Review: I Heart Fashion Frankie Stein

One of my first reviews for this blog was of the Toys R Us exclusive I Heart Fashion Abbey Bominable doll. In that review I briefly touched on the Frankie Stein counterpart release. Today I'm going to be focusing on that doll.

These two releases are completely analogous to each other. Both feature a uniquely designed character doll, three full outfits, a purse, and several small accessories. The fact that these accessories are differently colored pieces we've already seen on other dolls isn't too big of a deal considering the clothes themselves are all-new. It's worth noting that the purse is a simplified, black and red repaint of the one from Frankie's recent fashion pack.

What the accessories lack in originality the actual doll more than makes up for. This Frankie is a doozy -- she has a strip of blue eyeliner above each eye, which is surrounded by a much thicker, deep teal layer that completely encircles each eye. Her lips are deep teal as well. It's an arresting look, one that has had to grow on me, but from the get-go I admired it's uniqueness. The heaviness of the eyeshadow gives this Frankie an almost deranged look; I approve! Plus, you may have noticed by now that a unique faceup goes a long way with me anyway. I like to be surprised, and the first time I saw this Frankie I most definitely was!

Her hair is extremely unique as well. Usually Frankie's black and white streaks are mixed. This time the colors have been kept completely separate. The hair on top of her head is pure black and pulled into a flat ponytail midway back. The sides of her head have completely white hair, while another layer of pure black lines the very bottom of her scalp in the back. The ponytail creates an interesting geometric shape, especially since the contrast between the two colors is so stark. It's a perfect match to the severe faceup. She's just so different that you have to applaud the Mattel design team for the risks they took with her.

All three outfits included are good, although as with Abbey, the best outfit here is the one Frankie is wearing in the box. It's a collared jumper of bright, primary yellow on top, while the skirt portion features a blue, black, and red argyle print. She has a red, blue, and white tie cinched at the collar. Over this she wears a red "vinyl" jacket. The outfit is paired with white knee socks with a yellow print along the top and simple red sandals. Her earrings are long, bright yellow, lightning-esque jags. I love this outfit so, so, so much! It's very much a "Frankie" outfit, but feels fresh and new with the addition of the yellow. And, in my opinion at least, the use of primary colors on a jumper paired with knee socks is absolutely brilliant. It feels totally true to the 60's while managing to be completely modern. Seriously, love this outfit!

For the other outfits I've chosen two of my favorite Frankies as the models. First up is Classroom Frankie in an interesting disco-meets-denim number. The top is made of a shimmering silver material and has one strap. It feels very 70's to me. It's paired with jeans featuring a patchwork red and black print. The pieces are "connected" by a grey seam print. What's surprising is the look works! The casual look of the jeans offsets the somewhat formal looking top in an aesthetically pleasing way. I matched this outfit with the blue and silver heels in an effort to play up the duality of the look, which is probably precisely what Mattel intended.

Modeling the third and final outfit is Skultimate Roller Maze Frankie. Try not to be too distracted by this Frankie's incredible beauty as she models the clothes. (Seriously though, this is one awesome Frankie. If you don't have her, get thee to the store!) Anyway, yes, the clothes! This is a much younger, funkier outfit than the previous one. It consists of a short sleeve top in black with a blue diamond print. It almost looks like snakeskin. The skullette silhouette is scattered throughout. The right sleeve is made of the same material, but in pure red; the two fabrics are attached by three thick white threads. This is paired with a short blue skirt with red ruffle at the hem. A silver, molded belt baring a bright yellow lightning-shaped buckle is attached. Chains hang off the right side of the belt. It's a cool look -- just a hint of punk, and the seams in the top play up Frankie's monster theme in a cute, subtle way. I paired this outfit with the white lightning sneakers.

Overall grade: B+ I really admire the darkness of this Frankie's faceup; her hair is impressive, too. The overriding design theme seems to be bold shapes and stark color contrasts. The doll gets my thumbs up on strangeness alone. All three outfits are keepers, especially the one she comes wearing. The extras are pretty generic. This Frankie doesn't have a stand to show off her great fashions.