Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Jun Planning J-Doll "Magnificent Mile" Review

This past December, a week or so before Christmas, I was on one of my first outings after being sick for two weeks and decided to pop into my local Tuesday Morning.  When I went to the toy aisle, I noticed a very unique looking doll.  She was labeled "J-Doll" and also marked "JUN Planning", which I instantly recognized as the same company that produces Pullip dolls.

It's funny, I know I've seen pictures and read posts about these dolls, but I didn't remember them when I saw this doll.  All I knew was that she was very pretty and a great price!  So she came home with me...even though it was just before Christmas and technically I shouldn't have been purchasing anything for myself. :}  There were only two of them there, though (both the same doll), so I was worried she might not be there if I waited (stuff goes really fast at my Tuesday Morning).

Oh, and the typical warning here.  I'll be sharing pictures of this doll undressed, and she has a developed figure, so if this offends you, please skip this post.

So here she is!  I will say, I was not too thrilled with her outfit, especially her top.  However, her face appealed to me, and I figured I could find something else for her to wear. ;)

This particular doll is called "Magnificent Mile".  When I was researching these dolls online, I found out that each doll is named after a different street around the world, and they are dressed in popular fashions.  It seems that the fashions try to reflect the style of the area in which the street used is located.

The back of the box.  It was really hard to take good pictures of this box because it was so reflective!

One side

A few box details:

A closer look at the doll...

...and her face.  Her beautiful eyes and detailed lips were what really drew me to her.  I discovered (also during my research) that these dolls have actual glass eyes, which is a first for my collection.

The top of the box opened easily after I cut the tape.

Instructions for putting together the doll stand were on the top.

(Blank on the back).

The inner portion of the box slid right out.

The doll was held in place with various twist ties, tape, and rubbery plastic pieces, but it wasn't too hard to get her out. :)

Her stand came in two pieces:  the metal stand itself...

...and the plastic base.

"J-Doll" is printed on the stand.

The metal piece screwed in to a hole in the base.

Unfortunately, there's no way to screw it in tightly, so the metal portion tends to swivel around.

Here is the doll herself, released from her cardboard prison.  Wow, that is quite the outfit! ;)

Her feet were individually wrapped in plastic (which took a while to get off without ripping her nylons). ;)

Another look at her lovely face.  Her eyes are the most incredible color!


Here's a full-length picture without the foot plastic. :)

She came with a cute orange beanie.

"J-Doll" on the tag.

She also came with a fun little knit purse...which apparently I didn't photograph separately. :}

So here's a look at the whole ensemble.  I can't get over the hilarious fur on the sleeves of the jacket. :}

That shirt does not seem to be held in place by much... :}

Her jacket ties at the waist.

A view from the back...

...and a look at the detail on the sleeve.

Another look from the back.

Her capris are extremely tight (I could barely get her to sit when she was in them).

I don't even know where to begin on these nylons (they go to the knee) and shoes.  I know that somewhere this is considered high fashion, but it sure doesn't do much for me. ;)

Her "top" is a strapless number that looks more like something for the bedroom.  I was pleased to discover that her necklace had Velcro closure.  A lot of the dolls I've purchased in the past with little necklaces don't have the option of removal.

Another look at her capris.

She came with lacy, skimpy, black underwear which I decided not to include a picture of (after having it up for a few days and deciding it was bordering on inappropriate).

Her hair is wigged.  It's a beautiful shade and soft to the touch. ;)

However, because of the way it was attached to the packaging, it is permanently pointing to one side.  I don't exactly mind this.  It just looks like a soft wind is blowing. :)

I was excited when I realized that my J-Doll had a Pullip body, but a bit disappointed when I realized it was the Type 3 body (Type 4 is my favorite).  

A view from the back.

Another disappointment with this doll is that her head only moves back and forth, not up or down.  It also cannot tilt to the side at all.


Her hands are still expressive, but are limited by the wrist hinge.

Still, she does have some fun posability:
I didn't go into a whole lot on her posability because it wasn't that long ago that I reviewed my Pullip Dorothy with the Type 3 body.  If you'd like more information about the Type 3 and how it compares to the Type 4, you can see my previous post HERE

I really wanted to get her out of that showy shirt, so I dug around until I found a nice white shirt from a Moxie Girlz.  I also took off her nylon/knee high stockings because they were a little too busy for me. ;)

I think the white looks nice with the orange of the jacket.

I took a little peek at her eyebrows in the middle of the photo shoot.  I'm always curious about doll eyebrows, because often they change the face entirely.  Sometimes, I love a doll until I lift her bangs. :}  Thankfully, this doll had very nice eyebrows. :)

It was really fun playing around with different poses.  "Magnificent Mile" (I really must come up with a name for her...I don't think I want to call her that all the time) has beautiful coloring that translates well on camera. :)  I really cannot stop raving about her eyes, either!



