Oh dear, it's more Makies

I... I am addicted. This is terrible, but also awesome.

See, I have this thought that when it comes to toys, if they bring you joy and make you smile, then buy em!

Sadly a lot of mass produced stuff isn't giving me that buzz these days, and i'm not sure if it's just burnout because i've collected them for so long or if it's a combination of price hikes and quality cuts. Certainly Monster High just isn't giving me that same "eeee excited" feeling. I find I buy a doll, then it sits for months till I work up the motivation to open it.
Now part of this is fear of the new packaging, after slicing my hand open on one of the boxes I couldn't stand to touch the others for weeks. When I finally did I yet again hurt myself.
Now every time I touch the empty boxes (I keep empty boxes ok?) to move them they stab me with their sharp bits and I get mad.

So that's definitely a factor. When physical pain is involved with deboxing, you are less inclined to debox. I mean, I still haven't opened Duchess because i'm scared of her box!

It's plastic and stabby looking.

But while Mattel really aren't keeping my interest with their releases, Makies unique selling point continues to impress.



For those who haven't read my previous blogs about these dolls, let me recap:

Makies are 3d printed dolls made in London, every single one is totally unique. You design them yourself on the website using a series of sliders, pick a skin tone, a wig, eye colour and so on.
The end result means that statistically, it's unlikely anyone will ever have a doll that looks just like yours. Sure some may be close enough to be siblings, but they are all totally one of the kind.


I developed a bit of an obsession with these dolls late last year and in November I finally bit the bullet and bought 3 at once because there was a big sale on.

Now, these dolls are NOT cheap. They're £69 each and then there's postage on top of that.
I know, some of you will be thinking "wth? seventy quid for a doll!?" but here's the thing, these dolls are custom printed, unique and hand assembled. The team at Makies lab consist of only around 12 people! The clothes are hand sewn and each doll is dyed assembled and given a basic faceup before they're sent out to their new homes.
The labour required, coupled with the cost of 3d printing in itself means they are not a cheap mass produced toy. Their price really should never be compared to Barbie and her ilk, but more to Pullip and Blythe.
When you think of them more in those terms, their price becomes a bit easier to stomach.

But unlike Pullip, Makies ARE designed to be played with by kids. They're lion marked and CE marked, meaning they're safe for over 3s. They're fairly robust provided you aren't intending to hurl them around the place like a football and they're designed to be a forever toy.

£69 over a lifetime ain't a lot really.

But let me get to my point of this blog.

What did I buy?

Now, I already did a blog about the custom made dolls and the process. I also already did a blog about the gift boxes Makies sell. But there's a third option for those eager to get their hands on a Makie doll.

Made for you Makies.

What are made for you makies? They're premade, preprinted, dressed and assembled dolls that come in a large display box. You don't design them yourself, but they come in just about every variation you can think of. They are the same price as the custom made dolls, but they come without the 2 week waiting period. Instant (well, near instant) gratification!

Makies website has usually got a few in stock in their shop, but they also ship these out to their partners at Hamleys and Selfridges. These are the premade dolls used in displays and who you can dig through to find the perfect one.
For those unsure about how their 2d avatar would translate to 3d printed object, these are a great option because what you see is exactly what you get.

Usually Makies print only girls for this line, but recently they decided to taunt me (I swear!) by printing a batch of boys too.
I said if they made boys i'd buy em, and I was true to my word.

I spotted this adorable smiley boy and knew I HAD to have him.

Look at that smug little smirk!

He arrived within 24 hours and was even cuter in person.

Unlike the custom Makies, the Made for you bunch come in large card boxes with a plastic window at the front so you can see the doll. And a certificate, their "proof of awesomeness" lol.  There's space to write the name you pick for them.
Custom Makies used to come with similar certificates which you can still order if you want, for a few pounds extra, but generally they don't come with them. I think they're an amusingly cute touch.

The back of the box shows of various things, but it's a little outdated as it illustrates a few items no longer available. Like the create-it kits. I wish i'd gotten some of those, they had preprinted fabric that you cut out and sewed to make simple shirts and stuff. Great idea!

The backing card has all sorts of social media terms including hashtags and some chatspeak haha.

Each Makie comes with a very simple faceup, and for some inexplicable reason this boy had orange eyebrows. <_< clearly he's actually a redhead.

I'm still not convinced about this particular outfit for the boys. Leggings and slip on shoes like that seem a little too um.. effeminate. The top is fine, despite it's lycra fabric it's quite a cute top and fits nice but the leggings are just too figure hugging and make the dolls look a little too much like chicks to me.

