Reviewing MGA Entertainment's Kung Fu Action Shrek Princesses Dolls

MGA Entertainment, makers of the popular Bratz dolls, presents Shrek Princesses. These unique dolls are modeled after the Shrek the Third Movie Character Princesses from Fiona to Rapunzel. So what makes these dolls unique? Let's take a look at the differences in the construction of these dolls as compared with classic fashion dolls by Mattel.

Packaging

First of all, I purchased the Fiona and Snow White character dolls from this series as they seemed the most likeable of the movie characters. The packaging is pristine for each of these dolls; so pristine that it is impossible to extract them from the packaging and expect to repackage them without anyone noticing. There are so many twist-ties, clear tubes, wire, plastic inserts, and threading that it will take you nearly an hour to free the doll unblemished from its box. The box is not as easy to open as a classic Mattel Barbie box. You can just slide it out until you open the sides and the top plastic tabs. For this reason these dolls travel well in the mail without any damage to the actual doll.

Display

After I freed Fiona, I decided to leave Snow White in the box, but honestly they display better out of the box. These dolls are meant to be played with by children. They aren't displayed in a collector's fashion in their box. They have one leg extended to show the "Kung Fu" action, but you can't see the dress they are wearing fully from the front this way. For this reason, they make great out of box display dolls, but not very fun in the box, as was MGA Entertainment's purpose.

Price and Rarity

Right now you should be able to still purchase these dolls from retailers, rather than the inflated prices of ebay. Take advantage of this time, because these dolls are highly desirable for Shrek The Third collectors and children alike. They sell for around $20.00 each at Toys R Us and can be found at Amazon for $16.00. Most Mattel made movie character dolls are at least $30 to start with and go up in price depending on the retailer, so these MGA dolls are a great value.

The one that is currently the hardest to find is Snow White, as her long black hair makes her a very attractive doll (and Barbie doesn't usually come in raven black hair unless she is ethnic); I would also assume that her popularity is also due to the endearing character she plays in the movie as a crowd favorite. The other doll that seems to sell out first is the Sleeping Beauty character, which may be due to her richly blue dress than to her character popularity. Princess Fiona seems to be the best stocked because of her assumed popularity; she comes with an ogress mask so you can interchange between her two faces.

Features

Each doll comes with a personal item (e.g. a magic mirror, an ogress mask, a locket, etc.), Kung Fu Action (when you drop their right arm their right leg kicks), and a dress with a set of pants underneath. They have a black painted on bathing suit bikini and a Shrek symbol tattoo of a matching shade to their dress.

I find it strange that some of the online descriptions of the dolls indicate that there is a temporary tattoo for little ones; however, I found no evidence of this in the dolls I purchased. Nowhere on the box did it indicate or contain a tattoo. It is also strange that they do not come with a standard hair brush.

The body shape of these dolls is quite different from Mattel vintage or modern Barbies. The chest is very small, hips wide, and the legs are very sturdy and heavy; she may be able to stand alone in her shoes as her feet are very big. The head shape to the body size is similar to the My Scene Barbie doll line, but the heads are a different shape, with a square jaw and more pronounced hair line. The facial mold on all of these Shrek Princesses is the same, but the facial paint is quite different in color and size of eyes. Their hair is very soft and can be easily styled to look neat and tidy. If you want to display these dolls you can lower the right arm by swinging it the opposite direction so you don't set off the Kung Fu kicking action. The leg joints are very pronounced and so they don't make good dolls to use for your handmade clothing unless you do a princess dress style as they come with. Another interesting feature is that the plastic of their arms is very rubbery feeling, not a hard plastic; this makes the arms extremely poseable and have a little 'give' so children can get their clothing on better.

Appeal

These dolls are highly collectible for any Shrek Fan (and we know there are quite a few of those). They are very well made and are a great value while they last at retail stores. If you are a doll collector these are a unique edition to your collection. After all, how many Kung Fu Princesses are they likely to make?