Today’s post brings a Pandora Disney review, with a closer look at the new Bambi and Thumper charms from the Winter 2017 collection! <3 These two have been on my wish list ever since Pandora announced their Disney collection, and so I was ecstatic to hear that Pandora was coming out with them this year.
It’s been such a long time since I’ve done a review (June, can you believe?), but I was just so genuinely excited to pick up these charms that I just had to take some photos. <3
Pandora Bambi and Thumper charms review
Both charms get instant brownie points for being plain silver, and heavily reliant on oxidisation and silverwork for their detail. There’s not a hint of enamel or CZ in sight, and they have that wonderful classic Pandora feel while incorporating some of new Pandora’s sophisticated detailing. They’re both very solid, without being too weighty to wear comfortably.
Despite being part of the same collection, the charms have quite different styles. Thumper is quite ‘zoomed in’, and incredibly detailed, while Bambi is more petite and elegant.
Thumper as a bead pays wonderful homage to his cartoon self: his little nose, his ruff of fur around his neck, the daintily held front paws, the crooked bunny ears – whichever detail you look at in the film, it’s there in the charm. It’s an incredibly cute charm, and instantly recognisable – Pandora have got their details spot on!
Even when you turn the charm around, the detail continues, with a wonderfully fluffy and cute-looking tail! Oxidised detailing brings out all of the textures.
However, just like in the film itself, you have to watch his big feet – they’re quite pointy and I’ve had a couple of jumper-pulling incidents, where they’ve caught threads. Speaking of his feet, this feels like such a classic Pandora bead, in that the attention to detail extends to every aspect of this charm – you can flip it upside down and see that there are even little marks to define his feet and tail.
On the other hand, Bambi is a little smaller and a little less obviously detailed, capturing the essence of that classic Disney pose:
Again, the important things are there – his curiosity, his spindly legs, the pretty markings on his back. And, when you pick the charm and really look, it does reveal further little details – the oxidised insides of his ears, his hooves, a very inquisitive little face. It’s not as instantly recognisable as Bambi as Thumper is as Thumper, but when you look at it properly, it’s just a lovely bead.
Essentially, the details are still there, you just have to look a little closer for them. The grass on which Bambi stands is textured with oxidised detailing, and the butterfly is carefully delineated, too. <3
Styling
I’ve added this adorable pair to a bracelet I’ve been building over the past year. As soon as I saw the pre-release images for them, I knew that they would be perfect for it! The pretty floral charms I had already chosen fit very well with the idea of Bambi, conjuring the idea of forests and nature, without going down the full Disney route.
I got a lot of beads for it from the UK sales, Rue La La, and from hunting down a few oldies on the Pandora FB page. The Garden Hat dangle was a particularly great find! :D I’ve bought far more of the older beads than new this year, there have been so many great offers and sales on. I did have the Pink Fizzle muranos on it, as below, but I have since moved them to a different two-tone design and decided to keep this one all purple.
I really like the combination of purple and gold, with the little hints of two-tone in the Pixie, Seattle spacers and the Apple all working to bring out the colour in the muranos. <3 I finished off this design with the new two-tone Signature safety chain from the Autumn 2017 collection, which I got in the recent US fall favourites sale.
I was worried that Bambi and Thumper might in practice be bulky or heavy to wear on a bracelet, seeing as they both pack in so much detail – but actually, both have been fine. They’re not petite as far as dangles go, but they don’t look over-sized at all compared to the Angel Wings and Garden Hat dangles that I also have on this bracelet!
Conclusion
These beads are two of my favourite designs Pandora have produced this year, up there with the Dancing Lion from CNY and the wonderful Tigger and Piglet charms from earlier this year. But then I was always going to love Bambi charms! I like that there’s no additional sparkle or colour – Pandora allow the charms’ designs to shine, with adorable results! It’s both delightful and frustrating – delightful that Pandora are still willing and able to produce this kind of characterful silver detailing, but frustrating that they do so so infrequently. The Disney collection nowadays is where you want to look to find new beads that offer character-based designs and that classic silver detailing, as they are becoming increasingly infrequent in Pandora’s regular collections.
Bambi is one of my absolute favourite Disney films from childhood, although it’s one of the hardest to rewatch just because of how sad it is at points! These charms offer a happier way of reliving it. ^^ My boyfriend has never seen it (unacceptable) but likes to repeat Chandler’s classic line about it from Friends whenever it is mentioned (also unacceptable):
He just doesn’t get it. However, for those of you who do, you can purchase Bambi and Thumper for £40 or $50 USD each. ???
Have you bought either of these charms, or are they on your wish list?
A wonderful post !! Reading this made me so happy. I was hoping you’d review these two. I love how you’ve styled Bambi and Thumper. I wish I had bought Bambi too now. My Thumper should be sent to me on Thursday as I couldn’t get him before release date here . I’m so excited for Thumper to arrive. Thank you for writing the review
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, Emma! ^^ You will absolutely love Thumper, he’s even cuter in person. And you can always go back for Bambi, too! I initially bought just Bambi but had to come back for Thumper the next day ? thanks for commenting!
