Sorry, it's another Bratz post, LOL!

Happy Friday the 13th, ladies and germs!  Xanadu correctly predicted that more Bratz dolls were to visit the blog.  I know they're not everyone's thing, so you're welcome to NOT read if you wish.  That said, I learned a somewhat-painful lesson this past week during an eBay browsing session:  if you see a Bratz doll or a Monster High doll you like, get it.  My searches for Dynamite Nevra and Haunted Kiyomi Haunterly ended in disappointment, as in-box examples go for a hundred bucks (or so), and out-of-box dolls are inevitably missing pieces.  Case in point:  Welcome to Fabulous Tiana can go for THREE hundred dollars MIB.  My doll is a very close match to her, and she's available RIGHT NOW, so I got her.

Yep, Tiana, not to be confused with the Frog Princess.  Tiana reminds me of my childhood favorites Jade and Kumi, and also of Maci, who was a young adult favorite.  I love the red streaks in her black hair.

Fun fact:  Felicia and Tiana do indeed have nylon hair.  Thanks to Bailey Maria for pointing this out.  The days of fishing wire nylon are apparently long over, because both Felicia and Tiana have soft, smooth, manageable hair.  A far cry from Meygana Broomstix's eternally tangled mane and Jade J'adore's short-but-still-coarse bob.  I wonder what MGA Entertainment was thinking, saddling their dolls with that crap?  No, no, don't tell me!  It was cheaper than decent hair.

In the time that's elapsed since Felicia made her debut, the temperature has dropped significantly.  It was ninety at the very beginning of October, then lows bottomed out around 42-fahrenheit on the seventh of the month, then after a brief rally temps are in the low seventies again.  Felicia has an outfit that will fit the season, but Tiana...hmmm.

A fur jacket and a crop top!  Yep, makes total sense!  Yeah, yeah, I know that the Welcome to Fabulous line was supposed to be dressed up for a night at Las Vegas during God-knows-when in the year, not for an autumn afternoon in the Missouri Delta.  But the juxtaposition between crop top and jacket still makes me giggle.  The jacket is partially lined, by the way, and I love the fabric MGA used.

In true Bratz fashion Tiana also comes with another outfit that shows a copious amount of skin.  Pardon Tiana's slightly unkempt ponytail; I need to wash some gel out of her hair.

I have to admit that I'm growing less and less accepting of revealing clothes as I grow older.  As a teenager I'd have shrugged at Tiana's skimpy outfit and said "She's going out to party, no big deal."  Now I know that sixteen-year-old girls almost NEVER dress like that unless their parents just don't give a crap what they do.  Goodness knows my parents wouldn't have let me out of the house dressed like Tiana, OR Felicia when Felicia is wearing her skimpier outfit.  But as I've said before, that's real life, and Tiana and Felicia are not real life.  Still, I understand more and more why some parents were concerned about these back in the day.  My dad didn't mind me playing with the Bratz, but then again I was a teenager and understood fully that dolls are make-believe.  Little girls sometimes don't know where that line between real and not real lies.  Whatever, strike a pose, girls!

It's worth noting that it takes a fair amount of hand strength to bend these dolls' knees, just as it initially did when the first wave came out.  I was about fourteen when I received my first-wave Jade, and I didn't learn that her knees could bend until...I think I was reviewing May Lin when I figured out that Jade could indeed bend her knees.

