That goes for this pickup, which was my first Monster High purchase ever. The doll is of the character Elissabat, who is apparently a vampire movie star, and could probably teach Bella Swan and the Cullens a thing or two about how to be freaky fabulous (as all the monster kids say). I picked her up at my local Target, which seems to have the best selection of dolls in my area, although that isn't saying much. She was a little cheaper than Frankie, about $21. The FCA doll line was released in during the fall and winter of 2013, to prepare for the spring 2014 release of the TV special, so they were fresh (but not too fresh) in the stores when I got there this March.
I should briefly note that I picked up this doll months ago when I was in my video reviewing phase. I ultimately wasn't happy with the quality of the footage, nor with my narration attempts, and realized that I was far better at providing written reviews. Of course, I decided all of this after I had made a review for the doll and thrown away her box and her diary (oops!). So this is why Miss Elissabat is missing her box, and why I had to provide a stock photo from Google for usage.
With that being said, let's take a look at her.
My first impression was that Elissabat was a far more Gothed-out version of Draculaura, one of the main characters of the series, who also happens to be a vampire. They have very similar-looking faces, and could pass for sisters. It wouldn't surprise me if they used the same face mold, although Monster High is very good about using unique facial molds for each character.
The box is set up to look like a movie premiere--very appropriate, given that Elissabat is an actress. The back of the box provides a synopsis for the "Frights, Camera, Action!" storyline, as well as a brief bio for Elissabat. There's also an image of the horrible CGI art they used in the movie. It's just....ugh. ::shudders:: Thankfully, the doll herself is much better looking.
It's pretty evident what Elissabat's favorite colors are, as she as covered in purple and black from head to toe. Her waist-length hair is a mix of purple and black; I've found that under dim lighting, her hair appears almost completely black, while brighter lighting makes the purple pop. In fact, her hair appears to be almost completely purple in some lights. It's very soft, like Frankie's, but not as silky-textured. It brushes very easily, and shedding was at a minimum. Her bangs are gelled, but not too stiff.
It's hard to tell what skin tone she's got exactly; she's extremely pale, like Draculaura, but she has more of a whitish-purplish tinge to her skin. Her eyes are a sort of magenta with some purple mixed in. As I mentioned earlier, Elissabat's facial features are almost identical to Draculaura's, with the exception of slightly thinner lips and eyebrows. The makeup is very minimal, with lilac eyeshadow and dark purple lipstick to contrast her bright white fangs.
Elissabat prefers the Gothic Lolita style, and wears a lovely corseted mini-dress. I was surprised to discover that her outfit is actually two pieces; she does not have sleeves on her dress, but is wearing a very short jacket...shirt...thing. I don't know what to call it, but it closes with velcro in the back and looks like a backwards jacket that goes from mid-throat to just above her dress. It looks adorable paired with her dress, but seems so horribly impractical. Then again, she's a movie star, so perhaps the outfit wasn't chosen with practicality in mind. (Still, who designs this stuff?) The dress itself is very cute; puffed purple top, black corseted bodice, and a black skirt with with layers of black tulle and a purple peplum layer overtop of that. The dress is easy to slip on and off, although her jacket thing gave me trouble, and I probably won't be taking it off again. Keeping the jacket on limits the range of movement of her arms, though. Grrrr.
She accessorizes with a simple purple bracelet, purple drop earrings, and knee-high black platform boots (covered in lace and bows; they are slit up the back for easy removal). She also has a DVD of her latest film (coffin-shaped, of course), and the latest award she'd won (a disembodied hand rising from an old film reel, which is creepy but creative). And of course, she comes with a brush and stand, as well as her diary.
I don't know why, but everything about Elissabat's look screams "Hot Topic" to me. Maybe because it's so unrelentingly uniform in its style? Hold Elissabat and Draculaura up next to each other, and you'll see that the former is the one who looks the most like a stereotypical vampire. Perhaps I find her more boring because the idea of Monster High is to present the children of famous monsters as modern day teenagers. Elissabat just seems to be missing that classic Monster High twist; she just looks like the idea of a vampire fashion doll played straight.
Now don't get me wrong, this is not an ugly doll, and I still like her! But I feel that her design is far less creative than some of the other dolls. I bought her as a placeholder until I find a Draculaura that I like, which seems about right. If you're buying Monster High dolls based on their overall look, I would humbly suggest taking a look at the numerous versions of Draculaura, which tend to be more visually interesting. I'll keep her to be friends with my future Draculaura doll, and maybe find her some more modern clothes to mix up her style.
Miss Scarlett Suggests: If you don't follow the MH webisodes or care for the Hot Topic goth look, consider skipping this one and check out Draculaura instead.
