Is Rainbow High on the Decline?
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2023
- I talk about the history of Rainbow High dolls compared to what we are expecting in new releases and discuss how I think the brand is perhaps declining.
*For adult doll collectors
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• Rainbow High/Shadow High
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I don't think the quality has changed, just the amount of clothes we get. Even if some clothes are less detailed, the dolls and clothes are still the same great quality. As for future releases, we will have to see when they come out.
Saw a unboxing of two of the Shadow High dolls. Rosie and Berry don't know why people are saying these dolls are declining they looked great. The detail and quality are still there.
I have seen some of the SH series 3 dolls in Smyths. The lavender doll especially and the green doll look amazing. They are as good as SH series 2 if not even more impressive.
Personally I really haven’t seen this decline that so many people are noticing, and I feel rainbow high has justified lower prices while still continuing to make quality dolls. I’m very excited for the future of rainbow high, and I highly doubt it’s going anywhere, especially with Mattel not using nylon
Same 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
I'm going to be really honest, RH's 2020 release saved my life because I spiraled into a real deep dark place during the Quarantine (even deeper than I already was) so when RH made their debut it brought happiness into my life. With that being said I really hope we aren't seeing the end of RH any time soon because they mean sooo much to me as a whole 🤞🏾
its amazing the joy dolls can bring isn't it! I hope so too and huge hugs your way ❤
Hope you're doing better these days ❤
I suffer depression and borderline personality disorder and these dolls are better than pills in alot of cases.
Ikr 🥺
@@VeryGoodDad thank you so much, it's still a struggle most days but I'm still pushing and trying to remain positive and spread love along the way ❤
We were just really spoiled in the early RH days. Like c'mon, 2 outfits with a hefty build articulated doll with long hair? Mind you Hair that isn't poly for $26.99-30.99 or so during Series4. But people always complained about RH being overpriced while happily buying a doll with tissue fabrics and poly hair not to mention accessories with only 1 or no painted color because it is their favorite brand. SH s3 is still amazing quality, their design might not be as strong but they still got amazing fabrics, amazing faces and accessories for $26.99.
I don't like to compare but imagine being the designers of RH and SH and always seeing the collectors you listen to call your work overpriced and on decline while these same collectors gush over competitor brand giving them crunchy fabrics and hair that feels like hay. Kudos to RH and SH designers for going strong and giving as much detail as they can fit into the $26.99 price point.
Agree so much with your comment! It is exactly how I feel, collectors for some reason love to complain and hate on RH, they hated the Rainbow Vision dolls but now they say they miss that quality. They only give value to things they had for granted when they loose it, like the second outfits. Rainbow High price may be high for some people but they are justified for the quality they give.
People forget that just the base doll is more expensive than any other doll in the same price range (inset eyes, real eye lashes, painted nails, long quality nylon hair and fully articulated and now tons of different face molds). And they have details that you would usually only see in collector dolls like rinestones/ pearls / studs, embroidery, and fabric bags, hats and even shoes! They do shoes on the same quality as integrity toys dolls and those are more than 100$.
I have been collecting dolls all my life and I never had dolls with such quality, the only ones that came close were Bratz dolls. MH G1 and EAH had amazing desings, and I love the dolls that I have from them but a lot of the pieces were just well sculpted plastic.
It is obvious RH is entering their decline phase, it also happened to MH in it's third year and happes to all doll brands. But people act like RH is giving Barbie quality with terrible fabrics, non painted accessories and poly hair. They are still high quality dolls, they are just coming with less which is unfortunately but what they give is not bad, maybe just less creative than before.
Totally agree!
💯💯💯
Adding pets? Well, my 3 year old will like that😂
Pets are the worst I'm sorry lmao barbie extra and I'm sorry monster high I DONT wanna pay for pets
@@MylingCyrusI always loved the monster high pets tho, they’re cute lmao
EDIT: I think it really helps when the pets are a strong part of the doll’s theming. It’s less interesting on Barbie extra because they don’t necessarily add to the aesthetic, but monster high is cute because the pets are a fun little extension of the doll’s personality. I kind of just love pets though, even with Barbie extra, so I’m probably the wrong person to discuss this 😂
I think there are a couple of struggles & the biggest is to keep the doll at a price point where people will buy them (corporate greed will be satisfied before customer desires). Clothes are super expensive to make & @MyWorld made a video not that long ago where she shared that research shows kids would rather have accessories than clothes. And yes, there are lots of adult collectors but not enough to drive a company of this size, they need to satisfy kids. That's why the new Monster High dolls have the colors & accessories they do, it was all heavily influenced by children's focus groups. And I personally think that the Monster High release has upped market competition & it's even harder getting customers in the current economic climate. Kids drive toy sales while adults have a bigger influence for specialty dolls (I think) like lunar new year/day of the dead/Paris Hilton etc.
Yeah I'll be honest with you. A couple years ago Rainbow High was the big brand I always brought to collect. Now I hardly pay those attention anymore and I'm a lot more focused on the new Monster High dolls
Stands were actually really important to me as a kid! I absolutely adored Monster High, and the stands they came with really expanded their play value as well as their collector value imo. I always loved posing my dolls in little diorama type setups, which wouldn't have been possible without the stands. The fact that g3 doesn't come with stands is really frustrating to me, and I can imagine it's frustrating to people, kids included, who also like to pose their dolls. I think RH would be making a huge mistake if they chose to discontinue stands in future releases, like they did with the customizable dolls.
