goobydolls

[goobydolls]

I received my Fearidescent Lagoona yesterday and she's currently my favorite doll this year! I can't explain it much; The new screening is so beautiful and her color scheme is so pleasing to the eye. Definitely the best G3 Lagoona to date.

She's currently posed beside my monitor because I just love looking at her. I don't wanna review yet because I wanna go through all the core dolls first, and I kinda wanna complete all 5 first before I form my thoughts.

The Fearidescent dolls make me wanna start painting accessories. Those shoes are begging to have details painted on them!

[goobydolls]

Monster High G3 - Draculaura - Signature Doll

Draculaura is the most popular G3 character by far. The pink-coded character in any franchise is always meant to sell well, and Draculaura is definitely no exception.

Among all the characters in this generation, Draculaura has the most cohesive look. My personal ranking has her tied with Frankie as the ones with the most cohesive design. The amount of detail the doll has really cements her at the top over most, if not all of the girls in the core series.

The posh, gothic look seems to have been retained in G3 Draculaura's aesthetic, and plays a lot on how vampires (or witches) would look in modern times. Even though she has several shades of pink in her outfits, her overall color scheme is limited to two pinks and black, with a little bit of white accents here and there.

Most of her accessories are also helpful in her character-building. She's a vampire, so of course her extra clothing piece is a little vampire cape. Of course she has shades, and of course she'll come with sunscreen so she can go out with her friends.

Her little bat pretzel is a fun piece to add to her doll, and the red cherry slushie cup is a cool addition that definitely stands out from all her other accessories. Her pet, Count Fabulous, looks adorable in their silly little sitting pose.

I think her bag is really cute! I love that it makes her look like she has bat wings when put on her back. The little quilted mold at the center makes it look like it could double as a pillow, but unfortunately, the straps are also made of plastic, so it's gonna be a bit difficult to use it as such.

She really didn't miss out on her outfit accessories. Her earrings match her split-dyed hair. She wears a white cameo charm necklace behind her lovely bowtie (you can barely see it, but it's there!), and she even has a chunky ring. A lot of the accessories are considerably subtler compared to other ghouls, but it's nice that they bothered to include them at all.

If there's one nitpick I have on her look, it's the shoes. I just feel like it's the least detailed pair, and doesn't quite live up to MH shoe standards. I feel like if it had some black painted into it, it would've made a bit of difference, but still not enough to save the shoe mold from being uninteresting.

Here's Core Drac next to her budget version! This outfit has to be the closest one to its core version, but the really fun part is that her shoes are more interesting than the latter! The details on the heels is exactly what the core doll needed.

All of her outfit pieces are substituted into simpler versions of the core doll's, from the bowtie to the stockings. I like that she came with a skirt instead of shorts this time, and even without the ring, she still has a necklace and earrings, which are all unique pieces that weren't used on the code doll. Even the bustier has a different pattern!

Even her bag, I think, is more interesting than the core doll's. I remember when Emo was a huge thing, and everyone got into having these coffin-shaped backpacks. It really took me back!

The screening's also a bit different, but I feel like my core Drac's just a very early version of the doll with the smaller eyes. I know she's meant to have bigger eyes, but the small eyes are just more charming and bat-like to me.

Overall, I'm totally in love with Core Draculaura. I even got a second one for restyling! I think they knocked it out of the park from the outfit, to the accessories, to the screening, and to the hair. The budget version is also a solid alternative if you don't care that much about the extra accessories.

Bonus: Here's the extra Drac whom I restyle every now and then. The weather where I am is currently peak summer, so here she is in maybe summer clothes!

[goobydolls]

Monster High G3 - Frankie Stein - Signature Doll

One of my faves from G1 has made their way to become, yet again, one of my faves in the current gen!

When the dolls first got leaked by that Coffin Bean playset box photo, Frankie was the one I got extremely excited for. I'm a sucker for the preppy-punk aesthetic, and I think Frankie nails that well enough! I'd have preferred a darker blue color scheme but it's honestly a non-issue. I get that the neon blue, pink, and lime colors suit their personality way more. I'm glad it's mostly four colors and just some hints of a fifth one so it's not as busy as Clawdeen's color scheme.

