Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Disney Store Tangled Dolls

I've had the Flynn Rider (aka Eugene Fitzherbert) :) and Rapunzel dolls from the Disney Store stored in my bottom drawer for about a month now.  I had some extra Disney Reward dollars, and these were selling like hotcakes right before Christmas, so I bit the bullet and bought one of each, just in case they sold out.  Then I put them away for a while, partially because I'm technically not supposed to buy things for myself before Christmas, :}  and partially because my oldest daughter was thinking about having a Tangled party for her birthday, and I knew these would make good presents. 

Now, Christmas is over, my daughter is not having a Tangled party, and I couldn't wait any longer to open these beautiful dolls! :)  I took tons of pics to share with you all. :D

                                Here are Eugene and Rapunzel, still in their boxes:


And by the way, if you're planning on giving these dolls to a child, be sure you stick around to help with getting them out of the box.  I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get Rapunzel out.  She had so many twist ties and rubber bands and plastic pieces and threads...it was insane!

Eugene came with Rapunzel's tiara and what is supposed to be a child-sized tiara to match.  As you can see from the pic below, though, it's a little small.  Hailey's excited to have her own Rapunzel tiara, though! :)


Now for some pics of the couple, much happier now that they're de-boxed. :)




Rapunzel came with her brush, a small paintbrush that she can hold, and of course her little chameleon, Pascal! :)  Eugene came with Rapunzel's tiara.


Pascal is one of my favorite things about these dolls.  None of the Mattel dolls come with a Pascal, and he's painted extremely well for something so small!  He has a little plastic loop on one foot so that Rapunzel can hold him.




I thought I'd give a basic overview of each doll and tell you what I like and don't like about each.  We'll start with Rapunzel. 


I'd give Rapunzel a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the highest).  She has a cute face, although I wish they'd toned down the freckles a bit...they were much lighter in the movie.  I may try removing them and adding my own sometime later.  Because her eyes are looking to the side, it's rather difficult to make her look at Eugene directly (this may not matter to some people, but it's frustrating when you're trying to do pics). :)  As a side note, I'd like to say how much I appreciate the fact that Rapunzel is not a drop-dead gorgeous princess in the movie.  She's cute and perky, but not necessarily beautiful.  She has a round face and freckles and *SPOILER* ends up with short brunette hair.  I think she's a much more relatable and attainable princess than some of the others that Disney has dreamed up.  She's still way too skinny, but hey, at least she's on the right track. :)  Okay, moving on. :D

Rapunzel has articulated elbows and wrists, which make posing her really fun.  Her legs are like regular Barbie legs, with the same type of bendy knees.  The only downside to her poseable wrists is that they make her a bit more fragile.  I'd be reluctant to let a child younger than 5 or 6 play with her.

Rapunzel's hair looks really impressive.  It's very long, as you can see from the pic below.  It even feels the way you'd imagine her hair would feel:  thick and heavy.  Her hair also has glimmery iridescent strands intermingled with the normal hair to give the idea of magic glowing hair.  The downside is it tangles very easily.  Appropriate, I suppose, given the title of the movie, but an unfortunate quality if you're planning on giving this doll to a child.  Quite honestly, I wouldn't give this doll to my daughters unless I cut the hair or put it in a braid and made them keep it that way.  And what's the fun of having all that hair if you can't style it?  Rapunzel's hair was shedding all over and getting wild just from a few brushings and from posing for these pics.  So, she's a great doll for a collector, but not so much for kids.  It's really a shame.    


Rapunzel with her brush.  "Flower gleam and glow..." :)

Profile shot:

Here's a close-up of Rapunzel's bodice.  I applaud the Disney Store for their careful attention to details; the dress really is beautiful.

Now it's Eugene's turn. :) 


I'd give Eugene a 10 out of 10.  This is a great doll.  I saw the Mattel version of Eugene/Flynn and was really disappointed with the way they painted his face.  He looked a little goofy.  I think this face mold does a better job of capturing his lovable roguishness.  It would have been nice if they had made him with rooted hair, but then again, it might have been hard to do his particular hairstyle that way.  Also, all of the Prince dolls in their line have plastic hair, so it's to be expected.

Eugene has articulated elbows, but normal wrists.  He also has normal Ken doll legs that bend at the knees.  I love having a male doll with bendable elbows, especially since I grew up in the era when most Ken dolls had straight arms.  It always bothered me that they couldn't really "hug" Barbie.  It was like Barbie was hugging a zombie, or some guy with rigor mortis. :}  It's nice that Eugene can actually hold Rapunzel in his arms.  Once again, this might be trivial to some people, but it's a big plus for me. :) 

I don't see any reason why Eugene shouldn't be given to a child.  He's well made and doesn't have too many small parts (maybe ages 3 and up because of the small tiara).  If you're considering buying the Mattel doll, I would highly recommend going for this guy instead.  He's only $14.99 at Disneystore.com (plus shipping), so it's not much more than you would pay for the Mattel doll...and his face is much nicer!


Eugene with Rapunzel's tiara.  This also shows his nice profile shot. :)


As you can see from the below pics, Eugene's knapsack is included.  It even opens so he can put the tiara inside.



Here's a close-up of the rivets on Eugene's shirt.  Once again, Disney did a great job with little details on these dolls.


