Totally cute, right?
The core line has six dolls; four of them are considered "basic" while the other two are "deluxe". There are also two different 2-packs but I didn't see those at the store, just the solo dolls. I hemmed and hawed a bit before grabbing the three I decided I most liked. Since I really know nothing about the show or characters I chose strictly based on looks. I ended up with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack. I haven't opened Applejack yet but Rainbow Dash and Rarity have been freed from their cardboard stables. I think the dolls are really interesting and wanted to talk about them a little today. Not a review per se, more of a general overview. Nothing too in-depth, for sure. But with a few random opinions and box scans and stuff. Which sounds like a review. I'm not really sure what this post is, actually. Hey look! There's Rainbow Dash!
Rainbow Dash is one of the deluxe dolls. In addition to two complete outfits she comes with several small extras. These include a bracelet, a pair of clip-on earrings, a backpack, removable wings, a small brush, and a barrette with an extra-long lock of purple and red streaked hair attached. (The box says this barrette is "for you and me!", but my hair is buzzed so I sadly have nowhere to clip it on. It's fun to imagine how I'd look with one long strand of purple and red hair, though. Tee hee.) She also comes with a collector's card (talk to me Hasbro, you know all the right words!), sticker sheet, and one of the coolest toy booklets I've come across in quite a while. Her box is a simple rectangle with a cellophane window. Considering it's nigh impossible to find a doll nowadays whose box isn't asymmetrical or rounded in some way, the simplicity of this package is welcome.
Of course the doll itself is the big draw here, and to me at least, she doesn't disappoint. RD stands about eight or nine inches tall. She has light blue skin, very similar to Abbey's skin tone but just a tad bolder. She's articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. Her joints work very much like an MH doll; she can hold a lot of poses. One of the coolest things about these dolls is that they can stand on their own quite easily. This is thanks to their disproportionately large boots which I'll get to in a second.
RD has gigantic purple eyes and blue, glittery eyeshadow. She has bold, red lips in an open smile showing white teeth; her nose is dainty and has almost no definition. Under her left eye is a small, rainbow colored lightning bolt. I seriously can't get over how adorable her face is! She has an eager, excited expression that's hard to resist. It's very winsome, I guess you could say. Her hair fittingly comes in a rainbow of primary colors. Her red and yellow bangs are sideswept and came out of the box with just a hint of gel applied. She has a long, straight ponytail in an array of colors. Underneath the ponytail is one extra-long lock of hair in blue and purple. It touches the ground and everything -- it's way exaggerated in length. I've heard this is meant to represent the tail she has when in pony form but I really have no idea. The texture of her hair is fairly nice. Not amazing, but not cheap either. There's some odd rooting going on with RD. Her bangs have very large spaces between the rows, and above the extra-long lock of hair in back is a large gap. However these are covered up well by the way the hair in both spots lays so it's not too big an issue, for me anyway.
Being "deluxe" in the doll world means lots of clothes so RD has two full outfits. Neither of them blow me away, at least in terms of style. But they're well-made, utilizing a nice knit with mostly hemmed edges. They certainly don't take away from the doll. My favorite pieces are probably her rainbow arm cuffs. Well, and her boots. Both pairs are pretty amazing if you ask me! She comes wearing the red ones with the silver wing detailing. These are my favorites, mostly because I love the look of the wings. They're done in that vaguely mythological style that was big in the 70's and early 80's, a bit like Wonder Woman. The other pair of boots is much simpler. They come in solid, deep blue with red straps and one of them has a cloud and lightning bolt design painted on it. There's not a lot to them but they're way cool nonetheless. Of course the right hand taketh what the left hand giveth, and my least favorite thing about these dolls is also contained in their boots. The boots function as the dolls feet. Their legs end in pegs that snap into the boots, so if you want your doll to go shoe-less for a while you're SOL. You see this style of "foot" every now and then on dolls and I never like it. These at least function well, rotating in their sockets so you can pose the doll several different ways. The exaggerated size threw me off at first but once you realize they're made that way so the doll can stand on her own they make sense.
Rarity is a basic doll and has some notable differences from RD. The biggest is her articulation -- she doesn't have the elbow and knee joints that RD has. Otherwise she functions exactly the same as RD. It seems odd to have two dolls in the same line have different articulation. I'm not sure why they did it, to be honest. That said, Rarity's simpler articulation does have some pluses. Her solid legs help her stand much more easily than RD. RD's knee joints are a tad loose so it usually takes a little "doing" to get her to stand. Not so with Rarity, who stands so easily you imagine you could drop her and she'd still land on her feet, all stealthy and cat-like. Rarity also has a much simpler outfit than RD. She has a painted on leotard and a skirt she wears over it. It's not unlike She-Ra, actually. Rarity's torso has a couple of molded "folds" to give the painted bodice a touch of realism. RD has this too but it's much less noticeable since she's wearing actual clothes. Rarity's box is slimmer than RD's and she comes with far less extras, just her brush and sunglasses. Oh, she also has a collector's card and the same sticker sheet and booklet as RD.