I also feel like people are forgetting that rainbow high has been listening to what collectors want almost throughout their whole grand journey, we were asking for very basic things such as characters that were actually black and hair textures that aren’t just straight or wavy, we got those things. We asked for purses and other accessories, since they knew that kids and parents probably weren’t going to buy those things, they put them at a higher price for us to buy. Most of us collectors have been asking for basic pieces so we can mix and match with our dolls and as of very recently we have started to get more basic pieces and a lot more larger variety of accessories. I personally feel like MGA’s quality is a double edged sword because it’s so high that it allures collectors, but their target audience is still children, and they have to primarily do things for them because their parents are the main ones that are going to be buying these products.
My first Rainbow High doll was Daphne. Series 3 are all spectacular dolls, Series 4 as well, then I totally agree with you about how confusing the releases got, and the inconsistent pricing was annoying, especially here in Canada. It was like watching Barbie decline - the dolls were still pretty, but you could definately tell that the quality was just not the same. I haven't bought many of the newer dolls, just doubles of the older ones I really like. So glad you made this video because it's nice to know I wasn't the only one thinking about the direction they were going.
I think rainbow vision was the last solid doll line from them.
I've been struggling with the price of dolls for a while. Yes, $30 is not nothing. But would you sew all of those clothes for less than $30? Even if they're basic pieces it's a lot of clothes and we know the people working to make doll clothes are only paid cents. I don't know what's the solution for this, it's just something that I've been thinking a lot when talking about prices.
This is a hard thing in general when consuming....anything, really. I guess what it comes down to for me is I understand completely when individual artists charge a lot of money for a doll that they make because they are doing everything. Even a small group of artists making something has a justified high price point to me. But MGA is a huge corporation who could definitely afford to pay their workers a better wage, and still make a profit if they were willing to make LESS of a profit. When a big company is making things, I don't feel like it's fair to make the consumers pay a higher price. Especially when that higher price doesn't even actually translate into better ethics
You should see how much they cost in New Zealand! Series 5 only just started to show up, and I paid $89 for one the other day. Fantastic Fashions was $119.99 at the same store.
@@mandmaucklandI'm latinoamerican, everything here is resold for x5 times the original retail price. Either that or I have to pay astronomical shipping prices, I've been quoted $80 usd for shipping alone. I'm not sure what this has to do with my original point.
@FaeryTaleDolls Even if MGA took less of a profit you're never going to pay the people sewing garments a fair wage at $30 per doll even if all $30 went to the workers, that's why I feel conflicted about it. Yes, corporate greed is part of it but the insanely unfair (frankly slave) wages that are necessary for mass production can't be fixed with just reducing the % of profit. At some point we have to realize that if we want fabric based products to be good quality, they're not going to be cheap because making them takes skilled labor.
I’ve been seeing this feeling and that sentiment on my feed for the past couple days and I feel like a lot of people are forgetting that this is a very healthy and normal thing for Doll lines to do. Every Brand, no matter how successful they are, has to change to match their new target demographic. Many people forget that rainbow high is not a primarily collector based doll brand.
I definitely do get that, I did try to stress at the end of the video that while I'm finding them less exciting and I feel like maybe collectors in general will, I think they'll still be appealing to children and I'm sure that MGA will still make money doing that
I’m a big fan of Shadow High and you can really tell the quality drop from Series 2 to 3. In Series 2, we got at least one stand out piece a doll (Dia’s bodysuit, Zooey’s jacket, Monique’s dress) where Series 3 has nothing really going on. The only Series 3 doll I’ll pay full price is Rosie Redwood.
Probably depends on the collector I was honestly surprised how many collectors bought Maria Garcia at full price and the Paris Hilton doll. I’ve def lost some interest in these dolls they’re no longer as exciting or must have for me anyways ❤️🤗
I don't pay retail for these dolls or any dolls, for that matter. I know they will go clearance. I just have to wait. Even my favorite Deliah I got clearance. I wouldn't pay $60 for Roxy, but at $17, she's a nice doll. Like compared her to the holiday Barbies, it's not even close.
@@iamsoverybored878 yea I only pay full price is I like something right away otherwise I wait for a sale
Feel called out since I just bought Paris for more than retail. I live in the UK so there was no way I was gonna get her at a good price. I paid £165.
I’m planning on getting Maria once I’m paid. 😅
Even though I also don't like the current direction Rainbow high is going for rn, I still love how they're always trying out something new right now. SH series 3 is also not my thing but I adore the more personalized accessories and I'm so so exited for the pets in the future
I definitely like them being experimental, I guess I'm just less hopeful 😅
Like some other commentors have said, the outfit quality hasn't declined so much as the designs have become simpler. The rainbow vision era dolls all had incredibly intricate designs, but also notoriously bad quality control. Embroidery, stitching, fabric mixing, etc are exactly the types of details that are difficult to mass produce. I think collectors need to keep in mind that if we want playline dolls to have complicated designs, we're gonna have to either pay more for them, or accept a higher chance of defects.
I disagree about outfits being "less detailed", especially cuz dolls like Oliver might not be that detailed compared to the girls, but that's an issue of how boy dolls are to girl dolls for MGA. Oliver is pretty detailed for a boy doll, especially with his intricate hairstyle. I'm sure even his Jersey feels like an actual Jersey. I feel like a highly "detailed" piece isnt what makes it looks like fashion, Fashion is varied across the world. I like the streetwear and casual looks a lot, it's great to see less skirts.
I do get what you're saying, and I also like to see more varied fashion types. I guess what I was getting as is that he's less detailed than Berrie, and I think what ends up happening with RH (at least for me) is that when they put out dolls that have detail that I would rate as a 10 (especially when it used to happen consistently), even a doll that is like an 8 feels more disappointing. Hope that makes sense 😅Doesn't mean they're actively bad dolls, just that I know they could be pushed even further I guess
I use to get so excited about the Rainbow High releases, but now not so much. I still have yet to buy Michelle, from the last series. They're just not as exciting as they once were. I also did not like the way that they canceled Pacific Coast. Pacific Coast was a nice doll line, but should've come with a second outfit and shoes, instead of the towel, bag, and sunglasses. I still like Shadow High series 1, one of the BEST lines to come out of this whole collection of dolls. I'm just not as pumped about this new series as I initially was. I use to have to have them immediately, and wanted each and everyone of them, now I'm waiting on sales and do not feel that I necessarily have to have all of them.
