It’s been a while since I’ve down a Walking the Toy Aisle post. It’s not that I don’t like doing it, I actually really like doing them. The problem recently has been this: there’s been nothing very new, exciting or interesting on the shelves for a long, long time. Recently, my mom and I took a shopping trip to our local toy stores. Surprisingly, the shelves were stocked with a few new items that I thought warranted this Walking the Toy Aisle post!

Let’s start with Flynn. How cool is his face mold?! I love how screen accurate they got his angular face. It even has his roguish grin! For a doll, he’s quite handsome!

This is a Barbie/Skipper 2 Pack. I’m happy Mattel has decided to start giving Skipper different clothing, because as you know, much of what past releases wore was far too similar for my tastes, but I still wish Mattel would take a few more chances. It’s about time that Skipper got a new hair-do or at least some different make up. Also, does it seem like her head is too big for her shoulders or that she’s losing her neck?

Hasbro’s Disney Princess Magical Story Skirt dolls definitely fall under the ‘interesting’ category. I really like the concept– that you can use the water wand to fill in the white portion of the princess’s skirts. Not to mention, Merida is just plain adorable with her round face and wild hair!

Shoppies, the fashion doll spin-off of the ever popular Shopkins, did better than I expected during their first wave. Here are three new Shoppies to collect. The second wave of these dolls seems much cuter than the first, in my opinion.

Usually when I place a styling head on these posts, it’s because the size or look of it is laughable. However, I kind of adore this Pinkie Pie Sweet Style styling head! At the My Little Pony Fair, I saw a handful of customs made from this large, full body pony. They were amazing looking. What I love about this styling head is that Pinkie has a body and is sitting in a position that could easily make her work as far more than just a styling head. How cute would she be sitting on a writers desk, for example!

I could very easily fall into collecting the mini Equestria Girls. They’re adorable and would look perfect hanging out with my Pinky ST characters.

Barbee0913 did a review on the Make It Pop line. I’m interested in seeing what happens with this line.

As promised, the new body types for Barbie are getting some outfits, as seen in these doll/outfit packs. I’m not crazy about all outfits or, to be honest, all the new body types. These doll/outfit sets are nice, though, and I can see them being great birthday gifts.

So, there you have it! As we move into fall, I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of new and exciting things. One thing that has surprised me over various shopping trips has been the lack of new Monster High and Ever After High dolls. It’s almost like Mattel figured that it would be a good idea to dial down the old style Monster High releases for 2016, so the new rebranded ones weren’t so shocking to casual shoppers. As of this post, I have seen a few blogs and facebook groups saying that the new ‘Welcome to Monster High’ style dolls have been seen in or around their town, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the rest of 2016 brings.

Have you seen anything interesting or cool at your local toy shop? Share it in the comment area!

Recently, I acquired one of my favorite Skipper doll cases. Made in 1965 by Standard Plastic Products, this case features Skipper and her friend Skooter running on the beach. This case was released in blue and yellow vinyl. (A single doll case was also created, it seems, using this graphic. After doing some googling, I found an image of that one, too!)

Since it’s a double case, there’s lots of room to store your dolls and clothing inside! The graphics are fantastic, as is expected with these vintage cases. The way the artist captured Skipper and Skooter is right on and very artfully done. Some cases feature Skipper in a more passive pose, but this particular case has a far more interesting graphic. I love cases that have ‘action packed’ poses, like this one!

Do you own this case? Have you recently picked up a cool vintage case? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

Just a quick note to alert all My Ballerina Dolls fans that both the Prince and the Snow Queen are available for pre-order on their website. Here are pictures of the two 22″ Nutcracker themed dolls taken at New York Toy Fair.

I love the Snow Queen’s eye sculpt. Her wig also seems more manageable than Clara’s.

I still think the Prince would look great dressed as Howl from Howl’s Moving Castle.  This line may not be perfect, but honestly, I really, really like the look of My Ballerina Dolls. (The price doesn’t hurt, either!)

You can follow My Ballerina Dolls on Facebook here. Do you plan on pre-ordering one or both of these dolls? Share your thoughts in the comment area!

One of my (many) side collections is Liddle Kiddle Skediddles. This collection is something my mom started me on and has pretty much funded. Most every birthday or Christmas for the past few years, I’ve received a Skediddle, some in played with condition, others brand new mint in box. The Skediddles in my collection are all themed around big, well-known properties, like Charles Schultz’s Peanuts gang, Disney’s Mickey and, finally, Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny. Below is a picture of the Sears Christmas Catalog from 1969. The dolls featured in this post are seen in the middle right of the page for a whopping $2.99! (Browse Wishbook Web for more catalog pages like this!)

According to the web, Skediddles were made between 1968-1970. What makes Skediddles unique among the Liddle Kiddle line is their ‘Skediddler’, a pusher that makes their arms, legs and head move when you push the Kiddle forward on a flat surface. Most websites says that Mattel produced 13 original Skediddles. However, that number doesn’t take into account the cool Skediddles I’m about to show off here.

We’ll start off with my the Peanuts gang! Charlie Brown, Lucy and Flying Ace Snoopy were released as Liddle Kiddle Skediddlers in 1968. Sold separately, these Skediddlers are fantastic representations of the comic/cartoon characters created by the legendary Charles Schulz. In 1970, a three pack, the Peanuts Skediddler Clubhouse, was released with Charlie Brown, Lucy and Snoopy. I’ve never seen this three set mint in box, save for one Japanese site with Peanuts collectables.

In 1969, Linus was added to the mix, as well as a cool catalog exclusive (or so the internet says) featuring Snoopy and his Sopwith Camel. (I’m still on the hunt for this Snoopy/Sopwith Camel gift set!) Linus is the rarest of the quartet. I wish I had more hard evidence as to why Linus is rarer than the other three, but I wasn’t able to hunt anything down. My best guess is that Linus is the rarest, because he was produced towards the end of the Skediddler line, unlike the other three, who were out on shelves a year earlier. (Notice that Linus is not pictured in the 1969 Sears Christmas Catalog, pictured above.)

Ironically, Linus fell into our laps. We were at the Kenvention one year, browsing the room sales and Linus was just sitting there with all his accessories. Being a Barbie convention, the vendor didn’t care so much about the lone Liddle Kiddle in the room and my mom was able to snatch him up pretty cheaply! (I didn’t receive Linus until a few months later for my birthday or Christmas– they’re so close together, it’s hard to remember!)

The second series of Skediddles I have found in my possession are themed around Disney’s Mickey Mouse! Arriving on store shelves in 1968, along with the Peanuts gang, were Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy. Since the Peanuts gang were released in a three set, I’d imagine these guys were, too, but that’s speculation at the moment.

The third series, if I can call it that, centered on the Warner Bros. property, Looney Tunes. Hitting stores in 1969, Mattel only produced one Kiddle in this series and that Kiddle was none other than Bugs Bunny.

