REVIEW: Anniversary Lalaloopsy Storm E Sky & Rain E Sky

 

All right! I've been too busy to do many reviews lately, but I've got a little time to catch up. But just a little. It's already 1:15am, so we'll make these fast.

Lalaloopsy is back with some anniversary offerings. They've included my favorite character, Storm E Sky. This is her first time getting a traditional larger doll. 

There are a lot of cool things for kids with these packages that I'll leave for reviews with kids to explain. (There's some papercraft stuff and the boxes all connect to form a street of Lalaloopsy houses. I don't have room for that kind of thing.)

 

Agh, she's perfection. 

Same size as the originals. 

I'd forgotten the joy of trying to get these to stand up. So I gave up quickly.

Storm E's little sister Rain E is debuting in the new littles line. I adore her little silver cloud pet! So cute!

Also so cute. I never collected a ton of the littles, but I had to have her obviously. 

More size comparison. 

My Storm Es! (And Rain E.) I never got any of the mini ones, I don't think. Maybe I'll hunt them down on ebay someday. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.

REVIEW: Lalaloopsy Storm E Sky

Storm E Sky quickly became my favorite Lalaloopsy character when she debuted in the Lalaloopsy Girls movie, so I was super excited when I learned that she would finally make the transition from Lalaloopsy Girl to regular Lalaloopsy.

I've had her listing on my Amazon wishlist since I first saw the link and I was lucky enough to catch her in stock a couple days ago. I bought the second to last one and she arrived today!

Storm E is an unusual Lalaloopsy character, because she's not the overly bubbly happy type like the majority of the characters. Storm E was stitched together from wisps of a rain cloud and she loves to play guitar.

She was one of the main characters in the Lalaloopsy Girls cartoon, facing off against Jewel Sparkles. I haven't watched the new series yet, but from what little clips I've seen, she may still be clashing with Jewel.

Storm E has very curly purple hair with a dark pink streak. The bang part waves across her forehead and is attached to her right pigtail with a clear rubberband. I do think her hair would have been better captured in the old Lala style with the vinyl hair, but I also like this look and I'll take any Storm E I can get.

Seriously, there are multiple characters like this and I love them all. Stormy from Rainbow Brite is the original storm-themed outsider. Stormy from Winx Club originated the cloud-shaped hair with lightning bolt bangs. Voltessa from the Lanard Fairykins is a lot like Winx's Stormy. And now Storm E Sky is back with more cloud-inspired hair than her Girls counterpart.

Storm E's outfit is all one piece, but does well to look like a t-shirt under a vest paired with a skirt. I really adore the new boots. I know I've said this before, but I'm so utterly thrilled these new girls can stand on their own! Storm E is on my coffee table as I type this, waiting for me to get back to rereading my old YA 90s horror books. Ah, Christopher Pike.

Anyway! Cat came along with Storm E, but is now called Cool Cat to distinguish him from Jewel's Cat.

He's adorable, just like he used to be in the Girls line. I normally prefer the more unusual pets in the line. My faves from the regular Lalaloopsys are Prairie's Cactus, Pickles' Hot Dog, Haley's Alien and Furry's Monster. Cool Cat may be just a cat, but he ranks right up there with those faves. Between the storm angle and the gothy angle, I'm in.

So all in all, I love Storm E Sky and everyone should totally get her. Heh.

PHOTO CREDITS: She's mine mine mine!

OVERVIEW: Lalaloopsy

Did you know that the first glimpse we got of the line that would become known as Lalaloopsy was with a small figure that came with a Moxie Girlz doll?

One of the many Sophina dolls came with the little rubber ragdoll in my American Girl Roslin's hand here on the left. (Roslin claimed this toy immediately when I got her and has held her ever since.) The doll resembles Lalaloopsy character Crumbs Sugar Cookie.

I can't remember the exact date for that Sophina doll, but I got my first Lalaloopsy in July 2010. These girls were initially known as the Bitty Buttons, but that quickly switched to Lalaloopsy.

Essentially, Lalas are vinyl ragdolls. Their body shape, hair molds and facial details mimic those of button-eyed, yarn-haired ragdolls. Each doll comes with a simple outfit, a pair of shoes and a pet.

There are so many Lalaloopsy characters and variations that I'm not even going to begin to make a comprehensive list. As my past posts have done, this is just going to be an overview of my experience with the line.

Some of my early girls

Of the first eight characters, I bought three: Mittens Fluff 'n' Stuff, Peanut Big Top and Dot Starlight. I got Peanut shortly after Mittens, but Dot wasn't bought until September 2010. In January 2011, I bought Blossom Flowerpot. During 2011, I rehomed Dot, because I never bonded with her, despite liking her the best initially. She was hard to find overseas, I believe, so she moved all the way to Australia. I remember getting into the minis more in 2011 and didn't end up with more big dolls until Marina Anchors and Suzette La Sweet. I found Sunny Side Up at Savers in December 2011 so she had to come home, too.

I liked all these girls, but it wasn't until I got Charlotte Charades that I truly fell in love with a Lalaloopsy.

