ryanreacts

Oh my holy hecking what now, I love this doll so much! !!! ! !!! !

I mean, after everything I've been through to wind up where I am, literally every doll that I spend money on to bring into this room is a doll who I capital-L LOVE, and that includes every other Dream Bestie (*some more than others) . . .
but even so, Zia really really really stands out!

I always love the accessories, so why not start there?
First of all, I thought this science book was a notebook --- but no, it's a TEXTBOOK! (The actual book has no visible writing, but if you read the back of the box, it is clearly intended to be her textbook for Astronomy, her favorite class.)
Then she has an all-pink hair curler thingy which I did not recognize as such until I picked it up with my hands. From the stock photos, I thought maybe it was some sort of weird binoculars? But no, yeah, clearly it is a . . . hair . . . something, I don't know exactly what it's called!
Her bag is hexcellent! It's a tiny small purse in the shape of a star, and the strap for her to hold it is a circle! The star can be opened, but it has clear plastic holding it closed, so I am going to keep that clear plastic there.
Her phone has a starry sky background, and got a notification at 11:11. Her case has another star, slightly smaller than her purse --- but this one is also the tip of a magic wand!
The back of the box says that Zia's favorite thing is her moon-shaped comb, and while it is a really great comb, I personally do not love it quite as much as her bottle of hairspray. Which has a cap that can be easily popped off and on.
So yes, once again, here is a new Dream Besties doll with accessories that I love! A lot!

And then, her outfit!
I love it!
Every single thing she's wearing is awesome.
The contrast of her cutesy cozy sweater with a badass black vinyl skirt makes me so happy that my brain almost can't even handle it.
She has a gold bracelet (with small but noticeable spikes) on her left wrist. A small detail, but one that I appreciate.
Speaking of small details that I appreciate: I assumed that the socks peeking out the top of her boots must be molded, but no, they are actual socks! And obviously the boots are by far the best shoes of any Dream Besties doll ever. More dolls ought to have combat boots. Did you hear that, Mattel? I said, MORE DOLLS OUGHT TO HAVE COMBAT BOOTS.

As for the doll herself, she's fucking stunning. Gorgeous skintone, lovely face, and great hair! Of course I love the subtle rainbow in her bangs. The rainbow is subtle enough that I do not want to wash the gel out of her bangs. The rest of her hair does not need any salon time, but definitely does need to be brushed a lot (and then styled, as she would want!).

In conclusion, even though I already knew that she was Ryan's Obvious Favorite, and would be my overall favorite Dream Bestie period if Ken wasn't in his own category . . . in person, I love her so much that I seriously struggle to suggest anything that might make me love her even more. I mean, two easy ones would be glasses and slash or short hair, of course, but other than that? Maybe some tights to complete her outfit? As much as I love her tiny star purse, they could have also given her a backpack big enough to hold her textbook? As much as I love the subtle rainbow bangs, they might be even better if the rest of her hair was purple or green or blue? Mint green, to match her sweater? The point is, it's quite difficult to try to improve her.

One final great thing about Zia is her ambiguous ethnicity. This is the one detail that made me curious enough to seek out an official "canon" answer from Mattel herself . . . but I have not been able to find anything conclusive!
The name Zia has several possibilities. It could be Arabic, Persian, South Asian, Italian, or Latin.
My first thought was that she is most likely Middle Eastern. I still like that thought, but another thought is that South Asian would be very cool too.

I definitely need a back-up Zia doll. With a different hairstyle, she could even be a new character --- Zia's identical twin, [name]?

Okay, for now I think that's all I have to say about how much I love this doll! Now, I'm gonna post this and then start watching something while I brush her hair . . .

“Hi! I’m Zia. I love to experiment with fun hair colors, styles, and accessories.

DREAM: Being an influential hairstylist!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Hairstyling, Thrift Shopping, Stargazing
FAVORITE CLASS: Astronomy
FAVORITE COLOR: Mint Green
FAVORITE THING: My moon-shaped comb!”

I don’t usually pay much attention to the personalities that Mattel says these dolls have, but Ryan’s Obvious Favorite sounds cool as fuck! I actually enjoy all three of her FAVORITE ACITIVITIES! And am particularly thrilled that one of them is THRIFT SHOPPING. Seriously.

And of course, she also has thee most adorable box art! I might cut her profile picture out of the back. (The bigger one from the front of the box got a little damaged). Heck, she makes the art so much cuter, I might even save the entire group shot. Even though, for example, Teresa is wearing the stock outfit I hate so much. Heh.

But the point is, yes, ZIA IS AWESOME!!! Now I’m going to finally get her out of the box!

Look, let's be honest: $750 (plus shipping, which in this case is at least another $35) for six dolls might be worth it.

I mean, yes, obviously it is a ridiculous amount of imaginary numbers to sacrifice for Something I Can Live Without.

But I really love these dolls. Affordability is literally the ~~only~~ main reason I do not already have all seven (note: MGA should absolutely make a Damian doll, but that isn't the point of this post).

