The next level of madness

I drive my mother nuts on a regular basis by carrying around a full-sized American Girl doll...oh, just about everywhere I go.  Why?  For anxiety reasons (Rita Cheryl helps chill me out, if y'all can believe that), and in case a good photo op comes up for the blog.  But lately I've had someone else following me like a shadow.  I guess you could say that my new dolly tumor is a step down from American Girl since she's plush, but then again both kids and adults seem to like these.  Y'all probably know her from Beauty and the Beast.

If I could've cherry-picked a character I'd have picked Tiana or Elsa, but Belle was what eBay had, so I took her in.  Belle is a nuiMOs, a little plush toy that...oh, I'd say these are kinda, sorta Disney's answer to Build-a-Bear.  They come in multiple characters, they all appear to be about seven inches tall, and there are all sorts of outfits and accessories available for them.  For example, I tend to like dressing my princess dolls in "civilian clothes," as Sailor Moon fans call street duds, so Belle is currently wearing this.  The package said it's from Fashion Collection #5.

Looks a bit more comfortable than that yellow ballgown, though I'll admit that Belle looks great in yellow.  Indeed, of all the dresses the various Disney princesses wear, Belle's is...well, it ties with Tiana's green dress as my favorite, because green, that's why.  I also got a Dumbo nightgown, and some things for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day and Easter.  Here's the nightgown, since I love Dumbo.

I once said that 101 Dalmatians was my favorite Disney movie, but Dumbo is quickly rising to second (it still has to battle Sleeping Beauty for second, but it's high on my list).  When I was a little kid I used to strut around singing "When I See an Elephant Fly" in a Louis Armstrong-style voice, which in itself isn't that funny...except that Satchmo was a grown man with a low, rumbly voice.  I was...oh, about eight, and I still had a little kid voice.  But anyway, I'd sing it in a Satchmo voice, and my dad would die laughing.  There are other reasons why Dumbo is special to me, largely because Dumbo is an elephant and my dad loved elephants, but I digress as usual.  Belle's new nightie came with a teddy bear, but she can't hold it.  I have to prop it up beside her like so, or with a little bamboozling I can get Belle to hug him.

nuiMOs have magnets in their hands, so Belle can hold some small odds and ends if said odds and ends have a magnet.  The teddy bear does NOT have a magnet, but the taiyaki in her right hand does.

For the uninitiated, taiyaki are Japanese cakes that are shaped like fish.  They're usually filled with something red bean paste, though other sweet or savory fillings are used too.  These are often seen being consumed by anime characters (the perpetually-hungry Kiyouko Sakura is always the one I remember).  I've never had taiyaki myself, but if they're full of sweetened bean paste they're bound to be good.  That's the only way I'll willingly eat beans, by the way; my favorite Chinese food is full of sweetened bean paste.  Granted, jian dui are Chinese and taiyaki are Japanese, but both foodstuffs are full of beans.  The jian dui I ate tasted vaguely like chocolate.  But ANYWAY, Belle can hold small items if they have magnets.  She also has wires in her arms and legs, so she can hold a few simple poses like walking and waving.

Etsy has harnesses available for nuiMOs that allow them to ride on the strap of one's backpack or purse (or suspenders, but I think my dad was the last of the suspenders wearers).  I wouldn't make note of this...except that Belle's shoes are removable.  I was initially concerned that Belle might lose her shoes if I hung her on my purse, but then I saw this.

These bad boys Velcro closed in back, so the fit is nice and tight.  It is possible to pull Belle's shoes off without undoing the Velcro, but it takes a good, strong pull to do it.  To my relief, it doesn't look like Belle's shoes will be going anywhere.  This is good, because as I said above Belle likes to ride on my purse.

St. Louis Cardinals for the win!  Belle's shoes won't be going anywhere (when she does wear shoes), but I advise against letting one's nuiMOs ride while holding something in their hand.  Belle's taiyaki adheres to her hand magnets as advertised, but the grip is not a tight one.

Both Etsy and the Disney Store are full to bursting with accessories for nuiMOs, and while some of the accessories are pricey (Loungefly backpacks!), the clothes and handheld items are pretty reasonable.  My American Girls may have a run for their money now with Belle around!

Cheers and sparkles,
RagingMoon1987