Thursday, June 21, 2012

La Dee Da Dolls by Spin Master

Well, I got my hands on a few of the newest dolls from Spin Master.  These girls have been causing a stir since they were displayed at the Toy Fair in New York last February.  They are called "La Dee Da" dolls, named after Dee, who is the fashion-forward leader of the pack.  The name of the line confuses me, though, because although it's catchy, don't people usually say, "well, la dee da" when they're being mocking and dismissive?  Sometimes even "la dee frickin' da?"  Are these dolls dissing me from inside the box?  Presumably not.  Perhaps it's just meant to be an upbeat, sing-songy name in keeping with the cheery appearance of the dolls.

Spin Master has a knack for manufacturing trendy products.  Bakugan toys, Tech Deck mini skate boards, the adorable Zoobles--these have all been highly sought after and impossible to find at times.  Spin Master is also, of course, the company that introduced us to the innovative and highly articulated Liv dolls in 2009, and then recently announced the discontinuation of that beloved line.  Given the company's track record,  I feel pretty sure that the La Dee Da dolls will be trendy, at least for a little while.

Because it seems like the La Dee Da line is being rolled out to take the place of the faltering Liv dolls, it is hard for me to evaluate these new dolls without directly comparing them to Liv...and Liv dolls are the sole reason I became interested in play dolls as an adult.  So.  I will try very hard to step away from my disappointment about Liv's discontinuation and cast a fair eye on these new kids, but you should keep in mind that I probably have a pretty big chip on my shoulder.  Anyway, meet Cyanne from the "Runway Vacay" line, who I bought for $19.99 online at Toys R Us:

La-Dee-Da-Cyanne
La Dee Da "Runway Vacay Cyanne."
The basic concept behind these dolls is that they are four teenaged friends who created a fashion label together.  The fashion label is called La Dee Da and the slogan is "Rowdy, Shouty, Chic!"  The Runway Vacay release is meant to depict the girls as they travel to the fashion capitals of the world to gather inspiration.  Cyanne, as you can see by the Eiffel Tower on her hat, was inspired by France:

The little dog's name is Le Bun and he belongs to Dee.  
Here's the back of the box, where I gathered most of my information about these dolls:


You can also read about the girls on the newly launched website.


On the back of the box, you can see the four dolls in the Runway Vacay series, Dee, Tylie, Cyanne and Sloane:

Dee (India), Tylie (Tokyo), Cyanne (France) and Sloane (Africa).
The other release is called Sweet Party.  These dolls were sold out at Toys R Us when I visited, otherwise I would have bought Dee from this line because she is my favorite:

Dee's rainbow hair and spotted dress look pretty great.
From the small pictures on the box, the dolls all look very similar to me.  I think it is because there's so much going on with each of them.  The candy dolls definitely remind me of candy, but the travel dolls look a bit like candy, too.

I didn't spend much time on the website beyond just confirming that it exists.  I did read a bit about Cyanne's character.  Her big thing seems to be makeovers.  Here's an excerpt from her bio on the website, "Hiiiiiii, I'm Cyanne.  Need makeup and hair advice?  I'll totally hook you up!  I've perfected the art of mom-proof hair color that washes out before anyone gets in trouble...my designs are girly (lots of hearts accentuating this word) and yuummazing!

So...yeah.  Not my cup of tea.  I've always preferred a doll like Hayden who is into camping and loves animals.  In all honesty, though, I don't much care about the backstory of a doll line.  A good doll can overcome an uninspired story and still be a ton of fun.


I am definitely not the target audience here, but the language on the box is alienating to me.  The fact that the website is described as "uh-mazing," that the dolls are titled, "Runway Vacay," and the way Cyanne talks--all of this comes off as forced-trendy in my eyes.  Probably the fact that the language is off-putting to me means that Spin Master has done a good job of attracting their intended crowd.  

Before I open Cyanne's box, I'll show you the other doll I bought.  Her name is Sloane, and I got her because I love the look of her purple hair and her hat (those animal hats are popular here in Maine).  Is Africa a fashion capital of the world, though?  Huh.

