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Disney Fairytale Designer Collection - Heroes & villains collection 2016

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Disney Fairytale Designer Collection - Heroes & villains collection 2016
It could also be that scalpers have backed off these dolls, or they're being pickier about what dolls might make more to flip. The 17" Cinderella took 2 months to sell out on preorder, so this isn't so wild. The first designer wave caused fervor among collectors more than scalpers. My biggest hope now is they use some of these new doll molds for the 17" line. I really want a proper animated Alice and QoH. I'm not fond of the Snow-White-in-Wonderland dolls that came out in 2010.
 
I was certain that Peter Pan/Hook was going to sell fast, but it didn't. Everyone seemed very excited about that set. The same might happen with Alice. but I don't think that should stop Disney from making more merchandise of the characters.

One good example being The Nightmare Before Christmas. You could Never find anything from that movie. Maybe once in a few years something would come out. Disney gave Nightmare a big push, and now you can't walk into Any store without seeing it. Releasing one doll or a shirt or something once every year or so is not going to suddenly create demand for the characters, they need to be visible all the time. Some things will sell well, other things won't. If there was suddenly an Alice springtime type event, you can be sure there'd be more merchandise of the characters.

I think it also comes down to selection. I was going to buy Cinderella/Tremaine and then I decided not to. Instead I bought the new She-Ra by Mattel. The presentation box was amazing and it's something that hasn't been done before. There are A LOT of Designer Princess dolls by now. As for these villains - when Disney made the Prince and Princess Designer sets, I was a little shocked that they re-released those new Prince sculpts as their cheaper Classic dolls the next year. I think Disney will do the same with these Villains. Probably in 2017 or 2018 The Witch, Queen of Hearts, Hook, Ursula, etc will be re-released as Classics dolls as well.

It seems like everyone agrees the 2011 set was a huge surprise and a great departure from the usual thing. I hope they go back to that but if they do release the rarer characters, but some just won't sell very fast. On the plus side they can now mix in Elsa and Anna to kind of support the set if they go with a continuation of 2011.
 
Quasimodo said:
The Alice set will be a good indication of how much people want a variety of characters. As much as we say Disney needs to branch out, it's the princesses that draw the biggest crowd. I really want to see rarer characters, so I hope people receive Alice well. I think Disney also looks at the secondary market, so I can't say Peter Pan was the success Disney looks for, but that set was pretty impressive (I still regret passing on it).

My biggest complaint about the designer dolls is the way they cram 2 dolls into that small case. My best friend got me the Cinderella set, and while I love it, I think I have to rebox them somehow. The point of the designers AND that display case are to show off the details. Instead, they squish everything inside and even conceal a lot of the details. Cinderella's dress looks silly sewn up the way it is.

If they do a wave of rarer characters, they have to get the numbers right. 6,000 is a LOT for a LE release. I can't see them pushing that many units for Esmeralda (one of my all-time faves), Megara, Jane, or Kida.
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My biggest complaint is the squished dolls as well. I mostly collect the designers, and even with the first wave of single dolls, their skirts sometimes got all crumpled inside the case. It doesn't help that they do all the ties and plastic backing. The worst set I think was the Rapunzel and Flynn set where Rapunzel was in front and blocking Flynn completely. I always debox them just to remove everything in the way (sometimes I leave in certain ties just because it'll hold some part of the fabric or an object in place), repose them, and then place the cover back over them. If you're not worried about keeping them in that unopened mint condition, I recommend doing this. I kept them mint for a year or two and then just decided that I would enjoy them more if they looked more presentable and not tied to plastic backings.

I agree that they need to branch out a bit more. I will have 3 designer dolls each of Cinderella, Rapunzel, and Belle (and even though I say I'm done, if they make a Jasmine/Jafar set then I'll probably get that as well). At least the original designer line had their dresses with a couture twist, and the fairytale line were these pretty, elaborate versions of their outfits. If you think about it though some characters like Snow White and Rapunzel will have 3 slight variations of the same dress at this point. They need to mix it up if they're gonna stick with the princesses. Something like historically accurate versions of their dresses would be interesting. Shoomlah on DA did artwork of this and it's amazing. It still looks like the characters, but also extremely different from the old lineups. For example, here's Aurora in a dress that combines the Disney look with what they actually wore in that country around the time the story takes place.

so_familiar_a_gleam_by_shoomlah-d3jmuky.jpg
 
Seeing the set still available online really isn't as surprising as I expected it to be, at least after seeing the quiet in-store releases that happened yesterday. I agree with so many of the points already made here. I think people are just getting tired of Disney doing the same thing over and over again and using the same old princesses over and over again and they are producing too many dolls for each set. They either need to do something new with the next designer line (like the Heroines line we talked about earlier) or end the line all together. If Disney is that afraid of branching out to different characters and trying new things, then make the LE numbers lower. Same can be said for 17" dolls of Mulan and Pocahontas, which I have given up all hope of ever happening. Lower LE numbers will at least guarantee that the dolls will sell out and they will make a profit. I remember there was a time where I never would have thought that Peter Pan or Alice would get the designer treatment, and yet here we are. The desire is there, and they just have to alter how they do things for these characters to be a success.

