Preliminary gushing about Ever After High (ETA: more links)

Sorry, I don't really have anything interesting to say today, or any dolls to post pics of. I just wanted to say I made the mistake of looking at some pictures and videos, and now I'm starting to really look forward to the Ever After High dolls. Apparently they're just coming out, which means it might take months before they appear here ("here" being faraway exotic Sweden). Or we might not get them at all! Not that I'm worried: if they do well they'll definitely appear on shelves here too, and I suspect they will.

I like that they actually made a completely new doll (well, some parts are recycled), not just a new line of Monsters but with more traditional face sculpts. The torso doesn't have the arched plank look that makes the MH dolls so difficult to fit (though elegant). They actually remind me more of china dolls than of fashion dolls, with their big heads and cute, entirely non-scary make-up (just look at Apple White). (On a related note: when did everyone decide to make ~25cm dolls with big heads rather than ~29cm dolls with more realistic proportions, like Barbie? Was it Bratz that started it?)

I showed the promo pics to my friend who finds Monster High creepy and she really liked them. Maybe I'll be able to rope her into the hobby after all!

And that concludes today's preliminary gushing. Here are a few links to people who have more to say than I do (just in case you haven't already seen them).

Reviews:
http://nevergrowupdollguide.blogspot.se/2013/07/ever-after-high-news.html

This has a more in-depth (although a bit out-of-focus) look at Briar Rose and her accessories, along with a comparison with several similar bodies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGtUgS3vPpE&feature=c4-overview&list=UU0NX6-KBRh75-emDlC4xlwA

Here's a good comparison pic that someone on the forum dug up:
http://monster-everafter-high-girls.tumblr.com/post/54696573965/i-scrounged-up-as-many-different-dolls-as-i-could

ETA:
More comparison pics. Briar Rose's skin tone is close to Cleo, apparently.
http://lemondread.tumblr.com/post/54837598653/just-a-few-quick-comparison-shots-briar

ETA again:
Lots of good comparison shots of the dolls compared to MH and others.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/venivididolli/9235501473/

Madeline Hatter guest review @toyboxphilosopher!

and ETA yet another review:
http://dollyconfessions.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/dolly-review-ever-after-high-madeline-maddie-hatter/

Palm Beach Juls (Super Model by Simba Toys)

No Photoshop here!

I was going to write something about the second Scary Couple set I got, but I wanted to take a few comparison pics of them and I haven't gotten around to it yet. Bad news is that the staining is just as bad - not disasterous, but I guess this means it's something you'll have to take into account with these dolls. (Wonder if the other Mystic Girls have the same staining problem? I haven't got one, but they seem to be the same as this one.) The good news is this Kevin doesn't have different color hands, so if I'm only keeping one it's this one.

Meanwhile, I just wanted to show off the new Super Model, since she's from the beach line and I'm in a summery mood. For some reason these dolls have become a bit of a favorite of mine lately, I'm not even sure why. Only a few pics because my camera died.

Her face reminds me of someone... Celebrity?

This is Juls, basically the Barbie of the gang (blonde, blue-eyed, often appears separate from the others in promo pics). Originally I was thinking of getting a Miri, but then I realized Juls and Sarah (the two medium/tan skin tones) might be useful as body donors. Juls was the only one I could find at a reasonable price (you can find them all on German ebay, but the shipping was a bit high) plus I liked her shoes best anyway. Plus, can you not love that polka dot pattern??

L: Fashionista

This quick comparison was all I got before the battery died. Juls is similar to the tan Fashionista, just a slightly more yellow shade (a bit of a surprise, since the Fashionista until now was the least red tan body I had).

Juls is slightly different from the picture on the box

The whole beach line has a retro '60s look with big square sunglasses. I think Miri's pink-on-black blouse is my favorite here, it reminds me of OP art.

 Too much starch?

...I'm not entirely sure what to call that thing, actually. A tunic? Blouse? Anyway, I thought the fabric would be the flutter-in-the-breeze kind, but the garment literally stands on its own. Not the quality I'm looking for in beach wear. I'm going to wash it and see if it improves.

Just a detail I've noticed lately: Simba stitches this mesh over seems that are in danger of fraying. Good idea, but it peeks out over the edge at the neckline here. I like this tunic-thing, though, it even if the hemline is a bit uneven.

I hadn't seen what she's wearing underneath, but predictably it's a bikini. bit of a disappointment, as it's pretty badly made. Most everything is uneven - seams, hems, ruffles - and the bottoms are way too big.

The tunic is too big to wear without anything under, but that also means it's the right shape for a full-size doll.  No pic of the Fashionista modeling it, since the battery died.

Everything plastic that came with her:

Glasses, ear rings, three red bracelets, one white, and of course the shoes.

Shoes were a bit hard to get off (or maybe I'm just overly careful about not breaking the wrists) but slipped off easily with a bit of hot water. Not much to say about them: good and simple, much more useful than Bel's hot pink heels.

Pictured: upside-down butterfly, probably

Bel's bracelets were incredibly badly designed - or damaged, I'm honestly not sure - and fell off as soon as I removed the rubber band, but these come off easily and stay on without problem. I like the simple, functional design of the red ones, and the white one has a little ...butterfly, I think? Anyway, it's cute.

The sun glasses are tinted pink plastic, painted white around the frames and on the sides. The paint job isn't perfect, the coat is a little thin at the edges, but I like that they left the glasses mainly pink instead of trying to hide it. They fit Monster High too, just slightly more loosely. (No pic of that either!)

Simba, what were you thinking here? Yes, the bag is hollow and the top is open, but it's only for show, isn't it? The plastic is so stiff the sides don't need glue to stay together, but you can pry it apart with a bit of force. But - if the plastic had just been a bit softer you could have opened it by pinching the sides, and then you'd have had a bag that's elegant and practical. I think you kind of dropped the ball on this one, Simba.

Might be good for hiding things in, though.

Like I said, I'm not sure why I like this line so much, but I do. It's not perfect, but there aren't any huge flaws either - except maybe for the ankle joints: if they had just been a bit tighter the dolls could have stood on their own (or at least after you get rid of the huge head and hair). The face sculpt used to put me off - it's a bit flat and ...unsculpted  (Monster High, this ain't) and I keep getting the feeling the eyes are placed too high for this level of stylized cuteness - but I think that's starting to grow on me too. It's a lot better than Bratz, that's for sure!

Not sure about the eyes...

Actually, I'm tempted to keep this one as she is. It's always interesting to see how doll design mirrors contemporary style, and she looks really "beach '13" to me. I was planning to use her as a body donor, though, and if I let her hang around and develop her own character I'll feel bad if I chop her up for spare parts later!