Something you probably didn’t know is that, along with dolls and model horses, I secretly collect Marvel stuff.  That’s right!  Iron Man and The Avengers happen to be two of my favorite movies! So get ready because today we are going to review:

When I read about these Marvel Fan Girl dolls back in August, I absolutely freaked!  As far as I know, this is the first time someone has made a collection of dolls inspired by the Marvel Super Heroes.

The five dolls in this series are:

1. Captain America
2. Black Widow
3. Spider Gwen
4. Black Panther
5. Iron Man

They are available at Toys R Us for about $50 to $80 each.  According to Madame Alexander’s website, each Fan Girl has a limited edition version called a Fan Girl Find.  These special editions can only be found in stores, though, so don’t expect to get one if you order online?.

What makes a Fan Girl Find special?  Apparently, she comes with a special accessory.  If you’re lucky you’ll find:

• Black Widow wearing a red hat.
• Captain America’s star-spangled headband.
• Black Panther with a gold headdress and necklace.
• Spider Gwen wearing a pair of silver sunglasses.
• And what about Iron Man…well, just wait and see;)

Deciding which doll to get first wasn’t even a question.  All the Avengers are awesome, but Iron Man is by far my favorite!

She comes in a tall black box.The box is decorated on the front with Marvel and Iron Man logos.

There is another Iron Man logo on the left side of the box, and on the right side is a large drawing of our Fan Girl.

On the back is an image of a sketchbook showing which features of Iron Man inspired the designers who created this doll.On the left it says, “the future” and has drawings of Iron Man’s armor.  Underneath are more images of Iron Man along with the word “intelligence” to remind us that Iron Man is, in fact, a genius?.  On the right side of the sketchbook is a picture of the doll and details showing the different elements of her outfit.

We see that gold and red satin fabric were used for her cape.  Red satin was also used to make her geometric corset and flared pants.  Then, to top it all off, our Iron Man Fan Girl wears a pair of red, heel-less, platform shoes.

Creativity and design is my thing, so I loved being able to see how much of Iron Man’s persona actually went into the design of this doll!

Beneath the sketchbook is a description that reads:

Calling all FAN GIRLS! Your favorite characters inspire and spark imagination blurring the lines between fiction and reality. You’ve read all the graphic novels. You anxiously await the newest movies. These heroines are so much more–they are your reason for being. Ignite your Passion for Fashion. Obsess, Geek Out, and FLAUNT YOUR FAN GIRL!

Hmm, I am anxiously awaiting the new Avengers movie…have I wandered off the edge into fangirldom?

At the bottom of the box are pictures of the other dolls in the series.I was only able to find Iron Man (thank heavens) and Black Panther, so I have no idea what Captain America, Black Widow, and Spider Gwen look like in person.  But I’m still hunting for Captain America and hope our local Toys R Us gets more of these dolls in stock soon!

Now, let’s get this Fan Girl out of the box so we can see her up close!

Here she is straight out of the box:

Unfortunately, our Fan Girl’s red hair is very stiff and somewhat stuck together.  In fact, there is so much styling gel in her hair that it makes a crunchy sound when you bend it.

Luckily, I was able to fix her icky hair by giving it a quick hot water wash.Just be warned, if you’re considering getting this doll, she comes with crunchy hair!

Moving on we see that our Fan Girl has a gold skin tone that sparkles just a bit.

I heard that their skin color is painted on and, after doing some research, found that this is true–at least for Iron Man and Black Panther.  What this means is that the dolls may not stand up to a lot of wear without their skin starting flake off in areas, like arm and leg joints.  So far, I’ve yet to find any flaking on my Fan Girl, but you may want to take a good look before buying one of these dolls to see if she has any noticeable marks in her skin.

Here is a closer look at our Fan Girl’s pretty blue eyes and rooted eyelashes.

She has small “arc reactors” printed on her cheeks and wears deep red lipstick.

Her hair is crimson colored: Her bangs are pulled off to the left and held in place with a red thread.  Although her hair didn’t look this good straight out of the box (remember, crispy hair syndrome!), after being washed it’s absolutely gorgeous.

The Madame Alexander Fan Girl dolls stand about 13.5 inches tall and are articulated.

Their heads turn so they can look to the right or left:

They can lift their shoulders, bend their elbows, and rotate their wrists:

And, of course, they can lift their legs and bend at the knee:

Now let’s check out our Fan Girl’s Iron Man inspired outfit!

First, we have her cape:

Like the description said, the cape is red satin on the outside and lined with gold satin on the inside.  It closes in the front with a clasp that looks like Iron Man’s arc reactor.

