REVIEW: Descendants 2 28" Mal doll

It's hard to contemplate the size of a 28" doll without having her in front of you. Mal is HUGE.

Just Play produced this small series of giant dolls as Walmart exclusives. They run a little less than $40 apiece, which is a very fair price, considering that's only double what the regular signature dolls are.

I ordered Mal from the Walmart website, only to have them never ship her. So I cancelled the order and tried the ship to store option. I thought the same thing was going to happen, but on the day she was supposed to be available for pick up, she shipped to the store!

She arrived yesterday, only one day after for the original pick up time. I couldn't get her until today though. You guys should see the ginormous box she was shipped in. Like yeesh!

It's hard to photograph something so big and properly show just how big she is. She's standing in front of my closet door there, but I think the last picture I'll put in this review will help with scale the most.

Mal looks exactly like what she is: a giant signature Mal. Her hair quality is excellent, which I didn't expect, considering the sheer mass of hair they used. The bangs stick out a bit with gel, but I'm not going to fuss with them.

Her bag is nicely detailed and opens, so it can hold a lot of stuff. I would have loved it if she came with her spell book instead of the boring stickers I just threw out. Or a can or two of spray paint!

Her clothing quality is excellent. The pants are a soft material and go on and come off easily. They're fastened by velcro, so no elastic involved. The jacket is great, too. Her hands do pop off at the wrists so it cam be removed easily. I got the left sleeve off just fine without removing her hands, but the right stuck on her glove, so it's a good extra feature for the doll to have. The jacket went back on without me having to remove the hands.

Naked 28" doll looks pretty much just like the smaller ones. The main difference is the big ones don't have knee joints. I'm guessing this helps their stability. Mal's pretty top heavy with that huge head and all that hair! I got her to stand with no tipping issues though.

So where do you put a doll that clocks in at over two feet tall when you have a sprawling collection like mine?

She ended up on my desk! And now you can get a real idea of her sheer size. She just fits under the lower shelf above. Like just barely.

I'm glad though, because now I can order Evie and not worry about where to put her. There's plenty of room in the other desk corner! I could probably even fit Uma on there, too. We shall see! I have other plans for my money this month, but eventually, at least Evie will join Mal on the desk.

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.

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REVIEW: Gorjuss Toadstools doll

I received my newest Gorjuss doll today! I bought Toadstools from Amazon UK, because the Santoro shop was sold out of her. I actually got a way better price, so I plan on getting as many as I can from there, but the sellers don't always ship to the US.

Toadstools isn't one that caught my eye when I very first looked at these many months ago. I was torn between Little Violet, Ladybird and Ruby then. But she quickly launched herself into a contender spot this time around.

I actually had in mind to get Ladybird next after Little Violet and Bluebird, but when I saw that Toadstools was sold out on Santoro, I knew I needed to track her down before she became impossible to find. The Amazon transaction was easy and she arrived in about ten days, not counting the day I placed the order.

Toadstools is one of the more detailed dolls, like Little Violet. Look at how many pieces her outfit is!

The short-sleeved navy coat goes over a purple dress. She has four striped items: stockings, armwarmers, a hat and her bag with its hedgehog and toadstool decor. Then she's got her bright blue boots. She's the only Gorjuss doll to wear boots. The other seven all wear mary janes.

Once again, every single piece is high quality.

Here she is in the purple dress. It's got nice detailing for something hidden under a coat! I think it's actually prettier than Bluebird's dress. That poor doll has the plainest outfit.

Toadstools' coat is spectacular. Every tiny purple button is a different shape: heart, star, square and triangle. I love the armwarmers with their thumbholes, too. I didn't do that myself. She was designed that way.

I had thought some of the dolls looked to have dark brown hair instead of black and I was right. Toadstools has dark brown hair in comparison with Violet's black.

