Christina Articulates: Top Non-Monster High Dolls of 2013!

Well, my Monster High favourites list got kind of out of control, so I decided to make a second post with my favourite dolls from other lines! I really branched out from Monster High more than I have in the past, and I think it's safe to say that I'm a doll collector now, and no longer just a Monster High collector!

This list is much shorter than my Monster High list, but I love the dolls on it just as much. Let's get to it!

Christina Articulates: Top Monster High Dolls of 2013!

It's that time of year when everything is lists, and I'm going to go right along with that trend! I thought I'd make a quick list of my favourite dolls that were released this past year, but it turned out to not be that quick. I had a lot of favourites!

I couldn't just include Monster High dolls, because a few others really stole my heart this year, so I'm going to break it up a little. I put together a list of my favourite Monster High dolls, which will be featured in this post, and I'm also going to do a second post featuring my favourite dolls from other lines. Even still, it was a hard task to narrow everything down! So...I didn't. I set out to make a Top 10 list and just couldn't force myself to leave some dolls out. Instead, I've got a list of my 20 favourite Monster High dolls of the year, and even that was a challenge! I'm not going to go into detail on all 20 dolls, but I did take pictures of everything, which was quite an endeavour!

As for what was considered eligible, I'm only including dolls that were officially scheduled to be released in 2013, not everything that hits shelves in 2013. That means I'll be including Scaris which hit shelves at the end of 2012, and not including Frights, Camera, Action which hit shelves at the end of 2013. It pains me to leave the gorgeous Miss Honey Swamp off this list, but it just means that the 2014 list is already off to a promising start!

So who made the list? Click through to find out! (Beware, this is a very photo heavy post!)

Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Ever After High: Cerise Hood

For someone who wasn't sure how she felt about Ever After High, I'm sure giving a lot of the dolls a try! Next up, I picked up Cerise Hood, the daughter of Red Riding Hood (and the Big Bad Wolf, but shhh, that's a secret!) I liked her a lot in pictures, and once I got my hands on her...well, I took nearly 100 pictures of her!

I tried something new with some of the pictures as well since I finally got my tabletop lightbox situation, so let me know what you think!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, fellow doll lovers! I hope everyone found something they'd been wanting waiting for them under the tree. I know I did!

I'll definitely be reviewing Clawdia, and maybe the others too if anyone is interested. I also picked up Scaremester Jinafire and Cerise Hood from Ever After High just before Christmas, and I'm working on reviews of those as well! Lots of good stuff coming up soon on the blog, AND I got some gift cards too, so there may be even more! Very merry doll-mas to me!

Hope everyone is having a great day with their friends and families! What did you find under the tree this year?

Once Upon a Zombie: Rapunzel

I've got one more Once Upon a Zombie doll to review for now, and that's Rapunzel! She was one of the ones I was most drawn to, thanks to her lovely hair colour and the purple of her dress. Once I got her out of the box, I was not disappointed!

Once Upon a Zombie: Sleeping Beauty

As soon as I reviewed Belle from the Once Upon a Zombie line, I knew that she wouldn't be the last zombie to swarm my home. Just a few days ago I got a big box from ThinkGeek containing Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel, and today we're going to look at Sleeping Beauty!

Uh oh...I'm outnumbered...

Chainsaw Abbey!

A few days ago, I posted my review of Art Class today, and today, it's Abbey's turn! I knew I needed this doll as soon as I saw that she comes with a chainsaw, because that's basically the coolest thing ever. 

She has more going for her than just a chainsaw though, so let's dig in! There's not as many words as usual in this post because I feel like Abbey's face kind of does most of the talking for me. She's just so gorgeous, I didn't know what else to say!

Art Class: Skelita Calaveras!

Just the other day, I posted on my Tumblr, I asked which of the two Art Class ghouls I have should be reviewed first, Abbey or Skelita. 

And the votes were unanimous! Everyone wanted to see more of Skelita, and that's a good pick since this is, after all, only her second doll! Let's jump right in and get a closer look at this beauty, because she IS a beauty!

