Catrine DeMew Doll

At the end of January a doll started showing up in Walmarts in the US,  it being an exclusive doll for the store. Catrine DeMew has finally arrived and for now she is a store exclusive doll  in the Scaris City of Frights, but no doubt there will be more dolls of her to come.

Catrine DeMew

As I mentioned above, Catrine is a store exclusive doll so it can be difficult to get her right now. You can find her on Amazon for more then her usual price, using the link up above, the prices always fluctuate for exclusive dolls but it will always be more then it is actually at the store. Walmart  has finally added her to their website, however it's already out of stock, but you can see if your store has her by using her item page here.

One thing i noticed as soon as I took her out of the box and set her cardstock down is the fact she doesn't come with a brush! You might find this odd, but after getting her off the box I found out why. Her hair, unlike in the stock images, is rather thin and hard set in the curls she has. That itself can be fine except it kind of makes her look like crap if you don't do anything about it depending on how your doll actually is.

On my doll her curls were put in odd places and stuck out from each other,  as soon as I got pictures taken I was grabbing the monster high brush next to my bed to  fix her hair. Yes I keep a brush by my bed, since its where I open all my dolls it just makes fixing what packaging can do to the hair easier if I keep it there. That is beyond the point though lol. Once I brushed her hair it looks better, and I even had to cut a small thread that was holding part of her hair in place to keep the "off the side" bangs look she has. Luckily the thread was the same color as her hair so if people don't want to cut it, it won't stand out against her hair too much.

I managed to get her hair looking a lot better, luckily just brushing through her hair will soften it up and get rid of quite a bit of the hairspray feel the hair has. Her hair is a bit messier now of course because it can be moved, but even so its worth it compared to the odd hairspray looks he had before. When I was brushing her hair I tried to keep a finger in her hair towards the bottom to brush the hair into a bit of a curl to keep part of her traditional look.

Beyond her hair though this is an absolutely gorgeous doll.  Her tail doesn't always like to stay in as the problem most cat dolls have, but its easy to get in if it does fall out. Her outfit has beautiful patterns to it, and fits her perfectly her belt even has a mold of pens and such on it for her, making it look like if she was real she would be using them for her sketches. The book she comes with is her sketch book instead of a diary, but the art they put in there was beautiful and definitely worth the change compared to what the usually do. I find it a bit odd she was given a purse instead of a luggage, the ones who are getting the purses for the Scaris Frights set are the thin box dolls, but Catrine was a deluxe box doll. On my doll her glasses were made a bit incorrectly, it seems the plastic was twisted slightly so no matter what it won't sit on her head correctly and the one lens looks bigger then the other. I don't know if that is a common problem, I haven't ready anything about that and figure its just a mistake with mine. However a common problem I've heard of is her face having problems with paint wearing off or just not being all there when you get it. I haven't had a problem with this, I've only had that problem with one doll I'll be writing about soon, however I have noticed random boxes having face paint on the plastic part of the box itself. 

I would highly recommend getting this doll though, she is the first her character has and she is just gorgeous. If you can fix the problem with her hair and try to make sure you don't get one with its face paint messed up, then this is a great doll to get. Its great for children and older collectors alike, I am definitely looking forward to her next dolls.

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Monster High Power Ghouls

A new set of dolls have started to come out, these based on Super Heros, but there are only two of the four dolls out currently.

                      Clawdeen Wolf as Wonder Wolf                Spectra Vondergeist As Polter Ghoul

This full set is a Target exclusive set sadly, though there is no release date out yet for Frankie and Toralei's power dolls. These recently came out, I believe back in November with the large amount of doll sets that came out for the Holidays. These are available on Amazon but in short supply and of course they are more expensive because they are exclusives. However currently you can still get these on the Target website,  Spectra's item page is here and Clawdeen's item page is here .