I still feel like a heroines line would be the best solution. Merida Elsa and Anna could get the designer treatment, they could do two characters not usually marketed by Disney (or make one of them Moana), and it could be the first single doll designer releases since the Villains collection. They would be cheaper and the LE numbers could be lower. I think it would be a success.
 
lordofanime said:
I'm guessing you're a new collector?

Here's 2015's release schedule:

17" Dolls:

March:
  1. Summer Anna
  2. Kristoff
  3. Regal Elsa

August/September:
  1. Teal Jasmine
  2. Red Jasmine
  3. Aladdin
  4. Jafar
  5. Jasmine/Aladdin Platinum Set

November:
  1. Frozen Fever Elsa
  2. Frozen Fever Anna

Designer Dolls:
  1. Snow White/Hag
  2. Elsa/Hans
  3. Elsa/Hans (D23)
  4. Pan/Hook
  5. Rapunzel/Gothel
  6. Ariel Ursula

So in total, Disney released 16 dolls last year.

If we go by years:

2014: 12 dolls
2015: 16 dolls
2016: 11 dolls


Honestly.... Just by observation, i would say money isn't the issue with most of the collectors. If they want something, they'll figure out a way to pay for it. I know some people do care about the budget, but the majority favor the doll over the budget.

Also, it has been over a month since we placed the orders for the Beauty and the Beast dolls, so they spaced them out quite well compared to last year's releases. Last year's releases immediately sold out within the hour (save for a couple I think). And a tentpole character like Cinderella should never last more than the hour mark. That in of itself shows how poorly this line is being received. Also, as a lot of people have mentioned, the chances of them getting the platinum set is very slim, so they're not even gonna try and also, a lot don't think the doll is worth the $750. And again, Aladdin came out last year with a platinum set and that didn't change the spending pattern.

Also take into account the lack of merchandise this year. Art of Belle barely got any good merchandise and they didn't release any designer merchandise, especially the pins and the lithos. So that's a lot of money that collectors would have saved and spent on the dolls.

Which leads me to my initial conclusion that interest is running low and Disney would be wise to cut the line. It's heading towards a dead end.

I'm not attacking you or anything, but I just thought I'd enlighten my side of the discussion. :)
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thats probably why theyre running out of money now..with all the years they have been spending on dolls according to your list. Just imagine if this goes on years and years and the time shall come that they will be tired of spending that much on a doll. They will have more space in their bank account and less space in their homes for their doll. There are also collectore who have money restriction.

i also agree to those people who said to lower the limit of these dolls. 6000 is a huge number. Some collectore find lower number of dolls more appealing. They are looking for the rarity of their collection.

Just visited the store today. Cinderella and lady tremaine looks very pretty and look even better than pictures. I expected cinderellas dress not to look good but when i saw her in person I hardly noticed the rip. She looks so beautiful even lady tremaine looks so alive looking. She looks like the one in the movie so much. Her hair was perfect! I wonder why it didnt sell. There were still 9 in the store. If i wasnt saving for moana I would have bought her.
 
I'm really surprised that the set is still available online, but in a way it is a relief too. My store seems to be the only one anyone mentioned so far which had clearly more people in the raffle than doll sets (like, around double). No idea why that is but it made me anxious about my luck for the next releases. So, seeing that I will likely get a decent chance online if I lose out in the raffle helps me feel more relaxed. I already knew that they are almost certainly ending this line here, so my main thing is that I just want to be able to get my sets.

ImNotBad said:
I think it also comes down to selection. I was going to buy Cinderella/Tremaine and then I decided not to. Instead I bought the new She-Ra by Mattel. The presentation box was amazing and it's something that hasn't been done before.
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That She-Ra is AMAZING, they put so much gorgeous detail in the doll, her outfits, her boxes, even the outer box.... I mean that was obviously a collector's piece made with loving care to be a true homage to She-Ra, it is really so good. Mattel doesn't usually do such a shockingly great job, that doll was probably the highlight of my whole summer (even more than traveling, and I LOVE traveling).

