Once Upon a Zombie Rapunzel by WowWee

First of all, I'd like to thank Natalie for telling me about the Once Upon a Zombie dolls.  Not only have I really enjoyed looking at this new line, but the dolls serve as an interesting contrast to the Fairy Tale High dolls I reviewed the other day.  Despite the bounty of fairy princess dolls saturating the market, this is the only series in which the all of the characters are undead.

I am a big fan of wholesome, beautiful, happy-ending fairy tale princesses that aren't even the slightest bit dead, and yet I love watching The Walking Dead, and I enjoy playing video games like The Last of Us and Plants vs. Zombies.  So, I guess I have to admit that I've fallen under the spell of the recent mainstream zombie craze.  I prefer zombie scenarios where there's a cure (as in Warm Bodies) but I'm also interested in the pseudo-science behind all of these stories, and I enjoy the challenge of imagining the moral dilemmas and survival tactics that such a horrific apocalypse might provoke.

I never would have though that portraying beloved princess characters as zombies would be a good idea.  And yet, right after Natalie's tip, I rushed to one of my favorite online stores (Think Geek) to see these dolls...and it was fascination at first sight.  These spooky princesses have inset eyes, blueish grey skin, lots of articulation, and tattered royal gowns that fit the theme of the character they are depicting.  Somehow these dolls are silly, lovely, tragic and creepy all at the same time:

Once Upon a Zombie "Zombie Rapunzel."
$24.99 at Think Geek.

Fairy Tale High "Teen Rapunzel" by S-K Victory

Fairy Tale High (known as "Fairy Tale Academy" at the 2013 Toy Fair launch) is yet another brand of 12-inch play doll that is using the fairy tale princess theme.  Fairy Tale High's angle is that all of the princesses are modern teenagers attending the same school of performing arts.  At least it's not fashion school.

The number of dolls that have something to do with princesses or fairy tales this year is shockingly high.  I can count about nine different doll lines: The current Disney Store and Mattel versions of the Disney Princesses, La Dee Da Fairy Tale Dance, Cutie Pops Crown Cuties, Ever After High, Monster High Scary Tales, Once Upon a Zombie and Fairy Tale High.  And I guess I could also include the Bratzillaz Witchy Princesses, but they don't really look much different from the normal Bratzillaz.  Anyway, it's out of control.  The question is, do we need all of these different princess characters?  I mean, which ones are offering something truly unique?

I have been reluctant to review this particular doll because when she arrived in the mail, her face was a disappointment.  I don't find anything appealing about her facial screening or her expression, and I tend not to review dolls that I know I won't like.  Some recent conversations in the comments section and pictures on Flickr inspired me to reconsider.  I decided that she was worth de-boxing, if only so that I could reference her as I review some of the princess dolls I am more excited about.  Rapunzel cost me $17.99 at Toys R Us:

Fairy Tale High "Teen Rapunzel," by S-K Victory.

Paradise Horses for 18" Dolls

When I was a child, I was much more interested in toy horses than I was in dolls.  I had a massive collection of Breyer model horses, and my friends and I would play elaborate games with our plastic herds, developing little romances (between the horses) and power struggles (between the horses...mostly) that could rival most soap operas.  As an adult, I am more interested in collecting dolls, but horses still elicit a special kind of excitement in me.

I don't know if it's just my warped perspective, but it seems like there are a lot of new play horses on the market these days, and I find myself gravitating towards these toys when I am in the stores.  Many of the horses I've seen come with dolls, but I often feel like the dolls are completely out of scale with their equine companions (the Mattel Disney Princess and Horse sets are a perfect example of this).  I thought it would be fun to launch a series of reviews that examines some of the available horses, with an emphasis on which dolls fit them best.  I won't do these reviews all in a row like I did with the Cutie Pops, but I hope to review six or seven different steeds over the next month or two.

I am going to start by reviewing two of the large 19" Paradise horses.  I have been curious about these toys (and the whole Paradise line) for a while.  The fur-covered, articulated Paradise horses are sold for around $30 at Walmart as part of the Madame Alexander 18" "My Life As..." play doll series, but they are also available in the standard Paradise packaging with no mention of My Life at all.  I was interested to learn whether there's any difference between these separately-marketed versions of the horse.  These horses strike me as a nice alternative to the expensive American Girl horses, and will offer an interesting comparison for my upcoming review of the comparably-priced Our Generation articulated Morgan.

