Fang Vote JINAFIRE LONG Doll, a new Monster High product...ENDS TODAY!

 I have to admit that when I saw this doll it stopped me in its tracks. A few years ago, I had a small Monster High collection. They were adorable but did not have the attraction for me that would make me continue to buy them. Jinafire Long is one I would have added. 

The details are so much fun and the total package is so creative.

       Monster High 2024 Fang Vote Jinafire Long Doll $ 90.00  Pre-Order

Fang Club members helped design this doll for all Monster High fans! You’d expect some serious drip from a Fanghai fashion designer, and Jinafire Long doll brings it just in time for the Year of the Dragon. She appears as if she’s rising from the water in this absolutely ghoul-amorous gown inspired by her unique scaritage. Members submitted thousands of votes for her hairstyle, makeup, jewelry, nails, purse, shoes, and doll stand. The final creation is one you’ll crave for your collection.

• Monster High 2024 Fang Vote Jinafire Long Doll 
• 11 inches tall 
• Articulated for maximum posablility 
• Includes ornate headpiece, coordinated jewelry, and purse 
• Package artwork shows her rising from the sea, displaying her dress’s full train 
• Doll box design features golden embellishments and textured embossing 
• Includes Certificate of Authenticity 

Orders for the made-to-order item will be taken from 2/9/24 at 12:01AM PT until 2/23/24 at 11:59 PM, PT (the “sale window”), with no purchase limits. Mattel may shorten or extend the sale window at its sole discretion. A charge will be placed on your payment account and will be processed on the date you place your order. You may cancel your order during the sale window by calling Customer Service. After the sale window ends, all orders are final.    

The made-to-order item’s expected ship date will be displayed on the item’s product page in our online shop, and may be up to a year from your order date. You will be notified before your order ships, and provided with instructions if you need to update your shipping address. If the expected shipping date changes and the revised date is more than 30 days after the original expected shipment date, you’ll be notified of the new expected shipping date and have the opportunity to request a refund if desired.

For more information and shipping: https://creations.mattel.com/collections/all

A Repaint by Lisa Gates and the Monster High Monster Maker

 The very talented Lisa Gates has repainted a Wilde Imagination Sad Sally. With her new face and grown up earrings, Sally is no longer an innocent little girl. She now looks like a teenager. It's quite a transformation!
 Visit Lisa's website here: http://www.dazzleemrepaints.com/

I love my original Sad Sally although I do believe her face could use a little blushing.

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While we're on the topic of a quirky little doll, I was browsing through pictures of Monster High dolls last week. I went through a period of buying and displaying them. To say the least they are unique and clever. Personally, I lost interest in them rather quickly. They are cute play-line dolls and what you get for your money is enough but I found them to be nothing more than decorative characters. I used some of mine to decorate one of my smaller Christmas trees.

In spite of all that, this particular one caught my eye. Her name is Wydowna Spider. She's a ToysRus exclusive. Mattel categorizes Monster High dolls as fashion dolls.  Well, she does come with two additional fashions although I'd call them outfits.

Apparently, many collectors do consider them to be fashion dolls so I'm out-voted. I posted the question on a Facebook board last week.  Six out of 29 respondents said no, they do not consider them to be fashion dolls.

Some of the more interesting answers:

-Yes but only because don't consider them to be baby dolls
-I consider them more Playline fashion dolls like barbie Fashionista dolls - though i do have a few and a few Ever After High dolls
-Yes! The details on their fashions is incredible. If you're not a collector, take a closer look next time you see one. You'll be amazed how the purses, jewelry, & shoes are all different for each character.
-Yes!! They are actually amazing little posers and for an inexpensive doll they are very detailed
-Yes, sure they're playline but still fashion dolls.
-I think the difference is Monster High is a Playline fashion doll. The 16 inch dolls like Tonner, Sybarites, Kingdom Doll, Fashion Royalty 12 and 16 inch are collectible higher end dolls.
-Yes, fantasy fun fashion dolls of a sort.
-No, though their premise might be fashion forward off springs of the our favorite ghouls, monsters and ghosts, but still they're character based, and the movement of their clothing leans on costumes more than fashion.
-Yes a fashion doll is a doll that comes with fashions! So yes it would be considered a fashion doll so thought many collectors say no because the consider realistic type dolls as being fashion dolls.

