One of the greatest battles among Winx doll collectors to date is the debate of which doll company did it best?!
Among the many Winx fans you will see split opinions and ideas on which company turned our favourite fairies into the best interpretations in the physical form possible to play and display with. Of course, with so many companies existing this is bound to happen but is there a clear winner among them?
Giochi Preziosi
Not many fans outside of Europe know of Giochi Preziosi winx dolls, especially not the earliest dolls made. Giochi Preziosi are actually quite a high up toy maker originating from Italy along with bringing to life our dear fairies Giochi has produced toys for Ben 10, Power rangers and even Disney Fairies at one point! Even today they continue to distribute the Winx dolls for one of the newest contenders Witty toys!
Among the many Winx fans you will see split opinions and ideas on which company turned our favourite fairies into the best interpretations in the physical form possible to play and display with. Of course, with so many companies existing this is bound to happen but is there a clear winner among them?
Giochi Preziosi
Not many fans outside of Europe know of Giochi Preziosi winx dolls, especially not the earliest dolls made. Giochi Preziosi are actually quite a high up toy maker originating from Italy along with bringing to life our dear fairies Giochi has produced toys for Ben 10, Power rangers and even Disney Fairies at one point! Even today they continue to distribute the Winx dolls for one of the newest contenders Witty toys!
The older dolls pictured above, which were the first Winx dolls to be made for the show aren't as loved or appreciated by the fans as others, and regardless of them not being the best of all companies to look at they still have a charm to me that screams Winx! And I will forever love them and hope to own some one day as a collectors treasure.
Later on down the line Giochi changed its Winx mould and doll design going for a newer, more show accurate look. Honestly I personally believe these to be some of the most accurate proportions in comparison to the show and when comparing some of the faces to the 2D and especially 3D Winx images, they look close to identical! The Super Fate enchantix line dubbed by fans as the 'Italian Enchantix dolls' are among my favourite Winx doll lines to date.
Later on down the line Giochi changed its Winx mould and doll design going for a newer, more show accurate look. Honestly I personally believe these to be some of the most accurate proportions in comparison to the show and when comparing some of the faces to the 2D and especially 3D Winx images, they look close to identical! The Super Fate enchantix line dubbed by fans as the 'Italian Enchantix dolls' are among my favourite Winx doll lines to date.
Mattel
The obvious favourite? According to what I've seen from the online presence apparently so! And who can blame fans for dubbing this line the majority fan favourite to be perfectly honest! The dolls are beautifully detailed all through the era of Mattel dolls, being as show accurate as possible, they are durable and usually have some great features such as magnetic light up wings or singing stands. These dolls are among the greats of Winx history to me, and not only are they good dolls but they are also nostalgic to most fans as these are what most people who grew up watching Winx from the very beginning will remember seeing in stores and wanting oh so badly!
The obvious favourite? According to what I've seen from the online presence apparently so! And who can blame fans for dubbing this line the majority fan favourite to be perfectly honest! The dolls are beautifully detailed all through the era of Mattel dolls, being as show accurate as possible, they are durable and usually have some great features such as magnetic light up wings or singing stands. These dolls are among the greats of Winx history to me, and not only are they good dolls but they are also nostalgic to most fans as these are what most people who grew up watching Winx from the very beginning will remember seeing in stores and wanting oh so badly!
Mattel, the same force behind the infamous Barbie took Winx to a level it needed and I honestly believe the dolls helped gain the shows popularity in many ways. Mattel managed to produce a multitude of lines during its time, one of the most popular being the well sought after among fans 'Glam Magic' collection which featured the girls in their season three Enchantix transformation. Just as all good things, Mattel had to come to an end.
Simba
When Winx Club was set to return for a brand new season it was obvious they would need merchandise! This is where Simba stepped in to produce stunning dolls which fit right in with the Mattel legacy left behind! At first of course old faithful fans of Mattel were reluctant to see the new Simba dolls as anything close to their true doll love, once they realised the detail and beauty worked into the popular lines such as Believix and Rockstar Simba became a hit throughout Europe among Winx fans! I remember being around when these dolls first came out and seeing the Europeans jumping onto them and loving them with all their being as they did their mattel dolls. However, from the fans overseas especially over the great Atlantic pond in the USA there was a different story...many seemed to have a blind hatred of the dolls, I remember reading posts about their eyes being ugly, the outfits looking tacky and as if they were made of foil etc. As a boy who wasn't allowed to own any dolls whatsoever I was rather neutral to either sides...that is until later on when I heard of a new company coming into the picture. More on that later!
When Winx Club was set to return for a brand new season it was obvious they would need merchandise! This is where Simba stepped in to produce stunning dolls which fit right in with the Mattel legacy left behind! At first of course old faithful fans of Mattel were reluctant to see the new Simba dolls as anything close to their true doll love, once they realised the detail and beauty worked into the popular lines such as Believix and Rockstar Simba became a hit throughout Europe among Winx fans! I remember being around when these dolls first came out and seeing the Europeans jumping onto them and loving them with all their being as they did their mattel dolls. However, from the fans overseas especially over the great Atlantic pond in the USA there was a different story...many seemed to have a blind hatred of the dolls, I remember reading posts about their eyes being ugly, the outfits looking tacky and as if they were made of foil etc. As a boy who wasn't allowed to own any dolls whatsoever I was rather neutral to either sides...that is until later on when I heard of a new company coming into the picture. More on that later!