I had some fun "playing" last night, posing Eugene and Rapunzel together.  Here are some of the best shots:





Eugene, Rapunzel and Pascal:  ready for a new adventure! :)

By the way, Tangled is supposed to come out in March!  It's available on pre-order at Amazon.com and at Disneystore.com.  At Disneystore.com, they said it would be available to own on Blu-ray on March 29th.   I've already pre-ordered it thru Amazon.  Unfortunately, I ordered it before Disney Store offered it with 4 free lithographs. :(  Oh well, it's still going to be AMAZING!!  I'm so excited!! :)

UPDATE (7/26/11):  These dolls are no longer being sold at Disneystore.com.  The newer dolls have a few changes.  You can read all about them in my newer post here (the part about the new dolls is towards the end of the post).  Thanks! :)

20 comments:

Claire said...

Ooh, I remember Tess and Maggie saying something about these on their blog. :) I can't wait for March 29th - I just found a use for spending money, or I'll ask for it as a very belated birthday present (seeing as my birthday is a month and a half before the DVD release). Can't wait! (:

susan said...

I loved the Tangled movie. I wish my daughter would like to be her for the next Halloween. She's been Belle and Sleeping Beauty, but she doesn't seem interested in Rapunzel. Oh well,
Susan

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi gals! :) I'm really excited too, Claire. I was so impressed with this movie! It reminded me of all of the good old Disney Princess movies, but better. :)

Maybe by next Halloween your daughter will decide Rapunzel's not so bad. That would be a really fun costume to put together. :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Sorry, Susan, meant to mention your name in the last part of that comment. I'm just a little spacy today! :}

AlexAndrea said...

I'd really like to know about your camera and
lens(s). Your micro work is awesome.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks AlexAndrea. Nice new picture! :) I have a digital point and shoot. It's a Canon Power Shot SD1200 IS. We replaced our cheapo digital camera about a year or so ago, and I've been so pleased with this one. Especially, as you say, on my "micro work". I could never have gotten the close-up Barbie pics I do now with my last camera. For a simple digital camera, I would highly recommend mine. :)

AlexAndrea said...

I currently have an HP Photosmart M407.

Just as a test, I took one of my "Playmates" dolls outdoors to photograph. With clear blue skies an snow on the ground, the results were amazing! Apparently my indoor lighting is at fault.

I'll have to experiment with my indoor lighting (It's currently 10 degrees outside), but I expect an improvement in my blog photographs.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

I'll look forward to seeing your new pics! :) I have problems with my indoor lighting, too. My best results are in the kitchen/laundry room (our washer and dryer are in our kitchen). I have fluorescent (sp?) lighting in there, so it's a lot brighter than the other spots in my house. I don't always care for such harsh lighting, but it's the best I can do. Especially when outside photography isn't an option. I don't blame you for wanting to photograph indoors...I've never been in 10 degree weather in my life!! :) I love outside pics the most, though.

Elinor Dashwood/Melanie said...

Oh my goodness, the poses you did with them look so neat!! I've been thinking about getting some of the Disney princess dolls, they don't cost that much. :-)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks Elinor! :) I would highly recommend the Princess dolls. It used to be that I preferred the Mattel versions to the Disney Store dolls, but in the last year or so they've re-done the face molds. It's such an improvement! Plus, I love that they have poseable wrists and elbows...it makes taking pics of them very fun! :) If you get any, you'll have to tell me which ones! :D

AlexAndrea said...

Heh, last night the temperature reached zero with about five inches of snow accumulation. I'm originally from New Orleans . . . but have no family to draw me back. As for gail, she prefers the warm weather in Columbus (REALLY!) and of course Jennifer and Alexis live here.

I was just thinking, a small sunroom or green house would be great for photography (and plants).

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Oh, that would be nice. A bit of "sunshine" in all of that cold weather! :) Then you don't have to freeze to death to get good pics, either. :)

Mickey Salvador said...

Nice dolls, so cute and adorable. Really love it especially the Belle Doll... :) Can't wait to have it!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks! You won't be disappointed with Belle...she's my favorite doll from the Disney Store so far. :)

Anonymous said...

Have you watched Disney Tangled movie? Has your daughter also done so? If yes, most probably your little girl will want to have a Tangled movie birthday cake for her next birthday party.

Tangled Party Supplies

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi monkeyDluffy! I've seen the movie, but my girls haven't yet. We'll probably save the Tangled party for next year. Thanks for the link, though. :)

Rosie said...

Hi beasts'belle! For the contest can each of my family members enter? I really love the prizes! Thank you so much :D

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Rosie! That would be fine. :) (I responded to your comment on the contest post too, just in case anyone else had a similar question.)

Anonymous said...

hi!i really like belle's bulletins, anyway Just wondering which Rapunzel classic doll is your favorite? And which belle doll?

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Anonymous! I'm glad you're enjoying Belle's Bulletins. :)

My favorite Belle doll is definitely the Disney Store version from 2010 (the same doll featured in Belle's Bulletins).

As for Rapunzel, I have a couple of favorites. First, I love the 2010 version I reviewed in this post, which was the first Rapunzel doll released by the Disney Store. I also love the 2013 version from the Disney Store, which I reviewed in this post HERE. These two are my all-time favorite Rapunzel dolls. :)