Saturday, August 9, 2014

Toys R Us Goodies Part 2: New Lalaloopsy Releases

So, my last post covered some of the new Series 3 Zelfs.  This time around, we'll take a look at some of the new Lalaloopsy releases from MGA Entertainment.

To my anonymous reader who asked me about my 2014 Disney Store Belle doll review, I will have that up first thing this coming week.  Originally, my plan was have the Zelfs and the Lalaloopsy stuff all in one post, but it was too much to cover in one sitting. ;)  Just wanted to let you know that I hadn't forgotten about my Belle review...it will be up soon! ;)

There are several exciting new things for the Lalaloopsy line this fall.  

First, of course, are the new sets of Lalaloopsy mini Sisters.  Above is a picture of the mini Tippy and Twisty Tumbelina that were part of my Blogoversary Giveaway.  I thought I'd taken more pics of the box before I sent them off, but apparently I didn't! :}  The other sister sets this time around include Mango and Kiwi Tiki Wiki, Suzette and Mimi La Sweet, and Blossom and Petal Flowerpot.  The mini sister sets are some of our very favorites here at the Never Grow Up house, so you'll definitely want to check these out at your nearest Target or Toys R Us.

Another thing we're super excited about over here are the Lalaloopsy Tinies.  My mom picked these up for her own collection (and her playroom for her grandkids) at Toys R Us, but very sweetly waited to open them so I could get some nice pics for a blog review. :)

First, we'll take a look at the Tinies themselves, marked as part of Series 2.  These came in a set of ten (including one surprise figure).

Back of the package

Package Logo

Each of the Lalaloopsy Tinies sets comes with this double-sided checklist, showing all of the possible Tinies to collect (so far).  The checklist does not have the characters' names listed.


Here are all of the Tinies included in this particular package.  (Whoops!  Sorry for the super tilty picture!) ;)

Charlotte Charades, Crumb's Mouse, Pearly Seafoam, Suzette la Sweet's Puppy...

...Suzette la Sweet, Holly Sleighbells, Twist E. Twirls' Butterfly, Twist E. Twirls (the surprise character)...

...Scoops Waffle Cone, and Mango Tiki Wiki.

A few days later, my mom picked up another set at Target for my daughters and I to share, this time a set from Series 1.  

Back of the package

This set has Ocean Seabreeze's Blowfish, Ocean Seabreeze, Fancy Frost 'n' Glaze...

...(Fancy Frost 'n' Glaze again), Cotton Hopalong, Snowy Fairest, Ember Flicker Flame...

...Spot Splatter Splash, Prairie Dusty Trails (surprise character), Spot's Zebra, and Ember's Puppy.

The Tinies are super small and super cute.  Here's what they look like from the back.

I noticed that Holly Sleighbells had this little notch in her back.  None of the others I've seen have one.  I'm curious what the notch is for. 

All of the Tinies have holes that go from the tops of their heads...

...to the bottoms of their feet (which are labeled with a little "R" and "L", just like the full-sized Lalas).  I'm sure little girls will love using the Tinies as special beads for homemade necklaces and bracelets. :) 

I was curious to see how the Tinies compared to the earlier Micro figures released by Lalaloopsy.  The Lalaloopsy Tinies Holly Sleighbells is shown here with a Squinkie on the left and a Lalaloopsy Micro figure Peanut Big Top on the right.  As you can see, the Tinies are larger than Squinkies but a bit smaller than the Micros.  

One of my readers asked about the size difference between mini Lalaloopsy pets and Lalaloopsy Tinies pets.  Here is a comparison.  Mini Berry's Cow is on the left, and Tinies Spot Splatter Splash's Zebra on the right.

For another comparison, here is Mini Dotty Gale Winds' poodle on the left and Tinies Ember Flicker Flame's dog on the right.  As you can see from both pictures, the Tinies pets are quite a bit larger than the Mini pets.



Now let's check out the Lalaloopsy Tinies Play 'n' Go playset, Crumbs' House. 

The back of the package, showing some of the other playsets you can get:
I really want Prince Handsome and Cinderslippers with their castle!!  So does Little Gal. ;)


Details from the front:

A look at the house with just the clear plastic that holds it in place.

