Ever After High Hunter and Ashlynn Squee!! :D

We interrupt the regularly scheduled Lala-Pony-Palooza Month posts to bring you exciting news:  Ashlynn Ella and Hunter Huntsman have arrived!! :D

I'd saved part of my leftover birthday money for these two, and today when I went to the mall, I popped into Justice on the off chance that they were there...and they were! :)  I almost did a little dance in the store. :}  In fact, I was on the phone with my mom and promptly lost all ability to communicate in my excitement. (Sorry, Mom!) ;)

I already have the mini Lalaloopsy post scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, and I know I already did the giveaway post today, but to be honest, I'm too excited to wait to publish this! ;)  There also are not a lot of reviews of these two out there right now, so I'd like to get the pictures and info out there for those who are interested. :)

And just a warning:  I did take some pictures of Hunter undressed to show his articulation.  He does have built-in underwear, but I thought I'd mention this just in case it bothers anyone. 

So without further ado, let's get a better look at Ashlynn and Hunter! :)

Well, at least their artwork on the box. ;)  I like how they made it look like two books next to each other on the shelf, keeping with the theme of the earlier boxed dolls.

The other side of the box still looks like the edge of a book, too.

The back of the box has information about both characters. 

The box was very easy to open.  The clear plastic front was attached with easily removable tabs in the back, just like the other EAH dolls. 

And off comes the plastic! :)

The dolls were marked $60 at Justice, but due to their constant 40% off store-wide sale, it worked out to about $38 including tax.

Ashlynn and Hunter, waiting to be set free. ;)

A few box details:

This package includes story bookmarks for both Ashlynn...

...and Hunter.

As before, their stands were inside the packaging.

I was a little disappointed to find that they put these annoying plastic ties directly into Hunter's head...

...and Ashlynn's, too.  Thankfully, it was very easy to push the remnants into their heads.

Everything is finally deboxed!

A closer look at their box background.

The instruction manual.  As you can see, Hunter's hands come off too (I decided not to remove them, as I had no need to).

Their stands have clear rods.  Ashlynn's has the gold base and Hunter's has the silver.

Trying out their new stands.

Let's take a look at Ashlynn first (and save the best for last). ;)

Here she is!

As far as I can tell, Ashlynn's face mold is identical to the other four dolls.  Her face paint is very similar as well.  Her face can look mildly pleased or mildly annoyed (it's those severe eyebrows again). :}

Her crown/headband appears to have some sort of flora on it.

Her crown/headband thingee from another angle.

Her lips have three little sparkly dots on them.  

Her earrings looked like they were about to fall out, but I couldn't really adjust them very well.  They seem to be staying in okay, though.

You can see a little better from this angle that her earrings are glass slippers. 

Ashlynn's hair was a bit of a disappointment.  It looks pretty ragged and thin in the back.

She has a very pretty braid across the top of her head.

The end of the braid kind of sticks out a little on one side. 

My Ashlynn has a bit of a bare patch on the left side of her head.  I'm hoping I'll be able to rearrange her hair a bit to cover it up, but with the style it's in it might be a little difficult. 

Her necklace is a little difficult to identify, although it's pretty.  It kind of looks like a rose, don't you think?

Her dress is sparkly and princessy looking.  It's a little short and straight in the skirt.  Honestly, I'm amazed that women can move in these things!  If I wore a skirt like this, I'd be in trouble the minute I took a step.  I have such a long-legged stride, I'd probably pop a seam within the first two minutes. ;)

Unfortunately, because her skirt is so fitted, it's hard to make her sit down while wearing it.  The Velcro starts coming apart when you put her in a sitting position.  I also found that her fitted sleeves made it difficult to move her arms around, which is a shame, considering the great articulation these dolls have.

Her purse is a clock (that is almost striking midnight, ironically enough).  As far as I can tell, it does not open, although I was able to get the knob on top to turn.  The clock face sticker is only on one of the four sides.

Her glass slippers are quite pretty and easy to get on and off. 

Her ring has a little bird on it.  Thankfully, it seems to stay on a lot better than the other dolls' rings.  Maybe Mattel worked on the design a bit.  

Her bracelet charms are also a bit difficult to make out.  I'm guessing they're supposed to be shoes. 

Now for Hunter! :)  I was very interested in seeing Hunter as he is the first of the male dolls for the Ever After High line.  I wanted to see what sort of articulation and body style he would have.

I really like the face mold and face paint they used for Hunter.  The mold is pleasing and a little more defined than the female EAH dolls.  I also like the fact that he actually looks happy, unlike the girls who tend to look a little bored or irritated. ;)

His profile from one side...