I've been feeling very similarly. Used to be on the edge of my seat for more RH releases, now I find myself thinking "I like this one but I'll wait til it goes on sale." The urgent excitement is gone for me
I keep trying to like rainbow high dolls but basically every time I end up with something messing up.
S1 Sunny:
Rip jeans literally ripped at the knee a week after i bought her
Georgia Bloom:
Pearls just flew off that skirt like nobody’s business.
Jh sunny:
Her coat had an uneven gathering at the wrist so one side was nice gathered and the other looked like a rain coat.
Jh poppy:
Wonky knee that still can’t really bend
Minnie Choi:
Her fabric boots are just so slightly different lengths that is bothers me a ton lol.
I want enjoy them and their beautiful designs and quality but when I keep running into manufacturing errors, why should I buy them?
Like even if monster high is lower quality, I’ve had way better experiences with quality control and enjoy the dolls way more!
Can I just say that I love your outfit 😍 the color yellow looks very good on you, especially that shade, that and the glasses gives off very Delilah from rh vibes😅
That's very sweet omg, thank you 🥰
Not sure how you can look at the first Amaya and the new runway version and think there is a decline. The doll face ups have improved IMMENSELY and the clothes have really detailed elements.
I have to say that you guys are so lucky for getting these dolls for $30! Because in my country they cost from 70€ to 100€! The Fantastic Fashion ones are 90€ 😫That is why I have only bought two Rainbow High dolls and both second hand because it's a little cheaper.
A lot of doll companies go with "quantity" over "quality" but it's sad seeing a doll line that kept improving with each release(as you mentioned) go to basic dolls but with the same prize you'd get the more detailed and more accesorized release three or four doll..
Costume party ball dolls are still full price in many stores not selling lol
Yeah in my area they still aren't discounted 🫠
Actually, they started to clearance them. Some were $12 while others like the one I want Lola are $27. I'm going back to Walmart tomorrow to see if Lola went down to $12.
@@iamsoverybored878Some Walmarts rarely put RH on clearance; the ones in my area never put the Costume Ball ones on sale and just sold them all at full price until they were gone.
In some countries, SH costume party ball dolls weren't even released 🙃
I hope they make more collector dolls personally. I love Roxy and got her on sale. For me, I am not really into bright colors and more like some pastels, black, purple, white. I really enjoy the greyscale dolls even though I know most children don't, and some adults don't either. I'm very disappointed that they won't be making more dolls like Maria and Lilly Chang :( I like more Gothic style dolls and wish Shadow High had gone in that direction instead of what they are doing. Many of the SH dolls, actually seem like they should be put into the RH label instead. I was so excited when the Storm Twins came out and Glitch. I wish SH had a darker delineation because the dolls they are putting out just don't fit the theme to me. I do like some of the new dolls that are coming out, but they definitely don't have what they used to and I'm not sure I will get any of them. It's also really nice to finally see a boy doll with long hair :) Only I wish they would make more formal or dressy outfits for them instead of always sports clothes. They make the girls with dressy outfits and sporty, but not the boys. Anyhooo.... I understand where you are coming from and it will be interesting to see what they do in the future. Btw, I really like your blouse style and the color looks so nice on you :)
I got Roxxy on sale too and couldn’t believe how beautiful she is irl. She is now one of my favorite dolls.
@@pumpkindog1636 That's great :) She is beautiful
Thank you for the compliment! And I completely agree about SH, especially a lot of the newer dolls could very well go to RH instead...
Yes, I totally agree!! OMG they should've released a guy with a more formal tone during Rainbow Vision. Like a really good suit to compliment the Rainbow Divas dresses. And I'm disappointed at the lack of really cool gothic clothing for the SH dolls. There are so many fantastic styles out there, why don't we get to see more of that in general?
Love this fair and balanced video! I feel series 2 shadow high and the costume ball series was a high point.
gosh yes I still would love one of the costume ball series
The costume ball is such a beautiful release!!
I don't think they are in decline. There are too many releases that's why people become "tired" of them.
I also think that MGA might want a more "kid friendly" orientation. It is totally understandable. Kids are the primary consumers.
Everyone hating on the shadow high series 3… got two of them lavender and scarlett, they are amazing, same quality , gorgeous face up, as usual all the people hating are now like…. Wow actually i like them . Its common in the community every one being dramatic after seeing stock photos haha, love your video and channel ❤
Thank you! I definitely don't think SH series 3 is necessarily bad (I don't think I articulated myself very well in this video 😅). I don't look at them and think they're terrible, and everyone likes different things so I completely understand that they will appeal to some people, but just in general a lot of the recent releases,don't fill me with the same level of excitement as they used to
Oh no no i was not talking about you, you articulated yourself perfectly, english is not my first language i speak French im from montreal, so sorry if you thought i was criticizing your video ❤️
@@arianelimoges8622 You're totally fine! And welcome to criticize haha, I just meant that watching it back I didn't feel I had made my point well enough 😅
It's very interesting watching another doll brand go through exactly the same that happened to MH back in 2013. MH also had insanely good first 3 year run, Mattel took it for granted, overflooded the market with new characters that flopped, and then in 2014 proceeded to cut back on quality while rising prices, and then the reboot happened. I must say that knowing how MH ended up, I am worried for RH now. Seems like it's difficult for doll brands to avoid this trajectory. Well, time to buy all of Shadow High and Series 4 before they disappear off shelves so I don't feel stupid in 20 years when these dolls go for $200 on ebay lmao.
