Wednesday, March 5, 2014

What Were They Thinking?

This is not a typical review, I just want to quickly show you two dolls that I saw last week at Toys R Us.  When I first laid eye on these two, I had a hard time believing what I was seeing.  Both of them have potty humor themes to one degree or another, which is not something I can say I've seen very often (if at all?) in the mainstream doll world.  I ran into both of these dolls on the same day, at the same store, within about three minutes of each other.  This left me scratching my head and wondering if I was in some kind of crude alternate reality.  I actually bought one of the dolls--so that I could show her to you, but also because most things about her are very cute and ordinary.  She's a Moxie Girlz doll with bright red hair and a colorful pet unicorn.  She cost me $14.95.

Poopsy Pet Kellan doll
Moxie Girlz "Kellan"...and her pet (by MGA Entertainment).

That unicorn is the problem, though.  Kellan is part of a new series called the Poopsy Pets.  That's right: the Poopsy Pets...not the nickname, poopsie, but Poopsy because they poop.



Not only that, Kellan's magical friend poops rainbows.  

Awesome.
I have to admit, I giggled when I first saw this, but it might have been more of a nervous giggle...like wha-- heh, heh...really?  It's hard for me to read this and not think of a certain crude quote that I wouldn't want my kids in the habit of saying.  

The deal is, you can place little rainbow egg-shaped things into this unicorn's mouth, they pass through, pop out...and then they can be eaten again and again!  Mercifully, the box stops shy of calling this a poop-eating unicorn.

Coprophagic cuteness!
This rainbow-ejecting unicorn is only part of the fun.  Also available in the Poopsy series are Lexa and her glitter-pooping bunny and Avery with her gemstone-pooping koala...or whatever that animal is:

Be you!  Poop gemstones!
The nameless unicorn is posed on the box with a colorful stream of rainbow droppings lined up behind her.

Did Kellan bring her plastic bags?
Whether it's intentional or not, I find it amusing that the unicorn is posed in the box with a garden of flowers sprouting right behind her:


The flowers feature prominently as part of the Poopsy Pets logo, too.  This has to be either a reference to the compost value of herbivore excrement, or maybe just a desperate attempt to keep consumers from thinking about actual poop when they look at this box.

We're saying "poop" a lot here, but think of flowers instead...please.
Kellan's box can be opened by cutting the plastic cover away from the colorful backdrop.  This girl comes with her unicorn, six rainbow "poops," and a pamphlet of directions. 


The directions only include information about Kellan and Lexa.  Avery and her koala are nowhere to be seen.  Maybe the koala has a different digestive mechanism for dealing with those gemstones?

The directions are fairly entertaining.  In the contents list, the little plastic things are called "poops:" 


In the feeding directions, though, they're conveniently called "eggs."  Apparently, slightly more force is necessary to feed the bunny pet:  

Pry open mouth with finger and cram food in.
What's amusing to me here is that real rabbits actually have to eat their poops in order to get the necessary nutrition from their food.  And yet you have to force-feed this rabbit her "eggs" while the unicorn gobbles those bad boys up like candy.

 Apparently, constipated animals should be shaken:


And warning: there's absolutely NO poop sharing allowed:

Don't even think it.
Here's Kellan and her unicorn free from their box:


The unicorn is made out of hard plastic and comes wearing a leash and a little frilly jacket.  Frankly, this character looks more like a dog in a unicorn costume than an actual unicorn....which explains the poop-eating, I guess.


It's a teacup unicorn!

Very cute from this angle.
It has rounded bear ears and a tiny blue horn.  The eyes remind me of Cutie Pops eyes.


The leash is a simple piece of pink satin ribbon with loops at each end.  One side is for Kellan to hold, and the leash strings through the other side to create a constricting loop that fits around the unicorn's neck.


The little jacket is attached with velcro under the unicorn's neck and under its belly:


It's a little tank top tutu.

It looks like both the unicorn's front and back legs can move, but actually it's only the back legs that have motion. 



The back legs are partially hollow and bob up and down as part of the pooping mechanism.


The unicorn has a bright, painted rainbow mane and a neon pink tail.


The mouth has a hinged lower jaw with a tiny spring.  The mouth can be pulled open, but it also opens naturally with the pressure of an egg:

Feed me!
Inside the mouth.
The eggs are pink, yellow and blue and have a small amount of glitter stuck to them.  These things roll around all over the place and I have already lost one of them.  They would not be appropriate for children under three.