Rarity has pure white skin and long, wavy, purple hair. It's softer than RD's and seems to be rooted a tad more thickly. She also has an extra-long lock of hair in back, but it's the same color as the rest of her hair and isn't as noticeable. Her facemold looks the same as RD's but her mouth is solid pink with no teeth showing. She has massive blue eyes topped by electric blue liner and glittery, purple eyeshadow. Three blue diamonds decorate her right cheek. Rarity doesn't look as eager as RD, probably because her smile is painted closed. She has a very pronounced white diamond reflection in her eyes. It gives her a kind of bittersweet, somewhat thoughtful expression. I really love it.
Her painted on leotard is light blue and textured with glitter. Purple diamonds adorn the bust. Her skirt is nothing to write home about but it gets the job done. It's not hemmed at the bottom but it is pleated with ribbon at the top and has sparkling netting laid over it so there are a few interesting details. Her boots are purple and have molded gathering leading to a row of blue diamonds in the center. I don't like them as much as RD's silver-winged boots but they certainly have an appeal of their own. Rarity's glasses are translucent lavender and have heart-shaped frames -- cute! They look kind of weird on her face in my opinion, but perched on her head? Perfect! Rarity doesn't come with wings but she has the same hole in her back that RD does so she is wing compatible. I actually didn't even think to try them on her, I'll have to see how that looks!
The scuttlebutt is that these dolls haven't been well received, especially by the brony community. Taking a step back, I can kind of see why. For starters, there's the matter of those unattractive prototypes I mentioned earlier. It wasn't until I saw the Equestria Girls in person that I was won over. As for the actual, manufactured dolls, they're super cute but also kind of odd looking. They have human bodies but their faces are an odd amalgamation of horse and human that leaves them looking more like an alien/fairy hybrid. This totally works for me but I can see a lot of people being turned off by it. Those horse ears they have poking up through their hair may bother some, as well. These are supposedly meant to compete with MH but I think we can all agree these don't pose a threat. With fashion dolls the clothes are of the utmost importance and as far as playlines are concerned, no one has their finger on the pulse of what's hot like MH. Moving beyond MH comparisons, these dolls are a tad short and limited in overall scope to really appeal to hardcore fashion doll collectors, I feel.
All that said, I really like these dolls! To me their clothes are beside the point. The real appeal of these dolls are the unique faces and bright, shiny hair. Poseability ain't too shabby either, not even on the simpler body of the basic dolls. I think in general they're pretty weird looking but I still like them! They're definitely loaded with personality but that may be a double-edged sword. If you can't get on board with their quirkiness it's doubtful you'll be able to find an "in" with them. Quality isn't amazing, they're like a 7 or 8 out of 10 in that regard. But I'm already planning on picking up Pinkie Pie (and the Sunset Shimmer/Twilight Sparkle set if they have it), the next time I'm at TRU; that's probably all you need to know as far as my opinion on their value. Now I feel kind of bad for that mini-tirade I went into against the ponies a couple months ago. I do wonder if they'll find an audience beyond kids, though. Bronies seem pretty turned off by them in general and fashion doll collectors can get a better fix elsewhere. It'll be interesting to see if Equestria Girls take off in a big way or only find a small, niche audience. The doll community is very split on them so it's entirely possible they'll simply disappear, becoming a small, curious blip in doll history. Personally I hope they stick around. They're cool dolls and there's lots of potential for future lines, playsets, and new characters. I guess we'll see...
What do you guys think of these odd little dolls? Are they cool? Weird? A little of both? If you want me to do a similar write-up on Applejack (and Pinkie Pie when I get her), let me know! I think they're really fun dolls so I definitely wouldn't be against discussing even more of them!
With her abundant rainbow flourishes, Rainbow Dash could be the official doll of Pride.
Which is to say, she's totally awesome and adorable!