Hi Ellie, thank you for your excellent review. These are definitely on my wish list as I feel this is Disney at its best. I love the bracelet, the Garden Hat is just awesome. Love, Helen
Hi Helen, I couldn’t agree with you more! This kind of cute, detailed silver bead is just perfect. ^^ Really pleased that you like the bracelet design as well, and thank you for commenting ?
I LOVE your bracelet, it is so nicely put together and Bambi and Thumper are perfect on it! I really want both these charms, I’m supposed to wait until Christmas as they were on my Christmas list but I think I need to get them sooner than that! I agree with all you’ve said about the Disney charms, my wish list at the moment is all Disney, plus the polar bear and the red murano from the Winter collection and a locket. I think the Disney charms are more detailed and original and have more meaning to me than the more generic charms in the new collections, pretty though they are.
Yay, thanks Debbie! I was going for more of an old-school Pandora vibe with the older muranos :D I think Bambi and Thumper fit very nicely in with older style charms!
Definitely – I guess that’s because they *have* to make actual characters for the Disney collection, and they know that they’re familiar and popular and will sell. I’m hoping that some day Pandora will come full circle and go back to making more proper ‘charm’ charms at some point, as I miss them! I also want the Polar Bear from the new collection, he’s adorable :D
Beautiful design and well thought. Thumper and the garden hat are awsome. Bambi brings me sooo sad memories from the day I watched the film!. I seem to recall that I cried my eyes out in the cinema (wah)
Enjoy them, they are gorgeous! Couldn´t agree more about the plain silver and oxidation for details!
I have never watched “Bambi” again. I´m a big girl now but just in case;)
Aha, I don’t blame you! :P I’ve not seen it in years. Although I’m tempted to make my OH watch it, as I feel like it would definitely get him! ;)
Thank you, Marie! :) The Garden Hat is a real favourite of mine, and it took me a little time to track one down. I love the oxidised detailing on it!
Haha, Bambi is a hard one to watch, but luckily I can ignore that when looking at these cute charms! ^^
Both are such beautifully detailed charms. The sort of style that first attracted me to pandora. Exquisite piece of art packed into a tiny little charm. I love your bracelet. Has a bit of a nostalgic, vintage feel to it. The only reason I’m not getting it now is because i’ve no room for them. Time to plan for a 8th moment bracelet. Haha…
Exactly – I just love it when the closer you look at the bead, the more fun little details you discover. That’s definitely true of these two, especially Bambi.
Haha, it’s definitely time to plan for that next bracelet! :P That’s always the solution ? I’m trying to persuade myself to be more selective this year, but I’d definitely have started another bracelet if I hadn’t been able to fit Bambi and Thumper anywhere else. They’re just too cute!
Thanks for commenting, glad you liked the bracelet! :)
Ellie, as always your live images are super. I hadn’t even considered these two charms for anyone, but now, I am considering!
Thanks, Lola! ^^ You should definitely consider. They’re lovely charms, if you like dangles! :)
A lovely review. I think Thumper looks so cute and I love all the detailing. If it was a non dangle, I would have bought it.
Mm, I think the dangle format works here as they don’t have to worry about weighting or threading when designing the beads, and the end result is lovely. It’s funny, I’ve actually bought mostly dangles from the new collection this year, I think. I think that’s how they do a lot of their character charms these days…!
Hi Ellie!
At least Bambi is on my wish list. I’m doing a reading bracelet from my childhood, and Bambi was one of my favorites. Thumper will come home with me too if I have room. I’m disappointed that you think Thumper is the one that is better detailed since I’m so space challenged on this bracelet.
I’ll figure something out…
Thanks for the pics!
Hi Deborah! I wouldn’t say that Thumper is necessarily ‘better’ detailed, it’s just the way it’s done means that the detail on him is more immediately obvious, I guess. Bambi is still packed with detail as well, he’s just smaller, so you have to get a good look at him up close to get the full effect. :) You should definitely just go for Bambi if that’s the one you like better. I got Bambi first as it happens, and then went back for Thumper!
You’re welcome, thanks for commenting!
For me too, Thumper as well as Tigger are both on my ‘Wish List’.
Thanks for posting.
Great choices! :) I got Tigger earlier this year, along with Piglet!
I am so excited to get Thumper and Bambi! It’s taken a lot of self control for me not to buy them before the GWP promo. I adore your bracelet design! I particularly love the dangling flower disk charm (sorry I don’t know how else to describe it) I assume it’s an old one as I’ve never seen it before? May I inquire about what it called?
It’s the daisy signet pendant, with mother of pearl. I actually love thumper, and am considering buying him, even though I’ve kind of given up on pandora!
Aw, I’m sorry to hear that Lisa. I had a Pandora wobble earlier this year, but kept the flame alive by hunting down some cool older beads and pairing them with my favourites of the new collections (mostly Disney, these days!). :)
Ah, well done for holding out ☺️ I am still deciding what to get for the ornament GWP! It was going to be Bambi and Thumper but obviously I’ve scuppered that now haha.
