Obviously I'll be doing full reviews on these two as soon as possible. MH reviews are temporarily delayed while I focus on Madeline and Raven but will resume shortly after. I took a few more pics than usual for this teaser post, plus did full box back scans for both dolls, to hopefully make clicking to read this a little more worth your time. Here are Madeline and Raven...
Not amazing hair but she had the best of the Maddies on the shelf. For what it's worth,
the texture is incredibly soft. Frizzy, but soft.
*swoon*
Yep, her earrings are tiny sugar spoons. To go with her teapot purse and teacup fascinator, of course.
There are so many fantastic little details on Raven...
... including lots of birdlike touches to her accessories.
If you're a person who played with dolls in the 80's, and also happen to love Monster High nowadays,
these will likely be right up your alley!
If you click on these and save them to your computer you can view them in supersize!
That's all for now. Reviews to come!
Congratulations on finding this lovely girls. Specially that you found the rebel case, that seems the rarer one (at least I have seen more people finding the royals).
ReplyDeleteHave you read their little diaries? It gives them a lot of personality.
Madeline's talks about how Wonderland is now dangerous and the White Queen and Queen of Hearts are now a little crazy. And how she cares about Raven.
I haven't read Raven's but hope is cute.
I think you will like Apple's, it gives her more personality, and explains one of her reasons to try to make Raven evil. And she needs glasses, how cute.
Also in her diary and Briar's they present to us Duchess Sawn that is a little antagonist towards Apple, and also show us Holly O'Hair daughter of Rapunzel, and Poppy that works at the salon.
Hi Cammie! It's so funny you ask me about the storybooks -- I just finished reading them a bit ago and was logging on here to possibly post scans of the books. I LOVE them! Like you say, they really fill in the girls' personalities and go a *very* long way in further establishing the world of EAH. I love all the riddles in Maddie's book -- they're genuinely clever and fun to decipher. I mean, I know they show the English-Riddlish translations, but it's still fun to read the translation and figure out how it was deciphered in the first place. Very cool! Raven's diary is a little more dramatic and not quite as mysterious and fun as Maddie's, but it's still very good. It goes through her meeting with Baba Yaga and how Baba let Raven choose a royal class even though it's against the rules. We also get to see Raven being a bit, well, evil, despite herself. The girl loses her temper fairly often! And it also shows the meeting with Giles Grimm from Maddie's book but from Raven's perspective. Based on how much I enjoyed these I so can't wait for Apple's story! Honestly, these little books are extremely cool. They're even scattered with lots of drawings, different ones for each character. And even the bookmarks they're attached to look really pretty with their ribbon charm bracelets and such. I'm just gonna say it -- these storybooks are so much more enjoyable than the MH diaries. I love the MH diaries too, but these are so much more detailed and unique. Just my opinion, of course!
DeleteI think they are are more enjoyable because w don't know much about them. And of course cute little drawings are adorable. There are not much Monster High diaries that I like a lot. My faves are mostly of characters that aren't very present in the cartoon. Holt Hyde's diary is my fave it gave a little bit of is calm side and how he can be a sad monster, something that we never see in episodes, and it presented us Operetta, that took one year to be shown.
DeleteI liked Twyla's diary, but of course because she is new, but it has it's own importance.
I like when they talk about their parents and monster heritage.
Ever After High diaries are adorable. And I am amazed by how that little ''book mark'' give us the same size of diary as Monster High.
I hope all characters will have this kind of diary, with the little drawings too.
And I just loved how Apple speaks of her parents, like imagining Snow White and the Prince talking to her. Also Apple says that her wedding will have a musical number, how cute is that?
Sometimes I wish Mattel launched some big book with diaries of the many characters or something like that, or lauched diaries with most dolls. I think they were one of the main things that made my love Monster High even more, and it seems that is happening the same with Ever After High :)
Can't wait for your reviews :D
Yes, they really made a lot out of a little with those bookmarks, didn't they? The little drawings really do add a lot of personality to the books. And I like that they relate to each character specifically -- the Cheshire Cat in Maddie's book, etc.
DeleteOne thing the EAH books have over the MH diaries is the typeface. While it adds a personal touch to the MH diaries, sometimes the "handwritten" words are just plain hard to read and I sometimes struggle to make out what they're saying. The EAH books have a regular typeface (like a storybook), with occasional handwritten notes out to the side. It's much easier to read!
Forgot to add, you've really got me excited for Apple's book -- it sounds very cool!
DeleteSo glad you got your hands on these! I love how thorough your reviews are; can't wait for you to get around to these two lovely ladies!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'm really looking forward to writing about these two -- so many details, so much to discuss! Woo-hoo! ;D
DeleteHello John!
ReplyDeleteI love both of your blogs very much and waiting for new posts, of course, it's so amazing. Thank you very much for detailed reviews.
Could you please answer two questions about your dolls? I'd be very grateful :)
First, if freswater Lagoona and Abbey have similar or different skin tones? It's really interesting to see them nearby.
And could you please make a photo or scan Raven's diary? I already read Maddie's and Briar's ones and find them really interesting.
Thank you for attention :)
Hi Elly, thank you for the kind words! Freshwater Lagoona has a bright, rich shade of blue. Abbey's is much lighter than hers, more of a baby blue. Here are the scans I did of Raven's booklet: http://voicethingthesequel.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-new-orientation.html
DeleteEnjoy!
Thsnl you very much, it was a great reading ^^
DeleteYou're welcome! :)
DeleteEEEEEEEEEEK! I had no idea these were in stores already!! I'll have to look for them on my next trip out :D
ReplyDeleteDisappointing to see Maddie's hair is frizzy, but... she's still SUPER cute! :D
I know right! They hit much sooner than I expected! Now that Maddie's been out of the box a bit her hair has relaxed a little and is a *tad* more manageable. It's still frizzier than I would like, but she's a keeper. I have a feeling you're gonna really like her, Astro!
