Moxie Girlz Bakers

You may have noticed that this blog has been a little bakery-intensive lately. If you’re sick of reading posts about bakery playsets…well…then you’re not going to like this one. Because I am SO not done with dolls that come with baked goods and kitchen utensils!!! Remember my last post when I talked about buying a Barbie cake baker and a Moxie Girlz cake baker at the same time? Well, the next time I found myself in Wal-Mart, I discovered yet another Moxie Girlz Baker doll. So today I present to you an in-depth review of the Moxie Girlz Bakers, Avery and Sophina.

Each Moxie Girlz Baker doll comes dressed in an outfit with a chef or food-related theme, accompanied by a selection of kitchen tools and ingredients. Let’s start with Avery. She’s the doll I discovered first. Avery is the cake baker.

Avery comes dressed in a bright floral skirt and green blouse, topped off with a cheerful apron and matching chef’s hat. Light pink mary janes complete the outfit. The apron ties in the back, and the hat is secured with small tags that can be cut if desired.

Avery has blond hair that falls almost to her knees. Her hair is even and ends in soft curls.

I love her apron and hat: Pizza and polka dots!

Avery comes with some really cool tools and ingredients, as well as a finished strawberry shortcake on a stand.  All the pieces are made out of soft rubber. Nothing comes apart, so the strawberries and carton are one piece, the eggs and carton are one piece, etc.

The package contains a recipe card for strawberry shortcake. The Moxie Girlz website claims the card is scented like strawberry shortcake, but it smells like laminated paper to me.

If there’s one thing I don’t like about the Moxie Girls, it’s the fact that there’s no articulation. They are made out of soft rubber, not plastic. Their website says they stand and sit on their own, but I found it difficult to stand Avery upright, even while leaning her against a wall. One leg is molded to a slightly bent position, and the result is that she lists a little to the right. I didn’t try to make her sit.

I paid $19.97 at Wal-Mart for this doll and all her cool stuff.

Next up is the second set I purchased: Moxie Girl Sophina. While Avery makes a cake, Sophina bakes cookies and cupcakes. I love the packaging artwork for both these dolls. The way the kitchen illustration wraps around the doll is very clever.

Sophina is dressed in a pair of jeans and a pink top trimmed with brown lace. She wears a pretty red and white apron with a sort of toile pattern, with turquoise trim and an oven mitt that matches the apron. Red flats complete her outfit.

I love the detailing on her clothes, and the color palette is well-thought-out and very pleasing. Do you love the oven mitt??

Sophina wears a blue ribbon. She won first prize in a baking contest! I love that!

Like Avery, Sophina also lists a little to the right. I could not get either doll to stay perfectly straight, even when I placed them directly against a wall. Sophina has very long brown hair that almost reaches her feet, with a small side pony resting on top of her hair. From the front, her hair looks pretty good, until you look to where it reaches the apron. And from the back…

She is one hot mess. Her hair is ragged and uneven.

Sophina comes with cupcakes on a stand, a cookie tray with cookies on it, an empty muffin tray, and a rolling pin. Again, everything is rubber and each item is one piece, so the cupcakes do not come off of the stand. Sophina is packaged with a recipe card for lemon cupcakes. This is not really scented either. I plan on making these cupcakes in the near future. They sound good!

I love the little cardboard piece designed to look like a baker’s cart on casters. I wish the dolls came with a plastic one! The cardboard piece detaches easily from the packaging so I used it in some of my photos.

The clothing on both dolls is well-made. I think Sophina’s outfit in particular is very genuine and appealing. I want that apron and oven mitt in an adult size for myself, and the blue ribbon is an adorable touch. Comparing both dolls and accessories, I have to say I like Sophina better than Avery. I love her look (despite the uneven haircut) and I just adore the little baking trays! Sophina also cost $19.97 at Wal-Mart.

My general impression of these dolls is favorable, weird legs, flat feet and bad haircuts aside. The outfits are realistic, age-appropriate versions of what young girls/teens would wear. In addition to the two bakers, there is a Moxie Girlz artist that comes with a variety of supplies; all the dolls in this line are child-friendly and encourage healthy activities. I  hate to say it, but I think it’s obvious by now the real reason I bought these dolls was for the accessories (which are sized to all 1/6 scale dolls. Just sayin’.)

All this writing about baked goods has made me hungry! Fortunately, believe it or not, Ghouliette decided to bake some brownies while I was writing this post.  The brownies should be cooled off by now, so, if you’ll excuse me….

