Poor Unfortunate Souls: Disney Signature Collection Ursula

You know how sometimes things come together all at once? Well, that's kind of what happened here. Just a few days ago I saw a post on Tumblr of a new Disney Signature Collection Cinderella, but didn't think too much of it since Cinderella doesn't push my buttons. However, at some point I became aware that there was an Ursula in this collection, and just this morning I was Googling her. 

Well, wouldn't you know, my husband pointed her out to me this afternoon while we were grocery shopping at Wal-Mart, asking me "Hey, did you know about this?" Sometimes things are just meant to be, or so I tell myself so that I can come home with cool dolls :)

I have a bit of an Ursula thing, complete with a (pretty fabulous, if I do say so myself) Ursula costume that has seen me through Halloween and comic conventions, and this version is definitely striking!

Want to see more? Go ahead, make your choice! 

 

I don't generally keep dolls in their boxes, but I was sorely tempted to do that with Ursula! This box is COOL. I love the shape of it, and it has a nice big window, framed with really awesome art. Inside the box, Ursula is accompanied by cardboard versions of her minions, Flotsam and Jetsam, and the background is her cave. The back features another image of Ursula, as well as a poster for The Little Mermaid, and a little shell labelled "1989" near the top. These are nice little details!

One side features three images from the movies in over frames, and the other is blank, with just a white shell detail.

They weren't kidding when they called her, well...a witch.

Out of the box, I was pleasantly surprised to find that she stands on her own! Looking in the box at the shape of the bottom two tentacles, I thought she might, but it's always nice when things work out the way they're supposed to. She's solid vinyl, and pretty weighty, and has six tentacles. Oddly, the front of her body is covered in purple flocking. This flocking doesn't continue around to the back, and I'd have preferred if she'd just been all the same shiny, textured plastic you can see at the top of her tentacles. I think the flocking cheapens the look of the doll a bit. One small detail I really like is how expressive her hands are. They don't move, but they're molded into two different, very nice shapes instead of just being kind of paddles. It's a nice touch!

Around the back, you can see Ursula's rather impressive posterior (all the better for body language, naturally), as well as a better look at that texture I was talking about. I'm not super clear on the purpose of the flocking at all, except to maybe make her look a bit softer? It's a mystery...

And a bit of a closer shot. You can also see the colours here. Her body is a deep blue with a purple hue, and the undersides of her tentacles are a pinky-purple. I love the suckers! I should note that in addition to her arms having rotational articulation, the top four tentacles move as well! Not a lot, and they can look kind of weird, but it's still fun to be able to play around with them!

But really, what sold me on this Ursula is her face. It's so wonderfully expressive and evil, I can't get enough!

I mean, what can I really say here? She looks just like the cartoon, from the high arched eyebrows to the red lips, curved into an evil grin. Her eyeshadow is shimmery blue and grey, and she's got eyeliner and lashes for days. You definitely don't want to mess with this lady!

A big selling point for me with this Ursula was that she has actual hair! I have the Disney store Ursula, and while she's cool (we'll see her in a bit!) she has molded hair. It's not like I'm going to style this hair or anything, but the fact that it's actually hair is still nice. Once you kind of work the gel out of it, it moves into a nice, soft swirl, perfect to make her look like she's under the sea! It has her signature grey streak on one side as well, which you can see here. Also, she's missing Ursula's purple shell earrings. I think with this particular head mold, earrings might have been tricky, so I get why they're left off...but I do miss details when they're not there!

She does have her shell necklace however! I love that it's done in this gorgeous shiny gold, it really makes it look like it's glowing. It's open in the back so it can be removed, but it stays on really well on its own.

Remember that Disney store Ursula I mentioned earlier? Well, here she is! I actually thought their faces were way more similar than they are until I had them side by side, so I'm feeling even better about my purchase. Check out that rationalization!

The most obvious difference here is that the Disney store Ursula has a plush body. She's vinyl until just under her bust and then her belly and tentacles are plush. Her arms are articulated just at the shoulders like the Signature Collection Ursula, but they're both molded perfectly straight, so they're much less expressive. 

Facially, I really like both dolls, and I love their slightly different expressions. Disney store Ursula looks a little sneakier, like she's trying to convince you that she's on your side, and Signature Collection Ursula looks like she should be steepling her fingers together over her cauldron, plotting your demise.

The Disney store Ursula's upper body is all one piece, with the head and necklace molded right onto the body. Signature Collection Ursula's head is a separate piece, though she can't turn it. It's differences like this highlight the price difference I think. I paid $16.50 for the Disney store version, and $27.97 for the Signature Collection (Canadian prices), and I think both dolls are worth their respective prices, more or less.

Remember how I said I liked Ursula a lot? I have one more! This is a Pop! figure by Funko, and even though she's not really a doll, she obviously had to come to the party.

She's pretty cute, right? Lots of attitude in a small package!

Do I have enough Ursula's yet? NEVER!

There is an Ariel in this new Signature Collection, and she's very cute! She's looks very much like the cartoon, and makes me think a lot of the Ariel doll I had when I was a kid. However, at this point, I don't think I need another Ariel doll in my collection. The doll pictured here is the Disney store version, and I'm really fond of her. She has some of the thickest hair I have ever seen on a doll, and it's kind of amazing!

Even though they don't technically go together, I think they play pretty nicely! The sizes are comparable enough anyways, that I wouldn't feel odd displaying them together,

Careful, Ariel! Swim faster!

This doll was a really awesome surprise today! It's still funny to me how just this morning I was Googling her and thinking how cool she was, and then hours later, she was in my hands! Despite the fact that I wish her body wasn't flocked, I really love this version of Ursula, and I'm totally happy to add her to my collection. She really feels like a collectible and not just a toy. Based on this doll, and the others I saw on the shelf today, I think this new Signature Collection line is really impressive, and I'll be interested to see if they add to it! There's an Evil Queen, who is pretty great, but can you say Malificent? Even though we're about to be inundated with merch for the new live action Malificent movie, I still hope that Disney puts out a doll of the animated version in this line, I'm willing to be she'd be stunning!

What do you think? Do these Disney Signature Collection dolls attract you like they did me? And remember, never underestimate the importance of body language!