DeleteOkay, you're already aware that I'm lukewarm on these Ever After High dolls; however, those shoes (both sets) are rad! You probably know what I'm curious about: do they fit MH dolls? I'm also liking Madeline's gloved hands; those are molded on, right? I also just noticed Raven's jewelry – very cool. The artwork looks like perfection, too.
ReplyDeleteI really am an enabler, aren't I? lol. I haven't tried clothes swaps with Raven and the MH dolls, but aside from some very minor differences their bodies are the same so I don't think it will be a problem. As for Maddie, she's the same height as Howleen and Twyla, but her lower legs are the size of the standard dolls, so her amazing shoes can be worn by the MH girls (well, besides Twyla, Howleen, Nefera, and Bloodgood). Actually, Maddie's body is pretty unique. Compared to Twyla, Maddie has a larger bust and hips, pronounced abs, and thicker arms and legs. I'm not sure why they changed it but I like it more than the Howleen/Twyla body, which has never really appealed to me.
DeleteYou are an enabler. Mattel should pay you royalties for the excellent promotion that you do. ;) I've seen photos of the EAH and MH doll bodies compared side-by-side, so I did notice the differences. Thrilled to hear that the EAH shoes can fit MH dolls! I don't own any of the smaller dolls yet (Howleen or Twyla), but I am SO eager to get my hands on the 13W Howleen. How 80's is her outfit? You know I love it! Haven't spotted her in-person yet, but the price is right online (dunno what I'm waiting for). Speaking of 80's, I swooped in and snagged an MF Venus as soon as they became available on Amazon, and I have been in love ever since. Seriously, she is my idea of perfection; I've even kept her original outfit on her (which is highly unusual for me).
DeleteLol! I pretty am a shill for Mattel, sad but true! ;) I think my favorite thing on 13W Howleen is her purple pleather jacket. Love the cute little pockets too! I kind of hope they go back to orange hair for her though. The pink is fine but I definitely prefer the orange of her basic. MF Venus is such a badass. That face and outfit are all attitude!
DeleteI like the pink or the orange hair on Howleen; however, I do appreciate that it's straight on the 13W version. As much as I love curly hair, it way too often is not executed well. And yes -- that purple jacket is the the best! I am just so bummed that her clothes won't fit the other ghouls (right?). I could go on and on about how amazing MF Venus is... I STILL have not changed the outfit she came in; however, I did add PD Spectra's chain necklace to punk it up even more. Speaking of Spectra, what are your thoughts on the GNO version? I keep going back and forth on whether I want her or not...
DeleteCurly hair can be so hit or miss. When it works it's the best doll hair out there imo, but more often than not it's just a frizzy mess. I shudder to think what would happen if one took down basic Howleen's fauxhawk. Yikes.
DeleteI know Twyla can wear Howleen's clothes. Possibly Maddie from EAH as well. Clothing swap options are pretty limited with Howleen unfortunately.
I'm really digging GNO Spectra! Her hair isn't extra-soft like it usually is on Spectra dolls, but I think the change was worth it to get the waves and bright streaks. Her outfit is pretty great too. The dress has a simple but stylish cut and print, and the jacket is one Spectra's best clothing pieces yet. Her purse has a layer of webbed chains that slides on and off. It's one of those small details that somehow adds a lot, if you know what I mean. All the GNO purses are nicer than usual, actually. This Spectra has the "fountain of youth" facemold but I like it better here than on the PD doll. GNO Spectra has darker makeup and eyes than the PD doll, and it makes a world of difference imo. Also, even though it's the same mold, the GNO doll looks to have a slightly thinner head, so her cheekbones seem a little more prominent than they were on the PD doll.
did you see on monster high dolls facebook page that they released a pic of the packaged wydowna... it looks awesome it is the first box i have seen like that for MH !! what do you think ? it makes me want her even more !! :)
ReplyDeleteI did! She looks amazing -- wish I had a way of getting her! :(
DeleteI messaged you on flickr last night about her. lol
DeleteDid my other message I recently posted on this particular post not go through? :(
I guess not. It never showed up in the feed. Blogger acts up sometimes, it's funny that way.
DeleteAww. That's lame.
DeleteI just said that I was jealous that you're able to get them so early, and that I can't wait for the reviews.
I should also mention that you'd better get off your ass & get on over to the MHD forums. Me & Mighoula have totally hijacked your topic & are talking about dolls we'd like to see. It'd be more fun if you were there. O:-)
Delete*hopes this gets through*
Yeah Blogger can be a pain sometimes -- remember the wacky Operetta poll? Although it did finally give the real numbers.
DeleteRaven's review is near completion, just gotta grab some extra time to really focus on it. It's a long review, for me anyway.
Just saw the MHD comment! Lol -- I just posted something over there a bit ago. Mighoula asked about the reviews too, so I popped in real quick. I don't mind the hijacking. Doll talk is always good to read!
DeleteI'm glad these made it your way! my Justice had all 4 but only Briar made it home for now as the remaining dolls (they came in monday, I only made it in this morning as the store opened) were slightly wonky. If you're looking to read Briar & Apple's diaries my friend lori scanned them & posted them to her tumblr - venivididolli.tumblr.com Both were interesting & Briar's did a lot towards making her my overall favorite doll wise for the time being.
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew! I've heard a lot of other people saying they came across wonky dolls too, but the Ravens and Maddies I saw all looked pretty good, as far as faceups anyway. Hopefully it'll be the same when they get Apple and Briar in. It's cool Briar's your favorite -- not many people pick her it seems! I think they're all four pretty great. :D
Delete