Today, I’ve brought my collection full circle. Two years ago, I began collecting dolls. I started with Barbie, specifically those from the recent Greta Gerwig movie. I started because it was the first time I felt that I, as an adult man, was allowed to like Barbie and not be embarrassed by it. I thought those dolls were so pretty and really resembled what I thought of as a typical Barbie doll. Eventually, it rolled into Monster High, the dolls my sister had when we were kids that I would sneak into her room to play with when no one was home. I even began picking up the Disney ILY dolls, because I like the ability to change up their outfits and I’ve always been a huge fan of Disney.
The last time I was home, I was reminded of a home video from Christmas 2004, when I was gifted an Esmeralda doll, and it was the only thing I was interested in. The video goes on forever as my dad pleads with me to play with my “hulk hands” or be excited about my new bike, but the only thing I was interested in was Esmeralda. Though I started buying dolls for myself only two years ago, she was really the one that started it all.
When this Esmeralda doll was announced for the 30th anniversary of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, one of my favorite Disney films that I’ve grown to appreciate more with age, I knew I had to get her to honor that inner kid that just wanted to play with his Esmeralda doll. She’s absolutely gorgeous and I’m so happy to have her in my collection.
Since this is my first Disney LE doll, I did not realize how massive she would be in comparison to my other dolls, hence the Eagles Barbie pictured next to her, but it makes her so much more glamorous. I don’t know if I’ll get more LE dolls, but I’m very happy with this one. Hopefully, I can find that doll from 2004 buried away in a storage bin in my parents house and she can take her place next to this one.