Disney Dolls are as wonderful as Barbie Dolls
Written: Aug 28 '02
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Pros: Stunningly beautiful doll, very similar to Barbie
Cons: None.
The Bottom Line: This is a beautiful, exquisitely dressed doll. It's comparible to other 12" dolls and can share all Barbie's clothes (not that a princess should be seen in a miniskirt!)
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| deenaf's Full Review: Mattel Disney Princess: Sparkling Belle |
As the mother of a toddler girl, I am becoming more and more familiar with the world of Barbie! Secretly I was a fan before I had her.... I would walk my son around the toy store and WISH I could buy Barbies! Then I would feel joy when I would have to buy a GIRLIE gift for his friends!! Barbie here I come!
But alas, Barbie is NOT the end all! I have found a true run for Barbie's money and her name is Belle... specifically Mattel Disney Princess: Sparkling Belle! She is so pretty and her dress is so glamorous!
The PRODUCT
Mattel's Disney Princess: Sparkling Belle is a beautiful twelve inch doll dressed to the nines. What I initially liked about her was that she was NOT dressed in the typical Beauty and the Beast formal dress attire: that lovely yellow ball gown. This dress is a gorgeous shade of maroon-red, full length taffetta , with an inch of glimmering sheer material ruffling along the bottom edge of the dress. The bodice part of the dress is the same sheer glittery glimmery material as the bottom edging. It is off the shoulders with a 3/4 length sleeve. There is satin trim from the top to the bottom of the dress in one long straight line as well as a thin, matching satin sash across the middle.
Mattel's Disney Princess: Sparkling Belle comes with two accessories: a pair of pumps (in the same color as her dress of course! LOL) and matching comb for her tresses. And tresses they are!
Her hair is pulled off her face in french twists on both sides of her head. It is gathering in the back and then split off into three separate tightly twisted curls or ringlets. Here lies the one complaint I have. A beautiful princess like Belle would be wearing a sparkling clip or tie in the back. Her hair style is the most gorgeous I've seen on a 12" doll and I was disappointed to find that her hair is simply held back with a black tie, similar to a garbage bag twist tie!! Any respectable princess would be appalled but since she is a doll, we will forgive her lack of taste in her hair accessory!
One thing I liked about this packaging, I might add, is that the shoes and comb are bagged separately inside the cardboard packaging. This is wonderful considering my daughter is only 18 months and these present a choking hazard. I can keep them packaged up until I need them. Thanks Mattel.
Another note of interest...Mattel's Disney Princess: Sparkling Belle seems to be more flexible than her Barbie counterpart. She bends at the waist with more ease than Barbie and Belle's legs are less tight in the joints. Ironic, since Mattel also makes Barbie!
Mattel's Disney Princess: Sparkling Belle is recommended for children over the age of 3. I do let my daughter play with them but I watch her and remove all small pieces. She doesn't even realize that they aren't wearing shoes!
Belle vs. Barbie
There is no comparison, Mattel's Disney Princess: Sparkling Belle beats my Swim Fun Barbie without so much as a second glance. Belle's features are softer and fuller than the sharp nosed, gaunt Barbie. Belle's eyes are bigger and her face seems brighter because she seems to be slighty made up with blush and eye shadow.
As for body types, without undressing them, I can see that they are identical. They will undoubtedly be sharing clothes in the future as my daughter's collection grows.
MORE DOLLS
Mattel has made a whole line of these Disney Princess dolls. They include:
Disney Princess: Sparkling Sleeping Beauty
Disney Princess: Flutter Fantasy Ariel
Disney Princess Flutter Fantasy: Belle
Disney Dazzling Princess - Cinderella
Mattel also makes a Movie Gift Pack which is Belle, Ariel, and Jasmine. If I had seen this first, I would probably have purchased it. Additionally, there are other products to correlate with the dolls such as slumber bags and board games!
I should mention that there are other companies making Disney Princess dolls as well. A company called Brass Key Inc makes a 14 inch doll. I haven't seen these so I can't comment or compare.
MY THOUGHTS
I think it is pretty evident that I am in love with this Belle doll. She really is pretty and it seems that she is the one my daughter likes the best out of her beginner doll collection (2 Barbies and 1 Belle).
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 14.99
Type of Toy: Action Figure
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years
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Epinions.com ID:
deenaf
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Member: Deena
Location: Merrick, NY USA
Reviews written: 269
Trusted by: 71 members
About Me:
I'm reasonable! And now I'm acknowleged!
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