A Doll Review

I own many dolls and I have added a couple new dolls to my collection from a fairly new doll company, Harmony Club Dolls. I thought I would share a bit about these dolls. I was not asked to do this review, nor do I benefit in any way from writing it.

It’s nice to have choices, and these dolls are a great choice. I ordered these dolls originally to use in my work. I will also include what I have noticed from a playing perspective, as my daughter plays with my dolls as well. *click on images to see larger images 🙂

The dolls are very well made and I am completely satisfied with the quality. The quality  is definitely better than the ones available at Target and JoAnns  and comparable to the American Girl Dolls made by Mattel.

The first thing I noticed was their hair. The hair on both dolls is superior to American Girl Dolls by far, closer to the quality of the Gotz dolls. It  looks and feels more natural and is easy to style. Another difference that I have noticed, after over a year, is that the hair is not getting stretched or frizzy, as American Girl Doll hair can get with too much styling. The wigs on the Harmony Club Dolls are gorgeous. I bought one straight haired doll and one with slightly wavy hair. I like both, but the wavy hair is so fun to style and looks great still after much play and handling.

I don’t know how they  install (for lack of a better word) these wigs, but it seems that some hair was accidentally trimmed or cut when they did so. You can see little wisps around her face. The doll came with those.

The eye lashes are nice and softer looking than American Girl Dolls –more like the older Pleasant Company dolls.

The faces are pretty. Both doll faces are round and sweet looking,  unique and not the same mold. I like the closed mouth look best. The shading and shapes are super. The eyebrows are done well, without the “surprised” look some dolls have. Both dolls have rosy cheeks, as well as shading on their hands and feet, which is a great feature. The lip color could be a bit more subtle and natural looking, imo. But it’s not obnoxious or completely unnatural either.

The size of their cloth bodies are almost identical to American Girl Dolls, so all my patterns and clothing fit them very well. The dolls from JoAnns and Target are much thinner and a bit awkward imo. Not these–they look pretty much just like Gotz and Ag dolls. The dolls are shown wearing dresses made with my Sabrina Dress pattern.

I did find it interesting the cloth used on these dolls were not the same. The darker skinned doll had a cotton muslin (like AG dolls), and the other doll has a fuzzier fabric, like a poly- blend flannel or something like that.

The vinyl is a bit more plastic-y feel than Gotz or American Girl dolls, but not nearly as cheap plastic-y as the dolls sold at JoAnns.

The one doll came with an issue: its legs were strung too tightly and cannot stand. Its legs literally snap together, and as seen above,  cross, thus making it impossible to stand on her own. She must therefore lean against something. Also, her eyes wobble when open and not all the way upright.  It does stop after a bit, and doesn’t seem to bother my daughter. The other doll stands and poses just fine, and has no eye issues.

I did not contact the company and I would be very surprised if they were not willing to send a new doll to replace it. I just didn’t want to have the bother and inconvenience. To me, this speaks to the company’s quality control. It was sent out in this condition. This may be something they have worked out, since I purchased these dolls. Remember, this is a newer company and things like this happen to all companies. I do not think it is a big thing, just want this to be an honest, unbiased review.

As for play-ability–they’ve got it. My daughter plays with these dolls along with her AG dolls. She likes their hair better than the AG dolls. The hair is more natural looking and feels softer. She likes styling their hair, and does different styles all the time, unlike with her AG dolls–for fear their hair will become stretched or frizzy, as she has seen her friends’ dolls have. My daughter likes them just as much as her American Girl Dolls and says they are really pretty. She got this doll ready to walk to school with her friends.

I would most certainly recommend these dolls. They are pretty, well made, and offer a wonderful alternative to Mattel, without sacrificing quality. These dolls see just as much play time at my home. We like how these 2 dolls from Harmony Club Dolls have their own look and beauty from one another. My daughter observed that they are both really pretty, and that in life, girls are not supposed to all look the same, as the Mattel dolls seem to. I am thankful for this healthy and creative outlet for my 12 year old daughter.

Thanks for reading!