The inclusion of the prosthetic leg makes total sense for the kind of monster they are. Even the little doodles on the leg are nice finishing touches and really brings out their personality. I know the body prints on the earlier batches rubbed off pretty easily, but mine still haven't so I'm thankful. Her lower leg, however, has discolored into a yellowish tint, but I can't capture the accurate color on camera. I don't know if it's because of the print or if the material is just different from the upper legs, but it does bother me a bit. They eyebrow piercing though!!!

The shoes are okay. It leaves a lot to be desired but it's still coherent to their aesthetic. I do wish they were black instead of pink, because like the color of Clawdeen's shoes, they're kind of disconnected from the main outfit.

All of Frankie's accessories are wonderful. The lightning bolt motif is pretty apparent on almost every item, but I don't mind it! This is the core doll so I appreciate that they're introducing their motifs strongly. The clear lightning bolt backpack with the keychain is a fun but I think the little Instax camera steals its thunder (lol) because it's easier to put on them than the other. I appreciate that it came with the photos too! It doesn't come with a little ring for the doll to hold it though, so it's just gonna hang around like a bag.

For the smaller accessories, they come with a pair of clear shades with some lightning details molded on the frames. It's a lot darker on the actual doll but I'm glad it's still transparent enough to show their eyes! I am kinda bummed that they missed out on their water bottle though. I'd have swapped the screechza for it, for sure. They also come with their iCoffin that's molded with a personal touch of electricity.

The jacket becomes rather difficult to put on at times. It's tailored large enough to fit the shirt sleeves but I could never fit it enough for the shoulders to sit correctly. I still appreciate the additional clothing piece! There's definitely some mix and match potential here, but I barely use it unless I remove the shirt and keep their vest on, or wrap it around their waist.

Here's Frankie next to their budget version! Personally, I prefer the budget version because I think the outfit structure is more unique and the shoes are way more detailed than the core version. They also came with a handbag in this one, which I prefer a lot more than the backpack. The shoes also capture the creativity that MH shoes typically have, and they come with some dangling lightning bolts in the back! The pink glasses are from a different doll but I thought the colors complement the shoes more than the blue ones.

Overall, I was not disappointed with signature Frankie. They're still one of my top three signature dolls and my opinion has not changed from when I saw the leak to when I had them in my hands. While I still like the budget version better, this one has more restyling potential and I feel like all their accessories are definitely worth their inclusions.

Bonus photo! I restyled them recently, and this is their outfit when they're out on a little lunch date with Cleo. That hairclip is holding on for dear life lmao.

[goobydolls]

Quick Reviews(?) - Bratz Flashback Minis - Series 1

One of my collector goals is to make a doll version of myself and give them a little room with some miniature furniture. I haven't exactly found stuff that I would want on my mini doll room, but the recent Bratz minis piqued my interest because of course they're gonna be a doll collector too.

Today I got my Amazon parcels and one of them included the advent calendar of this assortment! I've seen reviews of this so I already know what I signed up for. Since it's been on sale for a while I decided that $15 for 10 mini dolls and 5 cosmetics may be a pretty good deal, considering each capsule of 2 costs about $7-$10. If you collected the mini capsules and got lots of the items from series 1 already, you don't really need this. All of the items in this pack (save for one) are in the same series.

The cosmetics were fine. I get that they had to add those in there. It's just kind of weird to put the lipstick and mascara in separate days, and the cute vinyl pouch that came in the capsules wasn't included at all. If I had it my way, I'd add all four Wintertime Wonderland palettes since, you know, it's a winter-themed product.

While we're at it, the choice of dolls was also pretty weird. Ideally, I'd expected all five Wintertime Wonderland dolls in there, Holiday Katia, Cloe, Felicia, and Trinity, and maybe a Wintertime Wonderland Boy. Then the four palettes and the vinyl bag to make it 25. But honestly, I'd still have preferred 20 dolls in total.

The number of items per character was also a bit unbalanced. Every core girl had at least two dolls except for Sasha who had one doll and a palette. I kind of wish they swapped the random Rock Angelz Yasmin for a 20 Yearz Sasha, or even the styling head for more variety. The split between the 20 Yearz and Flaunt It lines were also a bit weird. Although I was happy to get a PnP Cloe, her inclusion in this bunch was also off.

I know I sound like I hate this product but I really don't. I just find so many things about it weird.

On that note, I also bought two capsules so I could complete the free shipping requirement, and the gacha gods have blessed me because I got the only two sets I actually wanted to have from series 1! The twins, the lip phone, and PnP Jade were my must haves from this particular wave, so I'm pretty much content with everything I got.

