Editorial Review

Guess what! Dora the Explorer has jumped on the royal bandwagon! This intrepid explorer is now a fairy tale princess with magical hair that grows when the jewel in her crown is pressed with a wand. Dora talks and sings, too, in both English and Spanish: "Vamanos! Let's go to fairytale land! Will you brush my hair?" The 14-inch-tall plastic doll is not designed to be cuddled so much as played with and groomed. She is attired in a satiny yellow gown trimmed in pink and purple, and has a brush, barrettes, and magic wand. The magical tresses emerging from the hair-growing tube are quite realistic, although grownups, at least, might be a little unnerved at the sleek brown hair oozing in and out of Dora's head. Still, children are experts at suspending disbelief and accepting weirdness in the world, so they probably won't mind a bit. Four AA batteries required (included). --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Editorial Review

This 15-inch soft, stuffed Madeline will appeal to younger girls who might have trouble dressingthe smaller, 8-inch Madeline doll. The larger Madeline is made of flesh-toned cotton with embroideredfacial features, and dark red yarn hair. She's wearing her traditional outfit from the books, with theexception of her dress having a Velcro back closure. Over her dress, Madeline wears her favorite blue feltcoat, which has big, shiny black buttons that little girls can handle themselves. Her outfit is completed withwhite tights, nonremovable white socks, and black felt shoes. The top collar of her coat is inconvenientlysewn shut with a few tightly sewn threads, which can be carefully removed by an adult. Madeline's hat isalso sewn loosely to her head and can be removed easily.--Marcie Bovetz ... Read more

Reviews (7)

SHE'S MADELINE AND SHE ROCKS!!!!
I LOVE THE SHOW AND I LOVE THIS CUTE LITTLE DOLL! I THINK IT WAS A GREAT IDEA AND I THANK WHOEVER CAME UP WITH THIS DOLL!

Cute, Huggable, and Great for Motor Skills
This soft doll is a great introduction to dolls for a toddler. The clothes you can buy for it are adorable, and my 3-year old niece loves changing her clothes for every occasion.

The doll is big enough that young hands can handle taking the clothes on and off. If your youngster already has the Madeline books or video, then she will enjoy the doll even more.

The face on this doll is very appealing, and there are no hard edges to detract from its "huggableness."

I was impressed with the quality of the clothes sets. My niece may be too young to appreciate the detail of the ribbon flowers on the tea dress or the ribbon trim on the ballerina dress, but I'm not!

Cute...
It is a cute little doll, but I liked it more than my daughter. She was scared of it. :o) We are hoping that she warms up to it when she gets a little older. For now it is on a shelf in her closet.

Too small to be "dressable"
The proportions of the fasteners of this doll's clothing are too small for a child learning how to dress dolls. This doll needed at least 5 more inches in height and 3-4 inches in width to be categorized as dressable. As she is now, she's hugable for a 1-2 year old child.

Lovable Madeline
My 5 year old daughter has had this Madeline doll for about 3 years now, and it is consistantly one of her best-loved toys. Madeline accompanies us on most trips, along with her wardrobe & a few books. She is the perfect size to snuggle with, with no sharp bumps, and Madeline keeps my daughter coming back with new adventures for her. Madeline is a keeper. ... Read more

Editorial Review

With bright eyes and outstretched arms, this adorable Cabbage Patch Kid is ready for lots of hugs. Like all of the Cabbage Patch Kids, she arrives with her very own birth date, adoption certificate and name, making her a unique collector’s item--in addition to being a great playmate. Measuring a full 16-inches from head to toe, she comes with a full set of removable clothes, including an adorable white dress, matching shoes, and a realistic diaper that can also be removed during pretend diaper changes ... Read more

Reviews (1)

you go Gobo!
This Gobo Fraggle is a great toy for children of all ages.I remember having one as a child,and it was like my best friend.I mean it went everywhere with me,and I'm sure your children will agree. ... Read more

Teacher Review

Jolie is full of French flair in her fuchsia satin miniskirt,black-and-white striped shirt, and black velvet beret and matching velvet shoes. She is 16inches tall, with crinkled, yellow yarn hair, embroidered facial features, and asoft stuffed body made of velour fabric. When her right hand is squeezed, Joliesays six basic phrases, first in English and then in French, introducingherself, and saying that she likes to shop for clothes and wants to be adesigner. When her left hand is pressed, Jolie says her favorite colors and thedays of the week in English and French. She says "I love you" when the heart onher knee is pressed. The little girl's voice used for the recording has a cheerysound and a pleasant French accent, which doesn't get irritating even after lotsof foreign language practice. Similar dolls that speak in other languages arealso available. Three AA batteries are included. --Marcie Bovetz, mother andformer children's librarian ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Give Your Child A Great Start!
While this doll is by no means a substitute for a year of college French, it is a great catalyst to get your young child interested in foreign language. Based on my experiences learning and teaching at the college level, I can assure you, the greatest educational gift a parent can give a child is a head-start in foreign language! Foreign language becomes harder to learn and maintain the older someone is (even middle school is too late), and these dolls are made for the age group which adopts languages the easiest. Forget Baby Mozart, if you want to give your child an edge in education, get them one of these dolls and enroll them in a language immersion school or afterschool program. If the phrases of the French doll aspiring to design clothes bothers you, why not check out the Italian doll who wants to be a soccer star, the Greek doll who has Olympic dreams or the German doll who expresses her love of animals.

