A rare find, part deux

I've stated in the past that mermaid dolls are not my thing.  They're pretty for sure, but they don't pose well and they usually can't sit or stand.  Nerida can sit, but Boba Bubbles can neither sit, stand, nor even lounge effectively.  I really, really, REALLY wish those Fidgie Friends came with stands!  It doesn't matter anymore since that line has gone the way of the dodo, but a nice stand might've helped.  Boba and company are visually eye-catching and would've looked cute posing on some little girl's dresser.  Initially my feelings towards the Mermaze Mermaidz was about the same; I found them attractive but impractical since only one of them could stand on her own.  Oh yeah, and cutesy consonants.  We all know how MGA Entertainment is obsessed with extraneous x's and z's...jeez, drop that stupidity, will you, MGA???  Anywho, my main beef with these dolls was that they'd lay around and not even be able to sit up, like Boba Bubbles.  Surprise!  These dolls now come with stands!  How do I know this???  Well...I saw these dolls first on Reddit, and then Veni Vidi Dolli subsequently revealed that these dolls do indeed have stands, and that was enuff to twist my arm.  Meet Crystabella, from the Winter Waves line.

MGA boxes are impressive, but they're also a nightmare to get into.

That wasn't too bad, actually.  No injuries, one cuss word, a muttered "Well I'll be damned" upon finding a hidden plastic tie inside Crystabella's jacket.  Here she is, free of packaging and unadorned for the moment. 

I love the winter theme; winter-themed dolls tend to be very pretty, as Abbey Bominable shows.  Anyway, both Miss Emily and Veni Vidi Dolli have reviewed these dolls so I'm just gonna skim this.  For reasons I'll never know mermaid dolls always have a ton of hair, and I'm told that with the Mermaze dolls said hair can vary in quality.  First-wave Jordie has a head full of microbraids (those are always easy to maintain), and first-wave Kishiko has these amazing little gathered ponytails that look like they're made from yarn, but first-wave Riviera has this mass of pink curls that looks good but is tough to maintain.  So I'm giving Crystabella's ample hair a wary side-eye.  It looks good, and it's done up in a style that will likely stave off a few tangles, but I'll still be treating this hair with respect.  It feels like either middle-of-the-road nylon or polypropylene, kinda stiff.

It's really pretty hair, though.  It's pearl-colored with strands of tinsel, a fitting color for mermaid hair AND for ice hair.  I like the style too, a high ponytail that flatters this shape of head.  There's just so...much...hair...so much that Crystabella's head is pulled off to her right like so.

In other news, I'm pleased to see MGA Entertainment embracing dolls with uber-dark skin...er, plastic, whatever you wanna call it.  Since she IS dark it's a bit hard for me to properly capture her face, but she's got beautiful makeup, kinda like the aurora borealis. 

Her eyes are inset and are of an ethereal lilac color, and they're unfortunately a bit wonky.  On a positive note...I don't know if this glitter is painted onto Crystabella's face or if it's molded in, but either way she's got a sparkly face.  The rest of her body has this glitter too, and note that the top of her tail has studs and seams, like a fancy pair of jeans.

I love that silver nail polish too.  I wore many colors in my day, but I can't remember ever wearing silver...<pauses to think> yeah, I did!  It wasn't smooth-looking like Crystabella's is, though.

Back in the day, the only Bratz doll that was this dark was Felicia, and she got all of two releases before the Bratz reboot.  In more recent times Rainbow High students Robin Sterling, Coco Vanderbalt, and Krystal Bailey have been rendered in that lovely dark shade, and Felicia has gotten a few new releases as well.  I really like Coco Vanderbalt, by the way!  Secondary market prices for Rainbow High and Shadow High dolls are just as ridiculous as prices for old-school Bratz and G1 Monster High dolls, but I still like Coco.  ANYWAY, MGA is stepping up the ol' diversity game, Crystabella is unapologetically dark, and her complexion pops against her fair hair and light-colored tail.

Oh yes, the tail, and the reason why these Winter Waves mermaids (mermaidz?) appealed to me.  They all have snow globe tails, filled with liquid and glitter.

Hmmm, I need to shake that up a bit.

Now that I think of it, that was also how Boba Bubbles suckered me into buying her, LOL.  It was also the reason why Una Verse was my first favorite of the Novi Starz.  Remember those?  Sila Clops and Malie Tasker were the ones I ultimately bought, but Una was an initial favorite because of her icy coloration and snow-filled legs.  Indeed, I STILL think Una Verse is cute.  Unfortunately, I also remember some parents being concerned about Una leaking as time passed, and I myself have been worried about that with the Fidgie Friends.  The seams on Crystabella's tail look pretty robust...

...but I'll be careful not to drop or mishandle her, just in case.  Her tail isn't soft like Boba's and would likely split when dropped rather than bounce.

Some of these Mermaidz come with fabric clothes and some do not (Orra had permanently attached outerwear).  Crystabella has honest-to-God fabric clothes, including a very pretty and very thick winter coat, and (spoilers!) this killed my enjoyment of Crystabella a bit.

