This is another "Inspired by Reddit" post. A Redditor wanted to show off their collection of unusual dolls, and a very fine collection it was! They have Alie Lectric from the Novi Starz, a complete Jet from the Catwalk Kitties line, Hi:Glamm Alex, a complete set of Pinkie Cooper dolls, a Struts horse, and one of the Gorgeous Creatures, a cow doll named Cow Belle. Link to that collection is here, and my Cow Belle is here with me! More Cow Belle, LOL.
Gorgeous Creatures were a short-lived Mattel line from 1979, consisting of four...anthro dolls! Cow Belle is an obvious cow, and her three friends are Ms. Heavenly Hippo, Ms. Giddee Yup (a horse), and Princess Pig, the last of whom brings Miss Piggy to mind. Indeed, the Bold Doll implies that these dolls were inspired by The Muppet Show, and that Jim Henson either wasn't aware of Princess Pig's existence, or he didn't mind. My favorite of the four is Heavenly Hippo, but I couldn't find her so I went for the cow. My sister's doctorate is in cattle nutrition, so cows are kinda special in my family. Also by coincidence, Cow Belle happens to be a redhead, and y'all know my opinions on red hair. But first, as always, here's a better look at the box. These boxes always have a "Pretend she's in a..." segment on the bottom left, and Cow Belle's reads "Pretend she's in a beauty shop."
Normally the box would also give some joking description of the doll, but my box is Canadian and doesn't have that. Cow Belle's box normally would say that she "has a creamy complexion," but since her name is in two different languages there was no room for that.
Heavenly Hippo's tagline is "As pretty as a pitcher," LOL. Anyway, the four characters are crammed into the back panel like so.
Indeed, Heavenly Hippo is wrapped around one side of the box, and Princess Pig is off on the other side by herself.
Lastly, some info in English and in French.
According to the box Cow Belle and her hooved cronies are 7.5 inches, so they're not the tallest things. They're close in size to my Monst doll and Bailey Buns-2-Braids. Chou Chou is weirded out by Cow Belle, as she is with everything, but Bailey looks ready to hit the catwalk with her bovine comrade.
Cow Belle is actually closer in size to Stacie and company, and to Susie Sad-Eyes. I didn't know this until I stood her up on a shelf with Susie. Susie is not impressed either.
Since the Gorgeous Creatures are kinda freaky, here's how Cow Belle looks with a couple'a freaky fabulous Monster High dolls. G3 Venus McFlytrap and G1 Haunted Twyla Boogeyman are shown, and they both tower over Cow Belle.
The Monster High lot is an open-minded bunch, so they welcomed Cow Belle with open arms. In fact, Venus was a little too enthusiastic!
Alright, Venus, that's quite enuff. Cow Belle's headdress is hooked on over her ears, so lemme dribble that off and get a better look at this hair.
Hmmm, the color is pretty, but the fiber feels cheap and looks like it could easily frizz. Mattel hair of the 1970s tended to be that way, unfortunately. Just ask Malibu P.J.; y'all can't tell it, but her hair is pretty stiff. See how it has no drape?
It's hard to describe the feel of Cow Belle's hair. It looks a little stringy and wiry, but it feels soft enuff and it's not tangled...yet. It falls just below her shoulders, and she's got very curly bangs up front.
Under her bangs she's got little horns! Not all cows have horns (the ones without are "polled"), but Cow Belle does!
The rooting is pretty good for a doll this size, though I couldn't style this hair in pigtails like P.J.'s.
For the record, P.J.'s hair is rooted specifically so she can wear her signature pigtails. During the seventies, P.J. wasn't P.J. unless she had those.
For the record, none of the Gorgeous Creatures have Hesston tornado-dark hair like many of my other dolls do. Doll lines these days have at least one dark brunette, but Princess Pig and Miss Giddie Yup are blonde, Cow Belle's hair is auburn, and Heavenly Hippo is a flaming redhead. All the more reason to love Heavenly, LOL.
I'm gonna have to use some different camera angles to get her face done, because this face is a different shape from what I'm used to. Being a cow, Cow Belle's face is...well, very bovine!
Judging from that coloration, I'd guess that Cow Belle is a Guernsey or Guernsey mix, though I suppose she could be a light Jersey too. My sister would be the one to ask there, LOL. Guernsey cattle are some of the most beautiful things on the planet, by the way; there's a large farm of them in Cape Girardeau, and when the sun hits those coats the cows shimmer like gold. They're a lovely sight, but not to be trifled with, my sister warned. She got to work with those particular cows, so she'd know! Anyway, Cow Belle's head is made of soft, squishy vinyl, kinda like Baby See 'n' Say's face is. See? Her cheeks are kinda squidgy.
