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Disney Dolls Appreciation Discussion

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Disney Dolls Appreciation Discussion
OK, so I have a question. I'm not actually a doll collector, but I have the three princesses that mean the most to me. Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora. I only have the signature collection dolls and the designer princess (well, not Aurora yet). I want very much to display my dolls, but is it bad to take them out of the box? You can't really see or appreciate them if the stay in the box, but I don't want them to be worthless either. What do you guys do with your dolls for display?
 

Hi Swim2sea,

Most of my Disney dolls have been kept in their original boxes, primarily due to a lack of proper display space. If I buy another display case, I will most likely take several of the dolls I know I would never, ever consider getting rid of/sell (like the same Disney Signature dolls Classic 3 princesses that you also have, for example), and I would display them. You are quite right that dolls look a million times better when you can pose them, turn their heads at different angles, arrange the folds of their dresses, and even reposition the locks of their hair (like Signature Aurora's) to however your mood sees fit. You can also accessorize them if you'd like or decorate their area creatively. My friend who makes OOAK dolls almost always takes any doll she buys out of the box. Naturally as an artist, she is looking at each doll in terms of what she can do with them to make them better, and believe me, her talented hands are magic! She has taken $10 play Barbies and worked her artistic talents on them and resold them as OOAK dolls for hundreds.

That said, if you see your dolls as investment material, do NOT take them out of the box. Their value will plummet considerably in the secondary market, unless someone happens to really want it badly. Signature Aurora is kind of rare and ebay listings for her are still generally pretty high. The secondary market is very unpredictable, becasue you never know what a person out there may want or how much they may be willing to pay for it.

I also recommend that you get what is called a Kaiser doll stand instead of the standard doll stands that most dolls come with (that are an awkward stick-like pedestal that you, um, position between the doll's legs). The kaiser doll stand looks like this:

So for dolls with voluminous dresses, you can easily conceal this under the skirt and hold the clip part at thetop around her waist. The kaiser dolls stands are also a lot more stable in holding up the dolls. I use kaiser doll stands for my male dolls on display, too. The stand is visible, but not too distracting. Kaiser doll stands are not expensive. You can easily find listings on eBay (yes, the evil-bay) that have 12 for less than $20, and they are made of coated metal. Very sturdy and they don't leave stains.
 
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Thank you! - I did use the Evil Queen for Snow white (great guess!) I sculpted and shaped her face with acrylic and repainted it. Then I re-rooted her hair & died it, since the evil queens hair is only about shoulder length under her headpiece. Do you have your OOAK doll pic's anywhere on the internet? I'd love to see them, they sound very cool!
 
I just wanted to thank Shivatopia and everyone else who has contributed to this thread for teaching me so much about dolls!

I have never really been a "doll collector", although when I was young I loved Barbies...I had tons of them! The only Barbies I would not take out of the box were the annual Christmas Barbies, which I still have 2 or 3 of from my childhood.

My grandparents have a very large house, and when I was young my grandmother had an entire room with built-in glass cabinets filled with Madame Alexander dolls. I would spend hours in there looking at all of the dolls and their clothing, shoes, etc., and when I would spend the night there she would let me pick a doll before bed and I would put it by my nightstand. I remember this particular Snow White in a white wedding dress doll that I loved.

In the middle cabinet she had a large 21" Cinderella doll which was extremely gorgeous in person:



I really need to ask her what happened to all of her dolls...she must have either given them away or they are in storage somewhere. I remember a few of the dolls had started to get a strange white filmy-type look over their eyes...does anyone know why this happened?

Anyways...the Disney Princess Designer dolls are my first foray into adult doll collecting...and I am really loving them! Thanks to Margaret AKA Swim2Sea and our lovely doll trade my Ariel arrived yesterday...and I now have the five released dolls displayed on my fireplace mantle. I am moving in a few weeks and I already told my fiance that I am turning one of our guest rooms into my "Disney room", and I can't wait to get a special shelf or cabinet to display all ten of the dolls (if I can get them all ).



And BethDarleen...those dolls are awesome! I would have thought they were sold in stores if you did not tell us otherwise...
 
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It has been my pleasure to make this thread! Things were getting so intense on the other thread last week that I wanted to make a new area just to talk about dolls. I am fascinated by everyone's opinions, stories, and favorite doll pictures! Thank you all for making this a fun and successful thread! When I made the first post, I was afraid that it was going to be a monologue!

Oh, and Becky, I'm totally in your corner about making a Disney Room! That would be amazing! Plus, I hope that your grandmother still has those dolls you remember from your childhood. Family heirlooms are the best, especially when you have an emotional connection to them. Congrats as well to getting Ariel and joining the Complete Designer Doll Collection So-Far Club! I can't wait for my Snow White doll to arrive via UPS. She's scheduled to arrive 2 days after my birthday!
 

