Dead Tired Wave 3

Dead Tired Wave 3 has been revealed and the dolls look great!

The lineup is exactly what was rumored: Robecca, Lagoona, and Spectra. 

Robecca looks beautiful here -- they've eased up on the silver shadow (from what I can tell there's none at all), and replaced the lavender with a somewhat muted magenta shade. Her lips look to be an orange-red. For the first time her hair is completely straight. I hope it's made of kanekalon and not saran. She comes with a gramophone iCoffin dock, which is very cool and very real, albeit stylized. I'm not a big fan of the DT slippers usually, but I'm totally digging Robecca's! Her pj's are pretty cool I guess; mostly I just like the top. 

I'm really liking all the middle-parts they've been giving Lagoona lately -- first SRM and her Swim doll, then GNO, and now this doll. Her makeup is simple (as it should be for this line), and I love the bright colors. Check out those pink lemonade lips -- nice! 

And finally, a DT Spectra!!! She should've been in Wave 2, but whatever. She's here now and she's stunning! I was really curious how they would do this doll's makeup. Funnily enough, this is actually really close to the makeup of her basic doll. And based on this pic it looks like she'll have the original facemold! Of course, the manufactured doll may be different. Please don't change it, Mattel! This doll is gorgeous and my favorite of the three.

I'm definitely excited for this line! It's a big improvement over Wave 2, if only because the characters are more interesting than the Wave 2 ones. These three certainly aren't as overused as the Wave 2 characters were. Robecca looks very promising, and if Spectra does indeed have the original facemold... well, I don't know what, but yeah I'll totally be into her! The extras are pretty good, the pj's have some variety (remove the netting from Spectra's sleeves and that could pass as a baby doll dress), and the faceups all fit the bedtime theme. Can't wait for these!

TOY FAIR!

It's that time of year again when all the toy companies descend upon New York City to gather for the country's largest toy trade show and share their new products with the world. Mattel, of course, has a major presence at the fair each year, and MH fans are always eager to read reports from attendees on what was on display. Within the MH fan community response to this year's fair has been somewhat muted compared to previous years. I think this is mostly because the bulk of the MH product being revealed has already been seen due to the picture leaks a few weeks back. I've already posted photos and commentary on many of these dolls, but we now have higher quality pics of them, plus there have been a few reveals that weren't seen in the leaked photos. I'm not going to discuss everything Mattel showed this year but there are a few dolls I want to highlight.

First up is a line we've heard about but hadn't yet seen, Music Festival. I think the name is pretty self-explanatory. So far three dolls have been revealed as part of the line -- Venus, Abbey, and Clawdeen -- but these are equivalent to a "party doll" assortment so I have a feeling we'll see more from Music Festival, either in the form of a second wave or a multi-doll exclusive pack. Let's take a closer look at each doll.

Venus is a punk girl and that's her chosen style of music at the festival. Personally I'm getting more of a post punk / new wave vibe from these clothes. This could even almost be more hair metal than punk. But whatever, I love this doll! The outfit looks fantastic whatever genre it's supposed to represent! Venus looks gorgeous with dark purple eyeshadow and gobs of heavy glitter above her eyes. Her hair looks shorter than usual, and the color is more magenta than hot pink. Considering her Swim Line doll is pretty much just her basic doll in a different outfit, I'm glad the Music Festival doll is a pretty big departure. I'm really excited about this one, best of the three Music Festival dolls in my opinion!

Abbey is supposed to represent the folk music of her home country (or something, I wasn't paying real close attention), and I can see that in this top and headband. With Picture Day we learned Abbey can rock some bangs hard and I'm glad to see them making a return on this doll. This is my favorite Abbey face but I'm not holding my breath this is the one the manufactured doll will use. Not digging the headband but holy crap those boots are awesome. If the doll does use this face she'll definitely be making her way into my collection, if not it'll be a wait and see situation.

I believe Clawdeen is supposed to represent hip hop but I'm getting a strong disco vibe from this outfit and hairdo. If she weren't wearing those tall boots I have a feeling those pant legs would swell into mighty big bells. I love the hair and the cascading stars and skullettes on the bodysuit. I'm not sold on her faceup though. This Clawdeen has the smaller eyes I'm not always a big fan of. I'll have to see this doll in person before I make a decision on her.