So far I like all the dolls from this current Bratz line, but I'm gonna try to show SOME self-control and wait for the Pretty 'N' Punk revamp to come out.  Jade, Yasmin, and Eitan are my favorites from that line, but if I have to get just one I'll flip a coin between Yasmin and Eitan.  Yasmin is underrepresented in my collection, and I have exactly ONE boy (Cameron, from way back in the first wave).  I am a little sad though that the revamp doesn't come with dogs like the original line did.  I liked the dogs because they all named after musicians that I either liked or knew of:  Elton John, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronan Keating, and Gavin...Gavin Rossdale, was it?  Bush was modern, and even now I can't name a single song they performed.  Interestingly, the Boyz from this line had cats, christened Nigel, Ian, and Sherlock.  LOL, I love the name "Sherlock" for a cat!  I did think it was a shame that Elton (Jade's dog, wouldn't y'all know) was a Scottie rather than a cocker spaniel, since Elton John owned a cocker spaniel at the time, but then how many of us knew that???  Besides, Scotties are awesome.  The rerelease doesn't include these pets, but pets or no they make me hopeful for others that I let slip away.  Maybe Dynamite Nevra will show up, or Design Your Own (that one was freaky!), or iCandy, or oooh, oooh, everyone loves the Funk 'n' Glow lines!  The Funk 'n' Glow dolls had clothes that lit up, and the first two waves came with two outfits.  By the time the third wave rolled around extra outfits had been phased out, but they were still a cute bunch.  So I dunno.  Take that back, I DO know that walking down the doll isle makes me giddy with excitement, just like it did when I was a teenager.  Bratz are just part of it, just like they were then, but once again they're a pretty big part.  They've got a LOT more competition now, mostly from their own "cousins" (Rainbow High, Shadow High, and O.M.G., all fellow MGA Entertainment dolls), as well as good ol' Barbie and the Disney Princesses.  But still, it's lovely to see these bratty, goofy-looking dolls back, if even for a short while.  I plan on making the best of it.  Heck, there's even minis!

These dolls and accessories are small enuff to be dolls for Felicia and Tiana.  Kumi is one of the options and I was hoping to get her...

...but I got Cloe from the Rock Angelz line, and Sasha from the Wintertime Collection.  I don't hate that result!  Indeed, I liked the Wintertime Collection, because that group of dolls made dressing for cold weather look fun.  But...but the Wintertime Collection Sasha I found is dressed in gold, not green and blue.  The Sasha I have is from the Wintertime Wonderland line, which I do remember and do love.  Their clothes were warm and practical, but also colorful and stylish, very much like I tried to be during the bleak winter months that I hate so terribly.  As for the Rock Angelz, they were okay, and I liked the belly tattoos, but they didn't wow me like other lines did.  These are nice little figures, though.  Sasha looks particularly fierce.

Cloe's package is elliptical, so she's harder to photograph.  However, her two-tone hair can be faintly seen near her shoulders.  This Cloe was one of the few with dark hair (Cloe is usually the token blonde).

As far as I know the rest of the paint is spot on, though her jeans probably should've been darker.  The full-sized Cloe wore dark-wash jeans...I think.  It's been a long time since I saw these dolls in person.  Maybe the Rock Angelz will see another release just like the Pretty 'N' Punk bunch is.  So far all of the new Bratz have been reproductions...with a few exceptions.  This is the one that popped up in the local Wal-Mart.

Kylie Jenner.  I try to avoid anything associated with the Kardashian and Jenner families, but I do like this doll's dark hair and soft makeup.  The fancier doll even has her dog with her.  Bratz have been collaborating with several high-end designers lately, but I'm not sure I'd call Kylie a high-end designer.  But then I know very little about high-end fashion.  Kylie in the little black dress will eventually make her way to the Moon House, but it'll have to be at a later date because I just got paid.

But then again, I don't guess I should be shopping for more dolls when I have a box full of stuff at home that hasn't seen daylight in a couple'a years.  Felicia and Tiana left me feeling nostalgic, so I grubbed out my box of Bratz, mostly old stuff that's anywhere from ten to twenty years old.  It's just a cardboard box that's seen better days, but guess who was right on top?  My beloved old Jade, a little worse for wear but still looking saucy and sweet.

As I said before, for a long time Jade was my only one.  The Christmas after I got her she was joined by Cameron...

...then by my sister's Meygan...

...and finally by Sasha, who is not wearing her original outfit ATM.

She's still clad in one of those ensembles from a few years back, the ones that had shoes that wouldn't click onto the old Bratz' feet.  Said ensemble doesn't even fit the old Bratz, really.  Instead they're sized for the noodly, flimsy bodies that accompanied Raya and her friends from...well, THAT time frame.

I don't hate Raya, but I definitely don't like her as much as I do my old Jade, or the new reproductions.  She doesn't pose well, and she doesn't have anywhere near the 'tude that Jade and Tiana do.  This was a problem with some, but not all, of the 2015 Bratz.

