October 2024

October 5, 2024

Happy Halloween!

The spooky season is upon us this month!

Odette and her friends are planning a SPOOK-tacular celebration in the castle. Nobody in the castle has seen Odette's outfit for the costume ball yet - but you can get a sneak peak before any of her friends in the portrait above - doesn't she look BOO-tiful in her wicked witch hat!

Keep reading for frightfully fun activities and SPOOK-tacular recipes to enjoy this Halloween!

The Swan Princess - 30th Anniversary

Be sure to keep an eye on our social media and November newsletter as we celebrate National Princess Day and thirty magical years of The Swan Princess!

November will be filled with swantastic surprises, exclusive content and much more as we look back on three decades of magic!

Odette needs your help designing a new dress for the celebrations!

Click here to read more about the competition and submit your design (if you haven't done so already) to be in with a chance at winning some SWANderful prizes!

If you have a Swan Princess memory to share or would like to send in what you love the most about the franchise - we wanna hear from you - email Odette@SwanPrincessSeries.com

Haunting Halloween Ideas

Are you still deciding on your costume for Halloween? Our Princess Odette costume is available for both children and adults in our online store! You can also find tiaras and necklaces to complete your SWANtastic look this Halloween - look out for villains trying to turn you into a swan!

Click here to browse our costumes and accessories!

If Princesses aren't your style, check out the costume ideas below from some of Odette's friends and family!

Speed is going to use a small white sheet and will be renaming himself "Spooky Speed" for one night only as he pretends to be a ghost like Scully!

You can use an old sheet or piece of white fabric and drape it over yourself to become a ghost too - make sure to cut out some eyes so that you can see who you are haunting!

Puffin is making a costume based on the Great Animal, Alise is helping him to make a mask and wings.

Draw a mask on card (make sure to cut out some eyes) and add string to tie it around your head. Or add a stick to one side to hold your mask - will you be a Swan Princess villain, a creepy creature or something else entirely?

JeanBob isn't going as a Prince (as in his words, "I want to dress as something different, not as myself, no matter 'ow amazing I am!"). He is going as a "regal Count who lives in a large castle surrounded by servants and luxuries" - Chamberlain will have his mouth full with that when he announces everyone's entrance at the costume ball!

You can be a vampire too this Halloween by using a large piece of black fabric and tying it gently around your neck (or tie the ends with a hair tie or string) and stroll around your "castle" with your cape draped around you!

Capes are also great if you would like to portray the ruthless Rothbart!

Do you remember Rothbart's evil spell where he transformed Bridget so that she would look like Odette? Take inspiration from that fateful ball in the first movie and use a black dress for an Odile inspired look!

Black clothing can also be used for another Swan Princess character - Zelda! Zelda is a big fan of disguises and another great choice for Halloween. Prepare to cast spells as you disguise yourself as the villain from the third movie!

Speaking of Zelda, our old friend, Whizzer, is also coming to visit and is preparing to dress up, maybe you recognize his costume from the portrait on the right?

Will you use a SWANtastic, spooky idea from our list or do you have your own ideas in mind? Maybe you have simply decided to wear your favorite outfit?

We would love to see your costumes - share them on social media with #SwanPrincessOfficial or email Odette@SwanPrincessSeries.com

Number Nine Plush

Our online store has some SWANtastic plush toys!

Add Number Nine to your plush collection this Halloween!

Black cats are often seen during the spooky season but many people see them as good luck!

We also have Odette in her swan form, JeanBob in his princely attire or General Puffin!

Click here to purchase yours today!

Wicked Witch Fingers

JeanBob had quite a fright when he saw these on the table for some Halloween snacks - don't worry, they aren't real!

These terrifying tasty witches fingers will add a spooky feel to any Halloween movie night or party!

Ingredients:

145 g confectioners' sugar

330 g all-purpose flour

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

1 tsp kosher salt

5 to 6 drops green food coloring

7pg finely chopped pistachios, plus more to decorate (optional, you can use chocolate chips)

85g sliced almonds (optional - you can use anything that you like for the fingernail, such as small pieces of chocolate or candy or even edible rice paper)

135 g jam (cherry, strawberry, or raspberry)

Method:

1. Firstly, in a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners' sugar together until pale and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and continue to beat until it is fully incorporated and the mixture becomes fluffy.

