It's Getting Ghostly! and this is a short review.
So, this line is on clearance in the Uk now, as it's not exactly a "new" line. It's one I passed on because stores were asking like £15 for BUDGET bloody dolls and I take exception to that. But for £7:99, well, I had to have em.
Thank you B&M!
Now, Clawdeen was part of the main release of this line. She, Draculaura and Twyla.
Now I bought Twyla back when this line first came out because she's stunning, but the others I was waiting for a price drop.
Meanwhile, a later release saw Spectra (strangely the main character of the special got a slim line budget release... huh?) and Rochelle who was an Asda exclusive.
Now I did see Rochelle in stores, but she was £16 and I didn't think she was worth that. She was pretty, but not as pretty as this Spectra is, I mean daymn.
Ok it's worth noting here that there's two versions of Haunted Spectra.
This is the EU release, who has a completely different face to the much later released US Spectra.
So if you're in the US, sorry guys, your Spectra doesn't look like this. She looks WEEEEIRRRD.
Seriously, go look it up, it's the most striking difference in a doll release i've ever seen.
Anyhoo
Let's OPEN DOLLS!
So here's Clawden in her plastic coffin of finger slicing. Ooo I hate these boxes. I haaaate them.
Though at least Mattel have started to make the plastic tabs thinner and less razor-blade like. Still, i'm terrified to open these least I slice my hand open again. It takes me several days to work up the courage and mattel, that just isn't a good thing.
People shouldn't be freaking SCARED of your boxes you crazy people! argh.
Anyway, before we do anything else I want to talk about Clawdeen's art here because her artwork is STRANGE.
So.. firstly, she doesn't look at all like Clawdeen. What's going on with her face? the shading under her nose makes her look like she has an animal nose painted on, she looks CAT-like and her teeth are enormous. Like, consider that your upper lip should usually cover most of your top teeth, thems some crazy long teeth she has there.
the dots look like freckles too, making her look even more anthropomorphic. And while she's super cute and her hair looks awesome, that is NOT Clawdeen, that's some spotty werecat masquerading as Clawdeen.
The back of the box isn't very interesting. Though I do rather love "S.O.S Fantasmi" as a name for this line. Is that "S.O.S ghost"? because that's hilarious. Like... what does that even mean?
Also. YES this line has stands! the funky floating Haunted ones with the blue chains.
Sweet.
Anyway,
Here is yet another pale Clawdeen release. Though this time the excuse is that they're ALL slightly paler because they're GHOSTS.
But this, followed immediately by Freak Du Chic and then Great Scarrier Reef... it's a trend that's starting to have unfortunate implications Mattel.
But I won't get into the politics, it's tedious and there's legitimate excuses for this and the FDC dolls at least.
Also Getting Ghostly Clawdeen isn't ACTUALLY that pale. She looks paler when you look at her in the box and out, but that's because her plastic is this light semi opaque stuff that reflects light a little differently. Put side by side with a regular Clawdeen? She's actually very close to the same skin tone, maybe slightly oranger but I think that's the light reflecting on her skin rather than the plastic itself.
Anyway, skin tone debate aside, let's look at the actual doll
GG Clawdeen is another Clawdeen release without earrings, I miss earrings.
She has this awesome bright purple hair that looks to be a similar colour to Spectra's hair in some releases actually, it's a brighter more reddish purple than Clawdeen usually sports, it's a nice change. There look to be some lighter streaks in there as well.
Her skin has an opalescent sheen like all the haunted dolls, it makes her quite shiny to photograph but looks cool in real life. Sorta shimmery.
She has brown eyebrows, light purple eyemakup, solidly yellow eyes and this reddish coloured face mask painted right across her eyes. All the getting ghostly dolls have this, it's some sort of "ghost" thing? I don't think it was ever actually explained, but it seems to be a nod back to the original Create a Monster ghost who had the same face paint.
So all the transformed characters have this 80s style face paint lol, it's random. I kinda dig it though.
It's a really pretty colour though.
Her outfit has this enormous amount of gold chains. I like that Mattel always remember to give her gold accessories not silver, it's a nice touch.
Anyway, the majority of the chains are her belt piece, which comes off and there there's a shoulder piece that's held on with elastic.
Under the belts there's a rather simple pink dress with an abstract pattern of geometric crescent shapes and such. There's one netting shoulder section and this torn up netting stuff at the bottom too.
It's SUPER girly and the pale colour I kinda feel washes the whole doll out. She has this deceptively "pale" skin, pale hair, pale makeup and then pale clothing too? mmmm.
She also has a small blue bracelet thing with an hourglass attached. This is "boogie sand" the magical stuff that turns them all into ghosts in the first place.
