REVIEW: Good Smile Near Harmonia MELLOW

I can't remember when this doll was supposed to come out. February? But she got delayed. I actually thought I'd never get her, so I was surprised when Amazon gave me a new delivery estimate. 

She arrived today and she's absolutely adorable. 

Good Smile makes a lovely brand of quite expensive small dolls called Harmonia. I don't have any, though I definitely regret not getting one of them that came out a few years ago. These little girls are a basic version of Harmonia, so the line name is Near Harmonia.  

I love this type of stand because it's so flexible. 

But if you get one of these, be careful putting the post in. I wasn't pushing hard, but the base still cracked. 

Here's her little dress and ribbon belt. 

Mellow comes dressed in little bloomers. 

She is wigged and it's quite slippery. I may end up doing a little velcro treatment for her. 

She sits nicely. 

The dress was interesting to put on. Her arms aren't flexible at all, but they do pop off at the shoulders. I got one in the arm hole the regular way, but took the second one off, then popped it right back in. 

She's so cute! Very ethereal. Almost like a fairy alien or something. 

Look at those teeny feet! They're like the most dainty thing ever. 

Overall, I love her. These aren't cheap dolls, so a lot of people would balk at the $46 price considering, say, the lack of articulation that's a sticking point for so many. But a fully articulated Harmonia is going to run you anywhere from $200-$400. I think she's adorable in a very different way from other dolls I own, so she's a nice addition to my collection. I already have one of the second series preordered!

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine. 

Passport Friends UPDATE

I posted this on Insta and forgot to do it here.

I found a second Manhattan on Poshmark and grabbed her because she had the vest and shoes. So this is my original Manhattan with her new accessories.  

And here are my three girls together. 

This is the extra Manhattan. I'd love to get her to a new home. 

I put her on Insta, but no one has made any offers on her, despite how popular my posts on this line seem to be. 

I mean, I have no trouble keeping two of them, but this line is THAT rare that I thought someone else would want one. 

 

Her face is adorable. 

Top and jeans in great condition. These are the ones she came with, not the ones I already had. 

Her hair is the biggest issue, because yeah, it is definitely dry and frizzy at the ends. These dolls have cheap hair. The only way you're going to get a really good quality one is to get one boxed, and we know how rare those are. 

I still think she looks great, even though her hair has issues. She's been conditioned and brushed/combed through by me, but someone with more hair skill could likely make her shine. 

If interested, just let me know! I'll likely have some more sales posts going up soonish, too. Waiting to hear back from someone and then anything she doesn't want will end up posted here. 

Then I need to go through my Hairdorables. That's a scary big task. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine. 

REVIEW: Monster High Buried Secrets Series 2

I ordered some Buried Secrets from Amazon, hoping I'd get Series 2 and I did. 

I ordered five and received one of each, plus an extra Draculaura. Both Lauras and Frankie will be going back. I only wanted Toralei and then caved and opened Clawdeen, too. 

This series is definitely on the odd side. The weird blush and cheek deco are a choice. I think they work best on these two characters. 

I do love Toralei's color scheme though. The lighter, brighter orange is a nice hair color for her. 

If you put the glasses on, it's almost like she could be a new character, but I like seeing the makeup, so they're staying off. 

She's adorable. She's not the most in character Toralei ever, but I like her anyway. 

Then we've got Clawdeen. 

She has little braids scattered throughout her hair, even in the back. 

She also makes this unusual makeup style look okay. 

Not my favorite version of either character by a long shot, but they're fun and they weren't that expensive. 

It's going to be interesting to see how things go moving forward. Prices are going to increase. I'm not sure how many lines will survive or how many things might be sold only internationally. I've been limiting my playline purchases and I definitely see that continuing into the future. I'm trying to support smaller independent creators while they're still around, as well as importing things before the cutoff date. (Several companies are pausing in shipping to the US.)

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine. 

REVIEW: 2005 Passport Friends PARIS

 

BEHOLD THE RARITY.

I have never seen a boxed Passport Friends for sale before. So when this one turned up on ebay, I really wanted her, but whoooooooooooo, was the price ever way too high. I can't even remember how much it was originally, but I've had her on watch for many months now. The price slowly, slowly dropped. Finally, it got low enough that I was willing to chance making an offer that I could justify. 

Back of the box. 

Closer look at the art. 

I find it funny that I've gotten the girls in order from the left. Manhattan was my first, then Beijing, and now Paris. Sydney, are you next? 

The art is cute. 

I debated what to do about deboxing. These dolls are so damn rare that while that should have been a tipping point toward keeping her boxed, it just made me want to free her from her 20-year box prison so she could join her friends. 

Her hair is lovely with a bunch of nice curls and a blend of brown and blonde. It's horribly dry, but it looks nice. 

Debated leaving the hat attached, but I like her better without it, giant forehead and all. 

Her outfit is cute, though a little too long-sleeved. 

LOVE these. These are possibly the cutest shoes I've seen for any of the doll lines in this size that we out at the time. 

Her purse is a brush on the back, which is a unique style, but also looks pretty silly. 

I'm very happy to finally see one of the stampers in person. Isn't she adorable? 

Eventually, I'll do a follow up with all three girls together. They have differing faces. Well, obviously, Beijing is different, but Paris and Manhattan have slight eye variations instead of being the same in different colors. 

So happy she's here! She was well worth waiting for. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine. 

VINTAGE REVIEW: 1991 Sun Sensation Jazzie

One of my oldest (as in we've known each other forever, not as in age) friends told me recently that he's been into Jazzie lately. I have three of her, including my childhood Hawaiian Fun, but I went looking anyway.

I'd forgotten this girl existed, so I just had to grab her for twenty bucks. 

Sun Sensation is a swimsuit line from 1991. 

Excellent fishnets, boys. 

That Christie is stunning. I may need her. And Kira. Maybe. 

I think she's the most tan of my Jazzies. Just by a little. And she's the only one I have with this darker blonde hair.

 

I love the dark blue metallic swimsuit. 

She's very cute, like all Jazzies. 

And basically, the same photo to end on. 

Yeah, I might pick up some of the others from this line. As much as I hate to say it, prices are likely going to go up on current lines, so I'm pretty glad I've been switching more to vintage focus lately. 

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine. 

The Real BSC Mystery

I don't know that I've ever posted books here, but BSC is doll adjacent. 

They've been reprinting/retooling the original BSC series for a few years now. #30 just came out. Well, they also tried the same with the mysteries and for some reason, decided to make them a Walmart exclusive. 

I saw #1 and #2 at my little Walmart next door, so I was pretty happy. Then I found #4 a few weeks later. No sign of #3. I checked every Walmart in the area. I had friends look. Nothing. #5 also never appeared on my shelves. #6 is possibly the final one. I just ordered a copy on Amazon, realizing the price, release date and cover matched the supposed Walmart version, so we'll see what they send me. 

Have any of you guys looked for these? 

I'm sure they're long gone from shelves, having come out in 2023 or so, but it bothers me that I have #1, #2 and #4 only. I do have the vintage, but I collect the new ones, too. Mostly because the covers are adorable. Somewhere out there, there must exist copies of the others for me. 

So yeah, behold the rarest new books I've ever seen. I have no idea how their distribution got so screwed up. I've not seen them on ebay or Mercari or anywhere else. They weren't ever on Walmart's website. So frustrating!

I just bought something fun for me to review when it arrives, so there will be a new doll review soonish. I haven't been buying much recently, both thanks to my upcoming concert trip and due to lack of interest. I did get MH Marikit but I'm struggling with whether to open her or not. But there will be more posts coming, I promise.