Disneys Tarzan

Disneys Tarzan

& Hercules

Hercules' leading lady was a spirited lady called Megara.

This Grecian stunner was, facially, one of Matel's triumphs.

They captured her enormous almond-shaped eyes, high arched brows, long straight nose and sharply-pointed chin to perfection - yet somehow, she didn't seem to be a hit with her intended fans.

Little girls didn't rush to buy her, maybe because she didn't fit into the usual beautiful, teen-type mode. Unlike the Little Mermaid Ariel, or the Indian Princess Pocahontas, poor Megara was soon consigned to the bargain bins.

The basic Megara doll, issued in 1997, wore a short turquoise dress with a pleated skirt, made from a soft nylon fabric.

The bodice was trimmed with gold braid, which crossed over at the bust, then tied around her waist Two large gold buttons decorated the shoulders.

Her sandals were gold, fastened with gold ribbon. Megara's hair was thick, black and long, and cascaded over her right shoulder with a stray curl hanging from her left temple. A gold hairbrush was included in the box.

This doll can be found with a 1 either a closed mouth or a beaming smile, If but whichever model you choose, she is an attractive addition to any Disney doll collection. More impressive costume-wise, and extremely ingenious, was Fashion Secrets Megara.

This doll came in a long, silky lilac nylon gown which could  be altered into many  different styles by the use of  clever pull cords. If the main skirt was removed, a .. pleated two-tone skirt was revealed beneath, and by gently pulling on a toggle attached to a ribbon, this shortened into a midi or mini length skirt.

The chiffon scarf could be worn as a stole, hair tie or wrap, while the outer skirt could be worn under the pleated skirt to created a tiered effect. It was amazing just what you could do with this costume, and Mattel deserve full marks for thinking up such a creative outfit. Sadly, though, even this didn't seem to win over little girls, and so Fashion Secrets, too, was quickly reduced.

Few separate outfits were produced for Megara - two boxed Grecian Fantasy sets were sold containing a selection of play items such as a lyre, fruit, mirror, pitcher, bowl, musical pipes, laurel wreath and basket, in addition to the dresses.

One set included a long pale pink silky nylon gown with thin gold braid crisscrossing just below the bodice, and a filmy chiffon scarf, the other held a lilac gown with a white pleated-chiffon overlay, fasted with a gold bead belt. A purple chiffon scarf wrapped around Megara's shoulders.

So what of Hercules himself? The basic doll was 'Golden Glow', and he was a colour-change model. He wore gold plastic chest armour and a gold fabric shirt, both of which changed to a bronze shade in sunshine.

Around his head was an orange-brown suedette bfind, he sported gold wristbands a#id carried a long gold sword.

At his waist was a 'hero's medallion'.

This Hercules also came with a set of decals which could be stuck to his armour, then peeled off again after exposure to the sun, revealing a pattern. Hercules was an exceedingly poseable doll, jointed at knees,elbows, head and shoulders, and was also very muscular, certainly not based on the usual 'Ken' body. Q Probably the most attractive dolls released for this film were those in the 'Legend of Love' gift set.

Here, Hercules wore a gold lame armour- type outfit, trimmed with silver. It had embellishments at the shoulder in the form of sky blue cap-sleeves which matched the pleated satin skirt of his tunic. His wristbands, sword and waist medallion were tan plastic, and his sandals were dark brown.

Around his head was a gold band. Megara was dressed in a beautiful sky-blue empire- style pleated gown, with gold braid crossed at the bodice and waist. She had a gold flower with a pearl centre on each shoulder, and gold drop earrings.

The top of her dress was iridescent, as was her long flowing chiffon cape. It seems that no other dolls were issued from this film, and the only extra accessory was Magic Wings Pegasus, a battery-operated horse with flapping wings.

Dolls from the Tarzan film are even more thin on the ground than those from Hercules. Tarzan himself can be bought as a moulded-plastic figure wearing a loincloth. He has a talk-back feature, which repeats a child's speech in a Tarzan voice and gives the famous jungle yodel.

This is actually a boy's collectable figurine.

The only real dolls issued from the film are those of Jane, the bubbly heroine. Wearing a canary-yellow silk brocade Victorian-style dress with puffed sleeves, peplum and a purple ribbon tie,the basic Jane is pretty with plenty of character. Her dress has a high white collar, and is trimmed with lace at the hem. She has a perky yellow plastic safari hat ornamented with purple ribbon to match her tie, wears white gloves and carries a pencil. Jane comes complete with a book of her sketches and a small plastic monkey.

Available in the US, and possibly in some "outlets over here, is the Vine Swinging' gift set

by Mattel. This duo-pack features both characters and comes with a set of civvies for Tarzan; a white shirt and dark trousers. " Jane wears a lovely pink silky dress with a flowing wraparound skirt. Best of all is Tarzan's hair, which is long and styled in dreadlocks .

A plastic vine is included in the ( pack, so that the two dolls can

romantically swing together, just as in the movie.

To increase your Tarzan doll collection, you could include a Mattel Baby Tarzan - an appealing vinyl-headed, bean-filled plush toy wearing a brown loincloth - or perhaps collect some of the ) figures




 


from the it McDonald's promotion, which as well as featuring Tarzan and Jane, included the villain, Clayfon, and Jane's father, the bicycle-riding Professor Porter. And there are many models of the jungle creatures, by both Matel and McDonald's, in plush and plastic.

Collectibles Coach