Feeding the unicorn is actually pretty fun and easy.  She gobbles the eggs right up:

Like poop-corn!
Nom, nom nom.
Once the unicorn has a full belly and is standing upright, the eggs are clearly, and somewhat disgustingly, visible at the back of the animal:


Slight pressure on the unicorn's tail causes the hindquarters to depress, lifting a small plastic barrier that holds the eggs in place:


The egg poops go shooting out and roll away.  That's about it.  The inspiration for this toy is clearly the jelly bean-laying plastic hens that come out at Easter time.  Those toys are usually sold in the candy section and cost under $5.00.  I think jelly bean hens are pretty fun, and I like eating the eggs.  This toy takes that idea and removes the candy.  That's bad enough, but making the animal a unicorn also removes the cleverness.  Unicorns don't lay eggs--or eat them.  So we're left with a pet that inexplicably eats its own egg-shaped poop.  I have three of those pets in my house already and don't need another.

The nice thing about this set is that Kellan herself is normal.  You could throw away the choking hazard unicorn and still have a nice toy to play with.  She has long red hair with bangs and is wearing a colorful, modest two-piece outfit:


Kellan's hair is bright red with highlights. The fiber isn't silky-smooth, but it's soft and easy to manage.  The hair is covered with dry white flakes of styling product:


I've never reviewed a Moxie Girlz doll before, which is one of the reasons I decided to buy this set instead of just gaping at in in the store.  

The Moxie Girlz have very distinctive faces, with oversized teardrop-shaped eyes.  The eyes are painted and have a very flat profile.  



This Kellan has great freckles.  I like the realistic shapes and uneven spacing.  

She has two-toned purple eyes with heart-shaped reflective dots in them:


Her arched red eyebrows are hidden by her bangs:


 Both the eyelashes and the iris details are painted as thin black lines of varying lengths:

Sea urchin eyes!
There's something funny about these eyes.  They're very large, have an odd shape, and I think my doll's eyes are slightly crooked.  There's a lot of detail in the design, but all of the dark lines are distracting.  It'd be neat to see this doll with more traditional eyes.

Kellan has a rose-colored mouth accented with shimmering frosted pink:


There's also a small area of darker pink to accentuate the puckered shape of the mouth:


Kellan's outfit consists of a shirt and coordinating pants.  


The shirt has a nicely stitched ribbon belt:


The construction seems quite sturdy for a play outfit, although the bottom edge of the shirt is not finished in any way and could get ragged or frayed:



Like the original Equestria Girls, Moxie Girlz have peg legs with detachable shoes and no feet:



The pegged attachment of the shoes allows for 360 degrees of ankle movement:


Kellan's pink heart-print pants are tight at the bottom and have a simple, wide waistband with a velcro closure in back.



Kellan has seven points of articulation--nine if you count her ankles.  Her elbows do not bend, but her arms are made out of a flexible vinyl.  She has hinged, rotational shoulders and hips, and rubbery legs with internal knee joints.  Her head can look up and down a little bit:





Here's a quick lineup to show you how Kellan's ten inch size compares to Barbie, Bratzillaz and Pinkie Cooper:

Barbie Midge, Bratzillaz Meygana, Moxie Girlz Kellan, Pinkie Cooper Pepper.
After seeing the dolls together like this, I was surprised to discover that Meygana can wear Kellan's clothes.  Even the skinny-legged pants fit nicely over her normal feet.

Not really her style, but still.
Here are a few more pictures of Kellan:





Ok, now that you've seen Kellan and her Poopsy Pet, let me show you the doll I didn't buy at Toys R Us that day...and won't ever buy:


This is a "Tub & Toot" baby by Toys R Us' own You & Me brand. The doll, as you might guess, is designed to fart in the bathtub.  It doesn't actually say this anywhere on the box (I can see why, because there's no nice way to say it) but the name, Tub and Toot combined with the shocked look on that little girl's face tells the whole story.

There's also a description that says, "I make funny bubbles!" with a picture that makes it clear they're not talking about mouth-blown bubbles.  


I kinda wish they'd gone all-out with the packaging and just embraced this theme.  I mean, if you're going to make a doll like this, why get all cryptic and delicate with the advertising?  

How about:


Or maybe...