3. Next add, the vanilla extract, almond extract and food coloring before beating again until combined and the color is evenly distributed.

4. Take a smaller bowl and carefully whisk the flour and salt together.

5. Add the now mixed flour and salt to the wet mixture.

6. Beat the mixture together until just combined.

7. Fold in the pistachios (optional).

8. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. However, you can keep them refrigerated for up to 2 days and prepare them in advance of your spooky celebrations!

9. When you have refrigerated the mix for the time required/desired, line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment.

10. Now take around one-quarter of the dough from the refrigerator and portion it into 12 small balls (around 1 tbsp each).

11. Gently roll each ball in your hands so that they look like fingers. Each one should be around 3 inches long and half an inch thick

12. Transfer the fingers to the prepared sheets (keeping space in between each one) and gently press an almond to the top of each one.

If you aren't using almonds, wait to add the nails later. Try using a piece of chocolate (you can use white, milk or dark) or you could use something else. You can find some examples in the ingredients list above and can design the nails however you like - how do you think witches fingernails would look?

13. Carefully pinch the dough just below the "fingernail" and then again approximately halfway down the finger to make knuckles.

14. Place 1 or 2 pistachio pieces in the fingers (if you aren't using pistachios, wait to add other edible alternatives) to make warts.

15. Repeat steps 10-14 with the remaining dough.

16. Freeze for 30 minutes.

17. Preheat the oven to 375°.

18. Remove the cookies from the freezer. Keep them on the tray and transfer them to the oven. Allow them to bake for 7-9 minutes until the edges are firm and the tops are dry, rotating the trays around halfway through the baking time.

19. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly.

20. Gently lift off the almond fingernail and add a tiny piece of jam where the nail was before to help it stick. Use more jam and press down a little firmer if you would like an extra spooky look to the nails.

If you aren't using almonds, add your alternative now (with or without jam). This is also the time to add the chocolate chip warts if you did not want to use the nuts earlier.

21. Allow to cool completely before serving your spooky wicked witch fingers!

Brilliant Bats

Odette enjoys taking part in a lot of creative ideas. Sometimes she enjoys hobbies on her own but she also loves teaching new things to her family and friends. Whether teaching something new or simply doing a well loved activity together, Odette loves doing things with those that she loves. This Halloween craft is one of the first things that Odette and Alise did together for Halloween. The two of them are showing the children in the village this simple but fun craft to get them into the spooky spirit!

You Will Need:

Black Card

Orange Paint

Yellow Paint

Small Sponge/Cotton Wool

Extra Card (you can use spare card as we only need this for the bat shape)

Pen/Pencil

Scissors

Instructions:

1. The first step is to make a bat! To do this, take your piece of spare card and cut out an image of a bat. You can draw one with a pencil and cut it out or you can print out a stencil here.

2. Place the bat on the black card using a small piece of blue/white tack (or other temporary adhesive) as you'll need to make sure it stays in place. Make sure it is not right at the edge so that you keep the bat shape in the next few steps.

3. Use a sponge (or wool) to dip into your paint and then dab it all over the bat and over the card. Make sure it covers the edges of the bat and goes on to the card - it doesn't need to be neat so have fun with it! Use a mixture of orange and yellow paint and keep dabbing away until you have a random design and your bat is completely covered!

4. Allow the paint to dry. Make sure it is somewhere where it won't be disturbed.

5. When you are sure that your design is completely dry, carefully remove the bat to reveal the black silhouette. You will now have a haunting Halloween picture of a bat flying through the night sky.

SPOOK-tacular Sun Catchers

Alise has been decorating some of the palace windows with these spooky sun catchers! They're really easy to make and also give you chance to enjoy the beauty of Autumn as you collect the leaves!

You Will Need:

Leaf

PVA Glue

Tiny Pieces of Black Paper

Instructions:

1. Cover your leaf in a layer of PVA glue.

2. Add tiny pieces of black paper to make eyes. You can even add a piece for a mouth.

3. Allow the glue to dry.

4. Carefully peel the glue layer from the leaf.

5. Place the ghosts on a window to show off your spooky sun catcher and see the texture from the leaf.

Petrifying Pumpkin Cheesecake

Odette is helping Chef Frederick with the plans for the Halloween feast for the costume ball. Odette is also baking some of the dishes herself.

