Well, this is a record turnaround from review to revisit. I just thought this was slightly more worth a new post than an amendment to the one very recently published. Read the original review of this doll here.
When I reviewed the Monster doll, who I nicknamed Karlotta, I was okay with her, but primarily conflicted on her hairstyle, which didn't look bad on her, but also hid her forehead monster details in a totally unfair way. I was content to just leave it, since I didn't dislike it, though I did wonder if it would be possible to cut the bangs shorter and improve her...and then I saw someone else do it.
DollzWorldz, the creator linked in the last sentence, gave the Monster microbangs and a crimp, and I thought the result was a major improvement. I decided to adapt it my own way to even more closely echo the Karloff Monster's hair--microbangs and a mullet.
The hair is cut above the ear with sideburns and the bangs are much shorter, which exposes the forehead details and doesn't waste them. The sideburns region doesn't lie super flat and gel could help push that down, but the result is good. I moved the staple hair clips a bit higher on the long part, and took out the hair tie. As such, the clips can just pull straight off the hair, but they're fine untouched.
I think this would have been a much smarter way to give us a femme Monster. Maybe this might look even better with a flocked side-shave to really flatten the profile before the long hair region, especially since doll haircuts typically don't go this short with rooted hair. But take a look at Karlotta next to the first Skullector Monster now--they're closer mirrors.
I think this makes the two Monster adaptations more competitive. With Karlotta's scars visible and hairstyle mirror, she's more on par detail-wise, and it can be argued Karlotta does the scars better thanks to the red paint in the cut lines, a detail the male doll lacks. All the same, the male Monster has unique bolts and unique monster hands...and the simple gendered portrayal being accurate. With Karlotta's hair hiding her scars, though, she looked like a weaker adaptation. I still think it's cool just how direct the gender-flip between the two dolls ended up, with their limb scars and shoe designs being nearly identical, so the haircut helps the feeling of Karlotta retaining a lot from her predecessor.
While I still love the shape and detail and spinning of Karlotta's windmill purse, another, potentially more elegant idea came to mind--a purse shaped like one of the brain cloches in the lab that Fritz robs and takes the abnormal brain from. The windmill sails and handle are so awkward in the carrying, while a little glass dome with a brain inside, almost like Lagoona's signature fishbowl, would be really fun.
The new hairstyle might also de-age Karlotta's look a bit, and that helps a little with the disappointment of her doll body not being the adult femme sculpt. With the heavy hairdo and dark makeup, she looked like Frankie's auntie on an overly small body, but now she's more like a teen cousin of Frankie's.
Here's how the unofficial family unit looks now.
I think it's about fair that now half of these dolls are modified (the immaculate Bride is popped onto a CAM Mummy body). I'm still curious about the prospect of a potential MH x Universal Monsters reimagining of the Bride and how she'd slot into the Universal-themed Frankenmonsters we have, and if my modification to Karlotta would change how the hypothetical Bride v2 would align. I'd really hope that potential doll could unambiguously be auntie and maybe serve as cousin Karlotta's mom. The Skullector Bride we do have is on the teenage body anyhow, and I have no trouble viewing her as an adult. I only felt a doll based on Karloff's character really flopped by not being taller, though I'd adore the Skullector Bride on the big-sister body too.
This Bride doll I'm only dreaming of for the time being would almost certainly have one of the little homunculus jars Dr. Pretorius created as a purse, like the shoe heels of the Skullector doll. Since MH x UM Dracula didn't reuse the Skullector Dracula shoes, my guess would be the Bride in this series would have a different shoe mold and the jar imagery would become her purse.
I'm not sure if this restyle upsets my opinions on the trio.
I think the makeover gave Karlotta a hairstyle that feels equally character-appropriate to Dracula's hair. The Mummy's hair untied is an unquestionable improvement over her factory style, but now feels concretely the least on-target for the character she depicts. At the same time, I can't say the makeover makes me like Karlotta more than the Mummy now, and Dracula might still end up the best by virtue of sticking the landing with her factory design and looking excellent doing so.
Since I gave Karlotta a makeover, I needed to re-retake the family photo. I just used the box backdrop she came with.
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| I'm happy to retake this one more time if we get another "family member"! |
Here are a couple other portraits.
I don't think this was an earth-shaking makeover that gave me a sudden infatuation with the doll at hand, but I do think it was an improvement and worth the risk. Here's to more Universal Monsters for the brand. They're welcome on my shelf anytime.
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