Here are some of my opinions based on my experience buying toys for kids 4 to 10 years old.
1) Kids absolutely use stands while playing.
2) Pets are very beloved and very involved in play when included with a doll.
3) RH dolls were never budget friendly - they are a fancy upscale doll kind of like American Girl. Big reason why RH not selling so well - hard for parents to justify the price while kids still enjoy cheaper competing brands and lines.
4) Kids love Junior High dolls and in most cases don’t even realize they are not from the core line. Backpacks make children especially happy. Also, the price is way more doable.
5) The problem with RH is that they designed their dolls paying too much mind to collectors and not enough to kids’ preferences and what parents would buy. That’s why their profits are not at full capacity.
Now you've got me thinking how I played with dolls as a child. Functional backpacks - loved those, great to put the accessories in. Accessories - were great as part off a dollhouse/playset, to make it come alive. Stands - don't think any dolls back then had these 😂 nor would I have used them. Dolls would either go in a box or "sleep" in the dollhouse. Pets - I loved toy animals but would buy these as their own thing, not necessarily to be played with WITH the dolls. I was definitely mostly focused on social play and changing the outfits. Oh, and regarding junior high, I loved "little sister" dolls and would definitely have incorporated this into my narrative.
It's sad that they're not getting the sales they wanted, but I LOVE being able to go into a toy shop and find other adult collectors browsing the RH aisle. And I will certainly continue to keep those profits topped up. Lol
That was super informative, detailed, and thoughtful video! I love your content.
Speaking of the show, I hope they release the delft Delphine in doll form
This exactly why i haven't collected any rainbow high dolls recently. Which really sucks, there's a few from the latest series i wanted, but i don't want to pay $30 for less items. The only time i really get them anymore is if i see them in the clearance section tbh. The lack of details and items makes me really upset. i 100% agree with you, the releases have become a lot less exciting for me as well.
I will get Rh dolls if I really like their outfit going forward
$10! For the blind boxe bag or shoes omg and I just saw an unboxing from another channel. I didn’t know they were so expensive 😳😳
I haven’t bought a RH doll since series 3 and it’s purely bc of the over saturation of different characters being introduced to the lineup, I can’t get attached to the new characters bc Ik they’re just one off characters being produced purely just to market the show, which I’ve also lost interest in, it makes it less special and not as exciting to get new characters when we get 5 new ones every other month, IMO it would’ve been a better idea if MGA did the bratz model and did different series and lines of the same of characters but introduced one or two new characters in the lineup, as of rn there’s 86 rainbow high characters in existence and we’ve only had five lines of the original characters in a 3 year time span (not including one off lines where one OG character is included), we don’t get lines of the original characters that frequently which sucks bc Skylar is MY favorite og character and she gets paid DUST, and Ik MGAS gonna produce 20 new characters before they produce another Skylar doll 😭 also the designs just don’t interest me anymore, don’t get me wrong mga is always going to deliver on the design quality but just bc the doll looks nice does mean I’ll be compelled to buy it, like Zooey is a gorgeous doll but I don’t really wanna buy her, also alot of the looks are just hit or miss, for every gorgeous cohesive doll like Sheryl we’ll get a doll like that green girl from series 5, plus once you get over the fomo and hype on the new doll releases it’s easy to skip a lot of them, saved me a ton of money lol
THAT SHIRT IS SO PRETTY, HELLO? It looks wonderful with your glasses, you look kinda like Delilah here!
Ahh thank you!! 🥰
@@FaeryTaleDolls If you have a bad day, just read my comments fr. I'm not a doll collector but I feel nostalgic for dolls so I watch your channel a lot. You're my favourite doll content creator, keep up the good work
Good Thumbnail, that is so clever.
Ayy thank you
I agree with everything you said actually. I feel the same way. The only thing I would add is the price point for series 5 RH and series 2 SH because they were released together almost and they came with the same amount of stuff, but SH started at a lower price point. I think this also made people mad,
Rainbow high starting from those goddamn poopsie unicorns is so much more disturbing to me than Barbie starting from Bild Lilli 😂 Those things were SO CREEPY
I didn’t buy RH at first because I didn’t go to any stores for most of 2020 but when I finally did, I was blown away by them! I loved RH Series 4 but the quality control was horrible! I never did buy any from that series because every doll I looked at was wonky 😢 Kids definitely didn’t like SH based on my friends’ kids. I am planning to get Series 3 SH Scarlet Rose because books but her outfit is less less detailed than Berrie Skies or Series 2 SH. It’s very confusing like you said! I do want the Sunny and Luna two pack but I’m waiting for them to go on sale. I do wonder what happened to make RH/SH decline so much in just a few years and decide to do a soft reboot when they could still be going strong and giving Barbie and especially Monster High a fierce competition. Or perhaps they think a soft reboot that includes a pet and glitter will be better to go against MH? 🤔
loved this video. I am a collector that also loves the stuff aimed at kids but I see why not all collectors would agree, I have some of the poopsie toys and love them also kindi kids I love, just because they are so sunny. if only they didn't take up so much space ❤ I also think a lot of collectors do like the pets and accessories I suppose it depends what you do with your collection. if you like to stage playsets and take photographs then these pets and accessories are amazing to collect. I've also just opened barbie extra number 2 with a flying pig and the joy that brought me was ridiculous really, comparing it to a vintage 90's Barbie with ginger the dog and a whole load of dog accessories and it was amazing, the extras being one of the major joy holders. I love how we all have different/similar/parallel/opposing/ identical opinions it makes it so interesting to watch others videos. thank you for this one.❤
This is such a great video and thank you for raising awareness of these issues with Rainbow High as a doll line!