Now...some cows have horns and some don't, but as far as I know they all have brown eyes. Cow Belle does too, with some very feathery-looking eyeshadow to boot! Indeed, I saw one Redditor who described these dolls' eyelashes as "tumor-y." For reasons I'll never know, they stick out a significant distance from the rest of the eye.
I gotta hand it to Mattel, these eyes legit look like cow eyes! Cows have very big irises, and usually little to no sclera shows, and Mattel has that look down pat. The loppy ears are also more or less accurate, though cow ears are more rounded at the edges...and have tags.
To my considerable horror, Cow Belle's earrings are not in her ears, but in the sides of her head BELOW the ears! Yee-ouchie!!!
I don't know of too many cows that wear blush, so Cow Belle is in her own little pasture there. She hit the ol' makeup pretty hard, particularly on her left cheek (right image).
I do love how full Cow Belle's cheeks are, though. It kinda looks like she's chewing cud. Tangent: I had a huge wad of gum that Mama called my "cud" once. It was an enormous bolus of multiple pieces, and I kept it...oh gosh, I don't know how long! My cheeks did indeed look a little like Cow Belle's, and when Mama saw me chewing it she'd go "Oh, that wad of gum!" Then the family dog ate it. No joke; I'd taken it out and put it on the arm of a lawn chair to take a dip in the wading pool, and our chow chow ate the whole wad. Didn't hurt her a bit, but I think Mama was about to toss her cookies. End tangent.
Now, the nose...snout...muzzle...sigh, I'm sticking with nose. It's...well, a cow's nose!
Now, the nose...snout...muzzle...sigh, I'm sticking with nose. It's...well, a cow's nose!
The coloration is wrong, though I think I understand why Mattel chose white rather than brown or black. Cows usually have black, brown, pink, or spotted noses, but in Cow Belle's case I black nose might've made her look more like a deer than a cow. I don't know what Mattel's thought process was with the coloration, but I think they made a smart call here. Unfortunately, Cow Belle's nose has some black marks on it, presumably from where it rubbed up against her packaging.
It's not as bad as it was, though. I rubbed it with my moistened fingertip and it lightened up, so I've just gotta be patient and persistent with this mark.
Since three of these dolls have such prominent muzzles it's hard to see their smiles, but they all have cute little expressions. I can't tell if this mouth is lipstick or just an open smile. At least there's no cud showing, LOL. Cows drool when they chew their cud. All ruminants do.
Since three of these dolls have such prominent muzzles it's hard to see their smiles, but they all have cute little expressions. I can't tell if this mouth is lipstick or just an open smile. At least there's no cud showing, LOL. Cows drool when they chew their cud. All ruminants do.
I've gotta hand it to Mattel, these animals genuinely look like the critters they're supposed to represent. There's nothing toned down or anything; Cow Belle is a cow, and that's that. I appreciate her makeup being on straight; not all Mattel dolls have that nowadays.
Cow Belle's body is made of smooth, rigid, thick plastic, and I commend Mattel on not making these dolls twigs. They're nice and curvaceous.
Unfortunately, the posing is kinda disappointing. Cow Belle has the five joints that most dolls of the day had, but they only rotate...take that back, the head is a ball joint, so it poses well.
Cow Belle's shoulders and hips have only rotational movement, and it's quite stiff. I have to use a lot of hand strength to move these limbs...and I never have had a lot of that. I can sew porcupine quills into earrings, but I don't have a lot of strength. Anyway, Cow Belle can move her arms up and around, and she can achieve a running pose, though she can't balance in said pose.
Cow Belle's hips are V-cut like a Tammy doll's, so I was expecting a bimbo bovine on Quaaludes, but she can actually sit very gracefully.
Cow Belle's body is made of smooth, rigid, thick plastic, and I commend Mattel on not making these dolls twigs. They're nice and curvaceous.
I love my Sindy! Always have, always will. And of course there was Starr and her lot; their joints are epic.
Wait a minute...Cow Belle's necklace is the same as the ones worn by the Fashion Photo gang! Looks like Mattel's dolls all shopped at the same jeweler, LOL. I wonder if Barbie and company have trouble with their necklaces sticking straight up, like Cow Belle's does? Plastic has no drape, after all.
The boa, on the other hand...well, it's a long ruffle of tulle so it does have drape. I usually tuck the ends under Cow Belle's arms, but this can be worn a number of ways.
