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Get out your dinglehoppers! This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Walt Disney Studios animated film The Little Mermaid, which debuted in theaters in November 1989. Disney has added the film to its Signature Collection and released a special 30th Anniversary Signature Collection edition of the movie. The anniversary edition includes a sing-along mode (I still randomly start singing “Part of You World” a few times a month. Any one else? No? Just me?) and bonus features including an inside look at the cast during original recording sessions and fun facts about the film.

Jodi Benson, the voice of Ariel, took over the @disneylittlemermaid Instagram account and answered questions from fans to celebrate the anniversary. When asked what characteristic of Ariel she relates to the most, she said, “I think fans relate to Ariel because she is so tenacious and slightly stubborn and that’s how I connect to Ariel. I brought who I am to this character. I’m tenacious, I’m motivated, determined, I’m gonna push through a slammed door.”

Her favorite Ariel quote? “Maybe he’s right, maybe there is something the matter with me. I just don’t see how a world that can make such wonderful things could be bad. Oh, Flounder, don’t be such a guppy!”

Lin-Manuel Miranda is working on a live action version of the film, and judging by the amazing work he did on Moana, it will not disappoint. The new film will also feature music from Alan Menken, who worked on the original score for The Little Mermaid and secured two Academy Awards for the film, including Best Original Score and Best Original Song (“Under the Sea”).

Long before the hit Disney film, mermaids were making appearances in movies. You may be familiar with the ’80s film Splash starring Daryl Hannah as the mermaid who Tom Hanks falls for, and the scarier sirens in The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but who were the first mermaids in film?

The First Mermaids in Movies

While the film industry was still new, mermaids were already inspiring filmmakers, starting with a short in 1904 called The Mermaid. The first full-length film ever to feature a mermaid was Neptune’s Daughter (1914), starring Australian professional swimmer Annette Kellermann. It was followed by Daughter of the Gods in 1916, in which Kellermann appears nude, though she has long hair draped over her shoulder to cover most of her body; still, it caused quite a stir and it’s believed to be the first film to include full-frontal nudity. Kellermann went on to play a mermaid in Queen of the Sea (1918) and Venus of the South Seas (1924). Unfortunately, most of these early films are believed to be lost.

Prior to gracing the screen, Kellermann was already famous for holding women’s records for swimming, even attempting to swim the English Channel in 1905, though she was unsuccessful. She put her swimming skills to use as a vaudeville star specializing in underwater performances. Kellerman was also an advocate for fitness and helped modernize swimsuits for women, abandoning the heavy skirted styles that were the only “appropriate” option at the time—she was even arrested once in Boston for doing so!

With Kellerman having paved the way for others to splash their tails, several mermaid films were released in 1948: Miranda, starring Griffith Jones as a doctor who mistakenly catches a mermaid (Glynis Johns) in his fishing net, and Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, which starred William Powell and Ann Blyth and was based on the novel Peabody’s Mermaid by Guy and Constance Jones.

In Mad About Men, the 1954 sequel to Miranda, a vacationing schoolteacher discovers a mermaid she looks eerily similar to and the two do the ole switcheroo.

More Disney Mermaids

Disney featured mermaids in Peter Pan (1953), lounging in the mermaid lagoon in Neverland and as the fascination with the mythical creatures grew, Disney began looking for other ways to use them. In 1959, Disneyland employed real mermaids to swim and sunbathe on rocks near the Submarine Voyage ride in Tomorrowland.

Though you won’t see any scaly sunbathers at the theme park today, you can meet Ariel in real life, of course, and indulge in a mermaid doughnut or mermaid cupcake.

How to Be a Mermaid in the Modern World

Being a redhead, it’s practically a requirement that my favorite Disney princess be Ariel. However, being landlocked, it can be difficult to live my best life as a sea queen. I do what I can by taking care of my long hair with Not Your Mother’s Blue Sea Kale & Pure Coconut Water Shampoo and Conditioner, making sure I see the ocean at least once a year and having a conversation with a fish every now and then. It also helps that I married a guy who looks like he could be a Disney prince.

Here are some products I use to channel my inner mermaid:

Mermaid Makeup

When I look like a poor, unfortunate soul, the Besame Pearl Shimmer Compact keeps me from feeling like a total sea witch. The powder really evens out my complexion nicely and is in the most adorable shell-shaped compact. It’s from the Besame Cosmetics Mermaid Lagoon collection, which was inspired by the mermaids in Peter Pan to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the film.

Mermaid Hair Accessories

If your dinner restaurant doesn’t agree that a seashell bra qualifies as a shirt, channel your inner mermaid with a starfish or lily hair accessory instead. I found this ’60s vintage faux pearl gold-tone hair clip on Etsy in the RupsaclsCaspur shop. If you search “vintage starfish hair clip” on Etsy you’ll find similar items. (My top is Free People Hey Lady Ribbed Pleated-Shoulder Top—it has puffy sleeves, like Ariel’s pink ball gown when she uses her dinglehopper at dinner with Eric!).

Glitter Sunscreen

You know how, at the end of The Little Mermaid, when Ariel comes out of the water and she’s a human again and she’s wearing that (very ‘80s) sparkly gray dress and she’s super excited because she gets to marry Eric and live happily ever after?

Get a similar feeling—without sacrificing your home and family—with Sea Star Sparkle Mermaid Coco Lime SPF 50+ Glitter Sunscreen by Sunshine & Glitter. I talked about their Beach Gypsy SPF 30+ in my post on how to rock your fair skin and can say with confidence that it works even under the Caribbean sun.

Mermaid Handbook

For more inspiration, I suggest The Mermaid Handbook: An Alluring Treasury of Literature, Lore, Art, Recipes, and Projects by Carolyn Turgeon. It’s filled with beautiful illustrations, crafts (like a mermaid crown and necklace), mermaid lore and more.

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