Picking Bones Part 6, or "Una Florecita Muerta": Living Dead Dolls Series 20 Camilla by Mezco Toyz

...I was so worried I'd committed too late. 

Witchy Wonders Finale

Phew! Time to wrap up this series! While parallel to Hatter Madness, and with both to end with the same amount of main reviews, Witchy Wonders was both conceived/started later and finished earlier! Hatter Madness should be concluded by December at the latest, with the subject of the last main review on his way. It was a bit of a rush to get this conclusion out because I wanted it right after the last post, but also had to spend half the day taking down Halloween around the house and prepping a timely Dia de Muertos review at the same time. Lots going on!

Witchy Wonders 6, or "Queens of Halloween": Casta Fierce and Scary Godmother!

Happy Halloween! Care to celebrate here? This is a review of witch dolls who exemplify the Halloween spirit--spotlighting two unrelated characters and brands, who are comparable exemplars of festive aesthetic...and a couple of dolls shared before had to come in too.

Witchy Wonders 5, or "My Fabric Friends": Witches From My Childhood

This review features no fashion dolls and no photo art. Instead, this is my vehicle to talk about some important childhood treasures--all witches sewn from fabric.

Living Dead Dolloween 2026, or "Is the Joke On Me?": Living Dead Dolls Series 18 Variant Jingles by Mezco Toyz

I couldn't get this doll last year. I made sure to get him the moment he showed up again so I could share him now! 

Hatter Madness 5, or "A Clinical Tea Party": "LDD in Wonderland" Sybil!

Hatter Madness returns after a bit of a break, with its penultimate main review! I was fine not worrying about this series for August and September, but I knew from the start that I needed to make an October feature out of this doll. This is the spookiest Hatter of the bunch-- Living Dead Dolls in Wonderland's Sybil.

Where Dolls Go To Die: Zombies From the Bootleg Sector

This began with a very unusual and highly unlikely meeting of personal interests.

Warning for bloody/gory imagery.

SHE Came Home: The Monster High Skullector "Halloween II" Michael Myers Doll by Mattel

With this doll, a major milestone has been achieved: Monster High finally included pumpkins in one of its dolls!

A LEGO Horror Chronicle: 2026 Catch-Up!

Last year, I did a marathon series documenting LEGO's original horror ventures in figure-scale sets, plus a couple of licensed ones that caught my eye outside the LEGO Horror Chronicle series. Since it wasn't feasible to update those posts and expect them to be revisited, I thought I'd check in each year after to see what was added to the topic, and republish some content that applied if featured earlier in the year.

MGA Needs to Look in the Mirror Mi

So what's this all about?

What Fashion Victims Sadie COULD Have Been, Part 2: The Custom Doll!

In the first part of this project, I detailed the concept and the doll I was building my fashion Sadie upon. Here, it's the customization and result!

There will be some exploration of mature clothing themes in this post, mixed with slasher horror imagery.

What Fashion Victims Sadie COULD Have Been, Part 1: Finding and Reviewing a Barbie Base

It's been a while since I talked about Living Dead Dolls. 

Little Doll, Big Talk: MINNEE Dolls by Zuru

Mattel must be kicking themselves for not being the ones doing this.

Showing Cracks--For Better or Worse?: Mirror Mi Suki Goldpetal by MGA Entertainment

This was an interesting surprise! All of a sudden, new doll line! This is a peek at Mirror Mi by MGA.

REVISIT: The Monster High x Universal Monsters "Frankenstein" Doll

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.

Taking A Count: The Monster High x Universal Monsters "Dracula" Doll

Yeah, she's here.

Witchy Wonders 4, or "Mattel, Keep it Classy": Moonspell Magic by Monster High!

The MGA/Mattel rivalry has now reached the level of comedy where Mattel is doing the thing their own competitor did a decade prior to rip them off.

