I got Pullip Kuromi from PullipStyle's dent box sale (PullipStyle, you are missed <3) around the same time I got My Melody Pink Version. She arrived in August 2023, and I unboxed her in October 2025, just in time for last year's Halloween photos. :P Since I have both Kuromi and My Melody and I recently wrote a review of the latter (https://pigeonhues.blogspot.com/2026/04/pullip-my-melody-pink-version-review.html), including some comparisons between these two releases in this review seems natural. I hope this is helpful to readers considering getting these two dolls as a set, like I did. :-)
Unboxing
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| Pictures of Kuromi have not been used sparingly in the box design. |
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| The box details feature the colour scheme, stripes and gingham pattern of the doll's outfit. |
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| Whereas My Melody's description highlights the doll's details, Kuromi's focuses on Kuromi as a character, mentioning things like her hobbies and favourite colour and food. |
Face-up
For me, Kuromi's face-up was the main reason behind getting her, since she stands out from other releases with her darker, more alternative make-up. Her violet eye shadow and winged eyeliner remind me a bit of Pullip Bonita. However, Kuromi has prominent dark eye shadow under her eyes, and her eyeliner is triple-winged, with one of the wings ending in a dot. She also has Kuromi's signature pink skulls and black hearts on her eyelids, similar to how My Melody has bows and hearts. Like My Melody's eye chips, Kuromi's are also almost black, but have dark violet skulls in the middle.
I love how both Kuromi and My Melody have memorable eyebrows. Kuromi's have a straight, shaved look that is sometimes seen for example in gothic fashion and visual kei. I feel the eyebrows play a key role in giving her the cheeky, mischievous appearance that is central to Kuromi's character.
Her pink blush and lips contrast her dark eye make-up. She has blush on her cheeks, chin and forehead like My Melody. Her lips are glossy and have gradient effect, similar to My Melody's, although the way the paint is applied makes her Cupid's brow more pronounced. The use of pink in her face-up makes her coordinate with My Melody and also brings out the cute and girly side of Kuromi's character.
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| Eyes open |
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| Half-closed eyes |
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| Eyes closed |
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| Better view of the eyeliner and the eye chips |
Wig
She has a long, wavy wig made of very dark purple fibre. (It took me a while to notice this – the purple hues pop only in certain lighting, and for a long time, I thought the wig was black!) While the fibre feels silky and nice, the wig is a bit thin, which causes the wig cap to show through at the back. Most of the time, this is not a trouble, as the fluffiness and waviness of the wig makes up for the thinness. Nonetheless, the wig cap is visible near the bangs. Additionally, there are some loose fibres and while the shedding is not excessive, it is still more than most dolls in my collection have had.
The wig is styled into two braided, cone-shaped buns that imitate Kuromi's ears. I really like this hairstyle on her because it makes her look like her character even without the headpiece and contributes to the doll's memorable design. The buns are sewn on, so using the wig without them is not an option, but on the other hand, this keeps them securely in place.
The bangs are styled into three parts using an adhesive of some kind on the ends. This makes the hair stay neatly in place and keeps the centre piece separated. The three-part styling subtly imitates Kuromi's hood.
Outfit
Kuromi's outfit consists of a dress, jacket, headpiece, shoes, tights, petticoat, and bag. She also comes with the collector's card and a black stand.
Categorizing Kuromi's outfit into a single fashion style is more difficult than My Melody's. While My Melody's outfit draws heavily from sweet lolita, Kuromi's feels more like a combination of several styles. The gingham pattern of the dress, heavier make-up, skull motifs, and the colour scheme hint at punk lolita, but the outfit otherwise – based on the silhouette and materials – is closer to sweet lolita in a darker colour scheme. This suits her character well, adding the necessary edge while also repeating motifs from My Melody's outfit, making them look like a set and not two completely separate releases.
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| All accessories |
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| The complete outfit |
Headpiece
The headpiece consists of a black bow, made of the same fabric as the peplum of her dress and trimmed with white lace, as well as Kuromi's ears, which are made of fluffier fabric like her tail and jacket. There are wires inside the ears, allowing for posing. In the middle of the bow, there is a pink skull made of fabric with stuffing inside.
The headpiece is attached with a hair clip, which I find a bit awkward. Since the headpiece is attached to the bangs, I constantly worry about pulling strands of hair loose from the adhesive and ruining the styling. This concern is further increased by the fact that the hairpiece is rather heavy and slips down easily. Additionally, the weight makes the doll difficult to balance, as the buns are already heavy on their own.
