Buried Secrets waves 3 and 4

When Mattel started packaging budget Monster High dolls in blind boxes I made it my mission to collect one from each wave.  Just one, to avoid duplicates.  So far there have been five waves, and I've got...two dolls.  Draculaura is from Wave 1/Cozy Creepover, and Frankie Stein is from Wave 2/Scare-master Style.

I'm fallin' down on the job, y'all!!!  But there's no need to fear, because I've got Waves 3 and 4 now!  Wave 5 will be released sometime this year and it's apparently gonna have a music theme.  Wave 3 is entitled Haunted Dance and has a masquerade theme.  Cleo de Nile, Twyla Boogeyman, Clawdeen Wolf, and Lagoona Blue are the characters available.

I own a G3 Lagoona Blue already, but she's the only character I do have in this lineup.  Cleo de Nile is my favorite with her bright blue hair, but as the book says, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.  Opening the box...

...I got Cleo de Nile!  I've never gotten my favorite before!

I know I've griped quite a bit about the changes that Mattel made when seguing from G1 to G3, but with Cleo I have no complaints.  She's got a beautiful face...

...and her hair is every bit as blue as I could've hoped for.  The fibers feel like polypropylene, but Cleo wears her hair up so it's all good.

Since the dance in question is a masquerade, all the characters have masks.  Cleo's is a jackal.  Twyla's is really cute, by the way; it's her dust bunny.

This is a solid attempt by Mattel, especially for a budget doll, but then again I've been wanting a G3 Cleo de Nile for quite some time, so her presence may be clouding my judgment a bit.

Now...put the mummy girl down, Moon.  One other box.  Wave 4 is called Courtside Fang-out and has a tennis theme.  Not as exciting to me as a masked dance, but I won't gripe too much.  There's nothing wrong with tennis.

Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf, Ghoulia Yelps, and Toralei Stripe are my options this time.

Ghoulia Yelps is my favorite this time, and Frankie Stein is the duplicate character.  If the wiki is to be believed then this is only Ghoulia's third appearance in the G3 era.

It's Toralei.  Not my favorite doll of the four, but still satisfying.  I've never owned a Toralei before, not even during the G1 days.

Hold on, here's a better picture of her face.  She's got glorious eyes.

Y'know, I can see echoes of the Wild Hearts Crew in Toralei.  She looks a little like Jacy Masters in the face, particularly in the mouth.  I love Toralei's hat, by the way. 

I don't know about y'all, but I thought the Wild Hearts Crew was pretty kick-a$$.  Mine are, of course, out of reach at Casa Del Luna, but I'll retrieve them.  I'd managed to complete the set before they were discontinued.  Anyway, aside from theming Toralei is pretty much the same as my other Buried Secrets girls.  Same stiff body with uneven shoulders, though Toralei doesn't look as uncomfortable as Frankie Stein.

Poor Frankie looks like they've got some kind of spinal condition, and the fit of their sleeves don't help much.  On the other hand, Toralei has soft, smooth hair in lovely colors.  Her wiki says it's polypropylene, but it doesn't feel like it.

I wish Mattel would quit their love affair with polypropylene.  Frankie and Draculaura have it, and it looks alright but feels nasty and styles worse.

They're still cute, though.  Plus, I've opened four of these packages and haven't gotten a repeat character yet...hold up, yeah I have, but my two Draculaura dolls are pretty different.  These Buried Secrets dolls are a lovely way to get a Monster High fix for cheap, though.  I hope maybe Venus McFlytrap will make an appearance in a future wave.

Let's just face it, Venus is just awesome.  I'm still waiting for Skelita Calaveras, but Venus is the gem of my G3 collection so far.  Cleo isn't far behind. 

Now that that's all outta the way, what else but a weather report?  I read yesterday morning that temperatures were supposed to bottom out Sunday night and be ridiculously cold for the next couple'a days.  I'd assumed that would come eventually, since the ants aren't out yet.  Fast-forward to 4:30 or so yesterday, and I get this lovely headline.  There's a chance of VERY severe weather on Monday!

What in flaming purple hell???  The app is AccuWeather, so I popped over to Weather Underground for a second opinion.  They say the severe weather threat is Sunday night, and THEN the cold moves in.

