Is the Great Playline Doll Renaissance Over...? *DISCUSSION*  

The problem I see with these dolls is that scalpers purchased them all up on Amazon and then they resell them for twice the price either on Amazon or eBay. This takes all the fun out of collecting, because I don’t wanna find someone’s ridiculously jacked up prices. It’s artificially inflating the value of these dollsand making them just no fun anymore. Thanks for your presentation is really interesting and comprehensive. I always think I’m the only one who thinks all these things that you’re saying.

I mean I knew that rainbow high would kinda come to an end at some point but I didn’t expect it to happen this soon🥲

Rainbow/Shadow High was nice while it lasted. I admit I have about twenty of these dolls. I haven't purchased dolls out of every series. I felt like the dolls and fashions were unique but they did seem geared to old children or adults. I hope they don't disappear completely, but other doll lines have come and gone, it won't be the first time.

It's crazy to see most of the RH going on clearance without being replaced with the next series. Like the shelves are just empty, they have been for months.

But Abby G3 has poly & the other G3 are just the same characters over & over. Like i can count at least 10 lines so far of the main core dolls already ! Kids, parents & adult perhaps are sick of same characters. Maybe that's why Venus is selling better. I personally don't want to buy anymore of the 6 core dolls. I'm waiting for G3 Spectra, The Hissfits, etc.

Funny enough, the Jakks dolls have better body articulation vs the Disney Store ones. Especially when you try to make them sit, the DS ones legs usually pop off when you try to do so.

I feel like Monster High Generation 3 is selling pretty well on Amazon(at least it says over 100k dolls have been sold in the past 3 months). I do agree that they don’t sell so well in stores, because they pop up online way earlier than in stores. As an European collector the dolls sell really good in my local stores even though we don’t have many of them. Actually one of the politician of my country posted them in their Instagram story, as her daughter played with them. I also think they really improved quality wise with the monster fest dolls and Core refresh dolls.

I am being more selective in what I buy now. MH, LOL not really my vibe. RH I have the dolls I want right now. I would like to see more quality fashion packs. This was a great conversation.

The reality is harsh but simple to understand: children are becoming less and less interested in physical toys and the percentage of profits that companies make from adult collectors is extremely low, unable to sustain the market. Unfortunately, the trend is only getting worse.

At my stores the Amaya and sunny slime dolls are selling well. Monster high core dolls and skulltimate secrets are also selling well. The other lines tho aren’t moving much

Rh case is so sad, but unfortunately i saw it coming. They released way too good of a product for playline where little details maybe were not noticed by kids, and adult collectors took it for granted. So many adult collectors view on RH started to shift right after s3 where people just wanted quantity instead of quality, people wanted more than 1 outfit even if that 1 outfit had amazing and extraordinary craftmenship. Mga seems to have invested a lot into the rebrand of RH contrary to what some collectors might think (RH budget going to bratz) since RH has new songs for the Rainbow World, commercial for the budget dolls, and lot of marketing (not aimed at adult collectors). I think RH will continue for more time, but definitely seems like we won't be getting releases like 2020-2023.

I agree with a lot of the points you made and also collect things outside of American playline dolls to get my toy fix. Rainbow High is the doll line I collected the most these past few years up until the rebranding. I don't hate the new stuff but I feel like my money is better spent elsewhere. There is an artist doll from Greece and a Kirby themed Licca-chan with my name on it. It makes sense just to review what you like. Some toy channels seem to open anything off the store shelves for content.

