Toy review: Shibajuku Girls doll
Like most children these days, Little Miss is spoilt and has an over abundance of everything. Any toy you can think of, she’s probably got it. I guess she’s got such a large selection to choose from that it’s hard for her to attach herself to a toy.
So, when I was gifted with Suki to review, one of the Hunter Products’ Shibajuku Girls dolls, I was excited for Little Miss to play with her, as I knew it was one of the few toys she’d never seen before.
Would Suki live up to the hype? And would Little Miss fall in love with her? I so desperately wanted to find out.
First Impressions…
As soon as Little Miss saw Suki she started screaming “Pretty doll!” repeatedly and begged for me to open her. I wish I caught this on the video camera because it was literally the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I don’t see her get excited about many things so this was a good start.
Standing 33cms tall, the first thing I noticed about Suki was how eclectic, trendy and unique she looks. She is Japanese pop culture and Harajuku fashion inspired.
Suki has pale skin, grey/blue eyes with silver and white eye make up. Her eyes are huge and she has the longest and fullest eyelashes you've ever seen. They look so real! I wish I had her eyelashes! Her soft multicoloured hair looks vibrant and fun. She wears her hair down, with bangs. It’s the perfect length to play with and practice braiding!
She also rocks the cutest outfit… a pastel coloured bomber jacket, a pink tutu tulle skirt, knee-high polka dot socks and shoes. She also wears ear muffs, which are attached to her head. What a quirky and fun girl!
What I also noticed about her was that she has shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip and knee joints. While it doesn’t allow her to stand on her own, it does allow her to hold her pose. She is also able to rotate her head.
At first Little Miss was obsessed with Suki’s hair clips. She wanted to put them in Suki’s hair herself, but being two years old she needed a bit of help from me. Then she was fascinated with Suki’s socks and shoes. She kept pulling them off and trying to put them back on.
Little Miss then tried to take her clothes off and I was pleased to discover that Suki had a white crop top under her jacket. You know, because modesty is important.
Then she sat and played with Suki for a good thirty minutes before we headed out to dinner. She insisted we take Suki with us, and she continued to play with her in the car.
Any parent knows that having a quiet child sitting there playing with a toy for longer than fifteen minutes is a dream come true! The fascination didn’t end there. A few days later she was still asking for Suki, and she wanted to take Suki everywhere! She even joined us for breakfast a few times. I wondered if this was just a short-term obsession.
A few weeks later…
It’s a few weeks in and Little Miss is still asking “Where’s Suki?”. She sits and plays with her for hours, and even wants to sleep with her sometimes.
We’ve grown to love Suki and she is now considered part of the family. She has the coolest personality. I admire that Suki doesn’t care what people think of her and she wears what makes her happy. That’s what I love about her, is her courage to express her individuality. It’s always great when you find toys that fit in with your beliefs as a parent.
If it’s one thing I love teaching my daughter it’s to always be confident to be herself. I let Little Miss choose her own outfits in the morning. Even if it’s not necessarily something I would pick, I still let her wear it. Because I love giving her the freedom to express her individuality. It gives her confidence and ownership over certain decisions in her life when everything else is controlled by adults.
The verdict
Overall, I love the Shibajuku Girls line. It’s easy to see why this is the latest doll craze hitting Australia. The Shibajuku Girls are high-quality dolls with lots of colour and sparkle. They are a unique design with a creative edge.
The Shibajuku Girls dolls are also such good value for money. Kmart sell them for $20, and Big W sell them for $29. Not only are they affordable, they are high quality. Suki hasn't broken yet, and she’s been knocked around quite a bit.
This doll will entertain your little one for hours! It’s a doll that is perfect for both toddlers and young girls. I can see my daughter not getting bored of Suki anytime soon.
If you’re shopping for a gift for a child who has EVERYTHING, chances are they probably don’t have all of these unique dolls. There are a few to collect, so you can always add to the child’s collection. Each doll has her own unique personality, which is expressed by the different outfit styles that they wear. With five dolls to collect there’s a style for everyone.
For more information about the different dolls and their personalities head to their website.
