Hearts For Hearts Girls Mosi Review

So no one seemed to be that curious about my Amazon.com package, but I guess I'll share what was inside it anyway. ;)  I suppose the title rather gives it away...

Last week, right before I did that little mini post letting all of you know that Mosi, Shola, and Lauryce were in stock, I went ahead and ordered them for myself (thanks, Mom, for once again helping to "sponsor" my blog).  As I mentioned in my previous post, when I got home from vacation, my package was waiting for me. :)

Here they are!

I'd been watching how quickly Mosi and Shola were selling out (they were sold out within three hours of their initial release, and have yet to make an "official" return to Amazon.com).  I'd also seen how difficult Lauryce was to find, even a year after her release.  So when all three dolls showed up in limited quantities on Amazon.com for $24.99 each, I swooped in, put them into my cart, and purchased them all. :}

Here's adorable Lauryce in her package.  While I love Zelia, I've regretted letting Lauryce go, especially since she has been so difficult to find.  I'm keeping her in the package for now until I decide what I'm doing with her.  Those of you who would like to see more of Lauryce can check out my review from last year HERE.  

I had to chuckle when I opened the front of Shola's box.  Her head was turned completely to the side.  It's a good thing I was planning on opening her, because getting good facial shots from her would have been impossible.  Apparently she wasn't interested in having her picture taken. ;)

And here's sweet little Mosi, a doll that was originally supposed to be released last year with Lauryce.  Many of us have been waiting for her for a very long time.  For that reason, I thought it would be best to start with her review. :)

Here's the front of Mosi's box, featuring her breathtaking prototype.  As I've said in previous posts, the dolls are adorable, but the differences between them and the doll photography on their boxes is like the difference between an actress in real life and that same actress' airbrushed photo on the cover of a magazine. ;)  Both are lovely, but the dolls just don't quite measure up to the beauty of their boxes.

One side of the box (feel free to click on the picture to see it larger). 

I found it very interesting that Mosi and even Shola's boxes do not feature Shola on the back, even though the rest of the dolls that have been made are pictured.

The other side of the box.

Here's a picture of the inside cover of Mosi's box.  These parts of the box always feature highlights from the doll's story and culture. 

And here's a full view of Mosi in the box.

Unlike the previous released dolls, Mosi and Shola do not have special codes for online games.  They just have these little pieces of paper that give their names and where they are from.

Like all the other dolls, Mosi comes with a girl-sized bracelet.

Mosi's storybook.

Her plastic comb (I would NOT recommend using this on her hair.  I use the same wire doll brushes for the Hearts For Hearts Girls as I do for my American Girl dolls.)

Beautiful Native American pottery.  Mosi was originally supposed to be from the Navajo nation, but apparently the company ran into problems with this plan, so now she is just referred to as Native American.

The bottom of the box lists everything that Mosi comes with.

Here she is, closer to her freedom. ;)

As with the other H4H dolls, the inside of Mosi's box has a map showing where she lives.

Mosi is attached to the clear plastic insert of her box with soft twist ties and is fairly easy to remove.

A closer look at her bracelet.

Another look at her story...

...and the inside.  To be honest, I haven't read it yet.  I purchase these dolls more for the dolls themselves than for their stories, especially since many of them are very "girl power" or "believe in yourself" themed.  I know this appeals to many out there, but it's not really my cup of tea.

Her comb includes a small, cloth-covered hair elastic.  I don't normally use these because I have a difficult time working with such small hair bandies. :}  I much prefer the clear elastic ones if I have to work with small amounts of hair.

Our first real look at Mosi out of the box. :)

I think she has a sweet, innocent face.  A lot of it seems to come from the style and angle of her eyebrows, which are unlike any other Hearts For Hearts Girl doll's eyebrows.

I was relieved that my Mosi's bangs looked better and less severe than some of the Mosi dolls I've seen online.  The cut of her bangs is still not quite as natural as it looks on her box (which is the look I prefer), but it could be worse.

Many fans online have expressed their disappointment that Mosi's feather is plastic instead of real, and I have to agree with them.  I'm sure there were valid reasons behind this decision (including durability and playability), but the result is not nearly as satisfying as the real feather that has been pictured all along in her prototype photo.

Her silver earrings are made of plastic and have an eagle design.