Rainbow High absolutely saved my mental health and is a very important doll line for me. It was the first doll line that I collected more seriously after Monster High Gen 1 came to an end. I first got Ruby in 2020 out of curiosity, and now I have 36 SH and RH dolls in my collection!
The Storm Twins (also my personal comfort dolls/characters) and Emi are the dolls that really made me fall in love with the Shadow High and Rainbow High lines as well, because I love dolls with a good goth or alternative aesthetic. I even made my own custom of the Storm Twins' Jeep because I was so disappointed that MGA canceled the official Shadow High Jeep Playset.
I don't buy as many Rainbow High dolls as much, but I do buy the ones that I really like the clothes on. As for Shadow High, I am very close to having a complete collection, and I will be buying every doll in SH Series 3 as well as the other 4 SH dolls I need to complete my collection because Shadow High as a doll line is my comfort doll line and one of my favorite doll lines of all time! I also own 3 sets of Storm Twins, 2 OOTB, and 1 MIB because they are comfort characters and dolls for me.
I am a bit disappointed that the SH Series 3 dolls are more colorful, though, and most of them, except for Scarlet Rose, don't feel the most Shadow High like or resonate with me as much as the more alternative or goth SH dolls like SH Series 1, The Storm Twins, or Ainsley.
I also intensely dislike that the doll list of upcoming releases associated with the "soft reboot" seems to be excluding Poppy and doesn't include any Shadow High dolls or items at all because I don't ever want Shadow High to end! I hope that things can improve in the future of the Rainbow High though!🖤💜
I personally team monster high pets. They’re just little guys!
I didn't feel it at first. My first hint that rh was in the decline was rumors from early this year about shadow high ending. That was massive. Then rh s5 came out, it was a minor hint. After all other people seemed to like them fine enough. THEN the news of how many products had been canceled came out. That was the first major hint. Thank god we're still getting sh s3, and no I don't think any of them are indicative of a decline, nor the fantastic fashion dolls. These new dolls feel more like the final hurrah now that we know about the brand fundamentally changing next year. But last fall and winter's lackluster releases especially the holiday collector doll felt like they were falling flat. So while THIS year's releases have been very good, based on all the cancellations that have already happened and the revamp next year it was already too late. So this year's releases doing well might not have an effect fast enough.
i see what you mean, i am also less and less interested in RH. the upcomming releases also dont look very promising O.o
but what i can say in favour of RH is that what they lack in physical items per doll they put their effort into innovation (?). so rather than quantity they put their focus on newness. earlier rh had a lot of logomania (designer rip offs), repeating clothing items (leather jackets, bustiers, skinny jeans, strappy heals), basic makeup looks and euro centric hair styles.
newer dolls have way more diverse hair styles, creative makeup looks and unique fashion pieces. i am much more drawn to a unique dress like the one michelle was wearing than seeing another chanel two piece (bella, daphne, sabrina) and I dont wanna see a sequin dress ever again 😂😂
the new shadow high series also has a lot of new things going on! its definitly not everybodies taste but the DC skirt, the braids, the purple shoes with the backwards heel and also the red boots omg, no more makeup palettes and blow dries for every doll but unique items
I know they're not final but those pets look so cursed. I don't think MGA has ever been good at making cute animals
Great video and analysis as always! Though I do wish a little more time was spent on the dwindling diversity that seems to be going along with them making the brand more kid friendly. That’s the even bigger issue imo.
Michelle is so far the 1 and only dark-skinned doll released at all this entire year and not a single dark-skinned doll is included in any upcoming release either. Fantastic Fashion, Color & Create, the new Friends, and now everything in the soft reboot has 0 dark skinned dolls at all which is extremely disappointing to me. I could *maybe* put up with more kid-friendly releases but I will not support a brand that seems to be becoming openly colorist (again). Until they course correct on their lack of skin tone diversity, Im saying goodbye to this brand entirely.
Sunny is going to be in the soft reboot
I 100% agree, I feel like with videos like this I always manage to forget to touch on something important 🫠 But yeah, it is quite disheartening. I guess in a way I understand why they want to focus more on the series one characters because I do think that as a brand, it will probably be easier to focus on a smaller cast. If that is the case though, they definitely needed and still need to add in some other non-series one characters to focus on so the line is more diverse as a whole.
I’m actually very excited for the changes. I already collected enough RH to satisfy myself and haven’t been wanting any of the new ones. The soft reboot is reinvigorating! Very excited!
I would be thrilled to be wrong and end up feeling that way!
once again i am completely distracted by how adorable your outfit & accessories are and i have to try so hard to pay attention to the actual content 😂
Haha I'm sorry but also, thank you ♥
I'm a shadow high & pacific coast apologist
However neon shadow & series 2 was the direction I prefer.
PC however has the most beautiful dolls. They're lower on the list since it's just a bathing suit. If they had a 2nd regular outfit instead of a towel
Ngl i like a basic line with focus on the doll design because I can have fun putting them together with outfits from the earlier dolls. That's both me and my inner child talking
8:14 Funnily enough my adveture with collecting RH and SH began with Victoria Whitman this year. XD
I would love to see accessories that fit the doll’s focus in the future.
I agree overall with your opinions and think that the inclusion of a pet with Pinkly Paige was a test. Theres been a huge push for pets in the barbie aisle and we've all seen how Monster High is pushing the pets super hard, so i feel like MGA is trying to respond to that.
I honestly love rainbow high, but the direction they are going scar’s me. Going back to your roots isn’t a good idea but you do you MGA.
Once they stopped adding the second outfit, I started not getting as excited as I used to. I do not need multiple sewing machines and makeup palettes. If they keep doing the line like that, I will more than likely not get any more. I still think they are beautiful dolls but I feel that pets are unnecessary. I have 0 interest in that series where you draw on the clothes. And the outfits from that line are so basic. I am interested in Shadow High 3 and what it has to offer though.
