First off, Happy Halloween! This is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and tonight I'm celebrating with a big bowl of kettle corn, some treat-size candy bars, and a classic monster movie marathon. Frankie and Elissabat will be in attendance, of course, and they've extended the invitation to my latest addition to the collection: Halloween Barbie 2014. Given that it's kind of weird to refer to her by that, I'll name her "Hallie."
I came late to this party. I stopped actively collecting fashion dolls in my mid-teens, and by that point, I was collecting special edition type dolls. I simply never heard of Halloween Barbie, which is a shame. About 6 or 7 months ago, I discovered that not only do they exist, but Target offers an exclusive Halloween Barbie every year. I debated for a while over whether or not to get the general HB that Mattel offers, or the Target-exclusive ones. I ended up settling on the Target dolls for the time being. There's always time in the future to pick up the others if I change my mind.
I also have some more blind bags! These are Hello Kitty ones, Halloween themed! Hello Kitty is dressed up as various monsters, and looking as adorable as ever. Two of my favorites in one, I couldn't pass them up. They're made by Funko, who create all kinds of pop culture-themed toys. These are from their Mystery Minis line, which are blind bags...or more specifically, boxes.
I was keeping an eye out for Halloween merchandise as I did my shopping over the past month, I figured it would be a good idea to do the reviews for these together, given the subject matter. Let's open them up and take a look at them!
Friday, October 31, 2014
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
A few odds and ends
Just a little bit of news here:
There are new Tsum Tsums at the Disney Store! There is a Toy Story mini set, a Christmas Mickey and friends mini set, a Phineas and Ferb Perry mini, and some new medium size plushes: Marie, Stitch, and Winnie the Pooh. I am personally not crazy about the additions, although I am sure that some people will be over the moon for them! Here is the Japanese Disney Store's website with their collection of Tsum Tsums. I am personally hoping that we eventually get Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Huey, Dewie, and Louie.
If you want to see promo pictures of upcoming Ever After High merchandise, this is a French website that has tons of them, and is a great resource. The Ever After High Dolls Facebook page also made some announcements regarding the webisodes. We will officially see a bunch of new characters in the upcoming third season. Three of them are confirmed Rebels: Ginger Breadhouse (daughter of the Candy Witch), Rosabella Beauty (daughter of Beauty and the Beast), and Darling Charming (daughter of King Charming). This will add a very interesting dynamic, since Rosabella is Briar Beauty's cousin, and Darling is Daring and Dexter's sister. Rebel relatives of Royals...hmm. I'm especially excited for Darling, since she is described as a princess who wants to be a knight in shining armor who saves people. She even wears armor, which I think is amazingly cool. Gus Crumb (son of Gretel) and Helga Crumb (daughter of Hansel) are also announced, although we have no word on what their affiliation is. I'm personally thinking Royals? Either way, the EAHD page leaked screenshots of Helga, Gus, Ginger, and the unnamed snow princess I gushed about earlier. She's still adorable, but her outfit is blech. Ginger, the Crumb cousins, and Darling and Rosabella will more than likely have dolls released next year. No news about the snow princess yet.
I'll probably be posting a "holiday toy hunting guide" or some approximation thereof in the somewhat near future. Oh, and I will also be doing an unboxing of the two limited edition boxsets (Sailor Moon and Cowboy Bebop) that I ordered. The Sailor Moon one will probably be sometime next week, but I'm not sure when.
Also in ultra-breaking news: spice cake with cream cheese frosting is delicious. I'll probably make some pumpkin cake or brownies for Halloween. Yum!
There are new Tsum Tsums at the Disney Store! There is a Toy Story mini set, a Christmas Mickey and friends mini set, a Phineas and Ferb Perry mini, and some new medium size plushes: Marie, Stitch, and Winnie the Pooh. I am personally not crazy about the additions, although I am sure that some people will be over the moon for them! Here is the Japanese Disney Store's website with their collection of Tsum Tsums. I am personally hoping that we eventually get Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Huey, Dewie, and Louie.
