Shopping for toys at Target, Anthony noticed an interesting change in a small, inexpensive doll that his daughter enjoys. The princesses have been affected by a toy shrink ray–the dolls are smaller, the mold used to make them is different, and they come with fewer accessories–for the same price, naturally.

My daughter has hit the princess-obsession phase. A few months ago we bought some small dolls of the different Disney princesses at our local Target in Los Angeles. The dolls are inexpensive so we didn’t mind giving them to a toddler who has broken and lost a few, knowing we could easily replace them. I stopped by to replace a headless Ariel and I discovered they are replacing the dolls with similar ones at the same price. I was very disappointed to see these new dolls no longer look like the characters they depict (see the pic of Belle, original on the left, new version on the right). Also, I was rather annoyed to see that the new dolls no longer include the little accessories (in Belle’s case, a ‘Mrs. Potts’ teapot, a ‘Chip’ teacup, a rose necklace and matching shoes to both dresses. All for the same price as before, around $5. Honestly, I’m not as irritated about losing the shoes since they get lost pretty fast anyway but the new molds of these dolls are awful and the dresses aren’t nearly as nice. Both the new and old are made by Mattel.

Have you noticed this happening with other toys?

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