Limited Edition 17" Collector Dolls Information

[shooting4ownhand]

So when can we preorder her? :O

Sometime in July.

I'm not feeling the tail yet. Once we get an official picture or I see her in person I'll change my mind. However, as of right now I cannot bring myself to spend $100 on the doll when there are other LE Ariel dolls I like more.

 

[coraline]

MUST. HAVE.

I hope the pre-sale date is announced soon. Guess I'll be here with you guys counting down whenever that is....

 

[tinkerbell20]

OMG…..I love her! I really thought her tail would have been dramatic ….more like sequins but she is still so pretty and Ursula too?! and fairy tale couples….I'm going to need a part time job to afford all this

 

[OnceUponADream]

Thank you so much for posting, Pongo!

I feel like I need to see her in a better lit, closer up picture to decide if I want her or not. I had been set on getting her since Ariel is my favorite princess, but given the impending cost of the Designer line, I need to love her to justify the cost.

As it is, I only have one 17" doll-- Lady Tremaine. I never really knew about them until the last year or so. I picked her up because I wished she had been in the Designer Villains line. I absolutely love her!

 

[Polaris]

Thanks so much for posting photos Pongo!

I have to say I stand corrected as I was pretty sure that they would have gone down the line of a dress instead of a mermaid form.

I do appreciate that they went down the track of a mermaid Ariel as it does stay true to her character but I gotta say I am not 100% sold on the lower half of her body yet. The main reason why I thought they would have gone with the dress was because they would have been able to glam her up and accessorize her more to give it a more regal and elegant look, like what they did for Snow, Belle, Tiana, Rapunzel and Cinderella. But by having her in mermaid form it'll be a lot more difficult to perfect it because overall the look was already simple so to try to glam up and accessorize something like that could just lead to the item looking cheaper and tacky.

In this case I think the doll is amazing and kudos to Disney for another great release but I have to say I really was expecting more especially since there was a doll hiatus for about 6-7 months. I am still not really sold on the fins, like others have mentioned I would have thought something a little less frilly and more shiny so as to give it that scales reflecting the sunlight look. It does also look rather dark but I am assuming this may just be because of the photo?

I do agree about her top not being purple but I guess they did that to glam it up a bit. Finally it sorta looks like they tried to over accessorize the dolls due to the lack of dress. As a result it sorta does deviate away from Ariel's simplicity as a mermaid and almost borders the over the top tacky side especially for an LE doll.

But then again this is all just based on a photo and let's face it, photos never do these dolls justice as has been the case in the past. So I will still be getting her as I still think she is amazing and to be honest a lot of the points I raised are nit picking and due to my high expectations because I was expecting her in a dress. Overall I cannot wait! I am hoping pre-orders do come out soon! I am sure these will sell out fast as she really is a favorite.

 

[disneykid85]

Ariel looks a lot better than expected! Kinda so-so with the tail but I think she looks great and glad they didn't go with sparkles and stuff and that the elements in her whole getups works instead of being an afterthought like the Merida/Elenore set. I sure once in hand Ariel will be much more appreciated than our initial reaction of her. NOW I WANT TO SEE URSULA!!! There are a handful of things they can do with her. Just hope they don't treat her like they did the LE Queen of Hearts.

 

[OnceUponADream]

^I've learned to judge most of these dolls by their in-store appearance.

As mentioned, I have very limited experience with and knowledge of the 17" dolls, but I found many of the Designer dolls to look abysmal online, yet gorgeous in person.

I think Ariel's one who could go either way for me.

 

[Carrots901]

Super dissapointed,unfortunately she looks a hot mess IMHO.Why the need to alter her color scheme,purple shell,blue/green fins is and was always what Ariel has been marketed in as a mermaid,why change it now.It doesnt make any sence.All previous Limited Editions still followed standard design,just with much more added construction of detail,yet Ariel is has just way to much going on.Ugh,the hair is all kinds of fabulous,but it's not amazing enough to justify all that she has going on.Thankfully Ariel was never my favorite charecter,otherwise I would have gone marbles and found myself writing all kinds of strongly worded letters to Disney.Thankfully I still have oppurtunitys to purchase other Limited Edition Ariels,like Tonners or Ashton Drakes.Im both aggravated and let down,but oh well.More for those of you who do appreciate such an abstract redesign,less competition.I do however find comfort in last years release of the 17" singing Ariel,she's gorgeous enough to proudly display among the other LE Princesses.Le sigh* :/