They're BRATZ, folks.  They're gonna look...well, bratty!  There is a bit of a continuum regarding expressions, though.  For example, in this lineup Jade looks sultry but approachable, Tiana looks like she knows a dirty little secret, and Cloe looks like a bitch.

Not all Cloe dolls look like little Karens, but even so Cloe was never my favorite of the Bratz.  She was blonde, blue-eyed, same-o-same-o.  I DO like her first wave self, though.  Admittedly, if I hadn't been so smitten with Jade Cloe would've been my pick.  Her stock outfit was dominantly blue and brought out her eyes.  But Jade was my pick, as I've established ad nauseam.

I wanna give Cameron some love too, since he's my only boy.  He was the one who introduced me to the concept of the man purse. 

Cameron's wiki has him romantically linked to Cloe (because of course), while Jade dated Dylan, Koby, Iden, and for a brief spell a guy named Matt.  But in the Moon House, Jade and Cameron are an item and always have been.

As of right now Cameron remains my only male representative of the trendy fashion dolls.  I never got any of the male Monster High characters, and so far I don't own any of the male Rainbow High and Shadow High characters.  Rexx McQueen and Oliver Ocean are tempting, though.

Then there were the spinoffs.  I only have one of the Bratz Kidz because I never really cared for those.  Here's Yasmin; she's popped into the blog briefly in the past.

I'll admit to liking Sasha, because she had a long, beautiful skirt like I like to wear...kinda like Yasmin has got now!

That outfit is actually designed for Sasha, but Yasmin works it just fine.  She was lucky enuff to come with her own shoes, shoes that go with everything.  But for the most part I avoid these and Etsy seems to do the same; a perusal of the site turned up no new clothes for Yasmin.

The Bratzillaz, on the other hand, developed...a cult following, maybe?  I liked 'em, even though they seemed like flagrant ripoffs of both the Monster High squad and the LIV dolls.  It was WAAAAY back in the early days of the blog when I reviewed Meygana.  The Who were always on my mind back then, and here Meygana is chanelling Pete Townshend.

Gonna show you why they call me lightning!  Oh, Meygana is still around, but she's in...guess where?  Storage!  Anyway, I always loved these dolls' eyes...AND their lips.  The lips remind me of Skittles, and y'all may or may not remember that I love Skittles.

Drat, I'll have to reuse another picture from Meygana's review!  She had Skittles lips too, and SPARKLY blue eyes!  Meygana's hair was and still is a disaster, but she's still a pretty little doll.  

Midnight Beach Jade J'adore is also worth a closer look, for reasons that should probably be obvious.

Oh, those beach-themed Bratzillaz were so weird!  I love the glow-in-the-dark gimmick, but it makes Jade look...a little unalive and undead at the same time.  Doesn't stop Jade from hamming it up for the camera, though.  The elastic that allowed her to hold her cape has long since disintegrated, but oh well.

Miss Emily noted that the only character who could effectively pull off this greenish-white tone was Fianna Fins, largely because she was a mermaid (and also a witch).  Hair, on the other hand...well, that was back in the days when MGA was in love with that cheap nylon crap.  Jade's silvery bob isn't as gross as Meygana's tangled pall, but it's not great either.

I read that the first wave Jade J'adore's hair was even worse!  Bratzillaz hair did get better, but eee-yucko, why did MGA use that sh!t in the first place?  No wait, I know why!  I think we've rehashed that once.

Okay, okay, I'll stop now!  When I dig into a box of my old things I tend to get carried away.  So yeah, I know Bratz aren't for everyone, but I personally am glad to see these chicks back on shelves.  I hope that maybe the reproductions will become popular again, and maybe MGA can take up where they left off...before the nylon hair and the fish lips!  If not, well...we've still got Rainbow High and Shadow High!

Bratzy love,
RagingMoon1987

Playing Dolly Doctor: Rapunzel, Merida, and Yasmina

Since I touched on these three in my last post, I thought I'd make them the next victims of THE PLASTIC BAG OF DOOM.  They are, from left, Magic Night Out Yasmina Clairvoya, Rapunzel from "Tangled," and Merida from "Brave."