I'm so thrilled to have all three of these girls standing on my coffee table right now! The only problem is now I want even more! I had planned on ordering American Girl Nanea next payday, but now I'm considering getting Ladybird instead. I'm not sure what to do! Well, I guess I'll still get Nanea, since my rewards coupon expires on my birthday at the end of the month, but that's how much I want Ladybird right now!

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.

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MONTH IN REVIEW: August 2017

We started out the month with me finally finishing my Zelfs collection! I did a full ranking of every one I had this month. Whew, that took a long time.

I patiently waited for good deals on the remaining four from the Crystal Wishes medium series and the last three of the large series. I got three of the mediums from within the US, then decided to just import the last four. I'm really glad I did because Powerpup, hanging out with Rey and Wanda here, is awesome.

I also got into the Loyal Subjects My Little Pony blind box line this month. I got Glory, Sundance and Applejack early in the month, then gave up on the rather hugely expensive blind boxes to buy Princess Sparkle and Minty off ebay.

I mean, there are some rares I'd love to get, but not for that much per box when chances of getting a rare are really slim.

I also got the four mini merponies from the upcoming movie at Target. I got the three lower ones in the pic early in the month and the white one not that long ago. I'm excited four more of these are coming.

I added a third Mooshka Flowerina to my collection. Petal, the brunette in purple on the bottom, is one of the line's harder to find girls. Pippy (in red) and Blossom (in pink) are easy to find. Redheaded Glory is the last one I need and also hard to find.

I still haven't taken a full body shot of her, but Roxy Ghost, the doll on the left, joined my collection of Elena's Art Dolls.

I always watch for Twilight Teens auctions on ebay, but I don't often buy, since the shipping is more than I really want to pay for these Monster High-inspired dolls made by Simba.

However, when an auction for Panthera and school snaky popped up for cheap, I bid. I got the pair for less than $20, I think it was. I already have Panthera and she left for her new home today, but Snaky joined my own Panthera and Voodoona to stand with my MH dolls.

I had Sunny Meadows for awhile before opening her. Like she probably should have gone in the July Month in Review!

She looks terribly cute with Rosie and Daisy. I hope she gets a big Shoppie someday to go with theirs.

Next up, we had some arrivals that you've seen here in reviews: the MH Family set for Cleo and Project MC2 Masquerade Camryn and Bryden.

I picked up Rainbow Heart Bear at Walmart. I don't plan on buying many of the new Care Bears, because I don't think the eyes work for them. I don't mind these big eyes on other toys, but they somehow strip the bears of their personalities. I do love dark purple though and she was just pretty, so she came home. She is prickly though, thanks to the tinselly fur, so she's not good for cuddling. Not like my other newer bears!

I don't buy many action figures anymore, but Marvel Legends Hela was a must have. I got lucky and snagged her on Amazon for the retail price of $19.99. I'm really looking forward to Thor Ragnarok and 99% of the reason why is her.

I found the DC Superhero Girls Fash'ems at Walmart and managed to get five of the six girls on my first try (Harley and Katana are not shown so check Flickr if you want to see them). Squinting into those packages is hard! I still have not gotten Batgirl. Someday!

Tempest Shadow looks like a lot of fun, so I had to have the brushable pack with her in it. I don't know if I'll get the blind bag-size one, but I probably will. I really don't know if I'll splurge on the recently-released Build-a-Bear plush though. There's a mini plush coming that might suffice.

I got super lucky with the next find. There were only two more Bleeding Edge Goth dolls I needed for my collection and one of those I wasn't even sure ever got made. Well, I stumbled on someone selling a bunch of them and you could tell by the prices that they didn't know what they had.

I got the gorgeous, rare and very sought after Scorpio Vixen for only fifty dollars. BOXED. She was even still boxed. And her face hadn't yellowed much. She's from one of the two series that sadly experienced head yellowing. I used to own her, but never really bonded with her and ended up selling. I regretted that one when I got back into these a few years ago and started buying new ones. At least she's finally back now! And I'm very relieved I do not want the purple variant, which is even harder to find.