I do think that Cindy & Tremaine are gorgeous, too. They can't compare to that She-Ra, but I can't think of much that can.
 
ImNotBad said:
I was certain that Peter Pan/Hook was going to sell fast, but it didn't. Everyone seemed very excited about that set. The same might happen with Alice. but I don't think that should stop Disney from making more merchandise of the characters.

One good example being The Nightmare Before Christmas. You could Never find anything from that movie. Maybe once in a few years something would come out. Disney gave Nightmare a big push, and now you can't walk into Any store without seeing it. Releasing one doll or a shirt or something once every year or so is not going to suddenly create demand for the characters, they need to be visible all the time. Some things will sell well, other things won't. If there was suddenly an Alice springtime type event, you can be sure there'd be more merchandise of the characters.
Click to expand...
Actually, there has been an insane amount of Alice merchandise released this year already. On the high-end side there were two separate Harveys bag releases AND a Dooney's release. There was a ton of merch for the new Alice film. There have been a ton of pins released for the 65th anniversary year of the animated film. It's been a crazy expensive year if you're an Alice collector - and that's not even counting these dolls.
 
Jabberwocky said:
Actually, there has been an insane amount of Alice merchandise released this year already. On the high-end side there were two separate Harveys bag releases AND a Dooney's release. There was a ton of merch for the new Alice film. There have been a ton of pins released for the 65th anniversary year of the animated film. It's been a crazy expensive year if you're an Alice collector - and that's not even counting these dolls.
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All true ... but it will be five years (next big anniversary) before we see this volume again! Disney has seeded out small Alice merchandise ranges over the past few years, but she's not a regular featured star. The freakin' plush doll was out of production in the US for several years (probably since the 60th anniversary)--c'mon, how hard is it to keep a plush doll available all the time, so little girls have choices beyond princesses? When Disney focuses on Alice, they often do a good job. But there is too much time in-between when it's like ... crickets ... crickets ... crickets ...

</rant> :cheshire:
 
Ohh that She-Ra doll made me so happy once it was on my door step. Artwork, functionality, doll itself...aah pure love :)
Elphaba said:
I'm really surprised that the set is still available online, but in a way it is a relief too. My store seems to be the only one anyone mentioned so far which had clearly more people in the raffle than doll sets (like, around double). No idea why that is but it made me anxious about my luck for the next releases. So, seeing that I will likely get a decent chance online if I lose out in the raffle helps me feel more relaxed. I already knew that they are almost certainly ending this line here, so my main thing is that I just want to be able to get my sets.



That She-Ra is AMAZING, they put so much gorgeous detail in the doll, her outfits, her boxes, even the outer box.... I mean that was obviously a collector's piece made with loving care to be a true homage to She-Ra, it is really so good. Mattel doesn't usually do such a shockingly great job, that doll was probably the highlight of my whole summer (even more than traveling, and I LOVE traveling).

I do think that Cindy & Tremaine are gorgeous, too. They can't compare to that She-Ra, but I can't think of much that can.
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I loved She-ra as a kid. When I saw your posts I immediately tried to look her up. She does look amazing.
 
And just to remain on topic...Cinderella and Lady Tremaine are still available. I am shocked as this is the best depiction of Cinderella they made so far albeit a few movie non-accuracies. I guess that if this doesn't kill the Designer line then nothing will.
 
Well, we're just gonna have to see what happens in the coming weeks with the other releases, as well as keep our eyes on this release to see if it sells out or suffers the fate of the Designer Mulan/Shang and Pocahontas/John Smith. But if the entire line does poorly, it'll most likely lead to the end of the entire Designer line. I'd certainly be intrigued by the idea of a Heroines line, but I just don't think that would be in the realm of possibilities, especially if this year's line flops.
 
I'm still going to try for Aurora and Maleficent, but the lack of merchandise really brought down my excitement for this release. The dolls look great, but i'm not feeling the excitement behind this new line.
 
Elphaba said:
That She-Ra is AMAZING, they put so much gorgeous detail in the doll, her outfits, her boxes, even the outer box.... I mean that was obviously a collector's piece made with loving care to be a true homage to She-Ra, it is really so good. Mattel doesn't usually do such a shockingly great job, that doll was probably the highlight of my whole summer (even more than traveling, and I LOVE traveling).