I'm still happy with my purchase considering how much I got them for. Now to find a way to display them without looking like a mess!

[goobydolls]

Monster High G3 - Clawdeen Wolf - Signature Doll

First up in this series is Miss Main Character herself, Clawdeen!

Her outfit has to be the most polarizing one out of the bunch, because it's the biggest departure from her G1 counterpart. I've warmed up to it since I got her, but I do see why people consider her look a bit juvenile. They're high-schoolers, though, so I feel like it still makes sense for her to look like... well... a kid. Pulling the shirt collar past her shoulders makes a world of a difference to the look!

Her overall color scheme is great. I love that most of her accessories are gold and they go well with the other accents in her look. Black and gold is just such a good combo, and her signature purple color just makes her entire look blend together so well.

She has a good amount of fashion accessories on her, and I'm glad they didn't shy away from it. I think it's hilarious that the choker and necklace are barely holding onto her neck but I'm not complaining!

I will say, although I appreciate the details on her sneakers, I wish more parts of them were painted. There's quite a number of details (fur, straps, etc.) that get lost in the purple plastic because they're not accented. I also prefer darker colored shoes; the bright purple just screams at your eyes a bit much, in my opinion.

One of the biggest letdowns on this doll is definitely her hair. It's a blend of very light brown, magenta, and a much darker brown underneath, and most of it feels dry, particularly the dark brown parts. After I unboxed my Clawdeen, I immediately washed her hair with dish soap and put on lots of conditioner TWICE(!) to make it even remotely smooth. I have sensory issues so I enjoy brushing/playing with good doll hair, but when it's bad, it feels really awful. Due to so much brushing during her wash, I ended up making her hair straighter than intended, but at this point I'm too scared to style her hair back into loose curls. I also ended up trimming the ends of her hair because they were too crunchy to be saved. I imagine this would be something I'll be doing again in the next few months.

The one I got has a crooked eye print, but I can't say for sure which side's wonky. It doesn't bother me much since it's not that glaring (lol) and misprints happen.

This is all the stuff she comes with! All the play accessories like the phone and the snacks are such welcome additions. The inclusion of snacks make for great play/photo props, although it did bum me out a little bit that she didn't come with a drink container like most of the other dolls.

I'm not too into the pets, but I can appreciate their inclusion to this line. They've always done this in G1, so it would be a disappointment to deviate from that in their core versions. My partner adores the pets though, so they're still loved!

It's also important to note that her undershirt comes with two variants; mine's got the moon pattern with some pawprints and the stock photo has bigger moons with some claw marks instead. I kinda like the latter better but I'm still happy with what I got!

Her bag is made of pliable material and it opens at the top so you can definitely store some of her accessories in there. Mine's a little too squishy and it comes apart easily, so I don't bring it out that often. It's a shame because her bag definitely gives her a more mature look, considering the other signature dolls came with chunky backpacks. I love the printed designs and the gold attachment to the side is a cute little detail that I wish was applied to her shoes too.

Her glasses will be permanently perched on top of her head because they're both too big for her face and the molded fur on her jaws aren't enough to keep 'em in place.

She comes with this fur vest that I'm personally not feeling, but I do like how it looks wrapped around her arm like in the photo below. It's got some restyling material though! I've used it once as a sort of fur stole with some other pieces of clothing, but it just doesn't work as well in her original outfit.

Here she is beside her budget version for comparison. Clawdeen, Frankie, and Draculaura all came with budget versions of their dolls that have similar style clothes as the originals. I feel like Clawdeen has the biggest departure from her signature look since she's no longer wearing overalls and she instead comes with a layered top.

What didn't depart, however, was her hair quality. I haven't washed my budget doll since I got her, so you can see the difference between washed and just combed hair. Her hair can get REALLY bad if left alone for a long time.

I do prefer the budget doll's outfit since it's a bit more my style, plus her platform boots just look so much better than the sneakers, even if it has less paint detail.

The budget doll's bag is cute! The unique function to open the bag is so fun, but it's a bit too small to fit most of her accessories so it's kind of just decorative.

Another distinction between the signature and the budget dolls is the torso articulation. As an action figure collector, I do love displaying my stuff in nice poses, and the torso articulation does so much for me! This isn't to say the budget doll doesn't have enough articulation, though. As you can see, she is perfectly capable of some tilted poses too. The signature doll just takes it a lot further.

