• Guest, Help The DPF Community Thrive - Join Our Donation Drive Today!

    We're launching a special DPF Donation Drive to ensure our beloved forum continues to flourish. Your support is vital in helping us cover essential server costs and keep our community running smoothly — This is more than just a donation; it's an investment in the future of our community.

    Join us in this crucial drive and let's ensure our forum remains a vibrant and dynamic place for everyone.

    Please visit the DPF Donation Drive Thread for details and instructions on how you can make your donation today!

Ariel or Elsa?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Ariel or Elsa?

Matthewlondon

Active DPF Member
Rating - 100%
5   0   0
Messages
1,306
Location
South Yorkshire UK
Which do you prefer and why?

I've ordered Elsa as she's the first LE other than designers that I think is stunning! She's a Christmas present btw. I haven't received her yet or seen frozen but she is super beautiful in pictures. But I keep going back and fourth with if I should sell her when she's arrives to put the money towards Ariel! While I think Elsa is more beautiful because Ariel's outfit is a bit simple, I love the LM and missed the designer Ariel's
 
From what I've heard, (I haven't seen my Elsa yet, she is a Christmas gift), Elsa isn't "as pretty" as coronation Anna. Not sure how Anna compares to Ariel either LOL. To me, Ariel is one of the prettiest LE dolls that Disney has ever produced. Her volume of wavy hair is absolutely gorgeous. However, I really love Elsa's aesthetic. So I think it just depends on who you are more passionate about! Ariel dolls are very hard to get, as we can see with the designer doll's retail costs. (Did you try the Times Square store for the couples by the way? I heard they just got some in!). But who knows where Frozen is going! I would just follow your heart and pick whichever princess you like more. You will inevitably enjoy that doll more in the end
 
With Ariel I love her in the packaging, but from the pictures were she's unboxed I don't really like her she's looks too dark? But I wouldn't open her anyway, I love her hair! I hate choices lol!
And no not checked their as I'm in the uk:/ I'm surprised you can still get Ariel relatively cheap compared with the designers.
I might wait and see frozen first and it will help me decide. Their is just something about Elsa!
 

I believe that Shiva will be posting pictures soon comparing the two on the Disney Dolls Appreciation page? It is tough for me to choose between the two because of how similar they are so will just list the main differences between the two and hopefully that will help you decide.

So Ariel has no actual dress but does look rather amazing in her 'glammed' up mermaid look, at first people had their reservations about her but eventually warmed up to her when they actually received the doll. She is LE 6,000 so there are definitely more of her around than there are of Elsa. In terms of look she does look like a more mature version of Ariel especially with all the make up and definitely has a lot more going on in terms of jewellery and enhancements (such as the decorated sea shell top, the fish design bracelet and the clam shell belt). Also you have the fact that Ariel is by far one of the more popular princesses.

Elsa on the other hand had a more elegant look than Ariel because of the simplicity of her dress, there are fewer rhinestones used in the train of her dress as most of the design is embossed into Elsa's clothing and where rhinestones have been used they have been used in a more decorative and pattern manner unlike with Ariel where it was used to replicate droplets on her scales. Elsa is also only 2,500 so by far a lot less than Ariel for sure however in terms of her popularity because she is such a new character we do not know if she will be anywhere near as popular as Ariel. But that being said her LE doll is the more popular between herself and Anna as Elsa has sold out online on both the US and UK store.

For me the main difference between the two is that one does look at lot more elegant than the other personally for me it is tough to decide on which one I prefer because I would put them in the same league as one another due to their many similarities and few differences. Also if I had to choose one it would depend on whether or not I would decide on getting the other later. Right now both are selling at around the same amount on ebay however there are fewer Elsa dolls which could make getting her again later harder whereas there are lots of Ariel's out there with some selling to close to retail. But if I was deciding based on just owning one then I would go with the one that I like the most in terms of my favorite character. Even if Elsa is done better than Ariel or may look better for some people I would go by my gut and if Ariel is my favorite princess then I would go with her because that way there is some reason behind buying just the one doll.

Anyway good luck with your decision! I am sure you will be happy with whichever doll you decide to go with!
 
