Monster High is back in stores Friday the 13th.

[RonnyG]

Monster High dolls on clearance at Walmart for $12.00??? I was watching this video, and this girl got one for $12. Is this just her store?

[Werewolf]

I didn't really think you could get the skirt any shorter than the first version, but there you go.

After I took the picture I futzed around with the skirt a bit. I pulled down the lace under skirt and took a seem ripper to the stitch holding the belt in place so I could adjust it better. It's still shorter but a bit less noticeable. I have an extra series 1 Frankie I still might swap the dress on for display if it starts to really bug me.

Is Frankie's stiches under her eye the same size as the original? I have a few Frankie thrift shop dolls and there are some subtle differences.

All the face paint has been slightly tweaked. Mostly the eye spacing. But I can't really see much of a difference with the stitching.

[RonnyG]

Is Frankie's stiches under her eye the same size as the original? I have a few Frankie thrift shop dolls and there are some subtle differences.
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[rche]

I didn't really think you could get the skirt any shorter than the first version, but there you go.

I checked in at my local for these, and they don't have them. Looks like Lagoona is gone from the online ordering as well. I am wondering if these will even show up in my area at all. I hope so. The timing seems to be pretty good for the kid nostalgia as my kiddo was interested in seeing if they could find a few of the Creeproductions and even took out the boxes of their collection that have been in storage for the past 3-4 years.

[Werewolf]

Glad you got them , too, and thanks for the comparisons!

Thanks! I'm glad you found them useful.

Frankie 2010, 2015, 2022.

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The 2015 Frankie doesn't suffer as much as some of the other Original Ghouls Collection. Her jewelry and shoes are missing paint detail and her lace underskirt is now just sewn on trim. The 2022 Frankie has a shorter skirt. The 2022 Frankie finally has the poofy top knot on hair like the illustrations always did. The previous two had her hair pulled back flat on top. Her pet, Watzit, looks to be from the same mold but they did change the markings on the back of his wings. The 2022 pets are also all made out of a softer plastic. The new Watzit isn't painted as cleanly as the 2010 version but that just could be my copy.

[RonnyG]

Glad you got them , too, and thanks for the comparisons! It really is remarkable that this doll line has already had 2 reissues in only a short 12 year span. I'm also glad Mattel finally listened to fans and got it right this time, and made them affordable, too!

[Werewolf]

Draculaura 2010, 2015, 2022

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The 2015 Original Ghouls Collection budget reissue really sticks out with the printed top with no real buttons or stitching. The 2015 reissues also didn't have the greatest quality control and the earrings would often be poked in the wrong place missing the molded in ear pierced spots. I had to replace the black pigtail rubber bands on my original Draculaura. They crumbed with age.

If you have the 2022 Creeproductions you really don't need to hunt down the originals anymore. I think they are actually a bit nicer. Good on Mattel for reissuing them in such a high quality in a very reasonable price point.

[Werewolf]

Just got mine today. Some quick observations:

The clothes are excellent. I am amazed at how very close they are to the originals. Nothing like the cheapened clothes of the Original Ghouls Collection reissues from 2015. The bodies look the same as the 2010 dolls but aren't the same. The legs are not strung and the pins that hold the lower arms on are much larger. This is only noticeable when you pull them out. The original bodies are marked 2008 and the new ones are marked 2021. The stands are marked differently. Mattel inc 2008 on the originals and just Mattel 2008 on the new ones. The colors are different. For example, the original Frankie stand is light grey and the new one is silvery and Lagoona's went from pearlized white to just white.

The dolls paint masks are different. It's very subtle. The eyes are closer together (I think the widely spaced eyes was an error on the original dolls) and Lagoona's eyes are slightly smaller. I've seen some reviews that mentioned the new Draculaura's skin is a brighter pink. I'm not sure of that. Looks about the same to me. Maybe their original dolls faded a touch? The original Frankie's hair had a very slight tinge of yellow to the silver. The new one is just silver. The new Lagoona has more blue in her hair. The new Clawdeen has the later clawed werewolf hands. The original one had the regular human hands. Which, again, I think was an error. The hands are also very soft and rubbery on the new dolls opposed to the hard plastic of the originals.

Lastly, no glue in the hair! Huzzah!

Overall, I think these are so close the originals you would be hard pressed to spot the differences unless you were really examining them closely.

Edit: I forgot to mention, they changed the dates on the diaries and they no longer contain the web codes on the first page. Because, you know, the website is long gone.

[rche]

The biggest improvement I'm looking forward to is Mattel no longer uses glue to root the hair. Original MH dolls are very prone to glue seepage from the heads gummying up their hair. Some of them are a real mess. Just nasty. They also don't use the original first run bodies. Those were very delicate and the limbs were kind of loose for posing and came off easily. The legs of the early run dolls were also strung with elastic.

I recall the elastic strung legs now that you mention it. The first Frankie and Draculaura my kiddo had were like that and I remember thinking about MEGO similarities at the time.
So - there will be construction clues that will let folks know these are not original and I am supposing a copyright on the head and body somewhere as well. I noted that the boxes were marked as reissue, just was wondering about how difficult it would be to tell a loose figure. I am guessing at 5' distance you would not know the difference.

[Werewolf]

The biggest improvement I'm looking forward to is Mattel no longer uses glue to root the hair. Original MH dolls are very prone to glue seepage from the heads gummying up their hair. Some of them are a real mess. Just nasty. They also don't use the original first run bodies. Those were very delicate and the limbs were kind of loose for posing and came off easily. The legs of the early run dolls were also strung with elastic.

[RonnyG]

It also says, Boo-riginal Creeproduction inside the box, so there's no mistaking these from the originals.
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[Werewolf]

Not that bad, and they had some fun goods and accessories, so hopefully all that is included still as well. How are they differentiating these from the OG? (original ghouls)

Everything the original dolls came with are included. Pet, comb, stand and diary. The boxes are pretty nice homages, but they are noticeably different and the text is in multiple languages now.

[rche]

back in the day, those retailed for 19.99, right? So, +5 for 12 years later and some nostalgia. Not that bad, and they had some fun goods and accessories, so hopefully all that is included still as well. How are they differentiating these from the OG? (original ghouls)

[monitor_ep]

Hey do look like the original boxes so that's good.

[RonnyG]

Congrats! I ordered mine from Walmart.com. They are supposedly coming by the end of the week. None of the stores near me were listed as having them as well.

Thanks! Looking forward to your review and comparison pics! I think I'll leave mine in the box for now to see how things go. I already have a bunch of MH dolls in various conditions that I got at the thrift shop so I already know what it's like to hold and pose them. If they do eventually go on clearance, then I'll buy a second set to open.