La-Dee-Da-Sloane

In terms of referencing Africa, Sloane's outfit is very stereotyped and literal.  She has a zebra hat with a red mohawk and exotic face paint:

La-Dee-Da-Sloane
Those look more like teddy bear ears.
With her purple hair, that crazy hat, and the tribal makeup, Sloane could have gotten away with a simpler dress.  Instead, she's wearing a pleather bustier and a mini grass-like fringe skirt.  Under it all, she has iridescent, translucent animal print tights.  There's a lot going on.  There's no subtlety in the design, but if I ignore how risque and ridiculous this would look on a real fifteen-year-old, I think it's pretty fun.  The materials are certainly interesting and diverse:  


So, let's get Cyanne's box open.  The box is smaller than a traditional Liv box, but the two dolls are similar in height:

La-Dee-Da-Cyanne

There's a promising perforated panel on the back of the box, and I thought that this would allow easy doll extraction, but the panel just opens to reveal another back to the box and the (unnecessary) instructions for assembling the stand:


To actually get into the box, you have to cut about 12 plastic tabs that hold the front of the box in place.
  
Or, you could undo all of that tape.
Once the plastic window is removed, you just have to cut a bunch of rubber bands to get the doll out.  It isn't too bad.


The backdrop of the box is cardboard and has a colorful map design:


Look at the map up close, though:

The Eiffel Tower is in... Oklahoma?
The Arch de Triumph is at the North Pole?
Actual France is way off at the side of the box--looking like it almost didn't make it into the picture at all:
Au revoir, France.
Oh, well.  That's a teeny detail, but I did think it was funny, and my twelve-year-old thought it was lame.

Cyanne comes with a plastic stand that grips both of her legs at thigh level.  The stand works pretty well, but the double leg grip limits posing a bit:


Cyanne also comes with a rolling suitcase (it doesn't actually roll), a pink fan and a booklet with stickers:


The suitcase actually opens, and the handle can be adjusted up and down:



Here's the fan up close:


The fan fits in the suitcase:


The book has a little introduction to the La Dee Da concept, and also a suggested craft activity:



The idea is to create a hair accessory.
The directions are a bit vague.
The stickers:


Right off the bat, the most obvious thing about Cyanne is her enormous head and elaborate hairstyle.  Her curly platinum hair is streaked with pink and pulled up into a fancy high ponytail.  She wears a small plastic teal top hat with a golden Eiffel Tower on the front.  The hat sits on a red tulle accent.

La-Dee-Da-Cyanne

There's nothing subtle about that.
Two long ringlets of hair hang at each side of Cyanne's face, slightly obscuring her eyes.


The hair is rooted and very soft--it feels a bit like very fine mohair.  I like the feel of it a lot.


The back is a mass of soft curls:



With that hair, I can totally picture this doll in a gorgeous Marie Antoinette style dress, or a modern outfit that is reminiscent of that style.  That might look a bit less...Moulin Rouge.

Cyanne is wearing a pastel pink micro mini with a glittery red heart on the front:

The City of Love?
Most of the skirt is transparent thin pink tulle:



The back of the dress has a huge mint green bow that matches the spaghetti straps of the bodice.

The texture in the bow is way out of scale.

The dress has some stitched detail along the waist reminiscent of a corset:


There are tiny yellow tulle ruffles along the top of the bodice and accenting the top of the skirt:


Cyanne wears stockings with shiny red pinstripes:


Her shoes are not super-creative like the Monster High shoes, but they're cute--yellow high heeled pumps with pink soles.  Her feet are so tiny, she can't support any kind of weight on them.  Her shoes often tilt to one side or the other under the weight of her body:


Here are the shoes straightened out--you can see the design of the heels, which reminds me of ice cream, or unicorns...not France:


The shoes fall off very easily, and won't really stay on at all without the stockings.