Still not convinced, I consulted NOAA and they're calling for a lot of rain and maybe some thunder.  The SPC outlook suggests that Sunday night has the healthiest chance for bad weather in the Bootheel, but even they don't sound sure!  I can't wait to hear what Ryan Hall says about all this, LOL.

Love and monsters,

RagingMoon1987 

The Labubu trend

I knew that these homely little goobers were popular, but I didn't know that they were popular enuff to spur a thriving bootleg line.  I'm referring to Pop Mart's Labubu figures, of course; these little things look like one of the monsters in Where the Wild Things Are, and they are driving peeps wild.  LOL, even that link thinks Labubu looks like a Maurice Sendak character!

I never cared much for Where the Wild Things Are, by the way.  There's just nothing to the story.  There's nothing to many of Sendak's books, come to think of it.  Not terribly surprising, considering that Sendak considered Herman Melville one of his "gods."  I tried to read Moby Dick for the accelerated reader program in high school, and that book bites.  ANYWAY, Labubu looks a lot like one of the characters from that book, complete with the big toothy smile.  Despite those teeth, Labubu is supposed to be a friendly, helpful sort, though sometimes the plans go terribly awry, as best-laid plans often do.  According to the link these blind box figures are the most popular, so I got one of those to start out with.  He/she is from the Exciting Macaron wave.

As usual there are several variants, including one secret Labubu that's rarer than the others.

I like all the options, but unsurprisingly the green one is my favorite.  I ended up with...

...Soymilk!  I don't hate that result, and I actually like soy milk.  Soymilk is about six inches from head to toe with vinyl face, hands, and feet.  His fur is soft, and I don't know this for sure but his eyes look like they might reflect light, like those red things on bicycles do.  I'll warn y'all, by the way, not to give these small Labubu dolls to small children, because Soymilk's left foot popped off right after I got him.  I was able to repair him easy-peasy, but beware just the same.  

Since I'm always giving shout-outs to tornado towns, shout out to Plainfield, Illinois, from where Labubu hails.  That tornado was a 24-carat mutant, and Plainfield came back bigger and better than ever.  So hats off to you, Plainfield, and to the other communities that got hit in that event too (Joliet, Crest Hill, and Wheatland Township also lost citizens in that tornado).  Thank you for my Labubu!  He hangs out on my walker for the time being; if I can ever get OFF the walker then Labubu will have to go somewhere else, but for now he's my mascot.

Y'know, Labubu reminds me of Monchhichi, with the stuffed body and vinyl face, hands, and feet.  And sure enuff, Monchhichi is making a comeback thanks to Labubu.  I never cared much for Monchhichi, but I guess now is a good time to change my 'tude....like I just did.

She's not bad!  She's softer than I thought she'd be, and cuter in the face.  Mama told me point-blank that she likes Monchhichi better than Labubu, LOL.

One of these days I need to do a post about my plushies.  I like plushies almost as much as I like dolls, especially if they're unique.  Or gifts, like my mini Furskin.  So I need to finish excavating my house, gather all my plushies together, AND FIND FLAXIE!!!  I DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE IS AND I WANT HER!!!  I've also got a Squishmallow and some other cute things that I've never shown y'all, and some sentimental things that I've kept from childhood.  Not a ton of stuff, but worth showing just for the memories.

Fuzzy love,
RagingMoon1987

A secret...

This post kinda ties in with my Cutie Reveal Barbie post, except that this time we're doing Monster High dolls.  I think Buried Secrets is a cute concept, even though the doll inside is cheapened up quite a bit (duh, she IS a budget doll).  She won't have elbow or knee joints, but she will have a simple but full outfit and she'll be...well, a surprise!  Here's what the package looks like; my inner mortician is delighted by the coffin-shaped boxes.

Cozy Creepover is the name of the game, meaning that whoever I get will be in pajamas.  I don't know why, but I like dolls in pajamas, possibly because sleeping is something everyone (literally, EVERYONE) can relate to.  Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, and Cleo de Nile are all options here, and I'm hoping for Cleo since her coloring is the prettiest.  I'm strongly hoping against Draculaura since I have a G3 Drac already, and since Draculaura has never been my favorite character to begin with.  I know how to cheat at this Buried Secrets game, since the paper has identifying markings buried in the folds, but since I've already bought this doll off eBay I'm already committed.  Admittedly, Buried Draculaura has a really nice paint job, so if I end up with her I won't cry too hard.  Indeed, I've seen several G3 Draculauras that I've considered grabbing; my favorite one so far has been Skulltimate Secrets:  Fearidescent.  I like how her hair is almost all pink instead of its usual mix, and I think she's got a sweet face.  She reminds me of strawberry ice cream, one of my favorite treats.

