Some of you may remember that I recently wrote a post on a new 9″ doll line by Käthe Kruse called Kruselings. Shortly after, a review sample of one of the deluxe doll sets came my way! Meet Joy! Joy represents New York City. When she and her international friends are summoned by Fire Opal, a mysterious power turns them into the Kruselings, the Guardians of Dreamland. Their role is to end nightmares and make sure sweet dreams can be had by all, and they can do this because they are such good friends and work so well together as a team, where their individual strengths and magical abilities are so much more powerful when used together. Joy’s strength is in music.
Joy (and the other Kruselings) are made from a sturdy vinyl. They are articulated with joints in their neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. The movement of the joints surprised me! Play line dolls of this size aren’t always known for having good articulation. Kruselings, however, move easily and can pose well. They stand solidly, too! Her torso is embellished with a K, to help identify the doll if you find one without her outfit.
Let’s talk about her face! Designed by Sonja Hartmann, it’s no surprise that the face is well designed and quite cute. I didn’t see this so much in the promo photos, but in person, the face looks nice! Her brown eyes are just the right size for her well proportioned features.
Her face looks natural with very little other than light blush on her cheeks and red-painted lips. What I like about Joy’s facemold is her expression. Her closed grin works well with her plump cheeks and glass eyes.
Where there’s a bit of a misstep is probably her hair, though it’s only a tiny issue for me. Joy’s hair looks great from the front, but is kind of a mess in the back. Softer, curly hair would have been my preference for this doll, because it would make it easiser to style.
For review, I was sent the deluxe set, which includes Joy, her Kruseling outfit and her casual, every day look. Out of the two outfits, I prefer the every day street wear Joy comes with. It includes a white shirt with KRUSE on it, a red sports jacket with the Käthe Kruse logo, a blue school girl skirt, a headband and white shoes. The outfit looks great on Joy! I particularly love the jacket.
Her Kruseling look should please the younger crowd, though! Pink, shiny and sparkly, as a Kruseling, her outfit is very fairy like! Complete with wings that clip on around her shoulders. She also comes with her magic headphones. What I like most about her Kruseling look has to be her red boots! Currently, my Joy is wearing her street wear look with the red Kruseling boots and her wings. Both outfits are well made, as I’d expect from Käthe Kruse.
Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Kruselings, but in the end, they pleasantly surprised me! Good articulation, well made bodies and a super cute face won me over. If you’re looking for a small doll with some style, check out Kruselings. You can find them on Facebook and YouTube. What do you think of Kruselings? Share your thoughts in the comment area!