Unlike last year, when TMX Elmo and the Wii Entertainment system were hot, sought after and hard to find, there are no runaway must-have toys or dolls for Christmas 2007. If there are any must-have, hard to find items, they have yet to develop as of the time this article was written. That said, there are some wonderfully innovative and fun dolls and related plush on my Top 10 Dolls for Children this year. There is something for every budget, and something for every taste.
1. Julie Albright - New American Girl From the 1970s
It has been well over five years since a new, historical American Girl joined the permanent American Girl family. This Fall, Julie Albright joined the American Girl line-up. Her story is set in the 1970s, with Julie's parents recently divorced, Julie is forced to move awa from her best friend, Ivy Ling (Chinese-American, also available as a doll). She breaks gender stereotypes of the period by running for student body president and wanting to join the all-boy basketball team.This doll will be a must-have and high on the list of many young American Girl fans this Christmas. Personally, I'm still trying to get over the fact that the Pleasant Company thinks the era of my childhood is a historical period.
2. Barbie Girls
(c) Mattel, Inc.
I think it is fair to say that 2007 is the year that dolls and toys received vibrant second lives on the Internet. A trio of web-play toys have made this year's list. Barbie Girls is Barbie's entry to this popular play category. You can get an Internet Barbie for free on Barbiegirls.com, but to unlock the whole world you need to purchase a Barbie Girl which, inexplicably, isn't a Barbie doll but an MP3 Player. The Barbie Girl site keeps up nicely with the other sites of this genre (Ty Girlz, Be-Bratz) but I do wish they had offered the site through a doll purchase as well as through the Barbie Girls MP3 Player. That said, the Barbie Girl MP3 Player has a list price of $79.9 (although many retail outlets offer it well below retail).
3. Be Bratz
MGA Entertainment
If your little girl doesn't want to play with or be a virtual Barbie online, maybe she wants to be a virtual Bratz this Christmas! Unlike Barbie Girls, you do buy a doll to enter the world of Be-Bratz. Also unlike Barbie Girls, you must have a Be-Bratz doll to register...no doll, no online play. Similar to Barbie Girls, your child will find online games, pet play and fashion play at Be-Bratz. The Be-Bratz doll comes with pink mouse, USB key to unlock the Be-Bratz world and a plastic pet. Suggested retail is $29.95.
4. Karito Kids
(c) Kids Give LLC.
And now for somthing non-electronic. Karito Kids have been introduced to many accolades and awards this yeear. The dolls most resemble American Girl dolls, as they are large dolls (21 inches), high quality and they come with a well-written, educational series of books. The five dolls in the debut line come from China, Mexico, United States, Kenya and China. They come with their themed books, and with each purchase made the doll's new owner gets to make a donation (part of the purchase price) to the Kids Give charity of their choice. Manufacturer's suggested retail is $99.99.
5. Only Hearts Club Horse and Pony Club
Another more-traditional doll that makes my top 10 this year are the Only Hearts Club Horse and Pony Club dolls. Only Hearts Club has made my Top 10 lists before, but this year they offer more play value with their nicely styled and newly introduced horse theme. Girls love horses, and the Only Hearts club now have horses, Western Riding outfits, English Riding outfits, stables and more. Suggested retail prices for the Horse and Pony Club clothing start at $10.99 and prices for the dolls start at $15.99.6. Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds/The Other Side of Me Singing Doll
On this pick, I'm jumping off the ship and following the rest of the media lemmings. Just because I, personally, have a dislike for celebrity dolls and gimmick dolls doesn't meant that children dislike them--in fact, its quite the opposite, as they can't seem to get enough of them. This doll is in the likeness of the ever-popular Hannah Montana, and it comes in two versions, each of which sings 2 Hannah Montana songs. The doll comes with microphone, brush, poster, and bracelet or backstage pass. Fans say that the likeness of Hannah is quite good. Her suggested retail is $19.99.7. Madame Alexander Sweet Baby Nursery
Madame Alexander has been the leader in high-quality baby dolls for many years. Most of their Huggmums and Pussycat dolls have had premium prices to go with their premium quality. New this year, Madame Alexander is offering a lower-priced line of baby dolls for play. Called Sweet Baby Nursery dolls, the dolls' suggested retail starts at $14.99 (up to about $59.99 for more elaborate gift sets). My Little Girl dolls from Sweet Baby Nursery even has outfits available separately (which is generally not the case with Madame Alexamder dolls). The dolls have a nice quality and play features including hair play and extra excessories.8. Webkinz
(c) Ganz, Inc.
Ok...not technically a doll. But, Webkinz are probably the best virtual paper doll-like toy ever invented. And...they are HOT! For the un-initiated, Webkinz are plush animals that you can adopt virtually on www.webkinz.com. Once you have named your pet, you can dress it, build a home and decorate it (virtual doll house play!), earn KinzCash to feed, clothe and spoil it by playing games or doing trivia, and much more. The toys offer great play value, with a year of play on the web site available for the purchase of one pet (average cost seems to be about $11.95 to $13.95; with a smaller version called Lil' Kinz at $8.95 to $9.95). The trick is stopping at just 1 pet...kids (and adults!) can't seem to get enough.