He needs new pants stat.

Like the Custom made dolls, the MFU Makies come with only a ribbon securing them into the box. I LOVE this idea as it's easy to release them and you can then use the ribbon as a cute little hair bow or something. (I use mine as headbands for one of my girls)
The side of the box is actually angled slightly (you can just see it here) and flaps open to give you access to the ribbon.

The box itself wasn't even really taped shut, the front pulls off and bam, there's your doll.

Poor boy needs a faceup too.

But aside from not being able to design him myself, he comes with just as much stuff as the custom ones. Same eyes, same wigs, same outfit, same shoes. The older MFY dolls seemed to come in outfits that weren't always available to custom orders, and I think it's a shame they stopped doing that because it added extra incentive. But for the impatient or for those times when a design just screams "adopt me!", the MFU dolls are great.
I couldn't have been more happy with this face if i'd designed it myself, and it's not the sort of face I would have thought to design. But he's so cute, I knew he had to come home.

I decided to name him August...

A better look at the face sculpt. He has a wide mouth, narrow lips with a big smile, a pudgy little turned up nose and unusually shaped eyes with exaggerated lids. He has very narrow eyebrows, I usually design mine with big ol' sassy brows heh.

I started his faceup immediately. He needed more colour on his lips, his eyebrows needed more defining and freckles happened lol.

And a change of clothes. I always love how something as simple as a change of clothes can make SO much difference.

I still think he's a natural redhead.

The labcoat came with a set I bought from Makie labs back in November and i'm glad I did get it back then, because they no longer stock it. it's a simple item but man it makes for such a fun piece.

The shirt is from ebay, I think it was a blythe listing.

The jacket is Makie labs and came with a pair of classic makies I bought off ebay a little while back. I believe the jacket was custom made for that order. Back in the early days they took a lot more in the way of special orders.

Pants are Moxie Girlz with snips in the ends so they'd fit over the legs.

Shoes are Monster high boy's and fit perfect.

Here's August with my other Caramel toned boy Zhi. Zhi doesn't look impressed.

In fact, he looks rather annoyed. I don't think he likes this new boy.

August always looks so cheerful, it makes me smile.

I added his name to his certificate.

And that grin becomes smugness as he proudly displays his "awesomeness" certificate.

He also aquired some minions, because every mad scientist needs minions.
Ari is a Novi Star head on a Monster high Draculaura body.
Abomination is a Punzel's head on a Monster High inner monster body. She's like... some kind of freaky octopus cat.

TOLD YOU he was a natural redhead!

I bought a new wig for him because that fur wig wasn't really working for me. I don't mind the fur wigs but I prefer something with a bit more personality.
This wig is by Fa-tiao http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/fa-tiao?_trksid=p2047675.l2559, so it came from Taiwan and took a few weeks to arrive.
I wasn't entirely sure how it'd fit as i've never bought a 3rd party wig for a Makie before. They take a size 7 wig so I opted for a 6-7 size and i'm pleased to say it fits absolutely perfect.
I also wasn't sure how it'd look because the doll used to model it on the listings is a very different doll, so I was delighted when it arrived and turned out to be the perfect length. I thought it would be longer, but thankfully it didn't end up needing to be trimmed at all.

(it's this wig if you're curious)

With his correct hair colour, he's hardly recognisable now. I LOVE him. Seriously, I don't think I could have ever designed such a cheerful fun looking doll.
and that's the charm of the premade Makies. They introduce ideas you may not have ever considered in terms of expression or combinations of features/wigs/eyes. They produce such a wide range of different ones, there's bound to be one or two that crop up and inspire a purchase too. There's been a few girls previously i've been sorely tempted by but who have always sold before I had the money together.
I was fortunate to have the money available and snap this guy up.

But I wasn't finished.. oh no.

If you've read my previous blog post, you'll know about Amazon screwing up and sending me a gift card right?
Well that was a Makies gift card and because they were making things so hard, I decided to keep the damn thing and just use it.

well, as it was, while all this mess was going on, Makies added a load of new dolls to their made for you section of the store.
Including 4 boys.

Could I resist this boy? Of course I couldn't!

I needed cheering up after Amazon upsetting me anyway. So I used my gift card and waited.
Easter happened, which delayed things by 4 days.... grrrr.
and then they managed to accidently send me the wrong doll. *headdesk* cursed.. seriously.
thankfully unlike amazon customer service at Makies were SUPER helpful. They knew my printer wasn't working so printed off a self adhesive label, put it into the parcel with the correct doll and told me to use that when it arrived. The hope was that the DHL driver who delivered the correct doll would be able to also pick up the incorrect one but sadly DHL don't do that because um.. reasons? so instead I had to wait a few hours for another driver to show up. *eyeroll* so stupid.

