Monster Exchange Draculaura

This review is very overdue! I actually took the photos over a month ago, and I totally thought I HAD posted this review, but...clearly I had not! Even though this doll isn't super new anymore, I still think it's worth posting, because she is just so cool!

And the "she" to which I am referring is Monster Exchange Draculaura! I picked her up just before Christmas (which is why her boxed photo is still taken under my tree...) when Toys R Us was having a sale on these and the Haunted dolls. Just this past week the Exchange dolls have shown up outside of TRU for the first time, so I'm hoping the Haunted dolls follow suit, since we've neither hide nor hair of them since before the holidays!

I already review Lorna McNessie and Marisol Coxi from this same line, so I'm sure you're familiar with the concept of this line, and I have to say, I really love it. Not only does it bring us new characters from new places in the monster world, it gives us the chance to see beloved characters like Draculaura here imagined in new ways, through the lens of a different culture. I love this Draculaura a lot, for reasons we'll get into, and I really love the Lagoona too, and want to get my hands on her too.

Without further ado, let's take a closer look at Draculaura, dressed for her trip to Shibooya!

Gloom and Bloom Cleo DeNile

As I'm sure you've heard, Target is leaving Canada and closing all of its stores. This makes me very sad for a lot of reasons (loss of jobs, etc) but of course, one of those reasons is that it was one more place to look for dolls! And obviously, they have exclusives as well, that will now be considerably harder to get my hands on. I'm actually not sure if this doll is actually a Target exclusive...some are sure she is and some are sure she isn't, but regardless, when I heard Target's were closing, I went out to grab her, because they were the only place I'd seen her.

The doll I'm talking about is, of course, Cleo DeNile from the Gloom and Bloom line. Lots of Cleo over here lately, huh? The Jinafire from this line is also gorgeous, but unfortunately, I missed out on her at my local Target, so I'll have to get my hands on her another way. This entire line is beautiful, actually. I love the Venus, and I think I'll get her, and probably the Catrine as well. Jane Boolittle is really nice too, so who knows, maybe I'll get them all! The only one I'm not really wowed by is the new character, Amanita Nightshade, but I may change my mind when I see her in person, who knows!

But! This review is about the lovely Cleo up there, so let's get on with it, shall we? 

(Also, I've started linking my latest YouTube videos in the sidebar of the blog instead of in my posts, so you can check that out to see what's new!)

I Love Fashion Venus McFlytrap and Cleo DeNile

I've got a bit of a two-for-one review today! Way way back during Boxing Week sales, I picked up both Venus and Cleo's I Love Fashion versions at Toys R Us on an amazing sale. I first saw these months ago and thought they were really gorgeous, but they wanted $39.99 for them. That is just too much for one doll, even taking into account the extra fashions they come with, and so I passed. In fact, I even told my husband I didn't want them for my birthday when he asked, because I didn't want ANYONE paying $40 for them!

Luckily, TRU had them on sale for $19.99 during Boxing Week, and that's the price of a budget doll up here in Canada, so I grabbed them both! I'm kind of wishing I'd have grabbed Wydowna too, but my local TRU is jammed to the gills with her, and not these two, so I think I'll have another chance! 

The I Love Fashion line has always been one of my favourites, with the edgier makeup the ghouls usually get, and all the great outfits, so I was really excited to get these two out of their boxes!

So without further ado, let's get to it!

Equestria Girls Slumber Party Pinkie Pie

Today, I'm reviewing something that I've never reviewed before, and something that I've never owned before! I have a fair number of My Little Pony toys, both from my childhood as well as from the new cartoon, Friendship is Magic. However, when Hasbro launched the Equestria Girls line, I was somewhere between underwhelmed and confused. What makes My Little Pony special, is that they're...well, ponies! Making them into human (or humanoid) characters kind of removes a lot of the magic for me, and to top it off, the original dolls were pretty...poorly made. They had peg legs, no articulation and painted on clothes, a hat trick of things I really dislike about dolls!

However, it does seem that Hasbro has learned from those early dolls and has started making a lot of improvements. The faces look better, the clothing is better, and they have articulation now! What finally pushed me over the edge from occasionally picking one up in a store to actually bringing one home, was the release of the slumber party line that ties into the new Rainbow Rocks movie. The line consists of two character, Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie, and they both come with their pets. This was the final straw for me. Pinkie Pie is my favourite pony, and I LOVE her pet in the new cartoon, and adorable, kind of dopey alligator named Gummy. Seeing that this Pinkie came with a Gummy figure was all I needed to run out to the store and grab her and bring her home!

Click through to see more about Pinkie Pie and Gummy!

Big Hero 6's Go Go Tamago

A little while ago, I reviewed Honey Lemon from Disney's Big Hero 6, and today, I have another member of that team, Go Go Tamago! Go Go was a Christmas gift from my husband, and I am very glad to have her, especially since they're already getting pretty tricky to find. This move really deserves more merchandise that it's getting I think, especially when taken against Disney's last big movie, Frozen, which is probably over-merchandised.

Anyway, that's a discussion for another time, so let's get onto the doll! I really loved Honey Lemon, so I could hardly wait to get my hands on Go Go!

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!

Monster High "Haunted" Vandala Dubloons

I hope everyone had a great Christmas, for those who celebrate, and a wonderful New Years! I know my Christmas was really great, busy, but really good. Of course, I got a few dolls, and the first one I'm sharing with you is Vandala Dubloons, from the new Monster High line 'Haunted'. All of the new characters from this line look really interesting, but Vandala is the first one to come home with me. She was a gift from my mom, so thanks, Mom!

Not much more to say at this point, so let's get into it!