Woof & Co. by Sunny Days Entertainment

I feel like I should call the last month or two of my life the Walmart Phase, because a lot of the things that I'm excited about lately are from Walmart.  And I don't shop at Walmart very often.  It all goes back to that tip about the LUV dolls being on sale for $7.50 (which they still are, btw).  While I was investigating that deal, I found about six other doll lines that were either on an irresistible clearance sale or were simply too appealing to ignore.  I really didn't need any fresh ideas for reviews, since I have enough dolls in my basement to last the rest of my life, but this is a good time of year to investigate some affordable dolls and toys that might be appealing to kids.  The Hey Besties that I just talked about would make wonderful holiday gifts, and I think the dolls in today's review would, too.

I hesitate to call the critters in today's review dolls, though.  That hesitation prompted me to look up the official definition of a doll, which is something you'd think I'd have done by now.  According to Merriam-Webster, a doll is "a small-scale figure of a human being used especially as a child's plaything."  So, yeah.  These aren't really dolls, because they're definitely not figures of human beings.  They're dogs:

Woof & Co. Finley, by Sunny Days Entertainment ($29.98).

Specifically, they're plush dogs from a brand called Woof & Co.  These 15-inch characters stand upright, have an armature (yay!), and wear clothes like human beings.  They're made by Walmart's Sunny Days Entertainment company (just like the Honey Bee Acres toys).

I feel like I've reviewed a lot of anthropomorphic animal toys at this stage in my blogging career.  I seem to have a thing for them.  There was Pinky Cooper way back in 2013 (who's still one of my favorites), and of course I've talked about Calico Critters, Li'l Woodzeez, and Honey Bee Acres numerous times over the years.  More recently, I reviewed the Catwalk Kitties and the small blind box Meow Planet cats.  And I mustn't forget Larvie, the Teen Age Fashion Maggot, or my beloved Snow Crow Studio creatures.  A lot of Monster High characters fit into this category, too.  I'm sure I'm forgetting somebody, but you get the idea: I like dolls, I like animals, and it's fun to mix the two.

There are six different Woof & Co. dogs in the collection, each representing a different breed, and each with her own style and personality.  Here's a promotional photo showing the whole group:

From left: Piper, Lily, Briana, Skyler, Finley, and Willow.

I purchased Piper because she's a Chihuahua and my house is overrun with real live Chihuahuas.  I also bought the Yorkie, Finley, because I thought she was cute, and the poodle, Willow, because she looks really soft and cozy.

On my visit to Walmart, I snapped pictures of the three dogs that I didn't buy, hoping to give you a better look at those options.

As it turns out, the dogs are hard to see because of their shiny plastic box covers, but I'll show you the photos anyway.  Here's the small display at my store:

Woof & Co. dogs at Walmart.

Willow looks like she's stuck in a strong wind there.  Or maybe she's just trying to listen carefully to what Finley is saying?

First up is Lily, who was hidden behind some other boxes in the display:

Lily is a white Shih Tzu with a "Parisian Flair" style.  Does she look like a Shih Tzu to you?

Actual Shih Tzu.

She does a little bit, I guess.  She looks more like a Maltese to me:

A Maltese.

But I guess Shih Tzus can be white, too.  It's just a rare, recessive trait:

Another actual Shih Tzu.

Lily's bio says:

Lily's flair for fashion goes beyond what she's wearing.  She loves designing clothes and creating fun outfits that show off her friends' unique styles!  Whether traveling the world or having a dress-up day with her best friends, Lily finds inspiration everywhere to make fashion fun for everyone.

So I guess Lily is the one responsible for all of the other Woof & Co. outfits?  That's a neat idea.

Next up is Briana, who's a golden retriever:

She doesn't look like a golden retriever to me at all:  

The smile is similar, though.

But that's okay.  She's still cute.

Briana has a "Plaid Punk" style, and her bio says:

Briana lives in the big city, where she loves walking to her favorite bookstore and curling up in a cozy corner with a new book.  She's always ready to dive into adventures and faraway lands--especially when she can share them with her friends!

I can relate to the joy of curling up with a new book!

