News Babble

Oh, man, a lot has been going on these past couple days! I posted about MH yesterday and I still like the dolls. I don't care if some people think it's popular to be negative. I've dealt with those people my entire collecting life and I just ignore them. I'm gonna buy what I like because seeing it on my shelves will make me happy. 

Anyway, I'm going to try to remember everything. Let's start with the no longer competing mermaid lines. 

MERMAZE MERMAIDZ:

Mermaze has been busy lately. In the latest episode, we saw two new characters who as are yet unnamed. (I think.) There's a blonde photographer whose tail fluke is...a video game controller. GAH. Some of the 1st series designs were kinda gross because in real life, they'd involving mutilating flesh, but this is somehow worse to me because it's just plain stupid. Kinda like playing a guitar underwater. How do you play electronic games underwater? And why do they have a car? It's very clear the designers of Mermaze do not care about any semblance of reality and are trying as hard as possible to come up with the most ridiculous designs they can. And they are succeeding because Mermaze is definitely the WTF of mermaid doll lines. Anyway! The second new character has a crescent moon tail fluke. It looks cool, though I'm not sure how well she'd swim with it. I can't remember what she was doing in the episode. Makeup or something maybe? We know both will get dolls because there's the world's blurriest pic of them. 

Then on top of that, we've got a winter doll line and even my nitpicking self has to admit they almost nailed it. Kishiko and Harmonique are travelling to Wintera and they meet three new friends there. You can see one of them here on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09PCBJ2VD/

I am now very glad I ordered one, because she's gone out of stock. Crystabella has a great personality description and I love her design. There are some elements I don't like, such as the weirdly hairy shirt, but overall I really love what they did. 

If you skim Instagram, you can see the other girls. Harmonique is my least favorite because that darn realism just holds me back sometimes. She has half a tail fluke. The doll herself is quite pretty but that weird lump of crystal at the end of her tail that just randomly curves off to the side is not a look that works for me at all. On the other hand, Kishiko is STUNNING. Absolutely love what they did with her. New character Nera is a likely purchase for me. Yeah, just look at her. You know I'm gonna buy her. The third new character is a blonde named...Gwen. "Hi, I'm Harmonique." "I'm Kishiko!" "Hey, there, I'm Nera and this is Crystabella." "And who's that over there?" "Oh, that's...Gwen." Gwen. What the hell kinda boring name is that? Don't get me wrong, Gwen is a fine name for people, but in MGAE World, it's extremely vanilla and stands out as such. Anyways, Gwen is pretty but not quite pretty enough for me. I do love her tail fluke though. 

So yeah, my criticism of the line aside, I am actually looking forward to some Mermaze. I do think they need to get a new facemold and lower their prices still though! Not backing down from that.

MERMAID HIGH: 

From good news to bad. We learned today (or at least it was today for me) the depths to which Spin Master completely bombed Mermaid High. I haven't been supporting the line since someone said they dropped Mari because they didn't like her, so I for one don't care about this. Good. I'm glad they failed if they dropped the one really interesting design they had. It's Mari's curse! But a designer for the line said they had developed something totally different but were forced to keep revising it until an outside designer was brought in. Then apparently even the new designer said the "fun" was taken out of the line. So everything shipped late, stores lost interest and no future orders were made. They had potential but their complete lack of business sense killed the line. That...and Mari's curse. Reap what you sow, Spin Master. 

ENCANTO:

There are some new Encanto dolls coming! Dolores, Bruno and a singing Isabela in her bright colors dress from the end of the movie. I already have Dolores pre-ordered. I was so mad she got looked over. I'd still love a single-packed Luisa, as well as Pepa, but I am thrilled we're getting Dolores!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07KW3B2ZW/

I don't have links for Bruno or Isabela. If anyone knows them, please comment!

Hey, did we know there was a big Isabela, too?

https://www.amazon.com/Encanto-inch-Large-Isabella-Doll/dp/B09KTLWYTR/

A little odd-looking but I'm all for more Isabela. 

