Does Jiminy Cricket visit Kidada Jones at night, parachuting down from the heavens with his red umbrella, then landing on her shoulder as she sleeps, whispering stories of princesses and their precious trinkets into her ear? Is the structure of the Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle etched into her brain? How exactly does Quincy Jones' daughter retain her nearly encyclopedic knowledge of Disney-related trivia? Whatever the explanation, Kidada Jones is so knowledgeable in matters pertaining to Cinderella, Pocahontas, Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Pinocchio, Snow White, and the rest of the Disney gang that these classic characters might as well be part of her extended family. In fact, it's her familiarity with these fairy tales, her child-like sense of wonder, that makes her jewelry designs so charming.
The new Charming Collection by Kidada for Disney Store explores the theme of hidden treasures and unexpected surprises via the collectible Wish-A-Littles ($39.50 each at DisneyStore.com), cherub-like resin dolls that double as jewelry boxes, with small charms hidden inside of them. For Fall 2011, Jones designed four Wish-a-Littles: Cinderella, Snow White, Tiana, and Belle. Each figure measures 3 1/2" in height and features the designated princess in her most well-known frock: Snow White in her royal blue blouse, yellow skirt, and red hair bow; Cinderella in her sky blue ball gown and matching opera-length gloves; Belle in the yellow gold dress she wore when Beast spun her around the dance floor; and Tiana in her light green dress and tiara. In keeping with the wish-making theme, each princess is depicted with her eyes closed, arms lowered and hands clasped together, and mouth open, as if voicing a hopeful dream or fanciful request.
When you carefully detach the top section of the figurine from the "stand" portion, you'll find two charms in a hollow compartment: one, a 14K gold-plated charm pertaining to the specific character's tale (a glittering red enamel apple charm for Snow White, a pumpkin coach charm with a light blue crystal stone for Cinderella, a light blue bell for Belle, and a golden star with a green center stone for Tiana), threaded through a polyester cord necklace measuring 18" in length; and the second, a gold-plated, nickel-shaped charm with the words "Love, Kidada" etched on it.
Each miniature princess character comes in a picturesque box with illustrations of glass slippers, poison apples, and floral blooms. The figure within each house-shaped box is revealed via a round, mirror-like window pane. And, at the top of the box's roof-shaped lid, a ribbon is tied into a dainty bow that underscores the treasure-worthy nature of each collectible figurine.
These Wish-A-Little figures will make you want to croon the "When You Wish Upon A Star" tune like a wide-eyed toddler at Fantasyland.