I'm getting Clueless vibes here.

The third dog that I didn't buy is Skyler the French bulldog:

She definitely doesn't look like a Frenchie:

I'd have said she's a Chihuahua, actually.  But maybe I'm biased.

Skyler's personal style is "Western Boho" and her bio says...

Okay, wait a sec.  I can't shake the idea of an actual French bulldog, with its squishy little face, wearing Western boho clothes.  I need to see that.  I know AI is evil, and I'm able to resist it most of the time, but I had to ask ChatGPT to "make me a photograph of an anthropomorphic female French bulldog wearing Western boho clothing."

And here you go:

Yikes.  Sorry.  The world didn't need that.

Now we can look at Skyler's bio:

Skyler has a unique sense of style and artistic nature.  She loves bold colors and textiles and enjoys combining her painting and sculpting skills.  Her favorite pastime is teaching pottery to friends, and showing off her brightly-painted masterpieces.

I like Skyler:

Whatever breed she is.

Heck, I like all of them!  It was hard to pick which ones to buy.

I'll show you Finley first, since she's the first character I found on Walmart.com during that first fateful shopping expedition: 

Woof & Co. Finley, by Sunny Days Entertainment ($29.98).

Finley's box is heavy cardboard on five sides with a clear plastic lid that's held in place by a decorated cardboard band.  

The band has "Woof & Co." written in metallic gold, with Finley's name underneath:

It's very fancy.

The box has a handle on top made out of silky gold twisted cord:

Also fancy.

The sides of the box have a brown and black checkered pattern, with little silhouettes of different dogs inside some of the squares:

The back of the box has a large photograph of Finley and a few areas of text:

On the top, underneath the Woof & Co. brand name, it says:

Unleash Your Style!  When it comes to fashion, Woof & Co are best in show!  These pups lead the pack in style with the latest fashion trends.  Together paws up, stand out, and stand tall!  Strut your style and show the world YOU!

"Unleash your style," "best in show," and "lead the pack" are clever.

Next to the photo of Finley, there's a speech bubble that says "just keep laughing!"

I mean, seeing a Yorkie in a preppy teal outfit with a pink hair bow certainly makes me want to laugh, but it's strange that she's encouraging me to do it.

Underneath Finley's picture is her personal style (Polished Preppy) and her bio:

Her bio says:

Finley may be a bit shy, but she is the biggest jokester around her friends.  It's always surprising how Finley finds humor in the simplest things to make them all laugh.  Her stories brighten up any mood, and friends love being around her.

Now I understand the laughing comment.  And that's a cute, likable personality.

The bottom of the box is pretty boring, with the date of manufacture (February 2025) and address information for Sunny Days Entertainment.  But there's a nice clear view of the little dog silhouettes:

I removed the plastic lid on Finley's box so that I could get a clearer picture of the packaging without all of that glare:

I could see right away that there's something up with Finley's left eye.  It looks like she has hair stuck under her eyeball:

I'll have to investigate that once she's out of the box.

Getting Finley out of the box was extremely easy.  There were only three plastic strings to cut: one around each leg, and another around her neck.  It was completely hassle-free, and left behind an unblemished, sturdy box that could be used for storage:

In fact, you could re-package these dogs to look almost new.  So I could donate them to the Goodwill and they'd still make a nice gift.

Outside of her box, I was thrilled to see that Finley has excellent balance, with sturdy vinyl shoes:

She's wearing bright teal and pink from head to toe, with a matching tote bag slung over her left shoulder:

Here she is from the back, where she looks like a lion:

Her face is adorable, with long, black-tipped brown fur that's stitched into sections.  The middle section of fur is pulled up to the top of Finley's head and tied into a ponytail:

Does she look like a Yorkshire terrier?

I would say so, yes:

She's definitely recognizable, although I wish her ears were furrier and stuck up more.

The problem is, some of the fur from that middle section of hair got stuck underneath her left eye:

Uncomfortable.

I was able to yank the fur out from under her eye and smooth it back up:

That looks better, but there's still a disruption in the fur.

