LIV Fashion Dolls - 'Real Girls, Real Life'

My mum loved playing with her Tressie and Barbie dolls, I loved my ballerina Sindy, my much younger sister loved Bratz and MyScene ... it's seems that every generation has a new range of dolls to play with. Well, I wouldn't be surprised if the new generation's favourite doll is the LIV fashion doll.

As a mum, I breathe a huge sigh of relief because they look so wholesome and normal. I was always vaguely worried about Bratz dolls - they looked like the kind of girls I used to steer clear of at school because they were into heavy makeup, snogging boys and sneaky fags behind the bikesheds and I always thought they'd be the school bullies ! As a mum, it seemed slightly wrong to have such sexy little-Lolita rolemodels for our daughters to play with in their formative years ! Well, the LIV girls look like lovely, well-behaved girls you'd be happy for your daughters to be friends with and bring home for tea ! They have a cheeky, daring side - represented by the fashionable wigs and funky colourful streaks in their hair - but they look like they have good values and morals.



My 8-year-old daughter Sophie obviously loves the fact that one of the dolls is called Sophie ! I'm sure she'll soon want me to buy Daniela, Alexis and Katie to complete the set. Little sister Juliette is always drawn to these dolls in the shops too, even though - aged 4 - she's still more into the big baby dolls than the more grown-up fashion dolls. This seems to fit in with the design brief of the dolls : "In the competition to be the doll on every girl's Christmas wish list, LIV is a bold new line that stands out with its ‘Real Girls, Real Life’ positioning, celebrating what’s cool about being a teen in today’s world. Designed for girls aged 6-10 years, LIV is in the here and now, about girls being girls and aspiring to be like their teen sisters".



They are billed as "The Hottest New Fashion Dolls to Dazzle the UK" after causing a storm in the US. Stuart Grant, Buying Director for The Entertainer says : "LIV really stands out not only because the dolls look amazing, are incredibly realistic and fantastically designed, but each doll has a detailed relatable story that girls will love." So what are these stories, that little girls are going to be relating to ? "Sophie's a real teen . She's wildly creative - an aspiring hairstylist who recruits all her friends to try new looks. But maybe if she'd wear her glasses, some of those new looks wouldn't turn into such bad hair days ! Alexis is a super-charged fashion diva. She can carry off any colour, any pattern, anywhere. Life would be nearly perfect for Alexis if her little brother Miles wasn't always around ! Daniela takes her singing career and dance lesson extremely seriously. She performs at the local cofee shop, school dances and even at her nearby retirement home. Katie is a fun, active girl. She loves skateboarding, snowboarding and cycling, but whenever she's not on her board or bike she's so clumsy !" So, they love sport, have hobbies, are not scared to create their own look and be individuals, are kind to others - all great values - and they need glasses, are clumsy, have annoying little brothers - so little girls get to see that nobody's perfect or has a perfect life either.

So mums are won over by their personalities and values, and little girls are won over by the look and the playability. Each doll comes with a whole range of accessories - for example, Sophie has 2 wigs, 1 short and one long, a hairstyle stand, bag, glasses and hairbrush. Each doll also has a secret code that allows you to unlock a virtual character in the Liv world online, "the first website of its kind to deliver engaging daily narrative on each girl’s life. The code opens up the online world and invites girls to become best friends with their LIV doll as they interact with daily diaries, games, virtual wardrobes and much more, upon parents’ approval and guidance." Now, how cool is that for a pre-teen who has outgrown most of her CBeebies computer games but isn't yet old enough to be let loose on internet ?! Other features, according to the packaging, are stunning 'real' looking eyes, detailed fashion outfits with fab accessories, lovely soft wigs for hours of hairplay fun and an amazing 14 points of articulation so she can do lots of moves and poses.

“Extensive research told us that young girls today are searching for a new fashion doll brand to connect with and one that better reflects their world of friendship, fun and individuality,” said Kevin Jones, Managing Director at Spin Master Toys UK. “Liv fashion dolls have instant appeal with engaging stories and personalities, plus contemporary fashions, all of which look sure to resonate with today’s girls.” They've only been available in the UK since the 1st of November so if you get in quick, your daughter will be able to show off for having one of the newest, hottest toys in her Christmas stocking !

star rating : 5/5

RRP : £19.99 per doll

available from Argos, Toys R Us, The Entertainer and all good toy stores .