Thank you so much for taking the time to compare the two! I love looking through your pictures on Flickr! I look forward to seeing Shivas comparison too.
I love Elsa because I love all the blonde princess's but then ariel is my second favourite princess:/ and is unique in that she is a mermaid.
Would it bother you that one is limited Lower than the other? I'm guessing ariel looks better in person tbh. I'm going to have a look at Elsa once she turns up this week and then I should be able to make my mind up lol.
Which one is more sparkly/ has more rhinestones etc and draws your eye to it first? I think I'm in the minority in that I love the Cinderella doll! My eyes are drawn to sparkles!
 
Personally, I'd recommend keeping Elsa and trying to save up money for Ariel later down the road. Mainly because I think Elsa's price will increase higher than Ariel's- she's a MUCH lower LE size, and it also seems like a fair number of Elsa dolls ended up lost in transit. I think if you sell Elsa and decide you want her later, she'd be much harder and more expensive to track down than Ariel (because even though Ariel is more popular, they made over twice as many Ariel dolls than Elsa). Or at the very least, I'd recommend watching Frozen before deciding to sell Elsa.
 
Personally, I think I would keep Elsa and save up for Ariel! I don't really see the need to force yourself to choose when you could potentially have both, and its even better since you got Elsa for retail. Plus, you said she was a gift, so does that make her more special to you?
Ive only started collecting this year, but I have actually been drawn to both TLM and Frozen merch. Ariel is unique because she is a mermaid, but Elsa is unique because she is the only princess with powers! Elsa is my first 17" so I cant compare the two, but I havent been able to stop looking at her since she came out of the box. I think the real deciding factor will be when you get to see her in person, then you can decide if you are willing to ever let her go
 
I agree with everyone else. Keep Elsa and buy Ariel later on. One month later everyone will know about Frozen, and those who weren't aware of these dolls will want to get one, increasing the demand which will mean higher prices on both Elsa and Anna. I also consider the lower Edition Size on Elsa makes her even more special. And let's not forget she'll become an official princess in 2014, making her more desireable in the future.
 

The only time the LE size should ever really bother you is if you decide you want to get the other one later down the track. As the others have mentioned the fact that there are more Ariel dolls out there means that in terms of accessibility you will be able to find Ariel easier on the secondary market than you will Elsa. However if you do just want to keep one doll then I would go with the one that you can relate to most because at the end of the day the reason why you are getting the doll is because you love the doll and the character. So if you have any doubts resulting in you leaning towards one over the other than I would go with the one that you favor more.

Both dolls have their fair amount of sparkle but Ariel by far takes the cake when it comes to being glammed up as she has a lot more going on than Elsa does. However that being said I think what draws people to Elsa is her elegance, whilst a rather simple doll it is from the simplicity and the detail in her design that she looks elegant and that definitely adds to the appeal.
 
Thank you for all your input, I am leaning more towards Ariel but I'm going to wait to see frozen and the Elsa doll and not rush into anything, I just worry that the longer Ariel is out the higher the value like the designers and then I'd never get ariel. I seem to prefer the Elsa doll but Ariel is such a good character.
 


By your request, I have posted some pictures of LE Ariel and LE Elsa together on the Disney Doll Appreciation Thread. (http://disneypinforum.com/showthread.php?8244-Disney-Dolls-Appreciation-Discussion/page35)

To add my own input on the LE Ariel or LE Elsa question, I would certainly keep LE Elsa. LE Ariel has become my second favorite of the core Disney princess LE dolls (Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle, Tiana, and Rapunzel), but the LE dolls from Frozen are quickly becoming overall favorites in the 17" LE doll series for me, with a preference of LE Elsa over LE Anna.

But back to the mermaid vs. the snow queen... everyone has brought up some very good points. If you ultimately don't mind having more than one LE doll, I would keep LE Elsa and save up to get LE Ariel, whose resale price will probably go in a slow increase over time given her edition size of 6000, similar to LE Tiana and LE Belle who took a few years to break into the $300 USD resale range. LE Elsa, on the other hand, will most likely shoot up in value once Frozen becomes more widely known and develops a stronger fan base. If the Disney Store releases another LE Elsa doll with the DVD release next spring, she will more likely be in her coronation outfit, so the current LE doll in her snow queen gown will probably become more wanted, just because she is wearing what is becoming her iconic marketed look that links the whole movie back to the original Hans Christian Andersen tale The Snow Queen.

