Monster High Review: Ghouls Rule Cleo de Nile

[leia131]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Why do I blog? I mean, why does anyone blog? Because they have things to say, and because they think other people want to read about them. I also blog so I can remember things that happened years ago, and how I felt/what I was thinking at that time. Oh, and I like to record funny quotes.

And finally,

Last year around Halloween I did some reviews of the Ghouls Rule line of Monster High dolls, and now i'm here to continue that series! The first three reviews in this series can be found here.

As long-term readers of my MH reviews will remember, I was not the biggest Cleo fan for a while. However, this is one of her better dolls, imho, because Mattel gave free reign to the Egyptian theme, and let's face it: Egyptian stuff is cool! I also like short hair on Cleo, something she doesn't get to experience very often.

Ghouls Rule is the Halloween themed MH line, with each girl dressed to the nines in the epitome of their heritage. Here is Cleo, as mummied up as high fashion will let her get:

Cleo's dress is tight fitted through the mid-thigh area, and styled to look like bandages (if bandages has shiny teal stripes). It's gold and shiny, as you would expect from a rich and fashionable mummy girl. The shiny teal is carried on in the bits overhanging the tulle part on the bottom, which isn't really Egyptian but sure does make her look cool. Her shoes are teal and gold and the bottoms look like a pyramid. Their upper strap is made to look like a snake (awesome picture here), and one of Cleo's bracelets also looks like a snake holding itself on by biting its own tail.

Her necklace is also shaped like a snake, and has these wispy black and gold bandage strips attached to it that are kind of like a cape or a shawl thing. I'm not sure that wearing a snake around your neck when you're related to Cleopatra is the best idea, but it's not like any snake would dare bite Cleo. ;)

My favorite thing about this doll, however, is her eye makeup. In an Egyptian doll, you've got to give her freaking awesome eye makeup, and they definitely succeeded. It's got that whole 'Eye of Horus' thing going on, but without overtaking Cleo's character making her look ridiculous. It looks like something someone might actually wear to a fancy costume party.

Her lips are also covered in glitter, but I specifically picked out one that had minimal glitter because it just looked uncomfortable.

Although I love her makeup, I have to say that if you were expecting Cleo's hair to look the way it does in the promo pics, you're going to be sadly disappointed (ditto for Clawdeen, but I digress). There is no way to make that gravity-defying bouffant stand up to box packaging, but I like her hair the way it is.

Showing off her glittery black and teal hair and her curly snake earring.

Here's a shot of the back:

I like the little braid running around the poofy part.

As far as the themed masks go, Cleo's isn't the best. It's gold, like all her other accessories, but it just seems like a generic mask to me, with feathery wing points on the edges and ribbons or whatever hanging off next to the handle.  It does have some detail work on it that evokes her bandage theme, but it's not nearly as impressive as Clawdeen's mask. It does look good on her and seems to fit the outfit though, so that's something.

Here's a picture of all Cleo's accessories, including her trick-or-treat bucket which has a bandaged skull on it... which you can't see very well.

Did I mentioned that everything she has is SHINY?

In conclusion, I wasn't planning to buy this doll when she came out, and I wasn't even planning to buy her the first few times I saw her in the store (mostly due to Cleo's unfortunate penchant for severe wonk-eye) but in the end I simply couldn't resist. This is a beautiful, well made doll, with an awesome Egyptian theme and lots of little details to show it off.

Here's one last picture:

Walk like an Egyptian!

Answer to last Thursday's song: Josie and the Pussycats Theme, from Josie and the Pussycats. No one guessed this one.

Song quote for tonight: Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?

Comments

[becofoz]

I think everyone blogs for the same reason :)

[leia131.livejournal.com]

Right? I thought that was a bit of a silly question to have as the last one.

[invsagoth.livejournal.com]

I don't have this doll, but I want her so much! I hadn't realized how much I wanted her until I saw her in the store, and I immediately fell in love! But I couldn't afford her at the time, so I had to put her back. I haven't seen her since though. *facepalm* She's totally my favorite Cleo to date. :3

And now that I know about her bracelet, I'm even more determined to get her! I need that bracelet for something I'm planning. I hope I'll be able to find her somewhere!

[leia131.livejournal.com]

If not, let me know because WS is LOUSY with Ghouls Rule dolls. They are EVERYWHERE, taunting me because I thought they were going to be uber popular and I bought them all right when they first came out.

I'd be happy to ship one up to Alaska for you. :D

[amyofaquitaine.livejournal.com]

I love love love this Cleo, she's my favorite Cleo & in my top #10 favorite MH dolls. I love her with short hair, too, and wish they'd go that route with her more often.

Song quote for tonight: Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?
"Monster Mash"!!! Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers

[leia131.livejournal.com]

I think the short hair looks so good on her because it's a very Egyptian style; which is why it surprises me that it's so rare for her.

[amyofaquitaine.livejournal.com]

I feel so bad for Cleo, it’s like they don’t even try with her sometimes. A lot of her outfits are samey-samey IMO. I do like her Picture Day doll, though, with the darker blue. And the Skull Shores with the short hair & teal bangs is cute, too. It’s funny, last night I was rearranging some dolls and looking @ the Scaris Cleo and thinking about how much I just really don’t like her. There’s not enough contrast in her hair or something, and her dress is zzzzzz, and she’s just so blah.