Happy Pride! My review of the Spellentine "Mad Science For Each Other" set is now up! I love these dolls, and they really did what they set out to do, even with Mattel trying to keep them as hush-hush as they did. This couple is officially canonized and they're really good doll designs. Last year, I thought this very set was a ridiculous pipe dream from scared-to-ally boy-hating Mattel. And yet, here we are with one of the best MH sets I'm sure this year will bring. Read the review here!
I finally got my Salam Sisters Yasmina after ordering her about early March. They said they were gonna start shipping them out about April 25th, but they must have started early. I took pictures of the box.
And here she is out of the box. She looks so pretty in person, the eyes themselves look really detailed, pictures don't do it justice.
How she looks without her hijab. Btw, her hair has a nice soft feel to it. It's not like American Girl hair, but it almost reminds me of Rainbow High hair texture.
And her with her other headscarf included with her. Honestly, I wasn't sure how the yellow scarf would look with her outfit, but truthfully I ended up liking it better than the pink one. It looks more stylish tbh. I also discovered her body is different than many 18-inch dolls, I was expecting a soft body or maybe a half soft/half hard like My Life As or Healthy Roots Dolls, but she actually has a full plastic body. Her dimensions seem similar to AG and other standard 18 inch dolls, though I have yet to try other shoes on her (though her legs and feet don't seem small like Healthy Roots Dolls). I would definitely recommend this doll, and I hope to get a couple of the other Salam Sisters as well. Such a sweet pretty girl.
I adore Ghoulia. As a disabled guy whose main mobility aid is cycling and a former gifted kid that is now dumb with anxiety, I relate hard to her in the show. She just shows a whole lot of depth and her episodes have a certain lovely misty vibe.
In box
I just can't get over how pretty she is. She's so different from her previous dolls. I have (and am using for a custom) Neon Frights Ghoulia and oof her poly hair was BAD and I was never happy with any outfit I put together. The sheer sleeves, the cherries, the red and black on this doll... She's so different from the other dolls too. The trousers are so cool. She's really giving Ghoulia but in modern fashions. And her haircut!!! So cute
Back of the box
"After Ghoul Activity: Skater Spotlight! Why did you join the braniacs who board club? I love zooming at the speed of fright with my scary-smart skater friends!"
Her art.... its so cute.....
The unboxing
This was the easiest box so far to actually get open. Ghoulia herself was easy to remove. However, the accessories were moulded too deep into the plastic. I had to use pliers, scissors and a lot of force to remove the skateboard tool especially without bending or breaking it I hope this was just an issue with my particular box and not all of them. I don't think kids would be able to do it.
The dreaded T ties are also present but they're a big issue with the plastic protecting her face from the goggles. There were 4 ties and they were really hard to remove without damaging her hair or the goggles. I got a little frustrated tbh. I think the goggles should have been packaged separately if her face needed protection that badly.
Out of box
HER MAKEUP. Oh my ghoul. So zombie, so alt, so gentle. Brings out her eyes in a gore-geous way. Her hair is super soft saran, easy to adjust and style, no gel or gross textures.
Her shoes are more plain than other g3 dolls, but they work in this outfit for sure. Only thing I might change is to have her in flat platforms instead of heels, but it's not a big deal to me. Her fearbook shows her pretty art and the other members of the club: Robecca and Clawdeen. Idk if I would have chosen Clawdeen for this club, I only really remember her skating at the beginning of the first live action movie but I might be wrong. Definitely wouldn't be her thing in my headcanon AU lol. I would replace her with Barki, Howleen or even Frankie with rollerskates. I won't go on about my AU anyway.
Cute iCoffin with a video of Ghoulia skating, I didn't have a phone for Ghoulia so that's a nice addition. The belt with the skate tool is adorable and super cool. The board itself is awesome with a tombstone shape. I love that the wheels are removable so she can 'work' on it. I will probably paint the top black to emulate the grip tape.