I love Monster High and seeing product early but, I hope stores don’t stray away from having product on shelf as it seems Walmart is slowly doing. I absolutely hate buying online unless I have to like if it’s an exclusive to the website like Amazon or Mattel Creations. I like picking which ones I want in store and I don’t have to pay more like u would online with shipping, plus it’s right in my hand. I can’t stand waiting for something to get to my house. In the long run it’s cheaper which that shipping money can go toward another doll and it’s less of a headache. I don’t always pick something up when it hits shelf especially because the area I live in sucks at getting product. Depending on the price I’ll wait for a sale. Faboolous pets is a great example they were just on sale but I couldn’t pick them up at the time. It’s hard to find the 2 pack unless I go out of town and Cleo is everywhere. I think a lot of stores ordered to many just like Scare-adise, but they won’t put Lagoona’s in store which I’m pretty annoyed about. Overall the brand is doing well, my only concern that I have as well as other is that so many dolls seem to be coming out and it’s always the same 5 characters to. I remember G1 had so many dolls before G2 came out and I think that’s one of the reasons it led to their downfall. I could see it happening again especially if they don’t renew the show or movie. I feel they will lose fans because if no more content comes out then no one understands the product in front of them. It’s important to keep people engaged especially kids. I’ve been watching season 1 and it’s taking me forever. I absolutely hate the show, no character is relatable for me anymore, all the characters sounds the same, and the story doesn’t feel like it’s really telling a story or a message. I used to love Twyla and Lagoona but they are so different now. The dolls do hit differently tho it’s the only thing I like from G3. If the show or movie doesn’t get renewed I can see sales going down for sure.

I watch all your content even when it’s something I’m not into.. Luv your channel, because you guys give thorough , relaxing reviews.. 🌻🌻.. If you do more podcast style even better . Thanks

i think the major reason why were seeing doll brands flopping and gutting certain lines is because of the fact that doll collecting (and collecting in general.) became a super popular pass time during the pandemic and quarantine, and now that that phase is over and the world "back to normal", we have more serious priority's to get in order. add onto that that resellers have taken notice of the uptake in collecting trinkets such as dolls and action figures and are botting new releases in order to resell them for triple the price, and the fact companies like Mattel aren't doing anything to combat it simply because if they don't they are guaranteed high profit margins and sales on every release without care as to weather or not the dolls actually sell well to collectors long as they get paid, and the fact most of us are just kind of burnt out because the world is falling apart in front of us and don't have time money or motivation to indulge in anything fun, and the big brands have taken notice and are now shifting focus to go back to budget playline for young kids. also, the reason omg fierce flopped was because MGA didn't adjust the peg sizes in the dolls joints, and only changed the proportions of their bodies and limbs, which meant we lost poseability because the dolls cant move in certain positions, so people who make stop motions or doll photography (such as myself) cant use them for anything. i bought all four of them with plans to use them in a stop motion, but once they arrived, they didn't pass the tests i needed them to for good articulation (hands on hips, hands touching ears.) so now they just take up all this room on my shelf.

“The all new Bratz are challenging to obtain…” Come to my local Walmart. They won’t sell but they won’t lower the prices either.

So many sad things happening right now in the doll world 😢. I wish my Walmart got monster high, but they discontinued them nearly a year ago. I also wish MGA would bring back sh greyscale doll; and a line of dolls directed towards adults like they used to. Always a pleasure to listen to your thoughts. Take care guys 💜🙂

I have wondered for months if China is pushing back and raising their production costs and this is why the play lines like Rainbow High, Shadow High, etc. have been simplified, have reduced articulation and are now geared to children who don't care about such attributes. This increase in production costs may also cause the distribution chaos surrounding new releases. Like India, China's middle class is huge and they want a similar middle class lifestyle to the one the west has enjoyed for years. Both countries have seen tremendous growth and the numbers of their middle class residents far surpasses America's middle class. I understand why they would want to enjoy a better lifestyle and I hope they are successful. Of course, this will affect the world of consumer goods as items will continue to get more expensive without quality improvements or added value and the distribution cycles will become more erratic. These are just my personal thoughts but feel this may be one explanation as to why MGA has pivoted their lines to younger audiences and Mattel's doll releases have become erratic. If the production deadlines are not met by the manufacturer, or companies like Mattel underestimate the demand, less product is going to be available. Combine that with the rise of unscrupulous scalper/hoarders and the true fan and collector is going to lose out. I hope all of this craziness doesn't become the norm! I enjoy your channel and commentary. Thanks for being here & for sharing your thoughts with us :)

