Okay ethnic doll enthusiasts, Mattel's Monster High dolls has added another ethnic doll to the crew: Jinafire Long. Jinafire hails from a line of Chinese dragons. She has a metallic gold complexion and greenish eyes ... and a tail! She is the first MH ghoul to have a tail. And a nice price of $74.50 on Amazon.com. (No, I don't know if that is the price for her everywhere - wait, someplace called "Mohr Toys and Collectibles" has her for $49.99.) Is it just me or do MH prices seem high?
Additional photos can be found here.
Dana, that's old fashioned price gouging for ya..LOL. I saw them @ Justice. Retail was $34 but the sale price brought the price down to $20.40+ tax of course
ReplyDeleteYay! This new line is very interesting. :) I think these new dolls are priced around $15.99 (retail price), darn scalpers!
ReplyDeleteShe has a pretty face, but I do think her ethnicity isn't really self-evident - her facial features are the same as any other MH doll, no almond eyes or else, and that's a pity. People call her "asian" because her backstory says so... without the chinese-inspired outfit and accessories she could be presented as a random dragon girl and I surely wouldn't be able to tell the difference. :(
I wonder what kind of tail she has - there are a couple cat-girls already in the line and I think some of the "create-a-monster" dolls have an optional tail (not 100% sure, but there is a tiger boy if I'm not mistaken...)
Sadly Jinafire, seems to be the hard to find doll this season...they appear to have only made a limited number of them! Truly a shame as she is the one I really really wanted from this line!
ReplyDelete(However she isn't the first MH to have a tail. Torelai, and both of the werecat twins all had tails.) Although I love Jinafire's!
A lot of imagination goes into MH dolls; so much detail, including the packaging. This one, with her gold scaly skin, is super fun to look at. I heard some people picked her up at Justice for $20 using the 40% off coupon. Not too shabby.
ReplyDeleteInteresting and eye-catching but you're right - the price seems high. Maybe they've realised that the MH dolls have an appeal to the adult collector market and are pricing accordingly.
ReplyDeleteThat seems expensive for a MH doll. I think they limit the production because I have yer to see one on clearance.
ReplyDeleteI was so excited that an Asian doll was made but ... when I saw the photo and video all I said was, "Oh." She really reminds me of Robecca Steam.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments!
ReplyDeleteAha, price gouging ... not surprised.
Actually none of the MH dolls look particularly ethnic. Cute, yes. Ethnic, no.
That $74.00 price tag is just third party sellers on Amazon price gouging. Mattel released cases of dolls with NO Jinafire included in them in several areas, so that's why she's staying in the high $70s range right now. Once there's a wider release - and there will be one - the prices will drop considerably. Skelita - the other new girl - was also in the same price range, but has steadily dropped over time. Amazon itself has had these new dolls in stock at their $21.99 retail price, but they sell out within MINUTES. Jinafire, Skelita, Frankie, Clawdeen and Rochelle are deluxe box dolls (coming with combs, stands, and trip journals), so they're about ten dollars more than the slim box dolls, who are Abbey, Draculaura, Ghoulia and Deuce. Just keep waiting if you want Jinafire. Soon enough, the stores will be well stocked with her and all other Scaris dolls.
ReplyDeleteHi Teresa! Thanks for that information about the third party sellers on Amazon. Gee, I wish I could imagine people overpaying me like that, lol. No, not really ... sigh.
ReplyDeleteI like the scaley texture of Jinafire and her gold, green, and red colors.
I am still on the fence about the MH dolls - there are some I would LOVE to have, but I have to find them relatively inexpensive because they are not FIRST choice in my doll ranking. But someday ... Scarah Screams, Clawdeen, and Clawdeen's younger sister, I hope to have. Sigh.
You're welcome. MH is such a complicated fandom to be a collector in because of the rampant scalping issues. I try to warn people away from paying those prices whenever possible.
ReplyDeleteYou can find Clawdeen and Howleen (her little sister) for retail prices if you catch the Target website right when they get them in. That's how I managed my werewolf sister pack for the retail price, good luck.
Unfortunately, the Scarah Screams doll was a San Diego Comic Con exclusive, so a limited number were made and sold only at the Con. Scalpers ruined that as well, so very few collectors got them for $20. Any Scarah dolls available now will be at the mark up of 200% or more, with it getting higher as the months pass.
Good luck if you decide to invest in any dolls. The key to getting them for retail price is patience and waiting. :)
I've seen Howleen mentioned as part of a Dance Class series where she is alone. I might get her that way, Teresa. Need to see her first though.
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