Next we have the Create-A-Monster Color Me Creepy Chamber. The doll looks really interesting -- anybody know what monster she's supposed to represent? I don't think I've come across that info anywhere. The shape and color of her mouth remind me of customized Blythe dolls for some reason. I especially love the outfit -- check out those wicked shoes and leg pieces! The playset itself looks incredibly cool. Love the shelf and "operating" table. I'll be picking this one up!

I've already discussed the 13 Wishes dolls but I wanted to touch on the new characters again since we can see a lot more detail in these pics. There are also a lot more details on the 13 Wishes story here.

I was already excited for Gigi but seeing the hig-res pic has me even more worked up! Her face is just so gorgeous. The freckles give her a sweet, innocent quality that really appeals to me. Her big green eyes are striking to say the least, and as I mentioned in my previous post on her I love all the Scorpionic touches (new word alert!). At this point I'm just as excited about her as I was for Jinafire and Catrine.

Twyla still doesn't seem very boogeyman-ish to me, but wow is she pretty! Loving her huge purple eyes! She has some grey and white detailing around her lower limbs that I hadn't noticed before. It looks like they're done the same way they did Cupid's lace-y limbs. To be honest I kind of wish she was the standard height. I like Howleen fine but I'm mixed on the shorter stature; I'm not even sure why. If they were gonna do another different-sized character I would've preferred another tall chick, a la Nefera. Oh well.

The Toy Fair has also brought confirmation that the rumored Classroom 2-packs are for real! The pics aren't official Mattel promotional shots but rather fan shots so I'm not gonna direct link them here. Instead I'll send you to the thread over at MHD where you can view them, and read the discussion on them as well. Most exciting for collectors who like the male dolls is that Heath is finally being released! I don't even collect male dolls and I'm excited! Plus I know he's a huge fan favorite -- I'm happy for you guys! More exciting for me personally is the reveal of yet another Cleo. It's hard to make out any major details but the doll looks promising! It seems she might be wearing a short cocktail dress under that lab coat -- I hope so! Ghoulia looks rather fab as well. The Abbey included with Heath seems promising. I love side swept bangs and it looks like that's what she has. I can't tell much about her outfit. It looks like it's another short cocktail dress, similar to what Cleo and Ghoulia are wearing. I know for sure I'll be picking the Cleo / Ghoulia pack up! I'll have to wait and see about the Heath / Abbey set.

In other, non-Toy Fair news, I picked up the Mummy / Gorgon CAM set (and after I vowed to never buy another CAM due to Mattel's selfishness regarding torsos!). I was poking through the CAMs looking for the Blob / Ice Girl set (the Ice Girl looks too cool), and when I saw those Mummy / Gorgon faces, I don't know, they spoke to me. Anyway I threw together a little ensemble for the Gorgon Girl, put the purple wig on her, and got to snapping! I'm hoping to do a full review of the set soon. In the meantime here she is in all her scale-y glory...

Til next time!

UPDATE: Head here for more info on the Music Festival line. Turns out Clawdeen's music style is indeed disco while Abbey's is psychedelic 60's rock. Venus represents "plunk", a combination of plant and punk, which is just silly. Still love the outfit, though.

Review: Lagoona Blue Swim Line 2013

Another year, another Monster High swim line. This time with a twist: the line has no name! Continuing the trend of trying new things in 2013, Mattel is releasing the new swim dolls without an official name, the first themed line to do this. I figured this would happen eventually; there are only so many "creepy" puns you can use to name a beach-themed doll line. To be honest with you I actually like this approach. After the oddness that was Dance Class, a line that emphasized "dance" in name only, it's refreshing to see Mattel cut right to the chase by just putting the dolls out there sans signifiers. You don't have to be a genius to see that the dolls are beach-inspired so there's really no need for a name, anyway.

The lack of a name isn't the only thing different about the new line. Compared to previous swim lines this one is pretty small -- only three dolls are featured (so far). And the dolls are exclusive to a certain degree. Like last year's Dead Tired wave 2, they're only being sold at certain stores. I don't know exactly which stores are included, but I do know K-Mart and Kohl's are among them. You likely won't see them at Toys R Us, Wal-Mart, or Target.

With her headband and large sunglasses there's a strong retro vibe to this Lagoona. Over at the MHD forums I posited that she was somewhat inspired by the original 1971 Malibu Barbie. That idea never got any traction but I stand by my theory. Although not a direct repeat of that doll, this Lagoona has similarly large sunglasses and a very similar hairstyle. The cut of her swimsuit is vaguely reminiscent of Malibu Barbie's and their color palettes tread similar territory. Take a look...

