Over the last few years, Build-a-Bear Workshop has released many of the friendly dragons from How to Train Your Dragon. They started with Toothless, and at different times also had Stormfly, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch. Out of that list, one is noticeably missing and that is my girl, Meatlug. Build-a-Bear Workshop finally remedied the situation, however, by releasing her (albeit as an online exclusive). As soon as I heard about it, I went right onto their online store and ordered myself one.
I prefer my plushes slightly under-stuffed (and thank goodness that I do – you’ll see why in a bit) so I selected the option that my Meatlug arrived unstuffed, giving me the chance to complete the process in-store and control its amount of fluff. I was assisted by a very nice gentleman in the Westfield Culver City Mall location and together, we arranged for my Meatlug to have a slightly floppy belly, which makes for great cuddling.
I daresay, she is quite the cutie! Her underbelly is made of a softer, minky material, which contrasted well with the textured “scale” fabric that covers the majority of Meatlug’s body. I was certainly pleased with the way she turned out.
I wish I could say the same for the dragon saddle.
The accessory itself is of good quality and fits fine on the other dragons in the series but put it on Meatlug and there are some issues. Well, one issue, really: She is just too large for the saddle. You can get it on her but it pinches some of the stuffing making it look unattractive and not cute (not to mention uncomfortable). And keep in mind, mine was under-stuffed!
To Sum Up…
As a stand-alone toy, I would recommend Meatlug for fans of How to Train Your Dragon. Steer clear of the saddle, though. Maybe some of Build-a-Bear Workshop’s My Little Pony outfits would fit? Or perhaps something not terribly form-fitting from their Promise Pets line?
Meatlug cost $30 and the saddle cost an additional $8.