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Disney Simba
by daisy_jean
About Simba;
Available for purchase from the Disney Store website (or in store at the Disney Shop), Simba is currently retailing for £18. He measures H30 x W21cm approx and is suitable for children aged 12months+. He is a soft toy, with squeezy bean bag feet (therefore not machine washable), and has the Disney Store stamp on one ... of his front paws.
We bought this Simba for our daughter as an Easter present - an alternative to chocolate (as she would get enough of that from family members), and as a bribery method for giving up her dummy! She is obsessed with The Lion King, and her other most treasured possession is a small Disney Store Mufasa beanie toy of mine that is several years old. So when browsing the Disney Store one day, I noticed they had this Simba on offer for £8 - bargain, I thought! Because as much as I adore Disney Store toys, they can be rather expensive at full price, and I do love a bargain! I didn't order online however (see previous review of the website for reasons why!) - although we have no stores near us, one of my friends lives near to one so did a mercy dash for us whilst the offer was still valid!
Upon receiving Simba, I was immediately thrilled with my purchase - he is a good size (proportions listed above), soft and cuddly, and a perfect friend for any small child (or adult, as in my case!). As with all Disney Store soft toys, the quality is superb and really stands out from cheaper Disney items from other retailers. I love the Disney Store stamp on the foot too - it really signals quality for me! One let down though, as with other toys, is that he isn't machine washable due to the beans in his feet (they would swell, retaining the water) - it's a damp cloth job to get him clean, should any spills occur.
My daughter is thrilled with Simba, and plays with him daily. She makes up little role-play situations with him, and he is always centre stage ahead of her other toys. He is taken to bed each night, and lays proudly at the end of the bed with Mufasa, and each morning they are both carefully brought back down to be played with. For now, her obsession with The Lion King lives on!
Just keep an eye out for the special offers though - at £18 full price, this is rather an expensive soft toy, despite it's charm and quality!
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Disney Brave Cub Bear Mini Bean Bag
by karalouk
Last year my daughter and I went to the cinema to see the Disney Pixar film 'Brave' and my daughter has been hooked on the film ever since! Whilst browsing in The Disney Store last year we came across a bunch of Brave merchandise which included 3 little bear cubs. In the film Merida (the princess/main character) has little triplet ... brothers who turn in to bear cubs.
The Disney Store Brave Mini Bean Bag Bear Cubs all look the same but are positioned differently. One is standing, one is sitting and one is in a crawling position. My daughter chose the bear cub in the crawling position (as pictured above). The cubs don't have names on so I'm not sure which is which, but they are identical so I suppose you can decide for yourself!
The bear cub looks just like it does in the film. If you have seen Brave you will instantly recognise it. It's very cute. The cub is a mostly black colour with grey patches around the eyes, nose, mouth and inside the ears. These dark colours mean that it doesn't get dirty easily. It can be hand washed, although we haven't needed to wash our cub yet. It sits in a crawling position but with it's bottom on the floor. There is a small bean bag inside his bottom which isn't too noticeable to feel but it helps to weigh the cub down. This allows my daughter to sit him up. There are no bean bags inside the rest of the body or the head. The rest of the body and head is really squashy. The head is as big (if not slightly bigger) as the body, which makes the cub look very cute and animated. The cub has a small nose, mouth, blue eyes, little ears and tiny tail. It is soft and fleecy on the outside and is perfect for cuddling up to.
The cub is quite small (as the title suggests) and measures 17cm tall and 12cm wide. However it's not TOO small and fits nicely in my daughters arms. It's the perfect size for taking out and about (and doesn't take up lots of space in bed etc). There are no removable bits and it seems very safe. The Disney Store website informs me that the bear cub is suitable for all ages. The bear cub seems very robust and like good quality, ours is as good as new after a year.
All of the Brave Mini Bean Bag Bear Cubs cost £7.00 each. I think this is a pretty reasonable price to pay for a cute little plush that will really appeal to young and old Brave fans!
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Disney Frankenweenie Sparky
by karalouk
Frankenweenie is a 2012 Disney film, written and directed by Tim Burton. We went to see Frankenweenie at the cinema last year and absolutely loved it. It's not your average Disney film but if you love Tim Burton, you're likely to love Frankenweenie. The film is about a dog called Sparky who gets hit by a car and dies (nice!). His grief ... stricken owner (a boy called Victor) creates an experiment which brings him back to life - cuts, stitches n all! The weird and wonderful story continues from there...
I first saw the Sparky plush toy on The Disney Store website (it's a Disney Store Exclusive), it looked adorable and I knew I wanted it! However I actually bought it in store. It looked slightly bigger online, so I was a little disappointed when I saw it in person. It's not exactly small but I feel it could be slightly bigger, especially for the price paid. Sparky measures 20.5cm tall and 33cm long.
Sparky isn't your average cute soft toy - he's unconventionally attractive! There's lots of detail and he looks just like he does in the film. He's a grey colour with black ears and tail (it's a black and white movie, so the toy has no colours on it). He's covered in black stitches (including his mouth) which came from his injuries - the stitches are actually stitched on to him, rather than printed on. He has a small patch stitched on one side and a large spotty patch stitched on his back (I assume these patches are to hold him together in the film!). He has a long bull terrier face and his round eyes are stitched on and look slightly sunken (edged by grey lines and grey lines stitched underneath). He also has the cutest little black patent nose stitched on to the end of his face! One of the best features is a soft silver coloured bolt which appears to go through his neck, bearing a resemblance to Frankenstein.
I actually ended up disguising my purchase as a Christmas present for my daughter! I wrapped it up, put it under the tree and she was really pleased when she opened it.
The toy is very soft on the outside. It's very squishy inside too. This makes it a very good plush to squeeze and cuddle up with. My daughter often keeps Sparky in bed with her. His legs are slightly firmer, which allows him to stand up independently. This allows my daughter to play with him better - soft toys don't generally have much playability if they can't be stood or sat up. The toy seems like excellent quality (like most Disney Store plush toys), it seems to have a tough exterior and I imagine that it will stand the test of time.
The Disney Store sell other plush Frankenweenie characters including Victor, Edgar and Persephone (Sparky's 'girlfriend'). Along with Sparky, we also have Persephone who is great. Be quick if you want to get your hands on a Frankenweenie plush, I predict they will be retired soon. Our Sparky plush toy cost £14.00, which may seem a little pricey for a soft toy that doesn't do anything (and is a bit smaller than expected), however it looks very cute, is good quality and is great for fans of Frankenweenie!
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