Rapunzel and Merida both had some crud on their faces, so they've already been washed some in this picture.  Rapunzel was fortunate enough to have her dress buried in the pile of dolls, but Merida and Yas weren't.  Naked or no, I'm thrilled to have these three aboard.  I've wanted a Merida doll ever sense the movie "Brave" came out (never mind that I've never seen it), and I love Yasmina's hair color!  Since it's short, I didn't have to put up with tangles like I did with my first-wave Meygana.  Rapunzel, on the other hand, promised to be a living nightmare.  She's got almost a foot of hair, and eleven inches of it were tangled.  Merida has curly hair, so she may only need a night in THE PLASTIC BAG OF DOOM to get it to behave.  I've done that with two other curly-haired Barbie dolls, and both times their curls came out perfect.  Just don't brush.  Finger-comb while the hair is slippery with conditioner, but don't brush.

Here's how these fine ladies look now.

Yasmina has a few gimmicks that made me hesitant to put her in a damp plastic bag overnight, so I just washed her hair.  Rapunzel's rat's nest required a braid to keep it under control, and I may do something even more drastic if I can't get it looking the way I want it to.  As for Merida...well, my prediction turned out to be right.  Dipping her head in some conditioner brought those curls back to life, and now she looks like she should.  I'm only sorry that I don't have a proper dress to put her in; she may get something handmade for a change of pace.

Rapunzel, however, does have a proper dress.  Don't believe me?  Take a gander!

Yes, that is a small watermelon that she's sitting on.  I wanted to be creative.  Keep your eyes peeled for my third group!

Hugs and kisses,
RagingMoon1987

Signs of life: return of the Bratz

RagingMoon1987 here, with a very small tidbit of news.  Kewpie83 has reported that the Bratz are FINALLY coming back.  Sheesh, it feels like that hiatus lasted longer than the year it was supposed to!  Anywho, Kewpie83 says that the new Bratz dolls are available for pre-order here in the U.S., and will be available in stores by July 25th.  Toys R Us has some additional odds and ends on its website.  The new line apparently is entitled "Hello, My Name Is..." and has the four characters we all know and love (or hate, depending on your opinion of the Bratz).  Yasmin, Jade, Sasha, and Cloe will all be returning to store shelves, along with Cameron and a new character named Raya.  Wikipedia points out that there was a character named Raya once before, but this character is supposed to be a completely different doll.  Here's what the old Raya looked like; she was from the Magic Hair line.

Tan, blonde, dark eyed.  In other words, she wasn't that different from other obscure Bratz characters like Tessa and Rina.  Let's hope that the new Raya doesn't look like this.

Here's the kicker:  no one, not even Toys R Us, has released pictures of the new product yet.  All TRU's website has are silhouettes.  Here's all they have on Jade, the one I'm most curious to see.

TRU's description of the product states that Jade will have a "Plaid Meets Punk" sort of style, good news for me since I love plaid.  If all the descriptions on TRU's website are correct, then these dolls may be very similar to the dolls that I had when I was a teenager.  The dolls in 2003 had mix-and-match fashions, plus several accessories, and the new "Hello, My Name Is..." line appears to be going in that same direction.

If the picture that Kewpie83 uploaded is accurate, then these new Bratz may only be available at Toys R Us stores.  This is problematic since the nearest TRU to Malden is eighty miles away, and I'm not in much of a mood to drive eighty miles just for a doll that I already have several examples of.  Guess I'll just have to wait until the official release for images!

So this new release certainly sounds interesting, but I can't help wondering what MGA is going to do to try and keep the Bratz afloat this time.  They've done joints, hair play, dress-up, pop stars, you name it!  They even made the main characters taller, like this!

I don't know how popular these taller Bratz were, but they were released shortly before the hiatus so I doubt there were many made.

Oh yes, there were also the Bratzillaz, a line which was more of a Bratz-LIV-Monster High mosh-up than anything.

Oh sure, the Bratzillaz were cute and all.  I liked them enough to snap up five of them (the fifth didn't fit into the picture), but apparently these weren't a success either.  MGA has said absolutely nothing about the return of these witchy women, and the Bratzillaz' Facebook page hasn't been updated since June of 2014, a full THIRTEEN MONTHS AGO!!!  Too bad too, because look what could have been!  Bratz Boulevard has prototype pictures!  That doesn't mean these awesome products ever would've been released, but it certainly would've been fun if they did!