Mean Girls is one of my favorite movies in the history of ever, and I do always get excited that October Third happens to be one day before my birthday! This year, October Third will be extra special because I will have the Janis doll --- but it would be way more special if I also have the other six dolls (and again, not the point, but please let me pay for a Damian doll! Release him and let me give you money for him!).

And the thing is, these dolls are usually so ridonkulously expensive that, um, $750 for all six (or if you slice that math another way, $125 per doll!) is actually a pretty fair price!

I mean, sure, it IS a bit of an investment --- buuuut, IF work and slash or the scorching blazing dangerous heat of another Death Valley summer do not kill me before then, October Third will be here sort of before I know it (and then the next day I will turn thirty-nine, how bizarre), sooo am I thinking about talking myself into pouring money into this particular set? Yes. I'm not going to decide anything right away, but I am seriously thinking about it. Especially if I can pay with Klarna? Actually, I don't know, it might be worth it to pay full price, especially if I can contact the seller and convince them to ship the six dolls in two pakidges . . .

Like I said, not deciding anything right now.

But just for fun, let's look around at other pricing options!

Since I was fortunate enough to order Janis for such a reasonable price on Amazon dot com (thank you, Lori!), that is where I'll start this search.

Okey dokey, they have some options!

Spring Fling Cady is $70, and Spring Fling Regina is $108.

Amazon does have all four of the other dolls, but listen to these prices.
CADY: $185
REGINA: $408
KAREN & GRETCHEN 2-PACK: $512

So yeah, I could not get all four of these dolls from Amazon for under $750: Cady plus Karen & Gretchen would be $697; or Cady and Regina together would be $590 for two dolls; or all four would be over one thousand!

(By the way, when you search for "Mean Girls Bratz," one result that Amazon currently shows you right after the three Spring Fling dolls is one non-Mean Girls Bratz doll, Very Merry Sasha, for $16, and I kind of want her because, you know, she'd be perfect if the Plastics ever needed a fifth girl for Jingle Bell Rock. Thanks a lot for that, Amazon! I'm not usually into Bratz, but you got me!)

I don't think Walmart will have any of these dolls, but you never know.

WOW, they do have Janis! For $55! And Regina for $109! But that's it, only those two!

Entertainment Earth doesn't have any.

I don't feel like scouring the entire Internet for these dolls, so let's just pop back to eBay and see if they have any more ("better"?) deals.

Okey dokey, of course the first result is that set of six for $750 that I can't stop thinking about!

Then what?

Karen & Gretchen two-pack for $300 plus $15 delivery

Cady, Regina, Karen, and Gretchen for $850 plus $60 delilvery

Regina for $220

Karen & Gretchen for $305 plus $11 shipping

And so on and so forth.

So yes, clearly, the more I think about it, the more $750 for six dolls (plus shipping) doesn't sound quite as insane as it could, hmmm?

One of the biggest perks of living in the middle of the desert is that rent is basically free, so I can actually afford it.

I do want to message the seller and ask if they would be willing to ship in two pakidges. Six dolls in one box could be a little tricky.

Alright, message sent! If they agree to two separate shipments, I'm ready to make this investment asap.

Holy fucking what now.

WELL, they got back to me very quickly! They said no.

I don't know, it *is* a good deal, but these dolls are in pretty big boxes individually, so six of them in one box could be a pretty huge box. The kind of annoyingly huge box which would not be such a big deal if I still lived at The Ranch, or if I could stand to drive, and had my own car. Blergh.

Lately I have been thinking about a list of things I am allowed to spend money on for the entire month of February, but tonight I have also been thinking about the rest of this year and where I will most likely give myself permission to buy toys I do not "need."

1. BARBIE DREAM BESTIES
Obviously.
As of this writing, Zia should arrive soon! And then I will order Daisy Jean (eyeroll), and the cycle shall continue. But after those two, in no particular order, I will only need to get a second Skater Brooklyn, Skater Teresa & Renee, GRWM Brooklyn & Malibu, 2.0 Brooklyn & Malibu, and Original Core 4 Brooklyn & Malibu.
I may or may not order most of them in pairs like that, but it would make sense and also be fun!
In addition to the actual dolls, I want a few fun playsets for them and lots of accessories like mystery bags, food and drinks, potions, etc.

2. BRATZ MEAN GIRLS
Oh my fucking gosh.
I was browsing eBay just for fun when I found a set of six (the first four, plus Spring Fling Regina and Cady) for $750 plus shipping. That's "only" $125 per doll, which is actually pretty fair for them, so I sent Lori a screenshot and said, "If $750 (plus shipping!) wasn't such a lot of disposable income, I would do it" and she pointed out that this set does not include Spring Fling Janis!
And then she also told me that Spring Fling Janis is currently on sale! On Amazon!
SO I ORDERED HER! $41.24 total, hahahahaha, oh my holy heck yes, I am seriously giddy with excitement about this! I could cry! When was the last time I got this excited about buying one doll?!

