So I had an eventful long weekend doll hunting. The timing was the absolute worst because the weather was horridly wet and there were people everywhere due to long weekend sales. I also had a bunch of chores to do at home.

But my husband saw the white haired Amaya Raine hair studio set at a local store, so I had no choice but to venture out.

Overall, the entire hunt took about 6 hours spread out over two rainy crowded days. Most of it was spent picking through all the defective looking dolls. Not sure why, but the defect rate for the blue haired Amaya was through the roof! It was insane really. Nearly every single doll had absurd black stains over her nose or body. It’s as if the staff at the factory that produced her were all drunk, or just taking the piss. Which is a real pity because this Amaya has the new neck articulation allowing head tilts. Not sure how (probably by lowering my bar ^^”), but I still managed to pick out three decent ones for my collection. I can’t wait to test out her new neck articulation!!

Next up was Bella Parker. I managed to pick up two of her. I must have checked at least fifty Bellas and they ALL had misprinted eyeshadows, though this may not be immediately obvious due to the subtlety of her makeup. In theory, Bella should’ve been my ultimate favourite doll since she’s pastel pink – but she’s not. Her soft makeup makes her eyes look super beady. I also don’t like her clothes, they’re a bit too 90s preppy for me. And her California Dream shirt is so tacky and clashy with the rest of her glam outfit. It doesn’t help that she’s rather unlikeable on the show. So yes, unfortunately Bella’s not amongst my favourites.

Now for my favourite doll of this haul, white haired Amaya Raine! I’ve wanted this doll since the start of Rainbow High in late 2020. Im not sure why they took so long to get her in. I’m besotted with her soft pearly porcelain aesthetics, and her ethereal pastel colours. What a stunning doll! Amaya also gets extra brownie points for being so sweet and likeable on the show (so far anyway!). I managed to pick out three good ones, one had perfect makeup but a slight scratch on one of her legs so I might need to rebody her. I’ll probably need to get a fourth Amaya for this, but I’ll wait until there’s a sale going on (she’s $99 here in NZ ouch!). There’s also the ingenious option of rebodying using the blue haired Amaya’s body, which has the new neck articulation and is close to half her price. Though the biggest hurdle is finding a decent one without random black stains!! (Actually, on further inspection, the white haired Amaya dolls in NZ may also have the new neck articulation too! I’ll need to check once I debox mine, it would be totally amazing if she does! *Update (12/6/21) – I deboxed one of my white haired Amayas and she does come with the new neck articulation! YAAAAAY!!!! That’s so awesome!)

I was also lucky enough to pick up a second Cheer Skyler, a third Cheer Sunny and a third Cheer Violet. I needed a third of both Sunny and Violet because some of the ones I have at home have minor issues eg poorly sewn socks or slightly thinner hair on one side etc that I wouldn’t mind replacing.

Now that’s all for Rainbow High. Next up are some dolls from Mattel!

So I came across some #2 Barbie Extras during my doll hunt, and two of them looked soooo good I had to pick them up. I already had two at home (that I’ve showcased on flickr) but these new ones had much better face up with evenly aligned eyes, and cleanly thick rooted hair, so I ended up returning my original two. Sorry but I don’t need four of you!

I also stumbled across the new Hello Kitty and Friends dolls! They were released a few months ago in the US and as you might know, I’m a massive Sanrio fan, my favourites being My Melody and Cinnamoroll. So of course, I couldn’t resist picking up a couple of these adorable little dolls. I bought two My Melody and Stylie, two Cinnamoroll and Cloudine and one Hello Kitty and Eclair. Unfortunately, none of the stores stocked Badtz-Maru and Jazzlyn, I’m thinking NZ never imported her at all? Which is odd, because Jazzlyn is super spunky and chic.

Overall, there were no major issues with quality control, unlike with Rainbow High. There were variations in eye placements especially with Eclair so I would still prefer to pick them out in person. I also bought a Keroppi and Dashleen, and another Hello Kitty and Eclair for my sister and her husband (alluding to their Twitch channels since one is neko themed and the other frog themed lmao! I hope they get it because neither of them collect dolls!!!)

All in all, it was an extremely exhausting but successful doll hunt. I’m delighted with all the new dolls in my collection, and I desperately need to start putting away my Monster Highs so I can make space for all the newcomers!

Now that would be the perfect quiet and relaxing activity I could do on these rainy crowded days!