Dolly Review: Shibajuku Girls Koe

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.