You are super-talented to have created these OOAKs! Becky is right, I would have taken Pocahontas and Lady Tremaine to be factory-releases, except that you told us they were OOAK and I know that Disney never made a Lady Tremaine doll! Truly amazing!

Unfortunately, I don't keep pics of my OOAK dolls anywhere online, because I am very guarded about my personal designs. My doll artist friend who makes my OOAK dolls for me cautioned me about that a long time ago. She has a business website and told me that she would not post pics of my dolls or even share them with her other clients without my consent, because she did not want someone to "borrow" my designs. I have taken her advice to heart, so the only way to see my dolls is to be a guest at my house. I will say that I have made almost all of the major Greek gods and goddesses (I have not yet made Zeus or Poseidon), and I am very proud of them. The idea springboarded from Mattel's Classical Goddess Collection mini-series (Goddess of Beauty, Goddess of Spring, and Goddess of Wisdom), which are all also in my display case as well, though each is modified from the factory look to make them even better than Mattel designed them. I have also made a young Katherine of Aragon and her three sisters (Isabel, Juana, and Maria) into OOAK dolls, because I also love Renaissance history, and Mattel usually only makes generic Renaissance dolls or Queen Elizabeth I. I could go on for ages about this!
 
I'm so sad, my Snow White doll won't be coming. I got the dreaded "Sorry we are sold out" email. I'm now hoping to trade my Belle for a Snow White. The only dolls I'm collecting from the Designer Collection are Cinderella (have the Silver and the Blue ones), Snow White (MIA), and the Aurora (yet to be released). If anyone has an extra Snow White and needs a Belle, let me know.
 
disneycrazee said:
WOW, BethDarleen!!! I absolutely love love love your Pocahontas! I wish Disney/Mattel had made one like that.
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lol, I just realized that I spelled it 'died' instead of 'dyed'... darned auto correct
THANK YOU!!! I was so disappointed that Mattel did not produce the prototype of their Pocahontas 2 doll so I just made my own. I used the box from the 10th anniversary Cinderella and re-did the label in the front too.
 

I love the princesses on the mantle! I would love a Disney room too- my DH never uses his den. I want to boot all his stuff out and make it our Disney room.

I bought a bunch of JAKKS stuff at Toys R Us for my DD today for Christmas. Belle, her clothes, and all the new Rapunzel clothes they have. She already has Punz but this is the first I've seen of her extra clothes. DD is going to be very happy on Christmas and I'm excited I have her now crossed off the list. She's definitely easier to buy for than my pre-teen and teenage sons. (and more fun I might add- they just want video games and stuff).
 
wow that's a lot! I can imagine it would be very hard to store all those dolls,that's one of the reasons I like pins, I have my one book and that's it
 
Would anyone have a suggestion for a base for an OOAK Vanessa (Little Mermaid) doll? I have no idea how to reroot doll hair (and I've tried looking at tutorials) so I'd ideally want something with a similar hairstyle.
 
MegglesM said:
Would anyone have a suggestion for a base for an OOAK Vanessa (Little Mermaid) doll? I have no idea how to reroot doll hair (and I've tried looking at tutorials) so I'd ideally want something with a similar hairstyle.
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Short of rerooting, I can only think of trying to dye an Ariel doll's hair dark brown, but you will have to find a permanent way to color it so that it will stay on the plastic fibers of the doll hair. I think that regular hair dye would not do the trick and would rub off. You also really need an Ariel doll for the base, because you would want to keep the general same design look from the film for cohesiveness. She will need to have her face repainted to get the right shaped eyebrows and purple eyecolor. If you are willing to pay for it, you may want to get into contact with an OOAK doll artist that is willing to reroot and have it done that way. Rerooting is a very time-consuming and rather tedious process, apparently. Hope that helps, and making a Vanessa doll is a great idea!
 
***Sigh*** I don't know if I'm manic or what, but today I went to one of my local Disney Stores and bought one each of the playline Aurora and Jasmine dolls for the purpose of using them to make OOAK dolls. I figure that it will be a good distraction from the Designer Doll distribution mess, and should I not get the remaining dolls to complete the set, I will at least have my own versions of them. That store was sold out of the play Rapunzel dolls, so I think I'll have to buy one online at some point. I really want to redesign Designer gowns for all of them. I have a 1995 Sun Colors Pocahontas also on hand to make into an OOAK doll. I also want to design a prettier gown for her. Of the Designer doll series, I really feel like Pocahontas and Aurora's designs were rather weak afterthoughts, compared to some of the other princesses who got complete makeovers. I actually want to make Jasmine's gown in red, maybe with gold and black accents. In the Designer Doll series, there are 3 princesses in blue (Jasmine being one of them) and only Snow White is wearing any amount of red, which is a gorgeous color for a fashion gown. I was watching Aladdin recently, and Jasmine's red outfit near the end of the film inspired me. I'm not sure if I want to make it a two-piece or not. Maybe a gown-kini? Pocahontas' gown will definitely incorporate a shorter hemline, but maybe with a train... If this project works out, maybe I'll rework Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, and Belle, too. By the way, I did not get a Disney Store play Tiana doll, because they gave her a very strange smile, which I don't think will work with what I want to do. If I can't get a Designer Tiana doll, I'm going to drop my money into an Ashton Drake Tiana Doll.