First-wave Jordie also wears a thick coat, and Miss Emily rightfully pointed out that such a getup would quickly get waterlogged.  I'll add that with Crystabella being a winter-themed doll, such a coat would not only get soggy, but also COLD!!!  But...these are dolls, and dolls are not bound by Earthly rules.  Or I could take the Twelfth Doctor's attitude:

"Of course, the real question is where did I get a cup of tea?  Answer:  I'm the Doctor.  Just accept it."

I'm not particularly fond of the Twelfth Doctor; he tends to be an irascible old git at times, and...well, he's not Number Eleven!  But I like that scene, where he gives a room full of Daleks a piece of his mind and survives being shot by the same Daleks.  Anyway, in Crystabella's case I'll take the Doctor's advice:  she's a doll.  Just accept that she's wearing a heavy coat in the water and have a nice day.  As I said above, it's a pretty coat...

...but it was a living nightmare to put on, and it pulls Crystabella's arms back in an uncomfortable-looking position.  Veni Vidi Dolli wasn't in love with her doll's coat either, to the point that she left it off completely.  What a shame, it's a pretty coat.  Maybe Draculaura can wear it.

Mmmm, she looks okay.  She doesn't have elbow joints or thick sleeves like Crystabella does, so the coat doesn't slow her down as much.  I pair this with a new shirt and some leggings and Draculaura should be good to go.  As for Crystabella, she is much more comfortable without her coat, kinda like I am.

So the coat was a flop, but it wasn't a complete waste since Draculaura can wear it.  Likely Crystabella would've benefited from a softer coat, something like what Jordie wore...or what a couple of her Winter Waves sisters got.  Nera and Gwen both come with soft coats, soft enuff that Veni Vidi Dolli didn't have to take Nera's hands off, so Crystabella could've had that too.  Stiff, crinkly, plasticky fabric looks good on futuristic outfits like Aurora's, but it just slows down a mermaid.

Turning towards another positive now, Crystabella's tailfin changes colors with water.  See how it's pearly right now?

Cold water turns it aurora-colored, though I'm not gonna dip my hands in cold water to show y'all, LOL!  Not right now, anyway; too cold outside already, and Casa Pizarro's hot water heater is on the blink so I'm sick to death of cold water.  Orra and Jordie both worked pretty well for Miss Emily though, so I have no reason to doubt that Crystabella's feature will work too.  Oddly, the instructions say not to submerge these dolls.  Uh...aren't mermaid dolls SUPPOSED to be played with in the pool or the tub?  Not smart, MGA.  Whatevs, Crystabella came with some extraneous crap that she can't hold.

Take that back, she can hold the makeup brush and probably the cup, but not the other stuff.  But the pink tube opens up, revealing a tiny mascara wand...

...and the nail polish bottle also opens up.

The pager-cell phone thingy and the compact also open and have some details inside.  That teeny-weeny mirror actually functions as a passable mirror. 

I love little details like that, though it's extra little stuff that a kid could lose.  I'm not a kid, and I keep the stuff in a Ziploc bag, so it won't get lost too quickly.

The buzz on Reddit is that the Mermaidz are not selling particularly well, and there has been talk of cancellation for these dolls at least twice, but YouLoveIt! has images of a third wave, done up in a pajama party theme.  My favorite of those is Zuna, since she's kinda punky and believes in UFOs.  YouLoveIt! says that a small number of these pajama dolls made it to stores, and once again Veni Vidi Dolli has a few of them (Zuna is her favorite too), but there's no official word yet whether Mermaze Mermaidz are canceled or not.  The Reddit post regarding the slumber party line is at least a year old, and Veni Vidi Dolli's last Mermaidz post was clean back in March.  With no new waves released in a year, I can't say that that bodes well for the Mermaidz.

As for me, I can't offer any word on the line as a whole, but I can see where these dolls might fall a little flat.  Crystabella isn't very versatile, she can't strike a ton of creative poses, she's got a lot of hair that could tangle, and as far as I know she doesn't have any extra outfits to wear.  She also has inset eyes, which can be a detriment for some kids who find such eyes creepy (I like them).  Or maybe it's the fact that these dolls have an element that changes color in water, but the dolls themselves should not be submerged, and their clothes are not water-friendly.  Hell, Crystabella's jacket isn't even USER-friendly!  All that said, I do like Crystabella.  She's pretty and ethereal, and I'll be able to effectively display her (like I CAN'T do with my other mermaids).  I like how she sparkles in the right light, and I'm hoping that maybe some Monster High clothes might fit her upper body...may have to revisit that bit.  She's nice to have around, if only for display purposes; she sadly can't sit and chillax with Nerida, but she can at least stand.  She needs at least one friend, maybe first-wave Kishiko or Zuma if I can find her.

That's all I have to see.  My feelings for Crystabella are a bit mixed but pretty good overall.  EDIT:  I found a comment on Miss Emily's post where I said I'd pass on the Mermaze bunch!  Funny how opinions can change with time.

