When I went to my first Toy Fair several years ago I quickly learned that a byproduct of that event is that you get on tons of mailing lists. Most of the catalogs filling my mailbox were way off-topic for my interests (swingsets, stuffed animals, etc), but one catalog had a Fairykins Enchanted Forest playset that really intrigued me. A little research showed me that this was yet another Lanard property that had been around for many years (perhaps as a knockoff to Sea-Wees?) but had recently modernized a'la yesterday's Pony Tales review. I found that these small dolls were available in a variety of assortments: single packs, vehicle sets, giant playsets, etc. But unfortunately I couldn't find them anywhere at a decent price. Then recently I discovered this CP Toys-distributed "all-in-one" playset on Amazon and I finally took the plunge. I think it was a very good purchase. I love the design of these figures, and I'm obsessed with their firefly steeds. Let's check out the Fairykins below!
The Fairykins consist of four nature-themed Fairies. The original Fairykins like looked like typical 1980's chubby dolls with rooted hair and glittery wings. I had seen them in toy aisles all my life and never gave them a second thought. But these new versions easily grabbed my attention (despite not being the type of toy I would typically collect). They are definitely girly and lean more towards the doll end of the spectrum, but I still think they're great.
The packaging for this playset is pretty nondescript. All the pieces came in plain transparent baggies. If you look for Fairykins on eBay you'll see the variety of interesting packaging options available from the non-CP Toys releases.
Let's take a look at the four main fairies.
Dandi
(Dandelion-themed)
"Spunky, Fearless, and a Little Bit Naughty!"
I was originally planning a series of flower-themed figures for a week of review leading up to Perfuma this Fall, but I wasn't able to come up with many viable candidates so Dandi's getting reviewed now.
Voltessa
(Lightning Bug-themed)
"Quirky, Sensitive, and a Total Night Owl!"
Spora
(Mushroom-themed)
"Imaginative, Clumsy, and Full of Giggles!"
(That might be a joke about Shrooms)
(That might be a joke about Shrooms)
La-Dee
(Ladybug-themed)
"Sweet, Friendly, and Always Smiling!"
There are just a couple things that disappoint me about these figures. (1) The wings are made of paperboard. Clearly they won't stand up to any kind of play. My La-Dee has a surface tear on the rear of her right hindwing. I saw a playset at an Ollie's Bargain Outlet and Voltessa's wings were frayed and peeling at the ends. Plastic would have been so much nicer. And (2) The little cloth skirts bug me. But then again, I hate soft goods.
Now for the best part of this set: The Firefly steeds! These are what drew me to this line of toys more than anything.
On the Left is Night Lightwing and on the Right is Afterglow.
Their butts light up!
The set also came with a snail. He's composed of a sturdy rubber.
And oddly enough there's a horse. (A greatly out of scale horse if the rest of these figures are supposed to be plants, fungi, and insects). My guess is this is a reused piece from a previous Pony Tails line.
There are also a ton of accessories for the girls to use.
Here is a group shot of all the accessories, minus the fireflies and the fairies.
Time for some Group and Comparison Pics!
Here is a shot comparing a Firefly steed with Rapunzel from Pony Tales. You can tell the same designer was behind both of these lines.. especially when you compare their faces.
Cheers!
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