Having a defect like this isn't a great way to start things off with a $30 toy.  I can justify the price on these dogs with their size, quality, and articulation, but they're right on the edge of being too expensive.  Too many defects will tip the balance the wrong way.

The rest of Finley's face is done pretty well, although her eyes are crooked, with the right eye looking down and out while the left eye faces forward:

I find that endearing, so I won't count it as a serious defect.

Finley's lower face is made out of a light brown fabric with much shorter fur, so it's easy to see her black plastic nose and stitched mouth.

Both eyes have simplified eyelashes made out of black felt.  The felt is secured behind the eyes.

The longer, hair-like fur can be brushed with a regular hairbrush, although I'd advise doing this gently, since little bits of fur come out with every stroke.

The fur at the top of the head is tied with thread and then decorated with the bow, which has its own elastic band: 

The bow is made out of stiff, papery, cheap-feeling fabric, and is mostly bright pink, with some white stripes:

Finley's tote bag feels more high-quality than the hair bow.  It's made out of pink canvas, with sturdy, well-stitched ribbon straps and teal accents:

That's a nice little bag.

The bag is quite roomy inside:

There's such a discrepancy between the quality of the tote bag and the quality of the hair bow, I was curious to see how the rest of the outfit would measure up.

Finley's outfit includes a mint green Argyle sweater vest and a shiny, pleated mini skirt with white, pink, and teal stripes:

I feel like she's about to play mixed doubles at a really high-end club somewhere in Florida.  That's not my scene.

From the back, you can see that there's no opening seam in the sweater or the skirt.  There's a hole in the back of the skirt to accommodate Finley's tail, though:

On her feet, Finley is wearing pink vinyl sneakers with white laces and treads:

The shoes have some molded details, and slits in the back that make them fairly easy to get on and off:

They're much easier to get off than back on again.

Because the sweater vest is all one piece, I had to slide it down over Finley's hips.  This wasn't a terrible experience, but it would have been easier to have a velcro seam in the back:

On the other hand, if the vest had been given a velcro seam, I'd probably be complaining about how the velcro gets stuck on the knitted fabric.  Can't win with me.

The vest got stretched out a bit from being pulled off, but it still looks okay:

This isn't anything I would ever dream of wearing, but the construction is solid, with reinforced edges around the neck and arm holes:

The skirt is made out of the same papery, cheap fabric as the hair bow.  It's way too shiny and looks cheap:

The construction is basic:

I suppose this type of fabric is durable, but it feels bad.  And it's easy for those crisp pleats to kink or deform.

So, the outfit is a mix.  The skirt is underwhelming, with stiff fabric and simple construction.  The vest is more impressive, with its knitted Argyle design and reinforced edges, but it's hard to get on and off.  I'd expect slightly better for this price range.

Underneath her clothing, Finley has a plush body that matches her nose area.  She doesn't have any more of that long Yorkie fur:

She looks even more like a lion now:

Or a Wookie.

On her right hip, she has the Woof & Co. name embroidered into her fur:

The ampersand is hard to appreciate here.

There's also a massive white tag coming out of her bottom:

She's farting out her date of manufacture, I guess.

I snipped that tag off immediately.  It's way too large.

Finley has an internal armature that allows her to bend her limbs into all kind of positions.  And she keeps her balance in most of those positions, too, thanks to her firm stuffing and large feet:

She's really good at doing the splits:

And she can sit down nicely:

Stay.

Even with her legs crossed!

Good girl.

She can also run pretty fast:

Fetch!

I'm impressed with her articulation!

The only shortcoming, and it's a fairly big one for me, is that Finley can't move her head.  There's no armature to control that part of the body.  It would have been so much more fun to pose and play with her if she could turn her head!

At 15 inches tall, Finley is about the same size as American Girl's WellieWishers or AG Sisters.  Here she is next to Gwynn Tan:

Woof and Co. Finley (left) and American Girl Gwynn Tan (right).

As an aside, my Gwynn's eyes have faded over the last three years, which is really disappointing:

Gwynn now.

It's subtle, but they're definitely lighter than they were when she was new, and she's been stored in her box for most of the time I've had her.

