Go Ahead and Fake Yourself

Who is this shy forest creature who delicately turns her head away from the crud on the electric plug?

Summon birds to clean this kitchen? I do not THNK so.

This is Featherly, protector of birds, a forest pixie from the Dragon Games line of Ever After High. When Featherly and her fellow unarticulated pixies, Harelow and Deerla, appeared in stores last year, my first thought was "Mattel's making its own fakies!"

In the $8-$12 range, this wasn't a compelling value proposition, but clearanced at $5 at Fry's, on a day when I was feeling particularly cranky... it seemed like the moment to compare a forest pixie to a real fakie. 

Cool belt, Featherly. Clare's or Forever 21?

Read on to see how Featherly compares to Nile, the Gothic Tales clone of Monster High Frankie Stein, a doll that goes for about $3 at Dollar General (introduced here, got her current dress here).

Featherly appears to have a few more colors in the screening of her eye make-up, and her face is much sweeter, but the face-ups are surprisingly comparable.

I love high brows, Featherly. They're so retro.
OMG, Nile, I just realized I did shadow under only ONE eye. Do you think anyone will notice?

Featherly's dress is much nicer than Nile's original dress, which was downright tatty, though Featherly's print doesn't extend to the back. I lack the nerve to take down Featherly's hair to check the rooting, so let's move straight on to body types.

Don't you ever take your shoes off, Featherly?
No.

These gals will not be sharing clothes. (I did try. They can't.) Nile is shiny, while Featherly is matte, and we know from years of reading Martha Stewart that matte is classier. She's also generally more delicately molded, so she has nicer fingers. So how do the girls move?

Side-to-side splits are extremely limited for both. Nile is hopeless, while Featherly won't be trying out for the gymnastics team.

You might as well join me in debate club, Featherly.
You can become a confident forest creature.

Front-to-back splits are a tie.

Good grief, your legs are long, Featherly!
Not as long as yours, Nile. I just have a dinky body.

When it comes to sitting like a lady and demonstrating range of arm mobility, the winner is... Nile. Her legs stay closer together, and she has the ability to move her arms to the side (which she's doing here -- that's not the top of her up-and-down movement). When Featherly tries to put an arm out to the side, all she can do is raise it up.

How on earth do you fold sheets, Featherly?
I don't, Nile. I live in a nest.

My verdict: as the difference between a $3 doll and a $5 doll, Featherly's about right. She has nicer detailing and attire than Nile, but her range of movement is no better than par and arguably inferior. Mattel hasn't entirely lost the charm of its EAH and MH range -- no clone would bother with the curly hair -- but it's well on the way to making its own fakies.

Featherly should fit in very nicely with the teen MH fakies, especially as she's brought a mini pony to play with.

Ponies to match our outfits, Nile. Totally the thing at my last school.