Pullip Kuromi Review

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

Pictures of Kuromi have not been used sparingly in the box design.

The box details feature the colour scheme, stripes and gingham pattern of the doll's outfit. 

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.

Eyes open

Half-closed eyes

Eyes closed

Better view of the eyeliner and the eye chips

Wig 

She has a long, wavy wig made of black fibre. 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. 

All accessories

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.

Pullip My Melody (Pink Version) Review

Easter seems like an appropriate time to finally finish this review on Pullip My Melody Pink Version. I was able to add her to my collection in July 2023. I unboxed her last Easter, and this review has been in my drafts since then. Formerly, I have been somewhat apologetic about not publishing reviews quickly enough after getting a new doll, as if I was somehow obligated to do so. However, now I think delays like this might even be beneficial: in addition to first impressions, I can share my actual experiences, for example, if I have encountered any problems with the doll or the materials. However, for My Melody, that is not the case – I have not experienced any problems with the doll, and I adore her equally as much as when I first got her. 

My Melody Pink Version was one of those releases that instantly piqued my interest when I got back to doll collecting after a hiatus. Her face-up is so pretty and expressive, and My Melody is one of my favourite Sanrio characters, along with Kuromi and Cinnamoroll. Additionally, despite being a relatively new release at the time, she was already very popular, and I saw so many cool customized dolls of this model.   

Unboxing 

My Melody still in her box

All the My Melody details on the box are so cute!

More details on the side of the box; the box design features even the gingham pattern of the dress!

The text on the back promises great attention to detail and mentions pink and light blue ribbon motif, ears on the headdress, and ribbons on the eyechips. 

Face-up 

Her make-up's colour palette mainly consists of hues of warm brown, with vivid pink lips and blush standing out. The lips are glossy and are painted with a gradient effect. There is heavy blush on the cheeks and also some on the chin and forehead, making the face-up look lively and cute. Her expressiveness is what really makes her stand out: upward turning eyebrows paired with the heavy blush, a puppy- or doe-like droopy eyeliner, and general softness of the eye make-up give her a memorable, innocent and gentle look.

Her eyechips are black with dark purple bows in the middle. I am glad the bows are not too prominent: while they are on point for My Melody's character, the dark eyes play well into her innocent, doe-eyed look. This effect would be lost if the bows were too distracting or flashy.  

Half-closed eyes: I feel this setting makes her look even more calm and gentle

The eyelids are pink and have bows and hearts painted on them. I must confess that I have not always been that keen on patterned eyelids: I found them pretty and admired the super-detailed paintwork on some custom dolls, but did not think they were something that would fit into my collection, if that makes sense. However, so many of my favourite releases have them that I have had to change my opinion on them, haha. 

Wig 

She has a bob cut, curled toward the back of the head, and longer, curly pigtails. The pigtails imitate the look of droopy bunny ears, which I think is fun and creative: this way the doll's head can maintain the same bunny-like "silhouette" even without the headdress. The wig is on the thinner side, with the net showing, for example, near the pigtails, but it could be much worse. The overall quality of the wig seems good, and the fiber feels soft and silky.

Bows

The bows are attached to the wig by simply pushing the ends of a wire into the pigtails. They can be used to cover the elastics and thread used in the pigtails, but then, on the other hand, the wires are more difficult to hide. (However, I have had this same problem with many stock hair clips on Pullip dolls, so I am starting to question if this is just a skill issue, haha.) I think this could have been improved by using pink wire that matches the wig colour instead of grey.

 Outfit

In addition to bows for her wig, she comes with a headdress, cape, dress, apron, tights, shoes, plushie, the collector's card, and the stand. 

 

Full outfit

I am very happy with her stock clothes: they are carefully designed, and the quality is great. A variety of fabrics and textures is used, and different materials are matched beautifully, such as the light pink velour used on both the headdress and the cape. In addition to matched textures, there are other repeating motifs in her outfit, like beads on the apron and cape, blue bows on the headdress, dress, and shoes, and cohesive colour scheme across all pieces. Many different kinds of frills and laces are used, and there are not any quality issues such as poorly finished off threads. All the materials feel thoughtfully selected, high-quality, and well-suited for their purpose, which I greatly appreciate.

Headdress

Her headdress is probably my favourite piece in her whole outfit! The inner side is made of the same gingham-patterned fabric used in the dress and it is adorned with several layers of lacy frills, while the outer side is made of the same pastel pink velour as her cape and is similarly embellished with beads. I love the large bows and the bunny ears! The ears have wires inside, allowing their shape and position to be adjusted. 