Gwynn when she was brand new.

I expect better from the AG brand.

Anyway, Gwynn can't share clothing with Finley because she has a much narrower torso:

Is this for real?

Finley's body proportions are more similar to a standard American Girl doll like Corinne:

Woof & Co. Finley (left) and American Girl Corinne Tan (right).

Finley can actually wear Corinne's full outfit.

The leggings are too long, but the leg and waist widths are compatible:

However, there's no hole to accommodate Finley's tail, so the pants have to ride pretty low in back:

Corinne's sweater fits Finley well, although it looks more like a sweater dress:

And the velcro seam in back is perfect for making space for that tail!

The height difference between Finley and American Girl dolls isn't too big, either, so I suspect that the Woof & Co. gang could use a lot of 18-inch furniture and accessories.  I wish I could see Finley riding an American Girl horse!  She's more flexible and more in scale with those horses than the dolls are.  But we can probably all agree that a dog riding a horse would be weird.  And yet...a dog wearing preppy tennis clothes is also weird.

Anyway, Corinne can't fit into Finley's clothes.  The vest is too tight to pull on over her hard vinyl arms, and the waist of the skirt is too small.  If there'd been a velcro seam in the waistband I might have been able to squeeze the skirt on, but it'd be constricting.

Here's Finley back in her full outfit for a few more pictures:

The bag is a fun accessory and could be used to hold a number of small items:

Where is she going in such a hurry?

I guess she was running to pick up some small pets (friends? Siblings?):

They're mini-mes!

Interestingly, Calico Critters has never released a Yorkie family.  So Finley has to settle for the Labs.

Finley isn't very good at lounging, with that static neck:

Ahhh....urp.

But she's great at dancing!

Boom shakalaka!

This little one is really fun to play with, and she'd be a cuddly companion for bedtime, too.  Her personal clothing style isn't something I'm drawn to, but I love her recognizably Yorkie face, soft fur, and sweet smile.

I'm preppy but lovable!

These dogs feel unique, but they're a lot like teddy bears.  Many teddy bears come dressed like humans and with human accessories.

I looked around on the internet for some examples to make my case, and found this sweet girl from Vermont Teddy Bear:

Her name is Emily!

Emily costs $95, though.  Gulp.

There's also this Steiff bear, Ben, with his dapper vest:

He's $45.

The Woof & Co. dogs are also very similar in concept to Build-A-Bear animals...but less expensive.  As an example, take a Build-A-Bear dog like this one:

Very cute.

She costs about the same as Finley.  However, once you add an outfit and basic accessories, the total price ends up closer to $70.

So The Woof & Co. dogs are a more affordable way to get a similar toy.  And they're articulated!

Another thing I like about these toys is that they avoid some of the strangeness that can be found with anthropomorphic animals.  The Bratz Petz are a good example of the strange I'm talking about:

Hard to get much stranger than that.

My enthusiasm for Finley made me even more excited about the other two dogs that I bought, and Finley was certainly eager to meet the second member of the pack:

S'up, bitch.

The new girl is Piper, the Chihuahua.

Piper's box is almost identical to Finley's, but there's a different photo on the back and some different text:

Piper's speech bubble says "friendship is everything!"  So I suspect she's the social butterfly of the group.

Her bio says:

Piper is a social pup (yup) and enjoys meeting friends for smoothies or picnics in the park.  She always remembers everyone's birthdays and prides herself on finding the perfect gift for every occasion.

That bio feels kinda short?  But Piper sounds like a good friend.  Her personal style is "Sporty Streetwear."

Here's a glare-free picture of Piper in her box:

The presentation of these dogs is nice.  I really like the packaging.  And I love how easy it was to get Piper out of her box:

Instead of a hair bow, Piper has a ball cap (with holes for her ears!).  And instead of a tote bag, she has something that looks like a cross between a messenger bag and a fanny pack.

From the back, you can see that her shirt has a velcro seam, which will be nice for dressing and undressing:

The hat and bag both came plastic-tied to Piper, but it was fairly easy to snip those ties and free the accessories.