Bonjour, Dolly!
I love everything about Jolie: her perefect accent, her perfect French outfit and her perfect vocabulary. What a cute idea to make a French doll who wants to be a designer and teaches colors! I gave my daughter and niece each a Jolie doll before we went to France and they were so cute saying Bonjour and Comment vas-tu? to the hotel workers.
This is a great product and I hope they make extra chips for expanded vocabulary.

Oui oui, Jolie!
My Mom, bless her, has what my sister calls "Shee-shee-poo-poo-itis"- that is, anything that reiks of oo-la-lah and grandness is something she wants to lavish our kids with. She also has a love affair with all things French. She presented our 6 year old daughter (who has a Madeline obsession) with "Jolie", a doll that speaks an English phrase, and then repeats it in French. What a cool concept! It certainly can teach a child basic French phrases through repetition. Jolie teaches you how to say "My name is..." and the days of the week, plus a host of other things that probably won't help you squeak by should you find yourself stranded in France. The only disappointing feature is that Jolie also says "I like to shop for clothes!", and " When I grow up,I want to be a designer!", as if these are the only things a little French girl would aspire to. Not to get too Lisa Simpson-ish (remember the "Lisa Lionheart" episode?), but couldn't Jolie want to be a cancer research scientist? Or volunteer to deliver meals to shut-ins? Why shopping and designing? It's a bit sterotyped. I guarantee you a boy version would aspire to something different. Still, this is an educational toy, one that you won't really mind your child spending lots of time with.

Love Language Littles
This doll is wonderful. It's cuddly and teaches little
ones a different language.

Great doll !
Jolie is an adorable doll!
My daughter loves her. I especially love the fact that she says so many words in Frech and English. She comes with a translation booklet (which came in handy at first).
My daughter wants collect the other dolls,I am hoping she will learn other languages...or at least get a good start. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Dreamtastic Princess Lucinda
Groovy girls are the perfect size, and soft too. My little sister, who is six years old, has this doll. She's a dreamtastic doll. She even might have a magic wand but I kind of forget. She has the grooviest dress. I review all groovy girl dolls!
Look for this at the end:
Lydia:)

Groovy present
My three year old just got the entire dreamtastic set for her birthday.What a great gift!These dolls are fun, funky and chunky enough for a three year old, yet kids of 7 were crazy about them too.I will definitely be getting more of these...way better than barbie!
... Read more

Reviews (2)

Little People friend Doll - Sonya Lee with Bonus DVD
We adopted our daughter, Sarah, from China just 8 months ago.Sarah turned two Feb 6th!She got a package in the mail from Uncle Tracy, Aunt Cindy, and cousins Crystal and Ashley.It was a Sonya Lee doll with CD!Sarah really loves Sonya Lee!It is the cutest doll with Asian features!It has a soft body and soft plastic head with black hair and a pink ribbon!Sonya Lee comes with a DVD and a backpack with her cat.Too adorable!

A Little People Doll that's soft to hold, hug and love!
My daughter just received Sonya Lee doll for her 2nd birthday, and she could hardly wait for us to get her out of the box! Sonya Lee even joined her for her nap!

Sonya Lee's body is soft and her clothes, socks and shoes are not removable which I think is nice. Sonya's head is made of a soft plastic and her black hair makes this doll feel like a "big girl doll"! Sonya Lee also comes with a blue backpack,a nice pink plastic comb, her kitty and DVD with 4 short claymation stories about the animal loving Sonya Lee & her friends.

The Claymation DVD is a bit disappointing in that it's not even close to Playhouse Disney's Clay, Jo - Jo, or the Koala Brothers quaility. But, I have to remember is that my daughter enjoyed it and that's what counts the most!

Another terrific idea from Fisher Price, and it's so neat that they made both a big version and a smaller version of each of the main Little People Characters. The prices are both very reasonable. Now every child can snuggle with their favorite Little Person! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Groovy Beach Girl ~
I recently discovered Groovy Girls and can't wait for Lilly (daughter) to get into them, she'll be 2 in July.I ordered several Groovy Girls, even a couple Groovy Guys, they arrived today and are super cute.Lilly's older brother Carter even thought the Boys were pretty cool.Kenna is super cute, any little girl would have fun with her. ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Such a Shame
When I saw this doll in the store I relized that all the cute, classic Madeline Dolls were going to be phased out. Even though my daughter was only 2 at the time I rushed out and bought up all the original dolls. I'm saving them to give her for holidays as she gets older.

This glammed up version is hideous. Why can't toy companies stick with what works?

What a disappointment
My 5 year old daughter loves the Madeline stories. Her comment on this doll: "That doesn't look like Madeline!" I am so glad I was able to buy her most of the dolls and accessories before they changed the look. Madeline is a classic character. Why tart her up?

