I previously posted the measurements of the average woman compared to Barbie's. This spurred comments regarding Barbie as a poor choice of dolls for young girls.
That got me to thinking... Which dolls present positive images to girls - that are not all about ginormous ta-tas and itty bitty waists? What would I want to give to my little nieces? To my daughters?
So off I went to 'research' this conundrum, and I made the following list of dolls I thought give a more positive image than Barbie. I noticed that, overall, these dolls are more expensive, which is unfortunate. However, I believe they are also of greater quality. If you know any other great dolls for girls (and boys too), please let me know!
Girls Explore
Girls Explore dolls personify actual women in history, complete with period clothing and biography. Amelia Earhart, Harriet Tubman, and Dot Richardson are among the historical lineup.
Now, these are not glamorous dolls. There are no ball gowns, sparkles, and makeup. They're also $55.00 a piece. However, they ofter a unique peak into history and the importance women have had in shaping it.
Only Hearts Club
Thanks to Lynnae from beingfrugal.net for mentioning these great dolls. Only Hearts Club features dolls that are girls from different ethnic backgrounds with a wide array of interests, from horseback riding, music, cooking, and math. They are appropriately dressed and come with their own pet. They are approx $16.00 each.
American Girl
I remember when these dolls from when I was a preteen, and I thought they were beautiful. Only three different dolls were offered at that time, but the American Girl company have since grown to include not only dolls from different periods in history, but baby dolls, dolls that resemble their young owner, clothing, books, and accessories. An American Girl Place, a museum/store/restaurant, is located in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York. And now there's a movie coming out featuring Kit, a girl living during the Great Depression.
What I like about the American Girl dolls is how beautiful they are, yet how suited they are for playing. I really like the opportunity for learning about history that is involved with each doll. Each girl has their own story books, clothing, and accessories. My favorite has always been Samantha, from 1904.
The latest addition is Julie from 1974. This "historical" doll is hitting a little too close to home. If they make a doll from 1984, I'm going to start feeling really old!
The dolls cost roughly $90 or more.
P31 Dolls 
P31 Dolls are based on the teachings from Proverbs 31 (hence the name P31) and feature three Biblical women, Leah, Abigail, and Elisabeth. However, they are featured as girls and are dressed in modern outfits. The dolls come with a cookie recipe, cookie cutters, and a lesson based on Proverbs 31:20. They cost about $40.00.
Language Littles Speaking Dolls
Just as the name says, Language Littles Speaking Dolls "speak" various words and phrases in their native tongue if you press their hands. Languages represented by these dolls include Chinese, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish. They cost approx $48.00.
Manhattan Toy Cuddle Dolls
Cuddle Dolls are your basic, cute dolls without the images that seem to encourage girls to grow up too quickly. They are soft and meant to be hugged and played with by little ones. Price is approx. $22.00.
Karito Kids
The purpose behind Karito Kids is teaching lessons about "social responsibility and charitable giving." Each doll is from a different culture - Australia, China, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, and New York. You also have the opportunity of contributing to Plan, an organization that focuses on involving children, their families and communities to help other children in need. Each doll costs about $100.00.
My Twinn
My Twinn dolls are created to look like their little owner. Send in a photo of your little girl, and in about a month, you will receive a doll in her likeness. They cost about $139.00.
Originally posted 2008-05-27 14:00:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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8 comments ↓
Wow, I had no idea there were so many great dolls out there! My daughter loves the Only Hearts Club dolls and the American Girl Dolls (she has “Kit”). I love the history lessons from the AG dolls, too.
off to explore links
we have the lizzie language little but that’s it—-hope there are some doll of color there too!
Yep, there are girls from all sorts of different ethnic backgrounds with most of these dolls, which makes them pretty cool.
Those dolls are awesome! I had no idea there were so many good ones out there. I like the idea of the “Girls Explore” dolls especially.
Another doll I like is Fulla: http://www.fulla.us/
She’s theoretically Muslim but her clothes are versatile ( http://tinyurl.com/5uc7qk ) enough that while they’re modest they’re not exclusively Muslim. She’s also got dark hair and eyes. I desperately wanted a darker doll as a kid…in the early 90s everything was pretty much blondes. I assume they also have Hispanic dolls now which would have worked.
Thanks, Mrs. Micah! I didn’t know about these dolls.
I hope you were able to get your dark-complected doll you wanted so much as a girl!
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Thank you for mentioning the Karito Kids dolls/books in your article. We are thrilled to be recognized as a doll that is making a postive impact on girls! Just wanted to point out that you don’t just get the opportunity to donate, the company actually makes the donation based upon the retail price and then the purchaser gets to go online to choose where the donation should go — food, health, school or home.
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