The bag is well made, with a working clasp in the ribbon strap and a solid full-size zipper on the bag itself:

There's a little snag on the side.

And there's some room inside the bag for small or compressible objects:

Can't fit a mini me in there, though.

The pink hat fits Piper well, and matches her bag perfectly, but the color doesn't go very well with the orange shirt:

My eyes hurt.

The hat has solid construction, and is made out of thick, squishy fabric with a soft interior that makes it feel padded.  The ear holes have reinforced edges:

Here's a look at the inside of the hat, where you can see the soft interior of the fabric and the durable stitching:

That's a well-made cap.

I like how Piper looks without the hat, when we can see her expressive face and big ears:

Does she look like a Chihuahua, though?  Hm.

Sorry, I can't help myself.

Sort of?  Maybe?  But she's too fuzzy on the sides of her face, and her ears aren't anywhere near big enough for a Chihuahua.  Also, some white on her face would help.  Most of my Chihuahuas have light or spotted faces.

But Piper has nicely-placed eyes (with no hair stuck under them) and cute embroidered eyebrows:

She looks more like a fox than a dog to me.

But she's ready for action in her orange track suit!

Time to party!  Or jog.

I like the style of this outfit, but the color is not my favorite.  I love a nice terracotta orange, or burnt orange, but this kind of neon, construction site orange is not for me.  But at least Piper will be visible if she's jogging down the road or something.

The outfit consists of a mock turtleneck top and drawstring pants:

Not Lily's most creative work, but serviceable.

The top closes in back with velcro, and the pants have a drawstring waist:

These pieces are very well made.  The top has elastic cuffs on the sleeves, and the drawstring on the pants actually works.  And these items are much easier to get on and off than Finley's outfit.

I like this fabric better, too.  It's a medium-weight synthetic knit with a bit of shine to it.  And the construction is good:  

I feel like I'm getting my money's worth with this ensemble.

Piper's shoes have a different style than Finley's.  They're high-top sneakers with a grey and white design:

Underneath her clothing, Piper has the same body as Finley, just in a different color:

Here she is from the back:

As you'd expect, Piper's posing is the same as Finley's, too.  So she can run fast:

I'm actually faster than Finley.

And lounge uncomfortably:

I'm totally comfortable.

And she's a great dancer:

Shakalaka boom boom!

I put Piper back into her outfit for a few portraits:

I like how she can touch her paw to her face!

And, despite the clashing colors, the bag is a useful, well-made accessory:

Chihuahua or not, this girl is a charmer!

Who, me?

Here's Piper with Finley:

Woof & Co. Piper (left) and Finley (right).

You know me well enough by now to suspect that I was thinking about opening one of these dogs up to get a good look at their armature.  The thing is, the bodies are solidly made, so the stitching is tight and hard to see.

One section of Piper's back seam was a tiny bit visible, though, so I took the chance to do a little internal investigation.

I had to remove quite a lot of stuffing before I was able to see the armature!

It's a plastic, segmented armature very similar to what's inside My Twinn dolls.  It's smaller in scale, but otherwise the same idea:

An exposed My Twinn armature, from The My Twinn Project.

I love this kind of armature and have worked with it a lot.  It offers excellent flexibility and durability.  The only problem is that Piper's armature is not rooted to her head.  There's a section sticking up through the neck, but it's very short, and not attached to anything:

She has no skull.

So, when that segment of armature is bent, it just bends inside the head--without causing the head to move at all.  If the armature had been anchored to the fur somehow, then these canines would be able to twist and turn their heads.

I can't think of an easy solution here--other than giving the neck its own teddy bear-style joint (which would have been awesome).  But maybe if the armature was longer and encased within a tight fabric sleeve that was sewn to the top of the head?  That could work.  It would be a fun thing to experiment with someday.

For now, I re-stuffed Piper and stitched her up.  She's almost as good as new!

My belly feels a little lopsided...

Piper has a less interesting face than Finley, and she doesn't resemble her breed as much as she could, but her outfit is more appealing and made out of a better fabric than Finley's get-up, even though the color choices are still not my cup of tea.  And it's easy to get her dressed and undressed, thanks to a working drawstring waist in her pants and a velcro seam in her shirt.