Certain websites will say that Mattel produced Daffy Duck, as well, but as of this writing and lots of googling, I have yet to see an actual picture of this supposed Daffy Duck. My guess is that one site confused Disney’s Donald with Warner Bros.’s Daffy and the rest became internet history. Because Bugs was only produced for a year, he is also considered hard to find. I would have loved to see more characters from this collection, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

One interesting thing to note about these Kiddles is that they were featured in an episode of Family Affair! Family Affair was a sitcom that ran from 1966-1971 about a bachelor who was forced to take in his nieces (Sissy and Buffy) and nephew (Jody) after tragedy took their parents. The show was quite popular and even inspired Mattel’s iconic Mrs. Beasley doll.

How is this related to the Little Kiddle world, you ask? Well, on February 5th, 1970, an episode called ‘Inheritance‘ aired. In the episode, the kids find themselves with a small inheritance and, of course, decide to go to the toy store to spend it. The toy store set they visit throughout the episode is filled with Mattel products (and only Mattel products) from the late 60’s. It’s like a ‘Where’s Waldo’ (or Wally, for those outside the US) of Mattel products. In one shot, behind the young boy Jody, you see some of the very Skediddler’s in this post, mint in box! Watch the episode here. (Look at the bottom left corner of the screenshot below.)

For more fun, see if you can spot your favorite Mattel doll in this 1966 episode, “Mrs. Beasley, Where Are You?“. Buffy loses Mrs. Beasley and Mr. French takes her to the Mattel showroom, I mean, a well stocked, totally generic toy store, to find a replacement. The scene is about 10 minutes into the episode.

So, that’s a quick look at my Liddle Kiddle Skediddle collection. I think they’re really great representations of popular characters. Even more so, I love the variety! Do you have any of these in you collection? Do you remember seeing them in stores? Have you ever seen or heard about this Daffy Duck Skediddler? Share your thoughts in the comment area!

The last few Skipper Highlight Reel posts have been about doll cases, so I thought I’d break it up a bit with this installment and talk about two of Skipper‘s lesser known best friends. We’ll start with Living Fluff. Making her debut in 1971, Fluff was the first new Skipper friend since Skooter and Ricky were discontinued in 1967.

Fluff’s blonde hair is styled in two pigtails with curly bangs/fringe. She has a Living Skipper body, which when compared to previous bodies is more articulated. The ‘Living’ body is prone to melting, especially around the shoulders and hips. My Fluff, for example, has some pretty annoying melt marks around both shoulders and hips. Thankfully, they don’t hurt the arm movement. Fluff’s colorful swimsuit doesn’t help much, leaving little room for her shoulder and hip joints to breathe.

One of my favorite things about Fluff is her adorable face with ‘real’ eyelashes. I love Fluff’s long thin smile and round brown eyes. For reasons unknown to me, Fluff was only on the market for one year. She was available as a single doll and in a Sears exclusive Sunshine Special gift set. The exclusive included Fluff (in her traditional yellow swimsuit) and two hip outfits.

As 1972 rolled around, Fluff made a quick exit and was replaced with Pose ‘n Play Tiff. Tiff, described as Skipper’s ‘tom boy’ friend, was the best pal of Pose ‘n Play Skipper. She shares the same body and face mold as Fluff, not to mention the depressingly short release window.

Unlike Fluff, Tiff has painted lashes and straight brown hair. Playing on the tom boy theme, Tiff (in her original outfit, not the one pictured above) wears a white tank top and jeans with decals that read ‘Stop’, ‘Help’ and ‘Go’. Her accessory of choice? A skateboard.

By 1973, Tiff disappeared. Nowadays, she’s one of the rarer Skipper dolls to find, especially with her original outfit and/or mint in box. Both Fluff and Tiff may not have lasted long in the line when compared with friends Skooter and Courtney, but they definitely made an impact with their adorable face mold and interesting looks!

Do you remember Fluff or Tiff? Do you have one in your collection? Share your thoughts on these two in the comment area!

Back when I had a PO Box for those that wanted to reach out via snail mail, I received a naked Flying Wendy doll from a reader/viewer. Thanks to a lucky find, Wendy now has an outfit! She was released back in 1993 when Mattel would use the Skipper face molds for some of the Disney Store exclusives and was released in conjunction with a Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. Like Flying Wendy, the Tink also used a Skipper mold.

Flying Wendy is unique when compared to Skipper dolls, because of her wavy light brown hair and blue eyes. I think she has a very pretty face! Her body is the same you’d see from any other Skipper doll released in the early 90’s. Flying Wendy is a great example of the other characters this face mold can play.

In 1997, Disney released another Peter Pan set, which featured another Skipper mold, the Teen Skipper mold that was used after this large anime eye face.

Both this set and the 1997 set go for some pretty high prices on eBay and would be great additions to any Skipper collection! Do you own this doll? What do you think of her? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a contemporary doll here on the blog. Today, though, I’m going to talk about not one, but two dolls I know you’ll want to hear about! Introducing The Prince/Nutcracker and The Snow Queen from My Ballerina Dolls. A year ago or so, I reviewed the first doll in the My Ballerina Dolls series, Clara Marie. I expected we’d see the Prince this year, but the Snow Queen was a happy surprise.

Let’s start off with The Snow Queen. The Snow Queen is 22″ tall and made of a vinyl/hard plastic mix. She has a unique face mold when compared to Clara. The Snow Queen has a more regal, adult expression with expressive dark brown eyes and thin pink lips on her heart shaped face.

Unlike Clara, whose expression and face mold gave off a very anime like appearance, The Snow Queen’s look is more realistic. The face paint is delicately placed with dark brows and painted lashes. Her cheeks have a light blushing of pink on them and, as I mentioned, she has thin pearly pink lips.

The Snow Queen wears a light blue tutu with a velcro back. Her ballet shoes are identical to Clara Marie’s, pink and knee high. The Snow Queen’s sleeves are a little loose, as is the outfits fit around her torso. It’s not a deal breaker for me, though, because the loose nature of it allows her many points of articulation to work well. Speaking of which, like the original doll in the line, The Snow Queen is ball jointed. Her neck moves fluidly in all directions. Her shoulders do, as well. Under her shoulder is twist and turn sort of joint, a double jointed elbow and a wrist joint.

Her hips allow for great extension forward and sideways. Her leg doesn’t extend back unless you move her torso forward. Like her arms, she has a twist and turn joint right below her hip for turn out, double jointed knees and an ankle joint.

Now, onto the most interesting part of this review and something that I think will make many of you quite happy! As expected, The Snow Queen is wigged. Under her wig are five pieces of velcro that surround her (get ready) head cap! Yep. She has a removable head cap. (Clara Marie did not.)

Now, going back to the wig for a moment. The quality is fine, but you may want to consider re-wigging her with a softer wig one day. Also, you probably don’t need five pieces of velcro to hold her wig on. It stays on fine with one well placed piece.

The picture above and below are of the Prince’s head, but The Snow Queen has a very similar design. It’s just missing the writing under the heart.

