There's been a lot of fuss over the recent "Beauty and the Beast" live action remake. The dolls were interesting,and quite a departure from the dolls based on the animated version. Today we're going to take a look back, at the original Belle doll.
The first Belle was released by Mattel, back in 1991,when the original film was released.
She came wearing the simple blue dress and apron in which Belle makes her first appearance in the film.
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| It should have come with black flats, but I'm pretty sure they were blue high heels. |
The head sculpt didn't look anything like the character from the movie, but it was a pretty face.
Emma was born in 1991. As a toddler she fell in love with the movie, and she had the small PVC figures. I think it was for her second birthday,which had a "Beauty and the Beast" theme,that she got her Belle and Beast dolls.
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| It's movie accurate, but Belle is one of the few Mattel dolls with brown eyes. |
The blue and white dress's sleeves and the apron both have a pattern of stars that was also featured on Belle's extra outfits, and Mattel's "Aladdin" Jasmine's clothes.
The apron is removable and underneath it the dress has pleats around the waist.
The back of the apron ties with ribbons, and the dress closes with Velcro.
The collar of the dress is velveteen.
Belle's hair style is sort of a cross between Judy Garland's Dorothy in the "Wizard of Oz"...
... and tamed 80's bangs.
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| Like this hair I found on the internet. The face has been removed to protect the innocent! |
The hair is pulled into a ponytail,tied with a ribbon,(under which there is an elastic band.)
She has the Barbie body of the time,a body with straight arms and click bend legs.
Tomorrow we'll take a look at another member of the "Beauty and the Beast" family.
I have this doll, along with several other Mattel Belle dolls. My Belle's hair is not in factory condition anymore, though. I think the elastic band gave out, and then it was all downhill from there. I think you're right about this doll coming with blue high heels. And my Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty from this line also have the star/sparkle pattern going on. I'm pretty sure this was the first line of Disney movie dolls, at least in mass lines of different dolls like this.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about Beauty and the Beast being the beginning of big major lines of Disney movie dolls. There were Cinderella and Snow White dolls by a smaller company,(I can't remember the name.),before. They weren't majorly released though. Th ugly stepsisters were perfect and very movie accurate, as were the 7 Dwarves,but the main characters were not very good.
DeleteMy son and I loved Beauty and the Beast. I loved that he would watch Disney movies with me and in fact, still will! Don't tell him I said that. He's 23 and would be embarrassed. lol I think my favorite though would have been a Chip doll over a Belle one.
ReplyDeleteThere have been several sets with little Chip figures that are the right size for Barbie sized dolls, and lots of plush Chips. I have a tiny set of Beauty and the Beast dishes and there's a little Chip.
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