davidd's A Doll A Day Challenge 2020

[Lejays17]

Oh yes, it’s working great as a plain-ish backdrops to the portraits. We really should “invest” in something like that for our indoor pics. The linen closet door doesn’t always work.

Pirate Clawdeen! Very cool.

[werepuppy]

Pirate Clawdeen! Fantastic!

[neon_jellyfish]

And now I have this idea for a very special ship for Oddwickshire, the kingdom that doesn't have a sea. Dangit.

I've never been clear if this version of Clawdeen was officially a part of the Dead Tired line. She is actually from the Room to Howl bunk bed set, but I usually see her listed as Dead Tired. There's nothing budget about this version, other than a limited costume. The finishing quality on the figure is quite nice, as it was on most of the early Monster High releases.

I'm not sure as well, I called her Dead Tired out of a habit - since the name Dead Tired was also used for a second wave of pajama-themed ghouls, the fandom kinda started calling it all Dead Tired. It is a bit confusing, because some places had her listed as part of Dead Tired and some as stand-alone release. However, she did come out about a month after the Dead Tired wave 1, which already had a playset - Lagoona's Rehydration Station, but there were multiple lines to have more than one playset, so that's not much of a clue. I've never seen this one in person, so I don't know about the logo on the box.

Clawdeen then received a wave 2 Dead Tired release, so that would be her second doll in one line, but Lala also appeared in both waves.

MH dolls coming with playset or in a multipack were always of the slim-box category, less detailed and accessoried than their deluxe counterparts. For some time though, they were really high quality, better than non-budget dolls from other lines. I miss those times dearly.

Ahem... Sorry for a rant! When it comes to babbling about MH, I don't seem to have an iota of self-control in my entire body.

Edit: I googled the box. It doesn't have Dead Tired Logo, just the name of the playset and Clawdeen's skullette, so it's a standalone release. Mystery solved! I'll probably call her Dead Tired again next time, though, I'm used to it too much.

[Alliecat]

Another vote for it being an excellent and versatile set. And for the cool lighting.

[davidd]

And now I have this idea for a very special ship for Oddwickshire, the kingdom that doesn't have a sea. Dangit.



Edit: I googled the box. It doesn't have Dead Tired Logo, just the name of the playset and Clawdeen's skullette, so it's a standalone release. Mystery solved! I'll probably call her Dead Tired again next time, though, I'm used to it too much.

Oddwickshire has underground rivers, doesn't it? Which could flow to or from underground lakes. Which could lead to underground seas.

Thank you for the Monster High history. Feel free to ramble. I can listen to (okay, read) Monster High rambling pretty much endlessly.

So she's Room to Howl Clawdeen, then. I thought, at least where I was living, that Dead Tired was released after this set. I also had the Hydration Station. I don't remember if I still have it. It was pretty cool, but quite tedious and messy to set up. And of course it stopped working in short order. I was hoping it was a device that could be set up and left to run, because it would have made a fun bubbling night light. Unfortunately, to operate it you pressed a button and it bubbled for about thirty seconds before shutting off.

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17 October – Monster High Venus McFlytrap

(Her "pirate name" is Ivy League!)

Ivy... I mean Venus is referred to as being a "Daughter of the Plant Monster." How lame is that? I mean, which plant monster? And which plant monster is the plant monster?

My immediate thought would be a Triffid from Day of the Triffids. Or Audrey from Little Shop of Horrors (which her pet, Chewlian, resembles). But then I though of what is probably my favorite "plant monster" movie, Caltiki, The Immortal Monster. Could Venus be the Daughter of Caltiki? Probably not, as almost nobody has heard of that movie. But maybe she's the daughter of the tree creature called Tabanga in From Hell It Came. Or, if she's descended from trees, what are those tree creatures called in Lord of the Rings? Or, y'know, maybe she's a relative of those apple trees in The Wizard of Oz. Maybe she's a Krynoid from Doctor Who. Or what about the pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Is Venus a pod person?

I don't know. But I want to know! What did the Monster High designers have in mind when they came up with Venus? What were the original influences?

[Elfy]

There's a very femme fatale thing going on here.

[neon_jellyfish]

Absolutely marvelous photo!!! Aah, the red light is just so perfect...

Ivy... I mean Venus is referred to a "Daughter of the Plant Monster." How lame is that? I mean, which plant monster? And which plant monster is the plant monster?

*snip snip snip*

But I want to know! What did the Monster High designers have in mind when they came up with Venus? What were the original influences?

The official inspiration sources for Venus were Triffids and mostly the Little Shop.

Oddwickshire has underground rivers, doesn't it? Which could flow to or from underground lakes. Which could lead to underground seas.

Hehe, I actually already figured out how I could fit a very special ship in Oddwickshire, and it is indeed in the underground (I'm really happy you thought of that, too). No sea, though. Just the river and the lake. But it will have to wait, there are other Odd things I need to finish before starting a new one.

[werepuppy]

I like seeing her as a child of Audrey. Because fun!

[davidd]

The official inspiration sources for Venus were Triffids and mostly the Little Shop.

As you are the closest we have here on the forum to a resident Monster High historian, I was hoping you would be able to shed some (gro-) light on my query. Thank you!

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18 October - Monster High Abbey Bominable, Music Festival version

[Alliecat]

For a small set, you get many angles from it. Must've taken quite a while to pick out the lines on all those bricks.
I don't think LOTR's ents count as "monsters" .... do they?
Hmm, maybe I should look up some of these other plant monsters.

[Elfy]

Abbey is strutting her stuff there. Not mad about the hair, though.

[Lejays17]

Venus is very pretty. This isn’t my favourite of the Abbeys (that would be the Plush version ), but she looks interesting in this.

[werepuppy]

Abbey looks ready to strut her stuff. Or maybe she's posing for something.

[neon_jellyfish]

Groovy pic!

I love MF Abbey. Her bangs are a nice change for once and I love how she has her color streaks more visible, and most importantly, no tinsel!

[davidd]

Groovy pic!

I love MF Abbey. Her bangs are a nice change for once and I love how she has her color streaks more visible, and most importantly, no tinsel!

Yeah, the Music Fest version definitely has nothing to suggest "yeti" or "abominable snowman," but she's one groovy chick, and I dig that tie-dye minidress! And the bangs!

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Monster High Skelita Calaveras, daughter of Los Eskelitos