Since the J-Dolls have Pullip bodies, I thought it would be interesting to compare her to my Pippa.  Looking at this picture, it's really amazing to think that these two dolls with such different heads have basically the same body. :}  It shows you just how highly exaggerated the Pullip doll heads are.

After posing MM with Pippa, I thought it might be fun to try Pippa's dress (a Barbie dress) on her.  It gives her a very sophisticated look, don't you think?

The dress was a little big for her, especially in the bust, but because it was a halter dress, I was able to adjust it fairly well.

I finally settled on one of my old Takara Timotei doll dresses from the 80s for her.  I think it gives her a sweet, innocent look that is just perfect for her facial expression. :)

I thought, as always, it would be fun to share a picture of MM with some of my other dolls to give you a better idea of her actual size.  She stands at right around 10 inches tall. 

Here she is with a various assortment of fashion dolls. :)  As you can see, she's on the shorter side of the fashion doll world.

LIV Daniela and MM

Disney Store Anna and MM

After the last picture, I realized I should take one with Anna's boots off to give a more realistic idea of the height difference. :}

Barbie Generation Girl Lara and MM

Takara Timotei and MM 

Licca Chan and MM

80s (or 90s) Stacie and MM

Chelsea and MM


So, my overall thoughts?  I am very pleased with Magnificent Mile overall.  I love her beautiful face and her pretty hair that appears to be good quality.  I wasn't thrilled with her outfit, but that was more a matter of taste than anything else.  

The only real disappointment I had was her body style, and that's only because I've been totally spoiled with my Type 4 Pullip and I know how much better MM's posability could be.  Especially in her wrists and head.  You can express so much in a photo with the hands and head if they are easily posable.  MM's wrists feel clunky in comparison to Pippa's, a LIV doll's, or even my Disney Store fashion dolls.  That being said, I do not regret adding MM to my collection, especially with her beautiful facial features and coloring.  I give her a 4 out of 5 for the posability issue (since as a doll collector that's a huge deal for me), but at $20, I'm quite pleased with my purchase. :)

I was so pleased, in fact, that I used my Christmas money to purchase another J-Doll on Amazon.com.  This time, I was able to find a J-Doll with a Type 4 body.  She was $29.99 (still a great deal).

This gal is "Robson Street", and will be featured in a future review...most likely sometime next week.  (I've still got to get my Batman Taeyang and Via E. Alexis reviews up first!) :)  I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of this girl and how she compares to MM. :)

And stay tuned...the aforementioned posts will be up later this week! :)

21 comments:

Tam said...

Lucky you! I found a J Doll Monday at Tuesday Morning, but I like yours much better. (I got Diamante La Calle.)As for a name for her, too bad you already have a 'Maggie'.It could be short for Magnificent. How bout turning 'mile' into Millie? Or Mimi, since you've been calling her MM?

Juliet XD said...

Wow, she is stunning! Those eyes are fantastic, never seen anything like them besides my own head :) She is incredible for that price, minus the small posing issue. She looks like a dream to photograph, will she be in a header sometime? (Hint-Hint). That picture with Phillip made me crack up, her head is HUGE! The second one you got looks great, too. I think the overall-dress makes her worth a little more :)
<3,
Juliet

Nina said...

She's so pretty! I don't like her original outfit (too showy for me), but she's a gorgeous doll. I love her glass eyes! I've always loved inset glass eyes;)

Presto said...

It's getting harder and harder to find great deals on J-Dolls. I have two, and I think they both have the type 3 body.

I like the side-glancing eyes on your MM, I haven't encountered any with that feature in the wild!

If you like mini Pullips, keep an eye out at your Tuesday Morning. I saw a big cluster of littles on my last visit.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Tam. I was thrilled to get her. :) Diamante La Calle is pretty, but a little to gothic-looking for my taste, so I understand what you mean. ;)

Thanks for all of the name suggestions. I had actually thought of Mille myself, as a play on mile, so she might just end up a Mille. :) I probably wouldn't do Mimi because that's my daughters' nickname for my aunt, and it might get confusing. ;)

Lol, Juliet, I may just have to do a J-doll header sometime, although right now I'm still really enjoying my Frozen one. ;)

She is AMAZING to photograph. She pretty much doesn't take a bad photo. ;)

Lol, it is funny seeing her next to Pippa, isn't it? ;) I mean, you know the heads are big, but when you look at those two next to each other, you REALLY see it. ;)

I have to agree, having a J-doll with an outfit I actually like definitely adds to her value for me. I can't wait to share all the fun pictures I got of her, too! :)

