Bandai Miraculous Ladybug Part 2: Chat Noir Doll!

As promised, here’s an update now that I have one of the male dolls! I’m trying to keep my dolly spending under control, so I only got Chat Noir instead of getting both the boys while I was there, but give me a couple weeks and I assure you I’ll have the full set.

Most of what there is to say about the line as a whole, I’ve already said in my review of Marinette, so this will mainly be the highlights on things that are different between her and Chat.

Chat in all his glory. His belt does have a tendency to creep up his torso a bit. Chat comes with his “catsuit,” tail belt, boots, and his baton/communicator.

Chat’s backdrop is an Eiffel Tower scene, with the Bubbler as his little cardboard companion. I have yet to see the Ladybug doll in person, but I’m hoping/betting her backdrop is the other half of the tower.

Leather catsuits are a bit hard to replicate in doll-sizes, but I think the stretch knit they chose does a really good job of looking similar. I like the painted on details and the fact that they sewed a center seam where his zipper would be. The little bell actually jingles, which thrills me to bits and confuses the living daylights out of my cat!

As is common with male dolls, Chat’s hair is molded plastic rather than rooted, brushable hair. I think in this case that’s okay, though, because it does a far better job of replicating his signature spikes. His cat ears are also a part of the sculpting, and therefore non-removable. You can also see his “tail” here. Posed as such because I thought it suited Chat’s attitude.

Chat’s mask is painted on as part of his faceup. I can’t say that I love this about him, but that’s mostly because I’m thinking like a collector who likes to redress dolls and the mask kind of limits his versatility. To be fair, though, so do his ears, so it’s all probably just the same.

His gloved hands are likewise achieved with paint. I actually prefer this- While the extra versatility of “normal” hands is nice, I’ve never been super fond of how doll “gloves” look since they have to be more mittens than anything. The sleeves of the catsuit are long enough that they cover any gaps, and they stay put well, so there’s no awkward fleshy bits showing. Chat’s hands are not clawed as they are in the show; I suspect but cannot currently confirm that this was so they could use the same hand mold for both Chat and Adrien.

And it turns out I was wrong when I reviewed Marinette- the hands do come off! They’ve just got really tight plugs, so I don’t think they’re likely to go anywhere by accident. I’m glad they do detach; this catsuit is tight enough that getting it over the hands is a massive pain. Conveniently, this does mean that if I were to want an ungloved Chat for certain pictures or what have you, I should be able to “borrow” Adrien’s.

I rather like the design of Chat’s belt. The peg that keeps it closed fits into the base of the “tail,” which uses the extra plastic needed for such a connector as a way to make the tail stand out a bit more. Plus the holes in the belt are actual holes!

His communicator, on the other hand, I’m not as sold on. I’m not sure why they decided to make it black rather than silver/grey. On the plus side, it does have lots of detail, and it fits well in his hand.

I love the way his boots are molded! They’re slitted down the back so they can go on and off easily, but the tops are still connected so they don’t flare out weirdly or fall off. It’s not a design I’d seen before, and I like it a lot!

The catsuit as a whole, with no accessories covering it. The legs are footless just as the sleeves are “handless,” but they’re long enough to cover half his foot and stay well in the boots when they’re on.

And here’s his body sculpt. Chat has pretty much the same articulation and range of motion as Marinette. His shoulders and knees seem to be a bit less flexible, and his head does seem to move around a little more, but for the most part they’re pretty comparable, with two noticeable exceptions:

Ankle articulation! Shown at its extremes here. I’ve never quite got why this seems to be common in male dolls than female (to me it seems like ankle articulation would be a great solution to the flat-vs-high foot arch issue) but I’ll take what they give me.

And Chat can do a full side split! I’m sure this is because of the hip design. His front split is a little less deep though.

I think my to-do list is a little shorter on Chat than it is on Marinette. His hair is just fine as-is and doesn’t really need additional work due to its being molded. I’ll be planning on repainting his accessories as I plan to do with Marinette’s, and I’m also giving his catsuit a soak in watered down vinegar to color-fast it. Chat’s already suffered a bit of the plight that faces all black-clothed dolls; his feet have minor staining:

Other than that, I think Chat is pretty much good to go! I hope these posts can help with anyone considering whether or not to buy the dolls. I really do think they’re great dolls and highly recommend them!