I hope not, I've just jumped on the train about these 😂❤
You're so rotted for putting Violet at the end like that in the thumbnail 😭 (also the original cast are so mid, I wanna see a new Krystal with a good face and textured hair, I want more series 4 girls, I want 2nd outfits for series SH 2, series 5, and costume ball)
I agree with you hun 100 percent !! After series 5 I only got Victoria and Kim and I’ve completely lost all passion and love for rainbow high now 🥺which is devastating tbh 🥺🥺I agree with all your points , I just don’t know what’s happened but I’m like meh 🫤 when I see them now , all my butterflies in my tummy have just gone , their just lack luster , and series 3 will always be my all time favourite 😍Cheryl, Georgia and emi were my favourite 😍
There really was just something about series 3! And like I said, I loved series 4 as well. Definitely wish the most recent releases made me feel the same way those dolls did 🥲
My only problem with Rainbow High is baby hairs on like, every single POC lately. Out of 20+ POC dolls I think 4/5 don’t have baby hairs (This is not including the Asian/Indian girls). Yes POC girls do sculpt their baby hairs but not every.single.POC.does.
I would like more POC girls and boys but I would like to see them tell us they’re a POC without the molded on baby hairs to tell us they’re a POC.
(Oh wait, two things. no real life people dolls. Paris Hilton was weird and uncanny to me)
Definitely agree that especially with SH they use the baby hairs as a way to show a character is a POC. Especially in the latest lineup, I feel like they could've used more saturation in the skin tone with some dolls to show that
It's *weird* given they've been going for what is going to be their 4th year in 2024 which is pretty solid in doll world, where most lines struggle to last beyond the first year or two. So obviously they're making a decent chunk of change so just how/why are they not continuing in the direction they've been going?
I think part of it is def burnout especially after last Fall where there were what like 30+ dolls released from RH/SH alone? It was an insane amount! That's going to burnout collectors and parents. And then there is the size. I love them + OMG but they're just so big and bulky and they take up almost double the shelf space a MH/Barbie/standard 12 inch doll does. And I'm sure that is also apparent for parents!
And apparently there are also issues with OMG sales since the webseries has pivoted to being only about the tots now and not the OMGs (and I've heard rumors that their sales been bleh recently). So what is the future for MGA targeting an older audience?
Honestly, now that you point out the timing, you're totally right! 2020 really messed with my perception of time, but I suppose going on 3 to 4 years is not bad for dolls. I wonder if part of it is because most businesses are not content to see level sales, they need to constantly see growth. So even if RH is still doing well, if it isn't breaking records it isn't good enough?
What MGA should do. Give Pacific Coast a Normal oufit, then Give all Rainbow and Shadow High a Pacific Coast Version, and also cheer and winter break dolls too. Instead of releasing and releaseing new characters, because they are too many at this point. Because of that we don't get a chance to know about all of the past characters..
I loved series 4 Rainbow High. I have Jewel Richie and Meena Flur. Because of the emerald green and the bright saffron orange. And the different skin tones. Also l would love if MGA came out with Rainbow High and Shadow High doll clothes that l see what color outfit lm getting. So You can mix and match. And bring back Novi Stars Dolls. I haven't seen a decline in the dolls.
So I have 25 RH and SH dolls in my collection. At this point, I'm not getting more unless I love them. The Sunny and Luna two pack is amazing. My fashion runway Jade is amazing. But in comparison, SH series 3 feels like a step down in detail and cohesion. I love the greyscale of SH 1 and I still see people getting into RH because of them. Series 2 still had amazing outfits. But series 3 just doesn't have that. We are repeating the body con dresses and the fur coat. I feel like they are rushing the dolls out. I was surprised to see the SH dolls already hit shelves. I see a lot of adults enjoying the Color and Creat dolls. I already go one and made her a brunette. I ordered her glasses and then she will be a tiny me.
I got only dolls shadow high series 2 dolls. But i did complete rainbow series 5 dolls . If i get shadow high series 3 only 3 dolls im getting. But i noticed that rainbow high not cool like use to be. Mga should take out a deluxe closet for shadow high and rainbow high.
I definitely see and feel the decline of Rainbow High 😓. I’ve officially been having that/this feeling since the release of Series 5 😪 (and a little bit before SH Series 2, like Sept-Dec 2022). But honestly, I just planned on getting all of the Shadow High dolls releasing/released (I have 10/24 dolls so far and I dearly love Shadow High 🖤🩶🤍). And maybe 1-3 more RH dolls and that’s it 😪🥲. But yeah seeing this video made me feel better knowing that I don’t feel alone on basically what you covered in this video 😓🥲.
I also haven’t even bought a doll yet this year so 😅🥲
21:45 same! but id MUCH rather purchase from a legit shop than get cheap crappy goop while also losing quality and articulation
I hope they don't just up and cancel the line as a whole. Because i feel like it is going to happen and i just hope it isn't too soon. Also i haven't touched a doll since G1 monster high and that was in the later years. It just felt so fresh and new I love these girls and guys.
I think the brand still has a lot of life in it, just not sure how much changing that will entail
@@FaeryTaleDolls I am mostly hoping they try to keep the quality. But if they end up changing more for the kids that's fine. Cuz we still have G3 of monster high. But I have a feeling that MGA will cancel the line just like they did with Mermaze mermaids. Those dolls were gorgeous and they were canned very quickly.
The design can be argued with but what i wouldnt stand for is saying the quality of the doll declined. Lavender has a sheer embroidered blouse, Rosie has a whole embroidered full coat and fabric boots, Scarlett has accessories that is unique to her, which means they had to make a new mold for each one and youve already discussed how detailed berrie is and these you still rarely find at matt- i mean other doll lines. All of their faces are huge improvements from the series succeeding them too. Oliver suffers from being a boy doll which isnt a problem unique to him when you look at Koby from the Bratz series 3 repros.