Charlotte

Charlotte the little mime was just too cute for words! She was bought on my mom's birthday in April 2012.

Charlotte was my last big Lala for almost two years. We moved in 2013 and I donated a lot of my big Lalas, moving with only Charlotte and Marina, plus a handful of my mini Lala collection.

In February 2014, I finally gave in and got someone I'd had my eye on for months: Confetti Carnival. I'd bought the mini Confetti when she came out and she'd sat beside my computer ever since, so I caved and ordered the big girl off Amazon. No regrets because she joined Charlotte in my favorites category very quickly.

Confetti

I was smitten with the Lalaloopsy Girls when they came out in August 2014 and that eventually led me to increase my big Lala collection. Mari Golden Petals was bought, and a friend sold me her Peanut Big Top and Suzette La Sweet, reuniting me with them after their original donation.

In June 2015, I found an Alice Lalaloopsy at an antique-type store when I was shopping out of town. I traded her for...I don't even remember what. Pets, I think. Before the end of June, Peanut and Suzette were home again, and Teddy Honey Pots, Haley Galaxy, Furry Grrs a Lot and Bluebell Dewdrop had joined the collection by July 2nd. Prairie Dusty Trails, Sahara Mirage, Toffee Cocoa Cuddles, Pickles BLT, and Mango Tiki Wiki were all bought by the middle of July. In September, I found Charlotte's little sister Sherri at Walgreens on clearance, so she was bought.

Toffee, Prairie and Furry

I was never that into the littles, but Sherri was a necessity. I then found Mango's little sis, Kiwi, at a thrift shop for 75 CENTS in December 2015. 

That ended my obsession with the big Lalas, although I still have a few on my mental wishlist, like Ember, Dyna and Rosebud. Maybe someday! Unfortunately, they take up a lot of space, so I don't even have all mine out on display. They live on the bookshelf in my closet and in a nearby pop-up laundry hamper (from the Ariel & Her Sisters line). 

Charlotte, Sherri and Confetti

Strings Pick 'n' Strum was a permanent institution at my Target for months, only finally selling out over Black Friday. I found her and Keys Sharps 'n' Flats on Hollar.com for a mere $10 each, so they joined my small collection in late November of last year. I am a little bit back into Lalaloopsy, so I'll probably end up with a couple more girls over the next couple months. 

So that takes care of the big dolls, but Lalaloopsy has always been far more than just the big girls. They've got plush, dolls with gimmicks galore, babies, animals, minis, tinies, you name it. 

Mari, Bluebell, Strings and Keys

I can't remember what my first mini Lalaloopsy was, but I went through a phase where I bought oodles of them and skipped the big dolls. I go through phases of Lala mini collecting and they're one of my most frustrating collections, because I invariably go "Oh, these are cute, I'll get them soon" and then they're off the shelves before I get around to buying them. I've increased my collection thanks to Amazon a lot over the past year, all ones I meant to buy in stores and then never did!

My current mini collection has gotten so large that it's spilled from my Golden Girl/Galaxie Girl shelf down to my She-Ra shelf. My three newest (Autumn, Seed and June) are down by Sweetbee, Perfuma and Mermista. I used to pick up random characters, but now there are certain sets I really like and I end up with all of them, like the Jewel ones, the fast food, the flowers, the musicians, and now the seasons. 

Confetti and Bubbles

Two of my faves, Confetti and Bubbles, are permanent residents of my computer desk. 

I am currently really wanting Sweater Snowstorm, the winter fairy one, if anyone has her and wants to part with her or sees her anywhere!

How about we talk about the Lalaloopsy plush toys? The original ones were oddly flat and cute, but not that great. I think I had Mittens, but she was donated before the move.     

In August 2015, they came out with an adorable crocheted line that was so much cuter! My only issue is that they didn't make nearly enough characters. I only got Peanut. 

There were also plush Lala ponies and pets around the same time. I bought the pony for full price, but I got Elephant for $3 on Hollar. 

The newborn line was really cute and expressive, but I only ended up with two. I got Cuddly here in December 2014 and she's sat by my alarm clock ever since. Even now that my alarm clock isn't there anymore!

I never got into the Lalaloopsy Tinies, even though they're very cute, but I did find a seller on etsy who makes bracelets from them! I currently have four and plan to buy more. I wear them frequently when I go out shopping. 

So let's talk about the Lalaloopsy Girls at last. This was an amazing line with a great animated special and I'm sad they didn't do better! While I was back into the big Lalas, I was also buying up the Girls. I got all the basic ones, except for the repeat characters, and I got some of the gimmicky ones, especially if they were different characters. 

Storm E Sky

The Lalaloopsy Girls TV special introduced Storm E Sky, who instantly became my favorite character. Storm E is the only character that debuted as a Girl and wasn't previously one of the regular dolls. I have a love for the down to Earth, tell it like it is, sorta grumpy, sorta shy, not overly gooey sweet and friendly characters that are stuck surrounded by happy, smiley, cheery girls all the time. Sometimes they're painted as villains like Stormy from Rainbow Brite and Vidia from Disney Fairies, but there are also characters like Maud Pie from My Little Pony and Storm E here. 