Cheetah joins my other girls, most likely to stir up trouble. I hope her regular release doll comes out soon. It's sad that we have to wait so long between releases.

My next reviews were for the new Regal Academy line. I've been in touch with them about the problems I had with Joy and Astoria. They sent me replacement dolls, so I now have a perfect Astoria, but the new Joy had the same problem as the first. I ended up keeping my original one and sending back the replacement. I tried to see if I could unstick her joint, but let's just say it didn't work. I spoke with a nice woman from the company today and she told me the entire first batch of Joys has this stuck elbow. So if you buy this doll, do not try to force the left elbow to move! If you get one that does work, consider yourself lucky. She also told me something else, so watch this blog for a couple exclusive reviews that will be coming up hopefully next week! She's supposed to be mailing something out to me tomorrow. (I'm so excited...)

Let's see, next came some more reviews: MH Lumina and the second set of World Vacation Shoppies. Then I discovered the GlitterShine Dragons and ordered them all.

I have been a terrible slacker with the dragons. I do plan on taking individual photos of all of them. Maybe tomorrow! For now, here's a crappy group shot.

I found Cici Science at Target. I haven't seen the perfume girl or the Hollywood girl yet. I want those. I passed up on the blue-haired pencil one last week. And now I'm also looking for the Blossom Apples and Melodine dolls. Shoppies never stop!

The next review was my gorgeous Gorjuss dolls. I might have a third arriving today! I hope so.

Then I got the new Mulan set with two dresses that's a Toys R Us exclusive. I really love when she doesn't wear pink. This pic shows the original Hasbro Mulan on the left and the new one on the right.

I really should have reviewed Mulan, but I was lazy that day. I also FINALLY got a Kuu Kuu Harajuku Music that I was satisfied with. It took eons. But I was too lazy to review her, too.

I love her though. If I ever see one with absolutely perfect eyes, I'm getting her and putting her in the purple fashion pack. However, I have seen several now and none with perfect eyes yet.

Another doll from my lazy I-should-have-reviewed-her day: Project MC2 Masquerade Adrienne. Getting Amazon to ship her took some legwork, but she finally made it, mostly thanks to the rep who granted me free 1-day shipping. Then they finally took the order seriously.

The farther Target randomly got some really old MLP blind bags in, so I finally own Egyptian Sassaflash and goth Big Mac.

My mom had to go back to Buffalo for a memorial service and she came back with a few gifts for me, one of which was Wingrid. I chose not to review her not from laziness, but because I covered about all the ground there is to cover with these when I reviewed Lumina. Wingrid is my fave of the three. I still need Beetrice!

My Toys R Us got the new Disney toddlers in on the same day my order from TRU.com delivered my new Mulan. She's a bit weird-looking...okay, a lot weird-looking...but still somehow endearing. I found the mini one at Walmart and she looks like the big one a bit.

I ordered this brightly-colored sloth made by Wild Republic from Amazon. I love sloths.

I also got Elephant from the current Kohl's Cares for Kids line, but today I got Knuffle Bunny and Elephant's BFF Piggie, so I'll include a photo of all three in the next Month in Review.

One of my big accomplishments for this month was completing my Grimm Girls collection! I've had pink-haired Mizz Muffet for awhile, but redheaded princess Deedre and Gretel there on the right are new additions that I'm thrilled with.

And finally for August, I got my first Series 2, Wave 2 LOL Surprise doll. The Little Sisters have come out first here in the US and I don't want all of them, so I've decided to buy the handful I love off ebay. Lil Miss Punk arrived two days ago and I've since ordered Lil Cherry, Lil Diva and Lil Dollface. The only other two I really want are Lil Midnight and the special glitter Lil The Queen.

So that wraps things up. I just got text notification that my new Gorjuss doll arrived at my post office, so I hope to be back later today with a review of her!

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Adventures of the Ghoul Squad

I've heard the usual whiners complaining about this new series. The animation is bad. It's not the original. They're keeping the wahmbulance in business.