If you want to see promo pictures of upcoming Ever After High merchandise, this is a French website that has tons of them, and is a great resource. The Ever After High Dolls Facebook page also made some announcements regarding the webisodes. We will officially see a bunch of new characters in the upcoming third season. Three of them are confirmed Rebels: Ginger Breadhouse (daughter of the Candy Witch), Rosabella Beauty (daughter of Beauty and the Beast), and Darling Charming (daughter of King Charming). This will add a very interesting dynamic, since Rosabella is Briar Beauty's cousin, and Darling is Daring and Dexter's sister. Rebel relatives of Royals...hmm. I'm especially excited for Darling, since she is described as a princess who wants to be a knight in shining armor who saves people. She even wears armor, which I think is amazingly cool. Gus Crumb (son of Gretel) and Helga Crumb (daughter of Hansel) are also announced, although we have no word on what their affiliation is. I'm personally thinking Royals? Either way, the EAHD page leaked screenshots of Helga, Gus, Ginger, and the unnamed snow princess I gushed about earlier. She's still adorable, but her outfit is blech. Ginger, the Crumb cousins, and Darling and Rosabella will more than likely have dolls released next year. No news about the snow princess yet.
I'll probably be posting a "holiday toy hunting guide" or some approximation thereof in the somewhat near future. Oh, and I will also be doing an unboxing of the two limited edition boxsets (Sailor Moon and Cowboy Bebop) that I ordered. The Sailor Moon one will probably be sometime next week, but I'm not sure when.
Also in ultra-breaking news: spice cake with cream cheese frosting is delicious. I'll probably make some pumpkin cake or brownies for Halloween. Yum!
Monday, October 27, 2014
The holiday season is fast at hand!
That right, dear readers! We are only a few short weeks away from that most magical time of the year, Thankshopping Day. Er, I mean Black Friday. In my defense, retailers keep pushing the Christmas season backwards and forwards and outward, and some day it will consume not only Hannukah and Kwanzaa, but Thanksgiving, New Year's, and Halloween in one long orgy of consumerism.
Welcome to the Hobby Haven!
I have cut most of this post because it's long.
Welcome to the Hobby Haven!
I have cut most of this post because it's long.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Disney Tsum Tsum Chip and Dale Review
Welcome to the Hobby Haven! Usually, I do full reviews every other Friday, but given how many technical problems I've been having over the past few months, I figured there was no harm in putting up some extra reviews.
If you're interested in Disney products, you may have seen these before, but if not, here is the latest craze! These are little stuffed toys called "Tsum Tsum" (pronounced "soom soom," the "t" is silent) that were originally sold at the Disney Stores in Japan. I actually remember going onto the Japanese Disney Store website to look longingly at the cool stuff they got and lamenting that we couldn't get them. But they're here! "Tsum Tsum,' by the way, translates as "stack stack," which I'll explain after the jump.
If you're interested in Disney products, you may have seen these before, but if not, here is the latest craze! These are little stuffed toys called "Tsum Tsum" (pronounced "soom soom," the "t" is silent) that were originally sold at the Disney Stores in Japan. I actually remember going onto the Japanese Disney Store website to look longingly at the cool stuff they got and lamenting that we couldn't get them. But they're here! "Tsum Tsum,' by the way, translates as "stack stack," which I'll explain after the jump.
Saturday, October 18, 2014
Ever After High News
Just a few pieces of info, no big news.
The Ever After High Dolls Facebook page shared some photos of the upcoming Glass Lake (so confused, last I heard it was called Mirror Beach? And before that Looking Glass Lake?) line. It consists of Apple, Ashlynn, and Maddie in very simple attire: swimsuits with skirt cover-ups, sunglasses, and very inappropriate shoes. The admin has pointed out in a prior post that none of the accessories are new, simply recolored versions of accessories used from different characters in earlier lines. I am thinking that these might be budget dolls, released without stands. I personally don't find them very appealing, but it might be an easy way to get some new fans into the franchise, especially if the price point is low enough.
