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Tangled Tower Play Sets

I have an inner child. (I call him Bobby.) So do you. And so does Jessica Clawson, who saw the Tangled Tower Play Sets on the shelf of her local Disney Store and immediately had the overwhelming urge to shed her grown-up shackles and ... play.

- Jessica Clawson, April 5, 2011

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I was walking around the local Disney store this past weekend, admiring all of the wonderful items, when I came upon the section of Tangled merchandise.

I loved the movie, I thought the characters wonderful, and so I had to check out all the new Tangled tie-in merchandise. As I looked among the t-shirts, plushes, and action figures, I came upon a toy that made my inner child squeal (okay, maybe my outer child let out a squeal, too).

Jessica Wants to Play!

When I was little, I absolutely loved doll houses. I'd play with them for hours on end. In my mind, nothing could be better than a Disney themed doll house, and that is essentially what I found in the Disney Store: a Tangled Rapunzel Tower Play Set!

I was in a rush, so when I came home, I searched for the play set online and found that Disney has two different play sets with varying degrees of detail and vastly different prices. Let's check out both so you can decide which is right for you - and so any wealthy secret admirers out there will know which one to send me.

Tangled Rapunzel's Magical Tower Play Set

This 18-inch tall tower (pictured) has three levels and comes with a Rapunzel doll (whose hair actually glows), Pascal, an armoire, bed, fireplace, and kitchen pieces. The top portion opens up and includes a window from which flows a long strand of glowing hair that reaches to the bottom of the tower.

Retail: $39.50.

The seven reviews (currently) for this play set are mostly positive and average 4.3 out of 5, with two negative reviews. One reviewer complained that the glowing hair tends to fall off the exterior of the tower and off the doll's head. Another pointed out that the spoon (one of the included kitchen pieces) is very small and might easily be lost or sucked up into a vacuum cleaner. Apart from these relatively minor complaints, the reviewers - and more important, their children - loved this play set.

Tangled Rapunzel's Tower Play Set

This 36-inch high tower also has three levels, with stairs that swivel out and connect each floor. Over 20 pieces come with it, including a bed, table, chair, stool, Pascal, bucket, frying pan, basket, vases, crown, and more.

It does not include a Rapunzel doll, but instead comes with a hair extension that is as long as the tower is tall, and which you can clip on to your own Rapunzel doll for easy window dangling. The tower has a secret compartment in which you can hide objects, such as a crown, and with the application of cold water you can reveal the murals on the bedroom walls.

Retail: a mere $129.50 (when prices are this high, you always have to preface them with "a mere"). For the money, though, you're getting much more with this play set.

The ten reviews (currently) for this play set are mixed and average 3.4, with nearly half the reviews negative. But numbers can be deceiving. The worst review was left by someone who didn't receive the play set in time for Christmas. We can ignore that one.

The main complaint was about the plastic: several reviewers thought it poor quality. Another reviewer complained that the manufacturer gave no guidance about which Rapunzel doll would 'fit' best with the tower. (Not every doll is a good match.)

Overall, though, most people seemed pleased with the play set, and they reported that their children were pleased with it, as well.

Jessica Waits for Delivery

That's my analysis of the two Rapunzel Tower Toys. I hope it helped you decide which one to buy for yourself, I mean, your child.

You can buy both play sets online at DisneyStore.com, though as of this date the second set is sold out. Your local Disney Store may still have it in stock.

Now to execute part 2 of my plan: find someone who did buy a Tangled play set for their child so that I can come over and play!

It's true. Disney does bring out the little kid in all of us!

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