As a final thought, I certainly hope MGA has ditched the nylon hair this time around.  That crap made the first wave Bratzillaz virtually un-usuable.  My Meygana's hair is still a mess, and Miss Emily reported that Yasmina's hair was no better.  My budget Meygan had a similar problem; her hair was so bad that I ended up having to cut it.

I still have a lot of trouble getting Meygan's hair what I want it to do, so I desperately hope MGA chose a different fiber this time!  If any of y'all get one of the new dolls, please let me know what their hair is like.  I'd love to hear from you.

I think Talolili may have a dolly review in the works, so keep your eyes peeled!

Best wishes, 

RagingMoon1987

UPDATE:  Purple Monkfish has the new Jade already!  Her review of this new doll can be found HERE.

Dolly Dress Discussion: clothing options for Ever After High dolls, part one

When I posted earlier it was merely cold, damp, and windy.  Now the rain has started falling, and since it's below freezing the rain has turned into freezing rain.  The power has already flickered once so I'm going to try and get this done before we lose power for good (please pray that we don't).  Anywho, one of my friends was having fun with his Ever After High dolls earlier; he was putting them in outfits that looked cute...but not familiar.  I asked where he got such clothes and he answered "It's a mix of Bratz, Monster High, and handmade stuff.  The shoes are Stardoll shoes."  Well!  Why on earth didn't I think of that before???  I don't have a lot of handmade stuff in EVH size, but I've got Bratz and MH clothes coming out my ears.  Tonight we just do Bratz clothes, because I wasn't in much of a mood to undress a dozen Monster High dolls and try their clothes on my EVH doll.

Okay, let's get this show on the road.  Outfit #1:

COMPONENTS:  First-wave Meygan's top and jacket, first-wave Cameron's jeans, and Cupid's stock shoes. 
DISCUSSION:  The top fits almost perfectly...maybe a little short, but tolerable.  The jacket's sleeves are a teensy-weensy bit long, but not enough to spoil the look.  Meygan's stock jeans were too tight to fasten around Cupid's hips, so she got a pair of Cameron's instead (Cameron is a Bratz Boyz, by the way).  As for the shoes...well, the only ones I had that both matched this getup and would fit Cupid were her own.
RULING:  Cupid doesn't look too thrilled about this outfit; I guess her belly is cold (LOL).  In spite of that I'd definitely put this on her again.  This has an autumnal look to it, so it may reappear around September or so.

***

OUTFIT #2

COMPONENTS:  Bratzillaz all the way.  This is one was originally intended for Cloetta, but I never owned (or wanted) Cloetta so my other dolls share it.

DISCUSSION:  The fit is almost perfect.  The skirt was a tiny bit hard to pull up, but not ridiculously so.  The boots are a hair big around the calf but perfect at the foot.  They're roomy enough that Cupid could wear her fishnet tights under them if she (or I) so choose.  The jacket presents an interesting conundrum.  The sleeves are slightly too long, but when I lift Cupid's arms up THIS happens!

The jacket rides up!  I had the same problem more than once in high school and trust me, if you're up in front of a crabby teacher or the school bully and her band of merry bitches, it's mortifying.  Cupid's a doll, so she doesn't have that problem.  I don't like it when the jacket rides up, however.  Luckly, I've got the matching cape!

Problem solved!  Plus it makes Cupid look extra toasty!

RULING:  I'd put Cupid in this again, but I'll be keeping the cape on hand next time.  I'll also probably add her tights so that her knees don't look so exposed to the cold.

***

OUTFIT #3

COMPONENTS:  Old Bratz outfit.  I purchased this one when I was sixteen.  Of the five or so outfits available for the Bratz at the time, this one was my favorite. 

DISCUSSION:  The top fits like a charm, but the pants are too tight.  They do not close at the waist, and they don't pull up high enough to cover Cupid's molded-on panties.  Plus, I have no shoes that would both match this outfit and fit Cupid's feet.  Keep in mind that Bratz have shoe-feet that pop onto pegs at the ends of their legs.  The shoes that go with this outfit are designed for Bratz and Bratz alone.  Cupid's stock shoes didn't look good with this outfit, so there's no way to make it look complete.

