Madame Alexander has released a line of 18″ dolls that are very similar in size and stature to American Girl Dolls. The dolls have rooted, styleable hair, and are articulated at the neck, shoulders and hips so they can be posed. They are also soft-bodied dolls. The Madame Alexander Favorite Friends are also very affordable at about $40 each.

You can also find the Madame Alexander Favorite Friends dolls at Emily Rose and Amazon.

My daughter had a really hard time deciding which one she would pick – but seems very partial to the one wearing the pink boots! How about you?

When my daughter was about two we got her a Corolle Anna Ballerina doll. She named her Judy and she was the sweetest smelling little doll ever. At the time, I didn’t know that sweet vanilla scent was a trademark feature of Corolle dolls. Corolle is a French doll maker that has lines of dolls for little girls of all ages.

The Les Dollies line is group of 13″ soft-bodied, vinyl-faced dolls that are perfect for little girls ages 3-7. They all have fun, funky hair styles that can actually be washed, dried and even styled using a standard hair dryer on low. They have interchangeable colorful outfits – perfect for budding little fashionistas – and their little platform shoes (soft and non-removable) are so cute.

Which is your favorite?  I think they are all adorable, but I do have a bit of a sweet spot for Licorice. (click on photos for ordering information)

Dolly Pink Les Dollies Doll by Corolle Corolle Dolly Billy 16-inch Doll – Les Dollies Doll Collection Dolly Toffee Apple Les Dollies 16" Doll Touch of Whimsy Set Les Dollies Fashion by Corolle Rock N Dolly Les Dollies Doll by Corolle Dolly Marshmallow Les Dollies Doll by Corolle

I just discovered another new line of poseable dolls for play and collecting that have stories, a mission and are geared towards girls in the 6-10 age bracket – they are Vanange dolls by Vannuzza.

The Vanange line of multicultural dolls are wholesome 7 year olds from different countries whose stories encourage friendship, helping others, and global understanding. The dolls have vinyl limbs and soft bodies and stand about 19.5″ tall. Each doll comes with a book and retails for about $100.

The dolls in the Vanage collection are (descriptions from Amazon):

Vanange Analisa red-headed doll from Italy who loves to play soccer. Analisa is a happy and smiley red headed seven year old Italian girl who loves to play soccer. She enjoys helping her mom cook the most delicious foods in the kitchen. They chat a lot while they cook and Analisa likes to discuss everything with her mom. Analisa is a real multi-cultured girl! Her best friend and neighbor of five years, Kristelle moved back to Paris where she was born. They are both heart broken and they miss each other. They write to each other all the time. Analisa is learning a lot about the French culture, including the language from her friend Kristelle. So both girls speak French, Italian and English! Analisa found out that she also has a cousin who leaves in the Seychelles Islands. The two of them write to each other too and they are learning so much from each other.

Vanange Apolonia Latina doll from the Dominican Republic. Apolonia has the most exciting and heart-wrenching life experience for a seven-year old track-and-field runner! She was born in the Dominican Republic where she had a normal and quiet life. But one day, her dad announced that he has accepted a job offer to be a Marine Biologist in the Seychelles Islands – a place far, far away. Apolonia thought that she would die from the heartache of leaving her home, her Abuelita and Abuelito, and her friends behind. Not knowing the language or anything about her new home, Apolonia had to travel across the globe to get to the Seychelles. On her first day of school, she was frightened and she cried because she did not know anyone at school. However, little did she know that her life was about to change for the best! She was about to meet her new best friend and fall in love with her new home.

Vanange Bella the Multi-Ethnic Doll from Roosevelt Island New York City. Bella is a beautiful multi-ethnic girl from Roosevelt Island, New York City who enjoys to roller blade with her friends along the East River. She has beautiful cascading curls. Bella’s mom is African-American and her dad is Caucasian with blond hair and green eyes. Bella knows all about the beauty of cultural diversity. In her book, she also talks about the event that happened in her beloved New York City and changed the whole world: September 11, 2001.

Vanange Kristelle doll from Paris. She is also a great tennis player! She was born in Paris and moved to Italy with her parents when she was two years old. That’s how she and Analisa became best friends. Kristelle is now back in Paris after five years and she is discovering the city of Paris for the first time.

Vanange Luz Philipina doll . Luz is a quiet and loving seven year old girl from the Philippines. She has a yellow belt in Tae-Kwon-Do. Luz believes that you should never give up on your dreams, no matter what! She loves to spend quality time with her family including her grand parents. Luz loves to help her mom prepare foods and serve them in the Soup Kitchen. This is a place where people who do not have foods can go and get fed warm foods from other caring people. This experience gives Luz a new way to look at the world.

Vanange Marybelle doll from Atlanta, Georgia USA. Marybelle, (MB) is a real southern belle beauty who loves to play basket ball. She is seven years old and lives in Atlanta Georgia in a big mansion with her mom and dad. MB thought that all children around the world had the same privileges as she.

Vanange Vannah doll from the Seychelles Islands. Vannah is a seven year old girl full of love – who lives in the Seychelles Islands with her family. These are some of activities she enjoys: dancing ballet, running up and down the hills of her islands, playing beach volley ball with her friends and family and rope jumping. She knows that when she grows up she can do anything she chooses to because she believes in herself.