The animation is another new style. No, I don't think it's good as the original, but it is way better than the first type of CGI. The new CGI is really good, but they can't afford to animate everything that way.

The storyline goes that Draculaura, Frankie, Cleo, Clawdeen and Lagoona have formed the Ghoul Squad, and their mission is to locate other monsters around the world and invite them to Monster High.

Already, this has two major good points.

First, we're guaranteed to meet new characters.

Second, we are free from high school drama for the most part. No Fearleading silliness. No speed dating. No random couples shoved together without a little plot first. (I hope.)

New episodes air every Friday on Youtube and so far they have not disappointed. Each of the three existing episodes has introduced a new character.

In episode 1, we meet Fangelica. And no, she isn't really related to Draculaura.

Episode 2 brings Gil back and he doesn't have that stupid fish tank on his head anymore! Let's hope they also don't bring back the relationship drama with him and Lagoona.

And the best one...the most exciting...

ABBEY IS BACK. Today's episode reintroduced us to Abbey Bominable.

Her former voice actress did mention that she had a not so nice break with Mattel, so it's not quite the voice we're used to, but it's really not far off. Stuff like that hasn't ever kept me from watching a show I enjoy though. Things change. That's life.

In the video for the theme song, Rochelle can also be seen, so I think this new series is going to bring back some old favorites, as well as introduce new ones. Content like this is what I've been waiting for. Fun adventures. No silly high school drama. I only hope Mattel has the smarts to make the dolls to match these new designs. I'd still love a Sylvi in her regular look, plus Abbey and Rochelle in their new outfits.

Don't shun this series just because it's something new and something that came from the reboot. Give it a try at least.

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More Content

In case anyone doesn't know, this blog is a spinoff of my Flickr account:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/venivididolli/

I started doing this so I could write more detailed reviews with pictures that flowed better, and write longer posts like my overview ones.

Sometimes though, I don't feel like making a review for everything I get, so that's when the pictures go into Flickr and not into formal posts here.

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REVIEW: Gorjuss Dolls Little Violet and Bluebird's Proposal

Oh, what a journey! I've wanted one of the Gorjuss dolls for months now and finally ordered not one but two as a reward for having to staycation on my own for a few days. Unbeknowst to me, Santoro switched their shipping style when I placed the order, so I was expecting them in the speed the FAQ promised. When I looked again, the FAQ had changed. They actually made it into the US and through customs quickly, but it took from Tuesday morning until last night at 10:30 for them to travel from Queens, NY to here. That's ridiculous. I am absolutely smitten with these girls though and I'm already planning who to buy next. I just hope the service is improved the next time!

The dolls I chose were Little Violet on the left here and Bluebird's Proposal on the right.

There are currently eight Gorjuss vinyl dolls and two outfits, all made by Paola Reina. There are other Gorjuss rag dolls and many other products featuring the designs as well.

The dolls stand about 12.5 inches tall. They're articulated at the neck, shoulders and hips, which is typical for this type of doll.

Their feet have an inward point, which is part of the Gorjuss style.

Little Violet is the sixth doll in the collection, as per the booklet that came with her. Bluebird is the 8th and had not been released when I was first looking at these.

Half of the line have more detailed outfits and cost around $91. The other half are a bit simpler and cost $84.

Violet is one of the $91 dolls. Her outfit is made from so many different materials! I can definitely see where the price comes from with these. They have detail that even surpasses some dolls I've paid a lot more for.

Every piece of the outfit is separate. The small vest unties in the front and comes away from the gray sweater. The collar of the vest has black and white-striped material on the underside. The skirt is a leathery material and has stiff mesh underneath each layer. A lot of the pieces have a fabric Santoro label inside. I just can't believe all the detail here. It's almost human-level quality.

Bluebird is one of the cheaper $84 dolls. You can see why, as her outfit is just a simple dress over a separate mesh skirt that makes the dress poof a bit, a pair of panties, socks, shoes and a headband. She has I think the simplest outfit of the eight dolls.