I also wanted to mention the Thronecoming special; it will be a half-hour special airing on November 2nd on Nickelodeon at 3 PM EST. No word on whether or not it will be streamed online, so you might want to set your DVR just in case. Beginning October 22nd, you can go onto the official website to vote for your choice of Thronecoming Queen. Voting closes on November 20th. The winners will be announced in a special webisode aired on November 25th. That webisode will mark the end of season 2, and then we won't have anything new until next year when season 3 will start. No word on when season 3 will start.
Some new trademarks announced, as well. One them seems to be a new character: Farrah Goodfairy. I guess we'll see if she is a doll or not next year.
You may all be interested to know that Disney is filming what appears to be an EAH-style movie. The film, entitled Descendants (could be a working title for now) is one of their Disney Channel Original Movies and is slated to air in February. I might check it out, if only because I have fond memories of watching Disney Channel's movies when I was a kid...and because Kristen Chenowith is playing Maleficent!
Still no word on when the Kitty Cheshire, Duchess Swan, and Ginger Breadhouse dolls will be released. It could be as soon as a few weeks! (I realize that I'm harping on this a bit, but we haven't had new characters released since July! It's exciting!) We only know that they are being released for "Holiday season 2014," which makes me think that they'll be ready at the very latest by Black Friday.
I'm hoping that 2015 brings us some more dolls released in the Legacy Day or Thronecoming lines. There are so many beautiful designs for both that would make wonderful dolls, and it would be a shame not to capitalize on it. I'm also hoping for some fashion packs, like Monster High has. (And maybe, if I'm lucky, a very good holiday sale on some of the older basic dolls?)
The Ever After High Dolls Facebook page shared some photos of the upcoming Glass Lake (so confused, last I heard it was called Mirror Beach? And before that Looking Glass Lake?) line. It consists of Apple, Ashlynn, and Maddie in very simple attire: swimsuits with skirt cover-ups, sunglasses, and very inappropriate shoes. The admin has pointed out in a prior post that none of the accessories are new, simply recolored versions of accessories used from different characters in earlier lines. I am thinking that these might be budget dolls, released without stands. I personally don't find them very appealing, but it might be an easy way to get some new fans into the franchise, especially if the price point is low enough.
I also wanted to mention the Thronecoming special; it will be a half-hour special airing on November 2nd on Nickelodeon at 3 PM EST. No word on whether or not it will be streamed online, so you might want to set your DVR just in case. Beginning October 22nd, you can go onto the official website to vote for your choice of Thronecoming Queen. Voting closes on November 20th. The winners will be announced in a special webisode aired on November 25th. That webisode will mark the end of season 2, and then we won't have anything new until next year when season 3 will start. No word on when season 3 will start.
Some new trademarks announced, as well. One them seems to be a new character: Farrah Goodfairy. I guess we'll see if she is a doll or not next year.
You may all be interested to know that Disney is filming what appears to be an EAH-style movie. The film, entitled Descendants (could be a working title for now) is one of their Disney Channel Original Movies and is slated to air in February. I might check it out, if only because I have fond memories of watching Disney Channel's movies when I was a kid...and because Kristen Chenowith is playing Maleficent!
Still no word on when the Kitty Cheshire, Duchess Swan, and Ginger Breadhouse dolls will be released. It could be as soon as a few weeks! (I realize that I'm harping on this a bit, but we haven't had new characters released since July! It's exciting!) We only know that they are being released for "Holiday season 2014," which makes me think that they'll be ready at the very latest by Black Friday.
I'm hoping that 2015 brings us some more dolls released in the Legacy Day or Thronecoming lines. There are so many beautiful designs for both that would make wonderful dolls, and it would be a shame not to capitalize on it. I'm also hoping for some fashion packs, like Monster High has. (And maybe, if I'm lucky, a very good holiday sale on some of the older basic dolls?)