To begin with, I just have to say the way the dolls are displayed in their boxes is amazing. I love how Clawdeen is bursting through a wall while Spectra is phasing through one. It makes me wonder how Frankie and Toralei will be, its definitely going to be interesting.  The dolls come with something a bit different, they have their usual stands and brushes but they also have a short comic book that explains how they became super heros. Spectra is the first her book showing how it begins, and in Clawdeen's when she becomes Wonderwolf there is a silhouette of Polterghoul saying that it was time for Clawdeen to join them. So it seems we have gotten the beginning and the end of the comic series, or that at least one other ghoul already has her powers. I would say if its just one it will most likely be Frankie, I think Toralei will end up being a villian she reminds me of Cat Woman.

I personally think these dolls are gorgeous, even if I'm not a fan of the yellow-ish green in Clawdeen's hair. The outfits are simplistic but fitting of as super hero, and Spectra's cape of chains is perfect for her.  These dolls are amazing and perfect for people who are fans of comics as well. After all Wonderwolf is of course based on Wonder Woman, and it is said Spectra is based on Super Girl. There are even rumors that Frankie is going to be based on the Flash! Not only that in the comic book there is a second villian besides Toralei, this one actually being a doll that has never been made, the Daughter of Arachne.

I highly recommend getting these dolls, they're gorgeous and perfect for Monster High fans. As the other two dolls are released I will be doing a review of them when I can get them, to keep up on the news of that make sure to join us on our Facebook Page.

Jinafire Long

When I first got the Skelita doll I was extremely happy, however I had a mission to complete. I needed to get the next new character! I had been wanting her since I first heard about her, and I got her finally a couple weeks ago!

Jinafire Long

Jinafire Long is a bit of a hard doll to find as new ones usually are, especially as it is part of the Scaris Frights set. I found her at a target luckily, the box was a bit damaged and it was hidden in the very back so I figure I'm pretty for that. Amazon of course partially reflects how hard it can be to find her, with the doll fluctuating between 30-40 dollars on any given day. She's finally listed on TRU's website, however she is not available to get online and even on Mattel's website she is sold out.

Jinafire is the daughter of the Chinese dragon and they focused on that beautifully. She doesn't have wings like Eastern dragons do, instead she has the long tail with a feathery looking tip just as Chinese dragons do. Her skin is a beautiful golden color, and she even has scales along her legs and such to keep to her dragon origins. Not only that but they keep close to her Chinese heritage as well, her hair style especially with the stick is definitely a common oriental design. Even her clothes have an oriental feel to them, being a lot like a mini kimono dress.  She is a gorgeous doll to say the least and its hard to find anything wrong with her. With my doll her tail has a habit of falling out, granted you can stick it back in easily enough but  mine seems to fall out at simple bumps. I don't know if this is a common trait or not, I haven't heard anyone else talk about this but I haven't talked to many people about Jinafire yet. Even so I imagine in newer dolls her tail will be better, as it does seem that they try to fix problems with each doll that comes out.  The only other thing I don't like about this doll is that instead of string at the end of the sticks they have plastic molded to look like string, I can understand why though and its just a personal preference really. Jinafire, like Skelita, doesn't come with a journal exactly her's filled with drawings as well including some gorgeous outfits I would love to see become available for the dolls.  Nor does she come with a pet, on her bio its listed that she has narrowed it down to 50 choices, and that dragons take a long time to decide on a pet. This alone makes it doubtful she'll ever come with a pet, and it seems that Mattel is trying to move away from the Monster High doll and pet theme they had going for most of their characters.

All in all, she is an absolutely gorgeous doll and I highly recommend getting her. If you can find her in a store that would be great, it would save you money. However if you want her right now you can get her from amazon and ebay both, but they will cost you more. This is a great doll for any collection and your little ghouls will have tons of fun playing with her.

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Skelita Calaveras Doll

In one of the newest lines of dolls, Scaris Frights, there are two new characters released, and even hints of a third one within one of the journals of another doll. However this blog is about the first one I received out of the set, Skelita Calaveras.

Skelita Calaveras Doll

This doll is one of the new characters, Skelita the daughter of a Skeleton, and she can be hard to find in many stores but currently she's at a low price on Amazon linked above. I personally got her from Toys R Us during a  big order, making her more expensive at 25 dollars, but the Amazon's price of 20 dollars is much better especially if you get free shipping. 

