REVIEW: Monster High 2022 Signature Cleo de Nile

All right! Let's do this!

Cleo deboxes really easily. I think there was maybe one piece of tape. 

The front plastic tray is just stuck in the cardboard with tabs that pop right out. 

Barcode for those that like barcodes. And that's all I did with the box. 

This little guy was originally named Anubyss, which is super clever and I love it. So of course they changed his name to Tut. SIGH. Tut and Cleo(patra) are the most overused male and female names for pop culture Egyptian characters, so it's funny to see them together, but at the same time, I'm still calling this guy Anubyss. 

So cute. Love him. 

The jacket is on a tiny cardboard MH hanger. 

The back. 

Pyramid backpack with scarab deco. 

From the top. 

It opens!

Sunglasses. I need to compare these to Gloom Beach, but I don't have the time. All my MH accessories are stored. 

I've seen people calling that a burrito, but I'm pretty sure it's a gyro. 

The canopic jar mug. Priceless. 

AND IT OPENS. 

Look at the paint detail on Duamutef (not Anubis). Amazing. 

Eyeshadow palette and phone. 

Closed up. The eyeshadow palette was not easy to open. 

Look at that phone. 

LOOK.

AT.

IT.

Augh, the love. 

Okay, moving on to the doll. I LOVE her. WAY more than I expected to. 

However, my main con about her is her eyes. She's very shimmery and they put that gloss over her eyes, too, so it's very difficult to take a picture of her where you can see her eye color. It's kind of light brown with yellow highlights. 

She does have the gold lip line. It doesn't photograph well. It's also something you're going to have to watch for because mine is a little sloppy. Not awful but not perfect. 

So beautiful. 

Most of these don't even need captions. It's just going to be me going "Oh, my Ra, so gorgeous." 

Her sleeves are a tiny bit short and the cut on the shoulders is a bit off. Minor nitpicking. 

Love all her jewelry and accessories. 

Okay, these things. I'm not sure why Cleo is the only one (so far) who's dressed entirely differently from her art. I love the art outfit and shoes so I hope we get it. 

These boots are...weird. I always thought they were an odd choice and I still do. I get that they were going for bandages and it's kind of cool in person. I like the texture. The colors are accurate. All her colors are. And the crook heels are really cute. 

They're definitely weird, but they are growing on me.

Belt and lovely pectoral. 

Front of the dress.

And back. 

Earrings. 

Her hands do come off and you will need to take them off. Both the sleeves on the dress and jacket are very narrow. 

Thankfully, the designers have got you. Look at those thick pegs! These are so sturdy. I never once was nervous about changing them. It's such a relief. 

I'm not sure if she's the same thickness as Draculaura on the thighs, but she's gotta be close. I'm not sure how I feel about them being the same thickness as her upper torso. It's a bit weird. But I like the overall effect when she's dressed and I know I'll get used to it. It's not like MH is known for realistic proportions. 

HER EARS ARE HUGE. I love this detail. They're so cute. There are certain Egyptian statues with large ears like this and I don't know if it's intentional, but I love that she makes me think of them. 

I love the pattern on her undies. 

Also so thrilled the molded bandages are back!

Undies from the back. 

Her hair is entirely blue. No black. That's one of the biggest changes for her. I love it because in Egyptian myth, the hair of the gods was lapis lazuli. It's deep blue. 

No gel in it at all. It's fine straight out of the box. Soft. Silky. Wonderful. 

Her hair is quite long. 

A closer shot. 

Okay, body comparisons!

Left: Original

Middle: 2022

Right: 1st Reboot (I can't remember the year.)

She is roughly the same height, just thicker in a lot of places. 

What I love most is that she's darker than she used to be. Her skintone is glorious. 

You can see how much bigger she is, so I think it's obvious clothes sharing is not going to really work. Her thighs are simply too big for skirts and dresses to go up. Shirts might work though. 

And shoe-sharing is also a no go. The old ones won't even fit on her toes. Maybe boots...

This isn't as bad as I thought. But it's still definite Western yeehaw vibes. 

No, thank you. I appreciate what they were going for, but it didn't quite work. 

She holds her accessories very nicely. 

The range of motion is restricted though. She can't get that snack anywhere near her face. 

Love these two.

Sunglasses. I don't hate but I'd never keep them on her. 

Backpack on. 

Love it, love it. And it fits whatever accessories she's not holding. 

With Anubyss. 

And my final shot. 

Overall, I am extremely impressed. As I said, I love her way more than I ever imagined. She's still our Cleo. The changes, in my opinion, only improve her. Darker skintone, bigger ears, thicker body, blue hair, brown eyes, molded bandages. All upgrades to an already wonderful character. The body and especially the hands is sturdy and the hair is nice. My biggest nitpicks are that shimmer over the eyes and the pet name change. 

I have got to get ready for work, but if anyone has anything they want me to do, let me know and I'll make a follow-up post when I can. 

If you share these photos anywhere, PLEASE link back here. I don't mind people sharing as long as they send their viewers back this way so they can get the full review experience.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mine. Mine. Mine. All mine.