Out of the Box: Bratzilla Illiana Honesty

I've talked before about my ridiculous fondness for the Bratz Boyz line, but I've never branched out into picking up any of the dolls from the other Bratz lines.  Or at least that was the case until last week, when I found the Bratzilla Illiana Honesty (from the "House of Witchez"/"Back to Magic" international-themed series) available for a reasonable price.

Bratzilla Illiana Honesty

The Bratzilla line is closer to the standard Barbie-type fashion dolls than the older Bratz line dolls, having taller bodies and lacking the standard Bratz peg-shoes.   These dolls also feature inset rather than painted eyes, and twelve points of articulation rather than five.  Given those details, I was expecting a doll of noticeably higher quality than the main Bratz line.  In reality, my impressions were mixed.

In the Box

The doll is packaged in a basic front-plastic/back-carded style, with the doll attached to an inner lining.

The Back of the Box.

Once released from the packaging, the first thing I noticed about this doll is that her legs are made of a softer material than the rest of her body.  In and of itself, that's not terribly unusual for a fashion doll, but in this case the dolls legs were so soft that it's impossible for her to stand upright.  Given that the old style Bratz dolls are known for their solid standing ability, this seemed like a huge sacrifice for the new body (which incidentally doesn't have jointed ankles, so the doll doesn't even have that excuse).

The inner lining.

Complaints about the legs aside, I did appreciate the jointing of the torso and arms, and found the doll to be a solid poser in that area.  Her inset plastic eyes also give this doll a more dynamic expression than I'm used to seeing from the painted-eyed Bratz releases.

Out of the box (and supported by the window).

Having been originally drawn to these dolls by their outfits, I found the clothing on this doll to be decidedly lackluster.  The inspiration is supposedly India-meets-Hogwarts-meets-High-Fashion, but frankly the pieces just look like pink shorts and a shirt to me.  The plastic witches hat is a cute touch, but the matching shoes do nothing to help the doll stand, despite being large enough that they could have been constructed with that in mind.

Complaints aside, I do like the faux-gold earrings and the long black-with-gold-streaked hair appears to be decent quality and well-rooted.

Compared to one of the older, shorter Bratz Boys

Overall, while I'm less than thrilled with this doll and won't be picking up any other Bratzillas, I'm not disappointed with having added her to my collection.  With a new outfit and a doll stand, I think the appeal of her positive features (in particular her eyes and hair) will outweigh the negatives.

A parting glance.