So, her head cap. I was surprised to see one, knowing that Clara Marie did not have one. To remove her head cap, you will have to align the heart and lift up. Before you get too excited, if you want to be adventurous and customize your doll’s eyes, you’ll still need to do a bit of jury rigging. The Snow Queen’s eyes are glued in. (If you do customize her eyes, I’d love to know how they turned out!)

Changing topics a bit, it’s time to talk about the Prince/Nutcracker! The Prince’s face is very anime inspired. I like it a lot! He has wide blue eyes, painted brown lashes and thick eyebrows.

My Prince’s face arrived a little scuffed due to him being packaged with his Nutcracker helmet on in the box. Speaking of the box, both of these boxes are worth saving. They’re packaged in a soft cardboard box with artistic renderings of ballerina’s. The color scheme and design are great and I definitely see them being useful for storing outfits, accessories or whatever else you might think up! (You can see the box in the video reviews.)

The Prince is packaged with his Nutcracker helmet on. Because of this, there is a heavy vinyl scent when you release him from his cardboard prison. He seems more vinyl’y than the girls. The helmet itself is pretty cool. I wouldn’t keep it on him all the time, but for active play or photos, it’s neat and surprisingly well made.

Like the girls, the Prince is wigged. His wig is fine for the price point. It’s not the softest wig, but it doesn’t have any bald spots, so for me, it is okay for now. The Prince’s wig was also held on with multiple pieces of velcro.

For ease of use, I decided to just keep one on the top of his head. Also like The Snow Queen, The prince has a removable head cap. You can’t do much with the inside of his head since the eyes are glued in, but it’s a start. As I mentioned, there is writing on the back of his head mold (and not The Snow Queen’s) that says ‘Fairy Lily’. I tried to dig up more information on that, but couldn’t find anything.

The Prince has a very velour like outfit. It doesn’t exactly make it easy to move his heavily articulated body. What I noticed immediately was that the blue used in the outfit had already started staining (lightly) his wrist joint. Keep an eye on the outfit.

It’s heavy with reds and blues, which are prone to leaving their mark unintentionally on dolls. The outfit is well thought out, though, with details that they definitely didn’t need to include. I like the idea of it, but just wish it was a different fabric. The Prince’s faux leather boots, though, I love! They’re simple, but chic.

The articulation on this male doll is the same as it is on the female dolls. All his points of articulation move fluidly. His torso joint is a little troublesome. My doll leans forward on the joint, so without clothing, it looks a little weird. However, it does seem to move decently enough for play. It just doesn’t like holding poses as well as the other joints.

Overall, I’m impressed with these two dolls from My Ballerina Dolls. Both the Snow Queen and the Prince are quality dolls for their price. Their size, face molds, points of articulation and the ease of customization (to an extent) make them definitely worth looking into!

What do you think of The Snow Queen and the Prince? Share your thoughts in the comment area!

It’s time again for another Skipper Highlight Reel! You’ll be seeing more of these as this year continues. With Christmas on the way, I can’t buy many new dolls for myself! It’s far cheaper to highlight things I already own.

This Skipper Highlight Reel is covering one of the more controversial Skipper releases, 1975’s Growing Up Skipper. Growing Up Skipper is a doll with a gimmick. Her box read, “Make her grow from a young girl to a teenager in seconds”. How, you ask? Well, by cracking her left arm in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise fashion! You turn her arm counter-clockwise to make Skipper “grow slim, tall and curvy” and clockwise to make her “cute and young again”.  (Quotes taken directly from the packaging.) Essentially what happens is when you turn Skipper’s arm counter clockwise, her torso grows in length and her bust grows slightly. Doing the reverse, will pull her torso down and make the bust disappear. (Watch the video review where I show this on a nude doll if you’re confused.)

Growing Up Skipper came with two different hair colors, pale blonde and strawberry blonde. Of the strawberry blonde dolls, there are two different hair styles. One release had long, shaggy layers in her hair, while another had a slightly shorter, more tame cut. The difference is slight, but noticeable if the two dolls are close together.

Above: Shaggy Strawberry Blonde, Pale Blonde, Shorter Cut Strawberry Blonde

Above: Pale Blonde, Shorter Cut Strawberry Blonde, Shaggy Strawberry Blonde

In 1976, Skipper made friends with Ginger. Ginger was only released in this Growing Up Skipper line. Ginger used the same face mold and body type as Skipper. My Ginger is not in her original outfit. Ginger’s original outfit was similar to Skipper’s, but had a teal color scheme. Her skirt is currently on one of my Skippers. (In case you’re wondering, my Ginger is wearing the Fun at McDonalds Fantasy Fashion.)

Of the two dolls, I think Ginger is the cutest. The brown hair and eyes  look much cuter on this face mold than Skipper’s strangely painted face.  It’s hard to tell from the grainy commercial above, but the prototype Skipper looks much cuter than what was on store shelves.

Because Skipper and Ginger grew in length when they changed from being a child to an adult, Mattel included a lot of accessories with this doll. You got a red unitard top, a long red and white skirt, short red and white skirt, white sandles, red flats and a scarf. My dolls aren’t mint and are missing certain pieces. Mattel released a handful of outfit sets for these dolls over the three years, as well.

Above: “Teenager” Skipper, “Child” Skipper

Do you remember Growing Up Skipper and Ginger? What do you think of these two unique dolls? Share your thoughts below!

Ready for a blast from the past? We’re going to venture back the 1980’s for this Collection Close Up and talk about My Child dolls! Made by Mattel, My Child dolls were around from 1985 through 1988.

They are known for their soft (felt like), adorable faces. According to websites, they were made to be ‘one of a kind’. Each came with their own serial number, making each one special. The serial number is located on a tag on the dolls torso. Some numbers were hand written (like on my doll), others were stamped (like all the rest of the dolls featured here). These numbers can come in handy, especially if you are trying to date your doll or figure out if it is made in Taiwan (1985) or China (1986-1988). My Child dolls were manufactured in a variety of hair and eye colors, as well as in both genders and multiple skin tones. Commercials like to point out the fact that they can stand (with shoes) on their own.

My Child dolls were only out for a few years in the US. Taking into consideration the fact that there was a whole slew of My Child dolls released solely outside the US (Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Italy, France and Canada) in 1987 and it should come as no shock that My Child dolls still command pretty high prices on auction sites.

My only My Child (serial number 3645L) was gifted to me in 1985 by my grandmother when I was about 2 years old. My mother says that my grandmother hunted around to find one that resembled me. At the same time, she also picked one up for my mother. Below is my My Child. She’s lost pretty much all of her delicate face coloring, which I might get fixed up one day. She’s still in her original outfit, minus the shoes. Her hair is currently in two braids. With brown eyes and hair, she does look like me! (While my expression in this photo below doesn’t exactly scream enthusiasm, I really did like the doll!)