Storm E was sold in a 2-pack with her newly-discovered sister and complete opposite, Cloud E Sky. 

The initial line-up of the Girls was three basic dolls (Crumbs, Peanut and Spot) and four deluxe dolls (Bea, Jewel, Mittens and Pix E). All the dolls came with a pet, but the deluxe ones had a pair of pajamas, too. Then there was the 2-pack of the Sky sisters and the hard to find Walmart exclusive Suzette La Sweet. 

The next four basics were harder to find. Tippy Tumbelina was added first and was the easiest to find of the four, but Dyna Might, April Sunsplash and Peppy Pom Poms were near impossible to spot. The problem is that they put Tippy in with Crumbs, Peanut and Spot, who weren't selling well. So then Tippy would sell and the others would sit around, prompting stores not to get the newest case (Tippy and the other 3 newer girls) in stock. 

New Jewel

Hair play girls with some new characters, including Confetti Carnival, were released around the same time, and the line ended with a super basic line featuring another Jewel, Cloud E sold on her own, and new characters Furry Grrs a Lot and Prairie Dusty Trails. I had to order my Prairie and Furry online and everyone was disappointed they didn't come with pets. 

And so, the Lalaloopsy Girls ended quietly, much to my sadness, because I didn't think I'd see Storm E again. However, I was wrong! Lalaloopsy has very recently been revamped and the new cartoon debuted on Netflix this Tuesday. Storm E is one of the new featured characters and she's got a big doll coming out soon! 

The new girls have rooted hair and their blush circles are now more natural-looking. Their feet are flat and they're smaller than the original big dolls. Storm E is not out just yet, but I'm looking forward to adding her to my collection. 

So that's my experience with Lalaloopsy! I've always enjoyed these girls and I think they're MGAE's best line. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.

REVIEW: Lalaloopsy Jewel Sparkles

I went into the farther away Target store after work tonight and was shocked to see the new style Lalaloopsy dolls on the shelves! Unfortunately, they didn't have the one I wanted most, Storm E Sky, but I did bring home Jewel Sparkles. (The other one there was Spot Splatter Splash.)

The most obvious difference between the originals and reboots is that they now sport rooted hair. Also, they're smaller, they have flat feet, and their blush circles are now just blush with no sculpting detail.

The first assortment is Jewel, Spot, Crumbs Sugar Cookie and Storm E Sky. They're $19.99 each at Target, and the DPCI is 086-02-4910.

Jewel comes with a golden brush and her pet cat. Her dress is typical simple Lalaloopsy style, fastened in back with one long strip of velcro, so it's easy to remove. Or pretty easy anyway. Her permanently bent arm causes a little problem, but not much. I had a harder time getting Toffee's dress over her hands than I did getting Jewel's off. Her tiara is sewn to her hair and her shoes come off fairly easily. Not quite as easy as the original style, but still not bad.

She's still got blush!

Jewel wears a hairnet in her box. She's tied down with several plastic ties, including two through the back of her head.

Deboxing was mostly easy, although the back of the head ties weren't the easiest to reach. My biggest problem was getting the hairnet off. They sewed the stupid thing on, and if you clip the threads on top of her head, I think her tiara will fall off, so don't do that! I clipped the thread where it was sewn on at the bottom, but gently ripped the hairnet away from the sewn-on bits near the tiara, then pulled the little bits of hairnet fluff out of the threads.

I was expecting her curls to be a lot less tight, so I was very pleasantly surprised when I took the hairnet off and they were still nice and short. Her hair basically looks like it does in the net and just fluffs out a little bit. It's nice quality. The bangs are gelled, but I'm leaving mine that way.

I love how her posed arm is clearly fluffing her curls. It makes me think of Frieda from Peanuts and her "naturally curly hair" comments.

Her hair needed minimal fingercombing to get rid of the flat boxed hair look. Really, the only problem place is at the bottom where her hairnet was tied on and it wouldn't come off easily at all, so some of her curls got stretched out.

The new style girls fall in between the original Lalaloopsys, represented by Toffee Cocoa Cuddles on the left, and the Lalaloopsy Girls, represented by that version of Jewel.

The body has the same basic look, but the limbs are no longer floppy. If you loved that plastic rag doll thing, these aren't going to be for you. I like the changes, because it's impossible to get the original girls to stand well enough for photos most of the time and now Jewel has no problem with that. She can even stand on her own!

Clothes-sharing is possible, but it doesn't go both ways. Toffee could wear Jewel's dress and be photographed from the front, but it didn't even come close to closing in the back. Jewel can wear Toffee's dress, but the neck gaps a bit and you can see her arm joints. They cannot share shoes, having completely different foot shapes. And of course, the Lala Girls are too small for any sharing.

Overall, I really love my new Jewel. I like her smaller size and her ability to stand. I like the posed arm, because it gives her even more personality. The clothing and hair quality are both good. I'm definitely looking forward to finding Storm E Sky even more now!

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.