RAINBOW HIGH:

Rainbow Vision came out? Did they? All of them? I bought Neon Shadow on Amazon, though I think they all are semi-sold out now. The old "ships in 1-2 months." Mine should arrive next Wednesday. But I didn't see any of the Divas. Not that I would have bought any. I was thrilled to see the $39.99 instead of $49.99, which is what I've been thinking they cost, but I still think that's too much for the Divas. Unless they really blow me away in person. And we still haven't seen a hint of the Royal Three. 

Aha, Neon Shadow and Rainbow Divas are on Target, though none are in stock. Man, Sabrina is gorgeous in her stock photos, but I just did not like anything I saw from the freebie crew on IG. 

The big leak today was the Dia de los Muertos doll...and NO. Just NO. She is so bad, guys. So bad. Apparently, the leak is a factory sample, but she's got art. You know they're not going to fix the issues. First, her makeup is terrible. The eyeholes are way too big. The nose black is too high up her nose. It doesn't even look right in the art. And the makeup ends in this weird line that cuts right through her mouth. The change in color right at the mouth makes her look like a puppet. The hat seems cute, though I'm not sure how she'd wear it with all her hair accessories. Hate the purple hair. The skeleton bodysuit looks really unstable. Like it's always going to be twisted around wrong somewhere and then look stupid. The hands are the coolest part...hands down. (Sorry. Sorry. No, I'm not.) And then we get to the dress. You know what this reminds me of? The original 1980 Barbie Dolls of the World...from SPAIN. Dia de los Muertos is a MEXICAN holiday. That is such a huge misstep I don't feel like I need to say anything more. 

I think that wraps up the news. I'm coming off my two double shift days so my brain isn't the most functional right now, but it's my blog, so if I remember anything, I'll just post again!

REVIEW: Mermaid High Spring Break Finly

 

My second (and likely final) Mermaid High Spring Break doll. Oceanna is cute but I prefer the first version and I'm trying not to buy too many repeat characters these days unless they're truly spectacular. 

I didn't get Finly from the first line but I loved this one's design. 

Mer art.

Gorgeous! I love her crocheted top (it has a cute little plastic button) and the colors and patterns on her tail. I really love the jewelry colors. 

Her hair is pretty nice. I brushed it, so it's fluffed out a bit. She's in the salon now to tame it down some. 

The color change streaks seem to be the lower quality bits. The pink side got a bit frizzy upon brushing. 

Her face is adorable and I love the makeup. 

Her bikini bottom is cute but the tail is way better. 

Same with the shoes. Cute but I prefer the tail. 

I'm glad the anklet fits on her wrist so she can wear it in both forms.

So yeah, there's Finly. I really love her. She's not one you'd expect me to love so much, but every now and then, I do love a blonde in bright colors. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.

REVIEW: Mermaid High Spring Break Raynea

 

Look who made it early! I saw several delivery estimates for my Mermaid High Spring Break orders, but Raynea here actually showed up earlier than promised. (Unlike an overhyped mermaid line that had to make up a flimsy excuse for its delay.) No movement on Finly yet but I'm pleased Raynea is here.

These girls are $21.99, which is a few dollars less than the Series 1 dolls. They come with less. There's no comb, shell phone or collector card. Just the doll, her accessories, and a pair of shoes. 

 

If you wanted to know anything about Raynea, you are SOL. Seriously a little character blurb on the back would have been nice, since they don't come with cards. 

Art of her mermaid form. 

The packaging is like a freakin' fortress. Not easy to open whatsoever. Ugh. 

I finally got Raynea out. 

I'm sure a lot of people like it, but I'm really over the smart/nerd girl having to be into video games. There are so many other ways to show that she has nerdier pursuits. What I really want to see is a popular girl into video games. Popular boys are so why not a girl, too?

The earring in her left ear is ridiculous. I hate oversized earrings so much. I tossed it in my MerHigh storage bag. The right earring is a tiny shell with game controller details. That's actually cute. 

I was going to ditch the Tetris barrettes, but her hair is so huge that I'm leaving them in. It's so thick on top that she's almost got a partial beehive going on. 