I have to say from what I read online I never knew what to think of the European Simba dolls that my friends who owned absolutely adored but most fans seemed to despise, at one point I grew quite used to going with it and not thinking much of the Simba dolls, that is until by chance I managed to get a hold of Believix Bloom by accident. Honestly these dolls were gorgeous and once opened I never understood the fuss! The detailing was amazing, the wings were sparkly, they had real ribbons in the hair and everything you'd need was on the doll. As I got more I realised Simba had an eye for detail, the dolls had real chains and gorgeous little details that just tied the dolls together perfectly. They easily became one of my favourite dolls. They are a treat to own and if possible I highly recommend getting one! (or two, or a dozen...)
Witty Toys
I'm not sure what happened, but Simba switched over not long after to Witty Toys who started producing new dolls just in time for Season five to start. Witty toys carried on distributing the old Simba believix dolls among other lines, in newer designed boxes however and they still used the old face moulds and shoe moulds from the looks of it. However fans noticed the big touches in detail were being slacked at and where we were getting beautifully detailed pretty dolls we were now getting pretty dolls that were close to resembling the show but lacked in comparison to the older dolls released.
I'm not sure what happened, but Simba switched over not long after to Witty Toys who started producing new dolls just in time for Season five to start. Witty toys carried on distributing the old Simba believix dolls among other lines, in newer designed boxes however and they still used the old face moulds and shoe moulds from the looks of it. However fans noticed the big touches in detail were being slacked at and where we were getting beautifully detailed pretty dolls we were now getting pretty dolls that were close to resembling the show but lacked in comparison to the older dolls released.
Despite them not being as detailed as their former counterparts, witty toys still had the charm of Winx and some of their lines were still gorgeous and are on my doll wishlist.
Jakks Pacific
News made the US Winx fans extremely happy when Nickelodeon took on Winx and a new company was set to bring merchandise including new dolls over to them! Jakks seemed promising and even I was extremely excited to see the dolls! When first photos were revealed the excitement only went up, the dolls had gorgeous faces and were seemingly all articulated! However, when the dolls were released it seems they did nothing but disappoint. The hair was wire-like, the articulation was fragile, and the outfits seemed cheap at best...dolls that were very easy on the eyes weren't as great in many other aspects. What sold me to the Jakks dolls were the wings...wings that fluttered like they did in the show, wings that were gorgeously detailed and probably some of the best we'd seen among all the winx dolls. However for some fans, the cons outweighed the pros of these dolls and many people vowed to stay away from Jakks after their initial Winx doll release...which may have been one of the company's downfalls.
News made the US Winx fans extremely happy when Nickelodeon took on Winx and a new company was set to bring merchandise including new dolls over to them! Jakks seemed promising and even I was extremely excited to see the dolls! When first photos were revealed the excitement only went up, the dolls had gorgeous faces and were seemingly all articulated! However, when the dolls were released it seems they did nothing but disappoint. The hair was wire-like, the articulation was fragile, and the outfits seemed cheap at best...dolls that were very easy on the eyes weren't as great in many other aspects. What sold me to the Jakks dolls were the wings...wings that fluttered like they did in the show, wings that were gorgeously detailed and probably some of the best we'd seen among all the winx dolls. However for some fans, the cons outweighed the pros of these dolls and many people vowed to stay away from Jakks after their initial Winx doll release...which may have been one of the company's downfalls.
What many people did not expect, me included were just how much better Jakks would get as time went by. Their harmonix dolls were not only gorgeous but much more detailed...and when sirenix and bloomix made their début many fans were sold on the better hair, better quality fabrics and more of an eye for details though I truly believe the first dolls which made an impact may have scared a few people off. Jakks would have produced some amazing dolls in the future if they were given more time in my opinion, but sometimes the first impression leaves some people unable to get over their initial disappointment and I can understand people not wanting to re-live that moment again.
So who really is the best doll company? Well to be quite honest there isn't a true winner, it's all down to personal preference. I see good and bad points of all lines but Simba and Mattel take the cake for me as the best looking dolls in terms of detail, characteristics and durability, Giochi Preziosi were better at producing a variety of characters and outfits, and Jakks produce very beautiful dolls and had a great future ahead of them. I don't have a favourite company but I'm pretty sure many of you guys do!
So who was your favourite? Why? Is there a company you will avoid entirely?
Remember to send us in your photos, videos and reviews through the contact us page, Facebook page or e-mail us at [email protected] as we build up our fans collection pictures. Provide us with your name (or a fake name) so we can put up your content with full credit to you!
Stick around to see more content coming up all over the WDC soon!
Peace out,
Winxvaughan
All images stock images from the company mentioned or found on winxclub.com, and Google. special thanks to Tyler for helping with information.
So who was your favourite? Why? Is there a company you will avoid entirely?
Remember to send us in your photos, videos and reviews through the contact us page, Facebook page or e-mail us at [email protected] as we build up our fans collection pictures. Provide us with your name (or a fake name) so we can put up your content with full credit to you!
Stick around to see more content coming up all over the WDC soon!
Peace out,
Winxvaughan
All images stock images from the company mentioned or found on winxclub.com, and Google. special thanks to Tyler for helping with information.