The final release of Monster High's "13 Wishes" line, "Haunt the Casbah" Abbey was officially revealed at the 2013 San Diego Comic Con. She is Walmart's third exclusive Abbey Bominable doll (preceded by 2012's "Ghoul's Rule" and "Dot Dead Gorgeous" releases of the character). This marks the first Abbey doll to feature curly or wavy hair.
She includes a straddle stand (identical to Catty Noir's), a "magic lantern", a standard MH brush, and a trading card. I'm divided over the straddle stands... On one hand, they're far less visible than the old waist stands, on the other they're not as stable and this limits posing. In the case of the "Haunt the Casbah" line however, straddle stands are absolutely necessary; normal MH waist stands would be unusable due to the chunky belts worn by the majority of the dolls.
Abbey's outfit is excellent quality. None of the fabrics are "cheap", and the level of detail is impressive. I particularly love all of the gold detailing on the overskirt; it almost looks hand-painted! My one complaint is that it's hard to make the collar of her dress lay flat (see above photo). Overall, she's very accurate to both the box art and her animated counterpart in "13 Wishes".
Abbey's hair is certainly not the mane of tight, corkscrew curls featured in her artwork, but it's lovely in its own right. The doll's actual hair features gentler curls and a more relaxed do. This is an understandable divergence, as a doll with the elaborate styling featured on the box art would likely have to carry a much heftier pricetag than $20 USD. There's no feeling of cut corners, though! The curls are nice and neat, and the hair has plenty of thickness and volume. All in all, very well done.
Her normally white locks feature a rich, platinum-blonde hue in this release, complimented with gold tinsel. The "aurora colored" highlights are individually twisted and wrapped around her scalp, headband-style, ending in a splash of colorful curls that beautifully accent the rest of her hair.
If you own a few Abbeys already, you've probably noticed another major difference with the "Casbah" version's hair... Her usual straight, stiff tinsel has been substituted with a more "Cleo-style" variety. This is likely because the tinsel used for previous Abbey dolls would have been too inflexible to be put into curls or waves.
The jewelry pieces for the "Haunt the Casbah" dolls have been some of my faves of any Monster High release. :) Abbey's are ice-themed, and include a necklace, earrings, choker, headband, wrist cuffs, and belt, all sculpted and chromed. Some of the smaller pieces feel rather fragile (they aren't flexible or rubbery at all, so be careful!), but I haven't had any breaks.
In keeping with the rest of the dolls in this line, Abbey wears platform sandals with metallic-gold wedges. The straps are cast in an opaque, pearlescent material, and gleam like ice! Much prettier than the transparent plastic shown in the stock photos. :)
Bottom line: "Haunt the Casbah" Abbey makes a worthy addition to a Monster High collection. There are some minor flaws (still trying to get that collar to stay down), but quality is very good overall. Glitter and tinsel are used tastefully and appropriately, and the end result is a beautiful doll that skillfully dodges the "tacky" bullet. Plus, accessories for the "Casbah" line are some of the nicest so far (in my humble opinion). :)
