Pin Review: The Ugly Duckling - Storybook Classics Collection #7 - 2017 Disney Store Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Cover looks amazing

Cons: The inside picture is good but not great

The Bottom Line:

Two parts of story

Captured in the two scenes on

This storybook pin

Happy and Sad Captured with the Ugly Duckling Pin

The Ugly Duckling runs the full spectrum of emotions, especially as captured by Disney in the 1939 Silly Symphony short.  Those extremes are captured in the two scenes we get on the limited edition pin they just released as part of the Storybook Classics Collection.

The cover captures the happy ending.  On it, we get the duckling with his new mother as he’s realized he’s really a swan.  This picture is rather simple.  The background is all yellow.  At the top, we get The Ugly Duckling written in red.  The scene itself is just drawn in outlines that are blue.  Still, there are enough lines, we can see the details of the swans and their surrounds, including the lake and water.  It’s pretty impressive for how simple it is.

This pin has hinges on the side, and the “book” opens up to reveal a second picture inside.  This one is full color and shows the duckling at his lowest.  He’s all by himself on the pond with plants behind him.  And he has a large tear running down his face.  Just that one scene alone is enough to be heartbreaking.

Normally with these pins, I find the inside picture to be better because of the color, but in this case I think the front picture works better.  The tear looks a little weird, although it’s hard to imagine how they’d capture this moment any better.  And there is something nice about the understated nature of the illustration on the cover.

Of course, the scenes are reversed from a storytelling standpoint, but the cover picture makes such a better cover for the pin.  (And I suspect that it was also the cover of the book this series is based on.)

Since this is a heavier pin, you’ll find two sticks to make sure it stays put when you wear it.

The Ugly Duckling is a nice addition to the Storybook Classics series.  While not my favorite, it does capture this little merchandised story well, and fans will want it for that reason.

Disney has highlighted some of other rarer pieces in other entries in the Storybook Classics Collection.