Monster High Review: Operetta
Apr. 21st, 2013 07:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leia131For this review, I'm going to have to use my Google Fu, because my camera apparently hates details. And Operetta has a lot of beautiful details, so let's hope other intrepid photographers on the internets can help me out!
Operetta was one of the first new MH characters that came out after the original line. At this point in my collecting life, I was facing a money shortage and therefore considering limiting myself to only getting new characters... so I was THRILLED that there were new ghouls to find. (BTW, my seven Clawdeens are laughing at the idea of me only buying characters I don't already own).
ANYWAY, Operetta is the daughter of The Phantom of the Opera, and I really like POTO, so that was also weighing heavily in her favor. I searched all over for this doll, for months, before I finally found her, and then had to find one that wasn't cross-eyed. I have no idea why, but Operetta just has a tendency to be cross-eyed. This is a good example.
Here she is, in all her Operatic glory:
Operetta (no last name), 16 (in Phantom years, whatever the hell that means), daughter of The Phantom of the Opera.
Unfortunately, in person, Operetta is kind of hit and miss. For instance, for reasons that escape me, her skin is purple. It's a lovely shade of purple, I just don't know why. Her hair is a beautiful color (Ariel red!) and her hairstyle is really awesome, but it looks a million times better in artwork than in real life. My Operetta had the best hair out of any of the ones I looked at (and wasn't cross-eyed) and yet it's still a mess. It's scraggly in the back, and the rolls aren't as tight as they should be. I've seen restyled Operettas that look gorgeous, but I just can't bring myself to mess with her hair. I liked her hairstyle SO MUCH in the promo pics, that I've been doing my very best to preserve it. (See those curls in the back? Yeah... No so much there in real life.)
On the up side, I love Operetta's outfit. She was, I think, the first MH doll I owned that was wearing pants (unless you count Lagoona's outfit, which I would not) so that was cool. Her belt is pretty amazing, the shoes are absolutely wonderful and easy to get on and off, and her heart shaped quarter note mask is just perfection. Despite the fact that Mattel would probably tell you differently (because of legal issues, I'm sure) Operetta is clearly based off Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of the Phantom, what with the facial scars on only one side and the cute little half mask. (Truste me, I've read the book, and he doesn't look like that in the book.) Here is a GREAT picture of her scars. They're actually molded into the doll, which is really cool, and then her tattoo carries on the same design.
The thing I love most about Operetta, however, is her theme. Someone, somewhere at Mattel was like, "we did all the other classic black and white monsters, we HAVE to do Phantom of the Opera... But how are we going to make that modern and interesting, since it's been done so many times?" Someone else answered him, "we will go from normal opera to the Grand Ole Opry and make her all Nashville and it will be AWESOME." And it is. Operetta is Southern, rockabilly, and a little bit Elvis. (Because of the Elvis connection, she also has a little Vegas influence that creeps in, but that's ok.) Music is Operetta's life (obviously) and it definitely shows in her style. Her purse doubles as a guitar, even though it also opens, (storage guitar?) and I'm pretty sure she's the only ghoul who came with an instrument.
Operetta's pet is a spider named Memphis "Daddy O" Longlegs. I don't know why she has a spider for a pet (though I suppose it's because she lives in the catacombs under the school (another detail I love, because the Phantom lived in the catacombs under the opera house) and there's probably spiders down there) but I don't think he's as clever a pet as Mattel probably does. I usually like the ridiculous names they have for their pets, but not this one. I like the idea of an Elvis pompadour spider, but the name just does me in. It's too long, and more silly than anything. Because of the spider pet (or maybe the spider pet is because of this?) Operetta's other recurring theme is spiderwebs. This seems to really work for her, even though it doesn't have a real strong connection to the Phantom.
Here's the one other picture I managed to get of her, sans jacket:
Here I was trying to show you how awesome it is that her shoe's heel is a treble clef, but I couldn't make it show up. (Someone with a much better camera than me got this shot though, which shows her awesome shoes in amazing detail.) You can see her mask really well here though, and her arm tattoo. How many dolls come with tattoos? You can also see how the back of her hair is... not so great. This is really because of how she was packaged, but I've never gotten around to trying to wash or fix it. This picture shows Operetta's cool purple houndstooth shirt too, which I really like. Her whole outfit is separates, and it's super versatile because all the pieces match almost everything else. Plus, it's nice to have at least one pair of jeans for the ghouls to wear.
All right, I've rambled long enough; time to wrap this up.
Theme: Music and/or spiderwebs.
Evidenced in: Oh man, everything. Quarter note shaped mask, piano key motif on her sleeves and bracelet, music note belt, music staffs in her scars and tattoo, purse/guitar, and treble clef heels. Spiderwebs on her jacket, belt buckle, guitar/purse, and shoes. (P.S. The Vegas influence here is in the mismatched dice earrings and the dice ring she has. Dice will pop up again in her dolls, trust me.)