Me and My My Child

My mom’s has ash blonde hair in curly pigtails (serial number: 1708HR). Her face coloring is much better than mine. This My Child seems to be wearing the ‘pink Floral outfit‘. Of the two of us, my mom is more of the My Child collector. She has four in her collection and I’m sure would jump at the chance for more.

Over the years, my mom has gathered a few more My Child’s and has even tried her hand at restoring a few of them. The My Child below was a gift from yours truly to my mom. This dolls serial number is 1646R2. I thought the short pale blonde hair was adorable and so far, she hasn’t needed any restoration done.

Like many dolls, sometimes you’ll come across some that are in less than perfect shape. With My Child’s the main problems seem to be face sagging and facial color fading (like their lips and eye lashes, similar to my doll pictured above). Thankfully, there are a lot of helpful sites online that talk about how to restore your doll! My mom has tried restoring two dolls so far with great results. See the first restoration attempt in the video below on this pale blonde My Child (serial number: 1136L)

Usually, restoration includes giving your dolls a ‘face lift’ by doing a blind stitch. A great reference for this is found on YouTube. Click here to see a playlist of tutorials. If you just need to re-do your My Child’s make up, you may want to look at these tutorials, also found on YouTube. (The first playlist also has a make up video.) Besides these, there are quite a few videos online about My Child care. It’s worth searching for the doll on YouTube and seeing what’s out there.

Before Photo (My Little Pony Fair Purchase)

The doll above (serial number unknown) was picked up at the 2016 My Little Pony Fair. The seller said her mom was a collector of My Child and asked her to bring a few to the show. My mom spotted the one doll they brought and bought it. She gave her a face lift and ordered her an outfit online. In the end, she turned out looking so much better than she did before!

There are a few really amazing websites out there aimed at My Child. A few are below:

My Child Dolls

My Child Workshop

In the Attic

So, that’s a closer look at the My Child dolls in our collections. Do you have any My Child dolls? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

With Christmas just a few months away, I expected to see more fun and exciting things on the shelves of Toys R Us. Alas, there isn’t much to cover at the moment, it seems! The most exciting thing in the aisles was probably the release of WellieWishers at Toys R Us stores.

WellieWishers are priced at $59.99, making them a little high (in my opinion) for the customers of Toys R Us. It is nice, though, to see these American Girl products in stores! I do think WellieWishers are pretty.

I was happily surprised to see a number of accessories already on shelves along with the dolls! Below are a few examples.

Another exciting addition to the toy aisles is Miraculous Ladybug. I hopped on the Miraculous Ladybug train a while ago. The CG superhero cartoon is beautifully animated and the stories, while formulaic, are really fun to watch! It took a while, but after a long wait, toys are finally making their way to the stores! There are other dolls out, too, besides this two pack. You can buy separate hero packs or buy Marinette and Adrian in their ‘every day look’, too. (If you haven’t watched Miraculous, you should! I recommend searching out the French language track with subtitles.)

Not much was super awe inspiring in the Barbie aisle. These two Ken’s are pretty cool looking, though! The molded shirt on the second Ken is disappointing, but both Kens are, dare I say, handsome? (That doesn’t always happen in Ken releases!)

My Little Pony Equestria Girl Mini‘s are adorable. Below is Flash. What a cutie! I don’t own any EQ Mini’s just yet, but want to pick up a few one day. They’d make great friends for my Pinky ST figures.

I reviewed a Berenguer Baby doll before. They are some of the cutest realistic baby dolls around. If you’re looking for one in a jiffy, you may want to check out Toys R Us!

Furreal’s Torch is adorable and I wouldn’t be shocked if it was on everyone’s (young or old) Christmas list! We saw Torch at Toy Fair (Hasbro coverage) and were blown away by his adorableness.

Here’s one for the 80’s cartoon gang! Look at these adorable Squinky sized Smurfs!!! So cute, right?

There were some Monster High on the shelves, but nothing super exciting. If anything, the thing I took away from the stock was the lack of Ghoulia. Poor Ghoulia is being left in the dust with this whole reboot, which is so sad. She’s my favorite character, next to Frankie and Holt. This was the only Ghoulia we saw. Ghoulia, we will never forget you.

So, there you have it! There are just a few of my takeaways from Walking the Toy Aisle. What have you seen recently that made you excited or disappointed? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

Today, I’m reviewing a 12″ Precious Moment doll sent for review from the company. Precious Moments have been a staple in the gift giving community since 1978, when Sam Butcher’s 2D greeting card renderings were elegantly transformed into 3D figurines by Enesco. (Precious Moments Inc. took over the brand in 2004.) Through the years, Butcher’s graceful figurines have taken many forms, one form being 12″ vinyl dolls.

I own my fair share of Precious Moments, being a charter member of their original birthday club. I am new, however, to these vinyl dolls, even though they’ve been produced for quite a while now. Up for review today is “I Toad-ally Love You”. This boy doll has a head of rooted ginger hair. It looks adorable with his pale skin, green teardrop eyes and classic Precious Moment expression.

The outfit on this little guy is adorable. Themed around toads, this Precious Moment doll wears a cute outfit, which is partially removable. His shirt seems to be non-removable. I don’t see any velcro on the shirt or any easy way to remove it. The white pants, however, seem to have velcro on them, making them removable. His shoes are made of a less than durable material. They’re not hard plastic or vinyl. They’re made of a softer material than you’d expect. While you can remove the shoes, putting them back on may cause them to split. I’m also a little worried about how the material of the shoes will hold up when stored.

As far as articulation, the Precious Moment dolls are limited. You can move their arms and legs up and down, as well as turn their head left and right, but that’s about it.

Overall, I’m impressed by this 12″ doll. This doll seems like a great gift for someone who collects Precious Moments and is in the market for one that is less fragile than the porcelain figurines. You can find these online or wherever Precious Moment dolls are sold.

What do you think of Precious Moments “I Toad-ally Love You”? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

*This doll was received free in exchange for a review. All opinions stated are my own.

I’ve had a fondness for mystery boxes and surprise bags ever since I was a child. Our local Sanrio store would have mystery boxes filled with mystery Hello Kitty and friends merchandise all the time. Unfortunately, they were too expensive for people to buy for me, so I never got to rip open the brown paper wrapped goodies. By the time I was old enough to get a paycheck and buy one on my own, the store had long stopped doing mystery bags and eventually the store went out of business.  To this day, I blame Sanrio for my mystery box buying impulses!

Recently, Loot Crate, a popular monthly subscription box service, reached out to me and asked me this intriguing question, “What’s your dream crate?” They asked if I would be interested in setting up a post describing what would be inside my dream crate and why. Thinking of my love affair with mystery boxes and my want to break things up a bit, I thought, why not? (Editor’s note: Loot Crate asked me to clarify that this Dream Crate themed post is open to everyone! If you have a blog, YouTube channel, Instagram, etc, feel free share your Dream Crate, too!)

My problem with most mystery boxes is that they cover way too much. A pop culture box could have items from popular 80’s TV shows, to anime, to current day trends. Because of that, I decided to theme my box around one central topic that I know readers will enjoy, everyone’s favorite fashion doll, Barbie!