Rainbow Dash is one of the deluxe dolls. In addition to two complete outfits she comes with several small extras. These include a bracelet, a pair of clip-on earrings, a backpack, removable wings, a small brush, and a barrette with an extra-long lock of purple and red streaked hair attached. (The box says this barrette is "for you and me!", but my hair is buzzed so I sadly have nowhere to clip it on. It's fun to imagine how I'd look with one long strand of purple and red hair, though. Tee hee.) She also comes with a collector's card (talk to me Hasbro, you know all the right words!), sticker sheet, and one of the coolest toy booklets I've come across in quite a while. Her box is a simple rectangle with a cellophane window. Considering it's nigh impossible to find a doll nowadays whose box isn't asymmetrical or rounded in some way, the simplicity of this package is welcome.
Box back. Yes, I love this artwork and overall design.
Each doll's box features her face split in the middle and bridging the box back and spine.
It's pretty amazing. And I love RD's fierce facial expression here!
Give it up for collector's cards, y'all!
With each doll you get stickers for all six core characters. Sweet!
Of course the doll itself is the big draw here, and to me at least, she doesn't disappoint. RD stands about eight or nine inches tall. She has light blue skin, very similar to Abbey's skin tone but just a tad bolder. She's articulated at the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. Her joints work very much like an MH doll; she can hold a lot of poses. One of the coolest things about these dolls is that they can stand on their own quite easily. This is thanks to their disproportionately large boots which I'll get to in a second.
How can you not love that exuberant face! She's so full of life!
The wings are pretty groovy. They have some intricate molding and a nice translucency.
I just wish they stayed in a little better.
RD has gigantic purple eyes and blue, glittery eyeshadow. She has bold, red lips in an open smile showing white teeth; her nose is dainty and has almost no definition. Under her left eye is a small, rainbow colored lightning bolt. I seriously can't get over how adorable her face is! She has an eager, excited expression that's hard to resist. It's very winsome, I guess you could say. Her hair fittingly comes in a rainbow of primary colors. Her red and yellow bangs are sideswept and came out of the box with just a hint of gel applied. She has a long, straight ponytail in an array of colors. Underneath the ponytail is one extra-long lock of hair in blue and purple. It touches the ground and everything -- it's way exaggerated in length. I've heard this is meant to represent the tail she has when in pony form but I really have no idea. The texture of her hair is fairly nice. Not amazing, but not cheap either. There's some odd rooting going on with RD. Her bangs have very large spaces between the rows, and above the extra-long lock of hair in back is a large gap. However these are covered up well by the way the hair in both spots lays so it's not too big an issue, for me anyway.
The earrings are simple but function really well.
They stay clipped on her ears much better than the wings stay plugged in on her back.
Being "deluxe" in the doll world means lots of clothes so RD has two full outfits. Neither of them blow me away, at least in terms of style. But they're well-made, utilizing a nice knit with mostly hemmed edges. They certainly don't take away from the doll. My favorite pieces are probably her rainbow arm cuffs. Well, and her boots. Both pairs are pretty amazing if you ask me! She comes wearing the red ones with the silver wing detailing. These are my favorites, mostly because I love the look of the wings. They're done in that vaguely mythological style that was big in the 70's and early 80's, a bit like Wonder Woman. The other pair of boots is much simpler. They come in solid, deep blue with red straps and one of them has a cloud and lightning bolt design painted on it. There's not a lot to them but they're way cool nonetheless. Of course the right hand taketh what the left hand giveth, and my least favorite thing about these dolls is also contained in their boots. The boots function as the dolls feet. Their legs end in pegs that snap into the boots, so if you want your doll to go shoe-less for a while you're SOL. You see this style of "foot" every now and then on dolls and I never like it. These at least function well, rotating in their sockets so you can pose the doll several different ways. The exaggerated size threw me off at first but once you realize they're made that way so the doll can stand on her own they make sense.
Love!
Love these, too!
The backpack. It functions well but is too small to really hold much.
Ouch! Good thing I can fly!
Rarity is a basic doll and has some notable differences from RD. The biggest is her articulation -- she doesn't have the elbow and knee joints that RD has. Otherwise she functions exactly the same as RD. It seems odd to have two dolls in the same line have different articulation. I'm not sure why they did it, to be honest. That said, Rarity's simpler articulation does have some pluses. Her solid legs help her stand much more easily than RD. RD's knee joints are a tad loose so it usually takes a little "doing" to get her to stand. Not so with Rarity, who stands so easily you imagine you could drop her and she'd still land on her feet, all stealthy and cat-like. Rarity also has a much simpler outfit than RD. She has a painted on leotard and a skirt she wears over it. It's not unlike She-Ra, actually. Rarity's torso has a couple of molded "folds" to give the painted bodice a touch of realism. RD has this too but it's much less noticeable since she's wearing actual clothes. Rarity's box is slimmer than RD's and she comes with far less extras, just her brush and sunglasses. Oh, she also has a collector's card and the same sticker sheet and booklet as RD.