I have one last Woof & Co. dog to show you today.  This one was my favorite from the promotional photos, so I basically saved the best for last:

She's Willow the poodle.

On the back of Willow's box, there's a large photo and a speech bubble that says "singing is happiness!"  So she's the musician:

There's one in every group.

Here's Willow's bio:

It says:

Willow loves music festivals and singing outdoors, no matter what the season.  On a fall day, she enjoys singing while stomping on crunchy leaves in rhythm to her songs.  In the evening, nothing is better than singing around a campfire with friends.

That was almost a really good bio.  I'd have loved to see the writers play out the idea of singing outside in every season.  Why did they veer away from that and pivot to the generic singing around the campfire thing?  Maybe my mistake is assuming there are actually writers.  All of this stuff is probably AI nowadays.

Anyway, here's Willow in her box without the glare:

She's SO cute.  I love her soft poodley fur and cozy winter hat.  And I don't hate the color or style of her outfit, either:

Instead of a bag, Willow comes with a huge phone that's strapped to her left wrist.

And it looks like, despite having a zipper on the front of her jacket, there's also a velcro seam on the back of her jacket:

She stole the velcro seam that should have been on Finley's sweater vest.

Willow's pink plastic phone is simple, but effective.  It has a blank screen on one side, with a sturdy wrist strap and a few molded details:

The opposite side is all pink, with a molded two-lens camera:

I like that there isn't a design on the screen.  I think this makes the phone more versatile and accessible.  Kids can imagine that the phone is being used for whatever game, app, photo, or call they want.

Finley and Piper's bags are pretty great, but I suspect this phone would be a more popular accessory with kids.

Willow's face design is the same as Finley and Piper's, with only slightly wonky eyes and a winning smile:

I like how her curly ears hang down next to her face to look a bit like human hair.  They fit well with the style of the hat.  I also like that the two different types of fur--curly and smooth--have colors that match well.  Her face is very cohesive.

One issue that I could see right away is that the collar of Willow's jacket is funny.  It looks like it's designed to have the points of the collar facing downwards.  But the neckline above the collar looks messy and unfinished--like it's not meant to be exposed at all:

I see stuffing.

The collar looks good when it's flipped up, but it doesn't stay in that position unless it's carefully propped under Willow's jaw:

Impractical.

I took the hat off so that I could get a better look at Willow's face:

The hat looks great and is really well made.  I have a hat just like this, and there's no significant difference in the quality or construction.

The edges of the hat fold down to reveal more ribbed knitting:

Willow looks cute without her hat, and all of that curly grey fur is super-soft:

But does she look like a poodle?

Yes!  I think she does:

It's certainly clear to me what kind of dog she's meant to be.

I was interested to explore Willow's outfit, especially that jacket with its double closure.  The zipper on the front of the jacket is sturdy and works well:

Which makes it even more confusing why there has to be a velcro seam in the back:

Redundancy.

I guess this way, if a child isn't comfortable using a zipper yet, there's a nice alternative.

So the jacket can be completely separated into two sections:

Bizarre.

I like the pearlescent blue color of this jacket, and the gathered cuffs are a nice touch.  I just wish that the collar had better finishing.  It's an otherwise excellent garment:

Willow is also wearing a pair of pink sweat pants with a drawstring waist and white ribbon stripes down the legs:

These pants look comfy and are very easy to get on and off:

Willow's sneakers have the same molded design as Finley's shoes, but they're colored differently.  They have a broad teal stripe with a paw print design on each side, and a thin red stripe around the treads:

The shoes have some molding defects, though.  There's a blemish on the laces:

And on the treads:

What did she step in?

Willow has the same body design as the other two dogs, and her body fur matches her nose:

Her tail is made out of the same super-soft curly fur that's on her head:

I put Willow back into her outfit for a few more pictures:

She's definitely my favorite of the three.  I love her soft fur, her outfit looks good, and that phone is fun:

I think she's about to make a call...

I bet she's calling her parents to tell them how well her review went!

