Brewing Up Changes: The Monster High Create-a-Monster Witch by Mattel

My favorite monster archetype, all my life, has been witches. 

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!": My First Custom Doll!

 Sometimes life hands you a bag of doll heads.

Terror Takes Shape: The Monster High Create-a-Monster Blob by Mattel

One of the Monster High dolls I really loved but never got during my earlier collection was the Blob Girl character in the Create-a-Monster line. 

I'm extremely proud of myself for achieving this
poster homage photo, so I'll explain how I did
it at the end!

Her retro design, bright colors, and translucent body and sculpted hair all made her into a really cute and pretty well-thought-out execution of her monster concept. I did get two Create-a-Monster dolls (the Mummy and Gorgon set) but never got the Blob and eventually convinced myself I didn't need her. 

Until now.

Sweet Nightmares: A Trio of Twylas!

I think every Monster High fan and collector finds their special favorite character to latch onto. And this is mine.

They Belonged Dolls: The Monster High Skullector "Bride of Frankenstein" Set by Mattel Creations

...so why did nobody tell me they made this? I completely didn't get the memo about it, and I picked up on a lot of other MH news. Maybe it was for the best because this lit a spark in my brain and quickly became my absolute most coveted MH collector release, far outstripping any admiration I had for any of the G1-era exclusives. For one big reason.

My Monster at Heart: Monster High Boo-riginal Creeproduction Frankie Stein by Mattel

Monster High was an unusual franchise to enter my life. I learned about it through reading the Bogleech horror blog, which highlighted the toy brand as exceptional in the girl’s toy market for having genuinely freaky and creatively spooky dolls, including the gnarly Inner Monster line that had brains under their wigs serving as eye-change buttons, and translucent bodies with skeletons inside that could be customized with different organ-style mood charms. I was interested in this toy, a toy so wicked that it could have easily been a 1980s parody of a girl’s toy, a toy that was earnestly being sold to girls. Through this doll, I discovered the Toy Box Philosopher blog, which has remained an informative, thoughtful, and funny source of doll reviews, and my primary inspiration for writing my own toy reviews (Hi, Emily--love your work!) Then I started looking up the Monster High catalogue. Then things turned into a doll collection.

Welcome!

I've been wanting to do something like this for a while. 

I'm Dmitry, and among other things, I'm a lifelong toy collector. Even as a child, I had a special fascination for toys and toy design, and I treasured many things I owned then. Lots of toys in my collection today have been there since I was very little. I've also developed quite the analytical mind as a creative person and fan of storytelling, and have a fascination for diving deep into media and visual art and providing reviews and criticism. I've long admired some toy blogs, particularly the excellent work of Emily, the Toy Box Philosopher, which helped me learn about more kinds of toys and how to review them. I made some nervous attempts at creating blogs before, but I quickly dropped off (and probably made them when I was too young, anyway). This is it for real, now. A committed blog. In the grand year of 2023--I know. But I'm an old-fashioned young man and I need a better outlet for me to discuss one area of fascination that I've long written reviews about for nobody to see. Well, now I'm letting people see because now I feel more like it's worth sharing. 

The name of this blog comes from the fact that I tend to relax and read and write about things during the afternoon with a cup of tea, and the fact that when I analyze something, I find myself diving into many side currents to consider a pretty wide picture. Be prepared for that! Get ready to be surprised by just how much trivia and how many ruminations a single toy can dredge up!  Make two cups of tea if you'll need them!

I may do some quicker reviews occasionally, and I don't intend to review every toy I acquire--only things where I think I can contribute something meaningful by showcasing them, or toys that gave me a surprising experience.

I am also nowhere near a professional photographer and I fight with Blogger about image resolution until it wins, so my photos may be a little messy from time to time until you click them for a full view. Regardless, I aim to illustrate what matters in my analysis. 

My toy collections have included several brands, but since I'm most attracted to interesting characters, they're usually toys of monsters and people. I have many older pieces from Folkmanis Puppets, large collections of LEGO and Playmobil, several modern Mego figures, and a large Monster High collection in the (re)making, as well as many miscellaneous toys. My favorite Monster High characters, and the most-represented in my collection, are Twyla Boogeyman for her personality and visual theming, and Frankie Stein for the sheer number of her and their doll designs that I've loved.

 I hope any readers I manage to find here will enjoy some teatimes and tangents while I put a toy on the table to talk about. Thank you for visiting.

You get bonus points if you can name the two toys here!