Okay. Just to get it all out there.
I grew up playing barbies.
Not like some people grow up playing barbies
(where they have a closetfull of barbies,
and a trunk full of clothing,
and every baby playhouse, convertible, and ken doll imaginable)
Not like that.
I grew up with maybe 2 or three different barbies, one ken doll,
and one random Snoopy doll who somehow always served as an additional ken.
Side Note: Dear brother if you’re reading this I promise not to tell anyone how much you loved to play Snoopy. Or that you dressed him super chic in that bomber jacket you stole from Ken.
My lips are sealed
Anyway, as a parent I soon realized how….eh….”adult” Barbie really is,
and decided that she wouldn’t be making her debut under our roof.
And over the last 9 years I haven’t really had to deal with the whole “doll” issue.
I just simply didn’t buy them.
Okay I bought one,
but after I found her in the back yard with little mice chewing off her eyeleashes,
I figured that my daughter wasn’t really interested in dolls.
That is until this year.
This was the year that my daughter started carrying around
the one single (non-eyelash) doll she ever recieved
and spent hours trying to get the (literal) rats and knots out of her hair.
This year she started talking purple,
and teal and matchy-matchy glitter….and all things hairstyle.
So, I knew what I had to do. I had to get proactive.
I had to search high and low for a Barbie alternative.
Something that would be just as satsifying for all those “girly” things,
but not as……eh……”adult”
Well, guess what I found?
These dolls are just the right size for my little 9 year old.
They come with fun, age appropriate outfits
but BEST of all when you undress them, they look just like a little girl would.
Yes. I just posted a photo of a naked doll.
You should have seen the looks on my neighbors faces as I was taking the photo.
The point being that your little girls can play with a doll that is just like them.
(There are even freckles across their little noses)
They are soft and bendable,
with hard plastic heads, and hands
At first I wondered about this “bendibility”
but then I realized that it is so they can stay on their horses:
In fact, they have an entire line of Horse & Pony friends and accessories.
And storybooks
And “Little” Sisters, and pets…and club membership mottos!
The list goes on with this line of toys,
and I’m really excited to have found something worth investing in.
My hope is that they will make a few “ranch hands”
for my boys to play along with…..
lest I have to go dig up Snoopy again.
Since receiving them my daughter hasn’t let her dolls out of her sight.
I would highly recommend them for a 4-11 year old girl!
If you want to learn more about The Only Hearts Club
you can check out their website here
or purchase them on here on Amazon
We have Olivia Hope and Lily Rose
and hope to add in a horse soon!
I like! We don’t “do” Barbie, either. Can you tell me where they are made?
Wow, thanks for the info! My little girl isn’t even old enough to know what Barbies are yet, but we won’t be doing Barbie dolls either. These little dolls look wonderful! I’ll be keeping these in mind for sure!
How cute!! They remind me of American Girl dolls only smaller. Love it!
*Had to laugh abuot your brother comment. Mine played My Little Pony with me–he even had his own pony! Gasp!!
I’ve gotten these for my little girl at Target and I love them. They’re easier to find around Christmas.
Super cute! Thanks do much for sharing!!
I also looked for alternatives to Barbie for my 3 daughters. Eventually I made a rag doll family with pipe-cleaner skeletons. Here’s a tutorial: Make a rag doll family. These dolls have provided years of fun and creative play. They are sized to fit the suitable fashion doll clothes, accessories, furniture, car and the horses. As my girls get older, they make their own clothes and props for new games.
My kids fan site for these dolls – ohc4me.com They absolutely LOVE them, in addition to the website, they also developed a line of patterns and make their own fashions for them. Since little brother plays along and the only boy available is the little kid Trevor, they begged me to alter a stray Karina. In the books, she has a twin brother Seth, we have one also thanks to a haircut and new clothes. We’ve created many of the places in the books also.
Our girls have several of these and we love them. We also have some of the horses and they are well loved!
I am 12 years old and love these dolls to pieces! I have Karina and Lily. But I wouldn’t say that they are for 9-11 year old girls. 12 year olds play with dolls too! They represent me so well. They look like pre-teens (10-12 years old), are going through the same things a pre-teen would go through (growing up for examplee). We are basically going through the exact same things together!
oh thank you! i’ve never heard of these, and this is going to be such a good alternative. btw i really laughed, you have a great way of writing =)