I just finished reading a really interesting article in the Wall Street Journal, Attack of the Tall Dolls – Toy Companies Make Them Bigger to Keep Girls Playing With Them Longer, that talks about how the various toy companies are making dolls taller in attempt to help girls see their dolls more as companions and therefore play with them longer. As a phenomenon called “age compression” continues to occur with our society, what were activities generally enjoyed by 9-11 year olds are now the hits among 7-9 year olds. Girls are giving up baby dolls sooner – often by 7 – and hair styles, fashion and dolls with common interests are winning out with the 7-11 set.

So, what are the hot 18″ doll lines for girls ages 6-11 this Christmas?

	American Girl continues to lead the pack when it comes to “companion” dolls with its line of 18″ dolls that are meant to be a girls’ best friend. Their line of historical dolls and books are also popular with girls and Moms, alike. At $95 each, they are definitely pricey, but the dolls are high quality and can easily become keepsakes. American Girl released its online world, InnerstarU this summer as another way to keep today’s plugged in girls interested in their dolls a little longer. American Girl dolls are only available at AmericanGirl.com or at one of the nine American Girl stores.
	Best Friends Club, Ink dolls were introduced last fall, were a huge seller for Christmas 2009 and I fully expect the line to be a big seller again this holiday season! The BFC, Ink dolls are 18″ tall, have realistic eyes, bendable knees, wear contemporary clothes and come with a journal and a second outfit – all for a very affordable $40 (approx.) price tag. You can find the Best Friends Club dolls at major retailers such as Walmart and Target, but Amazon seems to have the most complete selection of the dolls and their accessories. (click for complete BFC collection at Amazon)
	Journey Girls, a new line of 18″ dolls from Toys R Us, features four different dolls each with different talents who like to do different things. Callie, Meredith, Alana and Taryn are the four different soft-bodied dolls. There is a line of clothes and accessories that is available for each doll as well.
	Disney’s attempt to keep doll fans playing with its products longer is its new line of Princess and Me 18″ dolls featuring its five most popular princesses – Tiana, Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella and Belle. Each doll retails for about $50 and comes with an exclusive Disney Princess and Me magazine filled with a full-color photos, princess tips, princess quiz and royal ideas and an honorary princess certificate, plus additional accessories. The dolls are available through the Disney Store and you can purchase the Disney Princess and Me dolls through Amazon, too.
	The Kahn Lancaster Lucas group has introduced a line of 18″ dolls along with a line of doll and matching girl sized outfits. The dolls are manufactured by the legendary Alexander Co. and the dolls look very similar to the Favorite Friend line they had last year. The Dollie & Me dolls can be purchased at Sears.com (or in stores) and the line of matching doll and girl dresses can be found at Kohls and Amazon.
	Maplelea Girls are a line of 18″ dolls inspired by the girls of Canada. The collection of five dolls representing the girls from the various Canadian regions are high quality, 18? vinyl play dolls. Taryn, Brianne, Alexi, Jenna and Léonie. Maplelea dolls also have a complete line of furniture, clothes and accessories that go with the girls. You can read our complete review of the Maplelea Girl dolls here.

Other doll lines that are expected to be popular this holiday season also include:

• Moxie Teenz (14″ dolls)
• Barbie Fashionistas (11″ dolls)
• Karito Kids Giving Girls (21″ dolls)
• My Twinn The Just Like Me Doll: www.mytwinn.com (21″ dolls)

Dolls are definitely a great way to inspire imagination and in many cases they provide opportunities for learning, too. One of the doll lines that helps kids learn about the world around them is Karito Kids.

The Karito Kids Travel Charmers line is a smaller, soft and squeezable version of the Karito Kids characters who are visiting different countries of the world. The Travel Charmers dolls are 16″ tall with embroidered facial features and brushable hair.

We got the Pita Goes to Argentina Travel Charmer to review. My daughter immediately loved Pita and brushing her long black hair. Pita is dressed for an Argentinian horse riding adventure with her ruffled purple shirt and pink riding pants.

Each Travel Charmers doll comes with a charm that can go on a Karito Kids charm bracelet or on clogs (like Crocs). The Pita Goes to Argentina doll came with a cowboy boot charm that is too cute.

Additionally, every Karito Kids purchase benefits another child. Three percent of the retail price of every Karito Kids product is donated to the charity, World Change – and by activating their products, kids get to decide how the donation is distributed – to food, health, home or school for a child in an another part of the world.