Here it is, completely free from the packaging.  I love all of the adorable cookie and frosting details on the house!! 

  The set includes the house, Crumbs, her pet mouse (who seems to have grown in size!!), a stove, a cake, a teapot and a teacup.

Crumbs and Mouse

Another look at the front of the house.

The house opens in back, and the backside becomes a floor.

It has two floors for play.  

This little hole in the top...

...is for this little latch at the edge of the "floor".

When playtime is done, the house closes up.  By turning this button, you can latch the house closed.

And as you can see, it is the perfect size for a dollhouse for the 18" dolls, such as American Girl.  


This post ended up being a bit less detailed than I originally planned, but I wanted to get it up as soon as possible! ;)  Here are a few parting thoughts on the Lalaloopsy Tinies.  I won't be including thoughts from my daughters for this post, but they are definitely in love with these newest little cuties. ;)

Pleasing Qualities: 5 out of 5
   I think the Tinies are a great addition to the Lalaloopsy line.  They're small and cute, well painted, and fairly priced.  The wide range of available characters, including several of the Target exclusives (such as Holly Sleighbells and Cotton Hopalong, the two I got to keep from these sets), will be pleasing to collectors and little Lala fans alike.  They're also nice and small so they don't take up much room, making it possible to have a large collection that takes up a minimal amount of space.  
  The houses are adorably detailed, and with their "play-n-go" feature will work well for playtime at home or in other locations. 

Posability: N/A
   The Tinies are not posable at all, but they are not meant to be posable. ;)

Playability: 5 out of 5
   I see some great possibilities for play here.  Whether it's pretend play and making little displays and set-ups, or simply collecting and trading, I know the Tinies will provide hours of fun at our house. ;)

Price: 5 out of 5
   The Tinies are very reasonably priced for what they are.  There are packs of three Tinies for around $4.  The packs of ten (featured in this post) are $9.99 plus tax at Target.  I believe the house sets are around $15 each...they might possibly be less.  (Sorry, my mom bought that set without me and I forgot to ask her.)  So overall, not too shabby for what you get.  

If you're a fan of Lalaloopsy or cute little collectibles, you should definitely check out the Lalaloopsy Tinies for yourself. :)


Before I wrap this up, I thought I'd share some news about another new Lala release from MGA: the Lalaloopsy Girls.  I don't have any of these to show this time around, but you can visit the website HERE, and see a quick YouTube review from My Froggy Stuff HERE.

I think the Lalaloopsy Girls are really cute, and so do my daughters (they've already picked out their favorites in the store).  I also think MGA is really smart marketing-wise to offer their own line of high school-themed dolls, especially with the Monster High/Ever After High craze.

My only slight disappointment with this line is that it's taking another sweet, little-girl-themed line of dolls and making them more "hip", with high school-themed personalities and interests.  We have the snobby fashion queen (Jewel), the "green" girl (Pix E. Flutters), and the chill yoga girl (Mittens Fluff 'n' Stuff).  Most of them sport really short skirts (especially Mittens).  

On the upside, they're still rag dolls, so they don't have developed figures.  They have fun accessories, enlarged and elongated (but still cute) pets, and hair that changes color in water.  They're also a nice, small size for little hands.  And even though they're a bit more "grown up", they still have a cute, innocent charm about them.  Most of the personality stuff is from the little cartoon clips on the website, so that could be easily avoided.  The short skirt issue could be solved by painting leggings on their legs.  And I'd still rather have my girls playing with these than some of the other high school lines out there (including Ever After High...even though I enjoy collecting them for myself).  

That being said, the regular Lalas will always be my favorites. ;) 

Something we're not quite so excited about?  The Lalaloopsy Babies that "magically poop charms".  Somehow, that just doesn't fly as a selling point for us.  Sounds rather painful, too. ;)

So, which of the new Lalaloopsy releases are you the most excited about?

You can see most of these new releases in your local Target or Toys R Us (the stores are definitely gearing up for Christmas and getting lots of the new fall products in stock).  For more information on Lalaloopsies, you can visit their official website HERE   To discuss Lala news and upcoming releases with other Lalaloopsy fans, be sure to check out the Lalaloopsy Fan Club forum HERE.