Other items I stumbled upon in the MH line that are appealing are the Monster High Monster Maker, the Monster Maker Primary Extension Pack,  and the Monster Maker machine. There are multiple add-ons and design packs. The Monster Maker is $49.97 (Amazon) and the Primary Extension Pack is $13.99 (Amazon.) The Mattel Shop lists the maker for $129.99 before a 20% Easter discount, way more than Amazon's price.

Here is the description:

Bring Her to Unlife!

Monster High® fans can create their own unique monsters using the ultimate customization tool: Monster High® Monster Maker. Simply select a style from the design software (desktop or app), then start creating your doll’s unique look using a variety of graphics and patterns or draw your own design. Transfer your scary-cool creation from your tablet or computer onto individual doll parts using the Monster Maker machine. Best of all, you can watch the whole design process as it unfolds.  

Monster High Monster Maker comes with Monster Maker machine, Monster Maker software (desktop and app), body part adapters, nine colored markers, three doll stands, an eraser, three blank fashions, a rooted wig, two wig caps and three “blank” bodies ready for monster customization.

These items are certainly not for young children to play with on their own. The machine requires that one installs the included software and is connected via USB to your computer be it PC or Mac.  I recommend reading the reviews of the products on Amazon.com and watching the instructional video prior to purchase.
Fascinating tech! I'd love to play with this toy.

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My Monster High tree in the process of being decorated 3 Xmas' ago.

A photo from a piece I did for FDQ's Vacation issue:

This Week in the Doll Room

I've been MIA all week due to a back attack. I don't know what else to call it. Horrible.
Just prior to the attack I'd been playing in my doll room with an assortment of dolls and here are some of the results. Can you identify each one and what she's wearing?

Ever After High™ Royal Dolls

How is it that Mattel can produce fully articulated dolls on a massive scale for the Monster High and Ever After High dolls and yet they stick with the stilted model pose on their fashion dolls?

From left to right: Briar Beauty, Apple White, Raven Queen, Madeline Hatter

Here are the new  Ever After High™ Royal Dolls. I haven't been following the line but I believe these were the first to be released. They look less monstrous :-) than their predecessors and are quite cute. Justice is selling them for $21.60 each. 

According to a doll tracker, the dolls do not stay in stock for long at Justice. If you find one at Amazon or on eBay, it is sure to be more expensive. Of course, after the 'newness' wears off, you can get pretty much everything.


If you care to read about the line and it's backstory, here is the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ever_After_High

Hunter Huntsman

Ashlynn Ella

These two come as a set.

Monster High Cleo De Nile & Draculaura

Angelic Dreamz posted pictures of two new Monster High dolls today.
I don't collect them any longer but if I did, I'd get Draculaura for sure. She looks quite sophisticated in her tight little red skirt and plaid cape. Her hatbox is just adorable. Cleo is wearing her usual turquoise and gold signature colors - no big change there.
Each doll comes with three additional pairs of shoes, two pairs of earrings, sunglasses, tote bags and the usual assortment of flimsy bracelets. Ooh...I just noticed that Draculaura has painted white hands to resemble gloves. Such a lady.

Mattel's New "Ever After High" Dolls

Too much of a good thing is............................wonderful!
Following Monster High's great success, Mattel has come up with a similarly sized line of dolls called Ever After High. The characters are the children of fairy tale parents with their own painful,  teenage high school issues 
 
Quoting from the SDCC Unofficial Blog:

The premise of the show is similar to Monster High, where the kids of famous fairytale parents attend high school and face a dilemma. Instead of the notion of fitting in like in Monster High, the fairytale tweens are faced with the burden of either following or not following their famous parents footsteps. So are you a Royal or a Rebel (We’re suddenly having flashbacks of West Side Story)?  Whichever side you favor, this should provide an interesting twist as most will associate anything fairytale related with a Disney storyline.

 I think these dolls will capture the hearts of MH lovers everywhere.

