Disney Princesses are getting a makeover. But don't worry -- unlike the "tween" Dora that Nickelodeon recently introduced, these new dolls are only trying to improve on what's already there. (This is, shall we say, change we can believe in.) "The Disney Store doll design team studied the classic princess movies and fine-tuned each doll’s face design, hairstyle and dress to make them even more true to the original character," according to a Disney Store spokesperson. Plus, now each Princess has friends! We asked Senior Designer Jaime Tracht, a 9-year toy business veteran, about the new dolls:
Babble: What is different about these new princesses?
Jaime Tracht: Everything is new about the dolls. The faces, hair quality, dress designs and accessories are all new. Each dress was created to mimic the silhouette of the original films with the addition of every little girl's favorite ingredient, Glitter! We also lengthened the hair for maximum playability while keeping as true to the character as possible.
B: Which princess is the most popular?
JT: Since the release of the newly designed girls the top spot for popularity has jumped all over the place. We are seeing new favorites, which is very exciting! Our usually titleholder of top princess has been held by Cinderella for years. Since the new dolls have been introduced she has been outsold by Belle, Jasmine and Pocahontas. It’s great to see such excitement for the girls who were previously less popular.
B: Do you have a favorite?
JT: It’s impossible for me to pick. I love Ariel, Jasmine, Pocahontas and Belle but Aurora and Mulan are so pretty and Snow is so cute and colorful. It’s very hard to decide.
B: Who are the "friends" that now come with the various princesses?
JT: In every movie our princesses have magical friends or sweet little animals helping them along in their journey. They play a special part in each story so they should naturally be a part of the doll. Jasmine has her loyal tiger Rajah and Belle has her enchanted friends Mrs. Potts, Chip and Lumiere. Aurora is accompanied by her 3 magical fairy friends and you can’t imagine Ariel without her mischievous friend Flounder and the musically gifted Sebastian. Each princess comes with these types of friends to complete their stories.
B: What are some of the details you added to the new dolls?
JT: They all capture the true essence of each individual character down to the most minute details. We did a constant comparison to the films throughout the entire process of design with special attention to the faces and dresses. Each character has such specific and identifiable characteristics, whether it be the swirl in the center of Aurora’s bangs, Jasmine’s larger more upturned eyes or the perfect pale yellow of Belles dress, we got it.
The dolls are now available at Disney Stores nationwide. Visit DisneyShopping.com to find a location near you.
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