Dolls

Children and collectors alike love the thrill of dolls. And if there’s a toy aisle that never seems to go out of style, it’s this one. Dolls are more than just something to play with for a while, after all. There’s real imagination, role-play, and even some skill-building in pretending to take care of a baby, manage a doll’s schedule, or re-create scenes from their favourite movie with characters they know so well.

Bringing home a new doll can feel like bringing home a new friend. And there’s plenty of options to choose from, all of which are ready to have some fun and exciting new adventures.

The beauty of dolls

Dolls have been around for centuries and have a strong association with both play and child development. For younger children, dolls make for great pretend play companions. They’re an opportunity to learn about the world through role play, mimic daily routines, and get creative with story-telling and socialising. They’re also an excellent way to learn about compassion, kindness, and nurturing. Or whatever new name for that favourite hobby everyone seems to love - taking care of pets, babies, or just close friends in the group. And these are all huge pluses for growing children who are just discovering what they like and don’t like.

Classic dolls like the Steffi Love Welcome Baby Doll can introduce children to what it means to take care of babies. They can bathe, dress, change, and feed their baby doll - all of which are essential skills. It also lets children and parents bond over playtime together, especially if they’re about to become elder siblings or cousins. Using a baby doll can introduce children to the idea of another sibling or family member, allowing parents to field questions and have discussions in fun and casual settings. It helps to get some play and bonding time in with the other parent too; an activity that helps everybody learn how to work together as a family.

Dolls also help develop social skills in children. They often encourage children to take up certain roles within society, and their play is often directly related to their ideas of what makes someone a good person. That’s because for a child, a doll can be anything from a trusted friend to someone who helps them hone their self-image, develop their senses of responsibility, compassion, and empathy, and even their emotional intelligence. A doll can be a close friend that’s just there for company and solidarity. Or it can be a guiding light for some skills that adults know but children are still learning. Either way, they’re great ways for children to learn how to face difficult situations, develop positive self-esteem, and learn more about their feelings and emotions.

Dolls are also excellent gifts for children who just love to socialise. Whether they play alone or with others, dolls are often excellent conversation starters. For children who tend to form groups based on their interests or hobbies, dolls are a great way to connect and form bonds - even if they don’t communicate with one another directly. Children can enter into stories, plots, and adventure with their dolls and take on roles within their world, connecting with others in the same world. It can be a beautiful thing when children start telling their own stories and stories about who they’d like to be or what they’d like to be doing in the future.

Dolls are for everyone

They’ve come a long way from classic baby dolls, though. Today there’s a variety of dolls to choose from - some which even come with their own backstories and adventures. Take the Barbie Mini Barbieland Doll Cutie Reveal Assorted for example. Not only is it a part of the Barbie franchise that children love; it’s also a collectable mystery doll pack where children can pick their favourite style from the box for even more creative play.

Speaking of collectable mystery dolls, there’s the Gabbys Dollhouse Movie Small Doll Assorted. The popular Netflix show has now come to the toy aisle as well with adorable 10cm-tall character figures that are ready for playtime anytime. There’s something undeniably enchanting about small collectable dolls; they offer an element of surprise that larger dolls cannot match. It’s the act of collecting that makes every day more exciting than the last, with new additions to the collection bringing in fresh narratives and adventures within Gabby’s Dollhouse world.

Or the LOL Surprise Tweens Mermaid Doll Assorted that features a collection of four quirky dolls with really special interests and hobbies. There’s Faye Reef who is an environmentalist at, heart and who likes watching water documentaries in her spare time. Oceanna loves swimming and frequently asks to be woken up early just so she can start her mornings on the beach. Suri Sonnet is a night owl who loves playing her ukulele for the dolphins at sunset. And Barracuda is an expert at crafting and being creative - especially when it comes to DIY-ing her own mermaid festival attire!