Ghoulia’s outfit is a nice extension on her usual retro look. Her dress has an interesting red, gray, and white blood pattern that matches nicely with her white “leather” jacket. The jacket only has that leathery look on the outside, and unfortunately looks a bit cheap on the inside. Rounding out her look are crossbones earrings and thigh high biker boots. All together this outfit gives her a very 1960’s mod look, which fits her character and matches the scooter really well.
Ghoulia has the same articulation as the rest of the girl dolls. Her head’s on a ball joint, while her shoulders, elbows, wrists, and knees are swivel hinges. One thing I was really happy to see is that her hips are also the new swivel hinge joints instead of the elastic band. This certainly makes posing her legs much easier.
Even though this new Ghoulia figure is great, the real gem of the set is her Scooter. The traditional looking scooter body has been modified a bit with a bizarre style. Cute details like red and black streamers on the handlebars are meshed together with the grotesque. Like a spinal column that runs along the floorboard, or a kickstand is made up of bones. The front “basket” that holds her pet is comprised of a rib cage, while the headlight on her handlebars is an enormous eyeball, and her seat has a quilted brain pattern. There’s even a little casket shaped storage compartment on back. Ghoulia’s ride is the perfect pairing of Vespa and Lovecraft.
As for action, both the scooter’s wheels spin, and the front wheel turns when you turn the handlebars. Also, the kickstand folds back for easy rolling.
Most of the scooter is molded the color that it needs to be. The only painted area seems to be the white stripe that runs down the front. It looks pretty decent, but there are a couple of areas where the white edges begin to blur a bit.
Along with the paint, there are a few stickers to add more technical detail. The speedometer/fuel /heat gauges below the handlebars are nicely done. There’s even little cracks printed on the sticker. I also love the blood splattered license plate that reads “BRAINS”. The cherry stickers on the side of her bike look good, but weren’t put on quite as expertly. There are definite wrinkles from where the stickers weren’t pushed down smoothly. They also used stickers for the mirrors. They’re technically reflective, but everything is warped and distorted.
There are a few accessories that come with this set. First up is Ghoulia’s pet owl, Sir Hoots A Lot. He’s the same mold as the one that came with her basic figure. He does have his own helmet/goggles for riding safely in the front basket. Ghoulia also comes with her own helmet and goggles, which replaces the glasses she’s usually sporting. She also has a backpack that’s shaped like a tombstone, and there’s a little skeleton hand zipper sticking out the side. Lastly, there’s a green and white drink that fits nicely in the little basket above the spinal cord.
If you don’t care about getting the figure, you can find the Scooter and accessories for about $20. But the Toys R Us version is only about ten dollars more. I definitely think it’s worth spending the extra money. The Scooter itself is a great piece with some really nice detail, plus you get a great looking Ghoulia doll for cheaper than she’d go for at retail.
I hope you all enjoyed my guest review. I’ll still be posting regularly here at IAT, but if you just can’t get enough of me then hop over to MonsterHighFearbook.com!
-Vault
Was sold on this before the review, but now I think I’m going to need two of them…
(off to check out monsterhighfearbook.com now!…)
Thanks Jim!
I think you’ll like it. Mattel definitely did a good job.
awesome stuff Vault!
Thanks, Doc!
Indeed, awesome job, Vault!
I’m not going to be all sob-sister about how unfair it is this line gets scooters and cars and aquatic sleep chambers while DCU and MOTUC gets bupkis, because it does showcase the difference between a promoted, successful mass-market brand and…lines that aren’t.
So how’s the overall QC? I thought I heard they had some dodgy moments a bit ago..oh, wait, that’s what the new site is for I bet. 🙂
I don’t blame you, I compare this with Matty’s other lines too. It really amazes me to see what kind of products MOTU or DC would get if they were more popular. I think the playset is probably the biggest shocker. You can see bits of it in some of my pics, but I’ll have a review of the whole thing up soon. Getting a playset is so rare these days, and I’m positive this is the largest playset I’ve ever owned. It would be amazing to see a Castle Grayskull like this.
The QC on this figure/vehicle is pretty good overall. Not having any hair glue and using the new hips are a big bonus. The Werecat Twins was TRU’s first exclusive, and it definitely has some issues. None of those seem to be repeated with Ghoulia though.
I’m sure it sounds silly and it is a bit of a ‘given,’ but it is refreshing to learn that other fellows have taken a look at these and started collecting them. I definitely fell in love with the overall aesthetic of this line, but could never quite pull the trigger on a ‘girl’s’ toy – foolish, I realize, but now I will have a much more difficult time walking by these the next time they’re on sale.
Thanks Vault!
You’re definitely not alone, Morg! It’s funny how we’ve been programmed from an early age to not be interested in toys made for girls. I felt a bit awkward the first few times I bought one, but I’m over it now. I love toys, and these are great toys. Why should I care about anything more than that.
I have to warn you though. They’re definitely like potato chips and it’s hard to just have one or two. 😀
Warning duly noted, Vault – I need another line to collect like I need another hole in my wallet!
You’re damn right about the brainwashing though… I have pretty vivid collections of thinking my female cousins’ Barbie vehicles were pretty cool alternatives to my Joe and MOTU ones – even if they were pink lol
Yep. Not alone.
Altho my interest in the (potential) revival of Hasbro’s Jem line is more about adding females to my GI Joe Adventure Team and not any real nostalgia for the line. 🙂
And we’ll just quietly not discuss my burning passion for Imaginext and how happy I am to discover many of the ‘Robot Police’ items I thought to be long-gone are still for sale at Amazon. *cough cough*
I fell for the line the day I saw the first one in the store. Just knew it was going to be a huge hit and made it a point to show everyone I could the crazy, new line Mattel was putting out. I remember showing a co-worker a Lagoona doll during one of the rare moments we had any dolls in-stock that first year, he looked at the doll, read the bio on the back then looked at the doll again and said “is it wrong that I think she’s hot?…”. Just wish I’d had the money to start collecting them that same day. Just started putting my collection together a few months ago and playing catch-up is painful on the wallet with these. Hopefully all of the signature dolls will get a re-release soon so they won’t be as painful…
“Lastly, there’s a green and white drink that fits nicely in the little basket above the spinal cord.” Taken out of context, this is probably the most bizarre line ever.
Nice job, Vault! ^^
I think you may be right. 😀
I really like the look of these, but haven’t picked any up. My slightly obsessive nature means picking up one of anything pretty much means I’ve signed a contract to get the entire line, including exclusives. It can be dangerous.
So for now I will enjoy these from afar and keep checking the new site out.
Great review, as always
Jo
Thanks You,
Me and my expensive Godzilla collection know exactly what you mean when it comes to expensive obsessive habits. 😛
may you please post more reviews of this dolls?
I’ll be doing regular Monster High reviews on MonsterHighFearbook.com
Thanks for the review! It seems tough to find decent reviews of the MH line! Especially with the way they are still flying off the shelves these days. I saw this at TRU the other day and now I’m kicking myself for not buying it right then and there. Keep up the great work and will definitely check out the other MH website!
Thanks Spectra. I figured I might as well start reviewing all these dolls I keep buying. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with the releases. 😛
Can’t wait to see you around the site!
Man I admit these catch my eye everytime. The monster love gets me but nobody in the fam wants them.
Forget the fam. Do it for you! 😀