Fun With Forest Friend & Pandora the Persian Cat! (Lottie Doll Review)

            Hey folks! What little girl (or boy!) doesn't love dolls at some point in their childhood? (Well, mine, evidently, but I'll get to more on that in a minute.) I am very excited to share with you about Lottie Dolls today and what makes them special!

To get started, here are some basic things you need to know about Lottie Dolls (per their website):

*They are inspired by real kids-Lottie and Finn dolls are proportionate to 9 year old children, so they look and act real.

*When launching the Lottie brand, Arklu’s vision was to create a range of dolls that would empower children to be themselves, to be imaginative and adventurous and - most of all – to have fun. Lottie is all about letting children be themselves, not growing up too quickly, and presenting a healthy view on body image. (I think we all know how important that is in this day and age.)

*Since Lottie’s launch in August 2012, the collection of dolls and accessories are now on sale in over 30 countries, have won 35 international toy awards and were 2017 finalists in the US Toy of the Year Awards (TOTY). Lottie, Finn and friends are stocked in over 3,000 stores worldwide.

            They sound pretty awesome, right? We were recently given the opportunity to try out one Lottie and Friends Doll and one accessory. We are big nature fans, so naturally Myka gravitated toward the Forest Friend Lottie and Pandora the Persian Cat was also a no-brainer. Here are some of our thoughts on them (which you can also watch in our video at the end!):

*I like:

-How bendy the Lottie dolls are.

-How small they are. Think the size of a Chelsea doll, Barbie's little sister. Though they are made for 3 year olds and up, even my 20 month old has an easy time holding her.

-That she doesn't have a bunch of crazy make up on or a risque outfit.

-All the accessories that come with the cat! Pet bed, two types of food, a toy... Really helps with the imaginative play.

-Not specific to our doll, but I like that the line of dolls have a wide variety of interests, such as horse riding, various nature aspects, art, journalism, etc. And that there is a boy doll too!

*The kids like:

-Her hair, shoes, and pretty dress (According to Myka)

-How small and easy to move she is...And the cat, of course. (Because both kids are obsessed with cats.) (If Ripley could talk. ;) )

            To be honest, Ripley has enjoyed playing with both the Forest Friend doll and Pandora the Persian Cat more than Myka. In fact, one morning, even after she was finished playing with it, she carried the doll around with her for a good hour and a half. She plays with the cat quite a bit too. I set up the doll house a little one morning and she had fun playing with both of them in there. She is just getting to the age where she can pretend play, so it was fun to watch what she did with them.

            Myka just really isn't into dolls like most little girls her age. My mom bought her some Chelsea doll stuff a couple years ago and she was into them for awhile, so I thought she might like the Lottie Doll. Other than being initially excited over getting something new, she really hasn't played with it much. It will be waiting for her when she is older and might be more into dolls, though. :) (I bet if I get her that Godforsaken doll with the horse, she would play with it all day long! Watch the video to see what I'm talking about. ;) )
            OR, as far as Myka goes, my husband seems to have this other theory that she likes her Lottie Doll SO MUCH that she doesn't want to play with it and mess it up. Since her first few dolls were cheapies from the dollar store and their heads ended up popping off, he thinks she's afraid of breaking this one. Kinda sad, right? So we might have to have a talk about that! Plus, maybe she just wants some more friends for her. Who knows. I got off on a tangent, didn't I?

(I apologize for any visual issues. I am in the process of finding a new video editing program!)

            Be sure to check out all of the Lottie & Friends dolls on their website. You can also sign up for Club Lottie while you're there to receive special discounts, keep up on special announcements, get exclusive Club Lottie bundle offers, and more. You can also stay up-to-date with them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube. And, before you go, be sure to click over to the giveaway page for a chance to win your very own Lottie Doll (with a value of $25 or under)!