Hi Nina! :) I completely agree with you on the outfit. I like her current one she's in a lot better. ;) Her eyes are my favorite part of her...they look so amazingly lifelike. :)

Hi Presto! Good to hear from you again. :)

I noticed that only a few of the J-dolls were around the $30 price mark on Amazon. I did a LOT of searching after I found this one to see if I could find a J-doll with a Type 4 body, and it was definitely hard to find one with a similar price. :(

I really like her side-glancing eyes, too. It makes for some interesting photos. Interestingly enough, I never really cared for side-glancing eyes on my Disney Store dolls. I think, though, that was because I did so many photo stories and found it difficult to capture the expressions I needed or have the dolls looking where they needed to for the story. ;)

Lol, I've been stopping by my Tuesday Morning almost every day ever since another blogger friend announced that she found mini Pullips AND a few Jun Planning BJDs at hers! No such luck at mine. :( I didn't get out for about 2 months (November and December), and it was right after that when I found my J-doll, so I'm kind of thinking I might have missed the boat on some of the amazing dolls people have been finding. :}

Anonymous said...

She's pretty cute, but I agree with you on the outfit. That shirt is a bit much. :D I love her face, though.
Before I read your review and was just looking at the pictures, I thought she was supposed to be a "haute couture" interpretation of the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, especially with all the colors, the fluffy "straw" on her coat, and her orange/yellow brick road stand. :D

--Kate :)

Heather said...

She's really pretty, but I don't like the outfit she came in at all. I have the Maroseica St J-Doll but luckily she came in a cuter outfit but her shoes literally crumbled when I took them out of the package. I've been meaning to buy her another outfit but have forgotten about it. Your review has reminded me!

akasailorsea said...

MM is very cute. I agree with you about the tights, though I think I would be okay with them if the jacket was plainer. The Timotei dress looks great on her too.

Eve*Sparkle said...

She is gorgeous! Her jacket may look like a chicken, but she's stunning. I love her pouted lips and her side profile is amazing! What a great review you've done, can't wait to see Robson Street next week!

Joann said...

Nice doll! The thrift store in my town has been like a little treasure chest recently--- vintage Malibu Skipper and vintage clothes, the doll was only ten cents-- needed cleaning, etc.,! Today was fun as I found a Cindy Precious Moments Doll (1996, I think) I have never been that interested in the PM dolls, but this one has such a cute outfit and it was only a 1.00. The doll still had the tag on it and I was amazed at how it still looks brand new.. I still "wash and clean" every doll that I bring into my house, etc., I will have to modify my cleaning routine with this one due to the body composition. The clothes are perfect and I had just the right spot for this doll. After you pay thrift prices you can never pay retail again, ha. Thanks!

Iloveatticus22 said...

My chorus club is going to see Beauty and the Beast next month! I'm embarrassed to say I have never seen the movie and we are seeing the Musical so I hope I don't get too confused!
PS, Type 4 is my favorite body too.
PPS, She looks relieved in those new clothes ;).

Sunny_Harper1994 said...

You are so lucky! I have adored MM for a while now... well, her clothes are inappropriate but the doll is beautiful! I also wished they didn't name the dolls after streets. To me this makes me feel like they are street workers. (That's as nicely as I can think of to put it)
I think the doll looks like a Janet or like a Dahlia.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Kate! Yes, the shirt is a little ridiculous, isn't it? ;)

Lol, I can totally see how she could be a fashionable interpretation of the scarecrow! :D I'll see that every time I look at that furry jacket and stand now. ;)

Hi Heather! I saw your J-Doll review as well. That was so disappointing about the shoes! :(

I hope you find her a nice outfit!

Hi akasailorsea. Yes, I think if her jacket were a little less flashy, the tights might work, but there are just too many crazy patterns going on at once! ;)

I'm so happy with how the Timotei dress looks! I love how soft and innocent it makes her look. :)

Thanks so much, Eve*Sparkle. :) Glad you enjoyed the review. I love all of her facial detail, too.

I had a lot of fun doing my photo shoot of my other J-doll, especially with MM. :) I'm sure they'll be some of my favorite dolls to photograph!

Hi Joann! Thanks for stopping by. :) Congrats on all of your great finds. I enjoy thrifting myself, and I agree: it's hard to pay regular price when you're used to such bargains. ;) Glad you enjoyed the review.

llatticus22, no need to be embarrassed. I personally can't imagine not ever seeing my favorite movie EVER, but I know not everyone is goofy like me. ;)

That's so wonderful that you get to see the musical version! It's one of my favorite stage plays. :) I don't think you should have a problem following the story, even if you haven't seen the original. Everything is well-explained. The only major difference is that they added more songs...and there's no horse. ;) I'm sure there were a few other changes I'm forgetting, but nothing that should make you confused. I would highly recommend watching the movie sometime, though. :)

Hi Sunny! Yikes, I hadn't even thought about the whole street names thing. :{ I'm sure that wasn't their intention.