She is one of the few characters that doesn't come with a pet, however her bio lists her pet to be Monarch Butterflies which migrate to her home in Mexico every year. This doll, especially with her look, heavily reminds me of Mexico's Day of the Dead decorations which is an interesting change compared to most Monster High dolls. She comes with the usual brush and stand for her, along with a special suitcase and a journal/sketchbook. It seems she is a bit of a fashion designer, which may be why she is in Scaris that will probably be revealed in the show/movie that will be coming out soon. I love the suitcases that come with these dolls, each is themed to the doll it belongs to and it can open up to hold a few things. 

The doll itself is beautiful as all Monster High dolls tends to be, though she is made differently from most Monster High dolls. She is a skeleton after all and all of her is bones, though she is even different from the Create a Monster skeleton girl that came out a while back. Skelita has indents where there is normally spaces in the bones, however there aren't spaces with hers most likely to make the doll stronger so it would survive a child playing with it. She also isn't as poseable as must dolls, her legs barely bend at all and don't move very much though part of that is because of something else I will explain in a moment.  I found her impossible to stand on her own, it seems more dolls don't like to stand on their own but you can lightly lean them against something and it will look like they are standing on their own so there's that. Another different between her and the CAM doll is the torso of the doll. On the CAM its a solid torso to be used with any other CAM girl, however the torso on this doll is detailed. It has ribs and such, which makes you wonder how the heck it has a chest on the doll like most dolls do. Well that's simple, she has had plastic surgery! Let me explain, in many fashion packs the clothes are on a clear plastic mannequin form. On Skelita she has a clear plastic mannequin torso form, it goes down to her hips which is part of the reason her legs don't move very much. I am probably going to try to trim the plastic a bit so her legs are more poseable, but it won't make it possible for her knees to bend correctly.

Skelita is a very beautiful doll and one I would highly recommend adding to your collection. Its a bit disappointing that she isn't as poseable but that doesn't stop her from being a gorgeous doll, which is sure to get many new dolls in the waves to come that are just as gorgeous.

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Ghouls Alive Dolls - Spectra

One of the coolest dolls Monster High has come out with recently was the Ghouls Alive dolls. These are not just dolls though, their outfits are basically their 'signature' outfits the ones they wore with their pets. You may be thinking no big deal right? Well these dolls are awesome because of one big thing, they do stuff! I recently got the Spectra doll so I can tell you about her, however with Clawdeen and Frankie being different I can't tell you anything about them just yet.

Ghoul's Alive Spectra

I personally got my Spectra from Toys R Us for 27 dollars, though it seems to be a bit cheaper on Amazon which you can find by the link up above. These aren't store exclusives from what I can see, but they do seem to be a bit hard to find in other places right now.

To start with, this box is absolutely gorgeous. I am not someone who likes to keep things in boxes, but I would consider keeping the dolls in the boxes because of how gorgeous it is.  The boxes have sound holes in the front along with an open area for you to push the button in her stomach to make her work. Spectra's arms and legs glow blue when you push her button along with play a ghostly sound, click the video before for it.

The fact that the dolls do things like this alone make them epic in my opinion. Frankie is said to have electrifying sounds and Clawdeen closes her eyes and howls. I will be getting these dolls myself and as I do I will be posting reviews about them too along with videos so you guys can see it for yourself. 

The dolls come attached to different board, with spectra she is 'phasing' through a  board in the middle of the card.  Its easier to get these dolls off the board which is rather nice, there isn't anything going through her head like most dolls have now a days. Though one thing you would definitely need when opening this doll is a pair of scissors, it would be impossible to maneuver the doll out of its ties without one. 