However, she also has short hair, which as you know, I favor greatly. 

Of all the pieces on both dolls, you would think if there was staining, those black socks would have done it. But no. She has no staining on her legs. 

It's Violet that got a little stain around her waist from the skirt. 

The bodies are simple, but the material is soft and nice. They definitely do not feel cheap. I love the little pointy fingers and the cute toes. 

They stand fairly easily on their own. Violet is a bit tippy, I think because she's so much more top heavy than Bluebird with that thick hair. 

Their hair is rooted, not wigs. 

Here they are from the side. I love the pudgy little belly. 

Again, look how cute those fingers and toes are!

Both these girls have black hair, but looking at some of the stock photos, there may be some with dark brown. I can't really tell, just guess.

These dolls are incredibly cute and unique, and very worth the higher price point. No plastic accessories and sewn together outfit pieces for these girls. Each doll in the line comes with a little bag, too. Violet's has the stars and Bluebird's has her bluebird. 

One word of warning though, if you are sensitive to scents, I do not recommend these. They are scented! According to the website, it's a rose and honeysuckle scent, but I just smell rose. 

I'm already planning who to get next.

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine!

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RANKING: All of my Zelfs!

I've done rankings for things before, but this is the largest one I've ever tackled. I wanted to rearrange my Zelfs figures, so I got them all out and decided to rank every single one. Previously, I've left out the large-sized ones and duplicate characters, but not this time!

These are arranged in the photos with the lowest being on the right end and moving toward the left end, which is the highest in the picture. So from right to left. They're arranged in groups of ten, so let's start.

Lowest ranked on the right: Wishbeam, then Flitterbelle, Butterluv, Buddykins, Teeny Genie, Bubblee, Harmonie, Miss Tutu, Frostette and Laylani. A lot of these have been permanently in the bottom. Flitterbelle dropped a lot since last time. I think I had the New Zelfs goggles on at the time, because she's really kind of a mess.

Next from right to left: So-Anne (large), E-Vett, Coco, Angelala (large), Buttershy (original), Buttershy (scented), Vampula (original), Vampula (scented), Pega-Sue (original), Billy.

The original pink gang and their scented counterparts really aren't that bad, but the best versions of them are the Masquerade ones, so these look worse in comparison.

So-Anne would have been higher if not for the pink. I always thought that looked weird.

 
Right to left: Zebbie, Cindy Moo, Lullaby, Wizzkas, Lil D (large), Finley, Ribbita, Mermalade (original), Tressa, Flamy (original).

Zebbie dropped a lot since last time. I don't know why I dislike him so much, but I do. Same with the cow. She's pretty cute, but she never ranks high. Finley has a really cute face, but I think a bit too much going on.

Right to left: Mermalade (scented), Mermalade (large), Frankenzelf, Swanda, Polly Roger, Flitter (scented), Bellafly, Cupie (original), So-Anne (crystal), and Baabara.

Large Mermalade is one of those weird ones where I like the large better than the medium size. I do like the Masquerade one, which is medium, best though. Bellafly climbed a lot since last time. She's quite cute.

Right to left: Angelala (original), Fairy-Bloom, Royal P, Dandy-lion (original), Hightail (original, large), Dandy-lion (large), Marsha, Dorothy-doe (large) and Sheldon.

Angelala might have had a higher spot if I had her crystal version, but I never got it. Dandy-lion's another of those I prefer the large.

Right to left: Elfa (scented), Miss Clover, Manny, Sealia, Roberta, Rainglow, Cheffrey, Lil D (original), Catsby (original), Catsby (large).

Catsby's cute in both sizes, but I like the glow blue better. Cheffrey is really cute, but he's got stiff competition. Rainglow seems like he should be higher, but I struggle with the bird Zelfs a lot, because they never have beaks. And Roberta would have been higher if she'd not been pink!

Right to left: Spellinda (scented), Talleen, Dorothy-doe, Sheldon (prototype), Sugar Bunny, Moonicorn, Pearleen, Cyril, Daisy May, Candy Lou.

