There were several Disney films that intertwined themselves with my early childhood. For instance, my fascination with "Pocahontas" and "Aladdin" had so much to do with the fact that they came out in theaters when I was a kid. Being surrounded by the merchandise at stores only added to their allure. "Snow White" was a classic, a staple movie in our small collection that found its way into the VHS player several times a week. Strangely however, "The Little Mermaid" was not part of this category. In fact, the only experience I really had with this film was word of mouth, and the common knowledge that Ariel was a famous Disney princess. I was of course immensely curious--who was this vibrant red headed mermaid? What happened in the movie? I was always on the edge of my seat hoping to one day see the movie, but that didn't happen until I was probably eight or nine years old. My longing to know more was enhanced when "The Little Mermaid" dolls started popping up at the stores. Mattel bought the rights to the movie merchandise and started producing the dolls in 1997, many years after the film first hit theaters. Despite the delay, this happened to be the perfect time for little Shelly to meet Ariel, and it was this encounter that solidified "The Little Mermaid" as one of the most sentimental Disney collections I have as an adult.
It all began with just one doll. It was my sixth birthday in 1997--Mom and Dad took me out to Toys 'R' Us to pick out a gift. By that point, I was already mesmerized by Disney dolls. I took notice of their oversized heads, cartoon like faces, and their unique features like molded hats and interesting hair colors. So naturally Ariel's shocking red tresses caught my attention. There was an entire section devoted to "The Little Mermaid" merchandise at this particular Toys 'R' Us. I recall seeing "Basic" Ariel, Prince Eric, the Wedding Gift Set, some fashion packs, and of course Princess Mermaid Ariel. Admittedly it was overwhelming. Who do I choose? My passion for doll clothes was apparent even back then, so it seemed only right to pick Princess Mermaid Ariel. She was equipped with extra clothing items and some accessories. Plus her transforming gimmick took me in. Mom and Dad also let me select a fashion pack for her. I chose the nameless purple gown, which Ariel never actually wore in the movie. It really didn't matter that I had no idea who Ariel was and what the significance was of these items. She sparked my imagination...I didn't need a story line to have fun. Even with the movies I had watched, I was never one to make my Disney dolls recreate the films they starred in.
Ariel became a fast favorite. She was my only doll with shocking hair at the time. Back in the 90s, unnatural colored dolly hair wasn't as common place as it is these days. It was by far her best and worst feature. Ariel was also a tad inconvenient because of her super slender, modified Teen Skipper body mold. I didn't have any larger shoes for her flat feet, and most of my Barbie tops and pants were far too large for her skinny figure. But it didn't matter, I always made it work somehow. Ariel wore a variety of highly unflattering outfits in that time frame. Everything for the most part clashed with her bright red hair. In fact, I can't recall a single ensemble she actually looked good in. I was a bit disappointed as well by the Ariel outfits I got with my doll and in the fashion pack. The purple dress was made of an extremely low quality fabric that quite literally fell apart and frayed within a few weeks. Her mermaid tail wasn't practical for everyday use, and that pink ballgown she came with? That didn't even cover her bum! It was more like a one sided outfit, like the kind you see with snap on dolls. I always combined it with her mermaid tail, to give Ariel some much needed modesty. But none of these things really mattered, because nothing could taint my love for Ariel.
Both Colleen and I unknowingly agree that it was my Princess Mermaid Ariel doll and my African American Bathtime Fun Kelly that brought us together. Contrary to popular belief, we were not always super close siblings. In fact, when I was very young, Colleen hated my guts (mostly out of jealousy...she liked being an only child before I came along). She'd tell me I couldn't play with her, would find a new and creative way of putting me down, and we even got into physical fights when Mom and Dad weren't looking. One of my deepest connections to dolls has always been the fact that they were the start of a life long friendship between the two of us. It was the hours we spent playing with dolls that bonded us slowly, but surely. Ariel and Kelsey (aka Bathtime Fun Kelly) were the dolls we played with that unified our imaginations and kick started years of dolly play. Although Kelsey was my doll, Colleen took a shine to her. Wanting to win Colleen's affections, I always let her borrow Kelsey. Somehow we developed this concept that Kelsey and Ariel were homeless sisters. They lived in my bookshelf (that now funnily enough houses my "The Little Mermaid" dolls). We used a stack of my Bible books to create a shack within it. Ariel wore shabby clone/handmade clothes and a checkered red blanket in her hair as some sort of makeshift kerchief. Kelsey didn't have many wardrobe choices since we only had a handful of Kelly dolls at the time. But it helped that I had trashed her two factory ensembles by that point...it added to the grubby, homeless look we were looking for. Additionally, Ariel also looked tortured early on. Being so young, I didn't have the capacity to keep my dolls squeaky clean. I recall that she had dirt smudged on her face and crud caked into the sticky adhesive strip I never took off when I got her (that was intended to hold her bikini top up in the package). Her long red hair became super tangled--most of the time I remember small doll accessories becoming entangled in it, like little forks from my Fold 'n Fun House or certain pairs of shoes. Of course this led to long, arduous grooming sessions that left Ariel balding. Eventually I got fed up with her high maintenance do, so I chopped her ankle length mane to her bum. No matter how shabby and distorted our Kelsey and Ariel dolls were, it never seemed to get in the way of the fun we had.