MH G3 has been so wild to me, because I love sooooo much about what the show is doing, and I love the increased diversity as it feels very in line with the franchise's message! A lot of the core designs for characters rock too. But the dolls are coming out so fast they sometimes don't even arrive to our stores before they're gone and the next are coming out??? Along with what y'all said about the weirdly spaced drops in general, it really does burn you out and has discouraged me from wanting to hunt for stuff (including collector drops but that's a different ballpark, just has similar drop issues). We never got series 2 of skulltimate secrets, which is the one we wanted most! Additionally, G3's drops don't feel super connected to the show? Part of G1's strength was that for each new movie that dropped, or for each new special event in the youtube series, there would be a line of dolls associated that had new characters and/or unique theming, and it was really fun to be excited for the new movie/show event AND get to hunt for those dolls! It also helped mentally organize drops from a collector POV. G3 doesn't feel quite as connected? I love the more consistent show plots going on but it doesn't feel like it lends itself well to the same style of doll releases as before. And on top of that it's started to feel like the same fashion rehashed for each doll without enough to distinguish the outfits from each other :( A lot of the same look reskinned? It's really a bummer since there's so much they could do and I feel the pricepoint and quality of the dolls is perfect for playline! And like I've said I love so much about G3's show + core designs, I'm a huuuge fan of them! But the dolls are starting to blur together visually and over-saturate shelves all at once which has turned me off from wanting too many new ones ;-; It's really wild to see!

I’m late to the party, but I’d love more “nerd decor” as you guys put it. Been getting into floral/plant legos and stained glass looking jigsaw puzzles. Anything cool you come across, even if it’s only enough content for a short, would be awesome!

I came here originally for the integrity toys reviews, I stayed for your convos on toys in general. I lovingly blame you for my new found obsession for popmart. So thanks for that😁 ❤. Can you talk about Findingunicorn ghost bears? Also, i like your podcast format and it doesn't matter to me if you have items to unbox. I'd prefer just to know your thoughts on whats out there and what the community is saying. Thanks for the round topic coverage of dolls.

I know that making a collection video might be very time consuming, but I'd love to see the overview your Integrity toys collection, may be series of videos separated by characters.

The Monster High skulltimate secrets dolls seem to be popular - at least at my local Walmart. The Disney ILY dolls seem to be selling well too. I see the stock for those fluctuating a lot, but they always have some.

My guess (before watching the video): COVID temporarily swelled the ranks of toy (doll) collecting and many of those people have stopped collecting in one way or another, which caused a huge dip in sales, and now toy companies are reshifting strategies/scaling back. Smaller companies like MGA were hit the hardest. The Doll collector community is very "on to the next thing" which usually means most doll lines collapse after the first wave. Dolltubers have created a sort of FOMO hysteria around the hobby that most people who don't get invites to shows or free P.R. kits containing $100 of Dollars in dolls can't afford to keep up, so they abandoned the hobby. The huge walls with 100s of dolls most of these Dolltubers had didn't help either.

I am feeling the same as most RH lovers...sad. I have not bought any of the new reboot dolls & unless the winter or Moonbow are much better in fashion & dolls are beautiful....I'm not getting them either. I fell hard & fast for RH since series 3 came out & have had fun & enjoyed hunting them, unboxing them & just awed by how much I loved them. Now....I don't know what to do with my life 🤣...sort of kidding. At least I still collect Barbie, MH & a couple Bratz or odd doll here & there.

I just simply enjoy hearing y'all talk ! And my algorithm hasn't been recommending your videos so I feel bad for not stopping by more! But I love the idea of coverage of the art toy figures and k pop stuff, I enjoy learning about new toys. I'm personally been off in my own Lil realm of collector line Licca and Jenny dolls, and importing them and burning a whole through my bank account lol

IMHO, when RH had their leaks post of the reboot, it was truly the first of the four horsemen.

I agree that the distribution of monster high dolls is kinda bad. I live in Singapore and the latest release we have is the 1st wave of creepover and they are all very expensive 😭

Thank you for all of your videos, I think you guys are wonderful. You give a great perspective. I collect mostly pullip dolls, but have bought a select few OMG, and Rainbow high dolls. But right now I’ve been enjoying the new Decora dolls and the Magic Mixies pixlings just bc I think they are adorable and fun. I also have a 9 yr old daughter who isn’t really into dolls - so i know many adult collectors are upset with the slime aspects and other “fun/gimicky” packaged dolls, but from a mother perspective, I find this to be a great way to get kids to consider doll play. I also have to admit, that as an adult collector- life can be… tough at times. I find these little gimmicks often cheer my day a little - a break from reality and a treat to have an adorable doll for my collection when it’s done. Just a thought lol Thanks again for all of your hard work and ideas on this channel ❣️❣️

Barbie Dream Teens actually have high quality public photos already, just not individual glam shots

Im in colorado, its always around 2-3 mos bfore I see any new dolls that yall or others show us on your channel. I hate the wait!!😢😂❤

You guys never did a review for Roxie. Will you do a review for RH dolls you didn’t previously review? I’d totally watch it!