Favorite thing about the doll: Her scars. I mean, I don't own (or know of, though I'm sure there are some) any other dolls with scars, especially molded into their very plastic. It's really cool, and it's extremely unique.
Least favorite thing about the doll: Her hair. Poor Operetta, your hair had so much promise, but gravity's a bitch. Also, packaging, which destroyed the curls in the back, assuming you ever even had them.
Favorite thing about the outfit/accessories: I almost went with her shoes (because I seriously love these shoes) but I think I'm actually going to say the pants. It's so nice to have a doll who's just wearing jeans, they match almost everything, and they're great for lots of different looks. You know, just like real life jeans!
Least favorite thing about the outfit/accessories: I don't really strongly dislike anything that she has... I'd probably say the earrings, just because I'm not crazy about mismatched accessories, and dice seem to be kind of randomly thrown in with all her other stuff.
Bottom line: Although Operetta has some flaws, she's still a great doll overall. Her original hairstyle can't hold up in real life (at least not without some work) but the color is stunning and if you're willing to restyle her she can be really beautiful. Basic Operetta is selling for a mere $31.95 on Amazon right now, so she can totally be in your price range if you want her. However, I would be careful buying her online, because most of the dolls I saw in stores had even worse hair than mine does, and were cross-eyed. So you know, go for it, (her outfit at least will be worth it) but be prepared for some potential wonky-ness. :)
Song quote for today (which, BTW, is back to songs I actually like): Wildly my mind beats against you... You resist, yet your soul obeys!
Answer to last Sunday's song: Ride With Me, by Nelly. I don't like Nelly, I don't like this song, and yet I KNOW EVERY WORD. Nobody guessed this one, which means you're all luckier than me.
Operetta was one of the first new MH characters that came out after the original line. At this point in my collecting life, I was facing a money shortage and therefore considering limiting myself to only getting new characters... so I was THRILLED that there were new ghouls to find. (BTW, my seven Clawdeens are laughing at the idea of me only buying characters I don't already own).
ANYWAY, Operetta is the daughter of The Phantom of the Opera, and I really like POTO, so that was also weighing heavily in her favor. I searched all over for this doll, for months, before I finally found her, and then had to find one that wasn't cross-eyed. I have no idea why, but Operetta just has a tendency to be cross-eyed. This is a good example.
Here she is, in all her Operatic glory:
Operetta (no last name), 16 (in Phantom years, whatever the hell that means), daughter of The Phantom of the Opera.
Unfortunately, in person, Operetta is kind of hit and miss. For instance, for reasons that escape me, her skin is purple. It's a lovely shade of purple, I just don't know why. Her hair is a beautiful color (Ariel red!) and her hairstyle is really awesome, but it looks a million times better in artwork than in real life. My Operetta had the best hair out of any of the ones I looked at (and wasn't cross-eyed) and yet it's still a mess. It's scraggly in the back, and the rolls aren't as tight as they should be. I've seen restyled Operettas that look gorgeous, but I just can't bring myself to mess with her hair. I liked her hairstyle SO MUCH in the promo pics, that I've been doing my very best to preserve it. (See those curls in the back? Yeah... No so much there in real life.)
On the up side, I love Operetta's outfit. She was, I think, the first MH doll I owned that was wearing pants (unless you count Lagoona's outfit, which I would not) so that was cool. Her belt is pretty amazing, the shoes are absolutely wonderful and easy to get on and off, and her heart shaped quarter note mask is just perfection. Despite the fact that Mattel would probably tell you differently (because of legal issues, I'm sure) Operetta is clearly based off Andrew Lloyd Webber's version of the Phantom, what with the facial scars on only one side and the cute little half mask. (Truste me, I've read the book, and he doesn't look like that in the book.) Here is a GREAT picture of her scars. They're actually molded into the doll, which is really cool, and then her tattoo carries on the same design.
The thing I love most about Operetta, however, is her theme. Someone, somewhere at Mattel was like, "we did all the other classic black and white monsters, we HAVE to do Phantom of the Opera... But how are we going to make that modern and interesting, since it's been done so many times?" Someone else answered him, "we will go from normal opera to the Grand Ole Opry and make her all Nashville and it will be AWESOME." And it is. Operetta is Southern, rockabilly, and a little bit Elvis. (Because of the Elvis connection, she also has a little Vegas influence that creeps in, but that's ok.) Music is Operetta's life (obviously) and it definitely shows in her style. Her purse doubles as a guitar, even though it also opens, (storage guitar?) and I'm pretty sure she's the only ghoul who came with an instrument.