Dream Crate: Everyone’s Favorite Fashion Doll, Barbie

Item 1: Funko/Rock Candy Vinyl Barbie Figures

There are currently 8 different kinds of Rock Candy Vinyl figures released, highlighting important dolls in the Barbie series. These 5″ stylized figures, which include 1959’s Swimsuit Barbie, 1965’s Astronaut Barbie, 1971’s Hippie Barbie, 1973’s Surgeon Barbie, 1977’s Superstar Barbie, 1980’s Afro Barbie, 1984’s Gym Barbie and my personal favorite, 1986’s Rocker Barbie. I really like the design choices Funko/Rock Candy made with these figures. They’re cute and stylish.

Item 2: Funko Mystery Mini Blind Boxes

Continuing along on the Funko bandwagon, my dream crate would include not 1, not 2, but 3 Barbie Mystery Mini Blind Boxes. I pretty much adore every single 3″ Mystery Mini made so far. The series includes sixteen vinyl figures from all era’s in Barbie history, including Solo in the Spotlight, Malibu Barbie and the adorable Totally Hair Barbie! Why would I include 3 blind boxes and not just one? They say that once you have three or more of something, you have a collection and what better way to get a collection started than having three blind boxes from the same series on display.

Item 3: Skipper “Little Sisters Have More Fun” T-Shirt

Because this is my Dream Crate, I would definitely need it to include this shirt. I’m a Skipper collector, as some of you know. Skipper is Barbie’s little sister and has been tagging around with her big sister Barbie since 1964. This shirt has an adorable graphic of Skipper with text that reads “Little Sisters Have More Fun”. So cute! (This Barbie Tee is pretty cute, too! This is worth a peek, as well!)

Item 4: Barbie Cell Phone Pouch

At first glance, you wonder, why would anyone need a cell phone pouch? While I don’t carry these things around on an every day basis, they do come in handy when attending conventions or going out of town. Plus, this cell phone pouch, which will hold money, credit cards or other flat things, has a classic vintage Barbie illustration on the front. You can’t get better than that! (Well, unless it had Skipper on it, but alas, that doesn’t exist.)

Item 5: ReMent

I’m a sucker for the (mostly) 1/6 scale food ReMent offers. It makes for great props when doing a photoshoot. There’s a variety of ReMent to choose from. Usually ReMent comes in blind boxes. I think this Dream Crate should have 3 (yes, again) ReMent boxes for any food series produced.

Item 6: Places To Go, Dolls To See Mug

If you’re like me, you probably own 1,000’s of mugs. But who cares? It’s time to make room for this one. Sold through Zazzle, the Place To Go, Dolls to See mug is eye catching and pretty. (This mug is a cute second! Oh, but then there’s this mug!) See full Zazzle store here.

Item 7: Cool Barbie Fabric With An Easy To Make Outfit Pattern

Sewing is not my strong suit, but a fun, DIY project with all the necessary ingredients would be a great way to complete this dream crate! There’s a ton of cute Barbie fabric on the internet that would make adorable outfits for dolls in need of a little makeover!

So, that’s it. That’s my dream crate. It doesn’t include a Barbie, because I have a ton of those already! I love sharing my hobby with things like t-shirts and mugs (real utilitarian things that can be used in daily life, rather than just sit on a shelf). And the other items are just too cute not to include! Oh, and one more thing, this dream crate would be in a pink box, a nod to the term collectors use for Barbie’s from the 90’s.

Huge shout out to Loot Crate for posing this question! Now, I’m going to pass it on to you, readers! What would you put in YOUR dream crate? What do you think of my dream crate? Were Loot Crate going to create a Barbie mystery box, what would YOU put in it? Let me know in the comment area!

It’s been a long time since I’ve written about Monster High. Why? Since the reboot, I just haven’t been super enthralled by many of the dolls. There have been a few bright spots, like Dayna Treasura Jones, but they are few and far between. Up for review today, however, is one of the more interesting Monster High dolls to be released in 2016– the San Diego Comic Con 2016 exclusive Ghostbusters Frankie.

This Frankie isn’t super luxe or over the top, in fact she’s relatively basic when you look at her. But, it’s because the doll itself is less ‘exciting’ that the outfit and props really shine, making this one of the more unique Monster High’s produced during the series run. If memory serves me right, this is the first ‘mash up’ we’ve seen in the Monster High line. It makes me wish we’d seen more cool tie-ins when we were guaranteed releases with articulated bodies. But, let’s get onto the review, shall we?

Frankie, as I stated, is pretty basic when it comes to her face and hair. Her face is as you’d expect with large two toned eyes and her scar. It’s free of make up and has a clean, fresh look. Frankie’s hair has decently rooted highlights in black and white. They’re pulled up into a simple ponytail. And of course, she has bangs/fringe.

What makes this Frankie stand out among the rest is her super cool Ghostbusters uniform and proton pack! Frankie wears the uniform of the Ghostbusters proudly. Mattel did a great job on this element of Frankie’s look. She has the Ghostbuster logo on her shoulder and her last name printed on the front of her uniform.

On her back is the ever important proton pack with a removable handheld ray gun that wraps around Frankie with enough room to have her hold it. Her outfit is complimented with knee high boots, a belt, a black bracelet, plastic ID/Dog tags, earrings and cool yellow glasses.

This Frankie has all the articulation you’d expect from a good, old fashioned Monster High doll, with shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip and knee joints. Her suit limits her movement a bit, but I’m so happy Mattel didn’t skimp on the body type for this exclusive! (The fingers on my Frankie are a bit hyper extended due to how she was placed in her box, so you might encounter this, as well, if you pick one up.)

One other thing they included that is worth noting is Slimer! Monster High’s Slimer is much smaller than his movie/cartoon counterpart. He’s hollow on the inside, which means you can pretend he’s ‘sliming’ someone easily by being propped on a Monster High’s hand.

Overall, I am very happy with this Frankie. I love how Mattel incorporated Ghostbusters into the Monster High line. If you search Ghostbuster Frankie on eBay there are a number of dolls available. Most are overpriced, in my opinion, since she was pretty easy to get through Matty Collector post comic con. But if you can find one for under $40.00 or so dollars, I think she’s unique enough to be worth the money.

Do you have this Frankie? What are your thoughts on her? Let me know in the comment area!

Hearts For Hearts Girls are back! For those who don’t remember, Hearts For Hearts Girls first debuted in 2010 from Playmates. They quickly gathered strength by winning various awards and gaining a strong fan base due to the amazing message behind them. The line was inspired by real girls from around the world and showcased their journeys to succeed and create a better life for everyone around them. The dolls, 14″ tall with pretty faces and inset eyes, strive to “change the world, one heart at a time.”

I wish I could say I reviewed one here on the blog, but alas, I never got around to doing so, because in 2015, the line disappeared from toy aisles. At Toy Fair 2016, I could tell that while Playmates had discontinued the line, others who had worked on it were very passionate about the impact the Hearts For Hearts Girls doll line had and still could have on society.