Then we have her shimmery, red satin gloves which can be removed:Normally when a doll has long gloves like these they are a hassle to take on and off, but these gloves gave me no trouble.  Since one side of the glove is larger than the other side, her hand can slip in and out easily and her fingers don’t catch on loose threads.

Now let’s have a look at that geometric corset!

The corset is sewn from shiny, red satin with gold lines running across it.  It has clear shoulder straps to help hold it in place and closes in the back with Velcro.

I was a little concerned when I saw the bodice wasn’t lined, especially since red is one of those colors that likes to leave stains on your doll’s body.  But, after checking my doll from head to toe, I can safely say that she is not stained.

So, I’m thinking maybe Madame Alexander did something to prevent the dye in the fabric from leaking out?  I’d be curious to know if they did.

Before we skip ahead to the pants, let’s look back at the bodice because this is where our Fan Girl Find is…any guesses what the special element it?

It’s these four metallic buttons!

I didn’t realize it when I bought her but my doll is a Fan Girl Find (apparently, I’m too blind to notice the big “Fan Girl Find“ symbol on her box)!  Instead of silver brads, most Iron Man Fan Girls have arc reactor decals (similar to the ones on her cheeks) printed on her bodice.

I have no idea how “limited edition” these Fan Girl Finds are, but it’s nice to know that they are out there and possible to get a hold of.

Next, we have her pants:Our Iron Man Fan Girl is so in style with these flared pants!  The pants are also red satin fabric.  They slip around her waist easily and close in the back with a strip of Velcro.

Here are her heel-less shoes:

Hmm…interesting…

Okay, so I both like and dislike these shoes.  Part of me thinks they are super cool and I like their chunky style; however, not having a heel also makes them look…odd?  Like they’re missing something, you know what I mean?  Also, since her shoes don’t have a heel, our Fan Girl can’t balance on her own.  She needs something to support her, like a doll stand.

Which brings us to her stand:Each Fan Girl comes with a simple doll stand. The stand is clear and has the word “Fan Girl” printed in cursive letters at the bottom.  Even though it’s simple, the stand is very nice.  Instead of clasping around her waist, the stand is made so that the doll sits on it like a saddle.

The overall opinion:

Appeal:

I don’t know about you, but I find these Fan Girls very appealing.  I mean, we finally have a doll fashioned after the Marvel Super Heroes!  What’s not to love! I also think the sketchbook on the back of the box giving you a behind-the-scenes peek at the thoughts and ideas that inspired the doll is awesome.

Durability:

Durability is important.  I like doing things with my dolls and a firm believer that a doll should be able to be handled without falling apart.  Are these girls up to the task?  Well, in all honesty, I’ll have to wait and see. So far, my doll has been easy to pose, fun to photograph (can’t you tell by the number of pictures I’ve taken), and feels like a solid, well-made doll.  However, I’m not sure whether her skin tone being painted on will be a problem or not.

Also, the crispy hair could be an issue.  I have no problem giving a new doll some TLC by washing her hair, but I could where some people would want to avoid this to prevent accidentally damaging the doll.

So, in my opinion, the areas where these dolls need improving are their skin color and hair.

Clothing:

I love the clothing! I had no trouble slipping it on and off the doll.  Her fingers didn’t catch on stray threads and the clothes weren’t overly snug (a problem I sometimes run into with Disney dolls).  Plus, everything about it just screams Iron Man!

My only complaint about this outfit would be the heel-less shoes. I really wish the shoes had heels so the doll could (maybe) balance without her doll stand.

Price:

Now we get to the big question on everyone’s mind–is this doll worth the price?  I paid about $55.00 for her and, to be honest, I would do again. Let me tell you why…

When I bought the Beauty and the Beast Royal Celebration dolls they cost about $47 and they are nowhere near the quality of this doll.  They have zero articulation, feel flimsy and lightweight, and have very little resemblance to Belle and The Prince.

This girl, however, is totally different.  She is a sturdy, fully articulated doll, and the flaws I did find (the hair) were easy to fix.

On top of all that, she really represents her character.  From the arc reactors on her cheeks to her metallic gold and hot-rod red clothing, it’s very clear that this doll is an Iron Man Fan!

Personally, I would rather pay $55 for one amazing doll than $47 for two mediocre quality dolls.

So, I think you can guess that I am very happy with my purchase of this lovely lady!

But we can’t keep calling her “Fan Girl” can we?  Absolutely not!  This doll needs a name and I think I have the perfect one…

Antonia Stark!

Antonia is the feminine version of Anthony and means “priceless”.  It definitely goes with the whole Iron Man theme, and we can call her Toni for short.

Well, friends, I hope you enjoyed this review!

Now, it’s your turn!

Tell me, would you like to see more dolls designed after the Avengers?  Be sure to share your thoughts in the comment section.  I look forward to hearing what you have to say!