Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Mini-post: Snapshots of Disney Designer Fairytale Dolls

Just a short little post to fill in the gap while I get my next Frozen doll review finished.

While at D23, I was able to take a few snapshots of some of the Disney Designer Fairytale dolls that are being released this fall. Snow White and her prince have already been released, and Rapunzel and Flynn go on sale online and in-store tomorrow. I went into the Disney Store today, to see one last time whether I really, truly wanted Designer Rapunzel and Flynn. After a lot of lurking around the store and scrutinizing the floor sample, I found that I didn't. Or at least I didn't want them one hundred and thirty dollars' worth. That's like getting thirteen of the Classic dolls, which I think are excellent. In considering this purchase, I had to ask myself: "Would these two Designer dolls make me as happy as thirteen regular Disney Store dolls?" and the answer was no. I'm really not the type to put fancy dolls up on a shelf. I'm more likely to send them on an adventure or try and swap their heads. So, yeah, this line really isn't intended for me. They are beautiful, detailed dolls, though, and I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I did.

Apologies in advance to fans of Jasmine & Aladdin or Snow White & Prince. It was crazy hectic in the D23 Disney Store booth (there was a four-hour line to get in) so I only took pictures of the dolls I was personally interested in. Hi-res pictures of all the dolls in the line, as well as release dates can be found here.

And now, my personal snapshots of the Disney Designer Fairytale dolls:

 
Rapunzel and Flynn


 
 
 
 
       What gets me jazzed up:
  • Rapunzel's sweet face
  • What looks to be an actual lace-up corset
  • The embroidery includes the magic flower, an important part of the story
  • Flynn's leather-look satchel
  • Flynn's weathered boots with that neat top-cover thing over the ankle
  • The lantern!!
       What leaves me cold:
  • The bored, slightly stalkerish look on Flynn's face
  • Honestly, this Flynn doll in general
  • Those giant purple sleeves on Rapunzel. Did she raid Mother Gothel's closet?
  • Only two flower bits in Rapunzel's hair? I would've gladly traded out the velvet sleeves for a ton of flowers in the hair.
  • Want. Longer. Hair.
 
Ariel and Eric
 
 

 
 

      What gets me jazzed up:
  • Ariel and Eric have some great chemistry going on
  • Eric really feels like Eric. This is the first Eric face mold/paint that I've ever genuinely liked
  • Ariel is wearing her "Tour of the Kingdom" dress. My favorite dress in the movie!
  • Love those tiny black ribbons on Ariel's sleeves
  • Beautiful, rich colors throughout 
       What leaves me cold:
  • Ariel's face mold is the older one, which has always seemed too long and pointy to me
  • Again, the lace seems out of scale with the dolls
  • Ariel's hair bow is just a scrap of ribbon, rather than an actual two-faced, intentionally designed piece that might have better resembled her ginormous bow from the movie
 
Belle and Beast
(This set is for you, Beastsbelle)
 
 
 
 

 
       What gets me jazzed up:
  • Belle's lovely, soft facial expression
  • Belle's stunning gown. It feels incredibly luxe in person and is not one bit tacky
  • The roses worked into the embroidery on Belle's skirt
  • Beast's actual wolf legs!
  • Beast's big ol' movie-accurate head sculpt
  • Like Eric & Ariel, this couple has a ton of chemistry
       What leaves me cold:
  • Belle's not-so-satiny gloves
  • Beast's super dark face paint (gives that sidelong glance a slightly creepy vibe)
  • The abundance of gold embroidery on Beast's jacket. It seems a little foppish to me.
  • That too-big lace again! Couldn't they have picked a smaller-scale lace? Seriously, this is like 17 inch doll scale. At least this time it's mostly hidden by the gown. 
 
Well, there you have it, my pictures of the Disney Designer Fairytale dolls that caught my eye at D23. Since then, I've grown to appreciate Snow White's classic Germanic fairytale look and the exquisite embroidery on both Jasmine and Aladdin's costumes. Now I'm wishing I'd taken pics of them, too!
 
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Designer Fairytale Collection as a whole. Does it seem worth the price to you? Which is your favorite dress? Favorite couple? Is anyone just crushed that their favorite Disney couple wasn't included in this collection? Has anyone bought any of these? Do tell.