As for the comic, idk how I feel about it. Its a cool idea but it's also a little piece of card with plain brown cardboard on the back. I sort of wish it had been folded like the sweet 1600 cards or the fearbooks.
Ghoulia on her g1 bike:
Gaming with her Neon Frights accessories:
Her with her Neon Frights glasses and her g1 glasses. I love them both but I'm leaning toward the Neon Frights pair. They make her look sharper.
In conclusion, she's my forever Ghoulia. She adds so much to the line-up.
( Draft for Spellentine review ) (posting anyway cuz lazy)
Artwork/box
Skullettes r kinda bland (just hair??? Imagine if Draculaura came out TODAY. Mattel would just make her skullettes a skull with a very 1:1 version of her core look pigtails 😭😭 they lost the art of making interesting skullettes)
Artwork critiques I already said on the wiki (mismatched line weight, Kieran w wrong face shape, unclear/convoluted spelldon silhouette ) (I understand the idea is that he's holding the potion close to his heart bc he's in love; but I wish the heart shape of the bottle n the magic fumes where highlighted better shape wise)
(lack of Spelldon's witch gimmick in both skullette & artwork - no which hat on skullette, potion isn't the focus of the art)
Accessories
Potion prop is a bit too cartoony imo
I never liked the rose 😭 sorry it feels like a knock off of the Rochelle/Garrott one
AWFUL Potion textbook . Very generic cover? (lacking enough of a MH twist) (Could have been designed to look more like a school book, just about potion)
Brush for boy dolls!! HOW COOL? But it's only for Kieran's texture :/ (god knows he needs a better hair cut tho)
Dolls - Valentine
New hair looks awful srry 😭
I think his eyes (pupil & iris) r smaller than the SDCC doll?
Outfit super bland. Literally just a genderbent version of Draculaura's core outfit. (Same vest & collar & mesh sleeves....) Could have built on the pun of him being "EMO vampire" instead. The MCR inspired fit felt more original & tailored to his character. The redeemed fit is generic n forgettable.
Patterns everywhere to try n hide how bland n how much of a Draculaura ripoff the fit is. Lace of the collar + pattern on the vest + pattern on the sleeves + pattern on the pants + ai looking pattern on the shoe side + pattern on the soles..... Too many. Not even the artwork bothers to feature them all cuz it would look convoluted n awful
Dolls - Spelldon
LOVE
Torso part of the outfit is 1:1 to his comic design, no notes (jacket's pin also has a Skullette variant - unfortunately also bland - is placed over the heart n was a gift from Kieran 💞)
Pants :/.... With a stupid pattern. The V+S thing looks stupid n the fact they mentioned it in the diary story makes it sound stupid too... Like he says he's scared to admit his feelings. Yet he walks around with V+S pants before confessing?????? 😭 make it make sense
TALL BOOTS. Initially I was scared the high shoes that make him look taller might have been Mattel embracing the fan idea that he's the tall one n valentine the tiny smol one (😒) which I was scared of bc I associate it to racist fan art that makes valentine super twinky cuz he's white n spell the hyper masculine one just cuz he's black. LUCKLY IT WASN'T THE CASE!!!! Spelldon isn't hyper masculinezed n the tall boots r just part of the punk vibe 💞💞💞
Cool way to re-imagine the "Object heels" on a boy doll with the herbs pack detail 💚 at first I was worried it was gonna be only one shoe like the "mismatched object heel" gimmick they've recycled in many designs. ITS NOT!! It's on both which imo makes it more polished + I LOVE THAT THIS IS A WITCH GIMMICK!!!! I feel they don't embrace his monster gimmick enough, as his character is often reduced to a valentine accessory low key, BUT HERE THEY DO !!! THIS IS SO COOL I LOVE THE DETAIL!!! 💚🌿💚💜🌿💚🌿💚💜
Object SOLES (?) :/ idkk... I think there's a pun with soles/souls bc all the little 'teeth' of the boots r tombstone shaped . BUT: I don't like it 🤪. I understand it's generically monstrous, but bc it doesn't add to the Spellcaster gimmick I find it unnecessary. N redundant(?) since they already had an object gimmick with the herbs. Not every MH shoe needs an object gimmick. Matter of fact none of the wave 1 dolls had object heels. I don't understand why Mattel thinks they're so essential to their brand nowdays 😭
Diaries - Spelldon
They remembered he's greek too!! :D 🇬🇷🏳️🌈🇬🇷🏳️🌈🇬🇷🏳️🌈 I think his writing font is also meant to look more greek to highlight he's used to writing in both languages? How cool!! 🖤🖤 (also imo SO IMPORTANT that black-european characters get to have their European side acknowledged too!! It battles the racist narrative the European right tries to push that European countries are white monocultures, which is INSANELY FALSE + dangerous to the poc living here)
He gets characterization!! Although unfortunately not much imo T.T
Spelldon doesn't have a character voice I feel. The writing feel less of a diary and more just.. narrative at points. Like the way he reports dialogues feels a little immersion breaking? It doesn't feel like he's writing them down from a diary pov, rather they're being told to the reader in a more story-style.