You could have told me that Cyanne was supposed to be a piece of mint candy and I would have totally believed you.  The outfit is fun, and it is well made, but there isn't much there.  It's very skimpy and runs the risk of seeming burlesque, which I hope wasn't the intent.  I prefer several of the other La Dee Da outfits--especially this city dress worn by Dee.

Cyanne's face paint is plain when compared to Sloane's but still has some fun details like the dots on the tips of her eyelashes and the stars in her eyes:

She looks very sparkly.
She has just the hint of a smile in her bright red lips.  It looks like the mouth is not sculpted to be smiling, so the slight grin is a feature of the paint alone.

She has a beauty mark under her left eye.
This doll could never stand on her own because of her tiny feet and large head.  With the help of the stand, she can strike a few action poses.  


Both legs don't need to be secured in the stand for it to work, but if you detach one leg, you have to do some careful balancing:
Can, can, can you do the can-can?
You can also prop her up against a wall to get some more posing options.  This doll has limited articulation.  Her arms have no joints below the shoulders, and her legs are only articulated at the hips and knees.  Her head can only move from side to side, not up and down.


I shouldn't be running in these shoes anyway.
Her shoulder joints allow her arms to swing back and forth, and also to lift straight up

And all that jazz.

Here is the doll without her clothing:


The slender body and large head remind me a lot of a Pullip doll.  Her tiny waist and small chest are also reminiscent of a Monster High doll, without the characteristic arched back or the fabulously expressive hands:


Tell me if you've seen this pose before...

The hip joint is a plastic hinge with a peg inserted into the body:


This allows for rotational and back and forth movement:


Here's a body comparison with the smaller Pullip doll, Dal:

Dal Clair and Cyanne.
I never thought I would find a doll that made Dal's body look chunky.  Dal's head is larger and Cyanne's limbs are more willowy, but the the biggest difference between the two is in the level of articulation.  Dal has 17 points of articulation, Cyanne has 7.  Well...and Dal has better hair.

These two dolls can't share clothes, but Cyanne's shoes fit Dal pretty well:

They're a bit tight.
Here's another lineup with Liv and Operetta--Liv's body looks very thick, but so nice and healthy in comparison to the other two!  There's no way Liv is sharing clothes with La Dee Da.


The Monster High body and the La Dee Da body are the most similar, and therefore have the highest potential for wardrobe sharing.  Can I just say--if Spin Master did, indeed, just make a doll that could share clothes with Monster High, that's a genius move.  

Sadly, it turns out that Operetta's booty is too big for Cyanne's dress.  The bodies are so close in proportion, though, it wouldn't surprise me to find that some of the Le Dee Da clothes will fit Monster High dolls, but not in this case.  Cyanne can wear Operetta's dress, although it is slightly loose on her:

I actually like her better in this dress.
Cyanne can't even begin to keep up with Operetta's posing potential:

Try to keep up, darling.
While Cyanne is closer in size to a Dal doll, her facial features remind me more of Pullip:

Dal looks suspicious of all the frills on this chick.
Pullip Shinku Rozen Maiden thinks maybe Cyanne is trying to copy her big-headed, wide-eyed style...

Um, excuse me, but I don't think there's enough
room in this shot for both of our heads.
Ok, I guess this works, but she can't even look at the camera!
To me, Cyanne seems like an attempt at an inexpensive Pullip alternative--which (while it's been tried before) is a fantastic idea.  Not only are Cyanne's huge head, wide eyes and tiny body reminiscent of the Pullips, but the unconventional hair choices in this line and the candy-colored flamboyant outfits are all very similar to the Angelic Pretty themed Pullip and Dal dolls.  The thing is, Pullip dolls have exquisitely designed clothing, subtly creative makeup, a high level of articulation, eye movement, great customizing potential and a careful, well-struck balance between trendy and artistic.  All of this is missing from the La Dee Da line. 

I cost a lot more than her, and it shows.
The inevitable comparison, of course, is with a Liv doll.

It's like a real girl meeting Betty Boop.
I think Cyanne and Alexis as the Queen of Hearts are an interesting duo to compare.  There are some definite parallels between these two dolls.  First of all, they both have heart-shaped accents on their dresses:

Also, they each have bright hair highlights that match their fashions, and they both have poofy curled hair with a mohair-like softness.


