I don't usually make posts about new toy shipments, but this particular reset brought a lot of fun stuff so here we are! I've spoken a couple of times about the new wave of Barbie Fashionistas, as all of them are really great. Indeed, upon seeing them I was hit with a nasty case of the galloping greedy gimmies, but I was able to show a shred of self-control and only take pictures. These three are my favorites.
From left, they are #69 Blue Beauty (tall body), #60 Patchwork Denim (original body), and #63 Platinum Pop (curvy body). Platinum's hair looks more silver IRL than it does platinum, but it looks fabulous with her darker skin. Denim's melon-colored hair is very unique, as is Blue's silver-blue hair. Also present was the Kira sculpt, available again after a long absence, in the form of #62 Sweet for Silver (petite body).
I'm not as over the moon for this doll as I thought I would be, but it's wonderful to see the Kira sculpt back again and I hope Mattel keeps it in the lineup.
Also from Mattel are the new Kuu-Kuu Harajuku dolls. The only one in stock was Baby, seen below.
Miss Emily reviewed these not too long ago and I think they're cute, but I'm not chomping at the bit to get one like I was initially. These dolls will have separate outfits available and I'll probably hit those up instead. Noticeably absent from Mattel's lineup of new crap were Monster High and Ever After High, and it turns out that there's a good reason for the latter being gone. I learned this morning from
another post of Miss Emily's that Ever After High has been canceled. I can't say that I'm too sad about that; the dolls are cute but they lacked the originality that the Monster High crew possesses. Given the fact that I saw naught but a few older Monster High lines, I'm now wondering if their time is on the clock too.
Let's try to forget that nasty possibility and look at the rest of these dolls. Immediately below the Kuu-Kuu Harajuku dolls were these, the Shibajuku Girls. Looks like Japanese street fashion may end up being a big thing this fall. Anywho, here's the three that Dexter's Wal-Mart has. From left, they are Shizuka, Yoko, and Suki.
Here comes the Hypocrite Squad now. Remember when I said that I think pink is overused on dolls? Yeah...Shizuka, with her hot pink hair and clothes, is my favorite of these three. These are surprisingly big dolls, by the way; the Kuu-Kuu Harajuku dolls were shorter than Barbie, while the Shibajuku Girls have heads that are close in size to an American Girl doll's head. Their bodies are small by comparison, making these new dolls almost like a budget version of Blythe or a Pullip. They have inset eyes and are interesting to look at, but as with the Kuu-Kuu Harajuku dolls my curiosity was satisfied with just a look. Miss Emily
reviewed Namika (not pictured) and Yoko, Kewpie83
tackled Koe (also not pictured), and Creative Purple Heart reviewed a
different version of Shizuka, so if y'all are curious about these then there's plenty of opinions out there.
Hasbro has apparently been having fun with the Disney Descendants. Check this gal out!
Her name is Una, and she's from the Isle of the Lost so that would mean she's the offspring of at least one Disney villain. But who? She looks a lot like Tiana, but Tiana is no villain. Una is very pretty though, and I love that sparkly green hair! Again, I was sorely tempted, but the price was pretty steep so I just took a picture.
Lastly, there were some things that are new to me but not new to the toy world, as they've been around awhile. They're
Calico Critters!
I absolutely love Calico Critters. They're these little flocked, jointed animal figures that wear clothes and come in family units, complete with clothes and individual names. This particular Wal-Mart has a tuxedo cat family and a koala family, plus furniture and some babies from the golden retriever family. Once again I was tempted, particularly by the cat family, but the prices were a little high again. I may treat myself to a set of these in the future though, because they are just so cute!
I did come away with a handful of items today...but y'all are going to have to wait until the next couple of posts to see them! They're nothing super-duper special, just cute crap that I wanted.
Yours truly,
RagingMoon1987
I want to buy Blue Beauty, but between thinly rooted hair and a scalp painted black (what's up with that?) I'm waiting to see if later releases of the doll correct the problem.
ReplyDeleteI wish Emily had given a source for her Ever After High information. A new Apple White play set was just released, and there are several more EAH dolls on Amazon currently not available. They aren't exactly bringing back the glory days of EAH, but there are new dolls out there.
Una is the daughter of Ursula the Sea Witch. Yep, they turned Ursula from purple to black. Ursula already showed up looking like this in the TV show Once Upon a Time, otherwise known as, how many Disney movie characters can we shove in.
My youngest daughter has her Calico Critters house, furniture and family of bunnies carefully packed away. She may display it when she has room.
I saw another online source that went to a toy convention and reported the cancellation of the Ever After High line, but again I don't know how true that is. Mattel could change their minds and keep the line going too; they have a right to do that, I guess.