Great for children
The dolls in this series are great - although not for 'Madeline purists'. However this newer doll has a superior range of motion and the dolls sit in a much more ladylike position than the older ones!

Why did you have to change the face????????
I have and love the older version of this doll with the "dot" eyes. It looks just like the Madeline character in the book. This remodeled doll looks like a Barbie wanna be.... what was wrong with the older version????? My daughter loves it!!!!!

Not exactly who we remember, but still better than Barbie!
Most reviewers don't like Madeline's new "look", and I'm not too sure I like her as much as the old style dolls. However, to compare her to Barbie or Bratz or call her "tarty" is ridiculous! Madeline still is a little girl doll, only now she is a bit more trendy. It's not like she wears low-rise jeans or revealing shirts like other dolls! In fact, I personally like her clothing. Odd that they would pick a color scheme that doesn't look that nice with her coat and hat though. As for the doll herself, I think the head is cute, but I HATE the body mold they used. The limbs are too thin and make the hands look too big. It looks just weird. However, when wearing her coat, she looks okay.
In conclution, I like this doll. If you don't like her, don't purchase her. I don't know why they "re-vamped" her, but really, they could've done much worse. ... Read more

Teacher Review

Yumi is an appealing bilingual doll who can introduce herself in both English and Japanese, as well as list her favorite classes and musical instruments. When her hand is pressed, she says each sentence or phrase first in English and then in Japanese, in a sweet, feminine voice. She can also say "I love you" in English and Japanese when a heart on her knee is pressed. Yumi requires three AA batteries (included). She is 16 inches tall, with long, black yarn hair, embroidered facial features, and a soft, stuffed body. Yumi wears a cute jeans skirt, a flowered shirt, an orange hooded sweatshirt, and attached yellow velour shoes. She comes with her own removable denim backpack. Other bilingual friends for Yumi are available separately. --Marcie Bovetz, mother and former children's librarian ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Genius little dolls
Yummi is a wonderful product and i hope they come out with a boy Japanese doll for my son. My daughter loves playing with Yummi and learning her Japanese. The heart on the knee is so cute and i heard all the dolls say i love you.
my daughter loves playing the games on the website and the translation booklet that comes with yummi is great.

great introduction to a new language!!
The Language Little dolls are a wonderful way to learn some beginning phrases of a new language! I laugh every time they speak, these dolls are so cute!

I have 5 of these dolls - Japanese, Russian, German, Chinese, and Spanish. All of them say over 20 phrases, and each one says "I love you" when you press the knee.

The dolls also come with a booklet that shows the pronounciation of the words they are saying, which is very helpful!

My only "complaint" is that I wish the booklets also had the phrases written out in the non-English language as well. For instance, it would be neat to see the hirigana/katakana for the phrases that Yumi speaks.

Also included with the booklet is a passcode to the Language Little website, where you can learn even more. Very cool.

My favorite doll is Yumi, the Japanese-English speaking doll. This is in part because Japanese is a language I would really like to learn, and in part because she says things like "I like to play musical instruments" (I also like playing musical instruments ;)).

It is neat how the dolls all seem to have a particular theme, like music, or ballet, or soccer.

As for durability, I have had Yumi (the first doll I bought) for almost 3 years now - she still works and looks as good as when I first got her! (Keep in mind that I am over 20 years old, so I am probably treating my dolls with a bit more care than children might).

I hope you will decide to get one of these dolls, for your children, or for yourself! They are great!

Yumi: A Bi-lingual Treat
Yumi is a happy and soft little friend for my 3.5 and 4.5 yr. old children. She speaks clear English and Japanese to my children who repeat the 7 phrases and 13 words back to her. Yumi has 3 fun places to press for speaking. The wiring from her 3 speaking locations means she is not submersible. She can't be given a bath or thrown into the washer for easy cleaning. I hope Language Littles makes removable speaking units that can be purchased to match my children's increasing vocabulary. --A worthwhile purchase-- ... Read more

Reviews (6)

daughter loves it
my daughter ( age 3 1/2) received this as gift from her grandmother. She plays with it constantly. Her groovy girl is on a constant campout! If you have a child who likes imaginative play this is a welcome addition to your groovy girl collection.

Needs more info
Never gave size of item. Said it was for children from 3 to 8. All the other tents and tunnels advertised you could get into. This one was for a doll and never mentioned. Gave the size of the box it was shipped in but not the size of the tent.

dissapointed
this product was really dissapointing because i brought this tent for my daughter and the tent did not have the size on it. I purchase it to fit her not a doll. So i had to send it back . Please make that correction online with this product.

dissapointed
I ordered this for my grand-daughter and was dissapointed when it arrived and I saw that it was for a doll. The description made no mention of this. I purchased this for her to play IN. It listed the recommended ages and not the size of the tent. In addition to the dissapointment of seeing a doll tent, I had to pay shipping when I purhchaed the item and when I returned the item.

Worth the price
My daughter got this and other Groovy Girl stuff her 4th birthday and LOVES it! Some of the stuff seems over-priced, but this was worth what we paid for it. She has a lot of fun playing with the tent, sleeping bag, and the dolls. ... Read more