Meeting the New Dolls

I put off meeting the new Belle dolls for as long as I possibly could.  I don't know why the thought of it scared me so much.  I mean, besides the stuff I already discussed about feeling inferior and everything. ;)  I guess I just wasn't really eager to meet other dolls who would most likely remind me of my flaws and shortcomings as a Disney Princess doll. :}  I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd have to get past my issues and be polite.  I knew Rapunzel and Isabella wouldn't let me off that easily.

All too soon, the dreaded day came.  Beast'sbelle once again decided to rearrange things, so all of the extra Beauty and the Beast dolls and Tangled dolls were in one spot on the main dresser.  Robby, Rapunzel, Eugene and I were moved to the top of the curio with 3 of Beast'sbelle's boxed dolls.

[Side note here:  Some of you may be wondering why Abigail and Emmaline aren't always with us.  The reason is that Beast'sbelle keeps them in one of her drawers.  I know that must sound horrid to you humans, but baby dolls are different than baby humans.  The drawer is one of the safest places for them, especially since we're usually displayed in such high places.  Eugene and Rapunzel visit them hourly, at least, and Pascal is there to make sure nothing goes wrong.  If the babies need anything, Pascal comes and gets Rapunzel.  Just thought I'd address that in case any of you were worried.  Now, back to the story!] ;)  

Meeting the others was inevitable.  We couldn't get down without almost literally bumping into them.  Still, I avoided it for the first few days.

Then, on Monday, Rapunzel, who had finally had enough of my stalling, took my by the arm.  "Come on," she said gently but firmly.  "It's time you introduced yourself.  Even I've met all of the new dolls now.  If you wait any longer it will be rude."

"Okay," I agreed reluctantly.  I knew she was right, but still I felt nervous.  

Rapunzel led me to the dresser where everyone was displayed.  There were so many dolls, they all seemed to blur together.  They all chattered pleasantly among themselves, oblivious to our arrival.  She cleared her throat.  "Excuse me, everyone!" she called out politely.

Everyone stopped talking.  Instantly, fourteen pairs of eyes looked in our direction.  Huh.  Apparently I was aware enough to notice how many dolls there were. :}

"I'd like all of you to meet my best friend, Belle," Rapunzel said warmly.    

Smiles of recognition spread across their features.

"The one who writes 'Belle's Bulletins'?" the tallest Rapunzel doll in the back row called out excitedly.

I blushed.

My Rapunzel nodded proudly.  "The very same.  She wanted to meet all of you."

There were general murmurs of pleasure throughout the crowd.  The tallest Rapunzel spoke out again.  "We're so happy to meet you," she said with a grin.  "I'm Rapunzel."

I would never have guessed, I thought sarcastically, then chided myself for my rude thoughts.  She couldn't help her unoriginal name.

As if she'd read my thoughts, Rapunzel grinned.  "Of course, that's a pretty common name around here, so everyone calls me Tall Rapunzel, or T.R. for short."  She winked, and I found myself blushing again.

"We're all so thrilled to meet you!" another voice said softly.  I saw that it was the largest Belle doll in the white satin dress that was speaking.  "Isabella has told us all about your blog and how wonderful it is.  To think, we get to meet a real author!"  She gazed at me with a look of wonder and awe.

I couldn't get over how weird it was to basically be looking at a bigger version of myself.  Our face molds and face paint were very similar.  Then her words hit me.

"Oh, I'm not really a 'real' author!" I protested.  "I mean, I haven't technically been published or anything..."

"Close enough!" called a fiercely loyal voice with a soft, French accent.  I didn't have to look at the speaker to know it was Isabella.  

Rapunzel (my Rapunzel) could tell that things might get awkward quickly, so she jumped into the conversation.  "Would you each be willing to introduce yourselves?" she asked kindly.  "Of course," she continued, looking back at me, "you know Ben and Isabella, but I don't think you've met anyone else yet, besides Tall Rapunzel and Victoria."