The problem here is that while real-life farting in the bathtub could certainly be giggle-worthy, it's only funny because of its accidental, unexpected, and (hopefully) infrequent occurrence.  This doll removes all of those qualities, and in doing so removes all of the humor.

There's an African American version of this doll, too:


I tried to get a close-up of her face:

She looks almost as surprised as I did.
The dolls have detailed eyes, but there's not much else about them that is appealing to me.  They look cheaply made, the hard torso seems bad for cuddling, and they're not especially cute.  This means that all they have going for them is the tooting feature.  They're basically $30 novelty jokes.

I mean, I guess if the giggling and farting feature was really well done, this baby might be a hit.  I have seen dolls that giggle so contagiously that you can't help but smile or join in.

Unfortunately, this doll sounds like an angry squirrel:


I can only imagine the conversations around the table when something like this is being developed.  I mean, doll companies are trying to appeal to kids, granted, and kids tend to go through a potty humor stage...that's normal.  However, there are a lot of natural phases that kids go through that I wouldn't recommend memorializing with a doll.  What's next, a grocery store tantrum doll?  A teething doll that bites everything?  A first zit doll?  An awkward first date doll?

This baby's face sums up how I was feeling after I saw the Tub & Toot doll:


This baby also contributed to the bizarre experience of that whole shopping trip.  Her eye is impossibly wonky.  I assumed that it must have come loose, but no--it's firmly glued down like that, and she was prominently displayed on the shelf.  Perhaps the You & Me dolls need a little more editing--both in the planning stages and in the inspection of their final products.

So, that was my unusual shopping experience.  I found a farting doll, a pooping toy...and a wonky-eyed baby thrown in as a bonus.

Happy trails.
I am always looking for creative new things in the toy stores.  I suppose Tub & Toot and Poopsy Pets are original in their own way, but they're not my thing.  I'll admit that the idea of these dolls is funny, and that there was a certain amount of fun associated with the surprise of finding them on the shelves (especially two in one day!), but I don't see any lasting value in them.

I can't picture buying either of these dolls for a child.  I'm all in favor of the acceptance of natural bodily functions, but I'm not into flaunting them.  I don't even think that the unicorn toy would make a good potty training aid, since it's not even close to being realistic and the eggs are too small to be safe for young children.  The unicorn could make a fun gag gift, if marketed completely differently and sold in adult specialty shops like Think Geek, Bull Moose or Newbury Comics--you know, alongside the squirrel underwear and fake mustaches.  Kellan herself is a fine doll, and I especially like her long red hair and freckles, but Moxie Girlz can be found at much better prices without the pooping pets.

Don't get me wrong--there are certainly worse toys than these out there nowadays.  For example, only a few weeks ago, I rounded a corner at Toys R Us and ran smack into a display of Ugglys.  I almost yelped out loud.  These abominations, for those who have not seen them, are bug-eyed, burping, drooling, farting, slime-infested electronic pug dogs.  They're yucky, and they look horribly diseased.  I may be a prude, but I find it physically uncomfortable and a little sad to look at them.

I'm hoping that my recent gross toy sightings are not evidence of a new trend.  I highly doubt this, but you never know.  I like the monster and vampire trend, enjoy the recent focus on fairy tale themes, and get a kick out of the para-human dolls like Pinkie Cooper and the Equestria Girls.  However, if the shock value of potty humor is the next big thing...I won't be along for the ride.



81 comments:

  1. Lol, I've seen poopsie pets, ( I kind of want one just for the humor) but the tubs and toots doll is so much funnier. I just wonder what the people who made these toys have to say for themselves...

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    1. Yeah, the Tub & Toot doll is definitely the one that I found the most surprising. I'd love to have a secret camera focused on that part of the toy aisle, just to record people's reactions as they see that baby for the first time! ;)

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  2. I just read this article and I laughed my head off. Keep up the awesome reviews, even the eccentric ones!

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    1. That is so nice of you to say--thank you!! :D

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    2. :D :D :D I absolutely agree with Anonymous, and may I express my gratitude for such a rare combination of hilarity and meticulously informative composition <3 Have a wonderful day, and thank you for making mine!

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  3. I want that unicorn! :) Barbie's pooping Tanner is still one of my favourite toys ever. It's the way Tanner cocks his doggy head when you work the mechanism, like he's so very proud of the gift he's bestowing!!

