Friday, November 30, 2012

LIV Jake Doll Review

There was apparently only one male LIV doll ever made (much like there was only one Moxie Teenz male doll made).  What is it with that?  These poor dolls have to keep fighting over the limited males. ;)

Anyway, I came across the LIV "Making Waves" Jake doll on clearance earlier this year and decided to purchase him, especially since I'd been so impressed with the articulation on the LIV dolls I'd found.

Jake in his box.

The back of the box.

So I'll start out by saying that I'm not necessarily a fan of his narrow eyes and 70s hairdo.  His outfit isn't all that spectacular either.  These were my very first impressions.

His face looked so much nicer on the box.  This is yet another case where I wish the final product had been closer to the prototype.  Still, his eyes are a nice color and his face could be worse. :}

I'm also really not a fan of thick, shaggy sideburns.

Just sayin'.

Jake's lifeguard tank top.

Jake's plaid swimming trunks.  At least, I assume they're supposed to be swimming trunks.

Now, what this guy lacks in looks, he makes up for in poseability.  I purchased Jake shortly after my Moxie Teenz Gavin, and the differences were like night and day.  While Gavin was stiff and awkward to move, Jake moved every bit as easily as his female LIV counterparts, and he looked very natural in his poses too.

A side view of the same pose.

One other huge thing that Jake has going for him is that he can share current Ken clothing and shoes.  This opens up a whole world of possibilities for wardrobe, unlike poor Gavin, who is stuck in his shiny blue suit.  I think this was great planning on the Spin Master company's part.  At least, I'm assuming it was intentional.

Jake is liking his new striped tank.

Jake and one of my Danielas (in a different wig than her earlier blonde one).  Jake is just slightly taller than the LIV girls, and pairs with them nicely.

I really loved posing and photographing these two.  I wish more dolls had this articulation.

All ready for an afternoon out.



So overall, I'd say Jake gets a 4 out of 5, which seems to be my common rating recently.  His articulation is awesome, and the fact that he can share clothes with Ken is a huge plus.  I just wish they'd done his face mold and hair a little differently.  But maybe that's just me being too picky.  And hey, he looks much better with the LIV dolls than any Ken doll would.  Ken heads look tiny next to the LIV girls' humongous heads. ;)

What do you guys think of Jake?

I have a post coming up that will compare Jake's articulation to Moxie Teenz Gavin's, so check back soon! :)

8 comments:

Carolyn said...

HI beastsbelle! I like these dolls, but only have experince with them through my granddaughter. She has a couple of them. They do have nice articulation for the price.

I saw an ebay listing for a lot of 3 H4H dolls and two of them were some of the newer ones. It made me think of you. :o)

I hope you & your family have a wonderful holiday season.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Bama! It's nice to hear from you. :)

I've really been impressed with these dolls. There are other lines I like better, but no other fashion doll line I've found beats them in the articulation department (in the play doll world, anyway). ;)

The Hearts 4 Hearts Girls are still some of my favorites. I was just thinking it was about time to do another photo shoot with them. ;)

Thanks for the holiday wishes...the same to you and yours. :)

Freja said...

I dont think its just you being picky. I not a fan, of his haircut at all. I cutted the hair off my jake doll and putted a moxie teen wig on him.

I agreed with you about the lack of male dolls, in the play doll world. I belive that more male dolls, would make doll playing more diversity for little girls. And thats allso how I felt about it, when I was a little girl myselv.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for commenting, Freja. Glad I'm not the only one that feels that way. ;)

Anonymous said...

Yep bought a Ken doll to be shared by my Liv ladies but its too funny. Wish I had read this review. The Ken shirt will be useful. I suppose the shortage of male dolls could reflect real life shortages...

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Lol, yeah, Ken's head is pretty small compared to the LIV dolls. ;)

Sadly, it's true: there are a lot of frogs out there among the "Prince Charmings". ;)

GeckoLass said...

That comment about the lack of male dolls is so true. I wanted a Jake for each of my Liv dolls (abt 8) but would need to spend a lot and change his hair. When I got Jake I was so dissapointed that he was not wigged-have left him in the box. But I have bought a Ken and Kevin(Steffi love) so that he will have more clothes. Thanks for this review...now to go to MT!

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Even with rooted hair, I still really like Jake overall. Wouldn't it be nice if they had made several different male dolls for this line? I wish that male dolls weren't just seen as an "accessory" for the female dolls... :(