Once Upon a Zombie: Belle

Zombies really are taking over everything these days, and now they've gone and converted our princesses! When I first saw pictures of the Once Upon a Zombie dolls, I'll admit that I wasn't sure. I love princesses, I love zombies, but something about these dolls wasn't necessarily grabbing me. I also have an issue with dolls I have order online and can't see in person, but that's just me! Over time, I started seeing more pictures and more reviews, and every time I saw one...I was a little more intrigued. The final straw came when my husband asked for something for Christmas that could be purchased at ThinkGeek, one of the places that sells Once Upon a Zombie dolls! That means I HAD to, right? Right.

The next decision was which one to buy? Currently there are 6 characters available, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Little Mermaid, Snow White, and the one I ended up choosing, Belle. I had Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, and Snow White in and out of my basket several times, because they're all really interesting, but in the end, Belle's flaming red hair and bright green eyes drew me in! 

Maybe we shouldn't get any closer...

The box is compact and mostly plastic, and features a cartoon of Belle on the front. Honestly, it looks almost nothing like the doll to me. This was a fairly easy box to open and get Belle out of, which I always like!

On the back, we have pictures of the other princesses, plus some info about the website and apps you can download. This website is another place you can buy the dolls!

Here she is! She comes with a brush, and I was incredibly pleased to note that she came with a stand! As an adult collector I really appreciate being able to easily display my dolls on stands designed for them, but I bet they're really handy for play for kids too! This is also a really nice, sturdy stand, which isn't always the case with play doll stands.

Belle's face is kind of gorgeous to me, despite her grey skin and stitches. I love her green inset eyes! She's my first play doll with inset eyes, and the effect is stunning, especially when you remember she's supposed to be a zombie. Her gaze seems deep but vacant at the same time, and there's a fierceness to her face I love. She also has applied lashes in addition to painted, set into her eye just below the upper lid. This is a great detail!

See how much detail is put into these eyes? They're really something, to me anyways!

Belle's eyeshadow is dramatic, and done in shades of green. I love the bright green wings she has, even if this amount of makeup on a princess OR a zombie is a bit odd. Across one eye she has a line of delicate stitches, and her lips are a bright red.

 Belle's dress is kind of an odd colour combo, because I can't help but be reminded of ketchup and mustard! That said, it's still very cute and pretty well made. The red material is very thick and stiff, and the peplums over her hips are made of a slightly shimmery yellow tulle. She has just one sleeve, and the remaining one ends in a tattered bell. Her collar is a bit clown-like, and I'm not sure what it must have looked like before she became a zombie and got all tattered. Her skirt hem is jagged with a few rips in the front, and underneath is a black tulle with a pattern almost like spiderwebs.

The same tulle is under her remaining sleeve as well, and I really like the interest this adds to the outfit. There's a small skull at her waist, kind of like a belt buckle. All the dolls in the line have this detail, which is a fun way to tie them all together.

She comes barefoot, which actually works for me. I like the awkward shape of her feet, and I think it adds to the spookiness of the doll, and really makes her look like she just stumbled out of her palace!

Her hair falls in two ringlets around her face, and the rest is pulled back into a high pony framed by a small tiara. It's not the highest quality hair I've ever felt, pretty dry and crispy at the ends, and I don't think it would brush out well, but. You know, she IS a zombie. I don't think they have time for deep conditioner.

Next, I thought we'd do some side-by-side's with everyone's favourite zombie, Ms Ghoulia Yelps! 

Belle is taller, and has what I would say is a much more realistic body shape. She's well proportioned from top to bottom, and lacks the over-exaggeration of the Monster High body. These two definitely couldn't share clothes, but I bet Belle could wear Disney Store princess clothes! Apart from the shape, Belle and Ghoulia has pretty much identical articulation and range of motion which is nice to see. Monster High has some of the best poseability of play dolls, so I'm always glad to see more dolls matching it.

Weirdly, Belle's lower legs are made from a different material than the rest of her, and are rather bendy. Not sure what the reason for this could be, but it's pretty amusing!

One of my favourite things about this doll is her hands. They're so expressive! They're delicate but still "zombie" and they really make posing her a lot of fun!

Ghoulia's not sure sure about this new zombie...

Don't get too close!

Oh, maybe she's not so bad...

Friends! For now...

So that's zombie Belle! What do you think of these Once Upon a Zombie dolls? Which one should I get next time? If there is a next time...Belle's looking at me kind of funny...

Ahhhhhhh!