Well, guess what? They’re back! Hearts For Hearts Girls have been resurrected with the help of MPA Sales, the company that bought the license from Playmates. Better still, Hearts For Hearts Girls adorable look and positive ideals have stayed intact! Like the original line, for every sale, $1.00 is donated to World Vision, a global humanitarian organization focused on helping kids in need everywhere.

The holiday 2016 line is set to bring back the favorites of the original run, which includes Nahji, Consuelo, Dell and Rahel. Hearts For Hearts Girls mission continues to be “to empower little girls to become agents of change in their communities, their country and around the world.” (By the way, where they say “little girls”, I’m reading it as “anyone of any gender or age”!) Below are pictures and bios (from the press release) of the four dolls that are being relaunched this holiday season.

Nahji from India:

Background: Nahji is a girl who dreams of a better life. Nahji is a smart and brave ten year old girl from Assam, India. In the region where she lives, girls go to work and get married very early in their lives. Nahji is determined to get an education and find a way for her family and community to thrive. She studies very hard and tells other girls her age, “When you believe in yourself, when you are strong in your heart, then you can change the world around you for the better.”

Dell from Kentucky:

Background: Dell has a voice that can move mountains. Dell is a cheerful and talented ten year old girl living in Kentucky’s Appalachian mountains. Her father was a coal miner, but when the mine closed her family had to move. Dell’s father and brother make beautiful guitars in their new town. Dell and her mother still visit the old mining town bringing food and blankets to the people in need. She loves the beauty and the music she hears coming from the mountains. She has a calling in her heart to make a difference by writing and singing her own songs.

Rahel from Ethiopia:

Background: Rahel is a girl with a giving heart. Rahel is a courageous ten year old girl living in Ethiopia. Lack of rain in their region dries up the crops making food scarce. When the rain finally comes, it brings mosquitoes that carry  malaria, a terrible disease that affects many of her neighbors. One stormy night, a supply truck overturns. Rahel and her family journey into the bushes to help  the driver  bring  the supplies back to their village. Rahel dreams of becoming a doctor so she can make a difference in her country when she grows up.

Consuelo from Mexico:

Background: Consuelo has a hunger to help others. Consuelo is a generous and imaginative ten year old girl from Mexico City, Mexico. She knows all about food as her parents own a bakery and everyone in the family helps out. There are many hungry children living on the streets in Mexico City and their yearning faces touch Consuelo’s heart. With her mother’s help, she created a restaurant in a back alley to feed these children, but is surprised when this becomes a challenge.

The four dolls you’ve just seen are available via Amazon. Currently, they are taking pre-orders with an estimated street date of November 20th, 2016. If all goes well, we’ll hopefully be seeing more releases in the coming year! For more information on Hearts For Hearts Girls, ‘like’ them on Facebook and check out their website, set to launch in November.

Did you miss Hearts For Hearts Girls? What do you think of their relaunch? Who’s your favorite of the four girls who are re-emerging this holiday season? Share your thoughts in the comment area!!!

For a while now, we’ve known Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation was working in partnership with Monster High, Natali Germanotta, and Zombie Boy to create a fangtastic exclusive Monster High doll. Born This Way empowers youth to create a kinder, braver world.

Zomby Gaga is a pretty awesome looking Monster High doll. It looks like Mattel spared no expense with this release. Zomby Gaga “wears a killer black tux with flared pant legs, bell sleeves on the fitted jacket, a bow tie and the song title, Born This Way, emblazoned in the lining. Her “to-die-for accessories include suspenders with heart clips, sunglasses perched atop her head and highly detailed patent leather boots”. (Description quoted from Amazon.com) Zomby Gaga is pictured below with a removable bubble gum ‘bubble’. If she’s anything like her promo photos, this doll will surely stand out on doll shelves.

She’s set to ship early January 2017 and is on pre-order at your favorite toy stores now: Target, Walmart, YoYo and Amazon. For those abroad, I suggest checking out the Born This Way post for locations in your country.

Do you plan on pre-ordering Zomby Gaga? What do you think of her? Share your thoughts in the comment area.

In 2013, I was an extra in the movie Divergent. Extra is the term used to describe background actors in film and TV.  They’re the people walking across the street, sitting in a diner or working in the office behind the main characters of your favorite film and TV shows. It’s not a glamorous job, being an extra, but it makes for some interesting stories.

When I heard Divergent was casting background in the Chicagoland area, I decided to submit myself. I had applied to extra in other films, but rarely got called back, so I didn’t expect much. Much to my surprise, I got an e-mail relatively quickly from the background casting agency, confirming my availability to take part in the much hyped movie as an ‘Abnegation Woman‘.

There are some people who consider background work their full-time job. For me, participating as background for Divergent was purely for fun. I thought it would be a nice break from normal life. Besides that, the hours and pay for background work pretty much suck. Living wage, it offers not!

For me to warrant the travel and time off needed to do extra work, a film really has to call to me. With Divergent, it checked all the boxes needed to be ‘worth it’. Would I care to watch the finished film? Check. Would I get to work on an actual set built for a movie? Check. Would I be fit for a cool costume that I didn’t have to bring from home? Check.

All in all, I shot 10 days on Divergent as an Abnegation citizen, jumping between being an adult and a teen, though you’d never know it. I was on set for all the scenes that feature the Abnegation village, in the scene where the families are all heading towards the Choosing Ceremony and in the super wide shot where you see all the different groups of people walking around and getting supplies. In the finished film, you see me for a handful of seconds in only one scene. In the scene, I’m walking away from camera in the Abnegation village, so you don’t even see my face. That being said, it did make for a fun, out of the ordinary week and a half.

So, fast forward to PUDDLE 2016. I was playing around with the idea of immortalizing that moment in my life in doll form and the Pullip Make It Own kit seemed like a really simple way to do that. Essentially, I wanted to create a ‘mini me’ of sorts! Prior to PUDDLE, I had reached out to some Etsy sellers who passed on creating the custom’s outfit.  At PUDDLE, Doll Angel had set up shop. I chatted with customizer Nicole and her mom about my idea and they seemed enthusiastic about trying to make my vision a reality. So, a few weeks after the convention, I shot off an e-mail. This beautiful doll below is the outcome.

Nicole created both the face up and outfit on the provided Make It Own kit. I knew the outfit would be complicated to create on such a small scale, however simple the design looks on the outside, which is why I’m amazed at how similar she was able to make the Pullip sized fashion!

Nicole was awesome enough to even make a backpack to represent the times when production thought I was hired as a teen and not an adult! (It was a running gag for me that I never knew if I was going to be a teen or an adult on set! If they called for both types of extra’s, I would just stand smack dab in the middle of the adults and the teens and see what happened.)

And the face up– it blows factory face ups out of the water. It has so much depth to it. I personally love the strong, in your face freckles this doll has. On the back of her head cap, there is a brilliantly drawn image of the original inspiration for this piece. Everything about this face up is so well done.