Personally, I would not pick one doll over another just based on the edition size alone. There should be more to it than that. The most important thing really is your connection to the character, so I understand the dilemma when you have a pretty doll in hand for a character that you don't know much about her yet against an established character that you have loved for decades but don't have that doll in hand. Without giving away any spoilers for Frozen, I can say that Elsa is a character that many people will connect with. At worst, if you end up not connecting to Elsa, I am sure that you should be able to trade for an LE Ariel or sell her to get LE Ariel at that time. In sum, give Elsa a chance and if she ends up not sticking with you, I wouldn't worry about LE Ariel's availability for some time and you can get her later.
 
All I can say is DEFINITELY go see the movie... I have Anna and Elsa, and was seriously considering trading the Anna doll for maybe the surprise GSF Elsa pin, but after I saw the movie I really liked Anna and decided to keep her. I know you're torn between Ariel and Elsa but I do believe that Elsa will turn out to be more difficult to acquire later as her edition size is smaller, and really people haven't had enough of a chance to fall in love with her yet, and therefore covet her as much as Ariel. I wish that Elsa sang more in the movie though, I have the singing Elsa doll too to put up next to the LE one They're both stunning!
 
Wow! Now this is a tough one. Everyone has made such wonderful points. When I first saw the thread I though it was a matter of which does one prefer out of the two and I thought to myself, well that is an easy answer for me, as much as I adore Elsa for me my #1 has always been Ariel since her release and honestly I don't see that changing ever. Now taking my personal feelings aside for Ariel the character since this is about the LE dolls, would agree that you would probably be better off keeping Elsa as the movie has become an instant classic and the characters will only increase in popularity. Also, as of right now LE Ariel is not too high in the secondary market and since their is a smaller edition size of Elsa, you may have a harder time trying to get a hold of her later. I think Ariel will take a while as Shiva mentioned to go up again in price. I think LE Elsa will be one of those dolls that will become very tedious to get and the DS classic dolls can serve as an example. While I understand that the classic dolls are open edition and run continuously year after year, Elsa's classic doll has become very hard to spot which means a lot of people are after her. I can only imagine that the LE Elsa doll will be even more sought after. I love both dolls very much and you can ask my husband how many times a day I glare at both of them, lol. They are both gorgeous and to me TLM LE doll is the nicest Ariel doll that has ever been released in her mermaid form. However, Elsa is as beautiful as I knew she would be, she is simply stunning.
 
Thank you so much for all you thoughts! I'm going to keep Elsa as she is too beautiful and I'm dying to get her in person damn Disney's slow posting. I can always change my mind later on but think will just save for Ariel too!
 
Well I got to see Frozen today on a advanced screening and I absolutely love Frozen! When Elsa makes her icy castle and her dress I was like omg she looks so pretty! I actually really like Anna as well even though in the trailers I didn't like her. Don't no if it's helped me on my decision though as as of now Frozen would be my 3rd favourite movie (and Elsa 3rd) after Sleeping beauty and the little Mermaid!

And just been on the Disney site and theirs a public delivery notice saying that orders will take longer than usual:/ grr longer wait for Elsa now! Ordered her Thursday.
 

Oh, I am so glad you like the film! It's very moving. The "Let It Go" sequence is absolutely amazing, especially when she lets her hair down and makes the snow dress. Va-va-voom! I'm sorry to hear about the shipment delay... but you will not be disappointed when you do receive LE Elsa!
 
Omg that part when she lets her hair down is my favourite scene! Stunning and when she walks out on the balcony and you can see that slit up her dress, very sexy for a princess/queen. I'm very excited to receive her she's the perfect Christmas present for me she's so wintery!So this with my brother and we both enjoyed Frozen and I'm sure the more times I see it the more I will love it!
 
If I were you I would keep Elsa and save up for Ariel. Elsa is going to be harder to come by in the future. However, I think Ariel is the better doll. I know she is in mermaid form and that might make her seem less grand, yet I think the individual scales and miniature shells and details really make her special. A lot of thought was put into her and she is one of my favorite dolls.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Menu
Log in
Register