Lastly, these shoes...and why I refuse to take them off. They're cute, rubbery, strappy little numbers, in a shade of blue that matches Cow Belle's dress.
The problem is that these fasteners are tiny and extremely fiddly for grown-up hands like mine, whether they've worked with porcupine quills or not, and they'd be well-nigh impossible for a child to do up. Now these do slip on and off with very little fuss, so if I want to change her shoes I can, but oh, do I hate doing those fasteners up!
Great time to segue into clothes sharing! According to multiple Reddit sources, the Gorgeous Creatures can wear some Barbie and Rainbow/Shadow High clothes, and Barbie shoes will fit their feet. Indeed, I own this dress, modelled by a customized Giddee Yup, from early in the Fashionista days. My skinny Barbie Basics usually wore it, so it's good to know that a curvy doll like Cow Belle can wear it too. One has to keep an eye on hem length, though; a dress that is knee-length on Barbie might be ankle-length on Cow Belle. That said, Laura, Dionne, and Corazon wear shorter dresses that might work. As in these three.
Oh, I'm hoping that Dionne's red dress will look nice! But I went from right to left and tried Laura's blouse and skirt first.
The skirt fits okay, and the shoes fit perfectly as long as they're on the right feet (Barbie shoes go left and right nowadays), but I couldn't get the blouse to fasten in the back.
I probably could've done it if I'd put in more elbow grease, but I don't want Laura's blouse to be ruined.
Corazon's outfit consists of a jumper dress, a white T-shirt, and black strappy heels. I had my doubts about the shoes...
Well, I forgot to straighten the skirt, so the waist is wrinkled, but yes, Dionne's dress and shoes do fit Cow Belle. I did have to pull on the Velcro a bit, but this material is the forgiving kind. Based on the success of Dionne's and Corazon's outfits and the failure of Laura's, I'll say that some Barbie clothes can fit Cow Belle. I wouldn't try anything meant for the Model Muse line, skinny as those dolls are, but Fashionistas and the older dolls are worth a shot. The shoes I have on hand also worked, but one had to fit the right shoe to the right foot and so on. Barbie shoes weren't like that when I was a kid! I sadly didn't remember the Rainbow High clothes, and I may update this post in the future with a look at them.
Key word: some of my Starr dolls can. I've got four of Starr and one of her friend Kelley, and some of 'em have joints that have grown floppy over the years. So Mattel may have made a smart move in making the Gorgeous Creatures stiff. Further, Cow Belle doesn't feel even a smidge flimsy. Her head will pop off if I twist it just right, but her body feels solid as a rock.
Some anthro dolls have paws rather than hands (Pinkie Cooper and Catwalk Kitties are good examples of this), but Cow Belle and company have regular humanoid hands like so. The molding isn't great, but Cow Belle's fingers are at least visible (she's only got three, plus a separate thumb). Her left hand sports a big, blingy ring.
Cow Belle's feet don't even have toes (or hooves). They're just smooth high-heeled feet.
Interestingly, Cow Belle's torso has...I dunno, a corset or a teddy of some stripe molded onto her body. I couldn't get the front of her to focus, but she's covered from bosom to nether region. It's not painted so it doesn't show too terribly, but Cow Belle is...definitely NOT nekkid.
That was a nice surprise. I've seen Heavenly Hippo and Princess Pig in the buff, but I couldn't tell that they have molded bodysuits. Mattel really went all out for these dolls.
All four of the Gorgeous Creatures are dressed to the nines, kinda like Superstar Barbie, Ken, and Christie were two years prior. Heavenly Hippo wore a pantsuit, and the other three wore ballgowns in varying colors; Cow Belle's ensemble is mostly blue, with touches of other coordinating colors here and there.
Some anthro dolls have paws rather than hands (Pinkie Cooper and Catwalk Kitties are good examples of this), but Cow Belle and company have regular humanoid hands like so. The molding isn't great, but Cow Belle's fingers are at least visible (she's only got three, plus a separate thumb). Her left hand sports a big, blingy ring.
The palm is smooth; no lines or anything. I wouldn't have expected anything like that back in 1979, but in today's day some dolls this size do have that sort of detail.
All four of the Gorgeous Creatures are dressed to the nines, kinda like Superstar Barbie, Ken, and Christie were two years prior. Heavenly Hippo wore a pantsuit, and the other three wore ballgowns in varying colors; Cow Belle's ensemble is mostly blue, with touches of other coordinating colors here and there.