Click here to see several brief videos.

Italian Doll Convention 2013

This is the logo for the upcoming Third Italian Doll Convention. The dates are May 25-26, 2013 in Milan.

There will be a Monster High Event! Can you read Italian?

There will be a huge salesroom with the likes of Magia2000, Fashion Doll Agency, Ruffino Francesco, Inika for Blythe, Laurence Bellet and many, many others.

The popular Fashion Show takes place at the Gala Dinner. Guests are invited to participate by wearing their favorite Barbie or Ken outfit and to bring the doll along with them onto the red carpet.  The theme is IDC Goes Musical which should give participants a direction for their choices. I would love to see that!

Possibly the most important aspect of this event is the money for charity which will be raised. This year they have chosen Casa Oz.  www.casaoz.org

Charitable donations of magnificent dolls and in two cases, handmade wigs, have been posted on eBay for auction.

My favorite is from Superdoll. It is a OOAK Sybarite doll called "Gladrama." If I know Sybarite collectors, the sky's the limit as to how high the winning bid for this doll will be.

I like the Fashion Doll Agency "Sophia."  She comes with the complete fashion collection from the Noir line.

There are 16 items for auction. Click here to see them all. Will you be bidding?

Toy Fair New York 2013

It's begun again. Does anyone wonder why there is almost always a major snowstorm before or during Toy Fair? It's New York; it's the middle of February.  That should provide a clue. But the Fair goes on.

If you want pictures, IdleHandsBlog is your best bet. His blog, http://idlehands1.blogspot.com will keep you up-to-date. He also tweets  Twitter.com/nomadixxx and his Flickr Photostream is loaded.

Here's the link to the new stuff:  Toy Fair 2013 

Here are examples of the photographs some of us fashion doll collectors may appreciate. They are obviously manufacturer photographs with his logo superimposed. These dolls will be available later this year.

 

 

 

Monster High Ghouls Alive Film by George of Angelic Dreamz

Do you love the Monster High dolls? If so, watch this home made video by George Gonzalez of Angelic Dreamz. By the way, he sells the dolls...just in case you didn't know.
ANGELIC DREAMZ

http://www.flickr.com/photos/angelicdreamz/8433430553/

Sale Alert at the Mattel Shop

Buy one, Get one 50% off site wide at the Mattel Shop.  It's a good sale and as of right now there are plenty of Monster High dolls and accessories available.

I haven't been following this line closely so there are several delightful items that are quite tempting.
The Monster High Scaris "Cafe Cart" is just adorable. This is selling for $22.99.

The Monster High Convertible is also a cute addition to a collection. Listed at $22.99.

If you were to purchase both, your total would come to $34.48 plus shipping and sales tax instead of $45.98 plus.  For every full priced item you buy, you can add another for half price. Sounds good to me.

Will you be buying anything during this sale?

Monster High Dolls Oozing Glue!

It was recently brought to my attention that the Monster High dolls made in Indonesia have a serious problem. Apparently after the dolls' heads are rooted, a glue is poured into the head to secure the hair.
The following links were sent to me with so much information that I thought it was important to post this here. I haven't checked my MH dolls yet. Luckily I have only a small collection of these creatures.

http://akkismos.tumblr.com/post/22276103860/since-people-seem-to-be-noticing-and-finally

http://www.dollstuff.net/diary/200904041

http://here-be-dolls.weebly.com/indonesia-problems-and-defects.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/winksandgiggles/7452254944/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/readytosail/7145861361/


What do you think?

Four Trees

Here are pictures of the four trees I set up in our living room and dining room.

This Chanukah tree turned out so beautifully that I wanted to take my good camera out of the studio and set it up to shoot pictures...but I've been so camera lazy lately. It's terrible. So I just took a bunch of individual shots.
I want to keep it up forever. I'm mesmerized by the delicate glass and the sparkling beads and the lights and the ornaments I made.

 I had a really great time decorating the big tree and the small ones, especially the last one pictured. It made all the difference in the world that I would be sharing them with guests.  They loved them and the children were wowed by the Monster High tree.

There is a small tree in the doll room. I must take a picture of that, too. It's really cute.