Creatable World Deluxe Character Kit Customizable Doll, Black Straight Hair

I think my niece will like these (and I might have to adjust the review based on her feedback). It's cool that you can have short or long hair on them and basically make them different characters (and they don't come with pre-defined names). All indications, from customer and other reviews, are that most of this stuff will fit "Barbie's tween sisters" dolls like smaller versions of Skipper, larger versions of Stacie, and the Petite version of the new-ish Barbie Fashionistas line, so that's good. They generally won't fit full-size regular Barbies, though some Barbie stuff will fit these (especially accessories rather than form-fitting clothes). I don't know if these dolls are flexible enough to sit on a Barbie horse, but I guess we'll find out next time I get something for my niece!The ratio of price to amount of toy is better in these sets than in Mattel's other (mostly Barbie/Ken) doll lines. If my niece likes these, I'll get her more of them, and it'll only cost about half as much as the equivalent volume of Barbie stuff. Some of this might even fit Disney Princess dolls, though the proportions on those are a bit weird. I can't vouch for the claim that the clothing is a bit difficult to put on and take off for kids in the 5–6 age range. I guess my niece will tell me!It's a weird mix of hilarious, alarming, and disgusting to me that some far-right organizations totally lost their minds over these dolls and have campaigned against them, on the idea that they're meant to be "genderqueer". Oh, FFS. They're just ungendered, like Lego people are (which generally aren't male or female until you put man hair or lady hair on them, or snap the head and hands and feet into a dress-wearing body. And you can take an explicitly male Lego head, with a mustache, and put it on a girly dress body, and guess what, the sky doesn't fall, you don't magically turn queer, and Lucifer doesn't pop out of the toybox! Amazing!) Since girls and women don't all have long hair or wear dresses/skirts all the time to begin with, these dolls just match reality better than the usual Mattel fare, which seems stuck in 1957. Being male and not having a daughter, I can't speak directly to this, but I have read that many prepubescent girls have a lot of anxiety about impending bodily changes, feelings which can be exacerbated by all their dolls being shaped like exaggerated/idealized adult women. Dolls like these ones might be a bit of a relief valve, then (especially since childhood seems subjectively to last a really, really long time: a year of anxiety to a small kid feels like a decade of anxiety to someone who's 50, and probably has more lasting consequences).I think these are great dolls for the 5-9 age range, since they are meant to represent kids in that age range. LIke Ken and Barbie, they have no genitalia or nipples. They do not have exaggerated secondary sex characteristics (tiny waist and big Barbie boobs, or huge Ken shoulders), and they don't have stereotype-reinforcing "girls have to wear high heels" feet, but natural flat feet so they can wear regular shoes (probably between various doll sets of around the same size). Also, even if your kid loves grown-up Barbie and Ken, these provide an option for them to have non-baby children. And, since some of them can be made boy-ish, if you have a son in this age range, who has "action figures" (dolls marketed for boys) in about this size, these dolls can serve dual purpose as toys for both your son and your more traditional-doll-playing daughter. That was actually part of why these were developed; Mattel wants to ease some stigma about boys' doll-play without having to make every "action figure" be a superhero or space alien.PS: I don't think many of the short-haired versions actually look much like boys, though, even with the male/unisex (i.e. not skirt/dress) outfits on. The faces of this entire line look pretty femme to me. But I'm some old guy who had Star Wars figures and GI Joes who is now buying toys for a kid who grew up on anime such, where everyone has big eyes and other cutesy features, so my view on this is probably to be taken with a grain of salt ("OK, boomer").

When I was a kid, I asked my mom for a boy baby doll. She took the clothes off one of my girl baby dolls, stuck one of my brother's baby outfits on it, and said, "Here." When I saw the Creatable World dolls hit the market in 2019, I was thrilled. But by then, my kids were grown, and I had no other young children in my life. A couple of weeks ago, I saw Amazon still had a few sets for nicely discounted prices. So, I took the plunge.I have one doll now (blonde/straight hair). Three more will be coming over the weekend. I write for children, and these dolls will become my muses. They will be great for role-playing plot lines because these dolls can be any character I want them to be. They are a good size, well made, and child-like.As for price, the average Skipper doll runs around $9 to $14. Each one may come with a few accessories, but generally, they only have one outfit. CW dolls come with a plain tank and shorts (which can be underwear or part of an outfit), plus 2 tops/shirts, a jacket, three bottoms (one of which is a skirt), three pairs of shoes, a hat, and glasses. The clothes are well made with real zippers and pockets. The dolls are fully articulated and can stand on their own. So if you compare a CW doll (especially at reduced prices) to a Skipper or Barbie with several sets of clothes and shoes, I think you'll find the CW doll to be a good buy.These dolls are great for children who are trans, binary, or gender fluid. BUT they are also amazing dolls for any child. The kid decides the doll's look, character, and story. They are not like other dolls who are based on a TV show or movie. CW dolls encourage imagination and storytelling.I hope that someday Mattel will revive this line.

