And her feet have four stubby little toes:

Like the other Zelfs, Elfa has a design painted on her body.  Her paint scheme is not as elaborate as that of other Zelfs, but it's still cute.  Her tummy has green leaves and red blossoms painted on it, her legs have green vines, and her feet are solid green all the way around.

The shading on Elfa's feet is well-done, by the way.  The green on her feet shifts smoothly into the yellow on the rest of her body, which I love.

Oh yes, Elfa also has a Zelf mark painted on her tushie.

Word of warning to parents:  these dolls do come nude and have a well-defined gluteal cleft.  These dolls are NOT sexualized; I wouldn't have known Elfa was a girl if not for that leaflet she came with!  But keep that bare keyster in mind if nudity is an issue for you.

Elfa came with a couple of other accessories in addition to that leaflet.  She came with a cute leaf-shaped comb:

This little leaf charm:

And three rubber bands.  The rubber bands are being used in another doll's hair so you won't be seeing those.  They're in shades of pink and are quite nice.  Regarding the comb, I've learned from very reliable sources to eschew plastic doll brushes, so it won't be used unless I use it as a prop.  And the leaf charm...well, the cord is too small to go around my wrist, and it's too long to go around Elfa's neck.  It's also too long for my Monster High dolls...

...but it looks okay on my La Dee Da doll, Cyanne.

I also tried it as a bracelet on my Our Generation doll, Sadie.  But it only looped around her wrist once.

It would need to go around twice in order to stay on, but the cord is not elasticized so there's that idea out.  Oh well, the charm did look halfway decent on Cyanne, so she will probably be the one who wears it.  It looks cute with her leaf earrings.

I'm not going to do a good news/bad news section on Elfa, because there's very little to say about her that's bad.  The only thing I found that might be an issue for some folks would be her nudity.  But as I stated above, she's not really showing anything off that's inappropriate; her little tushie is more cute than anything.  Oh yes, she's also a hair stiff, but she's got more joints than the average troll doll does.  Aside from those things Elfa is a simple but delightful addition to my doll family.  She's colorful, she's cute, she's expressive, and she's surprisingly versatile.  As small as she is, I can even use her as a prop for my other dolls.

Long story short, I highly recommend Elfa and her colorful little friends.  If they can win over adults like Beastsbelle and me, then they sure as heck can win over a child.  Give a doll like Elfa to an imaginative child and she will no doubt have a field day.

God bless y'all,
RagingMoon1987