Friday, October 31, 2014

Disney Store Frozen Anna and Elsa Ice Skating Set! :D

I had a surprise waiting for me when I got home today:

My Elsa and Anna Ice Skating Set from the Disney Store!  I can't believe how fast it arrived!!  I ordered it Monday and it's already here!

I have to give kudos to the Disney Store this time around.  I've mentioned in past posts that I've had problems with getting squished boxes before.  This time, my box arrived in perfect condition. :)  I think they're getting much more careful about their packaging. :)

I love the cute picture on the back of the box.

The sides of the box: 

The label on the front.

Here's a look at Elsa's blue ice skates.

I love Anna's light green boot ice skates. :)

Anna

Elsa 

I love the way their hands are posed in the box.

Anna's skirt detail

Elsa's ice skating dress appears to be pretty much identical to her original dress.

I had heard from other sources online that Anna's face was different than Classic Anna's.

Here's my original Classic Anna.  It does some like there's a very slight difference in the facial shape.  Also, Ice Skating Anna does not have her white streak (since at the end of the movie her streak was gone). 

Here's a picture of the two of them as close together as I could get them through the box...

...and another with a bit more of them showing.

I found Ice Skating Elsa to be much more noticeably different.  

Her hair is much flatter than my Classic Elsa's (pictured here), and her face is wider.

Another comparison picture.

At this point, I've decided to keep my Ice Skating dolls unopened.  Yeah, I know...I'm not that great at keeping at things "mint in box". ;)  I'm not promising they'll stay there forever, but I'd like to keep them boxed for a while until I'm sure I want them loose. ;)

I know that many of you were probably looking forward to a more detailed review of the dolls out of their box.  I apologize if this is disappointing to you.  If you'd like more detail of the dolls themselves, I'd recommend the following links:


   The Christmas Squirrel has some great comparison pics of Classic and Ice Skating Anna and Classic and Ice Skating Elsa. :)  (Be sure to check the rest of the photostream for other pics of the dolls.)

-drj1828 on Flickr
   Drj1828 is one of my favorite Flickr users to check with when I want detailed pics of new Disney doll items.  She (or he?) has A TON of deboxed Ice Skating Anna and Elsa pics.  You can see one of Anna HERE and one of Elsa HERE.  To see the others, just browse through the photostream.

Hope you enjoyed this mini review post. :)  Will any of you be adding the Ice Skating Set to your Frozen collection?

Glo Friends Giveaway Results :)

Okay, it's the moment you've been waiting for all day: the moment I announce the winner of the Glo Friends Giveaway. ;)

There were a total of:

(Thanks to everyone who entered!)

Here are all of the entrants' names written down...

...and here they are all cut apart, ready to go into the bowl. :)

I folded all of the names in half, mixed them up, closed my eyes, and picked a name.  


And the winning name was:



Sunny_Harper1994!!!  Congratulations!! :)  (By the way, Sunny, I realized that I never answered the question you left in your entry comment.  The Glo Friends are not squishy like Squinkies or anything.  They are made of a plastic that is soft enough to squeeze slightly but firm enough to feel solid.  Hope that makes sense.) ;)

But wait, there's more!!  I decided I wanted to let one more person get something in the mail, so our extra Clutterbug will be going to a new home, too.  (Sorry he's not in the plastic, but he's still really cute.  He'll watch over all of your clutter for you.) ;)


I drew another name.  The winner of Clutterbug is...




Yvette!! :)

Congratulations!! :D

I will be emailing both winners shortly and get their mailing addresses.  If I do not hear from the winners within a week, new winners will be chosen.  I will update this post once I have heard from both Sunny and Yvette.  

UPDATE:  As of this evening (10/31/14) I have now officially heard from both winners, so these results are final.

Thanks for entering, everyone.  I wish I could give something to all of you, but don't worry!  There will be more giveaways in the future. :)

New Big Hero 6 and Frozen Items on Disneystore.com

Hey guys!  Just wanted to pop in really quickly and draw your attention to a few new items up on the Disney Store website.

First, the Big Hero 6 Go Go Tomago doll has been on the site for some time, but today Honey Lemon was added.  Both dolls are super cute and detailed.  I can't wait for this movie to come out, and seeing these fun dolls makes me even more excited. :)

Secondly, I noticed that the big new Frozen Deluxe Doll Gift Set with Anna and Elsa in their coronation outfits that includes Kristoff and Hans is up.  It's $79.95 for the whole set, which is only about $10 more than the original deluxe set was, and that only came with two dolls.

Finally, the Disney Store also has a 40% off sale on select items.  There was nothing I found too exciting, but I thought I'd mention it just in case.  You can see all of the sale items HERE.

Happy Shopping, everyone!  I'll be back later to announce the winner of the Glo Friends Giveaway. :)

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Last Night to Enter the Glo Friends Giveaway!