What I truly appreciate is that the creators have taken some creative freedom with the character design, focusing on certain characteristics and not trying to recreate the whole design, for example, My Melody's hood. Changing the hood into headdress and cape allows to capture the essence of My Melody's character even better than strictly following original character design would have, while still preserving the most important aspects of the character (like the bunny ears).  

Cape

The cape is made of the same light pink velour decorated with frills and beads as the headdress. This creates unity across these pieces, mimicking My Melody's hood. The hood is one of the crucial features of My Melody, along with pink colour, either flower or bow accessories, and – most importantly – that she is a bunny. Adapting some characteristics to something new like this while keeping the inspiration and references to the original character obvious is what makes the doll's design great in my opinion. 

Apron

The apron is decorated with lace, ruffles, and beads, and on the back, there is a large bow that covers the velcro fastening. While I like the apron a lot, I also appreciate that there is an option to wear the dress without it which adds versatility to the outfit.

Dress

The fabric of the dress has a gingham pattern with bow motifs. There are flower-shaped faux buttons on the collar, and her bunny tail is sewn onto the back of the dress. There are in total four different types of lace used in the dress, and the built-in petticoat's organza ruffles peak out from underneath, making the hem look extra frilly and layered. 

Shoes and tights 

I like how the creators have been committed to repeating the motifs also in the shoes, but to be honest, they might be my least favourite part of the outfit. The shoes are slightly oversized, chunky, and feel a bit cluttered with details. I think less would have been more here: simple shoes with a clear, elegant silhouette, and maybe one or two real ribbons would have worked better, in my opinion. On the other hand, sturdy rubber shoes are less likely to break apart, so I can see that playing a part in design choices.

The tights have a ribbed pattern and feel durable. They are nice, simple and versatile, which makes them very borrowable for my other girls (my dolls live in a communal household :P).

Plushie 

I always think plushies are a lovely addition to doll's stock accessories. However, I am not entirely convinced by the fabric choices for this one. The microfibre fabric used for the face and body makes the plushie look a bit flat. I think using a fabric similar to the plushie's hood or the doll's headdress would have made the plushie appear plumper, fluffier and cuter. Maybe they tried to create a clear contrast with other fabrics, or maybe this was the easiest material to attach the plushie's face to? The bright pink colour also does not quite match the doll's colour palette, but this, too, might be an intentional attempt to make the plush stand out more? 

The bow is also a bit odd: I get that the round shape in the middle imitates My Melody's original cartoonish bow, but to me, it looks like a glued-on, flat circle of fabric and inferior to simply using a normal bow. That said, I think plushies are always a nice extra for a doll to have, despite all the nitpicking. :-) (Although I guess at least some of it was warranted, given that they made some changes for My Melody Lilac Version.)

Summary 

Despite being a relatively recent release (August 2020), I feel she has already secured her (well-earned) place among the iconic Pullip releases due to her memorable face-up and character design. I especially appreciate the balance between faithfulness to the source material and adapting it to something new: the character is instantly recognizable, but the outfit is original and interesting enough to work also as a stand-alone design that does not require knowledge on Sanrio to be appreciated. All in all, her face-up is vivid and expressive, there is beautiful cohesion across the pieces with a variety of matched fabrics and motifs, and the quality of her stock clothes is great overall. By all measures, she is a remarkable, well-executed release.

Isul Black Mao Review

This is another post that has been waiting in my drafts for quite some time. I actually got my Isul Black Mao two years ago, shortly after the model's release. This release is one of the few that immediately felt like a must-have addition to my collection. Even after two years, I am still amazed by all the delicate details of the face-up and the high quality of the stock clothes. More about those later in the post, but firstly, photos of the box (as usual):

A lot of cats and other fitting details on the box

The flap of the box

On the back of the box, there is information about the creators of the doll, Kanihoru and Mitsubachi.

The side of the box

The box opened

Still in the box...

His face up is so pretty :o

Black Mao has eyeliner similar to other Maos, but with a bolder wing. His eyeshadow has grey tones (with a hint of petrol blue?) and a muted orangish brown matching the shade of his matte lips. The eyebrows are light and have individually drawn hairs, creating a natural and delicate look. The painted-on eyelid creases are shaded with matching greyish brown colour, while the eyelids have a pretty dark brown gradient. (His eyeliner, eyeshadow, and eyebrows actually remind me a lot of Kuhn's, whose face up I also really like!) 

 

My favourite parts of the face up are the use of shimmering gold on his painted-on eyelids and the mole above his left eyebrow. I wish details like this were more common in Pullip designs – I think moles, freckles, or alike add realism and personality to a doll design. :-)

The face-up

 

Eyes closed

 

His eyes have cat-like pupils, and their colour changes from silver-grey to dark brown depending on the lighting (see, for example, the following photo and the one two photos back for comparison). The chips even appear to have a hint of green shine in certain lighting? Anyway, the eyes have this really cool shiny and colour-changing effect, which I unfortunately could not fully capture with photos.  

