The Collection Grows

In 2010, Disney released an animated movie called Tangled. It was a retelling of Grimm's Rapunzel. While there were some things about the movie I did not like, overall I found it to be a lovely story; heartwarming and visually beautiful to experience.

That same year, the Disney Store released a special edition 17 inch doll for the film. Her attire was slightly different, with elongated sleeves versus the one she actually wore in the film, but this assisted in making the doll more beautiful and more elegant. The doll also has several crystals over the bodice, skirt, trim, and the ends of the pink cording on the bodice. I thought she was beautiful, and I wanted her, given her going rate on eBay ($250 - $700), I figured she was not meant to be. That did not keep me from waiting and watching.

In February 2012, the Disney Store released another version of the Rapunzel doll: the wedding doll. While the gown was lovely and the crown beautiful, her hair was butchered into the ridiculous bob she ended that version of her story with and that turned me off to it completely. I saw the doll in person, looking it over, but the hair was so terrible I could not get past it. I decided then that I did not want the wedding doll and would keep my hope out to get the first released one.

My collection of Rapunzel items grew slowly. The ladies at the local Disney Store began to call me Rapunzel and knew me as that name for the items I bought, the long hat I crocheted, the costume I made, and my own hair (though it does sort of annoy me when women with hair above at least knee-length are called "Rapunzel;" even more so if their hair is only my length [42 inches.]) The ladies would tell me when new things were coming out; when there would be a new this or that. More often than not, they knew what things I did like and what I did not like so they knew what to let me know what was coming out. For example; when the wedding pascal plush came out they let me know, but when something such as children's clothing or more of the accessories and other items came out, it was not brought to my attention.

On June 22, 2012, Disney and Pixar released their new film BRAVE. While my fiancée and I were walking the mall, we stopped in and peeked at the new Merida Limited Edition Doll. One of the ladies at the store asked me if I had seen it (the doll.) I said I had and that while Merida was a lovely doll, I was still hunting down the Rapunzel one from 2010. The lady joked about how she understood how I felt about the doll and me wanting to save my money and put it towards the Rapunzel one: "If this was Mulan," she said, "I would be tossing down my credit card and charging it right then and there!" Leaving the Disney Store, I glanced back at the Merida LE Doll and wondered if I would ever see the Rapunzel I was looking for.

That night, I sat at my computer and I looked over eBay at the Rapunzel dolls. The search was flooded with the wedding dolls that it seems all these people who bought them early to resell at a higher price could not move, and a few of the precious purple-dressed one I was searching for. My funds were limited; I had a certain amount of money I could spend as a gift from my aunt for my graduation. I sighed as I looked at the prices on my purple princess: $715, $635, $330, and so on... all not including the shipping cost. I kept scrolling further and further down the page, not really expecting to see anything... and then there she was.

A listing for the Rapunzel doll I have been looking for for under $170; only a $65 mark up from the original sale price in 2010 from the Disney Store. The person selling her had a 100% positivity rating for nearly 450 sales over their eBay lifetime and was located within the United States (this doll was released worldwide.) As I read over the doll's description it stated she was still in the box and unopened. Her edition number was unknown as the card that tells you that information is inside the box and the person did not want to open it. Further reading revealed why the doll was being sold:

        "I'm currently training for a half marathon and raising $1000 for Alex's Lemonade

        Stand for pediatric cancer research as part of the endeavor.  40% of the purchase

        price for the doll will benefit this very worthy cause (tax-deductible!). :)"

My eyes darted to see how many people had bid on her so far. Five. There were over twenty hours left in the auction. I added it to my watch list and waited. As the time wore down, I kept checking in to see if there were any bidding wars or things that would turn me away and make the dream of finally getting my doll a reality. My anxiety rose as the minutes ticked away and the internet speed in my house started to decline. The page was not refreshing as easily and the countdown clock started to not show the right time; lagging by a few seconds. A few seconds in eBay time is like the difference between life and death.

On eBay I am one of those persons that most people do not like. I refer to myself as a shark. I have dealt with sharks on other items in the past and while I was aggravated about losing those auctions, I could see how effective it was to be a shark. I am not always this way with items I try to get on there, but for things I have been searching years for I am more cut throat. I waited... circled... waited.... circled...

At last, the counter hit under 15 seconds. I entered my bid; a few dollars higher than the price on there and clicked the bid button. It stalled a moment, asking if I was sure, and when I hit yes the timer ran to zero. I was convinced in that moment I had waited too long to act, but as the page refreshed I saw in large text at the top of the screen on a green band: You won this auction.

Shaking like a chihuahua in the snow as the adrenaline coursed through me, I could not believe it. I had my doll and for way, way less than people were trying to mark her up for. Not only that, but she was helping a good cause. Now, the hard part: waiting. Waiting for her to arrive. At least in the mean time, I can make some space on my Rapunzel Collection Shelf for her.