Monster High Vinyl Figures: Ghoulia Yelps, Cleo De Nile and Clawdeen Wolf

So, it's been a minute! Some things have been going in my life that have made blogging slip down the priority list, and though I'm not going to go into it, I am going to try to make this place more of a priority in the future, since I do really enjoy writing about dolls! I still have a lot of things I got for Christmas ready to review, and even have some of the photos and videos taken and ready to upload...but I'm taking a pause in working on that stuff to bring you something that I just bought last night, because I'm so excited to share them!

Remember back at San Diego Comic Con, when the reveal on the final day was a vinyl figure of Draculaura? Well, they've hit shelves, and I was lucky enough to find them at my local Target! I only grabbed three of the six that are currently available, because they are a bit pricey at $12.99, but I had to have them! They bridge the gap between my doll collection and my beloved collection of Funko POPs and Mystery Minis, and I think they're a really neat addition to the Monster High line.

That's a bit of a spoiler about how I feel about these things, but hey, I don't buy something if I don't love it, right? So let's take a closer look at the three I decided to pick up!

I picked up Ghoulia, Cleo and Clawdeen, leaving behind Frankie, Draculaura and Lagoona for now. I obviously had to get Ghoulia, because she's my favourite ghoul, and I grabbed Cleo since they're best friends :P Also, the Cleo figure is just adorable. Of the others, I was having a hard time picking between Draculaura and Clawdeen, and my husband preferred Clawdeen, so she came home with us too!

I'm going to start with Ghoulia, because I just have to! As a fair warning, I think I took more photos of the boxes than I did of the figures, because the boxes are just super cool, and it was really tempting for me to leave these ghouls in their boxes. Each box is individualized to the character, and each features a large skullette shaped window on the front...

And back of the box. I like this, because it gives you a full view of the figure to check for paint mistakes, and also, if you do decide to leave the figure in the box, you still get to see all the details!

The sides of the boxes feature really cool designs as well. One side has graphic white designs, with a picture of Ghoulia and then some images that are specific to her, like her glasses and her personal skullette, as well as her name in big red letters. The other side of the box has a tone on tone image of a cartoon version of the figure. It's hard to photograph, but it's very cute!

The top has the same designs as the side with the white graphic, but with the tone on tone look.

Even the inside of the box is decorated! I mean, there is a lot of thought that has gone into designing the packaging of these things, and I think just as much time was spent on the design of the figures themselves.

So let's look at that figure, yes? How cute is Ghoulia? I just can't get over how adorable they are. They're all wearing their signature looks, and I think they did a good job of translating them into these very stylized figures. Also, the figures are definitely very sturdy and well made, but the hair is hollow, so they're not as heavy as I was expecting. It makes them feel a bit like bath toys! It's not a bad thing, just something to note if you're expecting completely solid vinyl, which would be pretty heavy.

The hair also touches the ground in the back, which makes it so they can stand easily on their own. I'm not sure how that'll work once they bring in characters that may have shorter hair, like the boys, or if they used Howleen's original orange fro-hawk, but I'm sure they'll figure it out!

Ghoulia's outfit is incredibly well painted, with no obvious booboos. It's instantly recognizable as her basic outfit, and I also love the little pose they've put her in. Very zombie, but adorable at the same time!

Her face is also really well done, an I really like how the reflections in her eyes are shaped like cherries, to match her shirt. It's a cute detail! 

And here she is with her original counterpart! Original Ghoulia isn't wearing her original earrings or necklace, but neither is the vinyl figure, so it's easy to see just how well they nailed the look on the figure. The biggest difference is the added volume in the hair, but overall I think little Ghoulia is a great representation of big Ghoulia!

And onto Ghoulia's BFF, Ms Cleo De Nile! Her box is the same as Ghoulia's but obviously with colours and images specific to Cleo.

Cleo's box has the same kind of graphics on the sides...

As well as the top of the box.

And the inside of her box is bright golden yellow, very appropriate for royalty, I think!

And here she is! I just love her! I've gone on record in the past as not being the HUGEST fan of Cleo in doll form, for various reasons, but I love every single thing about this figure. She is just to die for.

The streaks in her hair are painted a nice, shimmery gold, which is a nice tie-in to the tinsel the original doll has in her hair.

Her outfit has a lot of great details, like the painted sparkles on the top, or all the bandages on her legs. It's very nicely done!

The reflections in her eyes are little ankhs! I love these little details that could be easily missed, but are really thoughtful at the same time. That's kind of Monster High in a nutshell, really.

I don't have the original Cleo (I know, I know! I'm going to pick up her re-release eventually), but here she is next to her I Love Fashion version. Little Cleo is definitely more adorable, where big Cleo is fierce, but I think they really captured her attitude. Plus, I love her Egyptian-inspired pose! So cute!

Finally, I picked up Clawdeen! Her box is highlighted with purple, but otherwise, follows the same trend as Cleo and Ghoulia's.

From the cartoon version of Clawdeen's figure, you can see that it really is all about her hair. Clawdeen's always had fabulous hair, but wait till you see the hair on the figure!

Clawdeen always seems like such a badass to me, and the art on the inside of her box continues that trend!

And here she is, with that enviable mane of hair! Her hair really is the star of this figure to me, it's so big and curly, and it's just awesome.

I also appreciate that the back isn't forgotten and is still well-detailed.

Her outfit is an adorable representation of her original look, and I especially love her little toes, for some reason. So cute!

The reflection in Clawdeen's eyes is shaped like a little crescent moon. It's more subtle than the cherries in Ghoulia's eyes or the ankh in Cleo's, but it's perfect for Clawdeen. I also think that of the three, she has the fiercest face. I mean, she's definitely adorable, but she's a little less cutesy and a little more take-no-crap, which totally works for Clawdeen.

And here she is with her doll counterpart. Basic Clawdeen is a doll that sneaked up on me in how much I liked her, but now she's one of my favourite signature dolls. I think her look translated really well into the vinyl figure, and I'm really glad I chose her to be one of the first ones I got!

So here the little ghouls are with their full-size counterparts! They're pretty small, but they really do have an impressive amount of detail given their size. In the States, I think they're $9.99 each, which seems like a good price for them. I paid $12.99 each for these in Canada, and I admittedly do think that's a bit high, but they didn't skimp on the design of them, so...I'm okay with the price.

What do you think of these little figures? Are you as in love with them as I am, or will you be passing on adding these cuties to your collection?

Speaking of collections...check out that back row there! Monster High posted this on Instagram, and looks like those are going to be the second wave of figures! I definitely need Skelita and Abbey, and Spectra and Venus are faves too...I can see this being a real problem for me, but they're just so cute, I can't help it!

What characters would you like to see made in these figures? I'd definitely like to see Slo Mo, Honey Swamp and Lorna McNessie. Imagine Honey's afro, it would be perfection! Let me know your thoughts down below!