All i see is a franchise struggling to properly allocate funds into the different aspects that made their doll line work which is still growth. I think doll collectors were just too traumatized by the "dark ages" that any franchise getting into some sort of decline immediately sends warning signals to them. What im most dissapointed with is the amount of content creators in the community that enjoys capitalizing into this fear and creates videos like....... this.
You're perfectly entitled to have that opinion, and I did try to make clear that I don't think the quality is *always* bad. Just that it has become more hit or miss to me.
But I'm not trying to capitalize on fear. The disappointment in RH releases is genuinely something I've been feeling brewing for a while and I finally decided to make a video on it because I enjoy talking to people about dolls. You don't have to agree, but I think it is unfair to decide that because I have a different perspective and happen to make content I'm trying to somehow benefit from people who do agree with me or that I'm trying to fearmonger.
@@FaeryTaleDolls i dont think its that unfair to point out that content creators benefit from... creating videos. And im not saying its a bad thing either. Im not trying to single you out because it has been a recurring occurence for doll tubers to talk about the """"decline"""" of rainbow high for like god, a month? We get it. Its an underwhelming line for you. Its just frankly tiring for the remaining part of the collecting space that actually looks forward to the lines when you have to hear from other collectors how bad they think it is every week and discussion videos like this just magnifies this negativity.
I would have to say I disagree, I feel as a whole rh is still very much a good brand, and I would have to say that even still each line they some how manage to elevate the quality,and I would actually say I prefer series 4-5 more than series 3, they are great but I would say every release after has gotten much better in quality in my opinion like we now regularly get fabric boots, and I would say I rarely see any issues quality wise, the clothing is still very detailed etc, and feel like it’s normal for certain dolls to come with less stuff as not every doll needs to have loads of stuff and is just designed to be more simpler, and as for upcoming releases, I don’t really see how they could be a soft reboot, maybe just more kid oriented gimmicks for a certain release which I feel is pretty normal, as I could pretty much guarantee that’s not all we’ll be getting next year, and because the listings are so early it could be the case that we never actually get these lines, I understand peoples concerns but I feel like it’s being overblown like people where complaining about the repeated accessories and in the new series 3 of shadow high they’ve given us new accessories and now they complain about a lack of accessories? , and in general they will have to/ need to repeat certain accessories/ things cause it is pretty expensive to create new accessories for every single doll, but yeah that’s my rant lmao
Do you think this means no SH or new series RH will be released in 2024? Just the children play stuff only for 2024?
Hey! Probably not, these are very early listings so there’s likely going to be a lot more than just that, and those lines may not actually be happening next year anymore and get cancelled etc so most likely this won’t be all that’ll come next year
@@Jbird._ I appreciate you clarifying. I am a new collector who collects with my young children. My kids love accessories far more than extra clothes. They would also love pets and slime which I am not buying. So I can see where MGA is going, but I am not ready to stop collecting yet.
I think it's only a decline for people who are collectors. Because there's no extra outfit. But as far as a playing line goes if the price point is matching, monster high.
I do think RH is on somewhat of a decline. I don’t think they are necessarily on their way out but maybe they are honing into an even more child friendly market. Like the coloring dolls for starters. And now with those supposed new releases with glitter, slime?
Also The new SH series seems a bit scaled back to what we’re used to. Maybe MGA should get rid of the stands and switch to poly hair if they want to save a penny…ahem.
I also think the high pricing of the collector dolls hurt them a lot. Because now Maria Garcia is sitting at $35 and she has insane detail. Like how much did they lose in the long run? It couldn’t have been good for them as a company.
I will be buying Berrie the CD skirt girl though. She’s really the only one calling to me.
Hard agree about the collector dolls, Maria and Roxie both came out at such a high price point and now are available/were available at one point for such low prices. I feel like with Lily Cheng MGA found the exact limit to what collectors en mass would be willing to buy a certain price, and then with their other collector releases, they tried to push it too far in one way or the other.
I hope not. I still feel like there's room for creativity. For shadow high, they haven't done a black and blue doll yet. Nor have they done a brown, a neon yellow, nor like a black and red. I know some of those sounds weird, but I feel like they could come up with some really great color combos, rather than just pink, red, black, and so on.
Oh for sure there's tons of room for creativity and growth...more a matter of will MGA capitalize on that?
Just give us fashion packs MGA....PLEASE! And it would be great if they stopped doing the blind box surprise element. I still love my RH/SH collection, but I'm at the point now where I don't need more dolls. Just the fashions 🤣💯
Rainbow high reminds me in a way of netflix, when it was first launched I had an price super good price for the product, but that is where the problem is. Netflix already increased the price of many times, and rainbow high reduced the value of the dolls over time. I think this happened because the product could only be profitable if they sold a lot, the moment other dolls started having good sales they had to tone down the quality.
Personally I think this explain a part why the first monster high reboot happened, it would not be sustainable for the company to keep the quality collectors want.
The g3 of monster high and the hype around the barbie probably are some of the reasons rainbow got the short end of the stick. Mattel definitely got a bigger share on the market on recent years, not even counting on the disney princesses license.