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    1. Ok, I have to go check out Tanner. I knew Barbie had peeing puppies, but I didn't know about the pooping pooch!

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    2. Wow! I found pictures of Tanner. Very realistic! I like that the packaging doesn't make a huge deal about the pooping. It's just there as a feature of the dog. And there's a scooper with a garbage can, too! Maybe this helps kids learn how to clean up after their pets. Perhaps I should get one for my teenagers? ;)

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    3. I had Tanner as a kid and he's so adorable! He looks so realistic and is easily my faovrite of Barbies pets, whether he poops or not. I also kind of like the Barbie that comes with him, she looks rather natural.

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    4. My daughter got Tanner for Christmas a few years ago. My sister in law was beside herself when she saw it. :) She may have played with it more than my daughter.

      I was very close to buying the jewel pooping koala at Christmas. Just couldn't justify $18 for it. I mean, how many times are you going to see a jewel pooping koala?

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  4. I've seen the Poopsy Pets before, but not the Tubs and Toots doll. Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? :}

    And may I just say, I feel for the poor koala...those gemstones must not be very comfortable. :}

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    1. I'm with you, beastsbelle! That koala has the worst deal in this line! ;)

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    2. I had it when I was wee the poop is macnetic

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  5. I had planned a review of that Moxie Girlz doll, but you beat me to the punch! LOL, wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall at some of these development meetings?

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    1. Oh, I know! It would be so fun to listen in on those meetings and see how these toys are conceived! Were you going to review the unicorn doll? I, for one, am still curious about how the koala works with those gemstones...

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  6. Actually, a teething doll sounds like a good idea. Baby Bites-a-lot! Put something in her mouth and she bites down on it! Uh-oh, Baby Bites-a-lot is crying! Better give her something to bite! Can't be worse than Tub & Toot, surely...

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    1. LOL! I love it! And you're right--it's so much better than the tooting baby. I can just picture the warnings on the Bites-a-Lot doll...
      "Do not feed Baby Bites-a-Lot real food."
      "Keep fingers and small pets away from Baby Bites-a-Lot."
      "Do not place Baby Bites-a-Lot near electrical cords!"
      "Whatever you do, do NOT put fragile or explosive objects in Baby Bites-a-Lot's mouth!!"

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  7. dear Emily,
    Even when you are lambasting a toy - you do it with such style and grace - something you certainly can't say about the toys you just reviewed. So even if there is absolutely no desire to ever buy the toy - the reading is always entertaining and informative - you should really publish the "best of" in a book - call it the "toy whisperer" really - you should "whisper" your review to some of these toy company executives. In a nutshell - great review - as always.
    Tali from Israel

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    1. Thank you so much, Tali! That is the nicest thing you could have said! :) I have always dreamed of writing a book, but I enjoy the interactive part of blogging so much. I have often thought about posting the best comments from this blog because there's a TON of humor and information (and kindness!) in this section alone!

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  8. May I see who is in charge & who they pass this by. I don't think I know anybody who would want that.

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    1. I can see a lot of people stopping to giggle at the idea of the tooting baby, but like you, I don't know anyone who would buy it--especially for $30! As for the unicorn, since I bought that myself, I probably shouldn't talk! ;D

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  9. That pooping unicorn is exactly like Barbie's pooping dog. I always found it funny that he hate his own poop. lol

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    1. Hi Aileen! I didn't know about Tanner until I read these comments. I have to say, I like him better than the unicorn. He's more realistic, for starters, and the emphasis of the toy seems to be on pet care in general, not just pooping for it's own sake. That's a tough design challenge, though--making little brown pellets that look like dog food...AND look like what comes out the other end! Yikes.

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  10. Angry squirrel, horribly diseased...how bizarre. Moxie Girlz are low rent Bratz dolls. Whoever runs that company must be tripping on acid. Moxie Teenz were great dolls. Why were they discontinued and replaced with this devilry? I wish they'd bring them back.

    I went to Toysrus recently and there wasn't anything I was interested in.

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    1. the liv dolls were also a good idea not understand that lasted no more

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    2. Robotica, I agree with you 100% about the Moxie Teenz! I thought they were quite special--particularly the earlier ones with the removable wigs. So much more appealing to me than Bratz.