All in all, I prefer her without her headpiece, since her wig already makes her clearly recognisable as her character. I feel the headpiece does not add much and actually makes the head area of the design look a bit crowded by overlapping with the buns. While the headpiece is cute, I do not feel it is worth the hassle of trying to balance the doll and fearing for her hairstyle. I wonder if attaching the bow to a headband or using some completely different design choice, like a rectangle headdress, would have solved this problem.
Jacket
The jacket is made of fluffy black fabric and has ruffled edges and pink lining. The fact that both Kuromi and My Melody have ruffled outerwear made of fabric that matches their headpieces creates cohesion between their outfits. There are rows of small purple ribbons on the sleeves of jacket, and it is embellished with beads, like My Melody's cape. I love the details and how the repeating motifs tie the designs together.
Unfortunately, one seam of the jacket was ripped all the way from the armpit to the edge of the jacket. This is something I can fix, but nonetheless, finding defects in dolls of this price range is always a bit disappointing.
Dress
The dress features a gingham pattern similar to My Melody's, except it has pink skull motifs amid the pattern. The hem is decorated with ruffles and ribbons, and the dress overall has various frills and laces.
The peplum is made of sturdy fabric, which helps it hold its shape nicely. The peplum is decorated with the same beads used on the jacket, and the bodice has a lace-trimmed panel with smaller beads functioning as decorative buttons on the front. On the back, there is a bow similar to the one on the headpiece, also trimmed with white lace and featuring a skull made of stuffed fabric, as well as Kuromi's tail. The tail is made of the same fluffy fabric as the ears of the headpiece and also has a wire for posing.
There are, unfortunately, some quality issues with the dress: there are some loose thread ends, and I wish there was some stitching along the edges of the floral lace since now the flowers keep curling up. Additionally, it should be noted that the black fabric stains easily – this doll already had stains on her torso when I unboxed her.
The dress imitates the look of a strapless jumper skirt worn over a separate shirt, but these parts are actually sewn together. The shirt part is made of stretchy ribbed fabric and features a Kuromi-shaped decoration made of felt, ribbon and beads. To be honest, I wish the shirt was separate, as I would find a lot of use for a cute, white shirt with pretty lace on the collar and cuffs. Additionally, the staining issue might have been avoided if the black fabric was not directly touching the doll's torso.
Underskirt
Kuromi's underskirt is made of a very stiff mesh that functions like crinoline, and it is a separate piece, unlike My Melody's. This is nice, as now I can borrow it whenever I need to make another skirt look extra voluminous.
Tights and shoes
She has striped tights made of sturdy fabric and shoes made of rubber material. The bows look kind of fake, but I think this actually works here if viewed as an intentional design choice, as if they are supposed to be bow-shaped accessories rather than actual ribbons. The shoes are sturdy and fit relatively well, despite being a bit loose.
Bag
Her bag is a great addition to her outfit. It is very soft and ties the outfit together by repeating the gingham and bead motifs. I like that she has Kuromi merch like My Melody has her plushie, and I feel a bag suits her really well, as it looks trendy and slightly less cutesy than carrying a plushie.
Summary
I got into Sanrio relatively late, when Kuromi was already a thing. As a
kid who liked spooky things and was interested in alternative fashion,
Kuromi instantly became my favourite Sanrio character. That is why there
is a certain sense of nostalgia involved in this review, and why it was important to me that the release captures the same charm and attitude that made Kuromi my favourite.
Overall, I am happy with her. Her make-up feels fresh and unique among other releases – I especially love her eyebrows – and I think her wig brings out Kuromi's character in a subtle but instantly recognisable way. (Her hairstyle actually reminds me a bit of Nadja from What We Do in the Shadows, haha.) Personally, I think her make-up and wig, combined with a cute outfit, already make her worth purchasing.
However, I cannot help but notice some things that could have been improved, such as the hairpiece. Additionally, I wish the shirt and skirt were separate pieces, as this would have added much-appreciated versatility to the outfit. The quality issues, such as the broken seam and messily finished threads, were also a bit disappointing. All in all, compared to My Melody, the design feels less thoroughly thought out and less well executed, even though there are still many cool details.
Her design is easily recognizable, and it combines both Kuromi's edgy and girly aspects well. She also looks great alongside My Melody: their designs are different enough not to feel too repetitive, but they coordinate well together, creating the impression that they clearly belong to the same set. So, all in all, despite the quality issues and my other criticisms, I think she is a successful interpretation of Kuromi with a great face-up, and I am happy to have her in my collection.