Thank you, that’s the mother of pearl Daisy Signet, as Lisa says. :) Item code 390335MOP. It’s been retired for a little while now, but it’s one of my favourites! I found it on Rue La La some time back. There’s also a matching ring :)
Nice review. I never really loved Bambi but my kids went through a Bambi phase. When this happens with the older disney movies, I start to appreciate them on an adult level. These charms are cute but probably won’t be making their way into my collection. I have way too many other disney beads to get first…I have only one right now haha (minnie to represent our Disney World vacation in which my daughter wore minnie ears the entire time).
There is a lot to appreciate in some of the older Disney movies from an adult level! Beauty and the Beast is one my dad always loved, and I can see why rewatching it now. They’re a lot of fun!
Aw, well that’s fun! You have a lot of Pandora Disney to catch up on then ^^ I think the only bead on my Disney wish list right now is the Parks exclusive Wishes charm, which I think would be great for my Halloween bracelet!
Like your bracelet mix new and old charm together.
Thanks, Michele! :) That’s my favourite way to style bracelets at the moment.
Hi Ellie great to see a review these charms are on my evergrowing wishlist they are so cute and detailed. I love that thumper has a little tail I didn’t realise.
Hi Nicola! Yes, Thumper has a very cute tail indeed :D both of these charms are full of detail, it’s so nice to see!
I love you post. I’m new to “Mora” but not to Pandora. I’m always looking for older beads but afraid of scams. Do you have any trusted sites you can recommend?
PS you have a great group of followers… I love their response to you. So positive
Thanks for giving me something to look forward to?
Hi Sabrina! Tracking down older beads via retailers is much trickier these days, as many have closed or sent their stock back to Pandora. Perlenodense.com still has some older beads, but their prices are sky high. I get most of my older finds through Pandora Facebook pages (Pandora’s Angels, Pandora’s Tribe), which are well moderated and full of collectors who know their beads, so they’re a great place to buy. :) I’ll have a think and let you know if I think of any others!
Thank you, that’s such a nice thing to say! :D The Pandora community is full of lovely people, and it’s one of the things that makes blogging so much fun. Thanks for commenting! ☺️
Will thumper and bambi be available in Australia. My 6 year old loves bambi at the moment….
Yes, they will be!
Do you know the release date for these new Disney fall charms?
In North America? They should be out tomorrow, with the Winter collection.
I had recently purchased both Bambi and Thumper and I think that they are lovely charms to have also. I am hoping that more of the disney charms will become available in the UK especially Winnie the Pooh and friends.
Oh yes, I can’t imagine that Winnie the Pooh & co won’t be out in the UK soon :) they’re such a popular set of charms!
Hi Ellie,
I love Bambi. As a child I watched it and yes, it sure has its sad moments but is peppered with goodness. So many key life messages loss, friendship, etc. Your boyfriend is indeed missing out.
The detail detail in these charms is sooooo well done. Way to go Pandora! The butterfly on Bambi’s tail is wonderful. What I loved most about this review is your styling of both charms. I have missed seeing your designs, you have a great eye for putting charms together. Glad you picked up some older charms, they are worth having. I Have bought fewer new Pandora too this year but what I have bought I’ve mixed in with the older charms. I am tempted to get thumper. I feel like he could double for Easter too.
Cheers!
Lisa K
Hi Lisa! It does have so many joyful and wonderful moments, but I nevertheless find the sad bits hard to watch! I will have to sit Greg down and make him watch it though. Then I think he’ll find it a bit harder to quote Friends at me :P He found The Lion King difficult enough, haha.
Absolutely, the detail is beautiful! That’s one reason why it’s so fun to do the reviews, as you start to really look at the charms up close and you spot little details that you didn’t even see before. I fully intend to start doing more again! And thank you very much, I’m so pleased that you liked the bracelet design! It’s a bit different from the kind of thing I usually go for, but I’ve enjoyed wearing it over the past couple of months :)
Thanks very much for commenting Lisa! <3 Thumper would be a great choice for Easter (and so would Bambi, tbh!), you should definitely consider that. ^^
Hi Ellie, I really missed your reviews! Bambi and Thumper are in my wish list, they are adorable! Maybe they’ll come home in Xmas with the ornament promo. I love your bracelet and they look awesome in it. :)
Hi Priscilla! Thank you, I’m going to try and fit in a few more before the end of the year as well! It was really fun to do this one :) Bambi and Thumper should definitely come home with you, they are just stunning! Really pleased you liked the bracelet, too – thank you for commenting! ☺️
Anyone know where I can buy dumbo charm I can’t find it?
Dumbo is a disneyland park exclusive edition according to my pandora store when I asked for it.
Yes but I thought you could buy online?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/535548261/pandora-disney-flying-dumbo-bracelet?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=dumbo pandora&ref=sr_gallery_13
I’ve been looking forward to Bambi and Thumper, and both are on my wish list! I thought they’d look pretty in a bracelet with my Wildflowers muranos, a Dazzling Daisy Duo charm, and maybe my robin charm. Perhaps an owl down the road? Bambi is one of my all time favorite Disney movies – second only to Pooh! I’ve been looking forward to them coming out – and I’m happy to see them in all silver. It lends to their versatility, I think. Thanks for the review, Ellie!