Her hair is quick thick overall but it's coarse and dry at the ends in some places, especially the color change streaks. I love that it's shorter than the other dolls' but the quality isn't great. The bang pieces are gelled, so she's headed for the salon after this. 

She's really cute in her enormous glasses. 

How would glasses even work underwater? They wouldn't but it's a cute idea. More lines need to remember glasses exist. (*cough*RH*cough*)

I actually love how this looks. Her little feet are adorable in the chunky gamer girl sandals and I prefer the suspenders going into the bikini bottoms rather than her tail skirt thingy. 

Shoes from the side. 

So I like Raynea but I don't absolutely love her. She's conflicting for me. I love dolls with glasses but I hate that they're always the nerdy types. I don't like the nerds being restricted to gaming as much as they are. I like the shorter hair but the decline in quality isn't good. She's really cute in her human form, which is not how I was expecting to display her, but that's what's happening. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.

NEWS: Mermaids

Some news today from the upcoming mermaid lines. 

MGAE bragged about being able to keep a secret, which we all know is bull, but they also can't keep a release date. The Mermaze line was supposed to go up for pre-order today but it's nowhere to be seen. Supposedly, the pre-order is now in March and the release will be in April. We'll see. My Harmonique pre-order on Amazon went from March to April 6th so this seems true, but can they actually get these dolls out then? That's the "we'll see." Not impressed with how this line is being presented, MGAE. Not impressed one bit. 

Meanwhile, Spin Master's Mermaid High Spring Break has also changed dates. They went from having no estimate to saying early June. Now my Finly is March and Raynea is still June. 

PROMOS: Mermaid High Spring Break

Amazon is creeping out the promo photos for the Mermaid High Spring Break line. 

So far I can only see them for Finly and Searra, but there are tiny pics of Oceanna and Raynea, so hopefully their listings will be updated soon. Oh, Raynea updated as I was typing!

I'm not a huge fan of the placement of Finly's freckles, but I still want her. 

She's way cuter than the first one and it's entirely her colors. I never thought I'd say the blonde version of anything is better, but it is. 

Then there's Searra. She was available to order, though not in stock, and then sold out. Oceanna did the same thing yesterday.

 

I'm not a Searra fan because I watch the show and I hate when mean girls are part of the friend group, as if that's how you treat your friends. She's a nasty thing.

 

Though even I have to admit, this doll is lovely. Far better than the first one, which was quite cheap-looking compared to the others.

Here's Raynea, our new girl. Mari was the edgy, gothy singer. Raynea is apparently the nerdy gamer. I wish they'd change this up and have like the cool girl be into video games and the studious one like something else. 

All those Tetris barrettes are going to be given to Hairdorables Kali. And those earrings gotta go. 

If you guessed I'd be annoyed that there isn't a single promo pic of the glasses-wearing girl wearing her glasses, you'd be correct. 

Despite my criticism, I do want her a lot. She just needs a bit of decluttering. And to wear her glasses!

Oceanna is not up yet and now Raynea's pics vanished, so I'm glad I saved them!

Oceanna has been added!

She's pretty, but I prefer the original. 

I have her on order and I'll keep it but really only as a reminder of when they're coming out. Like when I get a delivery estimate for her, I'll know to start looking for the others if I haven't been able to order them yet. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Stock pics from Amazon listings. 

NEWS: Mermaid High

My friend and I discovered a bunch of new listings for Spin Master products on Amazon today. I thought I'd make a post for the Mermaid High ones.

So you've probably seen the Spring Break line elsewhere. Here are the links for those.

SEARRA: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BFWNLSN/

Available for order but not in stock.

FINLY: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BG1JD59/

I want this one. 

OCEANNA:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BFYLQ9V/

RAYNEA:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BFZVZHX/

New brunette character with glasses. I really want her. 

Then we have a "standard" line, which looks like slumber party. 

FINLY:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLQDC6M/

The listings all have sketchy art so who knows what the final will look like? 

OCEANNA:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLQHZKB/

THOSE SLIPPERS.

HALI: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLR1KRX/

This one makes me mad. We've got another new character, but she's got light skin and purple hair...like MARI. Who got left out again. Because I'm willing to bet if there's a fourth character in this line, it's Searra.