They also have tall hair ornaments that sit slightly off to one side...


And if you look close enough, they share the location and size of their beauty marks.  They also both have a suggested retail price of $20, which seems high for the La Dee Da dolls.


Both dolls are extravagantly dressed, but for me, Alexis is much more appealing.  First of all, her look has a clear theme--it is a fun interpretation of a classic character.  Aside from the Eiffel Tower ornament, Cyanne's outfit is pretty indistinct and all over the place.  Also, with Alexis, her elaborate outfit is a costume for a school play.  She can step into this glamorous character for a while, but she can also go back to being a regular kid in her jeans and tee shirt, camping in the woods with her friends.  Cyanne, from what I gather, dresses like this all of the time.  She isn't playing a part, she just is this glitzy, slightly vampy, fashion-obsessed caricature of a teenager.  I can't relate.


I really wanted to get that hat off so that I could evaluate the quality and versatility of Cyanne's hair.  The hat is tied into the hair with two pieces of thick red thread.


The hat is separate from the red tulle, which loses its shape as soon as you clip the threads.

The thread stained the hat a bit.
The thread can be easily pulled out of the hair--and it doesn't seem to have left any staining in the hair.


At first glance, she looks great with her hair down.  There was a fair bit of shedding when I brushed it out, but as I mentioned before, the hair is soft and feels very nice. It falls into loose waves that frame her face beautifully:


The pink is very obvious at the hairline, but then fades away through the back:


She looks like a frothy pink confection:

La-Dee-Da-Cyanne

On closer inspection, the rooting on this doll is extremely thin:

Zombie alert!
This lapse in quality gives you very few styling options.  This hair pretty much has to be left down, or in a ponytail.

*Update: I've gotten word that the dolls that come with their hair down have better rooting than this, which is good news.


I like the way it looks down, but if the doll moves at all, you can see those bald patches...


...so I prefer her in a simple ponytail:


With this sleek hair style, you can get a better view of Cyanne's profile:


It's a strange profile.  It reminds me of an alien with those big eyes and low-set diminutive nose and mouth.
A pretty alien, but still.
Here she is, all ready for her trip to France:



La-Dee-Da-Cyanne

Bottom line?  I like it when new dolls are released.  It's always exciting to see something different on the toy store shelves.  The La Dee Da line does not disappoint in terms of visual fun.  The first two groups of dolls are colorful and eye-catching, with a wonderful mix of hair colors and makeup.  When these dolls hit the shelves in force later this summer, I am sure shoppers will be stopped in their tracks, peering into the boxes to examine the rainbow of hair color choices, the busy outfits and the unexpected details of the face paint.  The dolls are fun to look at.

The problem is that out of the box, these dolls do not have as much to offer.   My overall sense is that this is a doll who is trying too hard to do everything, and ends up not doing anything well enough to make a lasting impression--at least on me.  Cyanne's hair is colorful and soft, but sparsely rooted.  Her dress is well made, but it is a tiny little scrap of a thing and has no distinct style (although other outfits in this series are much better).  Her body proportions are interesting, but don't have enough flexibility to be very expressive.  Her face is sweet, but there's nothing memorable or new about it.   I see a resemblance to Pullip dolls and I have heard people remark on similarities to Yummi Land dolls and the Beauty Cuties.   On one level, this is just another big-headed, large-eyed, skinny-bodied, brightly-colored doll with a fashion-minded personality. 

Remember when I hypothesized that Liv dolls were failing because the dolls in each new release were too similar?  Well, La Dee Da does not have that problem.  Each doll, even if it is a new version of an old character, seems to have her own hair color and her own unique face paint.  This is the feature that is going to spell trouble for those of us with collecting mentalities.  There is a temptation to get all of them.  Despite my complaining, I still find myself drawn to certain combinations of face paint and hair color.  I like Sweet Party Dee's rainbow hair and spotted dress and I like Sweet Party Cyanne's peppermint eyes.  My prediction: the success of these dolls will rest on the company's ability to maintain this diversity.