More fun to come this coming week!  Next up, a review of the 2014 Belle doll from the Disney Store. :)

20 comments:

Meritre said...

My first tought was that they would make excellent toys for your dolls. And I was right :)

Mini Addictions said...

Love the Tinies (even if they are not posable). I think they are adorable. Thanks for the information! I must head to Target... ;-)

Nina said...

I have to agree about the Lalaloopsy Girls. I'm not very excited about them. Lalaloopsies have that innocent little charm about them, and part of it is taken away with the whole popular "high school" theme. They're still cute, though;)

I also love the Teenies! They're so cute! I especially love the little pets. Are they smaller or bigger than mini Lalaloopsy pets?

Have a great day!:)

Sunny_Harper1994 said...

Oh gosh Beastsbelle you have me hooked! I must collect these tinies! I love anything miniature! Lol, I haven't seen any in Chicago but I will keep my eyes open. The Lala Girls are so cute!!! I have a few and I made socks and I have painted leggings on them. ;)
God bless!

sara said...

Wow!!! I love the fact that lalaloopsy tinies fit the AG dolls!!! Have you heard about the lalaloopsy girls? :)

Anonymous said...

Hi! Can't wait for the 2014 Belle review!
I'm the same anonymous that commented asking about Belle, I'm super excited!
----

Aileen said...

Those Lalaloopsy Tinies houses are so adorable! As far as the babies go, who wouldn't want to wear a bracelet filled with poop charms? Eww! :-P

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for all the fun comments, everyone! :) I'll try to get back and answer them sometime tomorrow. :)

Farrah said...

Oh wow...the Tinies! :)

Anonymous said...

A little off the topic Beastsbelle, but I was thinking of getting a MAG doll- and I'm stuck between #55 and #25 - but since you have both, I was wondering if you could help me out. I find #25 cute, but I think she's a little like my Josefina! I definitely prefer #55's hair, but I'm stuck- help! :-)

Mark Patraw said...

These Lalaloopsy Tinies are pretty neat, and like yourself, I really like the sculpted cookie detail on that house playset--it almost looks good enough to eat! Out of the ones you have pictured, I'm going to go with Scoops Waffle Cone (I think her Neapolitan ice cream hair is clever), Spot's Zebra, and Twirl's Butterfly (whom I first thought was a red elephant . . . I mistook the wings for ears and the long abdomen for a trunk) as my favorites.

If I had to guess, that hole in the back of Holly Sleighbells might be an attachment point for fairy wings, a backpack, or something similar (toy companies often repaint molds to create different characters, so, while Holly doesn't have anything there, it's possible that another Lalaloopsy character, made from the same mold, does have some kind of accessory attached to her back).

The only Laloopsy item I currently own is the original Mittens Fluff ‘N’ Stuff’s polar bear pet, back from when the line was first called “Bitty Buttons” (the toy is dated 2009).

I watched the Lalaloopsy Girls commercial on YouTube, and I think they look pretty cool. It is strange to see humans portraying them, because they lack the button eyes (although I don’t doubt that would be super creepy looking on a real person and would probably frighten watchers away rather than attract them). The dolls certainly don’t look like teenagers, even though that’s what MGA is apparently shooting for. While they’re cute, I suspect most tweens/teens will probably stick with the more mature looking Monster High, Ever After High, and Barbie dolls.

Unknown said...

Did you look into the lalaloopy girls? I have seen pictures on flickr of them and they seem really cute! I haven't seen them in person, but I was hoping that you were reporting about them in this topic ..but you didn't :/ lol. But that's ok..but I definitely think I'm interested in looking into the new sister packs

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone! :)

Meritre, looks like we had the same thought. ;) They do make perfect toys for my bigger dolls. :)

You're welcome, Lisa...happy shopping! :)

Hi Nina! My thoughts are still mixed on the Lalaloopsy Girls, but after seeing them in person, I have to admit they're pretty cute. ;)

Great question on the pets! The Tinies pets are slightly larger than the mini pets. I took a couple of pics and will try to add them to the post sometime this week. :)

You have a great day too!

