There are going to be two new characters and those are always of the most interest so that's where we'll start. First is Gigi the Genie. I like this doll! I love her massive, watery eyes, and the outfit is colorful and themed nicely enough. Her hair is real big and kinda looks like a scorpion's tail -- pretty cool! Her eyeshadow seems to be an orangey-yellow shade, matching that streak in her hair -- very nice. Her little purple scorpion pet is way cute. Being a proud Scorpio, this doll certainly speaks to me. Oh, and I love that big honkin' thing hanging off her bracelet. Is that her genie bottle? If so, how cool! Definitely looking forward to this doll!
Next we have Twyla, daughter of the Boogeyman. I don't get "boogeyman" from this doll, but then I guess with boogeyman you could kind of go anywhere stylistically. Mostly I'm getting a huge Rochelle vibe from her, especially those eyes. Seriously, she could pass for Rochelle's younger sister. I love her color scheme and hairstyle. It's simple but pretty. Supposedly Twyla is the same height as Howleen. Based on this pic that appears to be true. I love her wacky-eyed bunny rabbit pet.
Next we have the MH "Big Three" in the 13 Wishes line: Frankie, Clawdeen, and Draculaura. I love Frankie and Clawdeen's faces and hairdos. Not so sure about the outfits. They're not horrible or anything but they're just not my thing. I wish Mattel would've went with a more unexpected take on this look. As for 13 Wishes Draculaura, she's basically the perfect summation of everything I dislike about this style of doll. Too pink, too gaudy, too, just... everything. It's a 7-year-old's idea of what "fancy" is. Which is fine, this is a doll line aimed primarily at children after all. But I can express my thoughts on these dolls, too. Especially since Mattel does do things like Con appearances and releasing limited edition dolls clearly aimed at adult collectors.
Next is a line called Ghouls Night Out. There's some confusion as to which of the dolls are actually in this line but for the time being I'm gonna lump the following four dolls together and assume they're Ghouls Night Out.
First is Lagoona. LOVE HER. Her faceup is gorgeous and I love the tendrils of hair hanging out of the ponytail. Also loving the metallic blue jacket and most of all, that purse! Just look at it! What a cool design! I especially love the white flap with pink accent and black fish. As a nice bonus this actually looks like a real purse, unlike some of the other recent MH purses we've seen *cough* Picture Day Spectra *cough*. Anyway, can't wait for this doll to arrive!
Next we have Spectra -- another winner! Even though I love Spectra's silky, straight hair, I'm glad to see they're trying new things with it here. The outfit looks promising too, especially that translucent purple jacket. It looks to me like this Spectra has the newer facemold, something I'm still very torn on, but on the plus side her eyes look nice and spooky again.
We all know I love Rochelle so perhaps my expectations are too high. I'm pretty torn on this doll. I love the outfit and especially the purse, but I'm not so much into this hairdo. I do like the Fluer de Lis barrettes. Initially I was torn on this faceup but it's already growing on me. By the time she's released I have a feeling I'll have completely fallen in love with this doll.
Then we have Howleen, channeling the early 90's and getting it right. I really don't have much to say about her. She looks great; I'll probably be picking her up.
Mattel will also be releasing three different playsets that feature exclusive dolls. First up is a stunning Cleo with a hot tub playset. The doll itself looks gorgeous -- check out those extra-fierce eyes and severe ponytail. Loving her so much, need her right now, how much longer is the wait, etc, etc. The playset looks cool but I'm having trouble imagining fitting even one doll in that little tub. On the plus side it has some so-tacky-they're-cool palm trees and a fun little canopy (although it kinda looks more like it belongs in Scaris, design-wise). Anyway, definitely looking forward to this gorgeous Cleo and Mattel's first MH pool-related playset.
Next is another Spectra, this one included with an obviously 13 Wishes-related playset (Haunt the Casbah?) Spectra looks great here -- they're trying more new things with her hair, and this one, as far as I can tell, has the older facemold! Hurray! The playset looks great, and notice that little jack up front? Looks like we'll be able to hook this up to our mp3 player of choice and rock out! So cool! I hope it lights up or something, too. Unfortunately you can tell from the pic there will be no spinning disco ball. Missed opportunity there, Mattel!
The last playset is a Draculaura diner. I love the doll! Her hair looks cool and her faceup comes across as optimistic without being overly sweet, unlike most Draculauras. The outfit is like a 50's waitress gone girly goth, which works for me. The playset looks surprisingly understated, especially for this character.
The last doll to cover is this insano Lagoona doll. The bright yellow hair and extra blue skin certainly make her stand out. I don't know what line this doll is associated with -- she's so different from all the other dolls revealed. What I do know is I'm intrigued and can't wait to see this extremely unique doll in person. I love when Mattel tries new things like this; I'm excited for this Lagoona!