3. VINTAGE BARBIES
And Skippers and Courtneys! And fashion packs!

4. SANRIO

5. KPOP DEMON HUNTERS

6. X-MEN 97
In no particular order: Fabulous Magneto, Bishop, Morph, Nightcrawler, Sunspot, Emma, Jean, Maddie, Cyclops, etc . . .

7. OTHER X-MEN
I can think of at least three Nightcrawler figures I want. I also want Colossus, Mystique & Destiny, Iceman, Pyro, etc.
If I can ever justify the space it would take up and the expense, obviously the LEGO X-Mansion is one of the coolest toys I have ever seen in my entire life.

8. OTHER MARVEL
For example, for some reason, I really want this two-pack (which is currently $55, but was closer to $40 last time I looked at it). There's also a Fantastic Four She-Hulk, so I guess my little alternate team will need one more member.

9. TMNT
Right now I think I "only" have twelve action figures waiting to be opened. I can always use more! Just from Mutant Mayhem, I would really really like to get the April figure. Eventually I need Street Style Mikey and Leo, the variants whose jackets are all their theme color.

10. POWER RANGERS

11. SAILOR MOON

12. HARLEY QUINN, POISON IVY, WONDER WOMAN, AND OTHER DC

13. SUITE SPACES

14. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

15. WICKED

16. ILY DISNEY

17. DOCTOR THIRTEEN BARBIE

18. FEARBOOK GHOULIA
Shut up and take my money! I would pre-order her right now if I could!

19. KENNER BATMAN RETURNS

20. BARBIE THE MOVIE THE FILM

21. BARBIE EXTRA
Without looking up the line as a whole, I can think of at least three that I definitely want. Including one Ken.

22. MORE KENS
Mostly to be new boyfriends for Heath and slash or each other, but occasionally I will get a Ken "just" because I really love his outfit.

23. DOORABLES
Unfortunately I love the new In Full Bloom series enough that I would really like to get most of them if I can.

24. CLOUDEES
The other day I realized that I gave away ALL of my Cloudees in 2024! I miss them all!

25. LPS

26. MY LITTLE PONY
Right now I have one tiny Pinkie Pie, and that's it.
At minimum, I need to get the Meet the Mane Six set sooner than later!

27. MIXLINGS

28. CHARMED ACTION FIGURES

29. MORE MINI BAGS
Not just for Dream Besties! Usually, but not always!

30. OCCASIONAL MONSTER HIGH
Mostly from G3. One G1 doll I know I would like to get again someday is Boo York Nefera.

31. PLUSH
Mostly Sanrio and Care Bears.

About an hour ago, I finally unboxed Teresa's new fashion pack and put her in the pajamas. They are fantastic, and the big rainbow bag (which I have stuffed with plenty of stuff, including the backpack she came with) is perfect for her because one of the few details I already know, beyond "all of them are witches and none of them are straight," is that Teresa in particular is very much a lesbian.

The pink bunny slippers that came with this fashion pack do not like to stay on Teresa's feet, but I kind of guessed that might be the case from the product photos, so oh well.

I do have three more two-packs of mystery bags on the way, along with some other fun stuff, but Amazon has an error message I've never seen before: "Potential delivery issue."

???

Clicking on that message gives a bit more info: "Your pakidge may have been affected by an issue that occurred in transit. We understand this may be frustrating and appreciate your patience. We're doing our best to follow up on your pakidge and we'll share an update on Your Orders by January 31."

January 31 is Saturday, which was originally the delivery estimate for this pakidge (obviously?), so I'm not too upset even though of course I really would like my new fun and slash or useful stuff.

Speaking of new stuff, apparently I do have a few things I can pick up tomorrow, which of course I am very excited about. Right now my plan is to wake up early, walk down to The Ranch for breakfast, get wine and snacks from the general store, pick up pakidges shortly after the post office opens at 8:00, and then catch the 8:30 shuttle back to The Gulch.

Which is relevant to toys because two of the pakidges I'm picking up tomorrow are a LEGO jewelry box and a doll!

One thing I want to do tomorrow is write another post about all of the NEW KPOP DEMON HUNTERS TOYS. Oh my hecking what now.

Another oh my hecking what now that Lori told me about is an upcoming BUFFY Monster High Skullector two-pack?!
Take my fucking money.

Sometime very soon I need to get a new simple shelf, one entire level of which shall be devoted to Dream Besties and a few other friends, such as Fearbook Ghoulia. Beach Detectives Daisy and ILY Winnie the Pooh will be allowed to hang out there, as will another non-DB Daisy who should arrive in a few days. I guess I might as well go ahead and order Daisy Jean soon. She's definitely my least favorite Dream Besties doll so far (that pains me to say because in general I love Daisy so much, but it's true!), but I do need to get her eventually. I guess, depending on other incoming logistics, I might order her once I get Zia out of the box? Hmmm.

So Zia, Daisy Jean, and then my next priority would be . . . Brooklyn 2.0, right? Either her or GRWM? Either of which, when I go to order, I might also decide to go ahead and treat myself to her Malibu as well . . .