I enjoy your channel very much! I’m here mainly for Integrity but It’s interesting to see other Doll lines I’m not familiar with. Some good eye candy! And your reviews don’t pull any punches concerning quality and availability. Have you entered the IT lottery to attend this year’s in-person convention? Did you win any of the IT Cold Carbon dolls?

Very much moved on after Rainbow Highs reboot. More PopMart and Good Smile Nendoroid now. Very happy you are branching out too. You are so much a favorite ❤️

Again with my Walmart AND my Target didn't get the Barbie movie dolls till like 6 or 8 months after the movie ! I'm just talking Perfect Day & Roller Blading just arrived a couple months ago now.

Need to market better, let dolls be on shelves longer. Build excitement. And be more creative. Rainbow high coulda done more. And so could lol! It’s crazy, hoooow faaast they just produce em. I’d love more fashion packs a doll house that’s more customizable with maybe more furniture choices! Idk yeeeesh

Wonderful video great info you both put out. Did you see the newer Jakks ILY doll photos yet? They have 2 more Stitch wearing the same outfits, what do you think of them?

I'm in Western Australia and the Monster High dolls and Rainbow high too, really, They FLY off the shelves. For collectors it's very hard to find some dolls here. And on top of that, we usually (if not always) get the dolls here about a year after USA release. I think Europe has the same issue. Sad really

RH new dolls are not moving at my Targets and Walmarts. Wonder why?

I prefer your discussion videos.

I haven’t bought any of the slime dolls. I did purchase the fashion packs. I love RH and saw the writing on the wall in December so I bought all the ones I wanted and I’m content with them. The new show is 😳. MH hasn’t sold where I am either.

The slime dolls are really pretty,and the lack of wrist artic isnt so bad.❤

ILY from Jakks Pacific are WAY better than Disney Store. They actually sit better, their eyes don't get ruined with water and have better fashions.

Go ahead make those Lego and figure videos. I definitely made a focus more on Lego this year. I love collecting dolls, but the price has to match the quality before I buy. Rainbow high has definitely spoiled me , what they were putting out for $24-$30 compared to other brands is crazy. so it’s sad that we’re in a slump now

Monster High launched half a year later than in the US for us in Germany. And new releases still take up half a year to hit shelves here as well. Not to mention how overpriced they are here. 35 bucks per basic doll, 43 bucks for Skulltimate secrets dolls...

First video I've seen of this channel. I'm so sad about RH. I new we were in trouble when characters got super basic and then doomed when Slime dolls started. Really sad the show declined too. It used to be fun. 📷📸 Click click

MGA has entered the tough transition phase where the kids who were really into the LOL franchise (both fashion dolls and the tots), slime, etc. have aged out of these toys. The sad thing is you can't make a craze happen twice in a row. The next generation of kids will likely require a brand new one. And that's why we're seeing them release these gimmicky sets with nails, etc. because those will always sell while they're (I hope) figuring out the next big thing that's to be to the current gen of kids what LOL and RH and slime were to the children who are now around 8-10 and losing interest in toys. They are however pretty slow at that, and it's worrying. I'm very curious what their latest market research round told them cause as any corporation they likely have very sophisticated methods of measuring it and I bet the conclusions in the year of 2024 could be surprising and far from what the adult collectors think they are.