Nice to hear from you again! Glad your Internet is back up and running. :)

Jen said...

Your J-Doll has the prettiest eyes! The color is incredible.

It's so frustrating with J-Dolls - their Type 3 bodies are awful, and their clothes are a bit ridiculous, but their faces and eyes are so pretty, I can't completely write them off! I just wish JP hadn't made them with sealed heads - a bodyswap would solve so many issues with posability and clothing fit!

Lisa @ Once Upon A Doll Collection said...

Hi Beastbelle! I'm so glad you are feeling better. Your Magnificent Mile J-Doll is very pretty! Her eye color is stunning. I love her in the Takara dress!

I have two J-Dolls that I got at Tuesday Morning (in-sa-Dong and Robson St). I've been meaning to review them too, but I've been working on a long Pullip review this week. When I finally finished it tonight, I was so excited to see your J-Doll post was up! I love reading all your posts, but I was especially interested in your thoughts on J-Dolls.

The Magnificent Mile is actually a very famous street in Chicago. We walked the Magnificent Mile when we went there a few years ago, and we went to the American Girl store there! Maybe you're right about the wind blowing her hair to the side... Chicago is the "Windy City", after all. :)

Thanks for another wonderful review!



Barb the Evil Genius said...

I love my J-Dolls! I'm glad you are enjoying yours.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Jen! :) I agree, there are some things that are frustrating with the J-Dolls. I'm a lot happier with the posability on my Type 4 J-doll. Like you said, though, MM has amazing eyes, and she has beautiful coloring, so I'm enjoying her anyway. ;) (Not sure I'm ready to try a body swap anytime soon.) ;)

Hi OnceUpon ADollCollection. Thanks for stopping by. :) It's no wonder your Pullip post took such a long time. You had some great detail between all your pictures and your descriptions. Great job! :)

Lol, I guess her windblown hair IS a perfect fit! ;) Thanks for sharing that info with me. :)

Glad you enjoyed the post!

Hi Barb! :) Thanks for stopping by. It's so funny, when I got home after purchasing MM and did some research on the J-Dolls, your post on them was one of the first things that came up. I was surprised to discover that I'd commented on that post! :} I had forgotten all about it until I saw it again. I'm pretty sure you were the first to introduce me to them...so thanks! ;)

Dot said...

She looks kinda like a Juliet, or maybe a Cozette.

Unknown said...

Didja hear that Disney released an Animator's Collector Kristoff? I think he's cute, but his eye could be a bit farther apart. That's just me though. I still want him. Actually, I want Rapunzel, Anna, and Elsa, too, and the Anna and Elsa Classic dolls and deluxe dolls (coronation outfits and hair!)...I'm greedy...

BlackKitty said...

Wonderful! J-doll reviews are popping up like mushrooms lately, and it's so frustrating not to be able to get one! I found an intermediary that can redirect packages from amazon to me, but that still comes at over 60$ for the cheapest dolls *sniff**sniff*. I found out about the different bodies from Emily's review and I want to find a doll I like with the new body on the cheap side. My favourite face is Mariya Luiza, but with the type 3 body, I don't think I'd be able to bear with forearms that look like hot dogs. It's even harder because you can't always tell what body it is from online pictures. Can't wait to see the other doll! The panties picture cracked me up. I find it funny that they make ornate, true-to-life items that are ultimately useless.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Good name suggestions, Dot. :) I'll keep those in mind and let you all know when I decide on the name that fits her best. :)

Ava, I have seen the DAC Kristoff and think he's really cute. :) I don't think I'll add him to my collection simply because I'm starting to run out of space for big dolls! :} I already have the Classic Frozen dolls, but I would love to add the Coronation set to my collection...when it goes on sale, that it. ;)

BlackKitty, I'm so sorry that J-Dolls are so difficult to find in your country. :( I think the reason so many reviews have been popping up is because they're showing up in Tuesday Mornings all around the US. :} $60 is a lot more to pay for them, that's for sure! :(

Mariya Luiza does have a very pretty face. I do definitely prefer the Type 4 body myself, so I understand your dilemma. I noticed the same thing when doing my online research, by the way. It's really hard to tell which dolls have which body unless they're in a short-sleeved outfit. I was not able to find any sort of definitive online guide, which would have been really helpful. If you ever find one, let me know. :)

I hope you're able to add a J-Doll to your collection sometime!