      I also agree about Liv dolls. They are among my favorite play dolls ever. I really wish they had expanded instead of discontinuing! :(

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    3. I don't think that the Moxie Girlz are bad toys, but I agree that the Moxie Teenz were definitely better. If I had to guess, I'd speculate that their scale (14") probably did Moxie Teenz in more than anything else, because their larger size limited their swapping/interactivity potential with the more typical 11-12" play doll lines like Barbie (that doesn't stop me from squeezing my sole Moxie Teenz girl, Arizona, into Barbie/Liv clothes anyway though, lol).

      Liv dolls were definitely the bomb; I just picked up three more (Sophie, Daniela, and Hayden) and eight(!) wigs from the local St. Vincent de Paul Society thrift store for eight dollars total last month:

      http://www.angelfire.com/ult/ace/toy_talk_030314.html

      I finally found the Liv Alexis McDonald's mini doll too, so I have all five of them now, but I still need to find Sophie's mini styling head to complete the full set of eight toys.

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  11. Is it bad that I desperately want to find that pooping unicorn toy?

    I actually found a Barbie with a kitty that comes with a cat box. I believe it works by scooping the "pee" out of the box (you put water inside the cat figure). The Barbie herself even comes with a kitty litter scooper. I guess someone decided the best part of owning a cat is scooping its cat box??

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    1. Nah--it's a cute little novelty toy. You can have mine! I lost one of the eggs, though. :/

      I saw that Barbie cat! It's quite realistic, isn't it? I hope what they were going for with that line is all-inclusive pet care, you know, so that kids learn the responsibility of pet ownership. I'm not sure it's possible to make scooping cat litter fun, though! Definitely not my favorite. ;)

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    2. If you really wouldn't mind parting with it, I'd love to have it! I think its hilarious and I could hide it with my collection of my little ponies. It would fit in in a strange sort of way, I think. :D

      I think that's the idea, but its still kind of funny they put the whole gimmick of the toy is scooping the litter pan. I don't even remember seeing a package of food or a food dish included with it. I have to say its more fun to feed the cat than scoop the litter pan.

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    3. I have to agree--scooping litter is no fun, but I love feeding cats for some reason! Always have, ever since I was little. I wish they had miniature toy cat food cans that could be opened!

      Absolutely you can have the unicorn, just send me an email so I know where to mail her--she would definitely be a fun addition to a pony collection!

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    4. Tiny cat food cans would be adorable!! I always like feeding cats because they get so excited about their food. Even if they don't really want it. (My cat always does this)

      I've just sent an email too. :D Thanks so much again!

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  12. This came out a few years ago. The commercial that aired on TV was so disgusting.

    http://www.amazon.com/Goliath-30594-Doggie-Doo/dp/B003CJJE4Y

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    1. Nooooooooo! LOL! Does it squeeze out Play-doh style feces??? Oh, my goodness. Cute dog, but that beats all.

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  13. The doll is pretty and looks like a grown up version of the Spanish dolls that you reviewed in your last post. As for the feeding and poop idea, it's a been a round for a while. There have been pooping baby dolls and yes, pooping pets with the poop to scoop. Where the line gets drawn on this, is when people stop buying. Some don't like the monster dolls or any doll with non real colored hair. Baby dolls have peed for a while, and burped. Mattel with the Barbie line had them pregnant as you have reviewed one and sprouting breasts. If it works, they sell it.

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    1. So true, Catherine! And since I bought the unicorn doll, I'm not helping! :D The realistic peeing and burping babies don't bother me at all, I think because they're all about approximating real baby care--not meant to glorify the grossness. I would have said that the pooping pets don't bother me as much either, provided that they're focused on pet care as a whole...but then I saw the link Lori posted, above. That's taking it too far for my taste! Ahhh! :)

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  14. for adult children disgust for a humourous that's the good thing about being a boy does not analyze or see evil and you just enjoy it

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    1. Yeah, some days I miss being a child and just loving all of my toys simply for what they were...or for what they had become in my imagination. Being all grown up and opinionated is a pain sometimes! ;)

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  15. I'll be curious to see how these dolls sell - I think a fair number of kids in the target age range love bathroom humour, but will the parents want to buy this?

    I think you're on to something about the missed opportunity of adult-targeted marking - I can totally see buying a pooping unicorn for my office's "pink elephant" party (similar to a "white elephant" exchange, but with intentionally bad gifts), but I'd rather have just the animal without the doll for that. Although if the price drops enough by the holidays I'll probably bring one of these anyway!