DeleteI had no idea Blue Beauty had a black scalp! How very silly that is! I couldn't even tell with the one I had there in the store. With the direction Mattel is going with punky hairstyles, there's probably a rhyme and reason for it. Or maybe it's just to irk us collectors. LOL
I had considered Ursula as Una's mother, but the skin threw me off too. I love dolls of color, but I agree that the progeny of a sea witch ought to be the same color as her mother. I dig that hair, though!
I'd love to see your girl's collection when and if she gets them set up. Those little goomers sure are cute!
Congratulations on NOT buying any of the Fashionistas before you are ready. I have the first two you show - #69 and #60. Love, love, love #69. I still want to get #63, but I am waiting until I reduce my collection a bit. I don't care about the dark scalps; seems silly, but I suppose Mattel wants us to know that the colors are not "natural" to those dolls. LOL. Shrug.
ReplyDeleteThanks for showing these other dolls. I don't collect big-headed dolls - usually - but that Uma Disney Descendant looks cute. Maybe if she were on clearance. Maybe I could use that articulated body for a regular Barbie or similar doll. Hmmm ....
Regarding your liking for the pink-haired Shizuka and your previous statement that you found pink overused in dolls, I think that's more of an exception than hypocrisy. The Shizuka doll impressed you. You may still find pink overused, but in that instance, the colors worked. Like how I think I'm tired of the Asha face mold and then I see one or more dolls with that face mold and think "Wow."
Thanks for sharing. Wish you much dolly fun now and in the future.
LOL, it was so hard not to buy those dolls! They look so nice together and they'd look great with my other fantasy-haired dolls. That's a good point you made about the black paint, by the way; it IS realistic for folks' roots to show after getting a dye job.
DeleteThe Asha face is tricky, innut? It can look blah or amazing depending on the paint used. I find Shawnee from the Mystery Squad very boring for example, but Hula Hair Christie's makeup makes that overused mold really special. I do wish they'd vary the heads more for African American dolls, though. It's always Asha or Mbili. I love Mbili, but a little variation would be great.
I wouldn't mind the black scalp so much if the blue hair wasn't so thinly rooted. Seeing the black scalp so clearly just seems to point out how little blue hair there is. At least to me. :)
DeleteEither the one I saw in the store has thicker hair or I just have my head up my butt. I didn't notice her black scalp at all. LOL
DeleteI think maybe it was Farrah at Cozy Comforts who mentioned Blue's hair being thin? So when I saw Blue in store, I looked at the top of the scalp to check out the rooting, which was when I saw the black scalp. The Blue in your picture doesn't actually look too bad! But when I buy one I'm definitely going to check out the top of the head first.
DeleteNope, wasn't me!:) But I did know that the platinum girl with the silver hair has a black scalp as well. To me, I just try to think of it as "roots"..maybe these were dark haired beauties that dyed their hair? IDK why they would go to such a length for "realism", but who knows, lol.
DeleteGreat to see what you have in stores by you already. I have gotten a couple of the Fashionistas, but I'm going slowly and trying to pick the ones that have the best eyes. There have been a lot of wonky eyed ones which is sad! Sometimes they position the face so they look to the side and you can't get an accurate view I've noticed, which is annoying.
Monster High dolls were pretty much completely gone from my Walmart this weekend (EAH has been gone from the shelves for months) and I was so sad! We haven't gotten anything newer than Shriek Wrecked, sadly and I think this line is also coming to an end. The shelves were stocked with so many new and different things. I have a ton of MH stuff yet to collect on the secondary market, though, so it's all good. I still need to hunt down the Spring Unsprung line for EAH and then I should be good with that line!
I've finally noticed the Shibujuku dolls and I'm satisfied just to look as well. They don't really appeal to me, but I love their originality and fashions.
I love Calico Critters!! They are as cute as can be and I'm glad that my 5 year old loves them, too so we have a tiny collection. I ended up buying the Kangaroo family and the Deer family for myself (but gave them to her to play with.) Their playsets and accessories are adorable. Growing up, we had a similar line called "Maple Town", which my sister and I used to collect and I think that is why they appeal to me so much. :)
Oh Lordy, eye wonk WAS a problem with those dolls. I got three good ones, but a bunch of their compadres looked like they'd been beaned over the head and permanently had crossed eyes.
DeleteI'm sad about Monster High dolls, but I can't say that I'm surprised. They've been declining in quality for quite some time, and they're becoming less imaginative as well. I think it's a dumb move on Mattel's part to focus so hard on Barbie when they had a hit with the Monster High dolls.
Oh, a kangaroo family! That's one reason why I love the Calico Critters; they're so original! I wonder if they'd ever do an anteater family?