So...La Dee Da tries too hard and perhaps Liv didn't try hard enough.  Not until the Liv in Wonderland series did we start to see some real creative fun with the Liv characters and their clothes.  These new dolls hit the ground running with an overabundance of variety and glitz.  Spin Master seems to specialize in the fad market, and so maybe they've found a better match with La Dee Da.   Of course you know by now that I'd have preferred that the quiet but versatile Liv doll remain on the shelves for years to come rather than see this flamboyant, slightly tacky character steal the spotlight.   


Summary:
Age Level
5 and up
Value
Slightly overpriced at $20.
Quality
The clothing seems well made and the face paint is nicely done with no defects.  The design quality of the clothing is variable.  This particular doll's hair is rooted too thinly for restyling and the shoes do not stay on.  
Packaging
Decent packaging.  The box has a lot of plastic, but it is a reasonable size and is visually appealing.  Doll is fairly easy to get out.
Collectable?
No.  This is a play doll, but there’ll be a temptation to collect several of them. 
Versatility
Not very versatile.  This doll’s flamboyant, stylized appearance and themed makeup limit her to a narrow range of characters.  Her hair is not meant to be restyled and she has limited articulation. There might be some wardrobe sharing possibilities with Monster High, although not in all cases.
Overall
If this doll’s style appeals to you, choose your character carefully. Some are much more creative and interesting than others.

La-Dee-Da-Cyanne

33 comments:

  1. Yay! I was looking forward to this. Thanks for another great review! :D

    I've been looking at pictures of these girls on flickr for a while (I've not heard of them arriving in the UK yet but I'm due a visit to TRU soon, so...).

    It seems to be a hit-and-miss with some of them. I was thinking of getting this version of Cyanne simply because I thought her dress would look great on my MH Cupid, but thankfully you saved me the trouble by saying it doesn't cover Operetta's butt. XD There'll be fashion packs soon, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for them, too.

    I was not a fan of Livs - just didn't like their faces for some reason - although I respected their articulation, and it is sad to see that LDDs didn't take up the mantle. Still, there's a delicate look to their arms which could be cute enough on its own, even if it limits posing. Their faces are cute and I agree totally that these will stand out like crazy.

    My own personal bug-bear with these girls has to be that they're ALL fashion designers. Okay, arguably, Cyanne is the hair stylist, but if it HAD to be all about fashion, why couldn't they have, say, Dee as the designer, Cyanne as a fashion journalist-in-the-making (maybe with a tie-in blog?), Tylie as a photographer and Sloane as a wannabe fashion boutique owner? It could have allowed for more personality, and would be a great message to girls that the fashion industry isn't just for designers and models, but for hard workers and business-minded girls, too.

    My last gripe is that all of their clothes look as though they were designed by the same person (maybe they were - I guess Dee is the chief designer). Their fashion sense is distinct from other dolls, but not from each other, and that bothers me.

    As it stands, the one I really like the most is the signature Dee - and this may even be down to the fact that I have a very sweet friend with a similar hair style (and fashion sense, now that I think about it). I'll definitely be picking her up once I see her, but the others...I really don't know. I'll have to gauge it in person.

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    1. Omg that was so long, sorry!!

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    2. Dear Frankie, don't ever apologize for long posts--goodness, did you see how long this review is?? ;) It's hard to get everything I am thinking about with these dolls into a concise post and I am so glad to see that I'm not the only one!! It's funny because I have such a similar reaction to you, too, in that I have very different feelings about the different dolls. I think I picked the wrong one. Maybe if I had reviewed Sweet Party Dee (or signature Dee--I agree that she's lovely), I would have been more unequivocally enthusiastic.

      I also agree about the personalities--I think Cyanne is a blogger, actually (which is cool!) but the characters seem too similar and a bit boilerplate...and, exactly as you said, not a realistic representation of the scope of the fashion industry.

