I was investigating the Toys R Us March Clearance sale to be held this Friday and Saturday, when I saw this header: Princess Catherine Engagement doll. Huh, I thought. This must be one of the 16-20" dolls. One of the reviews compared this doll to a Barbie. So I clicked to enlarge the small picture of a brunette doll wearing a dark blue dress. Nothing about the height of the doll is in the description. But when I checked under the Additional information tab, I found the box size: Product Dimensions (in inches) 13.4 x 5.1 x 2.6. That sealed her size for me. Barbie-sized. What in that information is there to giggle about?
Actually, there were two things to giggle about. First, the spindly legs of the doll. Cheap, cheap, cheap. No birds chirping there. I have previously confessed to being a doll snob. Cheesy-dolls give me something like hives. My eyes even hurt. Ouch. It seems cruel that the doll was made with legs like that. But that can happen to celebrity dolls. They need to be re-bodied as soon as possible.
I mean, her face is not too bad. I like the wide grin that bears every tooth Princess Catherine ever had in her life - in one fell swoop. There is a trickle of a resemblance. The eyes show mascara and liner. And she has a decent nose. I have seen worse doll faces. So Arklu Ltd. did a fair job. I'd give them a B- for the likeness; a D though for the body.
Clothes? I won't even comment on her bargain basement dress. Many a decent doll has been buried in frumpy or cheap clothes. We won't mention the Pink Princess here. Zips lips. But the COST of the doll ... $49.99 USD for that doll. Please. Too much. Too high. That strikes me as funny ... and here, I wag my finger at Toys R Us. Tsk, tsk and shame on them.
Fortunately, there are alternatives for the Princess Catherine fans: r-e-l-i-e-f is spelled A-m-a-z-o-n. I joke not. You can get the same doll through at least three Amazon dealers for half the Toys R Us price. Think, $49.99 OR $21.32, $21.12, or $22.88?
Just what was the edition size of this doll? (...it was 10000, it says so right on the TRU page). You're right, she does look super cheap and I don't think I'd want to pay $22 for her either.. maybe 10k of them is enough to start showing up in thrifts en masse at some point of time.
ReplyDeleteHere's a real pic of her, like you said, that is a LOT of teeth. Wow.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/princesscatherinedoll/5729776214/
The body is too small for the head or too narrow shouldered, so she looks like a lollipop. She could gain some more class when put on a more substantial body :D
There really is a likeness but the overal product is a little... iffy. The reviews on the TRU site are interesting. One lady is returning it IMMEDIATELY, but a couple of others think it's awesome. To each their own, I guess.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! I actually like the doll. I wish they hadn't put that big ol' fake smile on her face. I think they could have done a better job on the fashionator, too. But overall, I think it's a really good likeness compared to some of the others that came out. I couldn't do $50, but I could do $22.
ReplyDeleteHi Alrunia, Hey, It's Muff, and Vanessa!
ReplyDeleteThanks for that link to better photos, Alrunia. That's also a good idea to wait for her to show up in discount stores. I agree about the quality, Muff. And I take the reviews with a grain of salt ;-D
I rather like the doll, too, Vanessa. I like the wide smile though. Adds a quirkiness to her face. And she has a decent nose. But I would really need to rebody her onto a broader, wider body.
Hello from Spain: thank you for showing this new doll. This doll In Spain there is not yet on sale. You're right it is very expensive and their legs look too thin. In Spain, ToysrUs is always the most expensive store. But there are already few toy stores. keep in touch.
ReplyDeleteI bought that doll on Amazon, I've had her for a while. She actually reminds me of Celine Dion up close.
ReplyDeleteI came back again, LOL! Over 80% of the dolls I bought in the past 3 yrs, have been rebodied. I don't even look or consider the body when deciding whether I like the doll. I paid no attention to Katherine's body.
ReplyDeleteHi Marta, Pattidolls, and Vanessa! You are welcome, Marta. Would you be able to buy the Catherine doll using Amazon.com?
ReplyDeleteThat's interesting take, Pattidolls. Celine Dion. Hmmm ... ;-)
Yay, glad to have you commenting again, Vanessa. I'm often too lazy to rebody. But I admire the poses you and some other folk get, hence the rebodying of that Janay doll. It isn't a perfect match, but she can move it now, lol. But like you, as long as I like the face, I can rebody. Even if it is only to a MyScene body ....