A Day At The O is a collection of fun "glamor shots" of the ladies we all love that are known collectively as Monster High. More pics were taken than originally planned, enough to compile the portfolio you're about to see. The primary playset used was the Desert Frights Oasis. Additional props were provided courtesy of The Coffin Bean, Clawdeen Wolf, Cleo De Nile, Frankie Stein, and whoever "owns" the Scaris Cafe Cart. Participants included...
Gigi Grant
Howleen Wolf
Rochelle Goyle and Spectra Vondergeist
Clawdeen Wolf
Venus McFlytrap
Abbey Bominable
Ghoulia Yelps
Cleo De Nile
Frankie Stein
Draculaura
Speaking of the Desert Frights Oasis playset, it may just be MH's best one to date. Surprisingly, it's also their first beach themed water playset. It seems kind of odd that it took Mattel three years to get one on the market, especially considering water playsets are a staple of fashion doll lines. And even more so when you consider we've been getting beach themed MH doll lines since year one. (I don't count Lagoona's Hydration Station as a genuine water playset since it's a bedroom set and technically the doll doesn't actually interact with the water.) In any case, DFO is definitely nice set. It has a cool design and a surprisingly wide variety of pieces. The hot tub and uniquely designed, attached palm trees are what first grab your attention but the colorful canopy (with clever, Gigi-esque adornment) shouldn't be undersold. It's a very well-made, sturdy piece, and will work with a variety of other playsets. There are also two matching lounge chairs and an assortment of foods and drinks. The coolest of the small pieces is the fire pit. It's an interesting design and can double as a seat if needed. The rotating tray that attaches to the tub also works as seating and is yet another clever little touch. I haven't gotten detail shots of the playset (yet)*, but I did scan the box. Shocking, right? (Hehe.) Mostly I wanted to get the shots of the Cleo doll on the box to compare to the actual doll included...
On the box Cleo has the standard eyes but as you know by now, the actual doll has the weird, rounder, "new" eyes. You already know how I feel about them. She's a well-designed doll, though -- I love her swimsuit and her makeup is really pretty. She has great hair -- in both style and texture. It's just those damn eyes that ruin it for me...
Note: The skirt and cuff are from a different Cleo. I just really like them with this swimsuit.
The booklet included with the set is the biggest we've seen yet for an MH product, as far as I know. Obviously I had to get scans of it...
I kinda like this sketch of Cleo.
Hey, it doubles as a makeshift coloring book! Cool!
Rawr.
I didn't snap any pics of Howleen in her actual 13 Wishes outfit (Maddie's wearing it at the moment -- and looking fab), but you can check the look out on her box art. It's pretty wicked...
Big sis Clawdeen was around today too, and in 13 Wishes form as well! And she's actually wearing (some of) her Wishes outfit. This is such a gorgeous Clawdeen! It's all about that honey-blonde hair! A new color for Clawdeen! And it's thick and silky too! I prefer the doll much more without the wrap and headpiece so that's how I photo'd her. She brought one of her bunk beds along for maximum comfort...
Because it's what I do, I scanned her box so you can gauge the look with wrap for yourself...
Truth be told, the wrap looks much better in drawn form than it does on the actual doll.
A review is forthcoming for her*, but let's check out Gigi's box art and doll anyway!
Fierce!
Hmm, not so fierce. But super pretty!
Like canopy, like doll. Or something.
Aww, Sultan Sting is such a cutie! Look at those puppy dog eyes!
Too bad one sting from his tail could kill you. I guess just try not to think of that.
Everything about Gigi is scorpion (and Scorpio) influenced. Check out that neck tat!
I'm guessing one of the Mattel designers was a November baby. (Like me! Represent, fellow Scorps!)
Ghouls Night Out hasn't gotten much love from Voicething, has it? I mean, I love the dolls, I just haven't covered them yet! So here's Rochelle and Spectra making their Voicething debut! (I'm holding off on Lagoona for something special*, plus she was already represented today by her 13 Wishes doll.)
They brought Scooter Ghoulia along for the fun.
Sigh. Rochelle, why you always gotta be so damn sweet! Love ya, girl!
I bet you're wondering how I feel about this Spectra having the "Fountain of Youth" facemold. Honestly? I really like it! Her face paint is much darker here than it was on her Picture Day doll, and it makes a world of difference! (Still not as good as the original mold though!)
I don't think there's anything Scooter Ghoulia can't wear and make look fierce as hell.
She's working Frankie's deluxe FP dress in ways I never thought possible.
Speaking of Frankie, she and Ula stopped by! (Man, is this the most random blog post ever or what?)
Frankie + paisley = fashion win!
Shadows and light. I'm really proud of this shot, if I may say so.
I prefer Picture Day Ula in the Swim outfit, and vice versa.
Her dark, heavy eyeshadow plays well off the black stripes of the swimsuit, I feel.