      This dress would have been awesome for Cupid...good idea. It'd make more sense on her than on Cyanne! It's too bad the dolls' measurements aren't more alike because it'll be a pain to try and sort out which clothes might be interchangeable and which won't work.

      I think there might be a rough transition into enjoying these dolls for what they are, but I am willing to give it a try.

      Thank you for your insights, Frankie!! Let us know if you find Dee and how you like her. :)

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  2. You're not the only one who looked at these La Dee Da dolls and thought "Yummi Land!" I did too! Thank you for the review; I was wondering about the shoes and how well they'd stay on. Out of curiosity, how sturdy are the knees? Would you compare them to the old LIV knees, to Monster High knees, or are they in a category by themselves?

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    1. That's a good question. The knees are very tiny, of course, but they seem fairly sturdy. They are not super flexible. Liv knees are much sturdier and more flexible with those double joints. Monster High knees are skinny, but they have the side-to-side movement that I like. Cyanne's knees are just simple hinges--no rotation. She can't sit with her feet tucked off to one side, or with knock knees. I'll put the strength of the joints to the test a bit more with some rigorous bending and get back to you...

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    2. Alrighty, thank you kindly. That's good to know.

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  3. Thank you for your very detailed review, it will be interesting to see what happens with these dolls. I suppose as adult collectors we are not really the target market and I'm looking forward to seeing the reaction of my niece (who is part of the target market). Your doll looks quite oddly out of proportion in some of your comparison shots but in your other photos of her on her own, she quite photogenic and charming. I'm looking forward to seeing them for myself.

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    1. It neat that you said that because my initial reaction to this doll was very negative, until I started photographing her face up close! You hit the nail on the head--her face is very charming and photographs beautifully. This gradually won me over a little bit.

      I am very anxious to see what kids like your niece think of these dolls--not just the initial reaction in the store, but over time, do they get played with? Are they favorites? We'll see! :)

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  4. Great review! As my interest lies more with the articulated dolls, I'm not overly taken with this line. However, the pictures you took of Cyanne with her hair down ... the hair is just lovely, like a "dream cloud". Too bad it is so thinly rooted. Even so, I can envision buying her and posing her with that delightful hair and never moving her (so the thin rooting doesn't ever show)!

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    1. Yeah--it's weird, the doll almost seems like she was meant for display and not play, which is backwards considering her glitzy appearance and low articulation--things that I think of as being appealing to younger doll lovers. I am curious about whether or not the hair on the Le Dee Das who wear their hair down (especially down and straight) is better rooted. I would hope so, but I would also be surprised if the dolls had different rooting methods.

      Dream cloud is a great description for her hair--the hair looked so angelic framing her face like that, it was a shock to see all of the bald! Eeek!

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  5. Not another new doll. Most likely won't purchase.
    Sorry Spin Master, looks like a Yummy Land doll and sort of like Bratz or Moxie (Bigger eyes). If I owned the company, I would go into the body articulation business. How many collectors do you know use LIV bodies. Make them in different shades, no heads. Also make wigs and outfits to fit the bodies that were purchased before.

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    1. Fantastic ideas, Frannie!! I wish Spin Master would listen to you! Oh, how I would love to continue having new Liv clothes and wigs available.

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  6. Hello from Spain: Thanks for reporting that these new dolls are created the same as the LIV. I really like the hat with the statue of the Eiffel Tower. Sloane, is very original. The body of these dolls is thin like the Monsters. Anyway I prefer the LIV. Keep in touch.

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    1. Sloane does seem more original. I think I'll get her out of her box and see if I like her better than Cyanne.
      I prefer Liv, too. ;)

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  7. I'm impressed that you're able to stay so positive about the whole thing, despite seeing exactly what the problem with this line is. Yeah, I'm still pretty bitter about these dolls replacing the Livs (even though I never treated Liv dolls as a whole as dolls, not really- more body donors). I just can't get over what Spinmaster did there, why replace something that was completely new in its time- something that you could say prompted Mattel to create the whole Fashionistas line in response to it- with this regurgitated candy tripe? Sigh. SIGH!