While at the Disney Store, I also picked up the new 2011 doll versions of Aladdin and Prince Eric, because they are in their "regular" outfits, which I like a lot better than the Prince Ali and Prince Eric formal wear outfits that the previous versions wore. I'll post an Aladdin doll review shortly.
 

I went to two Disney stores today and they were both sold out of Rapunzel as well. I was all ready to go forward with my OOAK doll. Guess I'll have to wait a few days.

I'm loving your ideas for your dolls (especially for Jasmine)! Can't wait to see them come to fruition.
 
It was mostly to make space, but also to keep the princes dust free for now. It was a wrench to know whether to open the dolls or not, but in the end I thought I would never sell them on, so what the hey!
 
Moondance... it was not my intention to get you upset in the other post discusiion . I had separated your user ID name in a rush out the door . When I said I did not believe Mulan & Poci were princesses . That was my own personal feeling . I'm not collecting those two, but many are . I found a Poci journal and sent it to my niece for her birthday . She loves it . She is very much into Native American history . Tha'ts her bedroom theme . She has everything right down to expensive Indian head dresses .
I'll just be happy to get Jasmine & Rapunzel .
The pin event is October 14th to 16th . I guess I'll go to my local Disney Store in PA and hope for the best .
 
disneycrazee said:
Hmmm...so does anyone know, when doing a OOAK, is it best to start with the repaint or the reroot??
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From what I understand, I don't think it matters much, as the two things are separate. The repainting should have a sealant applied over the finished work, so if you decide to do the reroot after, you should not have to worry about smearing the paint. Conversely, if you do the reroot first, in order to do the repaint, you will have to hold back the hair away from the face anyway to make sure that the hair does not get into the paint, ruining your work or, worse, having strands of hair sticking to the doll when the wet paint is drying. In any case, the repaint usually should be done before you style the doll's hair, because you will need to grip the doll's haed firmly while painting.
 

Thank you! I think I will try doing the repaint first.
 
Ok, I know that I said I would post an Aladdin doll review, but since I received my Designer Snow White doll today, I just had to celebrate by posting my next Disney Princess Designer Doll reviews.

Disney Princess Designer Mulan:
I will admit that Mulan's design sketch was completely underwhelming to me when I saw it. Mulan was put into a pink dress that looked uninspiring compared to some of the other princesses. The doll is a million times better than the design sketch, and I think that a lot of it has to do with the dimensional qualities of the gown in real life. The two most stunning features about the gown are the fan detail of the bodice and the train of the dress, which also uses the fan as inspiration for its design. It is a shame that the packaging of the doll does not feature the back of the gown at all, so one can only appreciate it if one takes her out of her factory doll packaging. I like her beehive a lot better than Designer Belle's beehive, and I think that has to do with the fact that Mulan's is more neatly and tightly pulled back, giving it a more chic look than Belle's. I am actually glad that they did not give her the rounder hair bun from the design sketch. Mulan has the antennae eyelashes that I am not crazy about, and on her it gives her an (elegant) insect-like look, almost as if she were channeling Cri-Kee... Though Designer Mulan is not one of my top favorites of this collection, I am still proud to have this doll.

Disney Princess Designer Snow White:
Ok, I gave my preliminary opinions about the Designer Snow White doll in the first post on this thread, but today, I received my actual doll, so I would like to share my updated views on her now that I have had a chance to really look at her up close. I can now confirm that Snow White is not only my favorite design from this collection, but she is also my favorite doll in this series! Of course, I will always have a bias in her favor, because Snow White is my favorite Disney Princess, but I really do love this doll more than the others. As I mentioned before, the translation from sketch to doll is not 100% the same, and the fit of the dress where the skirt meets the bodice is still not as streamlined as it could have been, but it is still a very stunning gown. The bold primary colors, which are signature of Snow White, combined with the silky fabrics that they used are wonderful. Her face is appropriately sweet, and her makeup is not overdone. If you look closely, the doll sculpt actually has an open mouth, but they painted the teeth area red to make it look like her mouth is closed. It is a pretty good illusion, because if someone else had not mentioned it before on another thread, I would never have noticed. Like Designer Cinderella, Snow White has rooted eyelashes of a regular length, which look quite nice. The doll does come with her hair secured in a black hairnet, which does look strange. I don't think I am going to mess with it, unless I totally take the doll out of the box. There are two thinks that I would have added to enhance her overall look: the apple purse should have a gold chain suspended from it like in the design sketch and I wish they gave her a jeweled brooch to conceal the snap closure of the cloak at her neckline. Otherwise, I love, love, love this doll! I am super-happy that Snow White's release was before the great revamp of the Designer Doll release schedule...
 
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