Picking Bones, Part 5: Monster High G3 Signature Skelita Calaveras by Mattel

In a word: finally. This doll has been on deck to drop in the US for so long that she- oh, wait, she already was a skeleton. Well, if she wasn't at the start, she certainly would have turned into one in the time she waited! (Hm...realizing I made a joke like this before in my first Skelita post. Oops!)

Being Frank: The Monster High x Universal Monsters "Frankenstein" Doll

I started this blog with reviews of Creeproduction Frankie Stein and the Skullector interpretations of the monsters who inspired her, so there was never a question that the second, female licensed version of the iconic Monster would be joining my collection and my unofficial Universal Frankenstein  doll family.

Keeping Mum: A Custom Monster High Mummy and the MH x Universal Monsters "The Mummy'" Doll

This post started with a custom project...and that may never have finished if it hadn't become clear Mattel was dropping competition! This is a review of a new mummy doll by Monster High now too, as well as the original plan of detailing the mummy I designed from an older doll of theirs.

Hatter Madness 4, or "No, You've Never Seen This Character Before": Disney Parks' Attractionistas

Disney, do we need to talk?

One odd little doll line in the 2010s was the Disney Attractionistas: fashion dolls featuring rather Monster High-esque fantasy personifications of...famous rides at the Disney parks. I always wanted to like them more than I did, and never got any because I didn't. I didn't love the rendering of the faces, at least not as 3D doll heads, and the proportions and low articulation disappointed me. I felt the worst about not liking Gracey, the Haunted Mansion girl. I did like the spooky greyscale-body, color-clothes bellhop Holly from the Hollywood Tower Hotel (the trademark-free name of the building housing the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride). And then there's...Maddie the pink and blue-green Hatter girl based on the Mad Tea Party ride, with a teacup hat and polka dots and okay come on what are we doing here? 

REVISIT: Headless Headmistress Bloodgood

This doll deserved so much better than the factory gave her, and she was one of the casualties of being an early review where I wasn't yet doing justice to all of my dolls. Headmistress Bloodgood was overdue for a revisit, and the actual completion of the revisit was also overdue--it began in 2025 and stalled out!

She's a Diabolical Bozo: The Monster High Skullector "Killer Klowns" Shorty Doll by Mattel Creations

Mattel won me over with this one, if a little begrudgingly. She's just enough novelty and fun, and I appreciate a colorful doll for the summer mood. She's my Young-hee for the year. 

Witchy Wonders 3, or, "MGA, Stay Subtle" : Bratzillaz Switch-A-Witch

In the eternal MGA/Mattel feud, Monster High's monster success spawned two cash-ins by MGA: the alien-focused figurine/fashion doll line Novi Stars, and the more direct competitor: Bratzillaz. And it's high time I talked about the latter.

Witchy Wonders Interlude: Effanbee Yellow Brick Road Travelers!

When selecting Effanbee dolls for my second Witchy Wonders post, I ended up getting three extra non-witch Oz dolls--two as part of a bundle to get the witch for cheaper than getting her solo and complete would be, and one as a lucky find of a design I loved!

Hatter Madness 3, or "Hullo, TT&T readers! I'm Madeline Hatter from Ever After High! Oh, am I hijacking the title?"

Hatter Madness rolls around again, and for the first time in this series, I landed in familiar doll territory!

Familiar? Hmm...I don't know how familiar you mean if I've never met you before!

Hatter Madness Interlude II: Losing My Head for Effanbee's Queen of Hearts

I'm not doing a Queen of Hearts doll series. But I keep finding Queens of Hearts I love and want to review! I've added a new blog tag for dolls based on this character now, since this is now my third being reviewed here! So who is this one?

It's Whatever It Wants to Be: The Monster High Skullector "Ghostbusters" Gozer Doll by Mattel Creations

Monster High Pride isn't over with Spelldon and Valentine! Mattel dropping a pretty darn genderqueer licensed horror character during June simply couldn't be coincidental, and I saw what they were doing! I love my queer dolls, and I love having multiple to celebrate for Pride in one year. I had a lovely time in 2025 with Welcome Committee Frankie and the Witch Weaver. The Weaver was a '24 release in autumn which I selected for last June, but Mattel did have two covert Pride releases last year with Frankie and Elvira v2. I just didn't get Elvira. Shame on me, I know.

