I REALLY Dislike Going to the Post Office

No, I do not like going to the Post Office one bit.  I have dolls that I would sell right now on eBay if that did not involve going to the Post Office.  I am irritated at the very thought of going to the Post Office.  Which is why I am sitting here at 1:12 a.m. feeling disgusted.  I'm going to have to make a trip to the Post Office.

I despise going to the Post Office so much that I will sometimes keep dolls with flaws.  Some things can be overlooked.  When I opened my Triad Alpha and I saw her rough left elbow, I thought to myself "I can live with that."

Then, I saw the split on the right side of her neck, and I was rather irritated.  "Oh well," I thought, "At least she has long hair."  I was actually going to try to overlook that.  You just don't understand how much I despise going to the Post Office.

I was posing her and having a jolly good time, until it came time to sit her down.  Her left leg just popped right off.  "Okay..." I said to myself, "she has modular limbs.  She comes apart.  Just pop the thing back on."  I popped her leg back on and it popped right back off again.  The leg will not stay on.  I have in my possession an ACTION FIGURE that can not sit down!  And THAT I cannot bear.  Sheesh, even my Otaku can sit down without falling apart!

So I will be making a trip to the Post Office soon so that I can return this doll.  I am not happy.

But hey, other than that, she's a great figure.  Here she is still in her package.

And here she is removed from her packaging.  She stands quite well.

Here's a close-up.  I like her features and her hair.

Here she is with other Triad Alphas.  My other Alphas are great, by the way.  I have put them through rigorous posing, and have not had a problem with limbs that would not stay on.  And they are some of the best posers that I have.  I was really looking forward to having this new figure in my collection.   I was happy that she had a different face.  I was thrilled that they did not give her the hideous orange hair like the promo photos.  I was thinking about all the different ways that I would pose her.  But noooooooo, she can't do much more than just stand there posing her upper body in different ways.

 Here are all of my Triad ladies.

Hopefully I can get a refund or a replacement.  Posing is on hold until then.  

I fell like I should open another doll now since this one was a disappointment.  I'll open another one, but not today.

Special Day Keyshia

Of the dolls from my previous post, I decided to open Special Day Keyshia first (thanks to some good advice and quality concerns).

She came with no socks and no earrings (sigh).  Otherwise, she's in good condition.  Here's a close-up.

And here's a full shot.

Thanks to posts on I-Luv-Dolls and Black Doll Collecting blogs, I expected there to be differences between this Keyshia and my Weekend Fun Keyshia, and there are.  They are both cute, though.

Check out my Weekend Fun Keyshia post for a more detailed review of the Keyshia doll in general, and my Small Girl Dolls Comparisons post to check out how Keyshia's articulation compares to other dolls.

Here are Kenya (rebodied), TJ, and the two Keyshia's.

So guess what happens next?

That's right!  It's head swappin' time!  In today's head swap, AA Todd grows a bit, while Special Day Keyshia shrinks.  Todd's head fits well on Keyshia's body, but Keyshia's head is a little loose on Janet's body (yep, Todd was using Jane'ts articulated body prior to this).  I know that Keyshia's head is too big for this body, but she will have to deal with it until the next swap.  I like Todd's head better on this body than I did on his original stiff body or Janet's articulated body.

 Here's the new Todd compared to some of my other teen and tween boys. 

I'll have to give short Keyshia a new name.  I'm thinking about Keylee.  What do you think?  Here's Keylee and Janet becoming acquainted, Todd Brown and Todd White are about to play ball (although Todd Brown now has an unfair advantage), and others just hanging out.

Latest Arrivals

I hadn't expected to be gone so long.  There's a lot happening and a lot of other things that are demanding my attention.  But there's always time for dolls, right?  Here are my latest arrivals.  From left to right, they are Special Day Keyshia, S.I.S. Marisa, S.I.S. Chandra, Triad Alpha, S.I.S. Kara, and S.I.S. Grace.  I plan to open them all one day, but not today.

Which one should I open first?

Here's the back of one of the so in style babyphat boxes.

Tall Girl Doll Comparisons

This comparison features dolls representing girls in their late teens.  They are from left to right:  Wild Sexy Tune Momoko, Liv Alexis body with HSM Taylor head, Clawdia Wolf, Basketball Nakia, Prettie Girls Lena, and Lollipop Girls Bebe.