One of my most special, memorable moments with dolls involved Ariel and Kelsey. Despite the fact that it happened more than two decades ago, I still recall it with perfect clarity. Back then, we had a small swimming pool in the yard. Dad was a terrible pool guy--he never could keep up with maintaining it. It also didn't help that we pretty much lived in the middle of the woods, and being surrounded by all those trees ensured that the pool always had a layer of pollen on the water. Dad knew he could exploit Colleen and my desire to ALWAYS go swimming. We didn't care in the slightest if the water was murky and brown (strange considering I literally wouldn't eat at other people's houses if they weren't clean enough). One afternoon, Dad enlisted us to get in the water and make a whirlpool, to help stir in the chemicals. So of course Colleen and I suited up, and we also prepared Ariel and Kelsey. By this point, Colleen had more Kelly clothes and Ariel borrowed Water Jewel Magic Jasmine's ensemble (where her mermaid top went, I still do not know). As we walked through the pool water, stirring the chemicals, we dragged the dolls along with us. It was in the middle of this operation when I lost my grip on Ariel. She got lost in the murky, foul pool water. Since it wasn't crystal clear (as it should have been) we had absolutely no idea where Ariel went. I was panicking, screaming "Ariel" as if she would come when I beckoned. A moment later, Colleen let out a very strange (almost Ariel-esque) sound--it went a bit like, "ah ah ah, ah ah ah." Ariel's long, red hair (that was not cut at this point) had touched Colleen's leg. She feared that some creature was living in the murky waters, but then common sense snapped her over the head. She reached in the water and pulled out my beloved Ariel! We almost lost her...although she would have turned up once the pool water was clean. But by that point, the chlorine and other chemicals probably would have done a ton of damage. Ariel was saved, and we brought the pair of dolls back into the house to be cleaned. Water Jewel Magic Jasmine was not all that happy though. Her little swimsuit wrap got lost in the water, and by the time Dad retrieved it from the pool filter months later, all the pigment in it was more or less gone.
As the years wore on, Ariel's fading looks definitely affected her roles in our story lines. Eventually Colleen grew out of her Kelly doll phase, so the sister duo was split up. But our fondness for the pair never faded, and to this day our "Ariel and Kelsey" doll game scenarios are still some of the most infamous. Ariel had a resurgence of popularity later on during the most significant doll game of all time..."The Refugee Game." She costarred alongside my beloved Tarzan Jane doll when I was ten years old. We had a crazy scenario that involved Jane and Ariel as hairstylists, working out of Jane's house. Jane had a little sister--Colleen's Kid Kore Katie named Holly. Ariel was no longer a serious character. Instead she was absolutely bonkers. But when Jane had to flee from her home to save Katie's life (during a Barbie orchestrated clone massacre), Ariel of course tagged along. I always will remember Ariel dressed up in the strange garments we chose to showcase her wacky personality. Her tragic appearance was also due to how poorly she had aged. But she always remained my one and only beloved Ariel.
It wasn't until I was twelve or thirteen that I got my hands on a second Ariel. Ironically it was another Princess Mermaid who I found only wearing her purple bikini top, at the local flea market. She still had all her luscious red hair intact, and her face paint/overall appearance was far superior to my childhood friends. Of course by this point, we really didn't utilize Ariel much in our doll games, but finding such a treasure unexpectedly did not go unappreciated. One of the very last doll purchases of my youth happened to be an Ariel doll as well. I found Forever Hair Ariel at Target one afternoon. I simply couldn't resist the allure of this red headed beauty with a fabulous hair gimmick. I really never "played" with this doll. But my fondest, strongest memory of her was the week we took over the living room during an arctic cold spell. Since we usually played dolls in the basement, Dad said we could set them up in the living room by the wood stove, since downstairs would be far too cold. I'll never forget sitting on the couch with my brand new Ariel, testing out all her crimpers and curlers. Even though I didn't get to know her as well as my first Princess Mermaid doll, Forever Hair Ariel makes me feel nostalgic too.