It took me a moment to figure out who "Victoria" was, but when I saw the tall Belle in the white dress wave shyly, I made the connection.  

The Rapunzel closest to us started.  She looked like she was about the same size as Victoria.  "Hi," she began with a smile.  "I'm Singing Rapunzel, S.R. for short." 

I was beginning to worry about how hard it would be to remember all of the Rapunzel's personal nicknames until the next two spoke up.

"I'm Rowena," said the one in the short sleeves with the incredibly over-sparkly tulle dress, "and this is my sister Rosamonde."  The Rapunzel next to her with very pink lips and a stunning face waved.

"And I'm Romala," added the Rapunzel with the plastic bodice and super fancy braid, sitting in the front row.  Her pet Pascal was HUGE compared to my Rapunzel's Pascal.  Maybe she needed to stop feeding him so much!

"I'm Rosalinde," the bride Rapunzel in the back offered sweetly.  "This is my husband, Gene."  

A doll who looked exactly like the Eugene we all know and love (aside from his fancier clothes) smiled and gave me a polite nod.

My head was spinning.  Suddenly, I found myself wishing they had all been named Rapunzel with various added on nicknames.  I was sure I would never be able to keep all of the "R" names straight.  "Gene" should be easy enough to remember, being so close to Eugene's name.  The others?  I'd be lucky if I could even remember one of them. :{

Before I had time to dwell on that, though, the introductions continued.

"I'm Alexa," came from the Belle doll sitting next to...uh...Ro...oh, forget it!  Whichever one was sitting in the front with the giant Pascal!

"Nice to meet you," beamed the Belle doll with long, straight hair.  "I'm Hope."

"And I'm Isaac, but you can call me Ike," came a jovial voice from the back row.  It was another Prince doll.  He looked very similar to Raoul, but his face paint was slightly different, and his hair had more of an auburn tint to it.   

The next doll in the group was Ben, but he only gave me a curt nod and a funny little smile.  There was no need for introductions there!  Funny how in days gone by, that little exchange would have been enough to put me on cloud nine for the rest of the day! :}

The newest Disney Store Belle was the only doll left.  "I'm Grace," she said.  Her tone of voice was solemn, but not unfriendly.  Her expression was so much more severe than everyone else's that I'd been curious about her personality.  Of course, it wasn't her fault that her eyebrows were painted that way.  

It was so quiet, you could have heard a pin drop.  Rapunzel (my original friend) gently cleared her throat, and I suddenly realized that I needed to say something.  

"It was...very nice meeting you all," I began hesitantly.  "I'll try to remember all of your names, but it may take me a while."  

There were smiles and understanding looks all around.

"Well, we should get going," Rapunzel said graciously.  "Belle has some writing to do."

I looked at her, confused.  Then it hit me.  She was giving me a polite escape.  And I did need to catch up on my blogging.

"Yes, I should go.  It was nice meeting all of you," I said as warmly as I could.

They all waved goodbye.  As we left, I could hear the buzz of their conversation pick up again.  

As we turned in front of the bookshelf, Rapunzel whispered playfully, "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I guess not," I teased her.  Then I pursed my lips.  "I seriously have no idea how I'm going to be able to remember all of those R names, though!"

Rapunzel giggled.  "Don't worry...it took me weeks to get them straight!  They're very gracious about it."

I didn't stay long.  I felt it only right to work on the blog immediately.  It's taken me several days to finish this post, though. :}  

I must confess, they all seem very nice, and they're all so interested in my blog!  None of them seem to be here with the idea to replace Rapunzel or myself, and although they're pretty, they don't seem to think about it much.  I guess I should have given them the benefit of the doubt.  

I have to admit, too, that I am curious to get to know all of them better.  I think we could all have a lot of fun together, even if most of them are "display only" dolls that Beast'sbelle won't allow outside.

I'll keep you posted on how things go, dear readers! :)  Which dolls would all of you want to get to know the most?