Alright, I'll admit that Mattel has done a nice job with G3's Draculaura dolls, much more so than they did with G1.  A lot of Draculaura's G1 dolls looked alike, with only this one or that one sporting dark lips, or a different color of hair, or something out of left field.  G3 dolls are all pink for the most part, but they have things to set them apart like Fearidescent's frosty pink hair, Creepover Party's half-and-half hair, Neon Frights' purple lips and yellow eyeshadow, or Garden Mysteries' overall darker color scheme.  So I won't be too upset about getting another Draculaura in my little coffin, and that's good because her insignia is on the inner wrapping. 

Sure enuff, here's the pink vegan, without sparkles or poorly rendered CGI teeth.

Indeed, G3 Draculaura's fangs aren't anywhere near as obvious as her G1 self's.  Dig this faceup, by the way.  Sister Drac has dark makeup and freckles!  My other G3 Draculaura doesn't have either one.

Unfortunately I've heard that the Buried Secrets all have polypropylene hair, and I've read horror stories about that stuff.  Indeed, Draculaura's hair looks okay, but it feels stiff and kinda cheap.

Draculaura told me not to kill the messenger...or the unfortunate doll that got saddled with such hair.

Poly hair aside, it's obvious that Mattel tried to make these nice, even for stiff-armed budget dolls.  They still come with accessories, though I don't know what the sam-hill either of these items is.

Drac's stiff arms are a bit of a pain in the posterior, but she can still relax if given a little time.  Oh yeah, and Count Fabulous is a plushie.  For the record, Clawdeen's Crescent plushie reminds me of Gengar.  Count Fabulous just looks like a Squishmallow.

Time to let the pastel goth sleep now!  I reckon that ride from wherever was tiring.

Unboxing Draculaura was fun!  I hope Mattel revisits the idea, maybe with a swimsuit line or a sundress line, or maybe a focus on hair like the Electrified line.  It's a thought. 

Frosty love (seriously, it's cold outside!),

RagingMoon1987 

After-Thanksgiving-Pre-Christmas AG haul

This year Thanksgiving was pretty miserable.  Oh, the food was good, but Sally died, First Uncle couldn't make it down, Second Uncle's house was in complete disarray (it's being rewired), and Second Uncle himself WOULDN'T.  SHUT.  UP.  Chatter, chatter, chatter, about nothing, nothing, nothing.  If one subject doesn't go the way he wants it to he just brings up something else to ramble about.  So what's a girl to do?  Well, if you're a spendthrift like me you buy crap on eBay and Etsy.  Stuff like...oh, Meatloaf.

Mama HATES the name "Meatloaf," LOL.  I think it makes sense, myself.  Bulldogs are round and soft like meat loaf, and some folks think they're ugly like Meat Loaf (LOL again).  I don't think bulldogs are ugly, and while I don't like Meat Loaf's music he himself seems like a cool guy.  But I digress.  The package Meatloaf came in had Christmas doggies on it!

One of 'em is a Boston terrier!  My family has a special fondness for Boston terriers.

I also picked up Kira's wallaby care set.

Got that one mint-in-box, though it didn't stay that way, LOL.  Kailey Hopkins will be taking care of him.

Kailey is NOT part of the haul; I bought her on a whim earlier in the month.  Since Kira won't be coming home Kailey will be my resident animal lover.  Both the bug dress (top) and the beachy set are hers.

The beachy set looks a little like scrubs, so I pretend that they are.  I don't know if wearing scrubs is routine when caring for animals, but it makes sense to me.

This, on the other hand...this is for good ol' Courtney, 'cause everyone needs a Care Bear nightie!  I would've thought this getup wouldn't be warm enuff for wintertime, but the sleeves are made of fleece so it's all good.

The avocado dress will probably be for Zoe, since she looks so nice in bright colors.

I love grab bags/mystery bags/fukubukuro bags/whatever y'all want to call them.  I love them because they're a good way to flesh out a doll's wardrobe without spending a ton of money.  Now granted, grab bags are always a mixed...well, bag, with some stuff being cruddy and some stuff being great (one time I got a ballet set that is still airing out, it stunk so bad).  This stuff was/is mostly handmade, and there was A LOT of it crammed into one little sandwich bag.  I love the print on that flowery thing, and I see a pair of purple shoes!

