P is for Paint Your Own Princess

Currently in The Works for seven-quid, or two-for-£10, but going fast in the consumer-fest which precedes the celebration of the non-birthday of the Little Baby Jesus, are these 'Paint Your Own' sets with four figures to paint, contents are 100% China, but the whole thing [idea/concept?] is licensed to Top That Publishing and copyrighted to Tide Mill Media at the same address.

We're talking princesses, and if you think there's more than a passing resemblance between these 'generic' princesses (hey; you get four of 'em in one place - and they become pretty generic!) and the princesses of a certain Florida-based culture entertainment house, you'll be on the nail!

Attractively packaged for the coming season, the cover lifts to check the contents which pull from under the window in a tray. The brush is a good one, not the usual stiff 'craft' effort with the same bristles as a tooth-brush; always the biggest disappointment with this type of thing when I was a kid - even 'household name' model manufactures used to put shit brushes in their 'starter kits', jeeze!

Here are their Royal Highnesses; they are in a medium-soft PVC vinyl resin, about the same consistency as bendy-toys, but without the bend! What I consider 'standard' PVC! And they each have a name . . . auuwh . . . bless!

From the left and moving to the right we have; Princess Olivia of Aqualand (it's very wet), Princess Sophie of Varovia (Russkie = fake-news central), Princess Georgina of Ratania (it's a rodent's nest) and Princess Alice of Galantine (artist running out of ideas!) and I'm not making this up - somebody else got paid to do that! Where do they advertise these jobs? "Wanted, copy-writer - must be capable of mawkish nonsense" . . . I could do that!

As you can see there is also a cardboard backdrop, which I have to confess will feature here again from time to time, like the little flower-meadow thing which came in one of the Insect sets (I think?) about a year ago, and which has reappeared from time to time; so this will prove useful with other cartoony, fantasy or girly subjects I'm sure!

The booklet that accompanies them has each princess given a painting 'project', between which are relatively brief versions of old fairy tales involving princesses! This illustration reminded me of the old Ladybird Book on the Princess and the Pea, but I think it's all new artwork.

Six water-based PVC paints are included - mercifully full, unlike that magazine premium Tardis we looked at ages ago, along with the useful brush, no green - you have to mix that yourself - although, despite mixing instructions in each project for all the pinks, mauves and purples [deemed necessary] there is no instruction for green, but let's face it -  it IS about the first thing we ever learn . . . along with playing the triangle and spelling 'Granny'!

The Consumer Information Panel. If you're wondering why I've said so little about the figures, it's because that's coming later.