Sad Princess Di Doll

Status: Fake (in the sense of being a doll), Real (in the sense of really being sold)
imageI think this Princess Di doll, created by Texas-based Time Capsule Toys, is an example of what Umberto Eco would call hyperreality—fakes whose fakeness (or kitchiness, or strangeness) makes them interesting in their own right. The likeness of Princess Di isn't actually very good, but its makers have tried to make it more true-to-life by having it say various melancholy phrases that Princess Di said, such as "I sit here in sadness," or "There's far too much about me in the newspapers, far too much," or "I'd like to be a queen of people's hearts." For some reason, they're calling the doll the "Princess of Whales." I don't know if that's a misspelling, or a feeble attempt to avoid using Princess Di's name.

The Brits don't like the doll at all. The Mirror has declared it "probably the most tasteless, tackiest-ever tribute to Diana." Another Mirror columnist wrote: "She has bandy legs, a huge behind, hair like a crash-helmet, wild make-up, a hooked nose, no chest and ankles that make her look like she's got two club feet. Still, if you could blow the doll up, most men would choose to have sex with it before Camilla."

Celebrities

Posted on Fri Feb 03, 2006


Comments

Does the doll come with a Dodi Fayed, and their driver Henri Paul and can you buy a Mercedes-Benz S 280 to go with it. hey later if it is a success you can buy french photographers and they can come with there own motorbikes. that would be fun. blah
Posted by a rude man  on  Fri Feb 03, 2006  at  07:13 PM
She has bandy legs, a huge behind, hair like a crash-helmet, wild make-up, a hooked nose, no chest and ankles that make her look like she's got two club feet.


Yes, but what about the doll?
Posted by Sharruma  on  Fri Feb 03, 2006  at  08:01 PM
I know I shouldn't but I can't help it...lmao Sharruma..

ok, now that I got that out of my system...

I find this whole thing morbidly distasteful, shame on you rude man and Sharruma and double shame on the makers of this tacky piece of shite.

I am pretty sure the "Princess of Whales bit is an attempt to circumvent potential lawsuits/cease and desist orders etc....at least thats what I assume.
Posted by Chuck  on  Fri Feb 03, 2006  at  08:21 PM
The parasites that set up the Diana memorial charity, or whatever they called themselves, spent all the money raised on Lawyers.

They sued an American firm for producing a Diana doll, claiming they had "the rights" on her image... WTF?

They lost, hahahaha

As for the Mirror claiming "probably the most tasteless, tackiest-ever tribute to Diana." - obviously they don't read their own newspaper.
Posted by Peter  on  Sat Feb 04, 2006  at  05:11 AM
"the most tasteless, tackiest-ever tribute to Diana"

No. That would be a bronze statue of Diana and Dodi that was commissioned by Mohammed Fayed. It is called 'Innocent Victims' and it is ultra-kitsch:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-08-24-diana-statue_x.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1068153&page=1

The true horror arises firstly from the fact that the sculpture of Diana does not look like her, secondly, it is not attractive in its own right, and ninthly Dodi is shown with an unbuttoned shirt as if he was Indiana Jones.

Statues of historical figures such as Lord Nelson standing on his column etc are posed and sculpted in such a way as to be flattering and grand, and are unnatural in this respect, but 'Innocent Victims' is so unnatural as to be bathetic.

In fact, if you look in the latest edition of the OED under "bathos" the compilers have simply put a small photograph of this statue. There is no more to say.
Posted by Ashley Pomeroy  on  Sat Feb 04, 2006  at  01:08 PM
"the most tasteless, tackiest-ever tribute to Diana"

I admit this is a very crowded field, but let's not forget "Sir" Elton John re-hacking "Candle in the Wind" and then releasing it as a single.
Posted by Big Gary in Uncertain, Texas  on  Sun Feb 05, 2006  at  07:27 PM
There have been some good nominations - great sculpture, Ashley! Thanks! - byt I propose that "the most tasteless, tackiest-ever tribute to Diana" was the woman's own Panorama interview.
Posted by outeast  on  Mon Feb 06, 2006  at  08:50 AM
Well, at least it's not a Real Doll........
Posted by Alan White  on  Mon Feb 06, 2006  at  04:21 PM
Truely tasteless would be a Diana blow-up doll. Then again, I am not that tacky.
Posted by Lounge Lizard  on  Tue Jul 18, 2006  at  04:09 PM
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