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

A rare find

Or at least she's a rare find in my collection.  Meet Nerida.

I gave away the last two mermaids I had in my collection (one of them can be seen here).  Mattel's playline mermaids are usually very pretty, but they're not easy to pose and they're dern near impossible to redress.  They are good for play in the pool or the tub, though; indeed, I loved pretending that my handful of childhood Barbie dolls were mermaids.  Nerida feels pretty watertight, so she'd serve her purpose as a plaything well.  Unfortunately, this particular plaything has an attribute that's sent collectors silly.  Look at this face.  The head is the "Odile" head and is commonly seen on Barbie mermaids, but this paint job is something else. 

She's got a drop-dead gorgeous face.  One doesn't often see shaded lips and subtly blushed cheeks on a play doll.  Heck, I don't even know of any Barbie Looks dolls that are painted quite like this.  The other mermaids in this particular wave didn't get a paint job like this either.  They've all got beautiful coloration (I love the green one), but their paint is not unique in any way.

A lot of my dolly friends have put this head on an Obitsu body or a pale Made to Move body, but I think I'll leave Nerida as she is for the time being.  I like the soft colors on her body, and being a mermaid in a group of landlubbers, she's unique.  If the forecast for today holds true then she may soon have ample places to swim; Francine is movin' in!

Edit, 9/17/2024:  This post shows y'all how little of an impact the Fidgie Friends made on my dolly world.  I completely forgot that Boba Bubbles is also a mermaid, and that review was only two weeks ago.

Love,
RagingMoon1987

When life hands you a lemon...

...yeah, yeah, make lemonade.  Too bad life handed me a reeking bag of manure today instead of a lemon.  Work was terrible, one of Mama's dogs escaped, and we got some bad news from our lawyer about a family member's will.  So I did what I always do, and I buried my head in the sand.  Of course I have a doll to keep me company and late-era prog rock to keep my ears ringing ("Heat of the Moment" and "I Don't Care Anymore" are on the playlist tonight).  Here's one of those Color Reveal Barbie dolls.

I already have one of these and I can't write home about the quality, but the issues I found with the doll will hardly bother a child.  Unfortunately the joke is on me, because I didn't read the labels close enough and got a danged mermaid.

Granted she's a pretty mermaid, with a sparkly tail and hair that has streaks when cold water is used.  And she's got a pretty face.

She's just not what I was expecting, and she definitely won't be able to wear the little outfits I got today.  Specifically, these.

Two of them come with an accessory that should accompany every doll outfit:  shoes.

Both the orange-printed dress and the sunflower getup have this label slapped on the package.

Oh good grief, another Barbie movie?  Haven't there been enough???  IS it really a movie???  I dunno.

With the mermaid out of the question I'll instead call upon Theta.  I've already tinkered with her a little anyway, as she's wearing blue jeans now.

It was just too stinkin' cold for Theta to go bare-legged when I got her.  LOL, anyway, here's the sunflower ensemble, the only one I bought that lacks shoes.

I admit that I'd prefer the outfit with shoes, but Etsy is full of Barbie shoes so I'm not gonna gripe.  I know that Mattel has tried to make clothes that fit all Barbie dolls, but this one fits Theta's slim bust pretty tight.  Thus I doubt my curvy dolls could wear this cute little getup.  But...I don't know that for sure.

A lot of Barbie ensembles come with these flower-shaped glasses, but for once I won't complain about redundant accessories.  I'll never pass up an opportunity for another of my dolls to have Elton John glasses.

It happens to be Elton John's birthday today.  Hope he had a good one!

Next outfit now!  It is a pink gingham babydoll dress with oranges on it.  It came with shoes.

Not bad!  I think this would fit the curvy body better than the sunflower outfit would, though I'll admit that I had trouble getting the sleeves over Theta's hands.

Would yall believe that I got that cute little headband over Theta's ample hair?  It took a little bamboozling, but I got it done and it looks cute.

My main beef with this dress is that it appears to have no front or back.  The good news?  The dress is printed all over.

The third outfit is an athletic set of some kind.  I'd guess tennis, but it could just as easily be jogging or volleyball or some other sport like that.  The lack of sports gear leaves that bit open for interpretation. 

Shoving the visor into Theta's thick hair didn't work as well as the headband did, so i probably won't use that on this particular doll again.  I also don't think the shoes and visor match the soft colors of the clothing.  I like the shoes, though; they're the same color as Theta's stock shoes, but they're a different style.

Overall I'm pleased to see the return of shoes to Barbie's wardrobe.  There for the longest time no shoes came with Barbie ensembles, so I'm glad to see them making more of a comeback.  I also appreciate the use of other colors besides pink, and this holds true for many of Barbie's other current ensembles.  I feel a bit like Barbie is revisiting her mod roots, so bright and colorful are these clothes.  I'm unsure about how well these clothes will fit some of the body shapes, though.  Probably I'll need to readdress that in the future.

Now what to do with that mermaid???  She's cute, but she really has no place in my collection.  Decisions, decisions. 

Cheers,

RagingMoon1987