MTE reviews: Disney Rapunzel Create and Color Hair Doll

Okay, I'm going to be as up front about this review as possible. Here's the background info you need to know:

1. We purchased this item at our local Target for $21.99.

2. Red made the selection, and my own personal desires for our house to remain Barbie/Barbie-like doll free were put to the side as she was spending birthday money.

3. I'm going to try my damnedest to write a review objectively on this product based solely on its advertised functions and the value we perceived as a result.

So, Red recently saw Tangled on DVD, and when we went to Target to spend some birthday money, she was thrilled to see Barbie-styled Rapunzel dolls. Since she had about $25 to spend that day, the price tag on the Disney Rapunzel Create and Color Hair Doll was perfect. When I explained that the tools that came with her would allow Red to change her hair color, she was sold. She would own her very first "fashion doll."

We brought her home and unwrapped all the little pieces- it comes with a brush, a wand with a sponge at the end, and a clip with four different shaped attachments. The idea is that with icy cold water, Rapunzel's blond hair will change to bright colors, and best of all, when you use the clip, you can leave spots of color on her hair in fun shapes like a heart and a butterfly.

Honestly, what more could a five year old girl such as my daughter not love?

Well, how about these facts that became apparent within 24 hours of Red's experience playing with dear Rapunzel:

1. Rapunzel's crown is VERY fragile. As in, the first time it was removed from her hair, the thin plastic snapped in two, leaving the crown unfixable.

2. Yes, the hair changes color, but not all over, as Red expected, but just in small strips on the top of her head.

3. The clips and the shapes their supposed to leave? Crap. Well, that's not the exact word that I used when trying to explain to my disappointed five year old why it wouldn't work as shown on the package and in the enclosed paper, but it's pretty close. After she couldn't get it to work, I gave it a whirl several times, and unfortunately the effect was the same each time: you secure the hair with the clip, rub the sponged wand in the space of the shape with the cold water, and gently remove the clip. Lo and behold, we were not left with a butterfly or heart shape of color, but a big old blob of non-distinct shape. I tried using less water, more water... but it didn't matter. Crap.

So, what we ended up with was a $23.31 payment (including tax) for a doll that Red can give pink strips of hair and remove clothing from. So far, that's all that has been done with Rapunzel, after the crying fits over the broken crown and non-functioning clip shapes subsided. Red seems to have gotten over it, and is happy enough to play with the naked doll, but then again, she's only five and has no clue about the value of money.

I, on the other hand, am wishing I could have steered her toward a different purchase back at Target. Asking over $20 for this doll is ridiculous, honestly, and I'm pretty sure I'd still feel that way even if I didn't already harbor negative feelings toward the Disney franchise and the world of Barbie-like dolls.

**Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation or products associated with this review, and the scathing opinions expressed here are completely my own, and happily shared in the hopes that others will avoid this piece of garbage toy.


Feeling more than a little snarky,