 

[Tarnation]

I'm sooooo happy she's a mermaid.
To be honest, I don't really think it would have mattered, I'd have bought her anyway (mermaid or dress) as she's my fave (red heads unite!) But I am relieved she's a Mermaid, as I believe she should have been. Am I happy with every aspect? No, her tail should be green and her shells purple- they could have easily done what they've done in those colours (would also appear less... dark)... but she's an Ariel LE doll and I love her <3 <3
Thanks again for posting the picture, made my day!

 

[TinkerTigg]

I like and appreciate how "natural" she looks. Sure sequins could give the wet tail appearance and all, but with the backdrop being her underwater kingdom, I feel this matte FINish is appropriate. Sorry about that, couldn't help myself. But with more natural looking shells and accessories, it makes her look more "made with natural materials"...even though they are so not natural at all.
Seeing their approach to the Ariel doll, I am now even more excited for the potential for Ursula. I get it if they don't want to make her cartoon big, but they need to at least make her broadway big. It really all comes down to material and execution choices. I adore my current villains so I don't really have cause for concern when it comes to my future Ursula doll. I just...DON'T WANNA WAIT ANY MORE TO SEE IT!

 

[NightmareMermaid]

But with more natural looking shells and accessories, it makes her look more "made with natural materials".

This is how I see her. She is an "elemental" doll. I think she is very pretty, but I don't think she belongs in this line. The style of this line was made clear by the many dolls that have already been released. They all wore their iconic outfit which was embellished to give them a higher quality look. They retain the color and general appearance of their outfits. Ariel is the first to stray from this. It seems odd that they would change the style now. I think this Ariel doll would have been better in a different LE line of dolls a few years from now after this LE line was completed. This doll could have been part of a "nature" line or something to that effect.

I really want to see the Ursula doll too. I'm hoping that we'll be able to pre-order her since then there will be a good chance of there being a third surprise release doll.

 

[Jamie]

I personally think this doll is fabulous! On my must have list for sure. To me it's a cross between a dress bottom and a fin. If I have one complaint, it's that you can see the stand, kinda like Calhouns. They should have tried to hide it better, maybe some seed weed or something, I don't know, but that is about the only thing I don't love. But I personally think her face is Gorgeous! Well worth a $100 IMO.

 

[Polaris]

I think she is very pretty, but I don't think she belongs in this line. The style of this line was made clear by the many dolls that have already been released. They all wore their iconic outfit which was embellished to give them a higher quality look. They retain the color and general appearance of their outfits. Ariel is the first to stray from this. It seems odd that they would change the style now. I think this Ariel doll would have been better in a different LE line of dolls a few years from now after this LE line was completed. This doll could have been part of a "nature" line or something to that effect.

I definitely agree that the Ariel LE is very different to all the other princess dolls in that she is in her mermaid form rather than wearing a large ball gown type dress. Also I can see what Jamie is referring to in that is is a cross between her fins and her dress but to be honest I would have preferred it if they did it the other way wherein they gave her a dress and tried to make it look like a fin or mermaid like. I think that would have just given Disney the opportunity to really make Ariel shine.

That being said for an attempt at an Ariel mermaid I think it is done pretty well. But if it is the best they could do with Ariel, no I think they had a multitude of opportunities that they missed by going down this track.

But I digress until I actually see the doll I still think it is a matter of the doll being better than the picture and that the picture does it no justice at all.

 

[NightmareMermaid]

I think one of the reasons why they may have chosen to do a LE mermaid Ariel doll is because of the Designer Couple dolls. For the Designer Ariel doll I thought they would do a mermaid gown since it would have combined features of her tail with a dress, but they chose a different dress style. This makes me think that they may do a mermaid gown for the Designer Couple Ariel doll.