The wig is a Monique wig. Technically, the hair should be pulled into a bun, but I couldn’t find one with a bun attachment that was easy to get in a hurry! I’m fine with this wig, though, because it fits my current look.

How stunning is this face?! It’s natural, yet striking. (I wish I had an ounce of this talent when it comes to face ups!) The brown eyes Nicole created have more depth than you traditionally get with factory eyes, adding to this dolls lovely appearance.

I am extremely pleased with how this Abnegation Pullip turned out. From head to toe, she’s a perfect little ‘mini me’! If you’d like to see more of Doll Angel’s work or commission her to make an amazing Pullip for you, you can find her at the links below! I highly recommend working with her on a custom one day. She excels at natural dolls like this, as well as cool fantasy ones!
Etsy
Flickr
Dolly Market

Doll Angel graciously put together a Collectors Spotlight for the site, which should be up before the year is over. Stay tuned for that! And in the meantime, what event in your life would you like to re-create in Pullip or doll form? What do you think of this custom? Do you have questions about shooting the film? Let me know it the comment area!

You’ll remember Doll Angel from my last post spotlighting the amazing Abnegation custom she did for me. Learn more about her in the video linked below!

Collector Spotlight Badge

I highly recommend giving it a watch, even if you’re more of a blog reader than a YouTube watcher. In the video, Doll Angel (aka Nicole) talks about her Pullip customizing journey, her favorite things about the hobby and gives a few tips for those who are looking to start customizing their own doll!

Since Doll Angel was awesome enough to shoot and edit this spotlight for the channel, I encourage you to leave her some kudo’s in the comment area here, on YouTube or via her sites, Flickr, Etsy or Dolly Market.

Blog Badge

If you want to be in a Collector Spotlight post, let me know and I can give you details! Thanks for checking out Doll Angel’s story and don’t forget to send some kudo’s her way!

Up for review today is Hearts For Hearts Girls Rahel. Rahel, a 14″ doll that represents a girl from Ethiopia, is part of the 2016 MPA Sales relaunch of the Hearts for Hearts Girls doll line.

So, what’s she like? Her vinyl is softer than I expected. I like the feel of it! Rahel is articulated, to an extent. She has nice shoulder and hip joints that turn out in all directions. Her head has great articulation. It swivels in all directions, as well and holds poses.

What I really like about Rahel is her face! Just like the original launch, Rahel has glossy inset eyes. They look very pretty and are the feature I most like on the Hearts For Hearts Girls. Her face is natural with no make up.

Rahel has an awesome head of curly hair. It looks pretty neat and totally fits her face sculpt. I was happily surprised to see that the round afro wasn’t completely flat in the back when I de-boxed her. It kept its shape quite nicely!

She’s decked out in a bright, colorful outfit with a cool ‘V’ in the back. Her top is really a leotard that is covered with a long skirt. The skirt has a bit of velcro attaching it together, making both elements removable if you decided to redress her. I think the outfit looks great, especially on her dark skin.

Let’s not forget the jewelry. Rahel wears a cool necklace around her neck and has bracelets on both wrists. One wrist has two elastic bracelets (or hair bands, possibly), while the other has plastic ones. To me, they read more as bracelets, as this hair doesn’t need styling. She wears earrings, too!

There are plenty of accessories, quality accessories at that, that come with Hearts For Hearts Girls. Rahel came with a booklet explaining her story, printed on thicker paper than expected. It goes into her country, the life she lives and what she strives to change for the future. She also comes with a comb (which may not come in handy so much for this particular doll, but is welcome) and a kid sized friendship bracelet. All three extra’s are much higher quality than I expected. As we all know, this is where companies tend to slack a little on materials, but not MPA!

You can buy your own Hearts for Hearts Girl on Amazon. But wait– there’s a bit more to this review than usual! MPA, the masterminds behind the relaunch, have agreed to send one lucky winner their own Hearts For Hearts Girl Rahel!

This contest is for US and Canada readers only. To enter, fill out the google form. There’s a limited time to enter, because I want the winner to hopefully receive their prize before Christmas rolls around! To enter, you MUST ‘like’ Hearts For Hearts Girls on facebook. (You can earn bonus entries, too! See the form!) The winner will be contacted by e-mail.  Now, fill out the form below and good luck!!!

So, what do you think of the relaunch of Hearts for Hearts Girls? Share your thoughts on that and Rahel in the comment area.

This doll was sent to me for a fair and honest review. All opinions stated are my own.

For a while now, I’ve been keeping my eyes open for Hunter Products Shibajuku Girls. They made their debut at Toy Fair 2016, though somehow in the chaos of it all, we missed them! Shibajuku Girls are the brainchild of Australian Madeleine Hunter. Those abroad have most likely seen these dolls, since they have been out for a while outside the US. Well, I’ve got good news for those Stateside–Shibajuku Girls have finally crossed the pond and landed exclusively at Toys R Us just in time for the holiday season!

Shibajuku Girls are themed around the cool, vibrant fashions seen in the Harajuku fashion district. The line features five dolls– Shizuka, Yoko, Namika, Suki and, the doll sent for review and featured in this post, Koe. Koe’s an animal lover, which is apparent in the mix matched patterns her outfit includes.

At 14″ tall, she’s bigger than most of the fashion doll lines lining toy store shelves now. Shibajuku Girls have articulated bodies, which include shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip and knee joints! Their heads have limited articulation, going only side to side, not up and down.

Shibajuku Girls are, to me, reminiscent of Pullip dolls. They have very similar body types. Where they deviate are their oversized heads. While Pullips have very round heads, Shibajuku Girls have longer, oval heads with no eye mech. Shibajuku Girls have flat, inset glass eyes. They look really interesting in person. I like them a lot, though I think they’ll be off-putting to some.  Her eyes are large, clear and vibrant. Koe’s face has some pizzazz to it, silver sparkles placed above her eyes, but other than that, it is pretty natural and make up free.

Koe has a head of rooted blonde hair. The hair feels nice and soft to the touch. I must admit, I didn’t undo her awesome hoodie to see her part, but it looks like she’s rooted fine. There’s a lot of hair on her head! The strands fit comfortably in the hole in her hood, too, which is a plus!

Moving onto the outfit, this is where I have some concerns. Well, one main concern. Starting with the positives, I love the idea around the cool animal hoodie! It’s too cute. I would totally wear this. The animal print skirt and two toned socks work really well with the bright yellow on the animal hoodie. The small details, like the face and ears are done really well and are adorable.

However, I do have an issue with what is hidden, or rather not hidden under the hoodie. You would think they would pair this hoodie with some sort of undershirt, whether it’s a tank top, leotard, anything, really, but there’s nothing. Under the hoodie is literally nothing, no shirt. Now, this is where I really wish they’d thought ahead. Clearly, the hoodie is designed to be something that stays on, judging by the teeny, tiny zipper pull, but that isn’t how kids (or collectors) like to play these days.