As of now I do not see any additional outfits or accessories for the dolls besides their very cute meet dresses. They do look like they might be able to wear some outfits from American Girl or possibly My Twinn doll clothes.

Little girls, ages 3-6 love dolls. They are old enough to start role playing and have fun being “mommy” and caring for their dolls. My daughter has always loved playing with her dolls, pretending to take them to the mall, caring for them when they are sick, and setting up birthday parties for them.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when buying a doll for play is its durability. Dolls are meant to be played with and sometimes the more basic dolls are the ones that get the most play.

My recommendations for the best dolls for girls ages 3-6 are:

Bitty Baby by American Girl

Bitty Baby is a girls’ first best friend (see photo above). My daughter got her Bitty at age 3 from Santa and the two of them have been best pals since. Even now, as she is about to turn 7, Bitty Baby is still her favorite and she has been all over the world. Bitty Baby is 15″ tall, starts at $42 and can be ordered directly from American Girl.

Bitty Twins by American Girl

The toddler version of Bitty Baby, the Bitty Twins have longer hair that girls can brush and style. That is part of their appeal. The Bitty Twin accessories are also geared more toward the Preschool/Kindergarten age and include a bed, kitchen, potty training set, and more. The Twins are exactly the same size as Bitty Baby – 15″. You can order the Bitty Twins (who come in a variety of skin color combinations and there is also a boy twin) directly from American Girl.

My Twinn Baby

The My Twinn Baby doll is 15″ long and comes in different combinations of skin/eye color. When you order the My Twinn Baby doll you can name it and they will personalize baby’s bib with its name.

Penelope Peapod

Penelope Peapod (shown Penelope Peapod Picnics in the Park Doll with Basket) is just the cutest thing! Her bassinet quickly turns into a purse making Penelope Peapod easy to take EVERYWHERE. She is available in a variety of colors and oh so cute. Her design is based on an old-fashioned, grandmother-made design and she is an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Medal Winner.

Corolle dolls

Corolle is definitely one of my favorite doll manufacturers! They have a huge selection of dolls for girls of all ages. We have a few that we have had since my 10 year old was 3 and 4 that were vanilla scented. They still have their scent and my daughter has such fond memories of Baby Judy and her friend. The Corolle Tidoo Bright Doll shown here is completely water tight and lightweight which makes her a bath safe doll. Actually the entire Tidoo line are crafted specifically so they can be taken in the tub and dry quickly. See a large selection of Corolle dolls.

Madame Alexander Baby

The Madame Alexander Baby Cuddles series are 14″ cuddly baby dolls that are available in a variety of sets. You can get her feeding set, windy day set, and others. She is just so cute though!

And even more great choices for the best dolls for girls ages 3-6:

Paul Drink-and-Wet Bath Baby Minireves Confettis Baby Doll by Corolle Mary Meyer TAGGIES Baby Doll Corolle Calin Yang Asian Baby Doll Corolle Calin Naima African American Baby Doll Corolle Babipouce Pink Striped 11-inch Baby Doll – Babicorolle Collection Corolle Calin Sorbet 12-inch Baby Doll – Mon Premier Collection Corolle 2011 Suce Pouce Blue Les Classiques 14" Baby Doll Corolle Minireves Bright Striped 6-inch Plush Baby Doll Corolle Interactive 17 inch Lia Baby Doll Corolle Miss Grenadine First Soft Baby Doll Corolle Bebe Charmeur 14 inch Baby Doll Corolle P’Tit Ange First Baby Doll Corolle Emma Drink-and-Wet Bath Baby Doll Corolle Bebe Do Mode 14-inch Baby Doll – Les Classiques Collection Corolle Bebe Tresor Les Fonctions 14" Baby Doll Corolle 2011 Suce Pouce Pink Les Classiques 14" Baby Doll Corolle Paul Drink-and-Wet Bath Baby Doll Miss Corolle Camille Equestrienne 13-inch Doll Corolle P’Tit Ange 12-inch Baby Doll – Les Classiques Collection Corolle Babipouce Asian 11-inch Baby Doll – Babicorolle Collection

In 1983 a line of dolls, called Cabbage Patch Kids, captured the hearts of consumers and kicked off an unprecedented consumer craze. Since 1983, more than 115 million Cabbage Patch Kids have made their way in to the hearts and homes of children worldwide, making Cabbage Patch Kids the best-selling large doll of all time.

The Cabbage Patch Kids are celebrating their 25th Anniversary with a line of Limited Edition Cabbabge Patch Kids CPK 25th Anniversary Dolls that will only be available for a short period of time. Each one-of-a-kind ‘Kid will be an exact reproduction of one of the originals using the original sculpts and molds.

We had the opportunity to get one of these Limited Edition ‘Kids early and let me tell you, “Anna” is a bonified member of the doll family already. My daughter has had so much fun playing with her – taking her everywhere basically – even on bike rides, which I hear “Anna” loves!

If you had a special Cabbage Patch Kid in the 80s (or anytime since), you can visit the Cabbage Patch Kids website and post your own photos, memories, and video to share with others. The Cabbage Patch Kids website also has some fun games, printables, and activities that little ones will love, too!