Review- Meet the Mixis!

Personally, I've been dying to meet the Mixis since seeing them in an article titled "A Short History of Anti-Barbies"(by Shaunacy Ferro, for Fast Company Design). Though I am getting a little weary of the idea of an "anti-Barbie" we get it- you hate Barbie. Or Bratz, whatever. So DON'T BUY THEM MAYBE??, I loved the idea of a line of mixed-race dolls, especially when I read that one was Jewish and Mexican- like my own kid! (More on that in a minute...)

Mixis Houda, Rosa, Opal, and Emerald from the Mixis Jr facebook page

According to the companys' website: 

"YNU Group Inc. was established in 2005 to create premium brands and services for a rapidly growing multi-racial, multi-ethnic and diverse market. Our Mission is to encourage dialogue so we can move beyond color for a more just and peaceful world that respects differences and our common global connection.

The MIXIS® Brand of products represents a kaleidoscopic fusion of races, ethnicities and cultures. Designed to celebrate the collective strengths, the blended beauty and the diverse perspectives, cultures and traditions of individuals of a mixed heritage."

and 

"The MIXIS® Collection focus is on the blending and fusion of races, ethnicities and cultures, encouraging a dialogue between children and their families that explores the richness and diversity of their individual backgrounds"

 Nice! I'm here for encouraging dialogue u_u Now lets see the dolls...

second edition with Houda (in green)

The first edition dolls were Rosa ("Jewish and Mexican"), Emerald ("Black American / Native American / Japanese"), And Opal (Ghanian and British). In the second "Sunshine Collector Play Doll" edition, they added Houda (French and Lebanese). 

(I don't know why they went with "Emerald" and "Opal" and didn't go with Ruby or something for Rosa? or Petra, even! but anyway... *shrugs*).

The dolls are currently listed at $44.99, with a $20 shipping charge (O_O). I read that the dolls were originally $59, though. (And when I was eyeballing them after Christmas, they were on sale for about half off so there's a chance they'll go on sale again). Luckily, I found them on the Walmart website (I know, I was totally shocked) where they are on sale now (as of 8/16/15) for $20.55 (down from $27). I paid about $30 for my Rosa. 

Oh! And just so you kn0w- they are limited. They made 1000 of each First Edition doll and 3000 each of the Sunshine dolls. My Rosa is 910/1000 so get em while they're still available!

Now, as mentioned, I ordered my Rosa from Walmart (they go through Unbeatablesales.com) on 8/5, was told she'd arrive between the 20th and the 24th and found her perched on my mailbox on 8/15. Not bad! The return address is labeled YNU out of Ontario Canada, so I guess they do come directly from the company? I may have to call and ask...

Anyhoo. She arrived in a thin, plain brown box (though it was pretty substantial- weight wise) and when I opened it up: 

A box of chocolates!

Ok no, it was not a box of chocolates but it had the shape and feel of a sees candy box (with two layers of chocolates mmmm) and it was confusing for a minute.

The box is simple, with their logo on the front and back. Once I slid off the wrap-around label...

unf! Beautiful!

 And a closeup: 

"Shayna Punim!" "Que Bonita!" - Her grandmothers probably

Here are the contents. There is a plastic insert which pops out easily. And then a cardboard backing, which also slid out with ease. The backdrop is a simplified world map, with signs (pointing out "South America" and "Asia" etc. It would've been cool if it directed us towards where the dolls were from...)

There is also a certificate of authenticity, and a card which tells Rosas' story: 

Removal was not painful at all... just two long threads holding the clothes and bag on, three ribbons to untie for her arms and legs, and a single strip of plastic holding her neck. (She was blissfully lacking in plastic head pegs!)

Easy!

A couple of snips, a little untying, (ok so I did hack away a little at the taped down plastic in search of the dreaded head pegs before I realized it was just a single flimsy piece around her neck but anyway..) voila! She's free! 

Rosa! Get up! You're free!

Here is everything going off to the trash (though I may use the box, its pretty sturdy!)

And here is Rosa, with all her accessories: 

She comes with a sleeveless tee shirt, belted denim skirt, brown knit shrug, crocheted beanie, brown "leather" boots and backpack, and an extra pair of black wedges. She also has a very pretty pair of silver earrings, which I was afraid to remove as they seemed rather delicate (and they did NOT pop out during dressing or while playing with her hair)...

According to YNU, their hair is "couture quality Japanese hair filament" and I must say, it does feel nice- it doesn't have that slick shiny quality that Barbie hair has. Its soft and fluffy and after a bit of handling feels a little... dusty? The closest thing I can compare it to is Monster High Clawdeens Music Fest doll hair. It doesn't feel like there's any product and its prone to getting caught in velcro, but it does strike me as being nice hair. 

Its not styled, just worn long and wavy and falls around her face quite nicely. (Mine does the same :D) 

Here is her face straight on, at 3/4, and in profile. It looks like there's some wonk eye in the pic, but honestly its barely noticeable in person.

Rosa (Dominguez-Katz), has blue eyes (and I can't get a closer closeup, but they are painted to look like they have some depth to them and the effect is quite lovely), with a single stripe of pink eye shadow, and eyeliner that ends in a little point. Her lips are wide and full, and she has an orange-y red, glossy lip stick and a nice smile. Her eye brows are lighter than her hair, and are a reddish brown. She has lightly done eyelashes on the corners and below her eyes. The sculpt is nice, too! She looks a little like people I know- its refreshing in its realism. The only thing I would've changed was making the eyelashes a little thicker, and maybe the eyebrows... But she strikes me as someone who is sweet, and smart, but with an expression like she has a lot on her mind (maybe her studies?)