But with that done relatively painlessly, I finally had my new doll!

I named him Ignatius, Ig for short just so August could make jokes about it being "short for Igor".

Of course he also had to get out of those silly tights.

Like August he's a caramel skin tone with a black fur wig. He looks sad, has quite pouty lips and big eyebrows. He has more almond shaped eyes and they're green.

I decided the green didn't really suit him though. They're a beautiful colour but as soon as I put brown ones in he looked so much better.

He also got a new faceup as soon as I got him out of his box heh.

I also ordered a bundle of glasses with Ig, Makies had a special offer on and were selling bundles of three pairs of specs for £4:99. They're usually about £7:99 EACH so this was a bargain. Of course it meant they came in predecided colours. A pair of blue catseye glasses, a pair of black "nerd" glasses and a pair of greyish purple aviator specs.

While I waited for the correct doll to arrive I painted two of the pairs. I gave the black glasses a red inner and completely repainted the purple grey ones which I gave to August.
I sealed them and the 3d printed nylon seems to take acrylic paint really well. it sort of soaks in and they paint up great. I was a little worried about paint transfer but so far they haven't done this, so hopefully the seal will prevent any staining.

Anyway, Ig got the black and red pair.

His shirt is My Scene boy, it's rather baggy but works. His shirt is sindy, i've since found him a different sindy shirt to wear.
His jeans are My scene as well, they're far too long of course but I folded the hem and bagged them up around his legs a bit.
Shoes are Monster high again.
The hat was a christmas ornament.

I love how concerned he looks, it makes me laugh.

Particularly alongside August, who's glasses only serve to make him look MORE like a mad professor. Ig looks sort of shy and like he'd rather be elsewhere.

Like August, I decided Ig should be a natural redhead hence the orange brows. I ordered him a wig from Fa-tiao as well, being as I have been pretty impressed with August's. It'll take a few weeks to arrive, in the meantime lots of hats for Ig hah.

It's funny because I didn't really think i'd have to same bond with a pair of dolls I hadn't designed myself, but despite not picking their facial features personally, these two have the same charm and character of all my other Makies. I'm really pleased with them and I think that the MFU Makies are an excellent option for those who want instant gratification.
Custom printed dolls take 2 weeks to make, while these ones ship out and arrive within only a couple of days. If you happen to be near Hamleys of Selfridges, you can pick one up in person, but be prepared to get some looks as you dig through a shelf trying to pick the "Perfect one" lol.

I'm still not totally sure I agree that the premade Makies should be the same price as the custom printed ones though. I understand why they are, because the exact same process is used and they are all still unique and one of the kind, but at the same time the whole custom printing element feels like it should cost more than just grabbing one off a shelf.

Well, Makies have a new option now. Limited edition Makies.
They did these previously but they were actually more expensive than regular Makies. They came with unique outfits exclusive to them and wigs which were at the time exclusive (and have since been made available in the maker). But the new limited edition pair are a very reasonable £49. The catch here is that they are NOT one of the kind. They're printed in batches so they're not completely unique.
But they make a great option for those looking to get their first makie and who are a bit unsure about what they want. The price is very tempting, a good £20 less than any other option.
https://mymakie.com/shop/catalogue/limited-edition-makie-dolls/

Right now there's only two different ones, Rebecca a white blonde chick, and Juniper, a black girl with fabulous auburn curls.
They do tempt me rather.

Makies are kinda like pringles. Once you pop, you just can't stop. Since November i've amassed 10 of them and i'm aching for more.
Their unique character and personality is just so appealing. Of all my dolls it's the Makies I find myself dressing and redressing, taking outside to play with. While the rest of my dolls generally hang out on a shelf looking pretty, the Makies get posed, moved around, join me on the sofa for movies. I know that's a bit crazy, but they totally inspire this child-like playfulness and that makes me smile.
So I don't feel too bad about buying more. As I said at the start of this, if something makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone else, then why not do it?
And these dolls definitely make me happy. I absolutely love each and every one of them. They all have unique attitudes and personas, they encourage creativity and inspire play. This is something mass produced dolls never really managed to do with me. Monster High sure, are pretty but they're like action figures, you don't really redress them much. They have a "look" and that's how they stay.

I love these dolls, and i'm eager to get my paws on even more of them hahaha.