This is the Malibu Barbie reproduction from a few years ago, but she's completely true to the original doll.

In any case, we have another new Lagoona this year! Like Spectra, she seems to be taking priority in 2013, with what seems to be renewed interest in the character on Mattel's part. I love me some Lagoona so I'm all for it! When the swim dolls were first revealed I was really taken by all three of them, but Lagoona grabbed my attention the most. Once I got my hands on the dolls and had them de-boxed she was still the standout for me, and so she's the first I'm covering for the blog. Woo-hoo!

There's nothing particularly different or new about this Lagoona's faceup. That said, she's quite pretty, as Lagoona dolls always are. She has hot pink eyeliner topped by a purple divider line. Aqua blue shadow surrounds the entire eye while silver shimmer goes to her brows. Her lips are pure pink. What is new about this Lagoona is her hair. It's parted in the middle and is straight except for an extremely mild wave at the neckline. For Lagoona it's fairly short in length, landing just above her rear. Her blue streaks are spaced evenly and are rooted only at the part except for a couple of streaks in the front. At the front the hair is twisted on each side and wrapped to the back where it's banded into a thin ponytail. The texture is nice, especially compared to the curly-haired Lagoona dolls, but it's not as silky as Dance Class Lagoona's hair is.

Lagoona wears a one piece, one-sleeved swimsuit. The body of the suit is white knit with a paisley print in aqua, pink, and black. The paisley is done in a whimsical sketch style, very unique. We never see paisley in MH fashion so it's presence is welcome here, for me anyway. The sleeve is made of translucent, hot pink plastic. Two knit ruffles in aqua with pink polka dots hang below the plastic; more plastic appears at the hem of each leg. I'm totally loving this swimsuit! As I mentioned, the paisley print is new for MH and simply looks great, while the plastic sleeve and hems gives the look an edge. The smooth texture contrasts nicely with the knit. The ruffles give the swimsuit an interesting silhouette and the polka dots are just plain cute.

Lagoona comes with hot pink wedge sandals; they're the same color as the sleeve and hems of her swimsuit. There are some minor molded details but nothing to write home about. More interesting are her other accessories. She wears a hot pink headband molded into the shape of a tentacle. Two smaller, curling tentacles dangle on one side, similar to feathers or beads on a "regular" headband. It fastens closed in the back, similar to the eye patch in Robecca's deluxe fashion pack. Lagoona also wears sunglasses. They're translucent aqua and have tentacles wrapping the lenses, creating a horn-rimmed effect. I like them quite a bit but they're so large I have trouble keeping them in place when she's also wearing the headband. The headband has a habit of pushing them down her nose. Matching the sunglasses is a large clam shell-shaped tote. It has a flat bottom (it can stand up), and seahorses connect the handles to the tote. The plastic is pliable so it opens very widely. Lagoona's last accessory is her beach towel. It's pretty small, about two inches by four inches. It has the same paisley print as her swimsuit. The new swim dolls don't wear wraps -- I'm guessing the budget for them went towards these towels. My only complaint here is the small size. I wish it were just a little bigger so it could be used as both a towel and a wrap. As it is, it's simply too small to be cinched around the doll's waist.

Overall grade: A Aside from a few minor qualms with the accessories I'm very happy with this Lagoona. Her swimsuit looks fantastic and has several interesting elements -- the print, the plastic sleeve, the ruffles. It's a very "Lagoona" outfit but doesn't feel predictable or like a retread. It's easily one of the best MH swimsuits to date. This is a new hairstyle, something I always welcome on these dolls; the texture of the hair is very good. Her faceup is nothing new but Lagoona is always pretty so, for me at least, this isn't a big deal. The combination of the sunglasses and headband give Lagoona a hippie vibe, a fitting look for such a kind, open-hearted character. This is a budget doll so she doesn't come with a stand or hairbrush.

JUDGEMENT DAY

A couple of days ago pics of more upcoming 2013 MH dolls were leaked. I've shared some of my thoughts on these dolls over at MHD but wanted to let my thoughts settle a little before discussing them on the blog. I'm posting the pics here because technically these are leaked pics under an embargo for the time being so I'm not sure credit should be given to anyone in the first place. That said, to see these in the highest quality possible head to Monster High Expert's  Flickr stream.

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!