 

[Polaris]

I think one of the reasons why they may have chosen to do a LE mermaid Ariel doll is because of the Designer Couple dolls. For the Designer Ariel doll I thought they would do a mermaid gown since it would have combined features of her tail with a dress, but they chose a different dress style. This makes me think that they may do a mermaid gown for the Designer Couple Ariel doll.

that is a good point. I keep forgetting about the new designer couple set and that Ariel will be in that as well. Did they have these issues back during the initial designer princess releases and the belle October release? (Or did belle come out the year before?)

 

[ladyroselie]

I hope that the embellishments on Ariel's outfit are in scale. I don't mind frippery with the LE costumes, but Belle's were so out of scale I couldn't keep her. I am really excited for this "dark Ariel;" who remembers the dark blue tailed costume the Tyco Ariel had? Just looking at her reminds me of it, being a child, and just makes me happy. Certainly will be trying to get one of this gal.

 

[ladyroselie]

Here is a photo: Ariel's Under-the-Sea Treasures Accessory Set made by Tyco

[/URL] Ariel Tyco Set by ladyroselie, on Flickr[/IMG]

It looks green here, but it is a dark blue IRL.

Here is a better indication of the color:

[/URL] ariel Tyco set 2 by ladyroselie, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[NightmareMermaid]

that is a good point. I keep forgetting about the new designer couple set and that Ariel will be in that as well. Did they have these issues back during the initial designer princess releases and the belle October release? (Or did belle come out the year before?)

LE Belle was released in October 2010 and Designer Belle was released in October 2011.

 

[Skittlegirltokyo]

This is how I see her. She is an "elemental" doll. I think she is very pretty, but I don't think she belongs in this line. The style of this line was made clear by the many dolls that have already been released. They all wore their iconic outfit which was embellished to give them a higher quality look. They retain the color and general appearance of their outfits. Ariel is the first to stray from this. It seems odd that they would change the style now. I think this Ariel doll would have been better in a different LE line of dolls a few years from now after this LE line was completed. This doll could have been part of a "nature" line or something to that effect.

I really want to see the Ursula doll too. I'm hoping that we'll be able to pre-order her since then there will be a good chance of there being a third surprise release doll.

I bet her fin looks a whole lot prettier in person than this picture. They ALWAYS do. And honestly I think by sticking to the fin they are staying true to Ariel. At least its not some "new" dress they just pulled out of their butts. This is true to the film. I don't see why she wouldn't belong in the LE line, I mean Calhoun certainly wasn't wearing a long flowing ball gown. I don't think that defines the LE line. And I think to skip her would be ridiculous if not folly on Disney's part. They already skipped Mulan and Pocahontas ! Its still really early to say nay/yay. Wait till there is a better photo. Ariel started off as a Mermaid anyways.

 

[Skittlegirltokyo]

I'm reading where people are saying that they will go ahead and buy the doll now, since they like the way she looks. Is it bad that there was NO doubt in my mind about buying her? lol Even before the picture? lol Unless she was tragically super super ugly, I would've bought her regardless lol

 

[NightmareMermaid]

I bet her fin looks a whole lot prettier in person than this picture. They ALWAYS do. And honestly I think by sticking to the fin they are staying true to Ariel. At least its not some "new" dress they just pulled out of their butts. This is true to the film. I don't see why she wouldn't belong in the LE line, I mean Calhoun certainly wasn't wearing a long flowing ball gown. I don't think that defines the LE line. And I think to skip her would be ridiculous if not folly on Disney's part. They already skipped Mulan and Pocahontas ! Its still really early to say nay/yay. Wait till there is a better photo. Ariel started off as a Mermaid anyways.

That wasn't what I said at all. I wasn't saying that she didn't fit in the LE line because she wasn't wearing a dress, but because they changed the colors of her mermaid outfit. They didn't do this with the other LE dolls so it seemed odd that they would do it now. A LE mermaid Ariel doll was what I wanted, but I along with others on this forum were surprised by the "darker" appearance that Ariel has.

 

[Polaris]

I bet her fin looks a whole lot prettier in person than this picture. They ALWAYS do. And honestly I think by sticking to the fin they are staying true to Ariel. At least its not some "new" dress they just pulled out of their butts. This is true to the film. I don't see why she wouldn't belong in the LE line, I mean Calhoun certainly wasn't wearing a long flowing ball gown. I don't think that defines the LE line. And I think to skip her would be ridiculous if not folly on Disney's part. They already skipped Mulan and Pocahontas ! Its still really early to say nay/yay. Wait till there is a better photo. Ariel started off as a Mermaid anyways.