We like to be able to customize and restyle our dolls and that is a little easier to do when they come with options, like, let’s say, an extra shirt under the cute hoodie. I understand that technically you can save money without crafting a tiny tank top for your doll, but it’s a little weird to me, since I consider a hoodie to be like a jacket and usually we wear things under jackets. But, maybe that’s just me?

Koe wears removable sneakers. They don’t help her stand on her own, but do look cute. I haven’t successfully gotten her to stand without leaning on something, but her body type isn’t one that lends itself to that sort of thing. She doesn’t come with a stand. What she does come with, though, are surprisingly high quality hair clips. The one’s that came with Koe are quite cute and could actually be worn on your own hair without anyone assuming you picked them off your doll.

Video Review Below!

Overall, I am really happy with Shibajuku Girls. I like their look and articulation. They probably won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I am a fan and look forward to seeing the line grow! To buy your own Shibajuku Girl, check out your local Toys R Us! (We found them shelved with the Monster High, near our local TRU’s Claires set up.) Do you own any Shibajuku Girls? What do you think of them? Share your thoughts on Shibajuku Girls in the comment area.

The Chicago Toy and Game Fair is a yearly event that takes place at the popular Chicago tourist attraction Navy Pier. I first learned about the fair a few years back when I was in the middle of actively pitching a reality show concept with a toy inventor who was involved with The Chicago Toy and Game Fair, also know as ChiTAG. ChiTAG has been around since 2003, bringing together “consumers, families, inventors, manufacturers, retailers, educators, hobbyists, and the media, at the start of the holiday season, to play, celebrate, discover, support, and promote the creation of toys and games.”

At its heart, this show is for independent game and toy creators who want to get their products and concepts into the hands of consumers. Unlike Toy Fair, which is more ‘look and don’t touch’, ChiTAG is ‘don’t just look, dig in and play’. The more approachable attitude of ChiTAG’s vendors, the fact that they want you to touch and interact with their game or toy, is one of the biggest things that draws it out from other toy shows. This show is heavily attended by families due to the affordable ticket prices and deals for boy and girl scouts.

Besides the fair, there are a number of other neat events that happen during ChiTAG. There’s the young inventors challenge, inventor conferences for new and established creators, PlayCHIC Fashion Show, and the Toy and Game Innovation Awards (the TAGIEs). In past years, this year included, ChiTAG also has hosted the Illinois State Yo-Yo Contest on their main stage in the fair’s exhibit hall.

I’d be lying if I said there were a lot of doll vendors there. 2016’s show wasn’t really attended by any besides one or two booths that had items that work with dolls. Even more so than in past years, this years fair was attended mostly by board and card game creators. There was a healthy amount of stem based learning companies displaying their wares, too. Below are just a few of the items that caught my eye at the show!

Snapeez are a plastic latching system that you can use to make doll clothes for your 18″ dolls (or smaller, if you’re creative)! They’re not just limited to doll sized accessories– you can make pretty much anything you’d like and there are plenty of kits to get you started! For dolls, you’ll want to check out the Mod Dress Kit, Wedding Gown Kit, the Metallic Party Dress Kit and the Doll Accessory Kit!

Magic MeeMees weren’t completely new to me prior to the show, but it was my first time seeing them in their finished look. They come in ‘play sets’ which are really just fancy displays. Magic MeeMees are supposed to represent the very, very tiny spaces in your refrigerator, holiday box, fruit bowl and other places like that. Magic MeeMees are plastic toys that talk to each other and share their emotions through their colorful belly marks. As their belly lights up (aka as they share their emotions with you), they turn in circles and vibrate. The MeeMees themselves are cute, but what I really like are the cute little play sets! You can’t move the pieces in the play sets, but they are really cute displays for these or other small dolls and toys! If you plan on buying a MeeMee for anyone this holiday season, I highly recommend buying a play set, an extra single MeeMee and a blind bag “food” item. The MeeMees are way more interesting when they can interact both with you and another MeeMee or blind bag “food” item!

PomPom Wow was a sponsor of  ChiTAG. They had a huge PomPom tent/tunnel in their booth. Actually, I love the ease in which PomPom Wow’s pompoms work. It makes it very easy to add pizzazz to pretty much anything! We received a sample of pompoms at the show and even got to bling out our own little reporters notebooks. If you gift a starter pack to someone, I recommend picking up something for them to embellish, whether it’s a picture frame, room decor, notebooks, because it seems the starter kits don’t come with projects, just pompoms!

Play Monster, another sponsor, was there mostly promoting Roominate and My Fairy Garden, but also had on display Wonder Crew. Wonder Crew’s tag line is “Inspired by boys, made for all”.  It looks like this line started on Kickstarter in 2015 and has been slowly getting into small, independent toy stores since. I know people are always on the look out for dolls that are ‘suitable’ for boys, so if you’re looking for something like that, you might want to give Wonder Crew a looksie!

As I mentioned, My Fairy Garden was on display at the show, as well. Now, I’m not in love with how plastic everything was in the sets on display, but I do love the concept! My Fairy Garden is an introduction to gardening for kids, but with a twist! While I would have preferred more natural elements to create the fairies world, I can see My Fairy Garden being a popular seller this Christmas!

Overall, the Fair is a fun way to spend the day. If they were to ask us what we might change for next year, it would be blogger outreach. They try really, really hard to get as many influences through the show as possible and plan activities to keep them engaged throughout the day. But, this year, the activities, mainly the long and involved social media scavenger hunt, was a miss for me! It involved using Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, tagging companies, taking specific photos… It was way too much to do, while trying to check out the show and try to make connections with various vendors. That element fell flat on its face for me. I’m fine with a scavenger hunt, but let’s choose one social media app next time. Another thing that would have made this easier was for the scavenger hunt to be on an app itself, as opposed to having to read it all off and fill out an actual paper form. I felt like I needed six hands to do everything they wanted and at one point, had to stop, because it was super stressful.

Also, unlike last year, there was no indication of who might have brought samples for media who were attending. Let me disclaimer this– I don’t attend the show just for swag, but it’s nice, especially with toys and games of this nature, because 99% of the toys at the show are one’s I wouldn’t buy on my own. Two years ago, they handed us a bag of goodies; Last year, they gave us coupons to hand to booths. This year, they didn’t have any sort of indicator. It would be nice if next year, they give the vendors some sort of graphic to post on their booth, at the very least, to know they’re blogger friendly and might have freebies to give away for review. My mom and I very nearly missed the Magic MeeMees booth, which was quite generous! (You’ll be seeing them on my channel soon!)

That being said, I am grateful to the folks behind ChiTAG for the importance they put on influencers and online media. It makes for a fun filled day of play. For families, as well, ChiTAG is a great way to spend the weekend. I encourage those in the area to check it out!

I’ll leave you with this question: What toy or game has excited you the most this year? If you went to ChiTAG, what did you think? Share your thoughts below!