Disney's Engel Puppe Dolls

On my top 10 list, there is an Alice in Wonderland doll from Disney World. In the Germany Pavilion at Epcot, there is a store called Der Teddybar that used to make and sell Engel Puppe dolls. You could purchase an Engel Puppe doll dressed as a Disney character, but the price was prohibitively high, somewhere close to $200. So of course, by the time I was an adult and able to purchase one, the doll making at Der Teddybar ceased to exist. I did find out the reason for this. Helmuth Engel, former owner of the Engel-Puppen company, actually worked there to make the dolls and sign them, and some years after he passed away, the dolls were discontinued at Epcot.

Since I discovered this, I have been searching for one of the Alice dolls. Well, last week, one appeared on eBay. Sadly, I FORGOT TO BID!!! How could this happen?!!! Life's not fair. Or is it? The Alice doll sold for $105. This is still less than her original purchase price, and she was MIB. I started searching around on eBay and happened to discover a Mulan Engel Puppe doll. She was not listed correctly, so I bid, and won! For a paltry $4.25!!!! I lost Alice, but got Mulan! I am way luckier than I deserve.

Here she is!

She is so pretty. Her outfit is very well made and has multiple layers. She was obviously played with, but I really don't mind, especially considering the price I paid for her.

Close up of her pretty face

She is even signed!

It almost makes me sad that she was signed to a Chloe, and Chloe no longer loves her. But she came to the right place. What I wouldn't give to have one signed to me...

The tag on her dress.

I also have the Engel Puppe Belle dress, but no doll. Over the next few years, I suspect I will try to collect a few more of these. Does anyone else remember the Engel doll making area at Der Teddybar? I would love to hear from you if you do!

Read More

A Review: Journey Girls Travel Set for 18" Dolls

I had been planning for sometime to buy a travel set for Rafaela. Much to my distress, the one I had been eyeballing from American Girl suddenly disappeared from stock, never to be restocked again. That's the way things go over there. I found this one at Toys R Us, and decided to get it instead (well, I guess not instead since the original one wasn't available...).

Journey Girls Travel Set

Includes suitcase, three wash cloths in a carrier, brush, mini bag, passport, pretend e-Reader, pretend camera, sunglasses, pretend face cream, and some airplane tickets.

At $16.99, I would say this set is an excellent value. It includes a lot of fun stuff, as seen above in the photo. I'm a bit of a stickler about scale, but the scale of the suitcase works well. It's also a nice size. Rafaela was able to fit a complete outfit with sandals, her night shirt, and her Duffy bear inside.

Putting Duffy Bear in the suitcase

Spacious!

Detail of the inside

The suitcase even has little wheels and it will roll on a flat surface. I am impressed by the detail of this set,and also by how much I was able to fit inside the luggage. 

The handle pulls out too!

I am really happy with this set. I'd also like to mention how happy I am with the customer service at Toys R Us. They didn't have this set in stock, but the associate sat down with me and ordered it from the store. Apparently when you order an item in the store, you don't have to pay for shipping! I definitely recommend this set to anyone looking for an 18" travel set.

Read More