But what about Gozer?

Hatter Madness Interlude I: A Customization Journey Of Shifting Sizes!

This post was split from my second Hatter Madness review, since, despite being integral to its production, this side avenue's content got too long (and took far too long!) to include in the post. Since I wanted to keep the series moving, this became an interlude, and this interlude practice will continue for other review series which have tangents or tie-ins far too long to be excused by the blog name!

Witchy Wonders 2, or "A Green Gathering": Effanbee Goes to the Land of Oz!

I wanted to have a classic vintage-style sweet entry in this look at witch dolls, but Madame Alexander didn't have any I found interesting or appealing enough. I want a witch to be spooky or caricatured enough, and Mme. A's witches all look like sweet human little girls in costume. Fortunately, the Effanbee company provided in this niche!

Why Do Mansters Fall in Love?: The Monster High Spelldon Cauldronello/Kieran Valentine Couple Pack by Mattel

On the one hand, this doll release seemed inevitable. On the other, it seemed absolutely impossible. 

Happy Pride! Do these dolls celebrate it well?

In a Garden of Unearthly Delight: Monster High Designer Series Lenore Loomington by Mattel Creations

Two springs ago, the Monster High Designer Series was announced, with the exciting concept of debuting brand-new G1-style monster characters reflecting the signature of one designer on the MH team--naturally, senior designer Rebecca Shipman, responsible for some of my favorites, was the first to make a doll for the line: Lenore Loomington, the Gothic garden ghost. And she was revealed to the sound of thunderous...crickets. 

Just What I Wanted: LEGO Minifigures Series 29

It's time for another review of a new Minifigures series...though I'm frankly surprised to be able to say so.

Witchy Wonders 1, or "Cinema's First Iconic Witch": The "Snow White" Hag in the Doll World!

While I may be out there calling myself the Walt Disney Corporation's #1 cynical hater most of the time, and am roundly determined to never even approach "Disney adult" status, I still enjoy the artistic product often, especially from prior decades and the Disney history--you know, when artist effort seemed more prominent and strong. And when I made the extremely dangerous search of "vintage plastic witch doll", one particular Disney villain popped up and I was sold. 

Introduction to Witchy Wonders!

Yeah, I'm running another series parallel to Hatter Madness! 

Hatter Madness 2, or "Nearly Truly Tenniel": The Barbie Silver Label Alice Collection!

This doll was the reason I committed to a whole project of Alice Hatter dolls. One of the forthcoming dolls was likely going to be reviewed this year regardless, but when I discovered this particular doll existed last December, I needed him absolutely. I could have gotten him immediately, but instead I realized I found a niche series topic I could chain with other doll Hatters, both on my radar and newly discovered. Barbie making a Mad Hatter is not super unusual...but this art style, with proportions inspired by the illustrations? That instantly made him a must-have.

Picking Bones, Part 4: Did River Reap the Rewards?

Well, isn't this a poetic moment.

Seeing If She's All She's Cracked Up to Be: The Jakks Pacific 14-Inch "Oz: The Great and Powerful" China Girl Doll

This is probably my second-most overdue review, as this is the other doll I kept from my original teen-years doll collection, and I've cited her in multiple reviews prior. Last year, I finally covered my precious Feisty/Love Inner Monster, who also survived my teen-collection cull, but she needed replacement parts to be presentable. This doll, however, has been patiently waiting and had been reviewable the whole time I've owned her.

Venus McFlytrap Just Won't Quit: G1 Boo-riginal Creeproduction and G3 Self-Scare Secrets!

When given the opportunity to get Creeproduction Venus, I said yes. She has enough bright spots to be worth reviewing. I also took this as my opportunity to catch up on the G3 character, who has given me no reason to pass on her yet. 

