I made this cake for my daughter Lily's 4th birthday. She loves anything & everything Ariel, so I wanted it to be special. Everything is made of edible fondant except the edible pearls & the "seaweed" candles. Thanks to Debbie Brown's fairy tale cake book for mermaid body & octopus instructions, and to all of you & your wonderful cakes on this site which I love & absolutely consult every time I do a cake!