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    1. "Regurgitated candy tripe." Your comments always put a smile on my face, Alrunia. :)

      Sigh is right. I appreciate needing to change things up if Liv isn't doing well (and she wasn't), but why not re-invent the Liv concept rather than go off in a whole new direction? I don't know if I like the Bratzilla dolls yet, but something like that seems like a more natural progression--keep the articulation, wigs and inset eyes that made Liv so fun, (use the same body, even!) but steer the concept of the dolls to something more edgy or creative.

      I love to spend time thinking about all of this. If La Dee Da missed the mark, what WOULD have been the perfect new doll to produce?

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  8. Thank you for the review:) I think they're very cute but not worth the price tag ($12-$15 maybe)

    As for Liv being discontinued I'm quoting a fellow collector:
    "But Liv wasn't discontinued to make room for these; the line was doing poorly, and several of Spinmaster's lines were recently discontinued. If Liv hadn't turned into a shelf sitter, they probably would have kept both lines (MGA makes both Lalaloopsy, Bratzilla and Bratz, Mattel has Barbie, MH and Stardoll, Hasbro has both LPS and MLP)."

    I'm with him on this one; if Liv was doing well they would've kept her. Since she is being discontinued Spinmaster needed *something* to fill her spot. However you'd think they would have taken a hint from what did make Liv popular (if only for a while), her very articulated body!

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    1. Yep, I agree with your friend. The fact that La Dee Da is replacing Liv does not mean that Liv was discontinued because of La Dee Da....but in my head, it is hard not to compare the two lines (even if that isn't really fair).

      The La Dee Da line with a highly articulated body would have been very interesting--much more like a Pullip. I'd have appreciated that, and it would have made some marketing sense, too, just like you said.

      Those Bratzillas look interesting, don't they? Have you seen one yet?

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    2. "Interesting" is a nice way to describe them, lol. I'm biased as I've never been a fan of the Bratz line but these ones are definitely not my cup of tea. The red haired steampunk looking one is rather tempting though:
      http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m3lec2woxX1r3rp21.jpg
      I haven't seen them yet but the only store in my area is Walmart.

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  9. I have to admit I've been mildly interested in these dolls since I first heard about them. They're very "cartoony" and garish, but in your close up shots with her hair in a ponytail, Cyanne looks really pretty. The candy colors combined with the tall, slender body seems very Strawberry Shortcake meets Monster High. The India doll looks really cool, but at $20 I won't be buying. Hopefully that thin rooting really is an isolated incident. On a twenty dollar doll it's inexcusable.

    Also, I know you only brought them up for comparison, but I have to agree on Pullips. They're such great dolls! :)

    As always keep up the good work!
    -John in Missouri

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    1. Thank you, John! That's so neat that you compared La Dee Da to Strawberry Shortcake! I almost bought a Shortcake doll for comparison in this review--there's definitely something strangely similar about them. "Strawberry Shortcake meets Monster High" is an excellent summary.

      I think the rooting is specific to this character, based on what I have heard back from people who have some of the other dolls. I guess to make the fancy up-do look good, the hair has to be a bit thinner. The dolls with their hair down have nicer rooting, I'm told. I'll confirm this with Sloane when I get a chance.

      I totally agree that she looks lovely in some instances--she is a dream to photograph up close. I'd rather have a Pullip than four of these dolls, though. No contest!
      :)

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  10. Well, first - Love your thorough reviews. Thanks for posting them. I have a couple of these but haven't deboxed them yet. They look so great in their bright gaudy box and lively graphics. The bendy leg issue bothers me as I hoped to use them in doll action photos. I have all the large YummiLand dolls and love them despite the lack of articulation. Thanks again. P. in Houston

    p.s. I also want the Dee you like - she looks like a crayon box explosion.

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    1. Thank you! :) The La Dee Das do look amazing in their boxes--you're so right! I wasn't going to get any more of these dolls, but when I saw the colorful display at Toys R Us, I had to grab that rainbow Dee! She's still in her box looking perfect, but I will have to get her out and see if her hair is better than Cyanne's. I'd love to get my hands on a YummyLand doll, too, so I can make a comparison. It's so interesting to me how design ideas are recycled and retooled in the doll world!