And then she said I was her favorite!

Willow might be my favorite, but all three of these dogs are great.  Here's a group shot:

From left, Woof & Co. Finley, Willow, and Piper.

There's certainly mix-and-match potential with the clothing here, since all of the dogs have the same body, but the colors are so different and bold, I couldn't find many rewarding new combinations:

Willow looks okay...but that's about it.

Bottom line?  The Woof & Co. dogs are an excellent blend of stuffed animal and play doll.  They're a lot like humanoid teddy bears or Build-A-Bear animals, but are in a more affordable price range.  In addition, they have articulated limbs and can stand on their own two feet.  Despite their human-like qualities, these dogs adhere closely to the teddy bear aesthetic, thereby avoiding the off-putting strangeness that some anthropomorphic animals possess.

While the majority of my experience with the Woof & Co. dogs was good, I have a few bones to pick.  First of all, the clothing is a mixed bag--in both style and construction.  Finley's outfit is underwhelming.  Her skirt is stiff, shiny and feels cheap, and the vest is difficult to get on and off because it doesn't have an opening seam in back.  Piper's track suit, hat, and bag are well made, but the clothing is an eyesore shade of orange that clashes with the pinkish-purple accessories.  I love almost everything about Willow's outfit, especially the jacket, but the design of the jacket collar is confusing and looks poorly finished.  Also, Willow's shoes have two obvious molding defects.

Another grievance, albeit a small one, is that only a few of the dogs actually resemble the breed that they're meant to depict.  They're all lovable, so it doesn't really matter.  But I liked to geek out over different dog breeds when I was a kid, so I see a missed educational opportunity here.

The other big issue I have with these dogs is that there's no head articulation.  The armature ends just above the neck, and so there's no way for the head to tip or turn.  In my mind, head articulation is a baseline necessity for any doll with joints.  This shortcoming could have been solved by giving the neck its own teddy bear-style joint, or by extending the armature and attaching it to the top of the head somehow.  This all might sound nit-picky, but I don't think it's an unreasonable thing to want from a $30 toy.

Pretty much everything else about these dogs is great.  The first thing I noticed about them was their cute, friendly faces.  I especially like how Finley and Willow have different textures of fur on their heads to represent their different breeds.  Finley had some of her long hair stuck behind one of her eyes, but it was an easy problem to fix.  Finley also has wonky eyes, but I think it adds a touch of quirkiness to her personality.  I appreciate the girls' clothing and accessories, too, despite my earlier criticisms.  In general, the clothing pieces are well-made, easy to use, and seem durable.  I especially like the elastic legs and working drawstrings on Piper and Willow's pants, the elastic cuffs on those same dogs' tops, and the fun design of Willow's shimmery jacket.  The bags and hats are very nice, too, with excellent construction and utility.  The color choices in my three dog's outfits don't lend themselves to mixing and matching, but that's something that might be rewarding with a different selection of characters.  Additional outfit packs would certainly be a welcome thing for the future.  In the meantime, the proportions of these dogs are reasonably compatible with some 18-inch doll clothing, and I suspect they'd also be able to use furniture and accessories from brands like American Girl and Our Generation.

Last but not least, I really like the articulated bodies on these dogs.  Putting aside my complaint about the lack of neck movement, the bodies are great.  The 15-inch size is impressive but manageable.  The furry fabric feels soft and pleasant, and the stuffing is firm--without being too hard or stiff.  All of the seams look good and feel secure; I actually had a hard time finding and opening Piper's back seam to inspect her armature.  And the armature that I found is high-quality segmented plastic, similar to what's inside a My Twinn body.  The armature allows the limbs and torso to bend and flex into a number of fun positions, and the dogs are balanced so nicely that they can stand on their own in most of those poses.  I had a really fun time playing with these dogs.

Overall, these are cute, expressive little friends who are easy to dress, fun to pose, and satisfying to cuddle.  As the holiday season approaches, it's nice to find this kind of wholesome, versatile toy.  I'd feel pretty great about giving a Woof & Co. dog (especially Willow!) to both the animal lovers and the doll lovers in my life.