 

Miworld O.P.I. Nail Salon by Jakks Pacific

Last week Ghoulia13 reviewed the Sprinkles Cafe set from Miworld. Miworld is made by Jakks Pacific, who are best known as the producers of the Winx Club dolls. But the Miworld playsets are smaller in scale than the Winx Club dolls. I’d say they are more in line with the 1:12 dollhouse scale than the 1:6 fashion doll scale. As Ghoulia13 mentioned in her review, I purchased the O.P.I. nail salon playset. Since Ghoulia13 set up her playset first, I was able to use hers as a guideline for setting up mine so my experience wasn’t as frustrating as hers. That’s right, I make Ghoulia13 do all the work! Unlike Ghoulia13’s experience with the Sprinkles cafe, I found the O.P.I. playset to be fairly sturdy. The legs for the manicure table and chairs snapped into place and stayed there, and the two chairs were able to support the weight of the dolls I used. The playset comes with a manicure table, a salon chair, a traditional chair, a pedicure chair and foot basin, a drying lamp, an apron, a manicure tool set, and a display stand with 12 miniature bottles of nail polish. It also came with a sheet of stickers to decorate the playset.

I also picked up one of two accessories packs for the O.P.I. nail salon. This is the gel manicure accessory pack. It comes with nine miniature bottles of nail polish, a display stand, and cardboard signage.

Like Ghoulia13, I also purchased the Miworld dolls to go with the set, but given their practically non-existent articulation, I chose other dolls to be the first customers of the O.P.I. nail salon. My Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop dolls were excited to have a day of beauty. Here Tokyo Dressed for Tea Blythe gets a pedicure.

The plastic apron fits Outdoor Afternoon Blythe perfectly. I put one of the stickers on it so you’ll know she works for O.P.I.

How can I help you today?

Can I get you a beverage while you’re waiting?

Buckles and Bows Blythe stops in to get her nails done after a busy day of shopping.

She chose to get a gel manicure.

The Blythe Loves Littlest Pet Shop dolls fit nicely in the Miworld playset, but they’re a little short. Poor Tokyo Dressed for Tea’s legs don’t quite reach the pedicure basin.

So I also tried the playset with Dawn doll and her friends.

Angie gives Dawn a manicure

Dawn dolls also fit well. At 6″ tall, they’re a little taller than the 4″ Miworld dolls that are sold separately. Maybe they’re a little too tall for the pedicure station, but they otherwise fit very nicely in the O.P.I. nail salon.

In addition to the Miworld playsets, you can join the virtual Miworld by downloading the app. It works with any IOS device. It reminds me of Stardoll in that you create a character and buy things for it. I found it confusing and difficult to navigate, however, so I quickly abandoned it. Maybe I’ll go back to it another time.

I had a lot of fun playing with the Miworld O.P.I. nail salon playset. It also makes a great backdrop for doll photography. You can add the other playsets onto each other to create a larger mall. I might have to get the Claire’s boutique playset next, although my girls gotta eat, so I might get the Dairy Queen playset too. The possibilities are endless.

Does this shade match my sweater?

More Fun With Fake Food: MiWorld Sprinkles Bakery

Ghoulia13 here, with another food-related playset post. Yesterday ghouliette and I hit Wal-Mart and Toys R Us and scored the Jaaks Pacific MiWorld playsets. I’ve seen a lot of buzz about these on the internet, but we weren’t looking for them specifically. I didn’t realize my local stores were carrying these until we stumbled onto them in the toy aisles. Wal-Mart didn’t have very many left on the shelves, but I snagged the Sprinkles Bakery Set, which was the one I wanted the most. Ghouliette got her hands on the O.P.I. nail salon, which was the set she wanted the most. We each bought a Shop Girl or two (sold separately) and we walked out of the stores in a great mood for having found these. Wal-Mart also had the larger Claire’s Boutique in stock. Toys R Us also had a very small selection. They were out of Shop Girls but had the small $3 add-on packs with extra pieces, which Wal-Mart didn’t have. I picked up the O.P.I. set at TRU. Both stores had a display featuring the Claire’s Boutique all set up with the brunette Shop Girl in a clear plastic box next to the shelf.

So. What’s the deal with MiWorld? These playsets are mini replicas of actual branded businesses. There are three smaller playsets: Sprinkles, Dairy Queen and O.P.I., which retail for $15.00 each. There are two larger Deluxe sets: Claire’s Boutique and the Sweets Factory candy store, which sell for $30.00 each. All the playsets come with very detailed–and very tiny–pieces such as food, nail polish, ice cream and a ton of other cool accessories.

The playsets do not come with any figures. I think that’s unfortunate. the Shop Girls are sold separately for $5.00 each. Shop Girls come in two varieties: I’ll call them “food services worker” (left) and “upscale retail associate” (right).