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  11. I just got the Signature Dee with the statue of Liberty eye paint. The hair is almost as thin as on your Cyanne. I wanted to do her hair in pig tails but she got a huge bald area. You are right when you say ponytail or hair down are the only styling options. I really like her head and the large eye area is cool for their cool designs and a good canvas for repainting. I really hate the body and I'm not hot on the tacky clothes. Perhaps her head could be transplanted? Such a slim neck though.

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  12. I recently purchased Peppermint Pose and would have had Tylie as Cotton Candy Crush were it not for a ridiculously long line at the store. I was attracted by the sweet, girly, pastel colors and wondered what it would be like to use one to customize as a version of Pullip Amarri, a doll on my wish list. I absolutely see the similarity to Pullip which you noted, but the name "La Dee Da," seems like an imitation of "Lalaloopsy." (Originality it seems is not only difficult in this industry, but deemed risky.) As you pointed out, the name is otherwise a strange, contradictory choice. The story line is pathetic even if intended for younger girls and a poor role model. It will be interesting to see if they make it. The lalaloopsy dolls are so simply constructed Spin Master may have thought it could get away with it. The similarly limited Novi Stars suggest a trend.

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  13. When i saw your up close pictures of the clothes, i thought, "HALLOWEEN COSTUME!" Really it would work. I am in middle school, still have LIV dolls. Hopefully, will never get rid of them. La dee da seems kind of cool in its own way, but liv is better in many ways and la dee da, in some. I would only wear those clothes on halloween. Not anywhere or anytime else. I miss liv dolls. Might get a la dee da just for the heck. Probably not. Love your pictures. FABULOUS! Keep up the good work!

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  14. Hey, random thing you might want to know. My little sister got the same suitcase, but it was pink with a pattern printed on it. It came in a LIV DOLL PACK! So they are using some of the same accesories as LIV for la dee da. Intresting.

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  15. Very nice review. Personally, I like the doll.

    I have Operetta too, lol. :)

    Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Burlesque is French. The dress Cyanne is wearing is probably a Burlesque-like dress (it may be vulgar to you and other parents, but this doll isn't the only one w/ "skimpy" clothes).

    She isn't the only doll w/ sparsely rooted hair. I have the Operetta doll w/ pet from the main line, and I was combing her hair one day... Let's just say it was awkward. I didn't expect part of her red scalp to be showing a bit.

    Thank you for this review!

    - S.B., a 19-yr-old doll collector

    P.S. - Would you say that a La Dee Da doll was around 11 1/2" or what? I don't understand the product dimensions on Amazon.com. :)

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  16. My daughter fell in love with these dolls! She bought this doll, and Dee as Bollywood with her Christmas money. I think she likes them better than Monster High, but I think I still like Monster High better! She loves Dee most of all! Nice review! I am trying to find the rest of the Runway Vacay line, but not having a lot of luck!

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  17. I bought the la dee da doll cyanne viva la france and she is great I totally disagree with you I bought mine on ebay for $11.00 I didn't get the accessories but I don't need them she doesn't have a whole lot of mobilty in the arms but if you have to many jionts the doll falls apart look at the hands on the monster high dolls I got lagoona for christmas and 1 hour later her leg came off I reattached it but now the hand is coming off I like the la dee da dolls.

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  18. I haven't got her yet, but still, i disagree with you, ( although i totally agree with you on the simple pony tail!)

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  19. in the la dee da commercials, they sing " la la la dee da" and tell about the website, so your right about the song name of the dolls

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  20. Hi! I just found your blog and have loved reading through it. I thought I would let you know that since the La Dee Da line is being discontinued, first wave Dee (the one in the city dress) is on sale at Toys R Us for THREE DOLLARS!!!!!! I got her and love her. Sigh. It's a shame I just fell in love with them and now they're being discontinued.

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