I just realized I left out Masquerade Spellinda! She lives by my computer and I totally forgot her. Dangit. I hate when I put a lot of work into a project and then realize I forgot something. Well, I'm not reshooting any pics, so I'll just mention her where she would have fit in.

The Sheldon here is a prototype from China. If you look at him in the box, these are his original colors, which are far superior. Sugar Bunny was a sleeper for me. Did not expect to love him, but I do. I should get his crystal version someday. And Candy Lou I just hated when these released and it took me probably a couple years to finally cave and buy her. I have her mini one and love it, so I ended up with the medium size.

Right to left: Chi, Snowphie, Flamy (masquerade), Buttershy (masquerade), Vampula (masquerade), Royal Tia, Mermalade (masquerade), Pega Sue (masquerade), Joy Drop and Shimma.

Royal Tia couldn't decide where to go so I plopped her right in the middle. I love my masquerade set. I just hate that the two earliest lines are leaking hard glue from around their eyes! Ugh! It ruins some of the best ones.

Right to left: Beetrice, Rose-anne, Lochlan, Artie, Miss Terri, Cupie (crystal), Pretty Kit, Owlmanda, Pandela, Bella Blossom.

I like Miss Terri and Cupie a lot more than I expected. Both are adorable. And Pretty Kit is probably the biggest sleeper of the entire line for me, because I never expected to love the pink princess cat, but I do! Bella Blossom is also like that. Much prettier than I expected.

Right to left: Owlmanda, Ditty Dot, Angel Hop, Koolah, Jewely, Deeno, Flittabell, Flare, Oceana, Lilly-goat.

Lilly-goat kept moving around this line up until she finally made it to the highest ranked spot. Her colors are just awesome and so is her detail. Oceana is awesome, too, though and Lilly only won because her coloring is more unusual. Flittabell is another I love more than I expected.

We're getting into tough choices land now.

Right to left: Snowflake, Webina, Flitter (large), Snapjack, Chocolaa, Spellinda (large), Starkle, Moona, Flitter (original), Howlette.

Snowflake is so awesome, but I always call him Snowbunny. Flitter edged out Webina by a hair. I just love both of these Flitters. Snapjack is very plain, but also great. I always have him up higher than I expect to.

I think I'd put Masquerade Spellinda right below large Spellinda.

Right to left: Magicella, Lady B (large), Talon, Lochlan, Birchy, Frostelle, Tyfoon, Float, Lady B (original), Hightail (crystal).

Lochlan is another where I like his large better. It's the glow coloring again. Frostelle moved around a lot and ended up higher than I originally had him. His detail is amazing. Hightail is one I thought the large was too busy, but he's fantastic as a medium and I think it's his hooves.

Right to left: Mary-go-round, Reindoe, Galexia, Lunanne, Webina, Noodles, Dolly, Peek-a-boo, Ooma, Smoothie.

Definitely some hard choices here! Reindoe was much higher before, but the weird lines around her mouth brought her down. Lunanne is forever a fave. And we're getting into the ones I seriously adore, because this feels too low for the first four on the left, but competition is that stiff.

Right to left: Spellinda, Garny, Elfa, Stardust, Noodles (crystal), Batrina, Sneak-a-boo, Snowanne, Poperpup, Petal.

Elfa, Garny and Spellinda are my 3 original faves, so they're really there thanks to nostalgia and not design. Stardust I adore! Ah, I just love all these.

Last photo! The top eight!

Right to left: Moon-Flight, Tiki, Cleocat, Sketalia, Howlie, Skylanna, Gar-girl, Kitsu.

Howlie was originally my #2 and Gar-girl was down at #7, but I really love her and she's climbed a lot. Every one of these is completely stellar.

Whew! That is it! 148 Zelfs ranked. 149 if you count poor Masquerade Spellinda that I forgot. And now I feel pressured to make it an even 150. I should look for crystal Sugar Bunny...

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine, of course.

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