My four beach dolls now say "Estimated to Arrive in February 2026," but the Aisha Funko Pop I ordered with them to get free shipping HAS been shipped!

Since Amazon is so unpredictable about how long they wait to actually ship shit, I currently have more than ten orders which have not been fulfilled yet. All of them are small fun things which ought to be packed separately (except for the multiple items in that pakidge with the potential delivery issue). I also have three small fun things on the way from eBay. And of course, one box of cannabis.

What I'm saying is, I don't need to worry about the logistics of incoming stuff because it's all small and simple. I can go ahead and focus on my next priority purchase, which will be either furniture or an appliance. I just have to choose which ONE thing I most want to pay for next (microwave? tiny drink fridge? snap shelf? storage cart?) and then order it and then wait for it to ship and then wait for it to arrive and then pick it up and then bring it back to my room and then set it up. Gosh, it's so tedious. But so necessary!

I'm still mad that Squish-A-Longs are not squishy at all (you can squeeze them and they sort of give --- but that's it) (this honestly pisses me off SO MUCH). Today I did pick up a two-pack of Nee Doh Cool Cats, which are perfectly squishy because they're literally fidget toys! I happened to get purple and pink, which were the two I wanted most in that order. But now I kind of really want the orange and the teal. I also really wish I could find some toys the size of Squish-A-Longs that are actually squeezable, if not quite as squishy as these cats.

As of this writing, I have not canceled my pre-ordered Squish-A-Longs Pokemon playset and don't think I will. I am never going to stop being mad that these tiny toys are not actually squishy, but I do still adore a tiny playset, and Pokemon are obviously adorable toys even if the games and shows aren't really my thing.

Okay, that's enough rambling about toys for now --- but, real quick, at some point I am also gonna buy some In Full Bloom Doorables!

BARBIE DREAM BESTIES
second Skater Brooklyn
Skater Renee
Skater Teresa
Brooklyn 2.0
Malibu 2.0
Core Malibu
Core Brooklyn
Daisy Jean
other second dolls for re-dressing
accessories
playsets
more bags

VINTAGE BARBIES
Pet Pals Skipper, Courtney, and all fashion packs
other Skippers and Courtneys from that era
Purple Panic Christie, Perfect Pink Teresa, Extreme Green Skipper, Cool Blue Barbie
Teacher Barbie from circa 1994

BARBIE THE MOVIE THE FILM DOLLS
all of the Kens
President Barbie (pink dress)
Gloria
Stereotypical Barbie in Pink Gingham Dress
Weird Barbie
Allan

OTHER DOLLS
FEARBOOK GHOULIA
Boo York Nefera
more Elphabas
at least one Glinda
Sanrio articulated dolls: My Melody, Hello Kitty, please make other characters
Doctor Thirteen

ACTION FIGURES
X-Men 97: Magneto, Bishop, Nightcrawler, Jean, Maddie, Morph, Gambit, Rogue, Cyclops, Sunspot, etc etc etc
Other X-Men: yes
Black Widow with motorcycle
at least two She-Hulks (one in a Fantastic Four suit)
speaking of Fantastic Four variants, there is a Spider-Man & Wolverine two-pack that I like for some reason
(I guess my alternate Fantastic Four team will need one more member . . .)
also, I like Invisible Woman enough to get like six of her
as many Kenner Batman Returns vintage in-box figures as I can find
Nico Minoru, other Runaways
Carol, Monica, Kamala
EMPEROR DOOM
Aisha vs Scorpina
Metallic Armor Aisha
Metallic Armor Kat
Kat MMPR Zeo two-pack
Trini Jason Swap
Vile Violet Rita Repulsa
multiple Megazords
at least one excellent Goldar
the Charmed Ones and Belthazor with interlocking pieces of an attic playset (!)
at least one Buffy the Vampire Slayer, DUH
at least one MCU-specific Black Widow
actually, two: one Nat, one Yelena

This morning I have added STORM volume two to an upcoming delivery and pre-ordered volume two of ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN! When I looked at that, Amazon showed me volume one of a manga called ICHI THE WITCH, which I also pre-ordered!

Obviously nothing will be quite as Perfect For Ryan as Wonder Woman, but eventually I do want to read more of the Absolute comics. I know a few spoilers about Batman and it sounds great, and of course I’m glad that Catwoman will be getting a spin-off! Other than that, in no particular order, I am pretty dang interested in Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Superman, and that one-shot about the villains! Anything else? Maybe! For now, I haven’t even finished volume one of Wonder Woman! The five-issue introduction was so goddamn fucking awesome that it blew my mind, and I need to take a minute before continuing.

Seriously, I am so disappointed about these.

Like, SO disappointed that I almost wonder if it would be worth my time to write a snail mail letter and send it Squishmallows and ask them if they understand what “squish” means, because Squishalongs are not really squishy,

and for some reason I am **really** craving small colorful squishy toys right now. Obviously these looked and sounded (note: meaning, their fucking naaaaaaame) perfect, and I won’t lie, it does piss me off a little bit.

