Wills and Kate debut as wedding dolls
2011-08-19 08:41
London - Prince William and his bride Catherine reappeared in their wedding outfits on Thursday as miniature dolls of the royal couple hit the shop shelves in London.
William, now also the Duke of Cambridge, is dressed in his scarlet Irish Guards colonel uniform, while the his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, is in her white wedding dress as they were on their April 29 wedding day.
The dolls, made by British firm Arklu, went on sale at Hamleys toy emporium in central London.
The miniature replicas are "instantly recognisable and, some might say, delightfully kitsch," Arklu said.
"They might be a touch eccentric, but such quirkiness is also a great British tradition!"
"Something blue" knickers
The Catherine doll includes her earrings, tiara, engagement and wedding rings, bridal bouquet, shoes, and "something blue" knickers, which bear the designer's "signature ribbons and attention to detail" in "a sweet and lovely child-like version".
"It looks a lot like her and what she looked like on her wedding day. I think it looks really pretty," said 12-year-old Annie Hardwick.
Her younger sister Bella added: "I'd probably put it up on display so I can remember when she got married. There are lots of other ones (dolls) that I like but I think this one is very good."
William has his cap under his right arm and has been given some black and shocking pink socks, while his shoes have a W stamped in them, following reports that William marked his shoes to avoid mixing them up with his brother Prince Harry's.
"These are just the sort of products you'd expect to appear after a big royal wedding," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty magazine.
"They're harmless enough, the likenesses are reasonably good, they seem well made - hence the price - and they will appeal to the North American market in particular," he said, according to the BBC.
The boxed set of both dolls costs £100 (R1 200), while single Catherine dolls cost £50. There are no separate William dolls.
A £1 donation goes to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The couple launched a lifeboat near their home on Anglesey, northwest Wales, in their first official joint engagement.