Momoko, Taylor, and Nakia can stand without assistance.  The others can stand in certain shoes.

Here they are showing their elbow flexibility.  They all have articulation at the elbow.  Bebe has the most flexibility here.

Here they are sitting on the floor trying to cross their arms.  Bebe comes the closest to being able to cross her arms.  Momoko, Taylor, and Nakia all have articulation at the ankle and can wear flat or heeled shoes.  Clawdia, Lena, and Bebe have heeled feet and it is harder to find shoes for them.

Here they are doing a side stretch.  Momoko has upper torso articulation that allows her to rotate, but not to bend from side to side.  Taylor has lower torso articulation and can rotate and bend.  Nakia has articulation at the upper and lower torso that allows her to rotate and bend, and she does this pose the best.  Lena has articulation at the upper torso that allows her to bend and rotate very slightly.  Bebe has a twist and turn waist.

Here they are in the "walk like an Egyptian" pose.  Momoko has articulation at the wrists that allows her to move her hands back and forth, but not to rotate.  Taylor, Clawdia, and Nakia have wrists that are fully articulated.  Who do you like the best in this pose?  I think that Taylor executes this pose the best, but Momoko just looks adorable. 

Here they are doing kneeling backbends.  All of them have jointed knees with the exception of Bebe, who has clicky knees and can not kneel.  Taylor and Nakia have double-joined knees and do kneeling poses quite well.  Taylor and Nakia's torso articulation also allows them to arch their backs.  Nakia does this pose the best.

Here they are showing off their hands.  Nakia's right hand can grip objects, and her left hand has a magnet that allows her to hold her basketball and other magnetized objects.  Bebe's right hand has a small hole that allows her to hold her lollipop, and other objects small enough to fit in the hole.  Clawdia has claws.  I don't have a favorite here as far as hands.  I like the looks of Lena's and the functionality of Nakia's.

Here they are attempting to sit cross-legged on the floor.  None of them can do it, but Clawdia comes the closest.

Here they are doing middle splits.  Taylor does this the best.

 Here they are doing front splits.   Momoko, Clawdia, Lena, and Bebe all do this very well.

Here they are doing a leg lift.  It looks like Lena can lift her leg the highest.

 Here they are sitting down.  Lena can not close her legs in a seated position.

 Do you have a favorite among these dolls?  What makes that particular doll stand out for you?  Which ones pose the best?  Which ones look the best?  Which dolls are the most realistic?

Clawdia Wolf

Well, the Werewolf was very prolific.  Another Wolf sibling has joined the pack.  Frights Camera Action Clawdia Wolf joins her siblings Clawdeen, Clawd, and Howleen.

She comes with a stand, brush, diary, iCoffin, and pen.  The box has a cute insert of the Black Carpet.  She wears a gold and black accented outfit, red and black jacket, red knee socks, golden Mary Jane heels, golden necklace, black earrings, black glasses, and a black bracelet.

Clawdia has arrived on the Black Carpet and the photographers are going nuts!  She strikes a pose.  She can stand without assistance in her shoes.

As much as she is enjoying her moment in the spotlight, she'd much rather share the moment with her siblings.  She checks her iCoffin to see if she can get an ETA from her siblings.

Meanwhile, Clawdia poses for a close-up.  Unlike her siblings, Clawdia has a toothy grin, and her fangs are molded instead of simply painted on.  My Clawdia has a little bit of lipstick on her teeth.  Click the photo below to enlarge.

Clawdia's siblings would not keep their big sister waiting long!  Pictured below are Howleen, Clawdeen, Clawdia, and Clawd.  Howleen is the youngest, then Clawdeen, Clawd, and Clawdia is the oldest at 19 years of age.  Wait, isn't she kind of old to be in Monster High?  She seems like a smart girl, so I couldn't imagine that she would still be in high school at her age.  I had to read her journal to find out all about her adventures in Londoom as she sits through lectures at school, writes screamplays, and navigates through life on her own for the first time with the support of her family.

Clawdia is taller than her sisters.  She has a slightly longer torso, longer legs, and she is more developed.

Clawdia is slightly shorter than Clawd, even in her heels.  He will always be Little Brother to her, though.