Boogie down! Monster High Dance Class 5-pack

I've been wanting the Dance Class 5-pack since we first saw pictures of it, because Gil is one doll I missed out on that I regret! I honestly don't remember seeing his Skull Shores doll on the shelves here, but I wasn't as deep into collecting then as I am now, so it's definitely possible that I missed it. Anyways, I finally found one of these bad boys at a local Target, and on sale even, so I snapped it up!

I took a lot more pictures of Gil than I did of the girls, so forgive me for that, but I was excited! And with the exception of Rochelle, the other three girls have been around for awhile. Let's get into it!

Frights, Camera, Action: Meet Elissabat!

When I first saw pictures of Elissabat, I wasn't really sure how I felt about her. She was definitely CUTE, but I thought she looked a lot like Draculaura, just done up in different colours. Having her in my hands now, her face is still familiar, but she has enough charm to stand on her own for sure!

Once Upon a Zombie: Belle

Zombies really are taking over everything these days, and now they've gone and converted our princesses! When I first saw pictures of the Once Upon a Zombie dolls, I'll admit that I wasn't sure. I love princesses, I love zombies, but something about these dolls wasn't necessarily grabbing me. I also have an issue with dolls I have order online and can't see in person, but that's just me! Over time, I started seeing more pictures and more reviews, and every time I saw one...I was a little more intrigued. The final straw came when my husband asked for something for Christmas that could be purchased at ThinkGeek, one of the places that sells Once Upon a Zombie dolls! That means I HAD to, right? Right.

The next decision was which one to buy? Currently there are 6 characters available, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Mermaid, Snow White, and the one I ended up choosing, Belle. I had Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Snow White in and out of my basket several times, because they're all really interesting, but in the end, Belle's flaming red hair and bright green eyes drew me in! 

Maybe we shouldn't get any closer...

A Very Barbie Christmas

As a general rule, I don't consider myself a Barbie collector. I love to look at Barbies, and as a kid I certainly had more than my share, but as an adult, they don't usually align with my tastes. I make exceptions for character Barbies, like my beloved Batgirl, 60's Catwoman and Wicked Witch of the West, and the Life in the Dreamhouse line has been calling to me, but that's about where it ends. Except when it comes to Christmas.

Sneak peek at the Barbie tree!

Years ago when I was just a kid, my aunt bought me the very first Hallmark Celebration Barbie ornament, which are designed to match the holiday Barbie doll that Mattel releases each year. In that instant, a collection was born, and this year I bought myself my 21st Barbie ornament. This year, the reins for the Barbie holiday ornaments have passed from Hallmark to American Greetings, and I was curious to see how the ornaments may change with the new manufacturer. This isn't really a review, really more of a show and tell, but I think it'll be fun. If you're curious to see what 21 years of Barbie ornament collecting looks like, stick around for lots of photos!

Made for each other: Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman

Today we're going to look at a set I was very excited to get, and was surprised by. When Ever After High launched, I'll admit I was really unsure about them. As a life-long lover of fairy tales, I LOVED the concept, but when we started seeing the dolls, I wasn't wowed by them. Being so used to Monster High, the Ever After High dolls' wide, round faces struck me as odd, and (this is a bit obvious) they were VERY princess-y, which isn't always something I'm drawn to.

The first time I got really excited about Ever After High dolls was when we first saw pictures of Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman, and surprisingly to myself, not for Ashlynn! Boy dolls have never been a huge focus for me, but as soon as I saw Hunter's face and wonderful outfit, I knew I was going to need him! So without further ado, let's get started!

She came from the swamp: Monster High Honey Swamp

I'm just going to dive right into the world of doll blogging with the brand new Monster High doll, Honey Swamp, the daughter of the Swamp Monster. She's one of four new characters being introduced as part of the Frights, Camera, Action! line, and here in Canada, we were lucky enough to see her, Clawdia Wolf and Elissabat turn up on our shelves just this week. Here's a preview of her glorious hair, and head on past the jump for more detail!