I do think that Cindy & Tremaine are gorgeous, too. They can't compare to that She-Ra, but I can't think of much that can.
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I loved how Cinderella and Tremaine looked in promo photos Out of the case. IN the case I didn't like how the set looked, but I know I wouldn't want to remove them from the case, so why bother getting it. Two dolls smushed in a case takes away from presentation. She-Ra is in a Huge box meant to be removed but can stay in there. The box seems a little too big but it's the time, effort and artwork that makes it stunning, plus it comes with a stand, three outfits and accessories. All that was $75. Plus the designers already announced if the interest is strong they have a 6 year plan for releasing all characters from the show. That gives me a little more faith in them and the product and that they want to complete a series.

With the Designer dolls, we don't really know anything, we don't know the direction it is going in. We don't know very far ahead of time whats coming out. The LE dolls are clearly popular, I don't think its a bad idea if they gave us a schedule, or some plans or ideas. What happened to the doll making videos? I feel that true Collectors have been invisible after Disney Pins had been cut back so much. I remember a time when they gave us a full years worth of pins coming out. It was so good to know what was coming, when, what it looked like, etc. Collectors were treated really well.

And again, I'm convinced after the New Prince's were re-released as Classics that Tremain will be released again at some point. (I would love if they made a Villains Deluxe Doll Set and released it maybe Halloween next year, something different for a change please!)
 
Pxv703 said:
And just to remain on topic...Cinderella and Lady Tremaine are still available. I am shocked as this is the best depiction of Cinderella they made so far albeit a few movie non-accuracies. I guess that if this doesn't kill the Designer line then nothing will.
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I was at the Disney Store today (they still have multiple Cinderella/Tremaine sets left, and only sold 2 on the day of!) and I was talking with an employee about the line and explained why I passed on Cinderella/Tremaine (the ripped dress) and she said that she's heard the same reasoning from multiple regular doll collectors who passed. I wonder if the dress being intact would have made her more appealing for people.
 
Cinderella and Treamien are still available in the US store meanwhile it has been sold out in less than fifteen minutes in EU.
It is a pity that Disney Store prefer to discount the dolls than ship them to where is the demand v_v
I think the Fairytale Designer is going to end. We have just four duo this year and no additionnal merchandising. And I will skip them all...I don't have enough place in my room, collecting dolls from more than four years, and some money issues too. But if I could, I think I would have try Cinderella/Tremaine, because I like both dolls. I'm not into Villains normally, but both dolls are really well done and unlike some of you, I really like the detail of the ripped dress. Faurytale Designer are a snapshot of the story, and the ripped dress make it "real".
 
Another idea why..maybe its because of iphone 7 launching also this month? Maybe us collectors are saving money for it...seem farfetch but I think its because of this
 
glindathegood said:
I was at the Disney Store today (they still have multiple Cinderella/Tremaine sets left, and only sold 2 on the day of!) and I was talking with an employee about the line and explained why I passed on Cinderella/Tremaine (the ripped dress) and she said that she's heard the same reasoning from multiple regular doll collectors who passed. I wonder if the dress being intact would have made her more appealing for people.
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It should be intact because in the movie when tremaine was holding her bead necklace the step sisters didnt ruin her dress yet. Only when they saw her necklace did they proceedto rip her clothes. Its not accurate though cinderella looks close enough to her cartoon version especially her hair color.
 
I love the ripped dress because that scene where they ripped her dress apart because of what the stepmother said, it was the most dark, moving scene I think I've ever felt in any Disney movie.

My heart breaks for Cinderella in that scene, but that is not the end scene... her story, which seems hopeless and ended in acute painful despair in that moment, actually turns around shortly after.

just when the very worst happens...just when it seems like there just CAN'T be a way for things to get better, is just before things get better. That's what Cindy's ripped dress says to me. And the stepsisters were just doing the step-mom's bidding. The doll set is not freeze-frame-accurate, but it is accurate to what was conveyed through that scene, the most important aspects of that incredible scene (which a freeze-frame would not capture as accurately). And I really care more about the meaning than a freeze-frame.

BTW, even the intact necklace that she's holding, I don't care that it doesn't make sense with the ripped dress time-wise. When she touched Cindy's necklace she was nearly touching her neck. It was a light touch but yet she's so malevolent it gave me the total creeps. Necks are vulnerable. Evil person pretending to be nice while touching something delicate around your neck...TOTAL creep vibe. And then the torn dress. Yes because that creep vibe is dead on, this woman (supposed to nurture you) is totally evil instead. I could almost cry for Cindy, for that scene, and for her happy ending which I feel so happy that she got.

Yep, I like the ripped dress a lot...

BTW I think it's kind of funny if there are people not buying the set because they actually think it's defective (like, thinking that rip was not part of the design and it got damaged by mistake). If they know that little about this movie, then I feel like they don't really need this set anyway, lol!
 
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