I wish there was some kind of "insert" to contrast this and embrace more the "diary" medium form. I mean remember when deuce had a page with just a post-it note w a recepy he wanted to try placed among his writing?? Or hoodude w that magazine quiz cut out. That would have added a lot of characterization*&* character voice!! Like imagine if among the writing there were illustrations meant to look like herbs taped/pressed inside the diary??? Maybe a post-it with a list of potion ingredients, w the pressed herb next to it??? That would have added so much personality to the booklet :P
I don't like that Casta is at MH?? 😭 She's 19, graduated, an international pop star and NEVER ATTENDED this school (so she's not even an alumni) 😭 why tf is she randomly at her brother's school during his lunch break ??? (Also y'all know I think it's more interesting if ppl don't know Spelldon's sister is famous.... Matter fact I wish he kept a low profile on who his mom is too by just saying he's "son of a sorceress" or something.... )
Interesting he said valentine didn't know who Casta was!!
His mom being skeptical about mixing alchemy n chemistry was kinda boring :P I understand it's like a metaphor for parents of gay ppl or something, but y'all know I wish she wasn't just some "mystic witch" character n instead worked as a vet so this felt bland/generic to me (but it was fine!!! 👍even if mid to me personally)
The friendship w Venus is interesting!! But I wish we were shown he knew even more of the MH cast LoL 😅 like he's in this environment club, so does he know Batsy too?? I wish he knew Neightan (they're both magic boys) or Deuce (both greek mythology boys, who probably take home ick together)
(off topic?) I wish the promotional boomuda triangle comics of the twopack didn't waste the story doing pointless multiverse bullshit, n instead were 5 "webisodic", one-shot style issues, focusing on showing how Valentine n Spelldon go about their life at MH, n how they relate to the rest of the cast (instead of yk, themselves but in a vaguely regency outfit 😒).
This so that we could have seen Spelldon actually get characterization OUTSIDE of being Val's bf, yk interacting with CASTA, VENUS, WHISP ect... N actually see Valentine become friends w Draculaura (i didn't like how that was just a simple mention w no explanation) also maybe interact w Toralei, Gory, Bram...
There's an entire entry wasted on reinforcing that wrong lore about kieran inventing Valentine's Day . Why????? Low-key cuz Spelldon doesn't get to exist as a character outside of valentine, even in his own debut diary 😔. Like 5 whole lines WASTED on repeating a wrong "retcon" that in valentine's diary gets a whole paragraph anyway. COULD HAVE PUT THAT PRESSED HERB ILLUSTRATION I was talking about IN THAT SPACE YK??? Sometimes that would have actually been about Spelldon's character 😭🙏
Anyway the crush stuff was cute - I know I'm criticising irrelevant stuff n being nitpicky, but that stuff was LOVELY!!!💞👍
Diaries - Valentine
Don't like how him being friends with Draculaura is Just a simple mention. I think they should just be acquainted. N that this should have been included/explained in the (instead useless) promotional comics.
