Stepping into Hasbro’s showroom at Toy Fair is almost like walking into a Disney theme park, particularly the Disney Princess section. It showcases a rainbow spectrum of colors and fantastical imagery like castles, magic carpets, and winter wonderlands. This year was no exception and Hasbro even opened the show with a modified version of “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast, with lyrics about the life of toy designers.
Ralph Breaks the Internet Princess Dolls
For the first time at Toy Fair, Hasbro had a Disney Princess collectable that seems aimed at adults in both design and price. The hilarious sequence from Ralph Breaks the Internet where Vanellope stumbles into the Disney Princess pink room comes to life through 12-inch dolls. A box set of 14 dolls celebrates every Disney Princess (Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, Elsa, and Moana) in their comfy modern fashions. The box set is available for preorder for $199.99. They will also be released through seven 2-packs, making them more affordable for fans who may only want a handful of the characters.
The Little Mermaid 30th Anniversary
In celebration of the 30th Anniversary of The Little Mermaid, Hasbro is releasing a 3-pack of dolls featuring Ariel and two of her sisters, Aquata and Arista. They’re all designed for water play with color changing elements on their fins. A Sparkling Lagoon playset will be available for even more mermaid fun.
Royal Clips
Disney Princess Royal Clips offer a new way to play with Disney Princess characters. These mini-figures feature rubber dresses that can be swapped out and will be available in a variety of options. Single figures make it possible for kids to collect their favorite princesses, while fashion packs are available with one princess and three iconic outfits. Playsets are coming, including Royal Chambers which features a setting from the films and transportation, like Cinderella’s Coach. These playsets even add princes and sidekicks to the series.
Gem Collection
For fans of blind box figures, Hasbro’s new Disney Princess Gem Collection is sure to be a hit. This series features a Disney Princess character in a gem box with a themed background. The debut wave will feature 12 princesses to collect, with a second wave set to expand with a few princes and a third wave that will be cupcake themed where every princess gets a redesigned cupcake-style dress.
Disney Princess Comics Minis
The Disney Princess Comics line of figures debuted last year at Target, but Hasbro is taking the brand to a new level with a mystery mini figure series that will be available at all major retailers. I fell in love with this line because it includes so many characters and it celebrates moments that don’t often get recreated in consumer products. For example, there’s an Aurora figure where her dress is halfway between pink and blue, and Charlotte from The Princess and the Frog is included. The packaging is collectable, with a comic roll that can be kept. Themed collections will be sold separately, which will include a villain from each fairy tale.
Frozen II
Hasbro has the license for dolls and figures based on the upcoming Walt Disney Animation Studios film, Frozen II. Unfortunately, they weren’t allowed to display any of theE items at Toy Fair. However, I found two upcoming games from the world of Frozen that were on display. Frozen Trouble adds a unique twist to the game. All players use a different colored Olaf pawn and prior to play, each one will have a frozen ice cube in the center. A salt shaker is included and throughout the game, salt will be sprinkled on the figure to make the ice melt faster, adding a new challenge to a classic game. Olaf Bop It! will also debut this year, where players use his body parts to follow commands in sequence.
Aladdin
The same can be true for the live action version of Aladdin. Hasbro had a small section of their Disney Princess space devoted to the live action adaptation, but no products could be displayed.
Descendants 3
Disney Channel’s Descendants 3 is coming this summer and Hasbro is ready with a line of dolls that reveal some new fashions, a new character, and maybe a spoiler or two. Mal, Evie, Ben, Uma, and Dizzy will all have new fashion dolls, along with a new character named Celia, daughter of Dr. Facilier. For the first time in this series, separate fashions will be available for the characters to create even more looks without having to buy another doll. And a Dragon Queen Mal doll makes her look even more like her mother and adds expandable wings.
Toy Story 4
Mattel and TinkWay Toys have the biggest licenses for characters from Toy Story 4, but Hasbro has a Buzz Lightyear themed version of Operation hitting shelves later this year. In Addition, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head are both Hasbro toys and stars of the film. Hasbro had a strategically placed Toy Story 4 poster in the Mr. Potato Head section of their showcase, which highlighted the new Movin’ Lips Mr. Potato Head, which has over 40 phrases and songs, plus two pairs of swapable lips. He’s come a long way from his original roots, which he was just a box of pieces that kids would poke into an actual potato!
It’s clear that Hasbro takes great pride in the quality and care that they give to their Disney licensed characters. There are so many great products from Hasbro coming out in 2019 themed to Disney Princess, Frozen II, Aladdin, Descendants 3, and Toy Story 4. The dream makers at Hasbro have a lot of magic in store for 2019.