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    1. That's exactly right--the tooting baby is well-aimed at the natural humor preferences of younger kids, but the parents still have to pay!
      A pink elephant party sounds crazy fun to me. You must work in a cool place! A unicorn that poops rainbows is a perfect gift for such an occasion--especially for the person in the office who is impossibly cheerful all of the time!
      I can picture parents making deals with their kids on these toys, "hey, I'll buy you this doll if I can keep the unicorn!" ;D

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  16. Seems they belong in Spencers more than Toys R Us. However, the Moxie Girls are cute. Kellan is really quite beautiful and her unicorn (sans rainbow accessory lol) is adorable.

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    1. Yes! Spencers in the perfect place. I forgot about that store! I was happily surprised by Kellan. She just needs a hair wash and she's a nice doll. I think you can get versions of Kellan for under $10, which is fantastic!

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  17. These dolls are...interesting. I remember having a Barbie doll that had a dog that ate little tic-tac shaped items and "pooped" them out. I'm pretty sure I lost them within a few days of getting that dog.

    Emily, have you heard of Zeenie dollz? I think you can only get them on their website, but it appears that their bodies are similar to the Princess Dolls (I can't think of a better name but I believe you had Snow White and Alice). I think all but one come with pets and they have inset eyes. Some are on sale for $37, but one is $50, and I'm not quite sure why.Their outfits look pretty complex, although they may be a fake layered look (I hope they aren't).

    Wonderful review, especially for this kind of toy. It was really great.
    Vivienne
    justagirlandherdolls.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Vivienne! I actually have a Zeenie doll waiting for review (I am so far behind!!!). I ordered several of them, but they looked a little strange to me in person, so I sent all but one of them back. I LOVE the concept and hope that I will be pleasantly surprised by the actual doll. Thank you for the suggestion!

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  18. I bought a Kellan forever and a day ago at the Big Lots--one of those slightly-cheaper blister-packed sleepover girls because I fell in love with her coloring. I'd heard about the Poopers from Muff's blog but I hadn't yet seen one in person. I'm with you in hoping the potty trend is a brief flash-in-the-pan and not a pervasive and obnoxious super-trend like the fairy-tale and monster waves.

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    1. Hi Tina! My guess is that this type of doll just crops up every now and again as part of the natural doll cycle, and I just happened to see too many of them in a short period of time! That's what I hope, anyway! :D
      I love Kellan's coloring, too. She was a nice surprise!

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  19. Thank you for making my morning with this review. I think the library staff must think I'm insane...tears are literally coming out of my eyes! Couldn't even watch how the "pooping mechanism" worked I was laughing so hard! Thanks again, you made a sucky morning so much better!

    Tish

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    1. Oh, thank you so much, Tish! I'm so sorry that you're having a bad morning, but glad that the blog helped a little. I hope it's clear skies for the rest of the day! :)

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  20. ahahahahahahhahahahaa,that is amazing! never seen such stupid toy....Poopsie!! god,this world is ending!!!

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  22. Emily, I love your blog and all your wonderful reviews and I just wanted to let you know I was having such a horrible day until I read this blog post!!! It made my day - I laughed so hard I cried especially at the poor wonky eyed baby pic! You are such a wonderful classy blogger, keep it up!!! I look forward to all of your posts!!! Thank you!!

    Kate

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  23. I read about the poopsy trend on two other blogs and I was like "uh... where is the world going?" but your review is what really cracked me up! Such a treat, even when I have no interest in the toys you're reviewing whatsoever, you always deliver a very entertaining read. I have no words for these toys... but I feel very weird now because the thing that bothers me the most in a doll set with a unicorn that eats its own rainbow poop is the mirrored highlight (the heart shaped one) in the girl's eyes.

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  24. I don't know what's worse, these or the dollhouse toilet at Target that had a flushable piece of fake poop in it...

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  25. I have to buy the pooping unicorn for a friend. She will LOVE it!!! Too funny !!!!

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  26. I love Moxie Girlz, and Kellan is especially cute (purple eyes! You can always win me over with purple :D and her hair and freckles are gorgeous).
    This is not the first time I have seen this Kellan and her pooping unicorn, but I still can't get over her... mere existence. I do find this line hilarious, and I was laughing with tears in my eyes throughout the review, just like I did when I saw this doll for the first time sometime last year, but at the same time... seriously, a pet that poops its own poop after having been fed with it over and over again? I do find this funny - as an adult, in the morbid way! - but I don't think I'd buy this doll to children. Also, I believe the whole existence of this line is more of the fun factor, not the actual acts of the pet.