HIM SAYING VALENTINE'S DAY IS NAMED AFTER HIM WAS A LIE!!!! IT ANNOYS ME SO MUCH THEY TRY TO MAKE IT REALITY IN CANON INSTEAD WTF😭😭 makes him OP for no reason
While Spelldon's family gets mentioned , Kieran mom isn't in the diaries :/ weird. I think if they were trying to do some metaphor with Circe they should have done it with Ms. Valentine instead :P
-----
That's it idk how to end this 😭 I really love them I've been taking pictures of them with my Nintendo 3ds all day
I made them kiss a lot + bicker about whether Catty or Casta is a better pop star (Val is a fan of catty cuz she's the queen of the love song OFC, while Spelldon is his sister's biggest Stan). Lots of fun with my new homosexual touys
I'm sorry y'all, I tried. I forgot what an absolute nightmare it is to photograph this skin tone with my phone, it keeps trying to "correct" it to a lighter color. Might make a second attempt with my fancy camera later. For now we'll make do with these and talk about this new Shanelle.
(Extra chatty under the cut, you know how we do)
I am definitely warming up to this doll more now that she's been liberated from her plastic prison. To start with her face and hair are lovely. The subtle colors they added to her makeup give her features more definition than they had previously. The braids are nice and soft with a tiny bit of crunchiness here and there, but I suspect that's just residue from styling her topknot. I am curious to see how she looks with her hair down, but it will take a braver woman than I to wreck that coiffure with any hope of restoring it later XD
As for her outfit, I had some initial trepidation about how well all the disparate parts fit together, but finally seeing it in person somehow the variety of textures combined into this very refined silhouette just work. it feels like an appropriate elevation of her signature style. I will admit there are a few issues; the tweedy fabric of the midsection has an awkward fit across her bust line, and the points of her collar will NOT lie flat (I may go in and drop a couple of stitches to keep them in place). To touch on her accessories-- love the little bow and 'pearl' detail on her blouse, shoes and earrings are cute, clutch handbag is an abomination, but we'll talk about that in a minute.
Contrasting underskirt, really like the semi-sheer fabric they used for these layers
So overall I'd say this is a solid RH/SH release, on the level of what we were accustomed to in the pre-slime era. That said, corners were definitely cut. First and most obvious is the glaring absence of a stand, which MGA appears to side-step in the official copy by declaring that she comes in "display-ready packaging." This would seem to imply that they're appealing to NRFB collectors, if not for the fact that they make a big deal elsewhere about her being "fully articulated for display." (The full product listing includes a lot of hoopla over extremely basic doll features--repeatedly harping on wrist articulation--and as such is hilarious.) However I think the biggest problem people are going to have with this doll is that her outfit is a dress, rather than separate pieces that can be restyled. I don't care about this since I like the completed look, but given past precedent (I'm thinking specifically of the stink certain youtubers made over Lavender Lynn's dress) I know some folks are going to gripe about it. If this is something that matters to you, you've been forewarned.
The actual Devil
My personal gripe with this release rests squarely on Shanelle's clutch handbag, which, if you'll pardon my language, is some of the laziest shit I've ever seen on a "collector" doll. The base is molded plastic, which is fine. Even has some nice metallic painted details on the buckle. But then to achieve the rolled up fashion magazine look they were going for, they opted for a sticker. Which, turns out, didn't stick as well as they hoped....so they wrapped it with clear tape. And even then some of the corners of the sticker are still peeling up. It looks like absolute garbage, embarrassingly bad. I've still got her holding it for now, but only until I decide whether I want to replace it or just let her go bagless.
In conclusion, because I don't want to end on such a negative note, despite my various quibbles and critiques I have to reiterate that I am very happy with this doll! She is far more beautiful in person than my inadequate photos depict. If you are at all on the fence about her I'd say go for it--I don't think you'll be disappointed.