BONUS PHOTOSHOOT: Skullector Scarah Screams

This is a fairly quick return to an older doll subject, and won't be a long post, but I'd promised it in the review itself. 

Sadie's Deathday Party (LDD Roundup #15)

 It's April 26, and you know what that means: it's Sadie's deathday!

Warning for very irreverent use of grim imagery.

An Outfit That'll Pop Your Party Balloons: Monster High G3 "Scary Sweet Birthday" Frankie Stein by Mattel

This was a long time coming. And there's absolutely no excuse.

Eggy's Easter Hunt

Easter is pretty darn low on my list of holidays personally. I don't love the pastel aesthetics and cutesy animals, but it can still be fun to get festive. I'd been thinking of using Living Dead Dolls' character Eggzorcist, the Easter bunny girl, as a holiday feature since her Return doll was revealed...but she shipped in autumn so that plan was a bust. I thought of doing something the next spring, but sacrificed the idea to keep my schedule lighter, along with discarding the "Sadie's deathday party" idea for the same reason. Now, though? Now, I could. (And I plan to do the Sadie project too!)

Hatter Madness 1, or "A Cozy Crumpet": Madame Alexander's Storyland Collection!

Hatter Madness is ready to begin! So who's first to tea? Well, what about a little Madame Alexander doll?

Introduction to Hatter Madness!

I was wondering what to do this year that would be especially tea-themed. I like upholding my brand, but series of tea dolls aren't the easiest to construct now that I've done the two directly tea-themed doll lines I'm interested in (LDD Series 23 and Monster High G3 Garden Mysteries). Then, I was struck by the fact that there were, in fact, multiple disparate dolls based on the Wonderland Hatter that were interesting to me, so why not make a loose series of that? 

Mechanical Marvels, Part 3: Robecca Returns!

I hadn't expected my first post in this series to get a sequel, let alone a third installment! Here, we're bringing back attention to Robecca Steam, because after years of inactivity in the brand (she was last seen in 2016), Robecca's finally come back both ways--with a Creeproduction of her signature G1 doll and with her signature G3 debut! Both of these dolls have felt fairly overdue--it's been a couple years of asking "when's Robecca coming back?"

"Now SERVING" or "Dolls Divided 3/2": The Monster High Skullector "Beetlejuice" Waiting Room Two-Pack, and a Zombini/Viv Revisit!

...so Mattel made a fool out of me. Remember how last year, I did a two-half project about two-half gimmick horror dolls which split apart at the waist, comparing the body designs of brand-new Monster High manananggal Corazón Marikit and classic Living Dead Dolls' unfortunate magician's assistant Viv? Yeah, well, turns out I should have waited a year, I guess, because it turned out Mattel was adapting the bisecting concept to the exact same murdered magician's assistant concept as Viv. It's a real Doofenshmirtz's Nickels situation here. There aren't many dolls in this type, but weird that it happened twice. Poor Viv never got her timing right--first an incomplete solo review in 2024, then a review of her full two-pack set ahead of her ideal MH counterpart! And now I don't know what this post is. I can't very well add a third half to the two I wrote. It's unmathematical. Is this a third in a series or a separate review that happens to be a follow-up to a duology? Yes. 

Warnings for very bloody imagery as pertains to the LDD half of this discussion, and discussion related to, and imagery alluding to, suicide as pertains to Miss Argentina.

Death Drops on the Runway: Living Dead Dolls Fashion Victims Wave 2 Complete

I never thought I would have this group. How did it all turn out?

Absolutely Losing My Mind: Living Dead Dolls Fashion Victims SYBIL!!!

Oh, what a journey to reach this review. 

Did I Get Burned?: Living Dead Dolls Fashion Victims Inferno

Time for the third doll in my Fashion Victims Wave 2 series! On the one hand, this might have been a doll I could pass on altogether. On the other, she might be one of the best designs in the small FV line!