The brightly colored flowery thing turned out to be this bodysuit, which will look cute on one of my darker dolls like Zoe or Marina or Luciana or Rita Cheryl.

The pink plaid babydoll top has Doremi's name written all over it.

This flowered cardigan...I'm not sure who will wear that.  It has a hippie/upcycled vibe that screams "JULIE," but the soft pink brings Doremi, Zoe, and Kailey to mind.  The cardigan is nice and roomy, meaning that it would fit my Pleasant Company dolls (Denise, Silver Bird, and Amanda) nicely.  It's been awhile since I got something new for Denise, so she may get this.

There were also two skirts in the mix.  One is pink and purple plaid, and the other one looks black but is really navy blue.  I may sequester these for Silver Bird, even though she's not big on skirts.

And the purple shoes?  Those are totally for Silver Bird!

Some grab bags are good and some aren't, but that grab bag was a good one.  I can use all of those pieces, though I'm not sure who with yet.  Now the next few items I know who I want to go to.  This is another Girl of the Year item...

...but it's Lea's (pardon my beat-up old pillow) rather than Kira's or Kailey's.  Justine-Marie will wear this when spring comes.

Rita Cheryl is a child at heart and loves kids'  shows, so I got her a Dora the Explorer dress.

Now she'll need some pink boots to go with that!  I think in the original show Boots's boots were red, but they're pink on the dress, LOL.  I'm more of a Blue's Clues fan myself, but I enjoyed the few episodes I saw of Dora the Explorer.

Of course good dollies gotta eat, and these food items are a little special, as they're those blind bag items that were available recently.

I positively love blind bags, and yet I had no idea that these were available until...a week ago, was it?  There was a line of hobbies and school supplies, a line of food items, and a line of...snack items???  Food and more food?  Actually the line of food items was called "What's cooking?" and had kitchen utensils along with foodstuffs, so it makes sense.  Anyway, the papayas and the cocoanut drink came from the snack line, and the snack line is interesting because all the pieces...were rehashes.  Yep, every single item came from some other AG set that was available or is available.  According to the wiki the papayas came from Nanea's luau set, while the cocoanut stuff appears to be from Lea's beach picnic set, though the luau set has these too.  

The chocolate tart (torte?) came from Grace's pastry cart, and I can remember Miss Emily saying that it's huge in comparison to the dolls' hands.  She's right, of course...if this thing is indeed a tart.  Since it's made of chocolate and has layers and decorations I think this is actually a torte.  The other item is a cup of hot chocolate, perfect for this chilly weather we've been having in the Bootheel.

The hot chocolate came from the Let's Smile Accessories in the Create Your Own series.  Miss Emily's CYO doll Eliza had these accessories, so I knew to take off the lid and see this.

I don't think this is the secret heart that Robert Peter Tristam Coffin spoke of, but it works for this modern day, when humanity is cold even in summertime and a nice warm drink feels good, and when a chocolate fix is welcome anytime.  I'm almost always ready for chocolate, for example!

Mama has been having some fun too, LOL.  She got a Scottish-type outfit for Molly (left), an autumnal-themed outfit for Rita Cheryl (center, I hadn't supplied the boots yet)...

...plus this camo set for Marina (left), and a plaid outfit for...oh, I may give that to Rita Cheryl too, since she has nothing for winter yet.

Then there's this Alice in Wonderland getup.  If my boss hadn't put the kibosh on keeping dolls at the library, I'd declare January Kiddie Lit Month and dress Doremi up in this.  With her blonde hair she's a born Alice.

Less fairytale and more like something I'd wear is this set that Mama got.  I haven't decided yet whether I want Doremi or Silver Bird to have this...or maybe Zoe, since she looks good in pink.

Whoever gets it, I'm thankful for the blue jeans.  One can never have too many pairs of blue jeans.  So that's it, largely.  I've got a few more things on their way, but they're not here yet and I didn't want to wait longer to post this (LOL).  The main thing that I'm waiting for is a tie-dyed shirt for Lark.  I love tie-dyed shirts for myself, but I don't have any for my dolls...not yet, anyway.  It'll get here pretty soon.

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987