This kinda reminds me of the dress Grace Kelly wore in To Catch a Thief. That dress was immortalized on a Barbie doll, by the way, and To Catch a Thief was my favorite of the Grace Kelly dolls. I do have a Grace Kelly doll, but she's Rear Window, my companion during Skywire Live. Seriously, she stood on the coffee table behind me while I watched Nik Wallenda try to kill himself. I need to root her out of my old bedroom. ANYWAY (me and my tangents!), Cow Belle's ensemble consists of the dress, a headpiece, a boa, a scarf that the package calls a "hanky," and a pair of shoes that I refuse to take off the doll. Oh yeah, and some jewelry. Here's the dress itself.
The diaphanous layers and fitted bodice also bring to mind Senior Prom and the dresses that Fashion Photo Barbie and Fashion Photo P.J. wore...and Fashion Photo Christie too, for that matter! I didn't know that pretty Christie was a member of the Fashion Photo gang, but she was. Anyway, the bodice is that silvered type of fabric that loses its shine after too many handlings, though Cow Belle's box protected this dress from that. The chest is darted to fit over her ample bosom.
The straps meet in the center of the bodice and extend over Cow Belle's shoulders, but my favorite part of this is in the center, where the sequined cord is looped to create a flowerlike flourish.
The straps meet in the center of the back, right near the opening of the dress. I forgot to show this, but the back closes with a single metal snap. No Velcro for a tulle dress in the seventies, apparently!
That sequined cord is very well sewn, by the way. Probably we all know that if we just string sequins on a thread and be done with it, said thread will eventually break and the sequins will go everywhere. Not here.
Speaking of tulle, this skirt has two layers. The first is the aforementioned tulle, in three colors: violet, very light blue, and sky blue.
The tulle panels are separated in front by wavy lines of the same sequined cord. The seams look a little clunky here, and the hem looks ragged overall, though I don't know how to avoid either problem with tulle.
The underlayer is also unhemmed but is a more robust fabric, in cerulean blue. There are no adornments here; it just preserve's Cow Belle's modesty.
Not a bad dress overall, but in an ensemble like this the devil in the details. All four of the Gorgeous Creatures are accessorized, starting with this headdress.
Speaking of tulle, this skirt has two layers. The first is the aforementioned tulle, in three colors: violet, very light blue, and sky blue.
This bit has feathers and tulle and an elastic band that fits nicely over Cow Belle's ears, but...I'm surprised the feathers haven't fallen apart by now! Feather trim NEVER ages well, but this looks good. Probably now that it's out of the package it'll start aging.
On her arms Cow Belle wears these gloves, but since they lack hands I call them gauntlets. I'm not terribly impressed by these either, as they feel thin and hold wrinkles like mad. They do slide on and off Cow Belle's arms easily though, which surprised me given the size of her ring.
The gauntlets don't stretch, but they do bend a fair amount, and the left gauntlet bends enuff to accommodate Cow Belle's hanky.
The package swears that this is a hanky, but I'm calling it a scarf. To me a hanky is a snot rag, and sheer material like this makes a terrible snot rag. I know from personal experience, LOL. One time I blew my nose on a used dryer sheet and...yeah, moving on. The scarf is made of the same fabric as one panel of Cow Belle's skirt, and since it's tulle it is unhemmed. It attaches to her arm with a small bit of elastic.
The necklace is a simple loop of clear plastic with a rhinestone at the base. The ends hook together and like to catch in Cow Belle's hair.On her arms Cow Belle wears these gloves, but since they lack hands I call them gauntlets. I'm not terribly impressed by these either, as they feel thin and hold wrinkles like mad. They do slide on and off Cow Belle's arms easily though, which surprised me given the size of her ring.
The boa, on the other hand...well, it's a long ruffle of tulle so it does have drape. I usually tuck the ends under Cow Belle's arms, but this can be worn a number of ways.
Great time to segue into clothes sharing! According to multiple Reddit sources, the Gorgeous Creatures can wear some Barbie and Rainbow/Shadow High clothes, and Barbie shoes will fit their feet. Indeed, I own this dress, modelled by a customized Giddee Yup, from early in the Fashionista days. My skinny Barbie Basics usually wore it, so it's good to know that a curvy doll like Cow Belle can wear it too. One has to keep an eye on hem length, though; a dress that is knee-length on Barbie might be ankle-length on Cow Belle. That said, Laura, Dionne, and Corazon wear shorter dresses that might work. As in these three.
Corazon's outfit consists of a jumper dress, a white T-shirt, and black strappy heels. I had my doubts about the shoes...
