I buy it on Amazon. $18 is actually quite good, I usually pay $25-30. It’s a small price to pay for a good, reliable sealant.

Thanks. Yeah, possible differences between a, say, Indonesian and a Chinese made doll X was what I meant. Maybe I'll buy either to figure it out myself.

New issue: cigarette smoke. Bought a supposedly MIB doll that turned out to reek of smoke once warmed up to room temperature (from truck temperature). I can't keep it in this condition. Obviously I can't try to clean the doll without removing her from the box. I do want to try a dry method first - covering it with bicarb soda for some days - but cardboard stores smells much better than plastic or vinyl, so off it must go. Before I start, I'll post it for sale "as is" and would also appreciate any additional hints. In your experience, is it even *possible* to remove smoke smell from a MH doll?

I guess the nice hairdo would be gone for sure

I think it’s actually certain fabrics or certain glues that cause that smell... I haven’t been able to narrow it down yet, but I have had certain dolls start smelling like cigarette smoke after being cold (ie sitting in the mailbox or the car) and then warming up to room temperature. Try sticking a dryer sheet in the box for a few days.

I’ve always collected things, which I think is partially due to my obsessive-compulsive tendencies (I used to have OCD but through therapy it is no longer a disorder that impedes my daily life).

For dolls in particular: I always had dolls as a kid and although I had a large number of dolls I wouldn’t say that I collected them at that time. I liked Barbies and people bought me Barbies but they weren’t the only toys on my radar and given the choice to pick out my own toys, I only got Barbies probably 1/4 of the time or less.

When I saw MH as an adult, I loved all the details and it reignited my love of dolls plus I had decided that after a brief time of collecting MLP that MLP was too overwhelming to try and collect so I made the switch. I slowly started learning about other doll brands including getting back into Barbies.

Yes.

http://mhfaces.wixsite.com/monsterhigh/draculaura

If it’s the chair from the Coffin Bean set, it is definitely red, not hot pink.

I hate dolls with tons of plastic accessories. I passed on dolls in several lines, such as Sweet Screams and Ghouls Getaway, not because I didn’t like the dolls, but because the abundance of plastic was a huge turn off.

Thanks all! And happy birthday, Lhianneth!

It might be helpful to add a bit more detail about what you’re looking for (style, fabric, etc.)

Lhia and Melissa, thank you so much!
I will definitely be looking into Fray Block and giving that a whirl.
And that cardboard suggestion was a stroke of genius!  I tried it out earlier today and it massively helped to reduce the odor (I had previously just been setting the clothes on the bathroom counter to dry).

Thank you!

I'm glad the cardboard worked for you... I get migraines from strong smells so I was kind of shocked to read your initial post, Fray-Check has never had a lingering smell for me!