The dolls are cute but not very poseable. Their arms move up and down but are frozen in the positions you see in the photo. Their waists move from side to side but the dolls do not bend at the waist. Also, their legs do not bend, but their feet, for some reason, swivel from side to side, as they are on pegs. The girls are really just pieces of molded plastic.

I love the attention to detail, but putting this together was a pain because the pieces are flimsier than I thought they would be. Don’t get me started again on flimsy plastic. There are a lot of small pieces to fit together and a lot of stickers to put on, if you want to go for the whole experience. Putting on stickers is a pain in the butt. So is folding tiny, pre-scored boxes. For someone who loves miniatures, I get very impatient with setting them up. When I was done I was kind of annoyed, and I wanted cupcakes for real.

But it’s pretty cool once it’s set up! There is a counter with stands, shelves, and a glass sneeze guard, 12 cupcakes, two cupcake trays, two coffee cups, two plates, a small cash register, two large takeout boxes, two smaller takeout boxes, a table and chair, two cans of cookie dough to go, and an apron. There are two folded tee shirts to use in a retail display. There are lots of stickers to make the Sprinkles experience more authentic. The sticker sheet has instructions printed on it so you know where each sticker goes. That was helpful.

The table and chair are especially flimsy. The chair barely holds a very small, lightweight doll. The table top does not snap into the table base properly. It is very thin and does not stay on so it’s hard to balance coffee and cupcakes on it.

Since the dolls’ legs don’t bend, they can’t sit in the chairs. That’s too bad.

But other dolls can enjoy the gourmet cupcake experience. Littlest Pet Shop Blythe can sit in the chair.

In the end, I had a lot of fun posing dolls and playing with little fake cupcakes. I bought one of the add-on packs for Sprinkles, which comes with 6 cupcakes, one coffee cup, and a three-tiered display stand (and more stickers).

Jaaks Pacific released MiWorld very recently. Judging by the number of people posting photos on Flickr, there seems to be a good demand for this out there–with adults. There is a decent amount of stock in stores so please don’t pay inflated prices on Ebay. Someone was selling a $3 add-on pack for $20, and others are selling the smaller playsets for $30–twice their retail price. Twenty dollars for the add-on, come on. people!

What are my final thoughts on Sprinkes? I applaud their attention to detail and the sense of immersing yourself in the experience. I just wish some of the pieces were more substantial. I also think the playsets should come with a shop girl, but $5 isn’t a huge extra price to pay.

What do you think about MiWorld? Were you looking forward to their release? Which playsets do you have/want? For those of you with the Sprinkles set, where did you put the “Cupcake ATM” sticker?! Let us know!

Monster High Goes To McDonalds

Mattel 2014 meets Mattel 1982 when the ghouls and guys from Monster High head to (Barbie Loves) McDonalds.  They deserve a break today!

The ghouls go wild when Heath’s behind the counter. He puts the flame in flame-broiled. Oh, sorry, wrong restaurant.

Abbey introduces new student Skelita to the wonders of fast food. The fries are to die for!

Heath: You want fries with that?
Torelei: No, I want some McDonaldland cookies. Those will NEVER be discontinued!

Honey Swamp meets honey mustard. The mcnugget sauce is sooo much better on fries than ketchup!

Is it Shamrock Shakes season yet?

Honey always buses her tray.

Now this is food that sticks to your ribs!

Kurhn Doll Review: Holiday Juice Shop

Hi, Ghoulia13 here. Today’s post will feature another Christmas gift I received from Ghouliette. Flying in all the way from China, please welcome the Holiday Juice Shop Kurhn doll!

I fell in love with this set as soon as I saw it on Ebay. Dolls are cool, but dolls that come with stuff are even cooler! This doll is either the proprietor or customer of a juice shop. I really can’t tell which. So in my mind, she’s the boss lady! In addition to the doll, the set comes with a table and one chair, a fruit bowl, four pieces of fruit, two goblets, a huge pitcher and two plastic square things whose function I still can’t figure out. I think they’re just some sort of counter display cubes.

Yay!

Boo!

OK, it wasn’t as bad as it looks. Releasing everything from the box was quick and easy–except for the fruit and the goblets, and that was mainly because there was a lot of tape around them. I didn’t want to rip them out of the package because I wanted to save the insert to use as the shop background in photographs. Even the ties attached to the doll’s head  were longer so it was easy to cut it from the back.

The furniture is made out of fairly sturdy plastic, no complaints here. The pitcher is made out of two halves that snap together; everything else is one piece. The fruit is hard and hollow and consists of a pear, two apples and a cherry with a stem. The cherry is larger than the rest of the fruit, but it’s adorable.