My teen years were the end of a dolly era. By the time I turned fifteen, I was more or less doll free. Eventually all our childhood companions were packed up in storage and were not touched again until I turned 18. It was about five years of not buying any dolls when I finally broke down. Ironically it was the lure of the magical Disney themed dolls that made me crack and buy more plastic friends. Early on, I was especially keen on finding "The Little Mermaid" stuff. Only having three childhood dolls, I was desperate to add more to my collection. I wanted any excuse to give this movie its very own shelf. I had plans of grandeur--a special hand painted backdrop and a bunch of ocean themed accessories. I want to say I probably had five or six Ariel dolls when I decided it was enough for them to have their own shelf. Sure enough, I carried out my plans to paint a picture for them. Dad and I also started developing handmade doll stands around this time. My favorites to design were by far for "The Little Mermaid" dolls. Even though I've redone many of these stands in recent years, I have never touched the plain orange one labeled simply as "The Little Mermaid." It was Dad's personal favorite, and even though I see all the flaws I made, I just never had the heart to change it. It's been traded around my dolls over the years--currently one of my cheap molded Ariel dolls is using it.
There was a thrill about finding Ariel dolls that couldn't be touched. I remember the day we bought two packed Barbie cases at a yard sale, purely because there were a few "The Little Mermaid" dolls inside. There was the Avon Ariel doll I rescued from a bin of McDonald's toys that same year for ten cents. She was entirely nude and accompanied only by a Perfume Princess Jasmine--I just didn't' have the heart to leave her behind. And of course I could never forget my Beautiful Hair Ariel. She is perhaps the most special of all my "The Little Mermaid" dolls. The Tyco line was well before my time. The dolls admittedly miss the mark in some ways that the Mattel dolls make up for. But that being said, I was mystified by these earliest dolls when I saw pictures of them online. Specifically, I was drawn to the ones with twinkling eyes. I still have a perfect recollection of the day I finally got my hands on a Tyco doll. Beautiful Hair Ariel was dressed in a Lady Lovelylocks dress, which I mistook as being her original ensemble. She was standing upright in a mug, alongside a few other Barbies/Disney dolls. Although I had little knowledge of the Tyco franchise, I took a gamble and bought Ariel for $2...only to realize she didn't have an outfit to wear! She was the most magnificent miniature sized creature I ever encountered--she was truly my pride and joy. I was heartbroken the day Colleen went to put her on a stand and her leg broke cleanly off. Dad knew how much I loved Ariel, and spent countless hours trying to figure out the best way to fix her. We walked up and down the aisles at Home Depot together bouncing ideas off one another for how we could tackle fixing her. Dad finally came up with screwing her leg back together, which I now know to be a terrible solution. But despite the fact that Ariel could very well fall apart again, it means the world to me that Dad put such effort forth to make her whole.
I really can't say which of my dolls are more sentimental. My childhood friends are what started my obsession with "The Little Mermaid," but I've made as many memories with my adult purchased companions. I was over the moon whenever I added more of the elusive Tyco gals to my collection--especially the incredibly homely first release Ariel with maroon colored hair and the awkward face mold. For whatever reason, they tug at my heart strings most of all. There was the day in 2012 when Colleen and I FINALLY found a Mattel Eric doll. Granted he was incredibly shabby and donning a Ken sweater, but it didn't matter. He was an instant favorite! How could I forget the highlight of my first trip to the Disney Store in ten years? I came for the Rapunzel dolls, but ended up splurging on Eric, Ursula, and Triton that day since they were all on sale for just $7 each. There was the day Dad blew us off to go to a swap meet with his friend Jimmy, although he originally told us Colleen and I could tag along. But we ended up being glad we had to stay home when Colleen won a bid on the gorgeous Summer Seas Ariel for just $9....my first from the line! Other special dolls include my strange Disney on Ice gal as well as the magnificent 2009 Bath Beauty doll, both of whom originated from the "Jewel Secrets Barbie lot" of 2015. I think my favorite part about my "The Little Mermaid" collection would be the diversity. Not owning many of these dolls growing up gave me little to no bias on which ones I love to collect. I adore them all for their unique qualities. The original Mattel gals give me a strong sense of nostalgia, but the Disney Store ones of recent years are probably the most attractive. The newer generation of Mattel dollies might sport more molded features, but showcase some of the most unique features in my collection (like that Bath Beauty doll I mentioned earlier or the Lagoon Gift Set that I was so excited went on sale in 2014). It all started with just one Princess Mermaid Ariel, who these days rocks a new head of re-rooted saran hair and dons a Disney Store fashion pack. But the story did not end with her, and with each passing year, another doll adds not only a new face to my display but also a story.
