Advent Calendar #3: L.O.L. Surprise by MGA Entertainment

I haven't talked too much about L.O.L. Surprise dolls since they first came out in 2016, but from what I can tell, the toys are still going strong.  At Target, there's still an entire half of an aisle that's dominated by these little surprise ball characters and the larger OMG dolls that followed them.  Granted, the Miniverse toys have recently started to take over, but there's never a shortage of L.O.L. varieties.

So, the third advent calendar that I'm going to look at this month is focused on a cute L.O.L. doll and her expansive wardrobe.

If you're new to this advent calendar mini series, you can read about my motivations and expectations here, and see the second calendar here.

Makeover Babe 2.0 from the 2023 L.O.L. Surprise advent calendar.

Advent Calendar #2: Mini Bratz by MGA Entertainment

For the second advent calendar, I figured I should show you the one that started this whole idea: the Mini Bratz calendar from 2023 that Lurkins suggested to me.

I've had bit of experience with Mini Bratz dolls, but have never featured them here on the blog.  I really love their size (good for Lena), their detailed features, and their intricate, re-usable packaging.  Lena and I were both excited to get a calendar filled with these little gems!

Lena holding her favorite Mini Bratz doll from the 2023 advent calendar.

Advent Calendar #1: Mini Brands by Zuru

It's December!  So now I can dig in and start this advent calendar feature that I've been dreaming about.  I have about ten calendars that I'd like to open throughout the month, but with the way I ramble on and the number of pictures I insisted on taking, I can't promise that I'll get through all of them before the 31st, let alone the 25th.  But I'm sure going to try!

I stumbled onto this idea when a Patreon friend, Lurkins, linked me to an eBay auction for the Bratz mini calendar.  Lurkins thought that Lena might appreciate the minis for her doll collection, and the price was excellent at around $15.  So, I purchased the Bratz calendar and then got curious and searched around to see what other doll and toy-themed advent calendars I could find.  Turns out, there are a lot!

So this month, I'm going to walk you through as many of the calendars as I can, starting with the Zuru Mini Brands advent from 2024:

Lena with a toy from the Zuru Mini Brands advent calendar.

Barbie Dream Besties by Mattel

Well, November is almost over and December is shaping up to be either a busy month for the blog or a bust.  Let me explain.  I've been on an advent calendar kick for the last few weeks, finding myself amazed and overwhelmed by the diversity and complexity of the current choices.  So I wanted to do an advent calendar feature all throughout the month of December, and I bought about ten calendars (maybe a few more than that...) for the occasion.

But one of my kids has to be in the hospital at the beginning of December, and I want to be as helpful and present as I can.  So a lot of the month will be spent traveling across the country and being a mom.  That will either give me a lot of time for the blog (since I have a few weeks off from my animal shelter job), no time at all, or something in the middle.  We'll see.

As I wait for December and whatever it might bring, I have some time to chat with you about one of Mattel's newest playline releases, the Barbie Dream Besties:

Barbie Dream Besties Brooklyn (left) and Teresa (right), $19.99.

Tea with Lena: 1:6 Ultra Corps! Figures by Lanard

There are a lot of things that factor into what review I decide to write next.  First of all, I have a very long queue of dolls that have caught my eye over the years and are just sitting on a shelf, waiting for their turn.  Second, I try to have a bit of an ear to the ground for new items or brands that are being released--even though I'll admit to not being up to speed in that arena.  I'm also always excited to hear about which dolls all of you are noticing and interested in, which certainly influences what I buy.

However, sometimes it's my assistant Lena's priorities or social life that dictate what I do each week, which is exactly what happened this time around.  While I was in the middle of a different review, Lena informed me that Ian's brother Calum was coming to visit all the way from Texas, and so of course I had to drop everything to focus my attention on that.  And I'm glad I did.  For anyone not familiar with Lena's love life, this might be a good time to catch up.

1:6 Ultra Corps! Astronaut by Lanard (discontinued).

Happy Halloween!

 Stay safe and spooky tonight.

Anne Fitzpatrick by Robert Tonner

While I was writing the Ellowyne and Neema review, I spent a lot of time browsing the Virtual Doll Convention (VDC) website--both tracking the Ellowyne and Neema dolls that were available, and also looking at the other types of doll that are offered in that shop.  

In addition to Ellowyne and Neema dolls, VDC sells Amazing Grace, a 16-inch fashion doll who looks like Tonner's Sydney on an RTB-101 body.  They also have some cute exclusive Ruby Red Fashion Friend Siblies.  But the character who really caught my eye is Anne Fitzpatrick.  She's a little girl who's Marley-sized, so about 12 inches tall, with a bright smile and what looks like a lot of joints.

I bought Anne at the same time that I bought Neema, so I thought I'd do a little bonus review of her now, while I'm still in a Robert Tonner kind of mood:

Anne Fitzpatrick by Robert Tonner for VDC, $175.