Post date: Apr 18, 2011 7:19:31 PM
Fit for royalty -- a limited edition Kate Middleton doll goes on sale in the U.S. for 195 dollars.
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (APRIL 18, 2011) REUTERS - She's got the looks and the glamour of a soon to be princess, and the price tag to match. A new limited edition doll that resembles Kate Middleton is now on sale through the Franklin Mint for $195 (USD).
The 16-inch "Portrait of a Princess" doll emulates the look Middleton donned on her engagement day.Artists spent hours perfecting the vinyl likeness of Prince William's fiancee, from her handmade wig to her silk dress. The Kate doll even wears imitation sapphire jewels that look like the ones worn by Middleton when she got engaged.
Gwynne Gorr, the head of marketing for the Franklin Mint, said the company is proud of the quality of the hand painted replica.
"We went to a tremendous amount of effort to be able to capture every nuance of her personality and facial structure so that anyone who sees that doll knows right away who it is. We spend many hours, we look at thousands of photographs to get every angle of the chin and the eyes and the dimple...to be able to capture the magic of a personality in a portrait."
The doll is one of a two-doll set being manufactured by the company and sold only on their website (www.franklinmint.com) for $490 (USD). The Kate Middleton bridal doll will be released after the royal wedding and will feature replicas of the future princess' dress, jewelry and the flower bouquet she will carry.
Gorre explained that the dolls are collector's items and are not intended to be used as toys.
The Franklin Mint also issued several Princess Diana dolls, which sold well. Gorre said she expects the Kate Middleton doll to be equally popular.
"What is magical about Kate is she is a princess and there is no country on earth that loves princesses more than the United States. We start as little girls loving the stories of Cinderella and Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. And in the United States we don't have real princesses here so really the Kate Middleton story brings to life what women in America have been learning about and loving and is a part of our heritage from the time that we are little girls."
While the Kate Middleton doll may be the talk of the town, it's not likely that she will replace Barbie anytime soon.