This petrifying pumpkin cheesecake is just one of the spooky snacks included in their haunted Halloween spread.

Ingredients:

For the base:

• 275g digestive (or ginger biscuits)

• 80g butter, melted, plus extra for the tin

• 1 large egg white (we will use the egg yolk for the filling, below)

For the filling:

• 800g full-fat soft cheese

• 425g can pumpkin purée

• 5 large eggs, plus 1 large yolk (from egg above)

• 50g plain flour

• 200g light brown soft sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 428F/220C/200C fan/gas 7.

2. Butter a deep 8 inch (22cm) loose-bottomed cake tin and line with baking parchment.

3. Take some cling film and wrap the base and side of the tin with three layers. Then do the same with three layers of foil.

4. Next, fold a clean tea towel and put it in the base of a large roasting tin.

5. Put the biscuits into a large freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin (or roll it over the bag, being careful that the air doesn't cause the bag to burst open). Alternatively, use a food processor to blitz the biscuits. Keep going until the biscuits have been completely turned to crumbs.

6. Add the melted butter to the crumbs and combine (or pulse with a food processor) to coat the crumbs.

7. Tip the mixture into the cake tin, making sure to press some of the crumb mix up the sides as well as on the base. Press the mix down with the back of a spoon.

8. Bake for 10 mins.

9. Carefully remove the tin from the oven and brush the biscuit base with the egg white.

10. Return to the oven and bake for another 3 mins (to keep the base from going soggy).

11. Now we can move on to the filling. In a bowl, beat the soft cheese until loosened.

12. Add the pumpkin purée, flour and sugar to the soft cheese and beat until combined.

13. Continue to beat whilst gradually adding the eggs and egg yolk until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy.

14. Gently pour the filling over the baked biscuit base.

15. Allow the cake tin to sit on the tea towel in the roasting tin.

16. Carefully pour a kettle-full of boiled water into the roasting tin (until the water comes halfway up the side of the cake tin)

15. Bake for 10 mins before reducing the oven temperature to 230F/110C/90C fan/gas ¼ and continue to bake for a further 1 hr 30 mins until the cheesecake is set. It should slightly wobble when you shake the tin.

16. Turn off the oven and slightly open the oven door, leaving the cheesecake inside. Leave it here to cool inside the oven for 2 hours until it is completely cool.

17. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and chill overnight.

18. Gently remove the now cold cheesecake from the tin and transfer it to your chosen cake stand/serving plate.

19. In a bowl, use an electric whisk to whip the cream until soft peaks form. Then add spoonfuls of the cream to the top of the cheesecake.

Serve with ice cream or cream! You can add these sides plain or dust some cinnamon and/or pumpkin spice over the top to compliment the cheesecake flavors!

For a nutty taste, sprinkle over chopped pecans over this desert! If you have an extra sweet tooth, drizzle some delicious caramel sauce over the cheesecake!

This month we are celebrating the birthday of our good friend Number Nine also known as Jasper! This makes his zodiac sign the Libra and his birthstone rose quartz.

Libra is represented by the symbol of the scales reflecting Librans need for balance in all things.

Librans high value of balance means they are always working to create harmony, peace, and justice in the world.

This does not mean they are always working for the greater good, however. It does mean that they dislike conflict and will develop and use any skills needed to keep the peace, keep everyone happy, and ensure justice as according to them.

These skills often include their charm, intelligence, frankness, and powers of persuasion.

Librans often find that the key to finding this balance they crave is in fostering positive relationships with those closest to them.

Librans are very indecisive as they consider many different opinions and many different perspectives before making their final choice. They consider all consequences as they would rather not make a decision than disturb the delicate balance of peace.

When conflict eventually does arise Librans are one of the the most talented at resolving it. They rely on their charm and wit to diffuse the situation and prefer to just fix the problem themselves.

Rose quartz is a crystal that symbolizes unconditional love. Love for oneself and love for others. Rose quartz could be worn to boost self confidence and encourage stability in relationships.

We think this all sounds just like Number Nine!

Is your birthday in October or do you just like the color pink?

Purchase your October birthstone locket here.