I think you are getting confused. I believe Nightmaremermaid was pointing out that she does not fit with the other Disney Princess LE line where they are all in dresses. Calhoun, buzz and woody, Jessie, jack and Sally and China doll are all LE dolls but of a different type hence the different edition size and packaging.

but yes you are right By sticking with the the mermaid form they are staying true to the movie, it is just that compared with the other princess dolls she will be only one not in a signature type dress (which arguably speaking for Ariel is the dress they put her in in parks) which while is not true to the film would still have been something disney could have used to keep that consistency going. but we should all learn by now, Disney definitely has no structure or pattern that they follow. They definitely like to keep us guessing which I think is a good thing.

i also agree that the pictures do not so the doll justice and think she will look amazing in person. I cannot wait!

Whoops sorry Nightmaremermaid I also misinterpreted what you said but yes I do agree with you too in that she does appear a little darker and her colors are off. But it could just be the photo. Also I know a lot of people have been going on about her being in Mermaid form being true to the movie but what about Cinderella they completely went with her new look with the curl in her hair, the strawberry blonde and even the blue dress. Do you think they went down this path with Ariel due to the complaints people had last year?

 

[Tarnation]

I'm reading where people are saying that they will go ahead and buy the doll now, since they like the way she looks. Is it bad that there was NO doubt in my mind about buying her? lol Even before the picture? lol Unless she was tragically super super ugly, I would've bought her regardless lol

It's not bad at all! l was (still am) always to buy her-no Matter what she looked like

I think you are getting confused. I believe Nightmaremermaid was pointing out that she does not fit with the other Disney Princess LE line where they are all in dresses. Calhoun, buzz and woody, Jessie, jack and Sally and China doll are all LE dolls but of a different type hence the different edition size and packaging.

but yes you are right By sticking with the the mermaid form they are staying true to the movie, it is just that compared with the other princess dolls she will be only one not in a signature type dress (which arguably speaking for Ariel is the dress they put her in in parks) which while is not true to the film would still have been something disney could have used to keep that consistency going. but we should all learn by now, Disney definitely has no structure or pattern that they follow. They definitely like to keep us guessing which I think is a good thing.

i also agree that the pictures do not so the doll justice and think she will look amazing in person. I cannot wait!

Whoops sorry Nightmaremermaid I also misinterpreted what you said but yes I do agree with you too in that she does appear a little darker and her colors are off. But it could just be the photo. Also I know a lot of people have been going on about her being in Mermaid form being true to the movie but what about Cinderella they completely went with her new look with the curl in her hair, the strawberry blonde and even the blue dress. Do you think they went down this path with Ariel due to the complaints people had last year?

I think there's a little difference between Cindy & Ariel because... well Cinderella has really always been marketed in a blue dress with blonde hair (yes a bit More prominent blonde & blue lately, but Ariel has never been marketed with a purple fin... possibly why I'm a little put off. but I loveher anyway... she's Ariel!!!

 

[Selithiel]

I have to say I am very happy with her. The Singing Doll from last year in the pink dress was my favorite face mold for Ariel and I am happy to see that is what they're using. She is downright gorgeous - the hair looks amazing and the color scheme manages to stay true while making it more realistic. I really cannot wait to get my hands on her - I hope the tail looks better in person but regardless I think that she looks phenomenal.

 

[Skittlegirltokyo]

That wasn't what I said at all. I wasn't saying that she didn't fit in the LE line because she wasn't wearing a dress, but because they changed the colors of her mermaid outfit. They didn't do this with the other LE dolls so it seemed odd that they would do it now. A LE mermaid Ariel doll was what I wanted, but I along with others on this forum were surprised by the "darker" appearance that Ariel has.

The darker colors are strange but Belle's dress was different and Cinderella's dress in the film is greyish, whereas the LE was blue. Not to mention her HAIR. I suppose Disney just likes to play around with different styles. So making a little change to the doll isn't all that new. maybe even expected.