The graphics and illustration on the interior card are also adorable. See what I mean about using it for photographs?

The doll is very pretty. She wears no excessive makeup; there’s really no color on her eyelids, and a soft rosy glow on her cheeks and lips. Her eyes are large and expressive and her facial expression is pleasant and friendly.

She wears a cute one-piece dress consisting of a pale green halter top and a pink lace-trimmed skirt with tiny flower petals on it. Her shoes are pink mules. Everything about her exudes a healthy springtime glow. I think this is a wonderful doll for children because it encourages industry and healthy play.

The doll is not fully articulated. Her legs do not bend at the knee. Sitting her in the chair was a little difficult because she kept sliding off. Her head turns from side to side and tilts at an angle. Her legs and arms swing back and forth as well as extending out to the sides.

Her hair is soft and manageable. 🙂

The company’s official website is in Chinese, with no English or other languages except for English translations in the headings for each section. But if you want to look at all of their dolls and add fuel to the doll-collecting fire, it’s a great place to browse. You can find Kurhn dolls on several Ebay stores operating from China and Hong Kong. Prices vary, with older or harder to find models on the pricier side.

I don’t need to tell anyone reading this that there are soooo many varieties of dolls out there. I rather like the fresh-faced dolls as opposed to the snooty looking high-end fashion dolls.  The back of the Kurhn doll’s box sums up their philosophy perfectly:

What do you think? Do you have any Kurhn dolls? Are you thinking of buying one? Let’s talk Kurhn in the comments.

Till next time!

Blast from the Past: 1 Modern Circle Melody

Happy New Year! Ghouliette here. I hope everyone had a very happy holiday season. I’ve been a bit remiss in my blogging duties of late (too busy playing with the dollies I got for Christmas), but I hope to rectify that today.  This past weekend I took out my Ikea Huset playset and had some fun. Since Ghoulia13 already reviewed it, I won’t go into details about it. but needless to say, I really wanted this playset. I bought two of them because I wanted a second Expedit bookcase. I added two end tables and lamps from the Barbie Loves Jonathan Adler doll, and a screen that I bought on eBay that was originally part of the Barbie Fashion Fever Velvet Crush furniture set, along with various odds and ends, mostly from Rement, and my doll apartment is complete. I like to imagine it’s a stylish little studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (because Brooklyn is hip these days, isn’t it?). Now for the doll.

The 1 Modern Circle gang. Image courtesy of Mattel.

Out of all my dolls, I asked myself, which one looks most like she would live in a funky studio apartment in Williamsburg? The answer was obvious: 1 Modern Circle Melody. The 1 Modern Circle dolls were released in 2003. The set was comprised of four dolls, each one using a vintage face mold. But don’t let the vintage faces fool you. The 1 Modern Circle gang are the epitome of 21st century cosmopolitan hipsters. They all work for the Modern Circle Production Company. What do they produce, you ask? I’m not sure, it’s kind of vague. Commercials? Infomercials? Talk shows? For some reason I like to imagine that they produce soap operas. Barbie is the producer, and her face uses the original vintage Barbie face. Ken is the designer, and he features the original vintage Ken face sculpt. Simone is the makeup artist, and underneath her totally rad dreads you’ll find a vintage face mold (Mattel doesn’t mention which one, but it looks to me like the 1970s Barbie before they switched to the Superstar Barbie, perhaps the Malibu Barbie face? What do you think?). And then there’s Melody.

Melody is the production assistant for Modern Circle Productions. According to Mattel, Melody is “the most carefree and energetic spirit of the group, and her style is in step with what’s cool for work and play.” Her face uses the Twist ‘n Turn Barbie face mold (some online doll collectors report that Melody uses the Steffie face mold, but the official Mattel listing for this doll says it’s the Twist ‘n Turn Barbie face, and it seems the 1 Modern Circle girls all use a Barbie face mold of one type or another). Melody has freckles, and a cute little blue flip. She comes with a handbag and a cup of coffee – to go – because she’s got a very hectic schedule. She looks like she’s got to hop on the L train to get to her office in downtown Manhattan (I’m guessing. The 1 Modern Circle gang just look like the downtown types).

So with the Huset furniture set I imagined a typical evening at home for Melody. What do your dolls do when they’re at home?

Honey, I’m home. Oh, right, I live alone.

Melody relaxes with a magazine.

Even at home, Melody finds she’s got to do some work.

Melody realizes her apartment could use some cleaning.

Vacuuming is a chore, but somebody’s gotta do it.

Now for some music.

Vinyl is old school, and the hipsters dig it.

Now to put the headphones on and chill. That’s right, I said “chill.”

Chillin’