And then there was Abbey!
I'm becoming more and more convinced Picture Day is Abbey's best doll. Anyone agree?
It's all about those bangs.
Seriously, what a gorgeous doll!
We'll end on a high note: Music Festival Venus! This is another doll that's currently rocking my world that I simply haven't gotten to review yet. Check her out photosynthesizing in her Swim outfit...
Mmm, carbon dioxide...
MF Venus > Swim Venus
Absolutely stunning.
I know today's post was uber-random. To be honest I was simply in the mood to take some pics today, so I grabbed a bunch of dolls, changed some outfits, threw together what seating I needed from all sorts of playsets, and got to shooting. Once I started writing I figured I might as well throw some box scans in while I was at it. Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed looking at the pics as I much I did taking them! MH forever, my friends!
* Plans and ideas subject to change without notice. Of course. This is me we're talking about!
I love love love that first pic of Venus! And that picture of Frankie that you're proud of (you should be, it's amazeballs!) :)
ReplyDeleteI was going to write a comment, but instead I'm wiping drool off my keyboard.
ReplyDeleteLol! Thank you both very much!
ReplyDeleteOn a scale of 1-10, how fabulous are HTC Clawdeen's shoes?
ReplyDeleteDid you read on the MHD forums that they're re-releasing the S1600 dolls (except for Clawd & Cupid)?
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It looks like it's gonna be like the Classroom dolls, with some variation & cheaper prices. The best thing about them is NO FREAKIN' TINSEL! Boo-yah! Also, they have faceups from other dolls (Draculaura - PD, Frankie - ILF, Clawdeen - PG?)
I think Frankie looks the best. Ula should've had black lips, IMO. And their purses are different, too! (Well, they're from other non-S1600 dolls)
I think I might try and get Frankie & Clawdeen. I never got the original S1600 Clawdeen, and they paired one of my favourite faceups & hairstyles for Frankie, so she's an auto-win for me. :D
I'm really burned out on S1600, I was looking forward to them disappearing from shelves finally lol! That said, I might be up for a S1600 Frankie without that awful tinsel. I already have her (the dress was a must have for me), and I consider her my least favorite Frankie -- but that's mostly because of the tinseled hair. If I got the new de-tinseled one I could take my old Frankies hair down. Hmm...
DeleteOh, and on that scale, Deena's shoes are a 150! ;)
this is a great post, yes a little random but still good... this is what i was talking about with the new review style, it could be exactly like this but geared towards a particular line with an in depth review on your favs... it would work great just like this post... also i loved this because it is like a little preview of things to come like i didn't know you had gigi and im really excited for that post bc i didn't think i would like the 13 wishes line very much but the more i see them in person the more i like them bc i seen the HTC promo pics on line and the only one i liked was frankie but then when i finally seen them at the store i thought they all 3 were great !! and i really wasn't to keen on howleen or gigi at first but now i love both of them and i cant wait to finally get the collection of all 13 wishes and im also wanting to get both play sets now :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ricky! I officially have an idea for my first "catch-all" review, where I review multiple dolls in one post. But I don't want to divulge too much on it yet... ;)
DeleteThe HTC dolls, or Clawdeen and Frankie at least, look *much* better than the promo pics suggested. Clawdeen especially blew me away when I first saw her. I didn't have to think twice -- into the cart she went! lol
also i cant wait for the GNO 4 pack because it looks like venus has both sides of her head shaved and venus is really stealing some shine right now !! the venus pics you have here are beautiful especially the ones in the grass on the lounge chair its like she is meant to be photographed outdoors they are just gorgeous !! god i need a better job so i can afford all these new dolls bc as of right now i still need to get all 13 wishes witch is like 9 dolls and GNO witch is 4 more dolls and i really want to get the CR 2 packs witch is another 4 dolls then there is the swim wave 2 bc i have wave 1 and that's 3 more also ILF is another 2 and ILS is another 2 even more is PG wave 2 then DT wave 3 and i might get MF im still debating on MF bc i don't know if i truly love the theme yet or not but hell i will probably see it in stores and really like it :) so that is a total of 30 dolls and even more if i get MF then all the new lines introduced at comic con is going to be coming soon and i definitely love F,C,A and GS i cant wait to get slo moe im going to display him with CR ghoulia speaking of ghoulia it really looks like scooter ghoulia fits in with GNO line :)
ReplyDeleteLuuuuuv all the pics, and I´m in love with MF Venus, she is fabulous =)))
ReplyDeleteThanks Helen! :D I'm partial to Venus in any form but her MF doll really is something special. The more I look at her the more I think I might just prefer her to the signature doll! Obviously the signature doll has the better outfit, but faceup and hair? I think the MF doll might just be the better doll in those regards.
