It was a very long afternoon. I think we managed to get out of there after 2 1/2 hours! :{ At one point, we had a shopping cart entirely full with all of the things she was interested in buying. It was a tough decision, but she kept coming back to the 16" toddler Rapunzel doll made by Jakks Pacific. After struggling and debating with herself for quite a while, she finally decided that Rapunzel was what she wanted (and I breathed a sigh of relief and zipped over to the checkout before she could change her mind again!). Thankfully, she has had no regrets with her decision.
I thought you guys might enjoy a review of said Rapunzel doll, in case any of you are interested in adding her to your collection, or if perhaps have daughters of your own that are interested. :)
I'd like to preface this by saying that of course, the more expensive Disney Princess dolls recently released by Jakks Pacific are higher quality and more beautiful. They have better hair, realistic eyes and better quality outfits. But, when you only have $25 to spend (as opposed to $60 for Rapunzel or $50 for the other princesses), this is a suitable alternative, especially for a younger child.
Here's the $60 Jakks Pacific Rapunzel doll. She and the dolls in the "Disney Princess and Me" line are 18" tall instead of 16" like the Walmart Jakks Pacific DP dolls.
Here is my daughter's 16" Rapunzel doll. She is $25 at your local Walmart. The other 16" princess dolls are $20. She's pictured here with her box and all her accessories, including a mirror, a brush, a pair of lavender slippers, and her tiara.
Rapunzel has a very sweet painted-on face. Her freckles aren't too dark or overdone like some of the Rapunzel dolls.
Her tiara is really detailed and quite pretty (all plastic, of course). :)
They even gave Rapunzel one strand of darker hair, just like in the movie. Of course, if they had wanted to be completely accurate, this strand would be a lot shorter. ;) Maybe they figured the hair would just be lost underneath if it was shorter.
Another close-up of her sweet face.
Detail of her dress. The material is not the highest quality, but it's not as shoddy as it could be, either. I love the roses and the criss-crossed ribbons on the bodice. :)
Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give Rapunzel a 7. She has a sweet face, a pretty dress, and her 16" body size is nice and manageable for little hands. Her plastic is soft and hollow, so she isn't too heavy. Keep her away from the family dog, though. ;) Her plastic accessories probably won't last forever, but are pretty sturdy compared to some of the plastic accessories I've seen with a doll this inexpensive. Her shoes stay on nicely, too (I was worried they wouldn't when I first looked at them).
Probably the biggest drawback to this doll is her hair. It is so thinly rooted that if you move her hair at all, you can see her scalp. Her hair has also been the biggest cause of frustration for my daughter. She is very much into keeping her doll's hair nice and neat, but Rapunzel has such an overabundance of hair, it's difficult to keep it in line. It's also (as to be expected) not the greatest quality hair. I think for a young child, the best solution would be to put it in a braid and keep it that way. I know that cuts down on the fun, but trust me, as a mom you DON'T want to be spending every spare moment brushing this hair out! My daughter didn't want Rapunzel's hair in a braid because she wanted to keep the hair's original curl, so we compromised and put it in a low ponytail.
There aren't too many small pieces, so I think this doll would be suitable for children ages 3 and up, as long as you planned on putting the hair in a braid or spending most of your evenings keeping it tangle-free. :}
As an adult collector, I wouldn't necessarily be tempted to add this doll to my collection. It definitely has a more juvenille appeal. I'm hoping to eventually get ahold of one of the $50 "Disney Princess and Me" Belle dolls to add to my Beauty and the Beast collection. :)
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