Guys I’m scared they’re going to pull a Monster High and have the “child-friendly” dolls and then the “collector” dolls
Seems like you were onto something. Rainbow High feels very dead to me at this point
It’s not really a decline I think, having a super detailed doll with a second outfit for 30€/$ isn’t realistic anymore.
mhh i definitly see what you mean and as a collector I am getting less and less interested in RH... also the upcomming releases dont look very interesting tbh O.o
but what i can say in favour of RH is what they have less in physical items they get in innovation, so they put the quality into newness rather than quantity. earlier series of the dolls they had a lot of logomania, repetitive clothes (the leather jackets, bustier tops), rather basic makeup looks and always euro centric hairstyles.
most of the new dolls have quite interesting designs, more diverse hair and creative makeup looks. i am much more drawn to a unique dress like the one michelle was wearing than another channel two piece (bella, daphne,
It's funny, because I think in some ways they are getting more creative, but in other ways, I think that they are doing worse? Definitely better about the logos, but I honestly still feel like they could do a lot more with hair texture diversity and more interesting hairstyles 😅
@@FaeryTaleDolls totally! i mean if they can do it with the OMGs, they can do it with RH too! we need more dolls with african hair styles. but at least they ajusted the head molds to look more black, with the wider noses and fuller lips :)
@@FaeryTaleDolls also this is just a theorie, but just based on the aethetic of the dolls i feel like their design team changed a lot. the outfits now just look so much different then past releases!
Okay, but the community of adult collectors keeps this series alive? Are they seriously trying to sack us? ...No! Pls no!
Title Rainbow High:
Retitled: Rainbow Vision:
Season 1: Rainbow Vision: Rainbow High:
Season 2: Rainbow Vision: Shadow High:
Season 3: Rainbow Vision: School's Unify:
Season 4: School Spirit:
Did the Educators bother to warn the Students about their Rival Schools:
and their Arch Nemesis; Shadow High? Each Schools:
Represent's: School Diversity: To Get Innovation Creative;
Presents the Spirit Ora: Original Artists.
The Problem: The School is about Dominance:
To whom is better; and their Sabotage: Over ran the
Unified School's.
The School are brought together for a reason:
It not just about Rainbow High!
Sorry but I just find this whole conversation soooo out of touch, compare shadow high series 3 to any MH doll, and the quality is STILL miles above what they give, and SH3 dolls are the same price/cheaper than MH. The only reason you guys think RH/SH is going 'downhill' is because it's a 4 year old line, inflation is a thing and cuts had to be made, meanwhile MH comes out at a lower standard, but it's allowed to slide due to everyone's nostalgia for MH, or it's just mattel and we should ACCEPT lower quality, no stand, 1 outfit, poly hair 50% of the time, 25 dollars, and no one is dooming them? If adult collectors are impossible to satisfy, why not gear more towards kids? The collector lines flopped, so isn't it obvious that they're gonna aim more towards kids?
Definitely going downhill and it sucks because I only recently got into them 😢
Inclusivity and diversity I find to be a problem
My kid was playing with the MH pets when restyling the RH dolls and said they wished RH came with pets. Then said 'but it's okay, we have plenty of pets already,' So... even my kid thinks it's not really an extra selling point.
I am more of a casual RH fan. I bought a few during covid to varying results. The clothes were really good quality but, especially with the second wave onward, the quality issues with their bodies were abundant. I bought a S2 Amaya and her head was incredibly loose, and a few others I bought around this time had really weird markings in their leg and arm molds, especially around their joints. Sometimes the joints wouldn’t want to budge and it felt like I was going to break them. Other people I talked to had these issues as well and, at the time, it seemed like S2 was rushed to market and all of the quality from S1 was compromised. After this I kinda vowed that I wouldn’t buy any more… 3 years ago by and I continue to see them in stores and in reviews. My niece wanted one of the recent releases… I think her name was Olivia Woods(?). She was really great quality- no issues in her molding, her head was not practically falling off 😅 Overall a great doll. I understand the issues people are having losing an outfit, especially because the company isn’t currently offering fashion packs. I think MGA is trying to find their footing in the market to make their product have longevity. Definitely some strange attempts at this like the budget versions of dolls in slim boxes. I personally am just thrown off by the sheer amount of characters we are getting vs different kinds of themes with a group of characters. They seemed to be doing this at first but then just kinda started making a hundred characters 😂 it opens the door for diversity, sure, but it also just seems to me that they don’t know where to take the brand. I hope they figure it out. I think the dolls themselves are great quality, there’s just a distinct lack of focus for the line overall.
One of the things that irks me about the “soft reboot” is that the diversity of the dolls they’re choosing is so… lackluster? When rainbow high series 1 launched, sunny was the darkest character and skyler’s ethnicity was left ambiguous (like she could just be tan) and people definitely noticed. The series 2 line up included basically only Krystal and then finally with series 3 and series 4 we saw more character diversity (especially series 4). Rainbow vision gave us explicitly Korean and black characters which was great! Series 5 is still keeping up the diversity but to just completely turn around back to where sunny is the darkest doll from RH on the shelves… not cool mga. Part of what made rainbow high so special to me is the celebration of diversity and to lose that just to focus on the “core” dolls. The show doesn’t even focus on the core dolls anymore! I wish they would consider changing their lineup to be more inclusive (RH S4 being an amazing example)
Another thing is that it’s hard to pin down ethnicity with the shadow high dolls and yet they’re suffering from mga choosing to make them all light skinned. Monique is a great example of how you can still represent black characters with fantasy skintones, as well as dia, yet for series 3 none of the dolls have saturated skin! Some of them have baby hairs but mga insisted on making them pale. If they plan on making more shadow high I seriously hope they consider trying to maintain diversity, otherwise they should just cancel it.
I agree with literally everything that you've said here. I have been feeling the same way about the SH series 3 dolls specifically, but I couldn't quite put it into words. You (sadly) nailed it
The pets are so awful. I’m really not into pet accessories I usually leave them in the box 😂
I would die for re-releases, but with different aesthetics. I want Rainbow high school days back! The cast is wide enough. Make it like that, pls!
Scarlet Rose specifically disappoints me so much…. She’s such a GORGEOUS base doll, why with her colours, her face…. But then they slapped a plain hoodie and jeans on her and called it a day. Feels like such a waste of potential.