Rainbow High Never Ends

I just hope we see more G3 Monster high .. other varieties of monsters .. and new monsters will be awesome 👍👍

I love your podcasts, the topics are always spot on with what I feel personally so it’s always a pleasure to hear it ✨ (Beware, my comment will be quite long 😅) Rainbow high was the biggest disappointment to me, since they are my favourite playline dolls, first the new show is way less interesting than the first version (too many songs, nothing about actual artistic professions like before, …), fortunately the animation is still the same, but it sounds way too « superficial » in the meaning and too child-oriented for me to actually like it (even though I still check out the episodes out of curiosity 😅), and about the new dolls, they don’t speak to me (less articulation which was a huge advantage to the original dolls, the slime is not for me and these translucent-like legs sound weird to me 😂) so apart from the fashion packs that I still wait to be available in stores in my country, I don’t feel like buying new dolls at the moment For lol surprise, I was tempted to start a little collection as well, but they’re not really my vibe, so I just kept my dolls outfits and sold the nude dolls. That’s also when I realised that in secondary market, almost every person who contacted me what’s actually looking for the outfits and accessories only and not the dolls themselves, which I did not expect, I don’t know if that means anything about their popularity but I still am a fan of their quality and the very original looks they have to offer, it’s a shame that they also suffered from budget cuts And in the end, all these budget cuts for what ? As you mentioned, we don’t see much about the new bratz these last few months, and I don’t feel like this was necessary, I always considered it was better to look toward the future and current doll lines instead of trying to bring back the old ones (except a couple for anniversaries or special editions, but apart from that I see no point) For Barbie, I was so sad about the end of Barbie extras, it was a great opportunity for variety and more great outfits, reminiscent of lol omg on some aspects, I am also so curious about these new dream teens dolls, I don’t even know if I’ll be buying them but they intrigued me 😅 For Disney ily, I am unlucky in Europe since the Jakks pacific versions (my favorites) are not sold here 😭 but I just love their outfits, that’s the main reason why I bought them, I feel like they are much more interesting than the Disney store versions since they are inspired by more characters than just Disney princesses

my target doesn’t stock on monster high.. literally only has the core dolls and that’s it they stopped selling skulltimate secrets after wave 2

Cant wait for poppy!!!🌻

Sis, I just bought the final 4 dolls I was missing from wave 5 RH. And the reason why is because I was like “let’s just complete the collection for nostalgia purposes”. Just a few minutes ago. 😣🤦🏽‍♂️.RH has fallen for me. Though, I’m cool with it. RH got too much for me. But I know you channel will still have great content, outside of the RH line ☺️

As for lol omg, apparently a new listing for a new series has been leaked!! They’re going back to the 2 doll format again, which was unfortunate considering how the last series was rlly strong (I FINALLY GOT POSE BTW) and the four core dolls returned!! The dolls’ names are Pearl and Ace, and I’m kinda scared that those two would be the same quality as tweens s5, and that the designs are gonna be terrible 😭😭😭

I'm excited for Barbie Dream Teens...they look cute & the fashions look good.

I love monster high but my family is getting sick of me getting excited and wasting many walmart trips (I cant drive so they have to). Im more into other things now like Pixlings and Decora girlz because I can actually get my hands on them in person most of the time. I really dislike ordering online unless its a kikagoods doll where its supposed to be a gamble lol.

What i see in México we receive kind of "leftovers" about the dolls in stores and there are also very very expensive, so, that´s why many times people and collectors just do not buy dolls, and also i think there is a lack of creativity in 2024 about "new" dolls

It is sad. From TWO outfits, to this rainbow high!😢

My Walmart is terrible. They don't even have MH anymore. And like you said, they don't restock. I never saw RH Contume Ball ! While other Walmarts had a million & couldn't give them away. Like, who's distribution? Take the locations that have way too many & put them at locations that have none, maybe they'd sell a few ? Like duh...lol.

I was shocked by how the Disney ILY 4EVER dolls spread like wildfire in 2023. Like, they were universally loved right from the beginning. I couldn't believe it!

The problems u guys r having with getting Monster High dolls is the exact problems I’m having with getting the new Barbie dolls. From the leaks to the Amazon sellouts & resellers jacking the prices then literally months even a year or more before it even hits the shelves. It’s getting harder & harder to collect. Once upon a time I could get the Mermaid dolls & Skipper dolls & fashion packs with no issues but now if I don’t order it as soon as I see it online I’ll probably never get it. The restock at my local Targets & Walmarts r horrible. Took me 2 years to get the dance Brooklyn doll at Target. Keep in mind I live in California & had to get it while on a trip to Chicago. It’s getting ridiculous

rip rainbow high and shadow high

And pop mart has a great store..?

