Disney Store 2012 Singing Belle Doll Review

Time to review my beautiful Singing Belle doll. :)  This was one of my last-minute purchases from my trip, but it's definitely one I don't regret. 

Here she is in her unopened box.

Side view.

Back view.  The group of holes in the middle of the box are there so you can listen to her sing before you purchase her.

Belle's sparkly new look.

Other side view.

Belle's lovely face.

This opening on the front of the box allows you to push her hand and hear her sing.

This tells which song she sings.

The packaging wasn't super complicated, which always makes me happy. :)

Singing Belle Deboxed.

Her face paint is stunning. :D

She is very photogenic (a huge plus in my book!).

A view of her curly tendrils and partial bun.

Her VERY glittery bodice.  Note to self...don't ever open one of these dolls on Hubby's side of the bed...or Hubby's side of the room...or even near Hubby in general.  (He's not a fan of glitter.) ;)

I really love her skirt, although I was a bit disappointed by its lack of fullness.

The back of Belle's head, showing her hairstyle.  Her hair is slightly modified from the original movie style, and is identical to 12" Belle's hair.

Another piccy just because she's so pretty. :)

Belle seems to have swiped Snow White's shoes... ;)

Here's a shot of her speaker (the heart-shaped outline with holes on her upper back), her identifying markings, and her battery case.  She takes cell button batteries.

She has an on/off switch on her left side.  This is a feature I think many parents will appreciate. :}  I don't know if all singing dolls are the same, but my dolls did not necessarily need to have their hands pressed to start singing.  If I moved them around even slightly, it was often enough to set them off.  Let's just say I've had my fill of "Something There" and "When Will My Life Begin" for a while.  By the time I got done with the photo shoots for this post and the next one, I'd heard the songs PLENTY of times. ;)

I had an extra tulle underskirt, so I decided to use it for this Belle.  I like how much fuller her skirt looks now.

I wanted to include a comparison between my 2010 Singing Belle (discovered at Goodwill by my mom) and 2012 Singing Belle.  Of course, the comparison is incomplete since 2010 Belle's hair is pretty messy and she's not in her original gown.  Still, at least we can see a few of the differences.

Here's a look at their face paint.  2010 Belle looks a lot like the 2010 12" Classic Belle doll (just as 2011 and 2012 Singing Belles have similar looks to their coordinating 12" dolls).

A closer look at their eyes.  The camera didn't capture it very well, but 2012 Belle's eyes are slightly greener.

2010 Belle has two little metal dots on her palm to press for her song...

...while 2012 Belle only has one.

2010 Belle's hair is much longer than 2012 Belle's.

I also wanted to include a comparison of my Singing Belle next to my 12" Classic Belle.  When I first saw the singing dolls in person, I was surprised by how huge they were! ;)  Of course, I'd heard that they were 17" high, but they always seemed so much smaller in their pictures. :)

As you can see, their face paint is very similar, although Singing Belle's expression seems to be slightly softer than 12" Belle's (and has darker eye shadow).  I like both of them, though. :)

Another noticeable difference is that 12" Belle comes with gloves, while Singing Belle does not.

I don't think I've ever been more pleased with a Disney Store purchase.  This was my first time getting Singing Dolls brand new in the box, and they are simply stunning.  My 3 daughters are all adding Disney Store Singing dolls to their wishlists now, too. ;)  

I would highly recommend these dolls, especially for the collector that can't afford the super expensive Limited Edition 17" Disney Store dolls.  I think they'd work well for kiddos, too, although I'd recommend getting a doll with straight hair for a younger tot.  There's not much you can do to salvage curly hair on Disney Store dolls once it's been messed up.  Also, if you don't want the dolls singing at the slightest touch, I would recommend using that convenient "Off" switch. ;) 

Next up, my review of 2012 Singing Rapunzel! :)