These dolls are highly different in some ways from the usual monster high dolls. Spectra's body isn't as jointed as her usual doll, her hands can't move and you can only bend her limbs slightly before they pop out of their sockets. Not only that but her head is hard compared to her usual head, she is one doll that I don't think would be rehairable but I may be wrong about that. Her head won't tilt up or down it only moves left and right because of the speaker being in her head.  She won't stand on her own, which makes her stand nice but the fact her stand is different can be a bit annoying. It makes sense that they change it, after all the usual stand would probably press her stomach button but the stand she has is a bit annoying. She has one of the old barbie stands where you put a claw thing between the dolls legs to balance them on it, with Spectra you definitely have to balance her because its too tall for her body to touch the stand. Spectra is not really pose-able at all, you can move her limbs up and down but you can't bend her making the stand an absolute necessary thing.  Beyond these things though the dolls are absolutely gorgeous. They are make well with great clothing, and their effects just make them amazing. It would have been nice to have them a bit more pose-able but she is still a great doll.

I don't know if I would recommend these dolls for kids, they seem to be more of an adult collectible but your little ghouls make like these as well. It fully depends on who you are getting this for, but if you are a collector of the dolls I highly recommend these for you!

Clawdeen and Howleen Set

I must apologize for the lateness of this blog, my original plan was to write about one of the many dolls I have coming in the mail from Toys R Us. However those were not even sent out until today because of weather and holidays, so that will have to wait until next week.  Instead this week's blog will be about an old doll set that I just got in the mail today.

Clawdeen and Howleen Wolf Set

The Clawdeen and Howleen Wolf set was the first and for a long time only way to get a Howleen doll, she recently got a new doll in the dance class line which I will write about at a later time. They were a Target exclusive last year, though they have been clearanced out of stores so now it would be rare to find one in the store. The only way to get it now is through a variety of online sites including Amazon, which is linked above, or eBay. Presently on Amazon the price isn't too bad, it marks the doll at 20 some dollars a piece, which is about the average cost of a doll to begin with. 

Howleen is an interesting doll to say the least, I personally am not a fan of the fashion she's in but it is made well as always. She's a very colorful doll and matches her bio far as wearing 'Were-Punk' fashion. With her jacket you have a choice of weather or not you want her to wear her hoodie up, also the hood has two holes in it so you can slip her ears through it.  Her backpack is an interesting feature, being a difficult to put on at first I had to take a fore-arm off in order to get it fully on but it's easy to remove the arm and put it back on.  Also it is a bit odd to me how the full thing is made out of plastic, with it's straps being made out of plastic they had to make them far too big. I personally think the straps should have been made out of fabric that way you can Velcro them when you go to put it on the doll, that would allow you to not have to take off an arm and it would bring the backpack closer to her back. With the way it is now the straps fit a bit oddly as you can see in the picture above. But beyond the backpack issue, everything on her is beautifully made. The color combination is crazy but just seems to fit her, especially with her bright orange and yellow hair. Another interesting feature on the doll is the fact her right ear is bent, its a characteristic of the doll and I'm not sure why but it kind of fits her as well. Compared to Clawdeen, Howleen has quite a few accessories and all of them are removable with just a bit of work. With her bracelets you just have to pop off a hand gently, while the safety pin in her ear can be worked out carefully. Another interesting thing about Howleen is her height, the character is the little sister of Clawdeen so instead of using the same basic height mold they use for most dolls they made her shorter to signify her being younger. It is a lot like how they made Nefera de Nile a taller girl then the others, because she is the older sister of Cleo.  Howleen's pet comes with this set, its a hedgehog named Cushion, her diary also comes making this Howleens signature/basic doll.

Clawdeen is beautifully made, like Howleen and all the other dolls they come out with. As with almost every other doll she has, her hair is different being mostly a deep purple with green and black streaks at the front. Looking at the doll you would think her streaks at the front were glue as most streaks like this are, however this doll is different. They are long streaks, as long as the rest of the hair almost, and are brought back into a pony at the base of her head hidden by her purple hair. This creates the tight streaks without having to use the messy and annoying glue, making it a lost easier to brush her purple hair because they often get glue on other parts of the hair when one part is glued.   

This set comes with the two dolls, Howleen's pet, and her diary however it doesn't come with stands or a brush for either of the dolls. Even with these things missing from the set though, these are amazing dolls and I highly recommend them for your ghoul's collection.  Mattel has continued their line of high quality Monster High dolls for sure!