Definition

Dolls are the favourite toys of every girl child. And why only girl children – there are teenaged girls and adult women who cherish the company of their favourite dolls, some throughout their life. Dolls are not just playthings but collectible items too and there are many who collect dolls throughout their life. When you look at the price tags of some of the collectible dolls, you will be shocked at how expensive these can be! Hence, choosing a doll within your budget takes some planning from your side.

Choosing your Doll

What do you need a doll for?

As is very evident by now, the first point for you to consider when buying dolls is the purpose of a doll. Do you want to buy a doll as a plaything or do you want to buy a doll as a collectible? If it is the former, then the price is going to be lower and if it is the latter, you could pay a hefty price depending upon the vintage of the doll. A doll as a plaything is usually made of vinyl, a material that is durable and can withstand lots of hours of play. Collectible dolls can be made of porcelain or cloth or wood or even papier-mâché.

The best plaything dolls

If you are planning to buy dolls as playthings, then some of the top options available for you are

Baby dolls – these are those cuddly and soft dolls that girls prefer so much. The most popular dolls in this category are French Corolle dolls, Treasured Children by Lee Middleton and Huggums from Madame Alexander.

Groovy Girl dolls – these are dolls meant for girls aged between 3 and 10. The dolls are different in terms of skin tones, hair colours and styles. These dolls are known for their hop clothing, which can be bought separately too.

Bratz dolls – since 2001, Bratz dolls have been huge hits with pre-teen girls thanks to their ultra-hip looks and attitude. Chloe, Jade, Sasha and Yasmin are the most popular characters in these dolls.

Cabbage Patch dolls – first designed by Xavier Roberts in 1979, these dolls are now made by Hasbro and Mattel. The original dolls had limbs and heads made of soft cloth and hair made of yarn. Since 1982, the manufacturers introduced vinyl in making these dolls.

Barbie dolls – Barbie dolls are All-American favourites and are considered celebrity dolls. Their unique designs, hip fashion sense and a large variety of doll types make them perennial favourites with girls of all ages.

American Girl dolls – these dolls have some form of history attached to them. Felicity is a colonial girl while Josefina is a Hispanic doll and so on. Each doll has a historic story to share.

The other dolls worth playing with include Monster High dolls (one of the biggest favourites now) and reborn dolls (dolls that are completely life-like).

The best collectible dolls

If you are looking for collectible dolls, even then you have a huge array of options to look at. Some of the most popular collectible dolls include Barbie dolls, Madame Alexander dolls, Lee Middleton dolls, Adora dolls, Robert Tonner dolls and Vogue dolls. Each doll comes with a different price tag depending on a lot of elements apart from vintage. The most expensive dolls usually are the OOAK (one-of-a-kind) dolls because these dolls don’t have replicas. You can also consider reproduction dolls, which are replicas of original collectible dolls and are less expensive.

Buy doll accessories too

When you buy dolls, you also need to buy appropriate accessories. You actually have two choices here – choice one is where you keep buying new dolls for your child and choice two is where you buy new clothes and makeup accessories so that your child can dress up her doll in different ways. It is your call as to which choice you will take. The second choice, needless to say, is less expensive.

Which dolls for which use?

The five most popular dolls in many of the Canadian online stores are KidKraft Disney Frozen Ice Castle Dollhouse, Hasbro Baby Alive Baby All Gone, KidKraft Beautiful Frozen Snowflake Mansion Dollhouse with Furniture, Mattel Barbie Dream House and KidKraft 65023 Savannah Dollhouse.

The most popular collectible dolls include 18" Doll Daybed Style Sofa Couch with Trundle Bed Fits 2 American Girl Dolls, Disney Princess 3.75" MagiClip Figurines 8-Piece Collection, The New York Doll Collection 9386 Twin Doll Stroller, Littlest Pet Shop Collector Party Pack Doll and Monster High Dead Tired Draculaura Doll.

Girls can spend an inordinate amount of time playing with dollhouses. To keep your girl child engaged, make sure you look at the top dollhouses including KidKraft Disney Frozen Ice Castle Dollhouse, KidKraft Beautiful Frozen Snowflake Mansion Dollhouse with Furniture, Mattel Barbie Dream House, Hauck Classic Julia Doll Travel System and KidKraft 65023 Savannah Dollhouse.

If you are looking for fashion dolls, consider Our Generation Dolls Neat-O Knit 18-Inch Doll Knit Dress Outfit, Barbie Sisters Life in the Dreamhouse Camper and Mattel Barbie Camper Vehicle.