Abbey the Great and Powerful

Throughout history, long, wild hair has been associated with power. Not just any power; I'm talking about the kind that taps into something intangible, metaphysical, even occultic. And more often than not this intangible power has been linked to women. It was once believed that for a witch to tap into the highest force, her hair must be wild and untamed. Even in modern times, loose, feminine locks connote a sort of strength (though it's often connected to carnality, as well). Whatever the case, be it openly or subconsciously, a woman with big, tousled, wild hair is seen as a force to be reckoned with. And if that really is the case, then Haunt The Casbah Abbey Bominable must be the most powerful woman on Earth...

Um... wow.

I mean, there's just so much of it! And it's so big. And it's doing about three different things all at the same time: it's curly except where it's straight, braided and banded and under control in front besides that portion where it isn't, a buoyant bouffant except where it's flat.

Her faceup is pretty great. Not amazing, but not bad by any means. I know the yellow-gold eyeshadow is new for Abbey, but for me the most noteworthy thing about this faceup is that it has somehow managed to make her "angry" eyes look a little more friendly. I'm not so into the angry eyes so this seemingly softer expression gets a big thumbs up from me.

Like all the HTC dolls, my history with this Abbey is checkered. When she was unveiled at SDCC, I thought she looked pretty amazing. When I started seeing the actual doll on store shelves my mind changed. Every single one I looked at had insane, messy, tragic hair. I finally found one I liked a few weeks ago and bought her. Once I got home I hemmed and hawed over her, never taking her out of the box. I eventually returned her.

Earlier this week I found another one I liked and bought. Again I hemmed and hawed, but this time I decided to keep her; out of the box she came! (By the way, this pose combined with that giant mane of curls reminds me of early-80's Barbie box drawings. Love it!)

I feel my diligence in holding off on HTC Abbey, and patience in finding just the right one, paid off. In my opinion this is one of the best HTC Abbeys you're gonna lay your eyes on, either in person or online.

Compared to the other HTC dolls Abbey's outfit seems a bit simple.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's a plain or boring outfit by any means! It's very detailed!

It's just that it doesn't seem to have quite as much going on. The others' outfits have removable layers to varying degrees; not so, Abbey's dress.

It looks great anyway, of course. I love the snowflake pattern on the outer layer of tulle. The black, grey, and white colors combined with the style of draping gives the look a ghostly vibe. (Change the colors and print and this would've been great on Spectra.)

The snowflakes are sparkling gold on the outside, white underneath. Since the skirt is pleated both sides face outward, creating a nice contrast.

All of Abbey's accessories (except her shoes and lantern) are solid, sparkling gold. In general the various pieces are smaller in size compared to the other HTC dolls. I like this a lot -- it subtracts greatly from the "gaudy factor".

I'm glad I held out for the right HTC Abbey; I got one that leaves me feeling surprisingly impressed with this release. Given how HTC Draculaura turned out, Abbey could've been an even bigger disaster. Luckily that's not the case.

See you in Art Class, Abbey!