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!

I absolutely love her box art! She looks for adorable and sweet, like she'd be just the nicest skeleton girl you ever met. The back of her box also has excerpts from the Art Class journal she comes with, detailing why she decided to make the vase that she did. I really like the connection to history, heritage and family they've built into Skelita's backstory so far, even in the limited amount of info we have about her. It's a lovely detail.

God, I loved her in the box, but I love her even more out of it! She's so colorful, from the streaks in her hair to her eye-catching shoes, how could you not love her?

Something I noticed while putting her stand together; the waist clip is a different shape than usual! This is really great, as one of my issues with Scaris Skelita is that she wobbles quite a bit on her stand due to her body shape, but this solves that problem. Rather than trying to hold her up around a waist she doesn't actually have, the new clip sits just perfectly around the width of her rib cage. I love when Mattel sees an an issue and corrects it in a simple but effective way!

Skelita's face is lovely! It has similarities to her first face-up, with the lines on her lips and around her mouth simulating teeth, her cute little nose, and the swirls coming down below her cheekbones, but everything else is new! I love the light purple shade of her eyeshadow with the rich brown of her eyes, and the simplistic pink flowers underneath her eyes are very cute. Her lips are a warm orangey-red, a colour that reminds me of clay which her perfect for this doll.

Her hair is black with orange and teal streaks that match her headband. The pattern on the headband reminds me of tooled leather, and the big teal flower is a graphic, interesting touch. The texture of her hair feels smoother than the original Skelita's, which is a good thing. Scaris Skelita definitely had some hair issues, but I like this Skelita's hair a lot! It falls in lovely soft waves around her shoulders, and has nice volume to it.

There's a lot going on in Skelita's outfit, but I like all of it! She's wearing a sleeveless dress, with a pink bodice and black skirt. The bodice has a neat pattern on it that is clearly meant to echo her ribcage, with a small lace detail at the neckline. The skirt is trimmed in the same lace, and features an allover print of multicoloured flowers that look a bit like dripping paint. Over that, she's wearing an open front short-sleeved top with a peplum, which is black with teal stripes. She also has a belt which matches her headband, except the flower is the same orange colour.

Her shoes are GREAT, there's a lot of detail in these things! The main colour is the same as the headband and belt, with a large teal flower accent on the front. The heels are shaped like skull vases with flowers in them, very much like the one Skelita actually comes with. There's also a band of flowers around the ankle, and a smattering of raised details on the sole and the heel.

Now, one of the reasons I love Skelita so much is her body. When I first got her Scaris doll, I was so amazed that Mattel just went there, taking it all the way! They didn't just give her a skeleton face, or arm or legs, no. They made her whole body look like a human skeleton, and I could hardly wait to have another doll with this amazing design!

 I mean, come on! Right down to the details on her pelvis and hip bones, she's incredible. She even has individual bones molded into her feet! This body also makes her very flexible, since she's made of a much softer plastic.

I would love if they put Skelita in a swim line, but I don't think that'll happen. That might be a bit too far, even for Mattel!

 Her spine! Gah, I love it.

I just love looking at her, she's so interesting!

In the box, she comes wearing a plastic form over her body to help the clothes fit a little better. I discard this though, because I like the way it looks when her clothes are a bit loose. She is a skeleton after all!

Just a quick side-by-side with Scaris Skelita, to show the differences.

I love them both!

This is the vase Skelita comes with. It's very ornate and quite cute, especially with the flowers in the top. The base actually spins too, like a potter's wheel!

 So there she is! I think I like her better without her little overshirt, it sits a bit funny and seems unnecessary. All in all, Art Class Skelita is a more than worthy follow-up to Scaris Skelita, and I'm glad we're getting to see more of this gorgeous ghoul!

Stay tuned in the next few days for Art Class Abbey, aka CHAINSAW ABBEY! Because how many other play dolls marketed to little girls come with a CHAINSAW! Can you tell I'm excited?

Are you interested in this Art Class line? Which doll is drawing your attention most?