Clawdia takes a moment to strike one last pose on the Black Carpet without her jacket.  She finds that she is able to pose much better without it.  I wish that her necklace and shoes were more of a metallic gold color, like her dress.  But her necklace and shoes match her golden hair, so I won't complain (much).  I really like her dress.

Later on, the family relaxes together and they talk about all of the things that are happening in their lives.  Clawdia is able to sit quite naturally and cross her legs.  The way that Clawdia's and Howleen's legs attach differs from how Clawdeen's legs attach.  Clawdia's and Howleen's legs have plastic attachments, while Clawdeen's legs are attached with elastic bands.  One of Clawdeen's legs fell off, and it was difficult to re-attach it.  Clawdeen does not pose as well as her sister, so I am glad that they have made this improvement.

The Wolf sisters can not share shoes.  Pictured below from left to right are Howleen's, Clawdeen's, and Clawdia's feet.  Clawdia's feet are longer and wider than her sisters' feet.  

They can share clothes, but the fit will vary from one to another.  Below, Howleen wears Clawdia's dress, while Clawdia is barely able to squeeze into Draculaura's dress that Howleen had previously been wearing.  Clawdia can put on Sashabella Paws' boots and stand in them, but her heels hang out in the back.

Like her sisters, Clawdia has articulation at the elbows, wrists, and knees.  A comparison post with Clawdia as one of the featured dolls is coming soon.

My overall impression is that I think this doll is adorable.  Some of you may remember that I never did bond with Clawdeen, and in fact had another doll's head on her body for years until Clawd and Howleen joined the family.  But I bonded instantly with Clawdia.  Maybe it's because I can see myself in her.  I was once a bespectacled teen girl who kept a diary and dreamed of becoming a writer.  Hey, maybe I should feature her diary entries on this blog.... wait, been there, done that.  :)

Clawdia's hair is well-rooted, she has cool accessories, her clothing is well made, and she poses really well.  The only quality issues that I can see are with some of the stitching on her jacket and the lipstick on her teeth.  Clawdia is a nice addition to my Wolf family, and to my doll collection as a whole.

Check out my video review of Clawdia and her siblings.

Teen Girl Doll Comparisons

Here are some teen girl doll comparisons.  A couple of them were in previous comparisons, but I wanted to put them with other similarly sized dolls.  They are from left to right:  Wee Three Friends Janet, Super Model Bel doll with Calista head, Hispanic everGirl, Flavas Kiyoni Brown, V.I.P. A.N.T. Farm Chyna, and Sashabella Paws.

Calista is the only one that can stand on her own in bare feet.  The others can stand in certain shoes.

Here they are showing their elbow flexibility.  They all have jointed elbows.  Sashabella Paws has the most flexibility in this pose.

Here they are sitting on the floor trying to cross their arms while showing their feet.  Sashabella Paws comes the closest to being able to cross her arms.  Janet has very large feet and can share shoes with Ken.  The others have doll friends that they can share shoes with.  Calista has arched feet and articulation at the ankle, so she can wear flat or heeled shoes.

Here they are doing a side stretch.  Calista and Sashabella have articulation at the lower torso, while  Kiyoni and Chyna have articulation at the upper torso.  Kiyoni's side arch is the most impressive.

Here they are in the "walk like an Egyptian" pose.  Calista and Sashabella have articulation at the wrists, while the others do not.  As previously stated, Calista also has articulation at the ankles.  I think that Sashabella does this the best.  What do you think?

Here they are attempting kneeling back bends.  Janet, Hispanic everGirl (does anyone know which one she is - Joy, Hope, Skye, or Starr), and Kiyoni have clicky knees and can not kneel.  Chyna does this pose the best.

Here they are showing off their hands.  None of them are able to grasp objects in their hands.  I like Calista's hands the best.

Here they are attempting to sit cross-legged on the floor.  Calista does this the best.

Here they are attempting to do middle splits.  It's close between Calista and Sashabella, but I think that Calista does this slightly better.

 Here they are doing front splits.  Kiyoni does this the best.

 Here they are doing a leg lift.  Janet does this the best.

Here they are sitting down.  Since Calista, Chyna, and Sashabella have articulation at the knees, they look more natural in seated positions.  

 Do you have a favorite among these dolls?  What makes that particular doll stand out for you?  Which ones pose the best?  Which ones look the best?  Which dolls are the most realistic?