    Here is the commercial for the dolls, for more WTH?! grossy fun moments:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoUud1UZ7PI

    Oh, and is that bad that I noticed myself misreading 'loops' for 'poops' after awhile in the review?

    Putting the funny(?) part aside, I'd love to own this Kellan. She looks cute, and I also like her dress (especially her boots). I would happily pass on the unicorn to one of the many who I know want it. Sadly however, she (or most of the Moxie line) isn't available here, and I can't bring myself to buy her at her funny full price with overseas shipping. Oh well, maybe someday :P

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  27. What a shopping trip you've had, Emily. Ugh, ugh, ugh! Thanks for sharing it though in this fun review.

    The fantastical pooping creatures ... I would put them down to someone's bright idea while on a drug trip. Pooping rainbow? Jewels? Jelly beans? And there is a poo-lar bear that poops jelly beans. Fitting that the website url is "stupid.com," lol.

    Another doll enthusiast/collector Muff posted about some of the Moxie creatures. I find the shared confusion about how these features ever came to be promoted in doll form reassuring. Yes, somebody produced these bizarre items, but reading your post and Muff's, I feel like, whew. The entire world isn't going grotesque-humored.

    Always a treat to read your reviews. Thanks for sharing these freak show items ;-)

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  28. What a gross idea for a doll. But this might be a way to encourage potty training for young toddlers!

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  29. I'm really sad that the pooping pets don't come with the little baggies for Kellan and friends to pick up the poop. I don't care if your pet does poop rainbows or crystals, it's still bad form to leave that stuff lying around!

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  30. I always thought the Moxie Girlz had insect eyes. *Shudder.*

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  31. Recently Tanner got an upgrade and no longer eats the same things he poops.

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  32. Oh how funny!! I saw a review for these quite a while ago and have wanted one ever since. Actually I thought that it was you who had reviewed them, but I guess not. I have seen them in the shops a couple of times but just never got round to getting one. I have to admit that I find the concept of a pet pooping rainbows totally hilarious :D I also giggled at the glitter poop but the gemstones are a step too far! Incidentally, my neighbour loves to tell the story of when her unattended toddler ate craft glitter. They had "disco poo" for days. The farting baby is totally beyond the pale though... but I imagine my kids would love it. Honestly, they are slowing turning morphing into Beavis and Butthead before my very eyes. I see that someone above has drawn your attention to the delightful Doggie Doo game. My boys have begged and begged for that but there is no way they are getting it. If you haven't seen the TV advert, then here it is. Shocking!!!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDyOD1C67J0

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  33. http://barbie-thailand.blogspot.mx/2009/01/barbiedog.html esta es la foto de una barbie con su perro que hace lo mismo.

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  34. Dear Emily,

    What is your Email?

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  35. Maybe it's just because I'm a guy, but I think a rainbow pooping unicorn is absolutely brilliant. The only change I would make is to change the droppings into actual rainbow shapes (a la Lucky Charms cereal) instead of eggs. I realize that the egg shape probably works a lot better, as there aren't any angels/edges to get caught up internally inside the unicorn figure, but an egg-shaped rainbow just isn't the same as the traditional half-circle.

    Anybody else remember the "Fearsome Flush" figure from the old Kenner Real Ghostbusters toy line? It was a normal looking toilet that transformed into a fiendish ghostly monster (eyes popped out of the tank, and the bowl became a teethed mouth).

    The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Flush-o-matic" was another fun toilet-themed toy. Basically, it was a small playset where you strapped one of your action figures down underneath a toilet on a raised platform, and then "flushed" retromutagen ooze (slime) down onto them (of course, you could always pretend that the ooze was something else *wink, wink*).

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  36. I've seen the Moxie Poopsy dolls around a bunch of the toy stores in my area a number of times in the last year or two (well, the Koala, at least, not sure if I've seen the others). Either they're selling so well they keep getting new ones in, or nobody is buying them and they're still trying to get rid of them this long after initial release! I kind of hope it's the latter, because dang are they freaky (and this is coming from someone that mostly collects Living Dead Dolls, Monster High and BeGoths). When I first saw it I just kind of gaped, not sure whether to laugh or despair. Weirdest mainstream doll I've ever seen in stores, without a doubt. Confused the heck out of me coming from Moxie Girls, too, they're usually quite a 'wholesome' seeming brand.
    I think a teething doll could be adorable, though. Especially if it was a baby vampire.

