My Little Pony - Talking Princess Twilight Sparkle Review

This is certainly the most elaborate pony to come of G4! She lights up, sings, talks, moves her head, blinks her eyes, flaps her wings, and even has wheels subtly placed under each hoof so she can "glide" along. As you can see, Twillight comes with a comb (new mold) and four large barrettes (also new molds). Her crown and necklace are removable, and snapping the crown in place activates a special button that makes her talk.

I could go on for hours with all the little details, but I'll try to make this a comprehensive yet to-the-point review. :)

Here she is, NIB. She was super-easy to unbox, I barely had to touch my scissors. Packaging is 100% salvageable, if you wish to hold on to it. Would you believe she actually comes with batteries? =D Four AAs, to be precise... If you're buying this for a child, do yourself a favor and invest in some rechargables. I haven't tested how quickly Twilight goes through a set, but at four a pop, disposable AAs aren't worth it.

There are 4 actions that trigger Princess Twilight's phrases, sounds, and lights: pressing the button on her cutie mark, snapping her tiara into place, touching the stars on her wings, and rolling her along a surface (or just manually turning the wheel on her back right hoof). Each of these triggers has multiple phrases or sounds associated with it. Twi also has a few unique sayings if you switch her on and do nothing. See my video at end of this review for a full demonstration. :)

Talking Princess Twilight stands at a colossal (especially for My Little Pony!) 14 1/2". Here's a scale comparison with the other common MLP: FiM toy sizes. Twilight's Fashion Style counterpart barely reaches the bottom of her cutie mark, "standard" size ponies don't even reach her knees, and she could practically wear the blind-bag toys as earrings. She even towers (menacingly?) over Talking Princess Cadance and her ilk.

Her glittery details look very nice--not at all tacky! Not an easy look to pull off! The glitter also doesn't seem to be shedding... definitely a bonus.

It's a shame that her tiara and necklace don't feature any paint details. It's especially odd since most of the tiaras included with Twilight Sparkle toys of smaller (and far cheaper) varieties DO... Considering how important an aspect the Element of Harmony crown is to both Twilight's character and to the show itself, it seems like a real oversight to not at least make the central starburst purple. That said, the sculpts of both the crown and necklace are detailed and quite nice. Alas, some paint (or purple glitter) would have made them perfect.

Her mane and tail are a bit sparse for a toy this big, but this may be a good thing. Too much hair would probably have become entangled in the mechanical parts and damaged them (I speak from an entire childhood of experience with these kinds of toys... >_<;;).

Also worth noting is that the mane is rooted into a section of plastic that moves slightly outward from the head when the hair is tugged. This is most likely to prevent stress on the head-turning mechanism during brushing and styling. An excellent idea that will no doubt extend this toy's life in many a home! I initially thought it might be another lights-and-sounds trigger, but I've been unable to get any reaction from it.

Here's her eye closed (this is as far down as it goes). She "blinks" at various points while singing and talking.

Her hoof ornaments are pretty show-accurate; just a bit more elaborate.

Her battery compartment and on/off/demo switch are well-concealed on her underbelly. It's very hard to see either when she's standing. (Note Duracell advertisement. XD)

Here's a front view... Talking Princess Twilight's sculpt is excellent all around! I'm happy to see that her proportions aren't "Celestia-like". Instead, they match Twilight's appearance in the show quite well!

...And an offside (non-display/cutie mark side) view. If you look, you can see the little plugs of plastic that conceal areas where screws were necessary.

Here she is in action, lit up as she sings "Isn't it Amazing?", a new song apparently written exclusively for this toy.

The light effects are very pretty, especially as they silhouette the glitter designs on her wings. The wings glow pale blue, while the horn glows a fiery yellow and magenta.

Finally, here's a video I made demonstrating all of her phrases, sounds, effects, and animatronics.

Bottom line: I truly love this pony. The artistic liberties taken with the character design work well and add to the aesthetic appeal, as far as I'm concerned. She has a few flaws, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a toy that doesn't. For a collector, she makes a lovely centerpiece to a MLP: FiM collection. For a child, buying this one is a no-brainer; I don't know what young fan of MLP wouldn't be delighted to receive this beautiful toy. :)

<<Previous post: Funko Pop! Star Wars: Jabba the Hutt and Slave Leia Review

Next post: My Little Pony Nite Friends - Princess Twilight Sparkle Review>>