DeleteHi John!! I bet you thought I disappeared, huh? Nah, I was just busy with work again. And now I return to your blogs to see so many new posts, and so many new dolls – exciting! From the looks of these captivating photos, I'd say you were having a really fun time. I appreciate the way that you've enhanced and personalized their outfits. I can spend hours doing the same thing. Dance Class Howleen's outfit looks much better now; and I always imagined PD Draculaura would look good in the Swim outfit. How much do you love MF Venus?! She really has "the look", and it's captured in your awesome photos here. And oh, that poor Cleo... the eyes! Speaking of wonky eyes, I finally got my hands on a PD Operetta, and much to my dismay, she is cross-eyed. I feel pretty fortunate though considering that I order my dolls online. I was mostly interested in the outfit anyways, so I just put it on SRM Operetta and concealed PD Operetta's eyes under her Fashion Pack sunglasses.
ReplyDeleteOne of my recent additions was GNO Spectra, and you're right – her faceup is quite different from the PD version. When I get a new version of a character, I immediately consider choosing my favorite and selling or trading the other one(s). But nearly every single time, I end up appreciating the unique persona of each and refuse to part with any of them.
Did you find all of these new ghouls in stores, or did you order some online? Right now, I'm SOO anxious to get I <3 Fashion Scarah! Those blank eyes and the mixture of 60s and 90s style – I need her now. I'm also eager to get GNO Rochelle, but I'm gonna spring for the 4-pack because I can never pass up a new Venus.
Glad to see you back, friend! Thanks for the compliments :D Sorry to hear about your Operetta, that really sucks :( But hey, those shades are the perfect fix! (How cool are those sunglasses btw -- freaking love those things!) Just a couple minutes ago I responed to another commenter here about MF Venus -- basically, she's all that's good and Holy in this world. Lol!
DeleteI don't think I could ever trade my dolls, they really do each have their own unique personality, even beyond different hair and faceups. Each doll has her own thing going on and I like them all for different reasons. So I can see why you found yourself unable to part with any of your Spectras.
I buy about 95% of my dolls in person at the store. The dolls in these pics were all bought in person except for Gigi, who I ordered from TRU online. I got lucky, her eyes are perfect! (I was worried before she got here lol.)
Omg!! *.* I just discovered your blogs: they're awesome! Really. I'd want to ask you one thing, if it doesn't bother you... You know those "paper dolls" that hold clothes in fashion packs? Could you post a scan of them? I was thinking of turning them into paper doll with paper clothes etc.. But the photos I find online are cropped and low quality. Thank you very much!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Julie! Thanks for the kind words! I keep all my MH boxes and packaging so I know I have those somewhere. It'll take me a few days to dig them up but I'll get back to you when I find them. Btw, I always thought of those inserts as paper dolls too! I hate that they don't use them for the FPs anymore!
Deleteso guess what... remember when i told you that there was not a justice store in my area, well i was talking to my mom about it bc the EAH and MH swim line is exclusive to justice, and my mom was like ricky they just opened a new justice store in our mall a couple months ago and i thought that was awesome so i went up to check it out and they had EAH and some MH dolls so i picked up an apple white doll, 13 wishes howleen and twyla... i fell in love with the store, they didn't have any of they swim dolls in-stock but i got my name on a list to be called when they come in... i was just really happy about it and wanted to tell you... apple is even more amazing in person and i got her as my first EAH doll, they also had maddie and raven in stock but when i seen the 13 wishes there i couldn't pass up howleen and twyla bc they aren't released anywhere else here yet and only had enough money for a few dolls so i had to get the ones i wanted most at the time but when i get paid i will go back and get the other dolls but just wanted to tell you how cool i thought the new justice store here is !!
ReplyDeleteDude that's awesome! Apple is so cool! You already know how I feel about her from the review but I'll say it again -- Apple is the sh*t and if there's any justice in the EAH world she'll get to be queen -- such a fab chick deserves it! ;)
DeleteIn my experience, Justice is really cool about letting you know when they get new MH stuff. I've become friendly with my local store's manager and she always keeps me up to date. The only thing I hate is how weird I feel walking around in a store meant for little girls. Lol!
i know that is a little draw back to justice... but i have 2 little nieces that i shop for so it makes it a little ore comfortable for me !! i seen a post that justice is carrying the CR 2 packs im going to call today and see if my justice has any in stock bc i have been after them for months now !!
ReplyDeleteI just discovered your blog too and I think this is an awesome post - so much variety and I love your photos of Venus :) and I really love how you're not afraid to customise and swap around your dolls clothes, it's nice to see. Oh and, just so ya know, not all November babies are Scorpios, I'm born in November and I'm a Sagittarius ;) hehe. Love Gigi's Scorpion theme though so cool.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Voicething, Shoni! So glad you like the blog! :D Thank you for the compliments! One of my closest friends is a November 29 Sag. Actually, two of my closest friends are Sags, and the two best relationships I ever had were both with Sag guys. I guess I just "click" with you folks! Hehe :)
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