Paradise "Western Pinto"  horse.

Cutie Pops Fashion Pups Doll, "Coletta"

This is the third and final review in a series highlighting the new Cutie Pops dolls.  I reviewed the Crown Cutie doll Crystalina first, then the Hattitude doll Dakota, and now I will end by looking at one of the dolls in the third group of fall releases: the Fashion Pups.  These dolls are more like the traditional Cutie Pops: they each have a two-ponytail hairstyle, extra hair, an extra pair of (closed) eyes, and plenty of pop decorations.  The Fashion Pup dolls also come with a pair of small vinyl dogs.

There are only two Fashion Pup characters, Coletta and Dalia.  These dolls sell for $24.99 (I have only seen them at Toys R Us so far), making them the most expensive of the new dolls.  I am holding on to some hope that they'll be less expensive when (if?) they arrive at other stores.  I bought both of these sets and decided to review Coletta:

Cutie Pops Fashion Pups "Coletta."

Cutie Pops Hattitude Doll, "Dakota"

This is the second in a series of three short reviews that will look at the new Cutie Pop lines.  You can find the first review here: Crown Cuties Crystalina.

The next group of dolls I will look at are the Hattitude basic dolls.  These dolls are wearing animal hats and have a single ponytail in back, rather than the two side ponytails that all other current Cuties wear.  These dolls come with fewer accessories that the Crown Cuties or the Fashion Pup dolls, but they only cost $9.99.

There are three Hattitude characters to choose from, Sydney (red and orange hair), Bianca (black and white hair) and Dakota (brown and yellow hair).  I originally wanted to review Sydney because of her red hair, but she was the hardest to find in the stores.  I was happy to find Dakota, though, because I think her brown fuzzy bear hat is the best of the bunch, and she has nice brown eyes:

Cutie Pops Hattitude "Dakota."

Cutie Pops Crown Cuties Doll, "Crystalina"

I have been a reluctant-turned-loyal fan of the Cutie Pops since their release last year.  I have reviewed one of the first wave dolls (Cookie) and one of the more basic Swirly Brights dolls (Magenta).  In a nutshell, my only substantial complaints with Cutie Pops so far have been that their eyes are a little crazy and they aren't very well articulated.  Overall, I like the interchangeable hair and eyes on these dolls and find them to be a fun, economical alternative to dolls like Pullip and Blythe.

I had some moments of concern over the summer when I noticed that Cutie Pops were getting less expensive, and they were not being re-stocked at Target and Toys R Us.  I worried that the dolls weren't selling well and might be poised for discontinuation.  I needn't have worried--Cutie Pops seem to be doing fine, and Jada Toys has rolled out an interesting triumvirate of new dolls for the fall.

I will look at each of the three new varieties of Cutie Pop (Crown Cuties, Hattitude and Fashion Pups), but I'll do it in a series of three short reviews...short for me, anyway.  At the end, I'll weigh in on which of the new dolls is the most exciting.  I want to start with a Crown Cutie, arguably the most different of the new dolls.  There are two Crown Cutie characters to choose from, Crystalina and Pearlina.  I chose Crystalina because I like her ice-blue hair:

Cutie Pops Crown Cutie, "Crystalina."

American Girl Mini Dolls "Rebecca" and "Kit"

When I visited the American Girl store in Boston, I had every intention of buying the historical doll, Rebecca.  As you might recall, my shopping experience went a little differently than I'd planned, and I left with My American Girl #29...and a mini Rebecca.  

I love the idea of having a doll with a miniature replica.  When Annette Himstedt used to make vinyl dolls, her club characters had miniature "Kleine" versions of themselves, and this always made the club dolls more tempting to me than the regular line.  My other favorite miniature doll replicas include Lee Middleton's small versions of some of the older Artist Studio babies, the delightful collection of mini Pullip dolls, and the McDonald's Happy Meal miniatures of the Liv It's My Nature line. 

The American Girl minis are another example of a well-done, accurate replica of a larger doll:

American Girl Mini, "Rebecca."