I have ordered a two-pack of other squishy toys which are supposed to be very satisfyingly squishy (note: WE’LL SEE), but they’re much bigger. And all one color.

So yeah, siiigh.

I won’t be ordering it right away, but obviously my Dream Besties will need some sort of set like this eventually:

https://www.amazon.com/Rileryan-Pcs-Miniatures-Furnitures-Accessories/dp/B0F32B2WKR/ref=wlr_s_dr_m_sccl_3/137-4122373-7828934?pd_rd_w=oi1fS&content-id=amzn1.sym.4f61ce97-acfc-4e25-8e0c-fa6bef16c349&pf_rd_p=4f61ce97-acfc-4e25-8e0c-fa6bef16c349&pf_rd_r=ZKBD69VC69Q8FH7VZESM&pd_rd_wg=lnjlY&pd_rd_r=000119a4-e0c0-4729-8387-a4c5a6649961&pd_rd_i=B0F32B2WKR&psc=1

And at least one of them will need this:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPWNPXTM/ref=sspa_mw_detail_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9waG9uZV9kZXRhaWw

SKATER MALIBU HAS FINALLY BEEN SHIPPED!

Her new delivery estimate is February sixth!

And all I’m saying is, ~how very interesting~ that this just happens to happen after I order Zia!
(Who is supposed to arrive as soon as Monday!)

On Mondays I finish work at 3:00, one hour before the post office closes, so if I know I have something waiting to pick up I will clock out and immediately walk there.

Today I knew I had a few things waiting, so I picked up multiple pakidges. I'm not sure how many individual pakidges there were, but I got:

* TERESA'S NEW OUTFIT! (this was the one thing small enough to fit in my mailbox, everything else got stacked in a locker)
* not just one, but TWO boxes of cannabis (their website has been having issues lately, so I wanted to stock up a bit --- also, trying a few new things!)
* my very first Barbie The Movie The Film doll, Rollerblading Ken! (I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, OH MY GAWWWWWWWD)
* new shampoo
* the goddamn fourteen-pack of Squishmallows Squish-A-Longs that I ordered before mentioning them to Lori, who purchased a two-pack and informed me that they actually aren't even squishy (as of this writing I have not canceled my pre-order for the Pokemon playset that will be released next month, but IF these things were actually even half as squishy as their name implies they should be I would have bought literally hundreds, and now I'm not going to do that)

Teresa's fashion pack is pretty brilliant. All of the smaller accessories are individually wrapped and packed in the bag. Unfortunately, I am a little nervous about unboxing the actual pajamas, which are obnoxiously over-attached to the cardboard. The shirt alone has FOUR tabs. Note to self, be totally sober when you attempt this. Heh.

While I do, obviously, love Barbie The Movie The Film so much that if I had unlimited storage space and unlimited toy money I would have already purchased pretty much all of the dolls that have been released so far . . . but my Rollerblading Ken will have almost nothing to do with the character from the movie. My doll Is his own doll, who I added to my collection so that he can be one of Heath's boyfriends!

Speaking of dolls, here is a quick update on Skater Malibu:
ORDER PLACED: January 10th, 2026
At that time, her delivery window said "Arriving January 22 - January 29."
On the first or second day of that window, her delivery estimate was changed to "Arriving by Thursday."
Obviously, Thursday IS January twenty-ninth.
Today is the 26th, and she still has not shipped.

But she was ridiculously cheap, so at this point I am more amused than annoyed. Will she actually arrive on Thursday? Will she be shipped on Thursday and get a new delivery estimate? All I can do is wait and eventually find out.

UPDATE: Fuck it, I have gone ahead and ordered Zia. We’ll see who ships first, I guess!

The following is an official record of my thoughts about the Dream Besties Barbie Dolls --- the dolls themselves, not the characters I'm slowly creating in my head.

I suppose I'll start with the five I already have, in the order they were unboxed:

KEN:
My absolute favorite. I would wear his outfit. The entire thing, head to toe including all accessories. Okay, I might not choose that particular skateboard, and definitely would not choose that phone case. But everything else! I would wear that! And the strawberry ice cream cone is excellent.
So yeah, I love him forever.
As of this writing Friday, January 23rd, 2026, 7:56 pm - Zia and Skater Brooklyn are tied for second favorite. I shall certainly gush about both of them individually, but seriously, I cannot stress this enough: Nobody else comes close to Ken. He is my absolute favorite and always will be, unless Mattel eventually makes the choice to release a ~second~ Dream Besties Ken (yes plz) and I actually like him more than this one (doubtful) (but possible).