Hi Sunny! Always nice to hear from you. :) Hopefully these turn up in your neck of the woods soon.

Glad to know the leggings idea works. I think we may have to try it at our house, too. My daughters REALLY want Lalaloopsy Girls. ;)

Adelaide, I think so too! ;)

Hi PottercatxD. :) I have heard about the Lalaloopsy Girls, and mentioned them at the end of this post. Several of my readers missed this, so I must not have made it a clear enough paragraph...sorry about that! You can read my thoughts in the post above. ;)

Hi Anonymous! The review will be up this week. Not quite as early as I'd hoped, but definitely before the week is done. ;)

Lol, I know, Aileen...I can't believe I'm passing those poopy charms up. ;)

Glad you like the Tinies too, Farrah Lily. :) They're really cute!

Hi Anonymous #2. Ooh, that's a tough decision! I like both dolls a lot, but I personally would probably lean towards recommending #55. I love her hair/eye/freckle combo, and her hair isn't nearly as hard to take care of as I thought it would be. She's also SUPER photogenic. #25 is too, but I've found that in some lights her brown eyes don't photograph as well. She's still super cute, though. I would honestly recommend, either doll...it just depends on your preference. Have you considered doing "eenie meanie minie moe" to help you decide? It's what my daughters always use when they can't decide between dolls. ;)

Hi Mark! Glad you like the Tinies, too. And I agree: Crumbs' house looks yummy enough to eat! ;)

Good guess about Holly's back. I've also wondered if it will have something to do with a future jewelry set or something along that line, since the Tinies were obviously made with the idea of jewelry beads in mind. I guess we'll just have to wait and see. ;)

How fun that you have Mittens' bear from the original line! I didn't get into Lalaloopsies until well after their name change. ;)

I agree that it's strange to see the Lalaloopsy Girls as humans, but I'm glad they didn't go for the button eyes. Too "Coraline" for me. *shudders*

It will definitely be interesting to see which market the Lalaloopsy Girls end up appealing to. I can tell you that the ages 6-10 market is into them (at least the 6-10-year-olds in my house!). ;)

Hi Amber! I mentioned the Lalaloopsy Girls briefly at the end of this post but haven't gotten one for review yet. I've decided I'd definitely like to purchase one for review when I can...I'll keep you posted! ;)

sara said...

Ok Thanks!!!

Michele said...

Hi Beastsbelle, So excited to see this review about the Tinies. They are so adorable. I agree about the Lalaloopsy Girls videos, I really did not like their personalities, but like you said just avoid them and enjoy the doll, which I think is adorable too.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Glad you enjoyed the review, Michele. :) I think these will be a big hit for Christmas this year. :)

All three of my girls love the Lalaloopsy Girls dolls. We'll probably get them eventually but paint on leggings and avoid the videos, like you said. ;)

Anonymous said...

http://www.shopgoodwill.com/auctions/4-Pcs-1999-MGA-Entertainment-Lalaloopsy-Dolls-18236666.html

I thought you might want to check out this site...I've used them and bought AG dolls and Gotz and they are usually just what they say they are. but you must carefully check the shipping prices and take that into consideration. Some of the goodwill sights charge more shipping than others.

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Thanks, Anonymous. :) I've done some shopping on Shopgoodwill.com before. I got pretty discouraged with the shipping costs after a while, but I still pop over there every once in a while to check things out. Thanks for the reminder! :)

Twilightsparklefairy said...

Hi
i love these reviews :) so detailed... and the Tinies are super cute, but i really prefer the Micros. How could they take away the ability to take off and switch the heads! D: that was the reason i wanted Micros... and they never got very popular so now i cant get them... well, the Tinies are still adorable. :)

Hannah Prewett (beastsbelle) said...

Hi Twilightsparklefairy! Glad you're enjoying the reviews. :)

The Micros were pretty cool. Unfortunately, when they were in the stores, I wasn't into Lalaloopsy yet, so I missed most of them. I managed to snag a few in Grocery Outlet, of all places, as they were being clearanced out. ;) It's nice to be able to collect the Tinies as they are released. ;)

The head-switching thing was pretty cool, though. ;)