Hey everyone!  Just wanted to remind you that tonight is the last night to enter my Glo Friends Giveaway.  It's worldwide. :)  I'll be drawing the names of the winners sometime in the late morning to early afternoon tomorrow (Pacific Time), so as long as your entry gets in before then, you'll be included.

For more details about the giveaway, you can check out my post about it HERE. :)

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Crazy Week

Hey guys!  Sorry for the lack of "real" posting this week.  It's the last week of soccer for Oldest Gal, so we had a game Monday, practice Tuesday, Day One of the final tournament today, and Day Two tomorrow.  Whew!!  I should emerge from the soccer craziness by the end of the week.  Stay tuned! ;)

Monday, October 27, 2014

New Frozen Items up on the Disney Store Website!

Well, my source was correct!  There are several new Frozen items up on Disneystore.com, including the Ice Skating Set and a new DAC Elsa and Anna set. :D  You can see all of the Frozen stuff HERE.

I did end up staying up too late, and I did go ahead and purchase my Ice Skating Set.  I can't wait until it comes!! :D

It seems the Disney Store has gotten better about supply and demand with Frozen stuff, so the new items shouldn't sell out right away.  Still, if you're interested in any of this stuff, I would purchase sooner rather than later, just in case. ;)

Happy Shopping, everyone!

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Frozen Ice Skating Set Available Tonight?

Hey everyone!  According to Disney Dolls on Facebook, the Anna and Elsa Ice Skating Set should be up on the Disneystore.com USA website tonight.  Just thought I'd pass that little tidbit along in case anyone was interested.

So now the question is, should I stay up 'til midnight to see if they show up or be good and go to bed? ;)

Happy Shopping, everyone!

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Memory Lane: Glo Friends (and a Giveaway, too!)

I'm back!  Hope you guys had a great week!  I spent most of it fighting a cold and then passed my germs on to Hubby. :}  So far, no kiddos are sick.  Hopefully we'll keep it that way. ;)

It's been a while since I've done a "Memory Lane" post.  I thought it might be fun to take a look at another line from the 80s, the "Glo Friends".  


The Glo Friends were a line of glow-in-the-dark bugs and insects of various kinds that were released by Hasbro and Playskool.  There were miniature plastic Glo Friends as well as stuffed Glo Friends, accessories, books, and more.  There was even a Glo Friends TV show!  In fact, when I was looking these up, I recognized the theme song from the show from somewhere deep in my memory. ;)  

Ghost of the Doll has a wonderful page about Glo Friends on their website HERE, where you can learn more about the line and everything that was released. :)

The Glo Friends I remember the most were the ones in the Wendy's Kids Meals, released in 1988.  So naturally, I was thrilled when I found several baggies of unopened Wendy's toys at Goodwill last week, which included Glo Friends.    

Here they are!  The pink bug in the front was one I'd already found individually at a thrift store trip earlier this year.  All the others were at Goodwill.  The purple bug in the front was also in plastic, but I was impatient and opened him before taking this photo. ;)

Here's a closer look at one of the Glo Friends in the plastic package.

These ones were finger puppets, and there were twelve to collect.

Dated 1988 

The outside of the pamphlet that came with each fast food toy.

Can I just take a moment to say that I really miss the fast food toys of the 80s?  I mean, look at this amazingly detailed pamphlet!  I also love the fact that the toys themselves are of a quality that could be sold in stores.  Wendy's toys today are usually cheap plastic or paper/cardstock stuff.  McDonald's is slightly better quality-wise (especially with their TY lines and their mini Madame Alexander dolls and things like that).  I sure miss the Disney toys they used to have, though.  McDonald's just isn't the same without the toys from the latest Disney movie.  Can you imagine how fun it would have been to have Frozen toys or Tangled toys to collect?  

Okay, sorry...done getting distracted (for now at least).  Here is the little section of the pamphlet with instructions on how to make the Glo Friends glow.  These things really work well, by the way!  It doesn't take very long at all to charge them up.

Here are the pamphlet pictures of each of the Glo Friends:

Glo Butterfly

Glo Snugbug

Glo Snail

Glo Bopbug

Glo Cricket

Glo Grannybug

Glo Doodlebug (this is the only one we're missing)

Glo Bookbug

Glo Clutterbug

Glo Skunkbug

Glo Bashfulbug

Glo Bug (they must have gotten tired coming up with clever names by this point) ;) 

The backside of the pamphlet advertises the stuffed Gloworm from Playskool.  Anyone remember these?  I remember one of my Baby My Little Ponies came with a mini plastic Gloworm (he didn't glow in the dark).  You can see a picture of it on the Ghost of the Doll website link I shared above. :)

The pamphlet also includes an offer for a glow-in-the-dark Glo Friends poster.  I wonder if I could get one if I sent this in? ;)

Here's the whole group from my Goodwill run (with the addition of Bashfulbug, who was already in my collection).