Friday, October 17, 2014
Persona 4 the Animation "Yukiko Amagi" Nendoroid Review
Ahhhh, what a lovely autumn day. It puts me in the mood for drinking some hot cider, taking a walk under the falling leaves, and reviewing a figurine. Welcome to the Hobby Haven.
I might not have mentioned this earlier, but I am a lady of various hobbies and tastes. Well, I say "mentioned," but if you've been following along, you can see some of my various hobbies for yourself. But I don't think I've touched on my love of video games yet. Perhaps one of my favorite series of all time is the "Megami Tensei" series of Japanese role-playing games. They're not as well-known as, say, The Legend of Zelda or Final Fantasy, but they've slowly been growing in popularity over the last couple of years. (If you're interested, take a gander at Hardcore Gaming 101's very informative page exploring the entire series.) The franchise is composed of multiple different series. The one series that I'll be talking about in particular is the Persona series. They're turn-based RPGs that focus on psychological elements and character growth and relationships.
Arguably the most popular of these is Persona 4, which debuted in Japan back in 2008, and has enjoyed phenomenal success, including a remake, several spinoff sequels, and two animated adaptations. This is important, because the figure I'm reviewing today has a weird technicality, which I'll explain in a sec.
This figure is a Nendoroid, which is a brand of small articulated plastic figurines made by the Good Smile Company. They have a sort of super-deformed "chibi" look to make them appear cute. And it works, they are precious. They're articulated like the Figuarts, but they are entirely removable (I'll show you after the jump). This particular figure is of the character Yukiko Amagi, who is one of the playable characters in Persona 4. However, the figure is specifically marketed as being from the first anime version of the game, Persona 4 The Animation. So Yukiko is from the game, but the box is not advertising that. My guess is that Atlus (the game company that makes the Persona games) only decided to get aboard the Nendoroid train in an effort to promote the anime adaptation. ::shrugs::
Whatever, though. Less time on semantics, more time on reviews!
I might not have mentioned this earlier, but I am a lady of various hobbies and tastes. Well, I say "mentioned," but if you've been following along, you can see some of my various hobbies for yourself. But I don't think I've touched on my love of video games yet. Perhaps one of my favorite series of all time is the "Megami Tensei" series of Japanese role-playing games. They're not as well-known as, say, The Legend of Zelda or Final Fantasy, but they've slowly been growing in popularity over the last couple of years. (If you're interested, take a gander at Hardcore Gaming 101's very informative page exploring the entire series.) The franchise is composed of multiple different series. The one series that I'll be talking about in particular is the Persona series. They're turn-based RPGs that focus on psychological elements and character growth and relationships.
Arguably the most popular of these is Persona 4, which debuted in Japan back in 2008, and has enjoyed phenomenal success, including a remake, several spinoff sequels, and two animated adaptations. This is important, because the figure I'm reviewing today has a weird technicality, which I'll explain in a sec.
This figure is a Nendoroid, which is a brand of small articulated plastic figurines made by the Good Smile Company. They have a sort of super-deformed "chibi" look to make them appear cute. And it works, they are precious. They're articulated like the Figuarts, but they are entirely removable (I'll show you after the jump). This particular figure is of the character Yukiko Amagi, who is one of the playable characters in Persona 4. However, the figure is specifically marketed as being from the first anime version of the game, Persona 4 The Animation. So Yukiko is from the game, but the box is not advertising that. My guess is that Atlus (the game company that makes the Persona games) only decided to get aboard the Nendoroid train in an effort to promote the anime adaptation. ::shrugs::
Whatever, though. Less time on semantics, more time on reviews!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Odds and ends
Hey, folks! There WILL be a review posted tomorrow--one of the toys I already own, so no waiting on Amazon--so there will in fact be something to read.
My best friend and I went shopping today, and I picked up some cute toys from the Disney store. I'm going to make a post on them for next week to make up for the lack of content from the past month. I also picked up a volume of manga while we were out. I'd like to make a plug for it; the series is called Yotsuba&!, and is written and drawn by Kiyohiko Azuma and published by Yen Press. It's an adorable "slice of life" style story about a little girl named Yotsuba, whose mission is simply to enjoy everything. Her innocence and unique outlook make everyday situations into sheer comedy. Pick one up today!
