Moxie Teenz Arizona and Bijou

I purchased Arizona (doll on left) along with Tristen (not shown) about 2 months ago, but Bijou was pretty elusive and did not make an appearance here until a few weeks ago. A number of people on various message boards made comments that MGA has a habit of being stingy with the African American versions of their dolls. The general consensus being that Bijou was the African American doll among them.

To be honest, I almost overlooked Bijou on TRU's shelves. I had made a habit of flipping through all of the Moxie Teenz dolls over the previous weeks in hopes of finding her. On all previous trips, only Tristen, Melrose, and Arizona were in attendance. Even after encountering the brown hand seen through the side of the packaging, I assumed that this search would prove as fruitless as all the others. It wasn't until something in my head clicked that Arizona was not wearing fur or pink sleeves that I actually took a closer look!

Indeed it was Bijou, but I quickly wondered what all the hoopla was about. Except for different eye colors and outfits, I could scarcely tell them apart! I would guess that Bijou might be a shade darker, but not much and her hair is actually straighter than Arizona's!

Whatever....they are both beautiful dolls, whatever their ethnicity and I like them both.

Evangeline Not So Ghastly!

She is finally here and I absolutely love her! I haven't yet had time to play with her, but she is fierce and appeals to my "dark side...."

De-box Frenzy!

Last week, I took advantage of the incredible sale on the Integrity Toys website. I ordered Monsieur Z Jungle Fever and Boogie Beach Reese (2nd and 3rd from the right). Upon their arrival, I started to place them on the self with my other MIB Integrity dolls, but had second thoughts; These dolls are meant to be enjoyed - not just looked at! So instead of finding shelf space for them, I liberated them from their boxes! After doing so, I heard the not-so-faint cries of the other Integrity girls saying "Me too! Me too!" Before I knew what was happening, the ITBE doll in red and Electro Pop Dayle in pink were both running around singing "Free at last, free at last!" Nadja and Adele had been de-boxed long ago, but were still packed away from last summer's move.


I simply had to find them so that they could join their sisters in a little impromptu photo shoot.



I absolutely love Integrity dolls for a number of reasons - one of which is the fact that Jason Wu seems to have an infinite number of face sculpts! Unlike Mattel and MGA, each character has her own face sculpt! I have one other Adele - an early one that I have yet to unpack, but my Integrity/Fashion Royalty collection is small in comparison to most others. Even so, the diversity is apparent. I realize that the economy has many doll manufacturers scaling back, but I am hoping that the diversity that has been a mainstay of Integrity Toys continues....

Monster High Dawn of the Dance

Finally received my pre-ordered Dawn of the Dance dolls from Angelic Dreams. I am so in love with these dolls - more so than I was with the first two - Clawdeen Wolf and Draculara! From online pics, I was preparing for Clawdeen's lime green hair to be some sort of molded helmet, but I am pleasantly surprised to find that even though it has been gelled to an insane harness, it is real hair! (In time, I will be washing the goop out).

The next thing that impressed me was the ease in which they came out of the box! I spent hours last evening de-boxing some Moxies and Moxie Teenz, and it was brutal! When I decided to de-box these, I sat down with the usual tools - sharp scissors, single-edge razor, and a small paring knife. I was shocked that I only needed the scissors briefly to cut the plastic thing holding her head to the back of the box, but none of the other tools! The dolls were not plastic-tabbed to death, sewn in, with all of that stuff taped down, but all I had to do was flip a few tabs, and the dolls were free!

I love the make-up on both dolls, and the shoes - especially Cleo's are fierce! I may purchase the other 3 characters at a later date, but it certainly won't be through Angelic Dreamz!

Moxie Teenz - Really MGA?

After seeing the gorgeous online pics of these dolls, I could hardly wait for them to show up in my local stores. I didn't have to wait long, as I found them in Toys R Us about a month ago - all but Bijou anyway. As luck would have it, they were on sale - buy one, get one half off, so I purchased Arizona and Tristan. Both dolls had lovely faces, articulated bodies, and wigs! You really can't ask for much more in a fashion doll, right? Er....uh....yes we can!

The dolls retail for $26.99 not a fortune, but quite a bit when you consider the quality (or lack thereof) and lack of accessories. The dolls came with the clothes on their backs, the wig on their head, purse, a brush, and a poster - no stand! You would think that since the dolls are an odd size (14" tall) that MGA would have included a stand for her as neither Barbie-size stands, nor those for 16" fashion dolls will work for these girls. Because they are so lightweight and have arched feet, they cannot stand on their own, so the only way to pose them is to have something to lean on.

By comparison, Liv dolls are a full 2 inches shorter and weigh approximately the same.

I am not impressed with the articulation either. Though the dolls do have jointed knees, ankles, wrists, and elbows, the range of motion is minimal. As you can see in the picture, Arizona cannot even strike a hand-on-the-hip pose - the elbows just don't bend enough! I was also not impressed with her clothes. Those lace leggings are attached to her skirt - what the heck is that? These dolls are supposed to represent young adults in college - not Garanimal wearing toddlers!

Now that I have gotten those things off my chest, I must say that I do like the dolls! The faces are gorgeous and I am delighted that the heads are in much better proportion than the Liv dolls. I love that they have "real" eyelashes and inset eyes. I also like the "look" of the jewelry, but it is of very poor quality. (one of the earrings literally fell apart as I was deboxing) The boots and bag are actually really nice. I love the idea of interchangeable wigs, but the hair on this one leaves a lot to be desired. I'm not sure of the fibers used, but it is just too soft and fine. I know its just a matter of time before it becomes a tangled, matted mess and I am and adult! Can you imagine what it will look like once an 8 year old plays with it?

At any rate, though I love the "look" of these dolls, I'm not sure if I will purchase Bijou if/when she becomes available. The quality of the product does not justify the price. I think MGA has a great concept in these dolls and may have just rushed them to market a bit too soon. If the quality improves, these may prove worth collecting.