Her dress also went through some changes in production.  Most notably, the material has changed from a dot and floral print to this stripey print.  I definitely preferred the original material, but this isn't bad either.

The embellishments on her bodice and her hemline have a rather casual look to them.  From what I've seen, this is what they are supposed to look like.  I have to admit, at least at first glance, I thought they looked a bit sloppy.  But I'm no fashionista, so don't take my word on clothing. ;)

She has a cute silver heart bracelet on her wrist.  It appears to be the exact same bracelet that Lauryce wears on the opposite wrist.  Mosi does not have the same rubbery plastic bracelets that most of the other H4H Girls wear.

Another change is that her boots, which were leather-look in her original photo, are plastic like the rest of the Hearts For Hearts Girls shoes.  I'm not surprised by this change.  I'm sure it was less expensive to make them this way.

The boots have slits in the back to make them easier to remove, although I've heard from other online sources that they are pretty difficult to get on and off (I haven't removed my Mosi's boots yet).

And now on to her hair.  As you know, one of the things I love the most about the Hearts For Hearts Girls is their hair...  

...so I was rather disappointed that Mosi's had an almost greasy look to it.  It still felt okay, but it didn't have the same luxurious look as some of her predecessors.

I was also rather alarmed when I saw the thin rooting pattern of her hair.  

Especially here.  I hoped that Playmates Toys wasn't starting to skimp on hair.  That has been one of the best features of these dolls, and if the hair goes down in fullness or quality, that's not going to be a good thing for this line.

One of the things I'd wondered about was how similar Mosi would look to Consuelo.   

Since I had to get Consuelo out anyway, I inspected her head and was surprised to find that her hair had some similarly thinly rooted spots, and her hair is gorgeous.  So maybe it's just the consistency of Mosi's hair, or maybe it's a bit thinner and that's why I noticed the rooting on her.  

Anyway, here she is with my lovely Consuelo.  I'm still trying to decide whether they have the same face mold or not.  I think they do...if it's a different mold it's pretty close!  I love how they look similar enough to be sisters or cousins or something, but unique enough that having both in one's collection doesn't feel too redundant.  I have to admit, though, I think that Consuelo is still my favorite. 

Both adorable girls

It was very hard to capture on film, but Mosi's hair is such a dark black that it really brought out the brown tones in Consuelo's hair.

And just to tide you over until the next review (which should be up Monday), here's a picture of Mosi and Shola.

So, as always, I'd like to end with my overall thoughts on Mosi.  As most of you know by now, I'm a huge fan of the Hearts For Hearts Girls line.  I love their beautiful, high quality hair, their unique faces, their affordable price, and their sweet, smaller size.  I have to say that this is the first time I've been slightly disappointed in one of their dolls.  Mosi's hair, while still nice, is just not quite up to par with the previous dolls that have been released.  Its greasy appearance (which may go away after a few brushing sessions), and even more, its thin rooting (which was rather visible on one side of her head, even when I rearranged her hair) was not quite the same quality I've come to expect from the H4H line.  

I also have to say that the slight changes here and there to her appearance, such as her rather severely cut bangs, her plastic feather, her plastic boots, and the changes to her dress left me less than thrilled with her.  Each of these things were minor, but enough minor issues piled up can feel major.  Perhaps part of this was the fact that we've all been waiting so long for her, pining over that perfect, airbrushed version of her prototype that has been lingering online for the past year.  Without that expectation, I might not have even noticed some of the little changes here and there...

And of course, another frustration with this doll has been the extremely limited availability in stores and online.  Unfortunately, the company does not seem to be able to keep up with the demand for these dolls.  I worry that potential customers may become frustrated and give up on the line completely if they can never find the dolls.

Still, even with these shortcomings, Mosi is a sweet little doll with a lot of personality.  Even with all of the things I pointed out, I still love her, and I think a lot of girls and collectors will find her adorable and perfectly adequate.  So I'm giving her a 4 out of 5, with one point knocked off for the reasons I just discussed above.

What are your thoughts on Mosi?  Which Hearts For Hearts Girls doll is your favorite so far?

Anxious for pics of Shola?  Don't worry!  Her review is coming up next! :)

To see a post about the Mosi I found later with much better hair, click HERE. :)