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  37. Unicorns pooping rainbows is a common TV trope. I'm guessing that they originally went with that idea, and then used eggs as it was easier than trying to cram a rainbow like shape in there. :)

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  38. Emily, this has to be your funniest review yet hahahahaha. I couldn't agree more, what were they thinking? Well, they do stand out with this doll line but not in a very good way.. As for those ''abominations'' like you called them, there might be even worse toys. We had a toy line here that consisted out of little squishable figurines that made farting noises ;s I think I'll stick with Abby for now (get it? Bominable? hahaha!!)

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  39. I am a writer by profession and doll collector by passion. This is, quite seriously, the most hilarious review I have ever read, complete with live action film! Oh, you gave a Sunday morning where my sides are aching from laughing too hard. Don't forget Baby Alive - in 1982 she ate from her mashed peas (just mix the packet with water!) and then the green, uh, poop trickled down out of her diaper and onto our den carpet. I was in a convulsive fit of laughter as my mother wailed, "I went through this once! I am NOT doing it again!" I suppose there is 1 for every generation - PS the Ugglys make me sad just looking at them as well. Well done. Keep 'em coming!!!

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  40. I admit that I bought this version of Kellan, as well. I got her as a gift for my friend's daughter- she's a tomboy who loves dolls and I thought she'd get a kick out of it. It certainly made me laugh! She loved it, though as she's six, the eggs were quickly lost, and her dad had a good sense of humor about it. Kellan herself is a very nice doll- I like the red hair and the realistic outfit.

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  41. I think the pooping unicorn is pretty funny. I would buy it for a child.

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  42. i think i was at target and i saw the bunny one somewhere in the aisle with monster high/barbie/some moxie dolls

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  43. OMG i love this lmao, "It poops rainbows!" I'd totally buy it lmao.

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  44. I saw the poopsie pet commercial within the last week or two and my jaw dropped! I said really this is what kids are buying today? At least my baby alive didn't re-eat her food after it passed through her system. Overall though it is kind of funny in a crude shocking way. Maybe that's what they were going for? lol Good review!

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  45. OMG! Your reviews never leave me not cracking up hysterically! I'm more concerned that the unicorn poops rainbows, than the fact that she has a pet unicorn. As for the "Tub & Toot" doll, I'm kind of surprised. Are you trying to make a doll for girls to treasure and pretend to mother, or are you trying to teach children how to fart using a doll as their role-model? And, about the wonky-eyed doll, I think that, in her head, she's screaming "SOMEBODY BUY ME! I DON'T CARE IF I'M CUTE, JUST GET ME OUT!" I personally think that the specific doll shown would have scared the crap out of a little girl. Was EVERY doll wonky-eyed, or just her? Thank you! ~Amelia

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  46. Well, at least it isn't the Moxie Girlz themselves doing the pooping! I was worried for a minute there....

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  47. Hilarious. FYI the "eggs"are pink, yellow and BLUE not green. Possible color blindness?

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  48. lol just laughed my freakin head off

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  49. I saw the ugglys recently and literally turned around, speed-walked away, and hugged the Barbie display. I can handle cheap Barbies with painted on clothes...
    but diseased animals?

    May I be the first to say, if there's a bright center to the universe, the ugglys are on the planet it's farthest from.

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  50. Priceless! Specially when you said how the conversation around the table would be, I think I died there. I accidentally imagined it:

    "well, the doll should fart under the water, so a little more pressure on the air coming out of the bottom would be necessary"

    OMG what where they thinking?! The best part is I had the Barbie doll that came with the dog that pooped brown....beans? and then he ate them. He literally ate poop! And I played with that!

    Oh well...guess companies must do everything...
    Amazing review, thanks for this laugh.

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  51. AWWWW :( I was seriously considering adding some Moxie Girls to my collection, but now that I realize that they have peg legs, I'm going to have to skip them. This really sucks, but I'm glad I found this review since it's so unexpected that they would have peg legs! And it's a pity, the rest of their body, hair, and face look like a very original, interesting doll. But not having feet is just weird. Haha :P

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