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Review of Coraline Doll, Snow Globe
Prop Replicas

NECA, Detroit Zoo
Date Published:
Written By:
Overall Average Rating: 2.75 out of 4

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Coraline doll, Snow Globe prop replica

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Introduction

I mentioned in the last review that I grew up in Detroit, so it should be no surprise that the Coraline references to places like Pontiac, the dad's State shirt (I'm a State alumni) and the snow globe that displayed the Rackham Memorial Fountain meant a lot to me. How many times did I get my photo taken at that fountain as a child? Too many to remember now.

I picked up two new prop replicas based on the Coraline film in the last couple weeks, so I thought it was fitting to roll them into one review. The first is the doll from NECA, based on the look-alike doll that spies on Coraline in the film. The second is only a pseudo prop replica - it's not intended to be an exact duplicate of the film snow globe (sadly), but it's as close as you're going to get, and it was produced due to fan demand after the Coraline film.

You can pick up the doll at a number of online retailers, and I have several sponsors listed in my Where to Buy section. You can expect to pay around $20 - $25, depending on the retailer.

The snow globe is a bit trickier. It's available at the zoo of course, but only recently. And as far as I can tell the zoo has no online presence, so you have to visit the gift shop, somewhat impractical for most folks. If someone does know of an online option, please let me know.

Anyone that saw the film will recognize the doll, but for the non-Michiganders the Rackham bears might require some minor explanation. Horace Rackham was a wealthy philanthropist, and the first President of the Detroit Zoological Commission. The fountain was built in his honor, on land that he had donated for zoo expansion back in the twenties.

The bear fountain has been a landmark of the zoo ever since, and whenever you go it's the place you all meet up. Get separated? Meet back at the fountain! Getting a replica of this snow globe just seems like such an obvious opportunity for both the zoo and the fan.

Coraline doll prop replica

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Packaging - Doll ***; Snowglobe **
The doll comes in a collector friendly box, safely held in place. The window is a little small, but I like the style and look of the graphics and colors.

On the other hand, the globe comes in a plain white box with that damn annoying cheap Styrofoam. Regular readers know how much I hate that stuff.

Coraline doll prop replica

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Sculpting - Doll ***1/2; Globe **1/2
The doll is very screen accurate, at least in terms of overall details. The costume matches the on screen counterpart, right down to the patterning on the yellow slicker. The slicker has a wire in both the hood and the edges of the jacket that allow you to pose it quite well. The hood doesn't fit over the large Stewie-like head particularly well, but it looks just fine hanging down her back.

The head sculpt has the textured pattern on the skin that looks like a burlap type material, with the hair made from string. There's some black hairs in there that I don't remember, but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.

The various materials are very high quality, with the yarn hair maide from...well, yarn, the body stuffed material over a bendy armature, and the head a solid resin-like material. Even the button eyes are actual buttons.

The only think holding this back from a better sculpt score is the size. At just 10", she seems just a bit small to me in comparison to the other characters in the film.

The globe is NOT close to the actual screen appearance -not by a country mile. While I can appreciate that the Zoo officials did this as a general globe first, and as something tied to Coraline second, I still have to grade it based on it's value as a prop replica. I also think they missed a terrific opportunity to cash in on the popularity of the film.

The bear fountain in the center is similar, but the base is very different. Rather than the large 'Detroit Zoo' on a front plate, there's a small text version along with the lable of "Horace H. Rackham Memorial Fountain". The white and yellow base is intended to replicate the ornate column edge around the fountain's pool, which is a nice touch but again, not screen accurate.

Coraline Snow Globe prop replica

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Paint - Doll ***; Globe *1/2
The work on the doll is quite nice, although there's not a lot. The black eyebrows and pink lips are clean, with a similar wear pattern to what was seen on screen. There's some blush on the cheeks, and freckles added in around the eyes.

The work on the snow globe is just a hair above dollar store, sadly. Again, there's not a lot here, but the black lettering is sloppy, and the white and yel;ow base isn't as clean or bright as it should be.

Coraline Snow Globe prop replica

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Articulation - Doll ***; Snowglobe Bupkis (duh!)
Obviously, the snow globe isn't 'articulated'. Shake it and the snow moves great, but that's not really articulation. Of course, I don't expect it to be, so this has nothing to do with my overall score.

The doll is surprisingly well articulated. The entire body and all limbes are a bendy armature that works great, allowing her to take quite a few poses. Obviously, she can't stand on those little bendy legs, but she can take sitting positions, and even lean against objects in an upright fashion. The head can tilt, the shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, hips and ankles bend, and you can get her in just about any pose short of standing independently.

Coraline doll prop replica

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Value - Doll **1/2; Snowglobe *1/2
The $25 price tag on the doll seems about right considering the current market, and the quality of the collectible. However, I'm not feeling the $35 for this rather small, rather rough snow globe.

Coraline Snow Globe prop replica

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Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing in either case!

Coraline doll prop replica

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Overall - Doll ***1/2; Snowglobe **
I've been waiting for this doll quite awhile now, since the original ship date was back around Halloween. Thankfully, it was worth the wait. It's a bit small for my tastes as a replica, but that's my only complaint.

The globe doesn't fair as well, largely because I'm judging it as a prop replica. Even ignoring that aspect, the quality really isn't up to the $35 price tag.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - Doll ***; Snowglobe **
Sculpting - Doll ***1/2; Globe **1/2
Paint - Doll ***1/2; Globe *1/2
Articulation - Doll ***; Snowglobe Bupkis (duh!)
Value - Doll **1/2; Snowglobe *1/2
Overall - Doll ***1/2; Snowglobe **

Coraline doll prop replica

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Where to Buy 
Online options for the NECA doll include these site sponsors:

- has the doll at $26.

- Entertainment Earth has the doll at $25.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Getting the snow globe is a bit trickier. You can pick it up at the Zoo itself for $35, but obviously that's not practical for everyone. Perhaps an enterprising ebayer will start selling them...

Related Links -
The NECA Coraline dolls were some of my favorite female figures from last year.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

Discussion:
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Coraline doll prop replica

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This product was purchased for the review by the reviewer. Photos and text by Michael Crawford.

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