Lovely isn't she?  Now here's where the negatives come in: These first editions only have five points of articulation. 

This is a bit of a disappointment, HOWEVER- it looks like the second edition sunshine dolls have elbow joints. I will be placing an order for either Opal or Emerald pretty soon, to confirm this u_u Until them, this is pretty much the range of movement this Rosa has: 

 
She can kinda look up or down...

And her arms rotate thusly: 

 And she can look like shes going for a jog, with her click knees:

But she can't quite do a split: 

Or, sit: 

Well, it looks a little better in a chair at least: 

The vinyl is very similar to Barbie. The torso is a harder plastic, the arms are softer but still firm (they barely bend) and the legs remind me very much of the click knees that Barbies have. The torso seems a little long (I feel like this is the effect when people try to make a doll that's more realistically proportioned?) and the neck is rather short for a fashion doll. Still- its realistic looking. I myself, have a very short neck and would've appreciated this doll in my youth :P Anyway, it might be the length of the torso (and trying to match it to make the arms proportional) but the arms, too, seem a little long. 

 Here she is with a lineup of some of my other fashion dolls: 

The usual suspects: Monster High Clawdeen, Liv, Barbie the Look, Mixis Rosa, Project MC2 Brayden, Disney Descendants Evie

She's not as tiny as say, Monster High, but she's not that far off from Barbie... her chest seems smaller, as do her hips. But she still has a fairly thin waist, arms and legs. I wonder what people are aiming for when trying to make a "realistically proportioned" "anti-Barbie"...? Seeing as Mattel has made changes to Barbie's figure in the last few years (my dolls in the 80s had huge chests, tiny waists and odd shaped hips. Nothing like the Barbie shown above! Edit: or the new curvy Barbies!). If anything, attempts at making dolls with thicker waists or smaller breasts makes them a little off...? Do they just mean "not skinny"? Cause if that's the case I don't see a lot of success with the dolls offered recently. And I'm still waiting on a doll line with people in a variety of sizes, from petite to plus! But I digress...

Lets look at the clothes shall we? 

Pretty good stitching..

Extra pair of shoes???

She comes wearing a sleeveless baby blue top, which slips on easily and closes with velcro in the back. She has a denim skirt with a little ruffle on the bottom and a braided brown belt (it looks a little dated but the 80s are coming back, right?). Both of these seem well put together and were easy to take on and off. 

But let me tell you about these boots.....

 THE BOOTS HAVE TINY WORKING ZIPPERS. I CAN'T!!!!

The boots are a leather-like material with a black leather lining. They allow the doll to stand and are very very cute. 

The other pair of shoes are kind of dowdy in comparison. (I wear shoes like this so I can't talk, really). They are a firmer plastic than my Barbie shoes of old, and were a little fiddly to get closed but fit nice and also allow her to stand, with some work. 

 I do like the little logo on the bottoms u_u

The sweater and hat have incredible knit details in them, they look like something my mom would've made, were she 12" tall. I was worried about snags, as the sweater looked delicate, but the sleeves went on without a hitch. 

The buttons aren't functional, it seals with Velcro

The crocheted hat that will be the death of me!

(As Rosa is from Los Angeles, I'm going to assume this is winter wear for her. Ten months out of the year, all this hat-boot-sweater business would render one uncomfortable except in the most air-conditioned of conditions u_u)

The backpack looks like it opens, and if I had ANY desire to slide the little strap back into the closure I would demonstrate...

It has some tissue paper inside to give it some shape, and I'll probably open it and put some books inside at a later date. 

Altogether: 

I'm not a fashion maven. I couldn't tell you if this was a fashionable outfit or not... but its totally something I'd have worn in High School or just after, and I'm digging the brown (used to prefer it to black, after my goth phase lol). But she looks cute and the extra shoes were a nice surprise. I can probably mix and match some barbie clothes, and Sparkle Girls... (Liv pants were too tight) 

Top Chef in Barbie blouse

Ready to party in Sparkle Girls dress..

I'll check out my doll clothes and see what else fits later. 

They do provide a few "inspired" fashion packs, taking influence from Japan, China, Mexico, etc. (The sales in the screen shot were from around Christmas, they're currently listed at $15.99). The only reason I didn't order any was the shipping was the same- $20. I can't fathom paying that much for doll clothes, even with the "buy $99 worth of items and shipping is free!" offer...

"Mayan Maiden"

"Bollywood outfit"

HOWEVER (this is such a great idea!) they have ePattens for only $4! (REALLY wish more doll lines would do this- especially when they have drastically different body types than other fashion dolls!)

Fabulous idea! Kudos YNU!

All in all, the only real disappointment is the price, and the articulation (or lack thereof). Again, in the pics of the secondary Sunshine line- it looks like they have jointed arms: 

So I'll wait and see about those ones before writing them off. As is it, they have the articulation of a basic Barbie and she's still fun, right? (though I admit I'd totally prefer a Monster High or Ever After JUST for the articulation, if given the choice). And as a collector- I would be glad to own the entire collection, even if it was just to let doll makers know that diverse dolls were important and we need more of em! (In addition to supporting a company with such good intentions). 

And non-bendy arms aside, I feel like a kid might appreciate finding a doll that's representative of their ethnicity or culture, especially when no other dolls really provide that. When I handed Rosa to my daughter, and asked her to read the card, she teared up. "Are you serious?" She said, hugging the doll to her chest, "She's just like ME?". (Thank you YNU, for providing that for my kid!).

 If you're interested I suggest getting one NOW before they're gone! 

Thanks for reading!