Lala-Pony-Palooza Month: Lalaloopsy Workshop Sailor Doll Review

Aack!!  My last week of Lala-Pony-Palooza Month is falling apart on me! :{  Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone.  I had an extra art project at the school come up, so I worked there an extra day.  I also had a wonderful time meeting with a writing friend today who is helping me edit my book. :D  It's been a fun week, but a crazy one. ;)  

I'm going to try publishing a Lalaloopsy post and a My Little Pony post each day for the next couple of days.  Our "month" will just extend a bit into November (Saturday will be the last official day of Lala-Pony-Palooza). :)

Now, on to the review you've been waiting for! :)

In recent months, MGA Entertainment brought out a new line of Lalaloopsy dolls: "Lalaloopsy Workshop".  The Workshop dolls have interchangeable parts that can be mixed and matched. 

My mom saw these at Toys R Us this summer and thought it would be fun to try one out.  This post is "sponsored" by her.  Thanks, Mom! ;) 

This particular doll is the Sailor doll.

Box details:

The back of the box shows the variety of workshop dolls to choose from.  Besides the Sailor doll, they have a Fairy, a Genie, a Clown, a Princess, a Bunny, a Nerd, a Ballerina, and a Cowgirl.

A closer look at the details on the back of the box:

I noticed when I was in the store that some of the stock photos (as shown on the back of the box) vary slightly from the actual dolls.

Side views of the packaging:

The front part of the packaging slips out fairly easily.

The instructions are tucked behind the doll.

A closer look at the instruction manual:

Getting the doll out of the package is interesting.  It's rather alarming to have doll pieces fall out of the plastic. :}

So this is what your doll looks like when you first take her out. ;)

Here is her body by itself.

These are the holes for the legs... 

...and here is the hole for one of the arms.

An arm

Her skirt is cloth and is very cute.

Her head and "yarn" hair (made of plastic).

The hair has this slit in the back to make it easier to get on the doll.

One thing I really love about this little gal's face is the fun texture they gave her.  Even though she's plastic, she looks like she's made of cloth.  I think it would be fun if they used this same technique on the Traditional Lalaloopsies. 

She has a hole at the top of her head for her hat and two holes on the sides for her pigtail braids.

Her hair piece has the same holes, so when you put the hair on, you line up both sets of holes.

The arms and legs have an interesting design in the ball joints.   The pegs at the top, which you are supposed to insert into the holes, move back and forth.

The legs do the same thing:

The combination of this design and the design of the holes allow for the legs and arms to move in a circular motion in addition to back and forth.  It's a great idea.

The only problem with this idea is that it is incredibly hard to get the little pegs into the holes.  Because the pegs move, getting them into the holes without bending them is not easy.  I honestly thought I was going to break the pegs off when I was putting the doll together.

Both legs are in, finally!  Hubby offered to help me put her together, but I was determined to do it on my own, especially since these dolls were designed for a child to put together and take apart.  I was really worried I was going to break Mom's doll for a while there, though. :}

I have to say, once she's all together, she's absolutely adorable. :)

I love her quirky, sideways smile. :)

Here's a closer look at the "stitching" on her face.

Her legs are super long and look like they've been stitched together, just like her face.

A closer look at her arm.

Her shoes are really cute and have the same "L" and "R" on the bottom as the other large dolls from this line.  Unlike the Traditional Lalas, her shoes are not removable.

Her legs are quite versatile.

She can sit...

..."stand" (though not on her own)...

...spread her legs apart with toes pointed outward...

...or point her toes inward.

Her hands have the same "L" and "R" as her feet (probably to help little ones figure out which arm to attach where). ;)

Her arms can go up, out, and down:

They can also turn all the way around, but I didn't get a picture of that.

I was surprised how much smaller this doll was than the traditional line.  Here she is with a Mini Snowy Fairest and a Traditional Berry Jars 'n Jam.

Three little cuties.  In this picture, you can see how much longer Sailor doll's legs are in comparison to Berry Jars 'n Jam's.

Overall, I think the Lalaloopsy Workshop dolls are adorable.  They have sweet faces and fun little outfits, and they're a perfect size for little hands.  

I do have a concern about the mix and match aspect of these dolls, however.  The concept is great, but I'm afraid the tiny pegs on the legs and arms are not going to last with normal play, especially since the dolls are marked for ages four and up.  Seriously?  My five year old would destroy this doll the first time she played with it!  (I mean, she broke the cold water handle on our bathroom sink, so maybe she's not the greatest standard to measure by, but still...) :}  As an adult, I had a hard enough time getting the legs and arms attached.  I didn't take the doll apart again because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get her back together.  I could see it being next to impossible for a child to figure out without breaking the doll.

To be honest, if I got these dolls for my girls, I would tell them to keep the arms and legs in place and just switch the hair and hats around.  Then I would feel like the "zero fun" parent. :}  I mean, if you get a doll that you're supposed to mix and match, where's the fun in keeping it together?  

This whole scenario has made me decide that these dolls are not for my daughters.   If MGA ever decided to use the same molds to make dolls that don't come apart, I would probably change my mind.  As they are, I think they work better for display or gentle play (without the mixing and matching).  

Have any of you tried the Lalaloopsy Workshop dolls?  What did you think of them?