Aqua Fantasy Ariel Barbie Film Premiere Edition and Sea Witch Ursula Barbie from Disney's "The Little Mermaid"

Today is going to be a double feature. I am featuring Ariel and Ursula dolls, from the Disney animated film "The Little Mermaid" (1989).



TEA AND BACKSTORY:

Last year, I went to Austin to visit my beloved little sister. In preparation for the trip, I took a glance at Austin's craigslist.org to see if anything caught my eye (I'm a big fan of craigslist). I came across a jewel; Ursula, from The Little Mermaid. It was listed for 10 or 15 dollars, which was a nice price (I'm also always on the look for good deals). I emailed the person and asked her to hold the doll for me. She did, and I picked it up while I was in Austin and took it home. It's a lovely doll, I would say that it's at the same scale as a Barbie. This particular Ursula doll, named "Sea Witch Ursula", is from the Disney Limited Edition Great Villains Collection, which came out in 1997. It is a limited edition, third in a series. Ursula is about 8.5" tall x 8.5" wide and the octopus part of her body is a soft black velveteen & has silky deep purple tentacles w/sequins & beads. She comes with King Triton's gold crown and gold triton. She wears a gold shell on her neck, containing Ariel's voice. There's a small shrimp on a tentacle. She came with a Certificate of Authenticity, a Doll Stand, & Reply Card.

So I got home with her and have loved her ever since. I decided that I would need an Ariel doll to go on the shelf with Ursula, so I peeked at all the Ariel dolls on ebay. After many frustrating minutes of searching, I could not find an Ariel doll that looked 'right'. I found it impossible to find one that actually looked like her. Eventually, I came across the Film Premiere Edition, and I just about fell in love with it. The only problem was that it cost upwards of 45 dollars (plus shipping). That was a bit more than I'd care to spend on it, so I had to resign myself to waiting for the forseeable future.

Recently I started keeping an eye out for a decently priced Aqua Fantasy Ariel, and ultimately came across one who's current bid was 99 cents. I figured the price would land at about 45 dollars, but I kept an eye on it anyway. As the auction ending came closer and closer, the bids came in, and finally they stopped at 16.50. I won it for 22.50, including shipping. I was flabberghasted!

Well, she arrived last Tuesday.. It's probably good that I'm not a true collector, because the box is in pretty bad shape. I don't mind because of course I don't display the boxes. So here she is! Now I have them both, and here they are!

First up is Ariel.

This particular Ariel doll is named "Aqua Fantasy Ariel". She is the first in a series from the Disney Collector 'Film Premiere Edition(TM), made by Mattel (but not a Barbie edition) in 1997. She comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, a 2-year limited warranty, and a stand. The stand's base is a pearescent seashell with a gold "Film Premiere Edition" sticker on the front.

URSULA:

I was so excited when I got home with my Ursula that I didn't take any pictures of her in her box. Now I have stored the box away somewhere. Luckily, 2rebelscollectibles is graciously letting me use their pictures of the brand new Ursula doll they have for sale that is the same edition as mine (see the listing here) Check out the lovely dolls and other collectibles they have for sale here! Photo credit goes to Rebel Marino.

Here's my Ursula in all her unboxed glory:

Okay, so I've had Ariel for a week now, and I've made a small change. My best friend was leaving an arts and crafts store and found some stick on jewels in the parking lot. It turned out that the color of those jewels were just perfect for Ariel, so I put them on and I love them. Take a look and let me know what you think :) I'm thinking of putting black jewels on Ursula (at some point) to go with Ariel.

HOMEWORK: What's your favorite doll based on your favorite film, Disney or otherwise?