For my final thoughts, I think Clawdeen's a pretty okay doll! My main gripe is the hair quality, considering every other doll's hair is softer and more manageable. She also didn't come in the same curls as in the stock photos. In the Nickelodeon show these dolls are based on, she even has textured hair, but it's a letdown that the doll just has wavy hair. Clawdeen has the best bag out of all the signature dolls, hands down. She's got a bit of a balance between her kidcore overalls + sneakers and her more mature pieces, such as her off-shoulder top and bag. Overall, Clawdeen is a 7/10 for me.

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Sorry if this review is quite long. Since this is the first G3 doll I'm reviewing, I wanted to cover most of the stuff that the other dolls also had, such as the torso joint and all the general items they came with. I'll try to trim the reviews more for the next dolls, but I just love to talk about them and their stuff! I enjoy the G3 dolls so much and writing about Clawdeen made me warm up to her so much more.

[goobydolls]

Monster High G3 - Signature Dolls

While I'm a new collector of Monster High dolls, I've been following the brand since it started back in 2010.

As a bit of a horror fan myself, I've always been enamored by how much creativity and stylistic detail went into each of the ghouls' designs. They were just built differently from a lot of the dolls that were out back then. I remember spending hours upon hours looking at stock photos of the gen 1 dolls and being especially pleased by the details in their shoes. I couldn't afford to buy myself toys back then, so I was very limited to picking and choosing dolls that I liked out of the photos on the MH wiki.

More than a decade later, I am now able to afford a couple of hobbies, and only recently did I start collecting dolls. When leaks of a Monster High reboot went circling around online early in 2022, I decided it's the best time to start!

My general thoughts are summed up in the fact that I absolutely enjoy these dolls. I'm able to find nuance and acknowledge that this is a completely different universe from the original Monster High, and that these characters are only loosely based on their original counterparts, so I can appreciate them for what they are without the chains of nostalgia weighing my judgement. For what it is, despite what many consider typical Mattel flaws, I do think it's still a strong brand and it's off to a powerful start.

I initially thought about writing a lengthy post about my review of each doll, but I decided I'd try to give each character their own post so I can keep my thoughts shorter and (hopefully) sweeter.

From the stock photos up to the moment I have them in my desk, my opinions on some of the girls have drastically changed. I used to think that Lagoona was the worst out of the initial releases, but she's easily become my favorite character out of all of them!

Design-wise, Frankie and Draculaura tie for first place in my opinion, and Ghoulia or Clawdeen maybe tie for the last place. As you can see in the photo, an inevitable restyling has been done with one of them already. This isn't to say they're outright ugly in my eyes; I admit there's a lot of stuff to love in each of them, so there's not a single doll I hate. I love all my daughters equally, after Lagoona.

I'm excited to share my thoughts on the ghouls! I hope I have enough time to write about each of them in the next couple of days. I'll take some photos to post for each doll so I feel better and more productive about my endeavors.

[goobydolls]

Hello, reader!

I'm Gooby, collector of comic books, action figures, dolls, and duck memes.

I've been interested in dolls for as long as I can remember, but I was never able to own one because every adult in my childhood thought triangles only fit in the triangle box. Also I grew up poor, so there's that.

My only actual exposure to dolls growing up were stolen glances towards the doll aisles, commercials in my cartoon channels, and afternoon playtime with my cousins' Bratz, MyScene, Winx, and all the other dolls. Yup, living vicariously through my cousins' dolls in a locked room while the adults were busy, pretending I was a recruiter for Charlie's Agency.

Cut to almost two decades later, I have my own place and I can afford dolls now! But where are the dolls I've been coveting since I was 8? Surely the secondhand doll market have them for sale at the same prices, right? Well...

I started actually collecting dolls in 2021. The brand that really stuck to me through the years was Bratz, and it just so happened that they were having their 20th anniversary that year, so I was lucky enough to find a good place to start!

Then, everything spiraled from there.

Here's where I'm at right now, and this isn't even my final form.

I still have more girls in storage boxes. Oh god, I have so many plastic women in my life.

This blog was created so I can document my collecting. I play with some of my dolls when I have time, so hopefully I can share my thoughts here and review the ones that I am yet to have.

Thanks for giving this a read, and I hope I get to share my joy of collecting with you!