RENEE:
Well, hello, obviously I am going to love any doll who clearly loves food this much. Seriously. This girl's accessories are: some sort of beverage with a dome lid and a straw; bag of chips; slice of pizza; pretzel; phone with pretzel background (!); phone case in the shape of a popsicle (!); fried egg purse (!); and laptop with a fried egg background (!)
- I love all of this so goshdang much, for real!
Especially her purse.
The doll herself is totally gorgeous, of course.
Naturally I would like her hair even better if it was shorter (maybe as short as OG season one Musa?), and it is very disappointing that it needs some salon time, because other dolls in this line totally don't!
So far I have not actually done anything to it, but eventually at the very least I need to let it soak in warm water and then drip dry.

SKATER BROOKLYN:
As previously mentioned, this particular doll is one of my two second favorites in the entire Dream Besties line. If I didn't love Ken so much that he's basically in his own category, Zia would be the most obvious choice for Ryan's' Favorite
- and Skater Brooklyn is tied with her.
She's sooo pretty! I love every single thing she is wearing, head to toe, from her pink headphones to her pink roller skates. Some of her accessories are cuter than others, but I always love it when these dolls get ice cream cones and cute bags, and she got both of those!
Basically as soon as I got her, I realized I love her so much I will eventually need to get a second one for re-dressing.

FESTIVAL LOOKS MALIBU:
OH MY HOLY WHAT NOW, I LOVE HER SO MUCH.
For serious, I do. I always enjoy it when a doll has several clothing pieces for mix & match outfit potential and several accessories.
Just looking at her product page (and seeing my doll on my nightstand, next to her girlfriend Skater Brooklyn) makes my inner child excited to lay out all of her clothes and style a new outfit.
And, as usual, the doll herself is freaking adorable! Something about her reminds me of Rachel the Animorph or Buffy the Vampire Slayer (if they ever had the opportunity to attend a music festival without needing to go save the world again) or Elle Woods, or I might even say she's a little bit Alexis . . .

TERESA:
I need to stop saying "the doll herself is gorgeous" - it is always true; it is a given; it is a fact of the universe: Barbie Dream Besties Dolls are gorgeous. Full stop.
But it is especially important to mention one more time, because Teresa really IS gorgeous, and I feel like I have so much hate for her clothes that it can get overshadowed, but honestly, I love this doll. A lot.
Each doll has a finite number of clothes, shoes, and accessories to introduce the character --- and Teresa's accessories tell us that she loves video games AND teddy bears. I love this more than words can say. Every single one of her accessories is fucking hexcellent.
As for what she's wearing . . . well, let's start at the top and work our way down, yes?
Okay! She has a pair of gaming headphones with teddy bear ears (!), and her hair - which is not in dire need of salon time - has two small braids with multiple small (plastic) bows. Love that!
Then she has a simple gold necklace, which is cute. Her long-sleeved see-through shirt is also cute!
But the big chest bow external bra thing is maybe the tiniest bit questionable, and her shorts look like a diaper, and while I might not call her shoes ugly, I just don't like them.
I honestly feel bad, because I really do hate her clothes so much that it can overshadow the equally very true fact that I love this doll very much.
I will just love her even more when she gets a better outfit.

Coming Soon: My Thoughts on Dream Besties I Don't Have YET

Oh yes, once again, Friday is My Saturday . . . but this one has been especially pleasant. I woke up around 9:00, which was approximately five and a half hours ago. I have spent almost all of that time organizing and cleaning. And it feels pretty damn great! Seriously, this is the cleanest & most organized my room has been since I moved in. The only project I'm not going to bother with right now is opening the rest of my Christmas presents. I would like to get that done, but until I get more furniture I am running out of toy space, and I'm not getting more furniture today.

Hang on, gotta go get my laundry out of the dryer.

In about an hour I'm supposed to go on a hike with Andy. After that I guess I'll go to the EDR and slash or general store for dinner. Then come home, take a shower, eat a little weed, and watch something.

If every day was this pleasant, I would like life a lot more.

I just pre-ordered all four Dream Besties beach dolls from Entertainment Earth!

The set of four cost $68 (way more reasonable than $35 for just Brooklyn; Walmart can suck it!), and you have to spend at least $79 to unlock free shipping, so I also added one GLOW IN THE DARK Yellow Ranger Funko Pop to my cart!

(Specifically, from the 1995 movie. That one brief scene where her helmet’s eyes turn into big flashlights. I have always loved that bit, so I am *quite* excited about this toy I didn’t know existed half an hour ago.)

The dolls are “Estimated to Arrive in JANUARY 2026,” but considering the gigantic winter storm and my anxiety about my dumb debit card that expires next month, I am trying to have a rather “Well, I guess we’ll just fucking see what happens” attitude about this order.

If they do ship without issue, I will totally order more: Entertainment Earth has so much cool stuff that I added five things to my wish list and then made myself stop browsing.

I haven't ordered any yet, but I am researching prices for the other figures in the Strange Tales slash Black Heart BAF slash Fuck Yeah Bloodstorm line. Right now Daimon, Brother Voodoo, and Lilith are perfectly reasonable; Dracula and Weapon of Vengeance (who is technically not part of the BAF, but I still want him) are a little too expensive; and for some ungodly reason Moon Knight is $60.

