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!

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 I: 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!