...and the other.  I must say, I'm not a big fan of this hairstyle, but I think it does okay in doll form.  I do wish they'd opted for a different look for him, though.   

His longer section of hair is rooted in the middle of his head.

The rest of his head is flocked, even under the part covered by his longer hair.

Hunter's shirt and jacket.  I'm very pleased with the detail Mattel put into his outfit and accessories.

Some sort of key chains on his belt loop.

His pants almost have a stonewashed look to them.

His boots are pretty cool.

A side view.

The boots have a slit in the back for easy removal.

I also love the detail on his satchel.  My daughter's thought he could be a stand in for Eugene Fitzherbert/Flynn Rider with his nifty satchel. ;)

He wears it over one shoulder.

A view from the back. 

It is made of plastic and can sit up unassisted.

The strap can move up and down.

The satchel itself also opens so Fly...uh...Hunter can put all of his treasures inside. ;)

His hood is big and baggy and has a very fairy tale feel to it. 

Here he is without his sweatshirt.  It's funny...I kind of assumed from the artwork and everything that he'd be wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a sweatshirt vest, but as you can see, the shirt is actually sleeveless.

Hunter's articulation is great.  His legs are not quite as limber as I would wish, but he has a very believable look about him when he's put in a pose. 

He can also let us know when something is smelly. ;)

Although Hunter had great articulation, I could tell that his clothing was limiting some of what he could do.  I decided to undress him to get a better idea of how he was put together and how much he could move.

Front view

Back view

His identifying marks on his lower back.

Hunter is articulated at the head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles.  I really like the sculpt they used for him.  There's some great muscle structure, but it's not over-the-top unrealistic.

Unfortunately, his shoulders are shaped in such a way that this is the highest they go.

This is as far as they go when turned upside down.

I especially love the sculpt on his hands.  They are very realistic looking and quite expressive.

This is as far apart as his legs will stretch.

And this is as far back as he will go.

As I said before, though, when Hunter is in a sitting pose, it looks very believable, unlike some male fashion dolls who look uncomfortable or lean way back while in a sitting position.

I thought it would be interesting to compare Hunter's articulation to my LIV Jake doll's articulation.

Both in a kneeling position.  As you can see, Jake is much more flexible in the knees.  Part of that is the unique "knee cap" piece that is present in all LIV dolls.

Both dolls can touch their heads with their hands.  While Jake is actually a bit more flexible, Hunter's hands look a little more natural.

I got them both dressed again and tried them in several poses.  I found again and again that while Jake still had the best articulation, Hunter just looked a little bit more relaxed and natural in each pose (sorry I'm using the word "natural" so much, but it just fits!).

Even in this one, where Hunter very obviously is not as flexible as Jake, he still looks fairly natural ;) and relaxed.

One of the great things about Hunter is that he can wear current Ken doll clothing.  Even the shoes fit!  This opens up countless possibilities for his wardrobe! :)

And Hunter's clothing fit my LIV Jake doll as well, which should mean that it would fit regular Ken dolls, too (the newer, slimmer ones...not earlier Ken dolls).

This outfit looks great on Jake!

While I love the incredible articulation of my LIV Jake, I'm also very pleased with Hunter.  I'm really looking forward to getting a Dexter Charming when he is released.  Raven needs her Dexter! ;)

And of course, I had to take the opportunity to snap a few photos of Hunter and Ashlynn together. :)  It was really fun seeing what poses I could come up with. 

Overall Thoughts:  I'm very happy with this set.  Ashlynn is cute in spite of her disappointing hair and restrictive outfit.  I loved the detail on the dolls' clothing and accessories.  I'm definitely the most excited about Hunter, however.  I'm thrilled with his articulation and posing abilities.  Hunter gives us an idea of what to expect with the other upcoming male dolls for this line.  After seeing what a great job they did with him, I'm really looking forward to seeing some of the other dolls that will eventually be released. :) 

I thought it would be fun to take pictures of their story bookmarks so you could all read them.  Their stories are the same one told from each of their perspectives, and are pretty cute.  There are the typical comments, like "Oh Grimm" and such which I could do without, but not nearly as much as in the other stories.

We'll start with Ashlynn's story:

And here's Hunter's story:

Hope you enjoyed the review.  Will any of you be adding these two to your Ever After High collection?

To see my earlier Ever After High reviews, click the following links:

Raven Queen 

Madeline Hatter

Apple White and Briar Beauty