His wig is actually two-coloured: the lowest row of wefts on the back and the sides of the wig are light grey. The secondary colour is most visible on the back of his head, although it remains quite subtle even there. It can be seen slightly from the front as well, which is a nice touch. Overall, the wig is good quality: the wig cap is not showing, there are no loose strands of hair, and the texture feels silky.

 

A close-up of the eye chips

 

I am impressed by the number of clothes and accessories that come with the doll (and by how detailed they are)! There is a suit jacket, trousers with belt and chain, dress shirt, tie, pair of boots, harness, turtleneck shirt, T-shirt, scarf, face mask, pendant, stand, collector card, and, of course, a pair of cat ears.

 

All clothes and accessories

The harness is fastened with a tiny side-release buckle at the front and is made of textured pleather. Pleather as material is always a bit concerning due to its known tendency to deteriorate, but to me the material used here feels less stiff than what I have previously encountered on Pullip stock outfits, so it is possible that this one will not start to flake as usual, but time will tell. For now, I am just going to admire the details.

 

The outfit he has in the box (+ boots)

The suit jacket cannot be closed, but it has small buttons and embroided fake buttonholes. Thanks to good pattern design, the jacket sits well, and it even has pocket flaps (although no real pockets).

 

The suit jacket

The dress shirt has small beads on the front as fake buttons and is actually closed with velcro. His tie is fastened with a small hook on the back and has a tiny tie pin on the front. 

The dress shirt

 

I am really impressed with his trousers: there has been a lot of attention to detail and functionality. Firstly, the belt is functional and removable, as is the chain. Secondly, the trousers have seams, belt loops, and pleats just like actual human-sized trousers, and there are real side seam pockets and also faux pockets on the back. Not sure how useful functioning pockets on doll clothes truly are, but I think they show that the producer is willing to go the extra mile to include thoughtful details that the collectors would appreciate. Additionally, it is fun to know that if you wanted to pose a doll with hands in pockets for a photo, you could. :-D

Note the details and functioning pockets!

 

I am also really happy with his boots. They fit well and securely, which is not something to be taken for granted (sometimes I feel that most Pullip releases have shoes that are too big). Furthermore, like the trousers, the boots are very detailed. They have intricate texturing, including the seams and even creasing around the ball of the foot, and the soles are translucent, mimicking certain types of real boots.

 

Boots with an amazing level of details for stock shoes

The cat theme continues in the print of his T-shirt

The cat ears are made of fluffy black fabric, and one ear has a chain accessory on it. I guess cat ears are an essential part of a cat-themed outfit, but I am not sure how much I am going to use them, as I do not think they add that much to the whole look. The ears have a somewhat costume-like look, and I am not sure if this is intentional. They are a bit shapeless and do not look that clearly like cat ears. Additionally, the hair clips used to attach them are somewhat difficult to hide completely. Everything else being so detailed and realistic, I feel like the ears stand out a bit from the overall look (and not necessarily in a good way), but then again, if the point is him being dressed up as a cat and not being an actual catboy, the costume-like look makes sense. 

 

His other accessories include a face mask and a scarf. The mask's inner side is white probably because black fabrics are known to be prone to staining plastic. The scarf has a visible stitch pattern that works really nicely in this scale. Its texture gives the feeling of a real miniature scarf – an actual scarf turned small – and not just any small piece of fabric. I am very pleased with this sort of details!

The cat ears, the face mask, and the scarf

 

Both his T-shirt and long-sleeved turtleneck feel like nice quality, and I am happy with how many clothes he has (much like previous Mao releases). In addition, all his clothes can be easily mixed with one's existing Isul wardrobe, as they are somewhat basic – in a good way! (I think it is refreshing for a release to have well-made everyday clothes instead of a set of statement pieces for a very specific aesthetic or setting, although there is a time and place for everything.) I feel like Black Mao's stock outfits are almost an entire capsule wardrobe on their own, haha. 

 

Even his pendant – a coin featuring Queen Elizabeth II – is detailed enough to have readable text on it.

In summary, this doll has an amazing level of detail in both his face up and stock clothes. Everything feels well-made, and I appreciate how a sense of realism is achieved not just with the details, but also with the use of different materials and textures (e.g. stitch pattern on the scarf, pleather in the belt and harness, and jersey shirts). I feel like it all has been carefully designed to look right in this scale. Attention to detail and showcasing artists' recognizable styles and aesthetics are exactly what I expect from Creator's Label series. I love Mitsubachi's designs, and I am glad to have Black Mao in my collection as well.