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Once again, Disney and Mattel have teamed up to show children everywhere that not only can they experience what it’s like to be a princess, but also what it’s like for all of the Disney princesses to live under one roof!
Disney Ultimate Princess Dream Castle
The Disney Ultimate Dream Castle takes playing with Disney princesses to a whole new level – three different levels, in fact. The purple and pink castle itself is over three feet tall with three different and exceptionally detailed stories. It features buttons that play short sounds at the press of a button, multiple moving parts, and over fifty different pieces of furniture and play accessories for the interior to encourage children to recreate their favorite Disney scenes over and over again.
The castle is comprised of seven different, specifically customized areas for each of the seven different princesses: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Jasmine, and Tiana. With so many options available, now your child doesn’t have to pick just one fairytale to recreate as the Disney’s Ultimate Dream Castle has space for everyone!
What’s In The Box?
- One 7 1/2” x 30” x 32” Castle made for a standard 11 1/2” scale doll
- Over 50 different play pieces – i.e. Bell’s dining room table; Ariel’s bubble bathtub; ‘household’ castle items such as a fully stocked fridge for Tiana’s kitchen, including a pot of her infamous gumbo, a cart for Mrs. Potts and her household friends and much much more!
What’s Not In The Box That You’ll Need?
- 2 AA batteries
- The seven Disney princess dolls and all of their costumes
- Super Glue
What’s In The Castle?
- The oval, pink doorway starts the story off at the center of the castle. It features a cute jingle that plays when you ring the doorbell.
- Tiana’s kitchen is ready for business and comes fully stocked! It is equipped with everything your child needs to help make a pot of Tiana’s famous gumbo for all of her Disney princess friends.
- Belle’s dining room features Mrs. Potts, Chip, Lumiere and the napkins on the dining room table. They are all ready to dance and spin on the table, just like in the ”Be Our Guest” scene from Beauty and the Beast at the simple turn of a dial.
- Jasmine’s got her magic carpet, disguised as an elevator, that allows your child to easily move the Disney princesses from floor to floor with an easy sliding action.
- Ariel’s under-the-sea bathroom features a seashell tub so the Disney princesses can get prepped for the next upcoming ball. When you press a button located towards the back of the room real bubble sounds play over a small speaker.
Snow White’s dressing room is the perfect place for any of the Disney princesses to get ready for the next upcoming ball. It even has a spinning magic mirror so that Snow White can see her future happiness with Prince Charming.- Sleeping Beauty’s bedroom is the perfect place for taking a break after a long day of singing and dancing. It comes equipped with a small armoire where all of the Disney princesses can store their ball gowns. The beloved fairy godmothers Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are here too and they fly and spin from the ceiling with the turn of a dial.
- Cinderella has her iconic staircase and there’s even a ‘trick’ step that flips over when pushed with a surprise glass slipper hidden underneath. The clock tower featured on the castle also plays a short tune when the hands are moved to ‘strike’ midnight.
- Last, but not least, there is a spinning dance floor on one of the towers at the top of the castle that plays music as it turns so that your child can make any of the princesses do her duty by dancing and singing her trademark song.
Helpful Hints When Considering This Product
First and foremost – be forewarned that this item ships in the original pink Disney Princess box not in a nondescript brown box. Be aware of this fact if you are buying off of the internet or over the phone. If your child opens the door when this package arrives, the jig is up and the surprise will be completely blown.
This castle does come with small pieces and is not recommended for children under the age of 3. Even for younger children it is definitely a good idea for parents to keep an eye on their children while playing with this product to ensure no pieces are getting swallowed or shoved up another child’s nose or ear.
Assembly is required and reviews relate this product as ranging from ‘simple and durable’ to ‘fragile and a little tough to build.’ Be prepared to bring a little bit of patience, and potentially a tube of super glue if things get really complicated.
Speaking of super glue, many reviews encouraged parents to have a tube on hand while assembling as well as while children are playing with the castle – specifically for some of the furniture that needs to be assembled as well as for Cinderella’s staircase.
The overwhelming culprit here seems to be that this toy is made out of plastic and, as we all know, plastic can only take so much before it gives. Rest assured, it isn’t completely flimsy and fragile as some reviewers may make it sound. A lot of reviews reported that it can easily withstand being moved for playtime and it can even take a few bumps and hits from over-eager children.
Cinderella’s external staircase makes the castle quite wide which means there will need to be a lot of wall space to store it safely.
Common Problems
- The tower at the top of the castle that allows the princess to spin is fragile and easily breakable.
- The furniture falls apart easily and does not necessarily fit well inside of the castle.
- Some of the pieces inside the castle do not secure properly to the walls such as Tiana’s fridge and stove and Sleeping Beauty’s closet.
- The stickers that create the background inside the castle scratch easily and may begin to bubble and peel off of the plastic.
Conclusion
The new Disney Ultimate Dream Castle is huge, bright, and colorful. The castle is so big that two to three children can play with it simultaneously. It comes with tons of accessories and moving parts to help foster your child’s imagination in recreating any of the favorite scenes from any of the Disney princess movies or creating new stories of their own. The attention to detail in respect to it accurately representing each of the seven princess is impressive, to say the least.
So, is it an entertaining toy offering tons of creative fun? Yes…while it lasts. A child can get very frustrated if the pieces keep coming apart despite super glue being an easy fix. So, if you’re not interested in doing your own maintenance, or teaching older children how to use super glue, maybe this isn’t the perfect doll house for your child. However, like most things plastic, if you and your child are fairly gentle and non-violent with the castle, with a little home maintenance, it will last as long as you need.
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