Alternative Doll Choices to the Big "B"

The two big girls became increasingly interested in fancy dolls like Barbie. But I will not have Barbie in the house. Not only are there myriad studies out there that show that having that doll directly harms self esteem and body image, but it's part of a larger commercialism that is likewise unhealthy and does not belong in our home. By allowing those things into our house I would be implicitly showing my children that these things are okay and acceptable when in reality they are a detriment to health and happiness.

My girls have seen these dolls at friends' houses (and everywhere), and got to the age where they wanted more big kid and fancy dolls to play with. So, I undertook finding alternatives that are still fancy, but not of crazy proportions, adult figures, nor sexualized. Here are the three options I narrowed it down to:


Lammily
These dolls are 11" tall, and really well proportioned to look like an average healthy gal. They are fully pose-able with nice hair. There are not many options as they only have a brunette light skinned doll and a black hair darker skinned doll.  There are several outfits available that come with accessories such as shoes. Most unique to this doll is optional packs that can add physical character to the doll (like scars, a mole, glasses, or band-aid), and also a pack that explores menstruation. This doll is more of a grown-up, teenager type doll that I would wait to get my kids until they themselves were older. 
There are no boy/male dolls.




Only Hearts Club
www.onlyheartsclub.com
These dolls have soft, fully pose-able bodies, but molded head and hands with rooted hair. They do not wear make-up and have facial features that are proportionate. There is a great variety of clothing, pets (which including horses and unicorns to ride), accessories like sleeping bags, and even a line of little siblings. These dolls primarily just be girls in whatever way your child wishes to play them as; they do not come with pre-made personalities or styles, and could represent a variety of ages. They do not have boy/male dolls. 


 

Little Miss Matched

Little Miss Matched dolls are 15" tall and have fifteen points of articulation making them very pose-able. They are sporty or play music, and do not have career or interest based options. They do not seem wear make-up, but they do have the large eyed look, are are very tween targeted. They are limited in options and accessories with are only clothing. There are no boy/male dolls.










Lottie Dolls
Lottie does all kinds of things! from being a fossil hunter to a kid who jumps in puddles. She has a child's body and her knees bend, and she can even stand on her feet. The clothing is real clothing a normal person might wear, and she comes in several ethnicities. She doesn't wear make-up, but she does have the big eyes. They even have a male/boy doll.






We opted to get the Only Hearts Club dolls as our first, main dolls. The girls also requested that the "arms and legs move", and these dolls are fully pose-able not just at articulation points but all over. The variety of colors and skin tones means each of my daughters has one that looks like her. I also liked how simple and open ended the play was, and the softness of these dolls made them more friendly.


EDIT:  Since writing this post and getting our dolls, Only Hearts Club seems to have gone out of business and their website is no long there!  I think I will be stocking up on these dolls and their accessories on eBay and such while I still can to have on hand for the next daughter, and in case ours break (we play hard, and our dolls climb trees and hang from chandeliers!).