I have a few other things I want to quickly discuss while we're here. Yesterday I went through all my posts updating and adding tags and somehow managed to republish my Robecca, Robecca blog from a few months ago as a brand new post. Unfortunately, once you've republished a blog you can't take it back unless you delete the post and I didn't want to do that. So for newer readers it was probably something you hadn't read yet, so that's okay, right? For my OG readers it was the blog version of a sitcom clip show and I'm sorry about that. But hey, Robecca's so pretty and fun that a revisit couldn't have been too terrible. Coincidentally, just a couple of hours before I accidentally republished that blog I had taken one of my basic Robecca's out for a photoshoot in one of her new outfits. Check 'em out.
Also, I wanted to remind everyone that you can follow Voicething on Twitter now. Just hit me up here or do a search for @voicethingmh when you're out there Tweeting.
With that, we end with Scooter Ghoulia. (She tagged along to the Robecca shoot.)
Til next time!
Here's something: I think the Howleen actually goes with the insano Lagoona! Look at the upper right corner - as well as the included diary and pet with each. The three "Ghouls Night Out" dolls include makeup kits and no pet/diary.
ReplyDeleteBut throwing Howleen into the mix with bizarro Lagoona just makes things more confusing. The only thing I can think of is maybe solid colored mix-n-match wigs...? That's the only common link I can see between the dolls themselves - bright, single-colored hair.
Good eye! I hadn't made the connection but you could be right! It would be interesting to see Mattel do standard dolls with switchable wigs. I'd just hope the quality is better than the CAM wigs! lol
DeleteThe Howleen and bizarro Lagoona are both part of the 13 Wishes line (the movie is supposedly about Howleen finding a magic lamp and wreaking havoc). I know, it surprised me too--especially that Howleen, as her attire certainly doesn't fit in with the other girls' from the same line.
DeleteThanks for the info! This is the first I've heard about any of the story elements from the special. Sounds pretty cool!
DeleteOH GOSH LAGOONA *_*
ReplyDeleteAnd... Well... I don't really know who is the Boogeyman, but for my taste, that doll looks very generic.
See ya!
Yeah, her color palette is very soft and her features aren't particularly striking, aside from her huge Rochelle-style eyes. I think she's really pretty nonetheless, but can see how you'd find her a little generic.
DeleteAnyway, I can't see connection between the "boogeyman" and that doll. I think I know why: The figure of boogeyman varies between the cultures. I don't know how it is in USA, but in my culture, it's represented like a man with a hood and a sac.
DeleteWhen I look Twyla (especially her pet), I just can make a connection with that old dolls that freak you out, if you know what I mean :P
To be honest I've never known or thought much about what a boogeyman actually looks like. Growing up it was just a creepy figure that I knew was "scary". I think that's how it is for most people in the U.S. The boogeyman is just an unknown figure and it's up to you to fill in the blanks. In any case, if I were to come up with what I felt a boogeyman should look like it wouldn't be pastel and pretty lol.
DeleteHey, John, it's Triumvirate. Here's my first comment on your blog. Just to throw my two cents in here I also am not seeing Twyla's connection to the Bogeyman other than her pet dustbunny, which I'm imagining she must have found when she was growing up under some poor kid's bed with her Dad.
DeleteBut also as a kid I grew up having no clear image of the Bogeyman beyond him just being a scary shadowy figure that hid in your closet or under your bed, so this representation of the daughter of the Bogeyman is as good as any I suppose. She is cute, anyway.
Of all of the new leaked items the one I'm honestly most excited about, as a huge Lagoona fan, is the insano Lagoona. I really want to know the story behind her change and whether it's a permanent change or just temporary for the 13 Wishes special. Some people don't like the bright yellow hair with pale blue streaks, but honestly I prefer it to her normal haircolor.
I have always thought of the Bogeyman as a nondescript shadowy figure that hides in closets or under beds myself (this is Triumvirate btw). So, I guess this interpretation of the daughter of the Bogeyman is as good as any? Though, I also think kind of lackluster. The dustbunny is a cute touch, though. I can imagine her finding that while growing up with her Dad under some poor kid's bed or something.
DeleteThe insano Lagoona is my favorite item from all the leaked pictures. I'd like to know whether her transformation is temporary for the special or permanent. I don't mind if it's permanent because I do like the bright yellow hair and more vivid all-around color scheme better honestly.
Tri, glad you stopped by! With Twyla they really could've gone in any direction stylistically. Soft pastels, though? Kind of a head scratcher. But yeah, at least she's pretty. And I like the bunny pet quite a bit, too!
DeleteI'm really excited about insano Lagoona. Even if I didn't think she looked incredibly cool (which I do), I just like when Mattel tries new things and takes some departures from what we're used to with these characters, so she gets a big thumbs up from me.
I heard that that particular Lagoona was part of the 13 wishes storyline where Lagoona wishes to be a Freshwater sea monster (like her boyfriend Gil), so that's what the radically different look is all about. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's what I've been hearing as well. Some fans are upset that Lagoona would temporarily go freshwater, but I think it's kind of cool! And I really love the doll!
Delete