Other than those, I think my next Marvel action figure will be . . . oh snap, I honestly don't know! Um. I have countless examples saved in more than one Amazon list. But, whomst am I most likely to spend money on NEXT? Hmmm, maybe Comic Book Beast or another Storm or ? from 97.

If I had to rank my current Dream Besties from favorite to least favorite, it would go: Ken, Skater Brooklyn, Festival Looks Malibu, Renee, Teresa.
Yes, Ken is my favorite Dream Bestie. He always will be, unless they eventually release another Ken and I somehow like him even more.
When Teresa gets her new outfit, she will probably take Renee's spot.
Skater Malibu still has not shipped, but when she arrives I might like her even more than Festival Looks? Although obviously they are the same character, meaning they will share clothes and everything else, so it really comes down to a question of whose hair do I like better - in which case, yeah, obviously Skater!
When Zia arrives, she will be firmly tied with Skater Brooklyn for my second favorite doll in the entire life (so far). Yes, I love Skater Brooklyn THAT much. She is tied with Zia.

Typing that out made me want to ramble about the dolls more, and also kind of actually start thinking about their characters beyond "they're all teenage witches and none of them are straight."
So that's two more Dream Besties posts, one of which I'm somewhat tempted to start right away . . .

The fashion pack I bought for Dream Besties Teresa never arrived (even though the ILY doll it was allegedly packaged "with" did get delivered), so I requested a replacement. Can't wait! I am really going to love this doll once I get her into a better outfit!

Even though I ordered her on the 10th and her week-long delivery estimate begins today, Skater Malibu still has not been shipped. And until she does, I'm not allowed to order Zia.

The beach dolls are slowly rolling out? I found Brooklyn on Walmart, but I'm not spending $35 on her.

I'm not sure exactly when they will be released, but Monster High has three upcoming Fearbook dolls, and I need Ghoulia. Seriously, absolute need. If this was an option, I would have pre-ordered her yesterday. I love her so so so much. (I may or may not also get Lagoona - partly because I would totally wear her pants if I found them in my size!)

So far I have only purchased one boyfriend for Heath (a very cute Fashionistas Ken wearing just a pair of swim trunks - easiest unboxing ever!), but he needs a lot more. Including the Rollerblading Ken from the live-action movie, I think. I don't like his G1 look as much, but I wish Mattel would make another G3 Heath.

Oh! I have a new 5 Surprise Mini Fashion two-pack to open this weekend! I would order another two-pack right now, but Walmart doesn't have any in stock, and I'm not placing any more Amazon orders until they actually ship everything that was flagged.

That tiny toy carrying case shaped like Hello Kitty's head arrived recently, and for some reason I can't articulate it is even cuter in person. Which isn't surprising, because it is Hello Kitty. Speaking of her and her friends, another recent arrival was a two-pack of small collapsible Pompompurin storage boxes . . . which I love so much that I will order more as soon as this exact design is back in stock. They do have other options, but I want Pompompurin. Heh.

I still haven't unboxed Bloodstorm or Eighties Rogue or, um, SEVERAL Christmas presents!

Tonight is My Friday, and this is the playlist that will get me through it.

"How It's Done" - Huntrix
"Takedown" - Huntrix
"What It Sounds Like" - Huntrix
"Golden" - Huntrix
"Takedown" - TWICE
"The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Sacred Chant Version)"
"The Ballad of the Witches' Road (Agatha Through Time Version)"
"No Good Deed" - Cynthia Erivo
"Give Them the Forecast" - The Newton Brothers
"Northern Something" - Tortoise

I do have other playlists with more songs, but for now I could listen to these on repeat foreverrrrrrr

For some reason, Amazon has decided to be annoying about some recent transactions.

Now, it seems to me that Amazon is pretty much always a little annoying, because when I buy something they will accept the money and then, apparently, wait three or four days before shipping.

In this case, they flagged four of seven recent purchases. "Card denied by your bank." "If your payment information is accurate, please contact your bank for assistance."

Sigh.

As it happens, my debit card is actually expiring next month. So I called them a little more than a week ago to make sure that they will be sending me a new one before this one expires. They said yes, and I figured everything ~should~ be fine, but of course I will still be a little anxious about it until I do actually receive my new card and activate it and use it to buy something.

Walmart and Chronic Guru have been letting me make purchases without any issue, and Amazon is only being annoying about SOME recent purchases, so unfortunately I really did not have any other choice than calling my bank again to get this resolved.

This time, the rep I spoke with verified my identity and then apologetically said I would need to walk into any branch to get assistance. I explained that this isn't an option because I live in the middle of the desert with no car, so they suggested removing the card from Amazon and then re-adding it.

Fine.

While I had them on the phone, I expressed a little bit of my anxiety about this new card arrival situation. I wanted to know, if I have not received it by x date, should I give you guys a call to ask where it is? I figured it would be fairly simple to glance at a calendar and say something like, "Give us a call if you don't have your new card by February twentieth" or something, but I got multiple vague answers and eventually ended the call and sent an email to express my disappointment about that.