Why do the dolls all have this stuff on them when they don't in the movie? I dunno. Why is it blue? Again, dunno. It clashes with her outfit.
It's a nicely made dress, there's no denying that, but I feel it doesn't really work for this doll.
Awesome shoes... seriously freaking awesome shoes. Look at those chains!
Tried her in one of Spectra's dresses. I kinda like it. She suits black.
Her, if she's gonna steal Spectra's hair, may as well steal her dress too.
Meanwhile Spectra...
the only problem I have with these stands is the way the dolls often tip backward on them and end up either falling off the shelf, or looking ridiculous.
Anyway.
Spectra's art scares me. I mean it honest to god scares me. While Clawdeen didn't look herself, at least she was cute. Spectra here just looks... wrong. Wrong on every level. From those nasty pencilled in eyebrows to those huge bug eyes holding that enormous head on with a twig of a neck arghhhh... the proportions are all over the place and she looks SO MEAN. *shudder*
Her doll on the other hand is stunning.
Like the other haunted dolls this Spectra has a pearly sheen to her skin. UNLIKE the others however, because she's white, she reflects COLOUR and it looks awesome. Her hair reflects purple onto her face, her limbs look like they're made of actual mother of pearl... she's just so neat.
Like all Spectras she does suffer from "disappearing nose syndrome". Because of her stark white skin, her nose doesn't quite show up right in photos.
Her hair is a wonderful rich purple, a touch bluer than Clawdeen's with these subtle bands of pink and pale purple streaked through.
Her eyebrows are grey, her makeup a striking combo of bright pink and a thin band of purpley blue.
Her eyes are their usual blue sclera with blue iris and pupil. Her eyes are printed narrow and elongated giving her a sort of sultry expression. Her eyebrows also appear to be slightly asymetrical, which adds to that look.
and then she has these wonderfully wide pouty lips quite unlike any other Monster High lips i've ever seen.
This doll has the face of a model, and the expression to match. I mean look at that pout, it's incredible. It's gorgeous.
She is stunning.
Her hair survived being boxed much better than Clawdeen's. It's styled in a similar manner, pulled up into a high ponytail and choppily layered the way Spectra's hair usually is.
Her outfit features a large belt of chains that cover her whole torso, I mean dude, she has BOOB chains! there are chains framing her boobies! that cracks me up.
at the end of each chain is a random lock or charm, I wonder if Abbey has the keys to these ones (Have you ever noticed how Abbey often has a random key on her? And Spectra always has locks? Wth is that about? What's the key for Abbey? What's it for?!)
The dress underneath the chains is beautiful, it looks like stained glass. It has a bright pink net single sleeve, a sweetheart neckline and a jagged hem.
Her shoes are also chains and locks. Must be painful walking on a sole made of folded up chain don't you think? Ouch. I suppose she floats, she doesn't need to WALK.
aaand I totally failed to get a photo of both dolls together... doh.
Anyway, final thoughts?
I like both dolls, I really do. They're clearly budget dolls, there are no accessories like necklaces or earrings, their dresses are simple but beautiful and they have stands which is a step up from most budget lines these days.
Clawdeen's overall outfit and look doesn't quite work for me, but she's a pretty doll. Redressed I think she could look stunning. I'm just not convinced pink is her colour and the blue boogie sand just stands out and looks wrong to me.
I like that she has a different shade of purple in her hair, I enjoy that she's got such a different look overall to usual. Clawdeen is my favourite in most lines simply because Mattel do SO much to make her look different each and every time. She is the most versatile and most varied Monster High character, and I love her for it.
Spectra is just drop dead gorgeous. She's very different to her usual releases in that she has no clear bits and is instead totally opalescent but it's SO pretty to look at. Her faceup is one of the most attractive Monster High faceups I think Mattel have ever done or indeed will ever do again and her dress, though simple in construction is just such a beautiful pattern and colour.
I think it's a real shame the US version of this Spectra isn't nearly as beautiful, she's kinda... derpy looking honestly and I think the US really got shortchanged. Because the EU Haunted Spectra? She's one of the most attractive Monster High dolls i've ever seen. I can't stop admiring her.
So, what do I give these dolls?
Well, Spectra gets a rare 10 "smizes" out of 10 for me. She is perfection...absolute bloody perfection.
Clawdeen? I'd say a robust 7 gold chains out of 10. I don't feel her overall look quite "works" in terms of colour choices, but the base doll is VERY pretty. She needs hair care, she needs a darker coloured dress, but she has awesome shoes and a pretty face so she gets a big ol thumbs up from me anyway.
If you're in the US, import this Spectra.... do it.. just... just do it. Forget US spectra and her weird 5 head and squinty eyes, find a Brit and import the good one.
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