My New Monster High Dolls

I thought I'd share with you my dolly purchases from a few weeks back. I think because I'm trying so hard not to spend on shoes, clothes, makeup etc that I've been focusing on dolls instead. Monster High dolls are not something I can easily find in shops around here though. I have a choice of a few Argos stores locally and slightly further afield but the pain of hassling the staff to 'view' things before buying is annoying for us both (the sooner Argos realise this and put one doll per catalogue number the better, but it's been on-going for years and long before MH were even invented, so it's unlikely to change). I'm therefore not very proactive when it comes to hunting down the dolls I want. It can be costly to buy online with one from here, one from there; then the next week something else comes out and the delivery costs will add up, so I just get what I can when the opportunity arises.
I also can't buy every doll I want. I have to try and pick and choose because I don't have the space or money for every one. I decided I wanted Lagoona in the Roller Maze (RM) line rather than Dot Dead Gorgeous (DDG) and the opposite for Operetta, although I saw RM Operetta in Boots in Dundee last week and she is extremely pretty (I thought she was ugly before seeing her in the flesh)! I didn't buy her though!
These collections have been out since last year, but I decided now was the time to properly track them down. You know I usually like Ghoulia, but I kinda hate the RM one; it's her hair, which of course could be rectified once I get her out of the box, but if she's not a top choice, I should stay strong and not get her! The Frankie is really cute in that line (my sister got her) and I previously bought the 3-pack with DDG Ghoulia while Lagoona is the only other one in that line that I collect and she's a little too 80's inspired and like I say I preferred RM. So first came Operetta DDG from Argos at the end of January, which my Mum found in our local shop. The next week we were in Dundee and I checked for RM Lagoona in their Argos. They said they had tonnes in their stock-room so couldn't bring them all out, so I asked for Lagoona and the helpful lady found her for me (even if she misheard it as 'Lavinia)! I'm over the moon to get another 'rock hand' Lagoona!!
I also got Mum to check an older line the next day elsewhere. I have a habit of hanging off purchasing and then regret it when they go out of stock, but MH are so popular you can't really afford to do that. I loved the idea of the Scary Tales line and as a Clawdeen collector I decided she wasn't a must-have at the time. Frankie was cute but too shiny and sparkly (!) and while I loved the Draculaura outfit to pieces, I wasn't keen on the doll (my sister has her anyway). Anyway they had £10 off, so I decided I would like Clawdeen and so when Mum was babysitting my nephews she popped into their Argos and they had her (ours didn't have any stock). I'm so pleased I got her. She's Little Red Riding Hood inspired and comes with her own story book, leopard print cape and picnic basket. She has red streaks in her hair and she's really quite different to my other Clawdeen dolls.
I'm really excited about the upcoming Swim line (especially Lagoona), but also the Dance Class (DC). Unfortunately Robecca (who I adore in her original form) is kinda 'off' here! I think her dark features don't suit the pale lilac lip and also her beautiful hair isn't so beautiful, so she was out for me (which is disappointing when she's not been in any other collections yet). However the other three were all must-haves for me. Lagoona (again, yes my collection of her has increased dramatically lately) is as cute and pretty as ever. Howleen (little sis of Clawdeen) is one character where I hesitated and missed out. She was introduced in a 2-pack with Clawdeen and the price and being exclusive to Argos (and rarely in stock) was off-putting for me. I figured I'd get her at some point and by then she'd gone. It was at that point, I realised how badly I wanted them both!! Ebay and Amazon can ask for ridiculous prices on that set, but I still hope to get her one day. Anyway Howleen comes in the DC line and she's not quite as cute as the original, but still pretty sweet. I wanted to change her hair as I wasn't keen on the lop-sided bunches and just quickly piling it up on top of her head has changed her instantly. I loooove her little ear that's bent over and her hands are even more wolf like than Clawdeen's! I must take a photo of my sisters Howleen as she brushed her hair out and switched her clothes and she's completely different to mine.
She's also shorter than the other dolls and her feet are tiny! My one has some paint missing from the inner corner of one eye, but it's not too noticeable.
The other doll in this line is Operetta. Now I felt quite guilty ordering her after buying the DDG one less than a month before. From promo pics they looked quite similar aside from outfit and fringe/no fringe, so I felt I should have picked only one. The makeup looked identical, so I was pleased when mine showed up looking nothing like DDG. I have completely fallen for this doll, I think she's adorable (you can see my version of her makeup on Monster High Monday last week). She has straight hair, no fringe and it's black underneath, bright red on top. The promotional image showed a curl in the end of her hair which I'm glad she doesn't have. Her eye makeup is slightly different to DDG and the lips more orangey and brighter. I've taken side-by-side shots below with DDG to compare. Another thing to note, her mask is lilac not red like the promotional shot.
We ordered these online from Smyths as they were the only place that had them at the time (after multiple daily checks). As we were ordering 4 (2 Howleen, 1 Operetta and 1 Lagoona), the order qualified for free delivery. Imagine how gutted we were the next day to be told Howleen was out of stock. We still got our order sent for free but I kept checking the site. The next day Howleen was in stock and so I ordered two and we got them both! We had to pay p&p though, which was very annoying considering we were told the same order could not be fulfilled only a day or two before. They could have lost a sale too, had my sister and I not been stalkers! I would have preferred them to say there was a wait on half the order.
So next on my list are the swim ones and RM Clawdeen which has launched separately to the other RM girls. I keep passing on her online (she's selling out everywhere very quickly) in the hope of getting a better price or delivery deal than I've seen. I think she's just starting to trickle into shops now, so no need to panic yet (hopefully). I also ordered the new character Catrine DeMew, miaow! She was an Asda exclusive and sold out literally in minutes. Thankfully my stalking has paid off and she's been dispatched today, so I've got her to look forward to next week. There's loads more new lines coming, so I'm preparing my wishlist but unfortunately a lot are exclusives so it makes purchasing that little bit more stressful. There's a 2 pack Scaris of Lagoona and Cleo exclusive to Toys'r'Us which I'm keen to get for Lagoona, not so much for Cleo though. My sister went to our nearest TRU (it's quite a trek), but no luck. I can't decide if I need to get it or not anyway. The Super Hero line (or the two out currently) are not available at my 10 nearest Argos stores, yet I hear people moaning about the volume of Clawdeen's they keep finding in theirs (well ship 'em up to Scotland!).
As a sidenote, I get a little frustrated with the constant complaining on doll and specifically MH forums regarding choosing dolls instore. I wish I had that luxury. I get what I'm sent and put up with minor defects (my sister absolutely refuses to return 'faulty' dolls as she's from The Raggy Dolls era and thinks they should be loved even more because of their bad paint jobs, squint eyes or crazy hair)! I just wish others were aware that not everyone has access to choosing between 8 different versions of the same doll and that they should appreciate that privilege. Likewise ordering masses of the same doll online, purely to check for the best one and returning the rest to your local store is very frustrating as you're 'stealing' stock from those that can only buy online.  I was literally giddy with excitement when I saw the RM girls and Picture Day Draculaura in Boots last week as other than the occasional one in Debenhams, I never get to see dolls on a shelf! Rant over!  Finally the doll pictured above is a Kurhn, I ordered from China.  They are nicknamed the 'Chinese Barbie' and I happened upon them by chance and got stuck into looking for them to buy.  I found them on eBay and the one I really wanted was this Disney one (they have an entire Mickey/Minnie themed collection).  I've not de-boxed her yet, but she's pretty adorable.  Have you bought any dolls recently?  There's certainly lots more MH (including new characters) on my wishlist.