Operetta's pet is a spider named Memphis "Daddy O" Longlegs. I don't know why she has a spider for a pet (though I suppose it's because she lives in the catacombs under the school (another detail I love, because the Phantom lived in the catacombs under the opera house) and there's probably spiders down there) but I don't think he's as clever a pet as Mattel probably does. I usually like the ridiculous names they have for their pets, but not this one. I like the idea of an Elvis pompadour spider, but the name just does me in. It's too long, and more silly than anything. Because of the spider pet (or maybe the spider pet is because of this?) Operetta's other recurring theme is spiderwebs. This seems to really work for her, even though it doesn't have a real strong connection to the Phantom.
Here's the one other picture I managed to get of her, sans jacket:
Here I was trying to show you how awesome it is that her shoe's heel is a treble clef, but I couldn't make it show up. (Someone with a much better camera than me got this shot though, which shows her awesome shoes in amazing detail.) You can see her mask really well here though, and her arm tattoo. How many dolls come with tattoos? You can also see how the back of her hair is... not so great. This is really because of how she was packaged, but I've never gotten around to trying to wash or fix it. This picture shows Operetta's cool purple houndstooth shirt too, which I really like. Her whole outfit is separates, and it's super versatile because all the pieces match almost everything else. Plus, it's nice to have at least one pair of jeans for the ghouls to wear.
All right, I've rambled long enough; time to wrap this up.
Theme: Music and/or spiderwebs.
Evidenced in: Oh man, everything. Quarter note shaped mask, piano key motif on her sleeves and bracelet, music note belt, music staffs in her scars and tattoo, purse/guitar, and treble clef heels. Spiderwebs on her jacket, belt buckle, guitar/purse, and shoes. (P.S. The Vegas influence here is in the mismatched dice earrings and the dice ring she has. Dice will pop up again in her dolls, trust me.)
Favorite thing about the doll: Her scars. I mean, I don't own (or know of, though I'm sure there are some) any other dolls with scars, especially molded into their very plastic. It's really cool, and it's extremely unique.
Least favorite thing about the doll: Her hair. Poor Operetta, your hair had so much promise, but gravity's a bitch. Also, packaging, which destroyed the curls in the back, assuming you ever even had them.
Favorite thing about the outfit/accessories: I almost went with her shoes (because I seriously love these shoes) but I think I'm actually going to say the pants. It's so nice to have a doll who's just wearing jeans, they match almost everything, and they're great for lots of different looks. You know, just like real life jeans!
Least favorite thing about the outfit/accessories: I don't really strongly dislike anything that she has... I'd probably say the earrings, just because I'm not crazy about mismatched accessories, and dice seem to be kind of randomly thrown in with all her other stuff.
Bottom line: Although Operetta has some flaws, she's still a great doll overall. Her original hairstyle can't hold up in real life (at least not without some work) but the color is stunning and if you're willing to restyle her she can be really beautiful. Basic Operetta is selling for a mere $31.95 on Amazon right now, so she can totally be in your price range if you want her. However, I would be careful buying her online, because most of the dolls I saw in stores had even worse hair than mine does, and were cross-eyed. So you know, go for it, (her outfit at least will be worth it) but be prepared for some potential wonky-ness. :)
Song quote for today (which, BTW, is back to songs I actually like): Wildly my mind beats against you... You resist, yet your soul obeys!
Answer to last Sunday's song: Ride With Me, by Nelly. I don't like Nelly, I don't like this song, and yet I KNOW EVERY WORD. Nobody guessed this one, which means you're all luckier than me.
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no subject
Date: 2013-04-21 11:57 pm (UTC)I totally get the problems with the hair though. I've been meaning to help him out by restyling her hair into a better version of what she already has, but it makes me nervous that I'm not going to pull it off. n_n'
no subject
Date: 2013-04-22 12:23 am (UTC)That's pretty much exactly how I feel about her hair; I want to make it better, but I'm too scared to screw it up completely to try. Oh well, it gives her charm. ;)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-22 04:38 pm (UTC)I lovelovelove her Victory Rolls in the webisodes/artwork and I’m forever sad that they don’t translate well at all to the dolls themselves. I was lucky enough to get one with nice, tight rolls but the back of her hair was a mess; I managed to boil the back enough to get a nice wave in it, but it’s not as great as it could be & obviously no where near what it looks like in the cartoons/box art. As much as I love her ‘concept’ hair, doll-wise I VASTLY prefer her DDG, Picture Day, Kohl’s Exclusive & Dance Class hair. (I’m soooooooooooooo excited to get Picture Day Operetta, because of her hair & letter jacket!) I love that Mattel went ‘edgy’ and gave her the tat sleeve, I think it’s gorgeous. And they usually do a great job designing her mask. And I flove her 1950s rock-a-billy ‘look’. (I always assumed the dice earrings were a nod to those fuzzy dice people hang around the rear view mirrors in 1950s cars.)
LOL I’m such a dork, I didn’t know her jacket came off. I just figured her blouse/jacket were one piece.
