LIBERATIONS 40 AND 41: THE TOY STORY 2 WOODY & BO PEEP GIFT SET

To mangle an old phrase, “Irony, thy name is Mattel.” When the original Toy Story movie was still in the very early stages, Mattel flatly refused permission for Pixar to use Barbie in the story, feeling that the role as Woody’s sweetheart might make the B-girl look bad. Pixar shrugged and created the adorable Bo Peep to fill the role instead. A few short years later, the thoroughly delightful Toy Story 2 portrays Barbie as an air headed bimbo with full permission from Mattel, who is eagerly manufacturing Bo Peep dolls. Fortunately I long ago gave up on expecting logic from Mattel, or this could keep me up nights.

The Dolls

Bo has a very iconic face taken straight from her original computer-generated image. Her skin is the delicate porcelain pale tone. Her eyes are a gorgeous and impossibly pale blue. Her brows are a simple brown curve. Her makeup is done in an extremely pale pink. Her hair is a lovely light lemon color, styled with big curled bangs in the front and pulled back into a ponytail and shaped into three ringlets in back. Unfortunately, the packing flattened the ringlets pretty thoroughly. Woody’s face is also taken straight from his screen image, complete with arched eyebrow and a pink lipstick kiss on his cheek. His skin is the usual Mattel pale tan color.

Bo has an interesting combination of body parts. Her legs and torso use the original Gymnast body molds, complete with flat feet. Her arms use the Shani mold instead of any of the Bend-and-Move arms. As far as I know, this is the first time these molds have been used together. Woody has a cloth body with molded hands and boots. His vest is the only piece of his costume that is removable. It took me a minute to figure out that the strange circle in the middle of his vest is supposed to represent his pull cord! The details of his body do a nice job of matching up to his screen image. Mattel even remembered to reproduce the ‘ANDY’ scrawled on the bottom of Woody’s right boot.

Doll Scorecard
Faces: A+
Bodies: B-
Hair: B+
Overall: B+

The Outfits

The shepherdess costume is very well done. The dress faithfully reproduces the lacy trims and silly polka dots. The number of different types of fabric used here is impressive: there is the usual cheap pink and blue satin of the bodice, the higher quality polka dot print satin, the lace paneling on the bodice, the lace trim at the hem, and finally the utterly fabulous pink tulle with velvet polka dots. Now if only they would have used the newer, snag free velcro! The dress also has Woody’s ‘sheriff badge’ sewn to the front. There are adorable blue pantaloons with ruffled bottoms to wear beneath the dress. Black flats and a matching satin bonnet complete the outfit. Woody’s vest is made of a high quality brushed cotton. His oversized cowboy hat is plastic.

Outfits Scorecard
Fabric: A+
Style: A
Execution: B
Overall: A

The Accessories

There isn’t much for this category, I’m afraid. Woody’s plastic gun holster can be removed. Bo Peep has a blue shepherd’s crook and a plastic brush.

Accessories Scorecard
Concept: B (for boring)
Style: B
Playability: B-
Overall: B

Now that Barbie has entered the Toy Story household, Bo has picked up some handy style tips. This blue dress is one of the hardest to find of last year’s Fashion Avenues, and is the exact same shade of blue as Miss Peep’s eyes. I added the white tights to disguise the knobbiness of her bendable knees. Woody’s cloth body kept him from being redressed, but he doesn’t mind- he’s too busy keeping his sweetie in his sights!