Remember on my Edna Mode post I mentioned she didn't come with her instruction sheet so I wasn't able to check out her interactive abilities in detail.
Amazon.com
Well, I emailed Thinkway Toys to ask if it was possible to get hold of a copy so I can try her out properly and...
Today I heard back from Thinkway Toys who were kind enough to send me a copy of the "Chat List" that originally came with this doll! Yay!!
I watched the first Incredibles film with my son when it came out because he was in the age bracket and wanted to see it and while I found it quite an ok film, I can't say I really remember much about it.
I'm afraid the second film completely passed me by, in fact I didn't even realise there was a second film until a year ago.
By the time it was released in 2018 my son was no longer 9 years old and no longer interested in these characters, being 23 by then and as he wasn't particularly impressed by the first film, he had no interest in it's sequel so I never bothered watching it either.
That said, you're probably asking yourself why the heck I'm writing a post about a character who appeared in these films and why I happen to own not only a toy from the franchise but an interactive toy to boot?
Well, it was kind of an accident, as I mentioned I hadn't paid attention to the film so had no idea that there were new characters in it, so it wasn't something I set out to get my hands on...
amazon.co.uk
I was doing my usual, nosing around on Ebay which normally consists of something catching my eye and then seeing what else the seller is offering. So there I was minding my own, having a little nosey through a seller's listings and then I spotted this very quirky looking lady who really appealed to me... I placed a bid and a few days later, she moved in.
The first thing that struck me was just how big and heavy this doll is...
She stands around 14 inches tall and has a very "chunky" aesthetic, she is articulated at the shoulders, which allows her arms to be moved up and down and outstretch sideways, backwards or straight ahead. Her head, however, only moves from side to side.
Listing Photo.
Her wrists are articulated in such a way that her arms can be turned 360 degrees and up and down, but her hands are moulded in such a way that they cannot grip or move out of the pose they are in - her right is open palmed with her index finger pointing, while the left is moulded into a "thumbs up" gesture.
As her feet are also an odd shape and look like they have been put in on the wrong sides, she isn't able to stand up by herself which is a little annoying as she is quite heavy and bulky to hold. .
Listing Photo.
Her clothes are made from a thick felt material which opens up at the back, held in place by Velcro.
The style is really quite boring for someone who'd supposed to be a fashion designer! I know this is movie perfect but it's still a weird choice.
Her Glasses cannot be removed from her head which is fine as she looks much better with them over her eyes anyway.
The lens portion is made from magnifying plastic so when they are lifted away from her face her eyes look a lot smaller; this doesn't make her look less quirky, but to my mind she looks much cuter when they enlarge her eyes.
As for the interactive bit, well her box told me she has over 55 sayings in her original voice and that she is able to respond to your voice and answer back.
Unfortunately I don't have her "Chat List" which she originally came with so I'm unable to explore this feature fully. I did email Thinkway Toys asking for a copy, so maybe I'll be able to try this feature out soon.
I replaced her batteries and tried her in both test and play modes but again, without the "Chat List" I cannot really say whether this is a cool function or not and as I hinted at earlier, this wasn't the reason I bought her anyway.
The above video depicts my first interactions with her, spoiler alert it got a bit frightening!
Also Roxy got scared too and decided to shout at her, so sorry about that!
I had planned to customise her or take her apart and use bits of her to make another doll, but since handling her I've changed my mind a bit and am not not really sure what I'm going to do with her.
While I was getting to know the doll, I couldn't help wondering if she had been modelled on a real person, her look was vaguely reminiscent of someone I've seen on my travels in Art History.
I kept thinking black and white photos, 1930's so I did a little research and discovered this little titbit...
Many people seem to think that Edna was based on Edith Head; an amazingly talented costume designer who was responsible for many of the most iconic outfits seen on the silver screen during Hollywood's Golden Age of the 1930's - of course there are many similarities between the two in terms of surface looks, but I personally believe she is actually an amalgamation of several iconic women.
Also, Edith Head was such an iconic and talented woman who's career spanned 44 years and designed some of the most beautiful gowns and outfits I've ever seen, that I feel it wouldn't do her justice to talk about her her as a footnote to a Disney Pixar character so I will be writing a separate post where I can go into more detail and show you the gorgeous things this woman brought to life soon.
So I'll leave it to you to make up your own mind if Edna is secretly Edith... And in the mean time I'm going to go and tweak some other posts I'm in the middle of writing...
Take care, stay safe, keep washing your hands and don't go outside without a mask.