The Karito Kids website is a great place for kids to play as well – play games, printable activities and send e-cards. When you create an account and activate a product, your child gets a Karito Kids passport to track the points they have to donate, points they have donated, points earned, and more.

There are 11 Travel Charmer dolls to choose from – which is your favorite?  Piper goes to Ireland is mine!

Karito Kids Travel Charmers 2 Doll – Lulu Travels to Egypt Karito Kids Travel Charmers 2 Dolls – Gia Travels to Greece Karito Kids Travel Charmers 2 Doll – Ling Travels to Russia Karito Kids Travel Charmers 2 Doll – Pita Travels to Argentina Karito Kids Travel Charmers 2 Doll – Zoe Travels to England Karito Kids Travel Charmers 2 Doll – Piper Travels to Ireland

Highlighted as one of Oprah’s favorites last year, the doll line Karito Kids has launched a new campaign that encourages girls to share how they show they care. By writing an essay of 300 words or less, kids can submit their story of how they have helped out in their local communities, and be featured on the Karito Kids website. (Download details here)

The Karito Kids line of dolls features six poseable 21″ dolls that represent children from all over the world (shown here Karito Kids – Lulu from Kenya). In addition, part of the purchase price of each doll is donated to a charity, but the cool part is, that kids get to choose which one! The dolls come with a code to be used online at the Karito Kids website. Once they activate their membership using the code, the child gets to choose which charity will receive the donation.

Karito Kids recently added 16″ soft dolls called Travel Charmers (shown here Travel Charmers Pita Goes to Brazil – Best Toy 2008 by Family Fun) to their collection and oh, are they cute. Like the original Karito Kids, 3% of the proceeds from the Travel Charmers collection go to one of four charities chosen by you.

The original Karito Kids dolls all come with books that go with their doll and her story, which makes this line of dolls even better. The Travel Charmers dolls come with a charm that can go on a Karito Kids bracelet but they also fit the Crocs style clogs.

Here is the complete collection (click on the image for ordering information):

After watching Oprah debut the new American Girl Doll of the Year for 2008, Mia, on TV last week, I decided to go see what other toys she recommends for kids. After checking out Oprah’s Best Gifts for Kids, I think she must love dolls – three different doll lines made list. On her list:

My Twinn

My Twinn: the just-like-me dolls are individually handcrafted by specially trained artisans who create thedoll’s face and style the doll’s hair based on customer-provided selections and photos. They personalize each doll with the customer’s choice of skin tone, eye color, hair color and hair length. The artisans will also hand-paint special featureslike freckles and birthmarks. The 23″ dolls have vinyl heads, arms and legs and cuddly fully poseable bodies.

My Twinn dolls have an extensive line of clothes for dolls and girls, furniture, accessories and baby dolls as well.

Karito Kids

Karito Kids dolls have a heart!! These ethnically accurate dolls, which come with accompanying chapter books, are designed to give kids an appreciation for different cultures and giving. Every doll comes with an activation code that allows kids to go online and designate a portion of the price to one of four children’s charities.

There are five girls that represent different cultures from around the world. Wan Ling is a panda lover from China, Lulu is an aspiring soccer star and co-host on a children’s TV show in Kenya, Zoe is a bohemian songwriter from New York, Gia is a fashionista and budding designer from Italy and Pita is a medal-winning equestrian from Mexico. The dolls and their adventure books will take you around the world where you will learn fun and interesting facts about different cultures and countries.

Bonus: Send e-cards or print out fun coloring pages at the Karito Kids site.

American Girl

Oprah debuted the new Mia, Girl of the Year doll, last week and she gave all of the lucky girls in her audience the new historical collection dolls, Julie and Ivy. She also took the audience on a tour of the factory and has even visited the American Girl Place.

American Girl has it all – a line of well made, 18″ dolls for play and collecting. They have historical characters modeled after girls in significant eras of American history, complete with a series of books for each. They have dolls that you can choose that look like your favorite girl, and then there is Bitty Baby and the Twins – 15″ dolls for the younger set.

Bonus: Check out American Girl’s site for lots of fun activities for girls and trailers of the upcoming Kit movie.

It is so nice to see a celebrity of Oprah’s stature supporting creativity, imagination, and good role models for girls. Notice, no Bratz, MyScene or Soda Pop Girls on the list!!