I think the Amazon issue is resolved? Apparently I needed to update my billing address. It was listed as my mailing address (which would have been fine, except my mailing address is a PO Box and that's a no-no). That was an easy fix, and everything that was flagged has a new delivery estimate, but until they actually say "Shipped" I guess it's still kind of up in the air.

P.S. One purchase that did not get flagged, but also has not shipped in the five days since I paid for it, is a small birthday gift for Frankie. Delivery estimate is Monday, one day after her actual birthday, so it would really be cool if they could pull this off!

Today is My Sunday and I woke up really early after passing out at ? last night, so I walked to The Ranch for breakfast. After that I stopped at the post office to pick up a book and a Ken doll (the first of Heath's many boyfriends! I love him, but haven't chosen a name yet---), then got some snacks from the general store.

Yesterday I did order a two-pack of Stranger Things blind boxes, which currently have an arrival estimate of January 30 - February 19. That's fine, but I am a little anxious about actually getting two figures from the series I selected, since that particular Max is by far my most wanted figure. (The one with the skateboard.) After her I am most hopeful to get Eleven, the Demogorgon, Lucas, Argyle, Eddie, Steve, or Robin. Depending on which two characters I happen to get with this purchase, I may or may not buy more.

Other than that, the only Stranger Things merch I am considering is the Polly Pocket set --- basically, the only reason I haven't ordered it already is because it has a $40 price tag and they didn't include Max. I get that she's not in season one, but come on!

Speaking of Polly Pocket, for some reason I also really like the upcoming Bridgerton set. I'm definitely planning to buy it. When it arrives, will I finally watch the show beyond season one? Maybe, maybe not.

As usual, Friday is My Saturday. And so far, this one is pretty great! I went to the post office to pick up Bloodstorm and other stuff (including six small collapsible storage boxes, which made it so easy to get my top dresser drawer perfectly organized), then the general store for a bottle of wine and a few snacks, then caught the 10:30 shuttle back home, where I took a shower and then - of course - started some laundry.

This was just towels and a blanket and pillowcases. I still have many dirty clothes that I must wash, dry, sort, fold, and store before this weekend is over.

One snack I got today was a chocolate muffin, which I'm gonna enjoy with some hot cocoa . . . while watching Stranger Things 204. It's almost literally insane how good this show was, compared to how terrible the final season is. One theory I'm inclined to believe is very possible is that one of The Duffer Brothers has an ex-wife, Leigh Janiak. They got divorced after season four had been written, and the theory is that she might have been a ghostwriter and possibly even the real mastermind of the overall story. I don't know for sure if this is true, but it is a fact that Leigh Janiak wrote the Fear Street trilogy (which happens to feature two Stranger Things stars), and that story has a fantastic ending, so maybe without her the writing team struggled to end the story? ??? ?

So yeah, at some point sooner than later I need to re-watch the Fear Street trilogy.

I may or may not watch the documentary about the making of season five, but I have seen several yootoob shorts about how fucking stupid the brothers are, and at least one comment that Netflix only released this to prove that it's not their fault--- which is fair. They should get a refund from the writers. Heh. I can't believe I said that, but in this case it really is true, the writers did such a terrible job that they should have to pay back all that money they got to make . . . this.

Other than that, I have to say that my whole "no more fun buys until February" idea has been pretty great so far! I was slightly worried about the logistics of how Amazon might deliver it all, but that's a constant fact of living here, so whatever. And in this case it's currently extra whatever, since most of it has been delivered and picked up today! In a few days Eighties Rogue should be delivered. I'm gonna open her right away so she can hang out with Mohawk Storm, Rachel, Jubilee, and Black Widow.

I am not opening Bloodstorm right away. I love her so much that I might get a second one to keep in the box forever.

Also, she is part of a BAF series. I never have actually completed the set to Build A Figure, but have I always wanted to? Of course I have. So anyway, this BAF is Blackheart, a cute but terrifying demon (?) I'm not familiar with, but the point is it's cool enough that I want to assemble it! The other figures I will need are Brother Voodoo, Daimon Hellstorm, Dracula, Lilith, and Moon Knight. This line also has an optional Weapon of Vengeance figure; "optional" as in, he does not come with a piece of the BAF. So I don't need him like I need the others, but I do like having more Marvel horror-adjacent action figures.

My laundry only has another five minutes in the washer, so I guess I'll also say that work has been a bit more fun this week because I finally purchased a small (waterproof) portable speaker! I've been blasting Wicked, KPop Demon Hunters, a random playlist of bangers, Michelle Branch, and Wonder Woman's Wrath while I wage my war against dirt. The night of the banquet that caused a twelve-hour shift, of course the speaker's battery died --- but as I rinsed off plates in the big sink I put my phone in a metal pan to amplify the sound and it made the work so much more bearable. Obviously. I would have made this purchase long ago, but I was a bit self-conscious about my taste in music. NO MORE, EVERYBODY CAN SUCK IT.

Okey dokey, laundry is ready to get move'd to the dryer!

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