Out of the Box: Disney Couture De Force 20th Anniversary Esmerelda Hunchback Notre Dame

While I've never been a big Disney collector, so many of my friends are (both real life friends and online doll/figure collectors) that occasionally I get swept up in their enthusiasm.  One recent case of this was the number of people I've seen collecting the Couture De Force resin figurines, which led to me picking up their Esmerelda figure, which was released to mark the 20th Anniversary of The Hunchback of Notre Dame in 2016.

I've always thought that Hunchback was such an odd candidate for a Disney adaptation, and so even though it wasn't a completely successful movie I've always had a soft spot for it.  Perhaps it's because it was so oddly-themed that there's relatively little merchandise out there for it (I've long said that I'd love to buy a villain-themed snow globe that plays the Hellfire song).  Seeing this pop up, I decided to give it a try.

This figurine, in line with most of the Couture De Force line is 8 inchces/20cm in height.  The retail prices on the various figures in the line range between $44 and $90 USD, and Esmerelda landed right in the middle at $66USD.  The marketing promises that "faux gems, encrusted crystals and opalescent paint bring each sculpture to life".

Out of the Box: Cabbage Patch Kids "Taylor Audrey"

A few months ago I'd been thinking that I was wishing I'd brought one of my old (mid-1980s) Cabbage Patch Kids dolls back home with me after my last visit to my mother's place.  In a fit of nostalgia, I discovered the wide variety of sizes, constructions, and styles of new CPK that are now available.

A few casual searches later, and I found a listing for a "cowgirl" variation on sale. While the store listed her as being short-haired and dark-skinned, the doll that I received turned out to have long hair and the medium skin colour.  While someone looking for a look-a-like doll for a child would probably have been disappointed, that was ultimately a neutral for me since my main goal was just to see what one of these new P'tits Bouts De Choux (sorry, the Canadian in me couldn't help it) would be like.

Incidentally, while this doll has fibre rather than yarn hair, the original style yarn-haired dolls are still available. They seem to be about twice the price though!