This is Aurelia, a porcelain BJD by Adollable Dolls out of South Africa. Her official artist name is Faylynn, but I wasn't a fan of that
She came in this lovely box:
With some extras:
Silver hair ornament with a little clip so she or I can wear it, and a box of Lindt truffles that unfortunately got squished in transit
She's a lovely doll overall; I've had some porcelain BJD disappointment in the past, so I was pleasantly surprised to open her and not feel that (two of the three I had previously owned ended up disappointing me). There are a few flies in the ointment, however.
The Good: gorgeous doll, good quality porcelain, very well done painting, little molded rings, posing is decent, spring jointed (which I prefer to elastic because it doesn't wear out), painted pubic hair- don't let unrealistic beauty standards get to you!, very soft and well constructed wig, pierced ears and earrings, nice packaging, came with a pretty stand that has a little silver feet
The Bad: weirdly small and narrow feet for the size and proportions of the doll; definitely cannot stand on her own, eyes are ever so slightly unfocused, artist sprayed a very strong perfume inside the box, does take a bit of finagling to pose even though she gets there in the end
(also I dropped one of her earrings on my carpet and now I can't find it, which is not the fault of the artist and has me kicking myself because they are very cute little gold leaves)
Overall, I would recommend this artist for the most part. Just be aware of the tiny feet thing, and maybe ask her if she can not spray perfume on the package if you have any kind of sensitivities or just generally don't want that
My Meki bjd finally arrived after several days of waiting. I love her but she got a lot of weird design choices, i guess that's why this line was cheaper than other lines.
Her outfit is alright, i wish it was a one piece dress instead of shirt and skirt tho. You have to swap her feet out for the pegs if you wanna put her boots on, which is such a weird design choice imo. I'm using a spare pair of Sugary Girls shoes for now since i don't wanna change her feet, it's a little loose but it worked.
I got the feeling like they might have made the boots seperately from the dolls then it ended up not fitting like what i think might have happened to Cooze Devil Horns' neck piece.
Here how she looks next to a Sugary Girls doll. The body size is very similiar so they probably can share clothes.
Also, she only came with one "holding" hand on one side. I thought it might be a mistake at first but i checked some Japanese reviews and they also received the same set of hands, guess they blew their hands budget on the extra pair of feet or something :/
Btw the doll's wrist hook stopper mechanism thingy is rather unreliable, the hook snapping back in place and cut my finger which i'm not appreciate.
Barbie Dream Besties is a newly released doll line by Mattel, and is a spin off of their main Barbie line. Looks wise, they seem to be a spiritual successor to My Scene, Ever After high, and the more recent Barbie Extra/Barbie Extra Minis. Also trying desperately to compete with LOL and Rainbow High.
They are $20 USD each retail.
I was interested in these for three reasons: 1) I liked Ever After High and My Scene. 2) They have much more quality outfits than I tend to see from modern Barbie. 3) @queenofsquids enjoyment of them made me hopeful I'd like them too.
So do I? Let's find out.
I choose the character Brooklyn as I like her face up the best.
Her packaging is the standard plastic clam shell that seems to be all over the doll aisle anymore. I can't say I love it. I miss the cardboard boxes, so much easier to open and so much less plastic.
This box isn't super great aesthetically either. There's a lot going on in the service of nothing.
Which is a shame, because I do really like the actual character art on the box. It's super cute and matches the dolls really well. It would pop even better if the rest of the box was a smidge simpler. Sometimes less is more.
The back of the box.
We get more of this delightful artwork, showing of the full set of characters available at the moment.
We also get a short character bio for Brooklyn. She wants to be a choreographer, loves making dance routines, video editing, and creative writing. Despite her favorite color being listed as pink, she has no pink in her outfit and only one pink accessory.
Here is the box without the cover. This is what I meant when I said the box design was doing a lot for nothing. Over packaging isn't just a problem with Mattel dolls of course, MGA is arguably worse, but it's still frustrating.