Anyway, still no news about Saturn. I basically just have to wait until they either contact me that it's back in stock, or wait until they send me an email on 11/9 canceling my order because they still have no stock. With any luck, they'll give me back my $20 gift card and I can put it toward one of the other Figuarts that I have ordered.
More Ever After High trademarks and such...there are several new lines coming out in 2015, including "Into the Woods," (some sort of outdoorsy theme), "Mirror Beach," (beach theme, natch), and "Spring Unsprung." That's also the title of the upcoming Ever After High movie, so my guess is that this line will be taken from the movie itself. Either new characters or existing characters in new outfits. We'll also get some playsets: The Glass Slipper (Ashlynn's shoe shop) and a restaurant-type set. maybe Maddie's tea shop or Ginger's bakery? Some photos were briefly posted of Mirror Beach and Into the Woods, and they look rather bland. Not holding out much hope for those. I'm definitely getting Duchess Swan when she comes out, and I am seriously considering picking up Ginger Breadhouse. I don't know why, but she looks interesting. And I love that she has glasses!
I'm also struggling with myself over picking up C.A. Cupid's Thronecoming doll. Duchess and Sparrow are my favorites out of the EAH characters, and I like--but am not crazy about--the rest. I don't have any particular love for Cupid, but her Thronecoming doll looks neat. And I'd like to have a "fancy" EAH doll; the Legacy Day outfits are just unappealing to me, so this would be next best. Don't...know...argh! I'm also torn over whether or not to get that Sweet Screams Frankie Stein doll I saw at Target. Urgh.
What can I say, collecting can be a struggle. You only have so much space, and so much money. Deciding what you want to do with those is hard.
My best friend and I went shopping today, and I picked up some cute toys from the Disney store. I'm going to make a post on them for next week to make up for the lack of content from the past month. I also picked up a volume of manga while we were out. I'd like to make a plug for it; the series is called Yotsuba&!, and is written and drawn by Kiyohiko Azuma and published by Yen Press. It's an adorable "slice of life" style story about a little girl named Yotsuba, whose mission is simply to enjoy everything. Her innocence and unique outlook make everyday situations into sheer comedy. Pick one up today!
Anyway, still no news about Saturn. I basically just have to wait until they either contact me that it's back in stock, or wait until they send me an email on 11/9 canceling my order because they still have no stock. With any luck, they'll give me back my $20 gift card and I can put it toward one of the other Figuarts that I have ordered.
More Ever After High trademarks and such...there are several new lines coming out in 2015, including "Into the Woods," (some sort of outdoorsy theme), "Mirror Beach," (beach theme, natch), and "Spring Unsprung." That's also the title of the upcoming Ever After High movie, so my guess is that this line will be taken from the movie itself. Either new characters or existing characters in new outfits. We'll also get some playsets: The Glass Slipper (Ashlynn's shoe shop) and a restaurant-type set. maybe Maddie's tea shop or Ginger's bakery? Some photos were briefly posted of Mirror Beach and Into the Woods, and they look rather bland. Not holding out much hope for those. I'm definitely getting Duchess Swan when she comes out, and I am seriously considering picking up Ginger Breadhouse. I don't know why, but she looks interesting. And I love that she has glasses!
I'm also struggling with myself over picking up C.A. Cupid's Thronecoming doll. Duchess and Sparrow are my favorites out of the EAH characters, and I like--but am not crazy about--the rest. I don't have any particular love for Cupid, but her Thronecoming doll looks neat. And I'd like to have a "fancy" EAH doll; the Legacy Day outfits are just unappealing to me, so this would be next best. Don't...know...argh! I'm also torn over whether or not to get that Sweet Screams Frankie Stein doll I saw at Target. Urgh.
What can I say, collecting can be a struggle. You only have so much space, and so much money. Deciding what you want to do with those is hard.
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