Box back. I love the little strut she's got going on here.
Sidenote: too bad the dolls' outfits aren't nearly as interesting as the rendered ones on these boxes.
Also, Catrine, is that you?
Rarity has pure white skin and long, wavy, purple hair. It's softer than RD's and seems to be rooted a tad more thickly. She also has an extra-long lock of hair in back, but it's the same color as the rest of her hair and isn't as noticeable. Her facemold looks the same as RD's but her mouth is solid pink with no teeth showing. She has massive blue eyes topped by electric blue liner and glittery, purple eyeshadow. Three blue diamonds decorate her right cheek. Rarity doesn't look as eager as RD, probably because her smile is painted closed. She has a very pronounced white diamond reflection in her eyes. It gives her a kind of bittersweet, somewhat thoughtful expression. I really love it.
What a sweetie! Love her semi-plaintive eyes. They're so endearing.
This is how you do a doll brush!
Unique, interesting, and even a bit beguiling. (The look on the girl's face, that is.)
Her painted on leotard is light blue and textured with glitter. Purple diamonds adorn the bust. Her skirt is nothing to write home about but it gets the job done. It's not hemmed at the bottom but it is pleated with ribbon at the top and has sparkling netting laid over it so there are a few interesting details. Her boots are purple and have molded gathering leading to a row of blue diamonds in the center. I don't like them as much as RD's silver-winged boots but they certainly have an appeal of their own. Rarity's glasses are translucent lavender and have heart-shaped frames -- cute! They look kind of weird on her face in my opinion, but perched on her head? Perfect! Rarity doesn't come with wings but she has the same hole in her back that RD does so she is wing compatible. I actually didn't even think to try them on her, I'll have to see how that looks!
Hmm, the glasses look a bit odd here to me.
A bit better here.
Okay, this looks pretty damn cute!
But for my taste, planted on top of her head is the best place for them. Love this look!
The scuttlebutt is that these dolls haven't been well received, especially by the brony community. Taking a step back, I can kind of see why. For starters, there's the matter of those unattractive prototypes I mentioned earlier. It wasn't until I saw the Equestria Girls in person that I was won over. As for the actual, manufactured dolls, they're super cute but also kind of odd looking. They have human bodies but their faces are an odd amalgamation of horse and human that leaves them looking more like an alien/fairy hybrid. This totally works for me but I can see a lot of people being turned off by it. Those horse ears they have poking up through their hair may bother some, as well. These are supposedly meant to compete with MH but I think we can all agree these don't pose a threat. With fashion dolls the clothes are of the utmost importance and as far as playlines are concerned, no one has their finger on the pulse of what's hot like MH. Moving beyond MH comparisons, these dolls are a tad short and limited in overall scope to really appeal to hardcore fashion doll collectors, I feel.
Booklet front, part one.
Booklet front, part two.
Booklet back, part one.
Booklet back, part two.
By the way, each sheet of the booklet is perforated so you can easily separate them.
All that said, I really like these dolls! To me their clothes are beside the point. The real appeal of these dolls are the unique faces and bright, shiny hair. Poseability ain't too shabby either, not even on the simpler body of the basic dolls. I think in general they're pretty weird looking but I still like them! They're definitely loaded with personality but that may be a double-edged sword. If you can't get on board with their quirkiness it's doubtful you'll be able to find an "in" with them. Quality isn't amazing, they're like a 7 or 8 out of 10 in that regard. But I'm already planning on picking up Pinkie Pie (and the Sunset Shimmer/Twilight Sparkle set if they have it), the next time I'm at TRU; that's probably all you need to know as far as my opinion on their value. Now I feel kind of bad for that mini-tirade I went into against the ponies a couple months ago. I do wonder if they'll find an audience beyond kids, though. Bronies seem pretty turned off by them in general and fashion doll collectors can get a better fix elsewhere. It'll be interesting to see if Equestria Girls take off in a big way or only find a small, niche audience. The doll community is very split on them so it's entirely possible they'll simply disappear, becoming a small, curious blip in doll history. Personally I hope they stick around. They're cool dolls and there's lots of potential for future lines, playsets, and new characters. I guess we'll see...
I love the MLP:EG artwork, so let's look at our characters individually.
First up we have Rainbow Dash.
Rarity
Applejack
Fluttershy
Twilight Sparkle
Pinkie Pie
Bye for now, ladies!