RULING:  I might use the top if I can find an appropriate pair of bottoms and shoes, but I won't use the pants on Cupid again.

***

OUTFIT #4

COMPONENTS:  This is older Bratz outfit, plus Cupid's stock shoes.

DISCUSSION:  I had high hopes for this one.  It's another of my favorite Bratz outfits, and Cupid's stock shoes match nicely.  The jacket's sleeves are too long, but then again ALL of the sleeves have been too long so far!  No, what broke the deal for me was the dress itself.  Cupid has a longer torso and longer legs than the old-style Bratz dolls.  As a result the dress is WAY too short for Cupid.  She can't sit or bend over without flashing her hiney, and those molded panties aren't painted in any way so at first glance it looks like she's mooning the world. 

RULING:  Cupid may barrow the jacket in the future, but she won't be wearing this dress again.  I might try it on Twilight Sparkle in the future though.  Y'all definitely haven't seen the last of this dress!

***

OUTFIT #5

COMPONENTS:  Yet another old Bratz outfit.  I think this was one of the first three MGA released, in fact.  Again, Cupid wears her stock shoes.

DISCUSSION:  My feelings for this outfit have always been a bit ambivalent.  I love the way it looks on my Bratz dolls, I love the material it's made out of (especially those pants), and I love the cut of the pants.  The color combination didn't do much for me though.  But enough chatter, how does it fit Cupid?  Put bluntly, perfectly.  Well, almost perfect.  Notice again that the top is short on Cupid, but it's not as short as the others that I've shared.  The sleeves are the right length, for a change.  The pants are made of a stretchy, soft material, so they close around Cupid's waist with no fuss.  Wouldn't you know that the outfit I liked the least would fit Cupid the best!  I wasn't happy with the shoes though, so I gave Cupid Meygana's stock boots.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the logo on the top matches Cupid's hair to a T.  I think I've reached a point where she and I are both satisfied!

RULING:  I've gained a new appreciation for this outfit.  Cupid will probably be wearing it a lot.  I may also try the shirt with that pair of blue jeans that Cupid borrowed from Cameron earlier.

I should probably mention that my friend's EVH doll is Apple White, who is a blonde.  Certain colors looked better on her than they would on pink-haired Cupid.  If you have one of these dolls and a hoard of Bratz clothes, get them out and play around a bit.  Mix the pieces and try them on your doll.  It can be a little bit tedious at times, dressing, undressing, redressing, and all that, but it's worth the effort to see what your dolly can wear.  This is a great way to find some new duds for her and not spend any money.  Everybody wins.

The newer Bratz dolls have wider bodies, so I owe you a demo on some of those newer outfits.  There weren't as many released, unfortunately.  I can only think of five (I don't have them all), but they're worth a try.  Keep your eyes peeled for a discussion on those, as well as Monster High clothes.

Yours truly,

RagingMoon1987

Another one bites the dust? Apparently so

Happy Easter and Happy Resurrection Day to you, my dear followers!  I don't know about y'all, but I've had a superb weekend.  There was much shopping and antique store-hopping, and my sister tied the knot with her fiancé on Saturday.  So now I have a brother-in-law and I'm very happy!

Unfortunately, the dolly news that I bear is not good.  It's likely also old to some of you, but it's new to me so here goes.  I hope you're in the mood to read!  Six days ago (heavens, doesn't seem like it was that long!) I put up a post regarding the demise of the La Dee Da and Pinkie Cooper lines.  At the end of that post I made some comments about the future of the Cutie Pops series, wondering if they would be discontinued as well.  You remember those, right?  These dolls?

I own and have reviewed Candi, in the center, and Miss Emily reviewed Cookie, on the right.  The Cutie Pops are not perfect, but they are creative enough that Miss Emily and I both rated them fairly high.  Like Pinkie Cooper, I originally thought that these dolls would be cute and original enough to stand up to the test of time, but after Pinkie and the La Dee Da dolls were both axed I began to doubt the longevity of the Cutie Pops.