I am SO excited about these dolls, I can't even deal with myself right now. The quality is just so good, so much better than any of the Barbies they've produced in recent years (for play; the collectible dolls are still quite amazing). This review is going to be long, so here's the bottom line: this doll is a blank canvas for a child to create their own perfect doll just the way they want it, and if tomorrow's "perfect" is different from today, they can change it. Some adults have their panties in a twist over the gender-neutral labeling, but the key word here is "neutral." This doll isn't anything until a child projects his or her imagination onto it. I would have been in 7th heaven to get a doll like this as a child!!! Frankly, the child inside this 48-yr-old is still in 7th heaven. So read on, if you want exhausting detail on everything in the box!!UNBOXING: what you receive is a good-sized box (a little larger than a dress-shirt box, and much much sturdier). You slide the doll set out one side of the main box, which has photos of outfit ideas, and everything is under plastic, in molded forms for each piece. There are NO strings or plastic bits attaching them to the box at all, so once you whip the cover off you are good to go. So many Barbies, I have inadvertently given impromptu brain surgery because they were attached too tightly to the box. Not an issue here, no adults needed, just open and play.THE DOLL: I was immediately impressed at the quality of the doll itself. The torso and limbs have a nice weight to them, they don't feel as flimsy & light as the similar-shaped Skipper dolls. The arms and legs are fully jointed and poseable - they're easy enough to move, but stiff enough to stay in place when posed. The details on the hands & feet are amazing! The feet actually have arches and discernable toes, along with fully moveable ankles (and, in shoes, can be posed so the doll stands on its own). The hands have lined palms, the elbows have a dimple. The face is just gorgeous! No makeup, like a kid. The rooted hair is in a modern style, with detailed designs "shaved" into the painted area. I just can't say enough about how well this has been designed and produced, it's just a great doll.THE CLOTHING: I picked this doll specifically because it had the cutest clothes (to me), and was not disappointed! I won't list everything individually because you can see the photos, but again I'm impressed by the quality. They attach with low-profile Velcro that not only makes for a better fit, but doesn't poke your fingers. The joints on the doll make them easy to dress, especially the super skinny camo pants, although I will say the thumbs do get caught in the sleeves of the jacket. Basically you get 3 tops & 3 bottoms, plus the plain white t-shirt & boxer briefs that it's wearing upon arrival. Those can be integrated into outfits too!THE ACCESSORIES: These are particularly fun, and again they've thought of everything! The feet fit comfortably in the shoes, and when properly posed, the shoes provide a stable base for the doll to stand on its own. The glasses actually stay on the head until you remove them (which is not the case with ANY Barbie I've ever had). The wig is kind of like a helmet that fits over the rooted hair, and you can place the part wherever you want. Most surprisingly (to me) is that the hat can fit over the wig just as well as the plain head! The wig is so much bigger than the head, these people are sorcerers or something. I will say, this doll does not have as much rooted hair as the others in the Creatable World collection, so the wig is not quite as secure: if the doll tips over, the wig WILL fall off. A little rolled-up tape on the inside of the helmet will do the trick if this bothers you. The only accessory that feels like an afterthought is the tote bag, but there's so many other great stuff that I'm not mad at it.CLOTHING SWAP: Since it is relatively the same height as Skipper, I wondered if they could swap outfits, and they kind of can. Skipper is slightly taller with a bigger butt, so the clothing does not fit perfectly, but it's very doable. However, their feet and heads are not similar sizes, so no swapping of shoes or hats. Obviously if you get more than one of these doll sets, they can trade clothes & accessories & even wigs all day long. My inner child kinda lost its mind at the thought so I ordered another as soon as I got this one, lol!!I was excited by the idea of this doll, but so much more by the execution! Buying them no longer became a "supportive ally" thing the minute I opened it; now it's a "this doll is fantastic and I need another one" thing!!