I hope that #RainbowWorld does a 2nd Wave of #PoppyRowan & #BellaParker Dolls like seen on the #RU-vid Series

Cries in Mermaze 😢

In canada, mh g3 barely moves, and we are very slow with getting new lines since the old line haven't sold. I think the sales of U.S. kind of predict whether international retailers will want them, so walmart completely not wanting g3 is very concerning. You can only attract kids to buy cartoon associated toys for so long unless it's some miracle like frozen. Not to mention all the horrible things nickelodeons has been called out for, many parents rightfully so will not want to put that channel on.

So the Jakks ILY dolls suck. I bought a two for clothes ( I ❤ MM & Target exclusive MInnie). Wave one Disney store are best, & the Christmas multi pack at Disney store were great. I only like inset eyes. And inlybthe first fashion packs were good.

It's over lovers! It all comes down to doll-flation. The doll corp's are tightening the purse strings and making cheapo dolls aimed at kids. They've forgotten collectors, but more importantly they've forgotten influencers like you 2. No buzz, no buy. They need to re-up their game, but will they?

The current direction of rainbow high is so disappointing. Absolutely not worth spending money on

Still don’t own a single Barbie Movie doll. They’re just too damn expensive for no reason. I’d rather stick with LOOKS.

The original RH show felt like it was trying to be Barbie Life in the DreamHouse, but they could never. Not saying Mattel did everything first obvs, but so many of MGAs gimmicks just feel like rehashing old ones or copying other toy manus 👀 having on trend detailed fashion was MGAs thing in every single line and they've given it up even in LOL OMG. Spinmaster and IBC and Mattel are giving us some fun things but MGA made their own drought 😬

Its more that the hype for rainbow high is over. Theres still plenty of lines doing good things that people feel hyped for. Even barbie. I guess its just mga's turn to flop this year.

Target is almost always close to sold out with monster high..they restock weekly and it ends up bare within days

I think that MGA flew too close to the Sun. Way too many different doll lines at the same time (They also did Mermaze Mermaids, and Dream Ella). Which meant a drop in quality for all of them. When they should have just stuck to one or two fashion doll lines, and gave us the quality that we were used to. Mattel is also screwing up in this way lately, especially after taking on the license to make Disney dolls again. They are spreading themselves way too thin. And, people can't afford $25, $30, $35 for a doll with no extra fashions or accessories these days. That's probably why miniatures are blowing up. They're cheap, and they scratch that hunter/gatherer collector's itch in all of our monkey brains. And, they are much easier for kids to afford.

I’m glad RH/SH is over. I never collected them, and think they were outrageously over hyped by every doll collector online. I’ve always found the lines to be childish, so this reboot seems appropriate to me. I hope we see new, more sophisticated lines coming out soon. Sadly, I think those horrid decora dolls are an example of what’s actually to come 😳

In my opinion, youtubers have in essence, ruined doll collecting for adults. Several doll companies have bent over backwards to try and listen to adult doll collectors on what they would like to see in a doll line and did what they could to make it happen. Unfortunately, too many adult collectors tend to be overly opinionated, extremely critical, far too needy and often times just plain rude in their doll revues. It really shouldn't be of any surprise to anyone that doll companies have started to turn more of their attention back to kids.

Oh no we might have to find a better use of our time other than endlessly over consuming mass produced plastic crap.

I have given up on Rainbow high, there is nothing appealing with the brand anymore. I strongly believe that Rainbow high will end soon, within a year or so. I'm seeing that some people are still buying the new rainbow high/ rainbow world dolls. The same people who was mad at mga a few months ago about these dolls. I don't what changed, maybe they don't want the brand to end. I will not buy the dolls as long as they have less articulation and slime.

Like you guys, I have actually stopped buying dolls this year as nothing has been catching my interest so far. Lately I've been having a sanrio phase haha and buying cute sanrio collectables.

I think collectors are being dramatic about RH, there is nothing wrong with them makin lines for children this brand isn't integrity toys lol to expect them to always cater to adults is a lil gatekeeping. That said the slime dolls aren't bad the faces look a lot better than series 1 first dolls thats for sure.