(I never would've thought lavender & red would work together, but I LOVE that color combo on Operetta!!!)
But now I have to go home & check all my Operetta’s to see if they’re cross-eyed!!! I didn’t know of that issue & now I’m afraaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid!!! ;)
(For the 589th time, I love these reviews so much!!!)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 03:20 am (UTC)OMG you're totally right about the dice! That had never even occurred to me, but it makes SO MUCH SENSE. I mean, the Elvis Vegas thing works too (LOL I just typed Vegan... Elvis was DEFINITELY not a vegan) but I am so digging the fuzzy mirror dice idea. Especially since the earrings are different lengths...
About the jacket... I am still the kid that takes all the clothes off a doll within the first few hours of owning it, just to see how everything works. This is often really rewarding with MH dolls in particular, because I find little details (Gil has a fin on his back, Toralei has stripes all down one leg, etc.) that I'd never see if they stayed fully dressed all the time.
Thank you, I'm so glad you like the reviews! I get super self-conscious about them sometimes, so it's really good to know that they're still going over well. :D
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 12:26 pm (UTC)Oh, don’t ever be self-conscious about them. Your reviews of the dolls are the best I’ve seen. I could never come up with a concise review of highlights and themes and whatnot. Most of the other reviews I’ve seen people do just them bitching about how they would’ve made the doll soooo much better. I totally get it if a doll has a major issue, but some people in the fandom seem to hate everything Mattel produces & I kinda gotta wonder why they bother being in the fandom, y’know?
Slightly OT, but have you seen the article some right-wing organization wrote that said Monster High is promoting the Illuminati agenda??? HYSTERICAL STUFF. They were reallllllyyyyyy reaching.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 02:11 pm (UTC)I have so many fashion packs that I love too! I just change everyone's clothes every other week or so, you know, when I get bored and want to make the living room into a disaster area of accessories.
I have not seen that article, but LOL FOREVER. I don't really even know what the Illuminati is, but how on earth is MH even remotely related to that? People go too deep into things; MH is just to make girls happy and make Mattel money. Simple. :)
no subject
Date: 2013-04-23 02:26 pm (UTC)The Illuminati article (I'm going to post it on my LJ eventually cause it's LOLarious I'm not sure what Illuminati is exactly, just that it's supposedly a secret society for super-rich people and Beyonce & Jay-Z & Katy Perry & Gaga are supposedly members) basically says that MH is brainwashing kids thru the way the characters dress (teaching them to be "sex kittens", which is why Toralei & the Werecat twins were created), the fact that they're "obsessed with death" (since they're related to monsters & there are coffin-shaped items & the plays on words like "Scaris" & "fearleading"), the characters are victims of mind control and can't think for themselves (since some were created in labs & they compare Headmistress Bloodgood to JOSEF MENGELE and say that the school itself is for indoctrinating the students against their will) & Frankie uses "electroshock therapy" on herself & others as a symbol of this mind control. From the looks of it, the website that wrote it is chockful of paranoid crackpots (a lot of the comments were pro-MH but there were a lot where people said they won't let their children play with Barbies/My Little Ponies/Strawberry Shortcake/Littlest Pet Shop, Nickelodeon is banned in their houses, etc etc).
no subject
Date: 2013-04-24 02:24 am (UTC)I cannot even think of anything to say about that article, it is that ridiculous. Except that I think I strained something, I rolled my eyes so hard. People really don't have enough to do, do they?
no subject
Date: 2013-04-24 12:53 pm (UTC)any Gil.)I copy & pasted the article and saved the accompanying pics they used "to prove their point"...for instance, there's a set of sheets where Frankie is making a heart sign with her fingers over one eye & they're all LOOK SHE'S DOING THE SIGN OF THE ILLUMINATI & TEACHING IT TO LITTLE GIRLS!!! It's like...wow, do volunteer work if you have that much time on your hands.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-25 01:36 am (UTC)I like pink too, but I also like the spider girl, and Gil. However, this is the beauty of Monster High: If there's one or two or three dolls that you don't like, there are bound to be at least three other ones that you do like. They're all so different, and they cover a lot of bases.
no subject
Date: 2013-04-25 11:59 am (UTC)WORD. I'm becoming more & more grateful for the ones I don't like because I'm afraid I'll run out of room again (despite the shelves my brother made me to hold 100+ dolls) & the squeeze on my wallet. I cannot believe the number of dolls slated for 2013 alone! I've had to scale a few off of my list already. (So PD2 is out in Indiana, but I've yet to stumble across them [not for lack of trying] and I've heard some people have found 13 Wishes in the UK & Australia. I now I have a list of "Must Haves", "Depends On What She Looks Like In Person" & "Can Live Withouts"
though I'm sure I'll eventually live to regret not buying some I have on that list lol.)