This post is the result of cuteness and curiosity. I’ve seen these Magic Mixies Pixlings dolls by Moose Toys popping up all over the internet and social media, and have thought that they’re cute. I’ve been telling myself I’ll wait until I find one at the op shop, but I kept seeing them and then this week they were on sale at Kmart so I caved and bought one. I’ve had a thing for unusual dolls lately – Enchantimals, Monster High – and I’m really regretting not buying dolls such as Pinkie Cooper, Catwalk Kitties and Novi Stars when they were on the shelves. These little Pixlings remind me of these dolls, and I decided I’d like Marena the mermaid. I love water and the ocean, so she’s the one that appealed most.
Now, I’ve seen the ‘magic’ process that reveals the doll in her container on social media and I was in two minds about it. Part of me was thinking what a palaver for a wee doll, but another part of me was really curious as to how the process worked. Yes, I’m the person that sees a magic show and just spends the whole time working out how it was done. I also know that had these been around when I was a kid, I’d be buying one for the same reason. I’ve always wanted to know how things work. So, once I had the doll in the house part of me just wanted to rip it open and grab the doll, but I decided I might as well explore the ‘magic’ process, and document it as I go.
These dolls come in elaborate plastic bottles, shrink wrapped in plastic. And once the shrink wrap is removed, there’s a plastic tray holding several plastic pouches to the back of the bottle. And already there’s a theme developing here, can you spot it? The pouches are numbered as to which step of the ‘magic’ process they relate to. Revealing a pouring slot in the top of the bottle is the first step, then one of the large pouches of blue goop is poured in, followed by just over two cups of water. Next are the shimmering scales – in reality just paper cut outs – followed by another pouch of blue goop. Next is a coral charm, again, a paper cut out.
Now the ‘magic’ really begins. A ring is removed from the lid of the bottle, allowing the large gem on top to be turned and depressed. This allows a pouch of clarifying chemical in the lid to pour into the bottle, desolving whatever it is obscuring the doll and counteracting the dye from the blue goop, making the doll magically appear.
Next it’s just a matter of opening the bottle to remove the inner jar holding the doll. Something went a little awry with mine, as there was a tiny amount of water in this inner jar. The doll was dry, but the collectors guide pamphlet she was standing on was very damp indeed.
Now I had a cute little mermaid doll, but I also had a veritable mountain of plastic waste. Two jars (and I’ve just realised the large outer jar is still shrink wrapped in plastic), a couple of plastic trays that do have a recycling mark, and lots of other plastic that doesn’t. I thought that the Barbie Colour Reveal dolls produced a lot of waste, but it’s nothing compared to this tiny doll.
So, was it all worth it? Not really. Even the kid in me wasn’t overly impressed. And I can’t help thinking that the same kind of reveal is probably possible without quite so much packaging. I keep thinking back to those baby doll bottles I had as a kid, where the milk disappeared when you tipped the bottle up. I had hours of fun with those, unlike this one-time ‘magic’ trick and its concoction of chemicals. The collectors guide has a QR code to link to a potion that can be made in the bottle, but it’s a bit of a fizzer. It just suggests filling the inner tube with cellophane, pipe cleaners and shells, and the outer with water. I did have the thought that the doll could be stored in the inner jar and the outer filled with water and shells, but neither idea really appeal. And I can’t help thinking that at least half the cost of the doll must be in the packaging.
At least with these dolls there is no surprise element, you can choose which doll you get by the coloured gem on the bottle. There are three to choose from Unia the unicorn, Deerlee the deer or mermaid Marena and there is a store exclusive, a butterfly Pixling called Flitta. The description of this doll as a mermaid has made me think. The name Pixling surely places these dolls as closer to fairies or pixies, so perhaps a naiad or water nymph would have been a better identity than mermaid, especially as she doesn’t have a tail.
So, after all that, what’s the doll like? There are pluses and minuses. Standing roughly 15cms tall, she’s quite cute. She has lovely soft blue and pink hair and I love her little fin shaped ears and the fins on her legs. Her elbows bend, but it’s really disappointing that her knees don’t. Like a lot of dolls these days, she has that wide-hipped style body, and I can’t say I’m a fan of that shape. Her face decals are really interesting and appealing, but the printing is very pixelated. Her little tank top us moulded on and she wears a quite nice fabric skirt. She has well detailed shoes, and there’s a hole in one allowing the ring part removed from the bottle to be used as a stand. Just not very successfully, she keeps toppling backwards. Overall, I love her, and I think she’ll fit right in with Monster High Lorna and Lagoona, I just wish she had better articulation.
And most of all, I wish she had less packaging. It’s the waste and the magic process that will deter me from buying another, unless it’s from an op shop. I’m really, really sick and tired at the amount of plastic garbage that toy companies are churning out. I’m not against them making new toys, but I am against useless excess packaging – especially the plastic balls that so many things come in now – and the blind box concept, meaning consumers buy more than they need just to get the toy they want. It’s about time toy companies stepped up and took some responsibility for their part in the planet’s environmental crisis, and more importantly, did something about it. Unfortunately, I think they’re all too busy looking at their profit statements.
(C) Jennifer B – no part of this article including photos may be copied or reproduced without written consent.
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