I had my reasons for this doubt, of course:
*There was a complete absence of Cutie Pops in stores.
*Nothing new had been released in some months.  Last fall there were three new lines available simultaneously, but since then, nothing.
*The Cutie Pops' last Facebook post was on New Years' Day which isn't good, particularly when compared to more successful dolls like Barbie, the Bratz, and Lalaloopsy, each of whom have very active Facebook pages.  Keep in mind that these days social media can make you or break you; if you get a lot of coverage on Facebook or Twitter, voila!  Instant success (or shame, if the news happens to be bad).  But as always, I digress.

Intrigued by these clues, I dug around on Google tonight and a post on Tumblr which contained some disturbing news.  Doll News had this very brief but very telling conversation which attests that the Cutie Pops are indeed being discontinued.  One of the participants of the conversation , a person named Cutie Club, insists that she/he heard the news from a reliable source and even posted directly on her page about it (look very closely at the top of her screen).

So that's not a good sign!  However, I've learned from bitter experience not to believe everything one reads on the internet (yes, I admit that I did at one time), so I dug deeper and found a post from paperdollmom here on Blogspot.  She apparently has heard the same thing that I did, and she reveals that this is apparently old news because her post regarding the Cutie Pops is from April first!  She also reveals a possible reason for the discontinuation:  while her daughter has and loves her Cutie Pops doll, paperdollmom herself finds the doll mildly creepy, particularly when the eyes are removed.  Miss Emily echoed that sentiment, though she herself is a fan of these dolls (she has five separate posts, one for five of the six waves released).

I also found a conversation on Monster High Arena (big forum for Monster High fans), that not only adds further confirms the Cutie Pops discontinuation, but also offers up some ideas as to why they and Pinkie Cooper are no more.  One person suggested that they may have been shouted down by Monster High, Barbie, and the semi-new Ever After High line, all three of which are constantly putting something new out and keeping the image alive.  I think this idea makes perfect sense, because in the two years that Cutie Pops were in existence Jada Toys released six waves, with three being released at the same time.  So if one wanted to really nitpick that COULD count as only four waves.  Compare that to Monster High and Lalaloopsy.  The initial MH release had six characters...

...and the first wave of Lalaloopsy dolls had eight.

This means that Mattel and MGA Entertainment released more dolls in one single wave than Jada Toys did during one doll's entire run.

So I still haven't seen anything official, but that's the buzz online among doll circles.  The discontinuation of Cutie Pops, Pinkie Cooper, and La Dee Da dolls, and the Bratz dolls' hiatus suggests a very dark year for those of us who like playline dolls.  Sure, we have Barbie, Lalaloopsy, and the revival of Moxie Girlz (some of which are downright freaky) but dang it, I was looking forward to seeing where these doll lines would go!  Looks like it's back to browsing the internet for what information on the Novi Stars.  No, I STILL have not figured out if they're going to be gone for good or not.  I've seen multiple sources with multiple responses (yeses, nos, and maybes), but my last trip to Wal-Mart turned up exactly ONE Novi Star:  a lone Sila Clops in the discount isle.  Perhaps they will be getting a mass revamp and being rereleased in the fall alongside the Bratz...but I doubt it somehow.

And before I sign off, I think I should mention yet ANOTHER tidbit of nasty news.  Remember this gal?

Bratzillaz Meygana Broomstix, whom I have reviewed.  My source is Wikipedia, not the most reliable source.  They heard from Bratz Boulevard (a much better source) that while there was information available about international Bratz releases for 2014, NOTHING was said about the Bratzillaz.  This could mean that either they will not be released internationally, or they have just been done away with entirely.  This possibility surprises me because I think the Bratzillaz are a better product than the Bratz.  They have joints and inset eyes, and while the early ones did not have the best hair that problem has since been rectified.  Just more testament to the dynamics and the fickleness of the doll world.

Oh well, life goes on, yes?  All this reminds me that one cannot live through material possessions, even though they are a lot of fun.  Besides, these spaces on shelves will make room for more new creations.  Who knows?  Maybe some obscure little toy company out there will create the impossible:  a doll that purges Barbie from her role as Queen of the Dolls.  When and if that does happen, Yours Truly will be there to see it, munching popcorn, drinking Snapple, and trying to stop her head from spinning.  LOL

Happy Easter/Resurrection Day,
RagingMoon1987