...and y'all can't see the shoes very well in the picture. But in this case everything fits perfectly. Corazon's dress is longer on Cow Belle, of course, but otherwise this one is great.
That leaves Dionne's slinky red number. It's knitted, so this may work.
That leaves Dionne's slinky red number. It's knitted, so this may work.
That's a wrap...mostly.
BAD
*I don't trust that hair. If I have to tidy it I'll use my fingers, not a brush.
*This was a fixable problem, but my doll rubbed against her box and got a good-sized mark on her nose.
*Posing stinks, except for the neck joint.
*The clothes are made of some fabrics that can easily snag or tear.
*Shoes are a nightmare to fasten.
*Uh...kinda WEIRD???
GOOD
*Uh...she's a COW??? When's the last time y'all saw a cow doll?
*Body is sturdy and feels well-constructed.
*I found no sewing gaffes on the dress or any of the accessories.
*Nor did I find any paint errors.
*Can wear some Barbie clothes and all the shoes I tried.
*I appreciate the overall humor of the line. Remember that Heavenly Hippo is "pretty as a pitcher."
Gorgeous Creatures are definitely not for every collector, but I think they're interesting and I think it's kinda a shame that this line wasn't extended on. Imagine an elephant in the lineup, or a sheep or a camel or a rhino. An elephant girl would've been a perfect gag gift for my daddy, LOL. Alas, anthro dolls always seemed doomed to failure, regardless of how cute or how well-dressed they may be, and as such Cow Belle and her friends are here-and-gone blips on the radar, very much like Pinkie Cooper. As for Cow Belle, I'd hesitate to call her truly gorgeous, but she's cute and unique, nicely constructed, and very well-dressed. I've got dolly buddies that only collect anthro dolls, so if you're one of those then I recommend one of these...but watch those stupid shoes! Put 'em on and leave 'em on, or find some other type of shoe if you can. I'd also watch that hair if I were y'all; Cow Belle's hair looks fine, but I just don't trust those fibers. And of course there's that weird factor; I don't know of too many folks who'd want a doll in the likeness of a cow or a hippo, but I commend Mattel for giving it the old college try.
This is the last post I have scheduled before Christmas unless something unusual comes up, so I bid my readers a very merry Christmas...or happy Hanukkah or happy Kwanzaa or joyous Yule, whatever you celebrate. Eat yourselves into oblivion like I plan to do, enjoy time with family and/or friends, and don't drive drunk.
Merry Christmas,
RagingMoon1987
BAD
*I don't trust that hair. If I have to tidy it I'll use my fingers, not a brush.
*This was a fixable problem, but my doll rubbed against her box and got a good-sized mark on her nose.
*Posing stinks, except for the neck joint.
*The clothes are made of some fabrics that can easily snag or tear.
*Shoes are a nightmare to fasten.
*Uh...kinda WEIRD???
GOOD
*Uh...she's a COW??? When's the last time y'all saw a cow doll?
*Body is sturdy and feels well-constructed.
*I found no sewing gaffes on the dress or any of the accessories.
*Nor did I find any paint errors.
*Can wear some Barbie clothes and all the shoes I tried.
*I appreciate the overall humor of the line. Remember that Heavenly Hippo is "pretty as a pitcher."
Gorgeous Creatures are definitely not for every collector, but I think they're interesting and I think it's kinda a shame that this line wasn't extended on. Imagine an elephant in the lineup, or a sheep or a camel or a rhino. An elephant girl would've been a perfect gag gift for my daddy, LOL. Alas, anthro dolls always seemed doomed to failure, regardless of how cute or how well-dressed they may be, and as such Cow Belle and her friends are here-and-gone blips on the radar, very much like Pinkie Cooper. As for Cow Belle, I'd hesitate to call her truly gorgeous, but she's cute and unique, nicely constructed, and very well-dressed. I've got dolly buddies that only collect anthro dolls, so if you're one of those then I recommend one of these...but watch those stupid shoes! Put 'em on and leave 'em on, or find some other type of shoe if you can. I'd also watch that hair if I were y'all; Cow Belle's hair looks fine, but I just don't trust those fibers. And of course there's that weird factor; I don't know of too many folks who'd want a doll in the likeness of a cow or a hippo, but I commend Mattel for giving it the old college try.
This is the last post I have scheduled before Christmas unless something unusual comes up, so I bid my readers a very merry Christmas...or happy Hanukkah or happy Kwanzaa or joyous Yule, whatever you celebrate. Eat yourselves into oblivion like I plan to do, enjoy time with family and/or friends, and don't drive drunk.
Merry Christmas,
RagingMoon1987