Another look at the group...except for Skunkbug and Bookbug, who are hiding. ;)

While I'm thrilled to have almost all of the Wendy's Glo Friends, Bashfulbug is my very favorite.  I remember her from when I was little.  I never had her, but I remember her being my favorite then, too.  She's got a sweet little face and fun pink coloring.

Bashfulbug from the back.  As you can see, the white things she's holding in front are actually her wings.

Each Glo Friend has a hole in the bottom since they are finger puppets.  I'm not sure if the regular Glo Friends had this as well, or if just the Wendy's line were finger puppets.

As you can see from the picture, they are marked "Made in China [copyright mark] 1986 Playskool, Inc."  This makes me think that perhaps the store line of Glo Friends have the same hole, since the the Wendy's ones weren't released until 1988 but are marked 1986.

The hole is very roomy in the bottom.  I was able to get my pointer finger inside quite easily.

Here's Glo Butterfly, another childhood favorite.  I like Bashfulbug's facial expression a little better, but this one is still fun.

She's holding a star wand.

In the back she has big, pink wings with blue and white accents.

Glo Cricket was one I actually had as a kid.  I bought him at the AWANA store with my AWANA bucks. :)  I love his little accordion.  

Glo Cricket from the back.

Glo Skunkbug is another of my favorites.  I love the way he's holding his nose.  It must be tough to be so stinky you can't even stand your own odor. ;)

Glo Skunkbug from the back.

Glo Snail is a Glo Friend I remember seeing a lot.  I think a lot of my friends had him.

I like his swirly, purple shell design.

Glo Snugbug reminds me a lot of the Gloworm stuffed toy...with a few added arms and legs. ;)

Glo Snugbug from the back.

Glo Bookbug is another cutie, especially with his little book and pencil.  He looks ready to study or write a story. 

Glo Bookbug has kind of a beetle-like appearance from the back.

Here's a very appropriate bug for our house: Glo Clutterbug. ;)  He's actually another one I'd found earlier, so we have two in the house now (one for me and one for the girls).  Appropriately, it took us a while to find the first Clutterbug.  He was hiding in the girls' cluttered rooms. ;)

Clutterbug has white wings similar to Bashfulbug's.

Glo Bopbug appears to be a spider of some kind.

You can see his extra legs in the back.  In our house, the girls have decided he is the Grandpa bug. 

Here is Glo Grannybug (yes, she is married to Glo Bopbug in our house's headcanon).  After I'd gotten the first group of Glo Friends, my mom went back that same day to Goodwill to see if she could find Glo Grannybug, since she was one of the few I was missing.  She was able to find her in another baggie!  (Thanks, Mom!)

Glo Grannybug has a ladybug-like appearance from the back.

Here is Glo Bug.  After my mom found my Glo Grannybug, I was two bugs away from having all twelve in the series.  We knew that Glo Doodlebug was not there, but I thought I'd remembered seeing Glo Bug in one of the Goodwill bags.  I went back the next morning, and sure enough, there he was! :)  I really like his striped top.

Glo Bug from the back with his blue wings.  He almost reminds me of a bee.

I haven't found a good way to photograph glow-in-the-dark items in total darkness (any suggestions, fellow photographers?).  Just to give you an idea, though, this picture was taken in our partially darkened hallway after I'd held Glo Butterfly up to the light for less than a minute.  I'm sure if these were left under a bright light all day, they'd keep their glow for a long time.  

I let each of the girls choose two Glo Friends to keep, and the rest I put on my 80s and 90s toy shelves.  The girls enjoy having them as little night lights at night.  They glow really well at bedtime, but the glow fades by the middle of the night...which is probably a good thing.  (Be honest, how many of you as kids woke up and startled yourself with the random glow-in-the-dark thing you left in your bed?)

I'm not going to do as detailed of a rating for this post, but we give these little guys 5 out of 5 stars for fun and just plain cuteness. :)

Do any of you remember the Glo Friends?

I ended up with two duplicate Glo Friends (Glo Snugbug and Glo Snail), and I thought it would be fun to do a giveaway for anyone else feeling nostalgic after this post. ;)

Since this is a small giveaway, I'd like to keep it simple.  Here are the rules:

1. This giveaway is open to anyone, in or out of the USA. :)

2.  Anyone under the age of 18 needs permission to enter from a parent or guardian.  

3.  To enter, leave your name or username and your email address in the comments below.  Comments will NOT be published.  No one will see your personal information but me.  Only one entry per person, please.

4.  The giveaway is open to entries until Thursday, October 30th.  On Friday, October 31st, I will put the names of the entrants in a bowl and draw one name.  The winner will receive both Glo Friends.  I will email the winner, and he/she will have one week to get back to me with a mailing address.  If I haven't heard from the winner by Friday, November 7th, I will choose a new winner.

Have a great weekend, everyone! :)