Brooklyn herself is very pretty though. I tried very hard to pick one without a wonky face, but the way she's posed makes it very hard to tell.
I think one of her eyes is slightly bigger than the other. It's not enough to bother me at least. That said, so many of these were VERY wonky at the store. I would not buy these online unless you can see the specific doll you're getting. The QC is all over the place.
Here are all the accessories she comes with.
I do appreciate that all her accessories tie into her interests and character. That said, these are hit and miss.
The purse is nice, and does open.
The dog is okay, but I don't really care for these types of doll pets. It looks more like an in-universe toy than what's supposed to be an animal.
I initially liked that the phone and case were separate, until I tried to put the phone in the case and it didn't fit. It will not go in there. If I force it in, it just pops right back out.
It's a shame because I liked the 80's Barbie logo case, but without the phone in it, it looks weird when the doll is holding it.
At least the phone fits into the ring light stand.
May I also say some of these accessories feel really flimsy? The phone and Ipad are VERY thin plastic.
The boom box in hollow and unpainted.
I wish instead of having seven mid accessories we could've had two or three really good ones. Or nixed all of them and given her a stand. The doll herself is nice enough to deserve a stand I think.
Let's look at Brooklyn. She's pretty darn cute. She stands at the standard 11", and has saran hair with tinsel.
Her outfit isn't my favorite though. Mattel stop giving your dolls ugly fur sleeved varsity jackets challenge. This could've been so cute as just a regular varsity jacket.
Despite being ugly, the jacket is made pretty well. Though a button was already falling off mine. That poor QC strikes again.
Though I suppose it's moot as I doubt I'll ever put this jacket back on her ever again.
Now that she's free of that ugly thing, you can see how nice the rest of her outfit is. I didn't realize how much I missed dolls getting to wear neutrals until I saw her plain denim skirt and white tank top.
It's simple, but she's dressed like a real person. Plus, I can easily pair these pieces with a lot of other outfits. Doll wardrobes need pieces like this for mixing and matching.
Body wise she's a bit smaller than Barbie, and her feet are a little bit larger. This body reminds me a lot of the current bodies for the Disney Princess line now that Mattel has it back, though those have larger feet. If I can find the one I have, I'll do a body comparison to those later.
Her sculpt in three views. The Ever After High comparisons are very apt, though the screening itself is more reminiscent of My Scene mixed with a little bit of G3 Monster High.
For comparison, here's an actual EAH doll next to her. Brooklyn's head is just a smidge larger, but balanced out better with larger eyes, thicker brows, and bigger lips.
After this, I got Brooklyn redressed with just a few changes...
I replaced her jacket with this vintage Barbie and the Rockers one, added a necklace, and hey! Now she gets to wear her favorite color.
Final thoughts?
It's a good doll, but the quality control issues, on top of the same BS Mattel throws on all of it's dolls anymore, is dragging it down.
The fact you have to look through every single one of the shelf to make sure you're not getting a crappy one is exhausting. Plus, kids don't do that. They're going to get home with their new doll and then realize as they open it something's wrong. Kids don't deserve that.
The accessories are mostly cheap and not special enough to justify their existence. The purse, phone with case, and ring light would've been enough if they were made a bit better.
The outfit is well made, and a huge improvement over what I see in the main Barbie line, even if I don't like all the design choices, but again, that's if you get one without QC issues.
The doll herself is super cute though, and screw it, I like the tinsel. Fight me.
Overall I really love this doll, I just wish picking one out wasn't a hassle. Hell, I even bought a second one already.
I got inspired enough I wanted to repaint one, so I purposely bought this wonky Renee because she had the worst face up out of everyone at the store.
So I think there's definitely potential here. If this line continues, I hope they can improve the way G3 Monster High has improved from it's first wave.
I hope this can be the start of Mattel revitalizing it's Barbie line as well. It needs it. See ya next time.