Then there's a "premium" line that's fancier. 

SEARRA:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLQKH8C/ 

FINLY:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLR11WD/

She looks pretty neat. 

OCEANNA:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLR3VJB/

ZENYA:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLR1LKS/

Another new character, ANOTHER time Mari is forgotten. I do love this one though. 

And finally, a prom 2-pack with a boy...and a feature that looks quite familiar.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NLQ4YG2/

I wonder if they think we've all forgotten Bratz Secret Date?

Looks like it will be an interesting year for Mermaid High. We're already getting the typical dance, fancy, spring break, and slumber themes. Better slow it down there, Spin Master, or you'll run out of unoriginal ideas. (I love the dolls, but you've got to admit, these are pretty stereotypical lines.)

REVIEW: Mermaid High Oceanna

Here's Oceanna.

Here's the art again. 

Oceanna comes with her ID, sunglasses, skirt, shoes, comb, purse, and her seashell that opens underwater to reveal an accessory. 

Gorgeous! 

I love her tail. 

She's beautiful. 

I'm not into headphones though. Let's ditch those.

Nice. Way better. 

Here's her hair from the back. 

Like Mari, her hair is a silken wonder. Not a speck of gel! Bet no one expected that. 

I couldn't resist taking it all down. I didn't like the pulled back bit as much as this. 

With Mari, it was her skirt that tempted me to keep her in her civilian garb. With Oceanna, it's her shoes. 

Love the detail on the bag, though it's nowhere near as awesome as Mari's.

Seashell computer and accessory pouch. 

Oceanna's accessory is a cute choker. 

I definitely recommend checking these ladies out! They're so much better than people expected them to be. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.

REVIEW: Mermaid High Mari

 

Now this was a surprise! Typically, when Amazon is wrong about an estimated release date, they leave the order in place and then send out a message with an updated delivery date. This time, they didn't! My Mermaid High orders just shipped out of nowhere. Thanks, Amazon. (No, really, I'm so happy with these.)

Back of the crushed box. 

Thanks, Amazon. (Sarcastic this time.)

Lovely art!

I swear, I'm going to someday get my room set up with a better review spot. Although on the other hand, my pictures are always easily identifiable!

Mari comes with her ID card, sunglasses, shoes, skirt, socks, purse, comb, and a seashell that opens in water to reveal a hidden accessory. 

People gave these dolls crap when the pics first came out, even stupidly calling them dollar store dolls. 

Well, forget that. They're loaded with detail. 

And that hair? There's a tiny bit of gel in her bangs, but the main part of her hair is silken loveliness. No gel washing required. And it doesn't feel a bit cheap. 

She's super cute. I get hints of Winx Club and Moxie Girlz from her. 

Love the chain belt. The details are an octopus and a lock. 

The body isn't super articulated, but it's nice enough. At least she has elbow and knee joints. I'm not one of those that needs a wrist joint all the time. 

The torso is nicely-molded. 

I love the tentacle headband thingy. 

Here she is in her human disguise. 

I adore that skirt with the tentacles and the multiple materials, but it really needed a skirt strap. You know, the built-in undies that keep the skirt in place. It kept creeping up too high and I wanted it to sit lower. 

This purse though. This might be the coolest doll purse ever. It has a mermaid on it that's a SKELETON from the waist up. The strap is a tentacle. Just...wow. The sheer badassery of it. 

Her "bracelets" are all one piece, but it's really cool, too.

And then there are the cute sunglasses. 

You guys know how rarely I keep sunglasses on my dolls. Well, Mari is still wearing these. 

Tentacles up the arms. 

I'm not sure if it's visible, but the deco at the bridge of the nose is an OCTOPUS.

 

The seashell popped open submerged in water. It's sort of a computer? I think? And then there's the accessory pouch. 

SHARK TOOTH EARRINGS.

So these dolls don't have the quality level of Rainbow High, but the detail level is up there with Monster High when it comes to little tiny bits of awesomeness. I love her way more than I expected to. Like I'm planning on buying another to keep her in the civilian outfit. 

PHOTO CREDITS: Mine.