Wednesday, October 30, 2013

We are Prettie Girls, Lena is Here!



This is my review of Prettie Girls Lena, the African American doll in a line of articulated fashion dolls designed by Stacey Mcbride-Irby for the One World Doll Project, Inc. 



Packaging
Since I always photograph my dolls in their never-removed-from-box state prior to deboxing, this task was not spared for Lena.  The packaging is nice, front and back.   "I'm Lena, the business Girl!" is on the front.  Text on the back of the box includes where Lena is from (Charlotte, NC), her favorite things, what she is amazing at, what she loves, and why she is "prettie."  There is a cute picture of Stacey McBride-Irby in the lower left-hand corner of the back of the box.


Other than her hair being sewn to the blister with one plastic attachment from the head to the blister, removing Lena only required a few snips of the bands that held her arms, waist, and feet down.  The base of the OWP-personalized black doll stand had a cord threaded through it to hold it onto the blister. 

Lena, deboxed

Lena's Vital Statistics
Height:  12 inches
Head/Body Proportions:  The head is not over-sized!

Hair:  Straight, black, rooted, comb-able but a little stiff
Eyes:  Painted brown
Facial Features:  Full nose and lips
Appeal:  Gorgeous!
Lena is prettier than I expected.  I love her luscious lips, fuller nose, and beautiful brown eyes.
 
Clothing:  Separates -- floral-print blouse, tan high-waist suspender pants, red duffle bag, red high heels

Articulated Areas: Underneath the breasts, elbows, and knees; the breast movement is only slight from left to right.


I was pleasantly surprised that Lena's blouse is not attached to her pants.  Both have a Velcro closure in back.


Comparison to Similar-Size Dolls
I compared Lena's height and foot size with Mattel's So in Style Kara, Integrity Toys' Reese, and YNU Group's Opal.

So in Style Kara and Reese pose with Lena for height comparison with shoes on.
 
So in Style Kara and Reese pose with Lena for height comparison with shoes off.

Opal poses with Lena

The Feet
Lena's foot measures approximately 1 inch long and is longer and wider than the feet of the other dolls mentioned above.  Her arch is not as high as Kara's or Reese's.  It is not as low as Opal's.  She can wear Opal's shoes and Opal can wear hers.

L-R:  Kara and Lena



L-R:  Reese and Lena
L-R:  Lena and Opal



The Body
I did not do a nude comparison between Lena and the other dolls because I did not want to take the time to disrobe everyone.  I did disrobe Lena.  I often wondered why it appeared her butt protruded in her promo images.  Now I know why:  girlfriend has some impressive curves!


The next two images illustrate Lena's very slight chest movement.

Her upper torso is turned as far as possible to her right (to the left looking at the image).

Her upper torso is turned as far possible to her left (to the right looking at the image).

More about Hair and A Quick Change
The next image attempts to illustrate the hair fiber and length of Lena's hair from the back:
Lena's hair has a synthetic look and feel.  It is comb-able, but a little wiry.


Her curvaceous body can fit into Kara's dress. 

Overall Assessment
For the retail price of $21.95 (on sale for $18.95 when I purchased), I am pleased with Lena's overall quality and the attention to detail given the product.  I love her sculpt, the quality of her clothing, the inclusion of a doll stand, and the nice packaging.  The addition of other dolls representing a variety of ethnicities, each with a unique complexion and their own personality is an added plus.   

What I would change/add if I could:
Improved hair quality (softer, less wiry), wrist articulation, more movement at the breast joint and at the hips/knees -- Lena cannot cross her legs at the knees when seated.  The best she can do is cross her ankles.

Lena sits with her legs as close together as possible.
Legs crossed at the ankles


Was Lena worth the wait?
Yes.

Am I looking forward to the release of the other dolls in March 2014?  Yes!

Kudos to Stacey McBride-Irby for her outstanding design of this doll, the fashion, and box presentation.  I must also applaud The One World Doll Project for taking the initiative to create a line of multicultural dolls for collectors but especially for little girls.   They need to see themselves in a positive light and dolls can certainly aid in helping girls of color appreciate their whole beings, from their heads to their toes and to consider their reflections normal and beautiful.


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26 comments:

  1. WOW, I like her! I like her full body. I guess she couldn't share Barbie pants. I can't tell from the pictures but does she look youthful or does she appear older than maybe the Grace, Kara, Trichelle. Is she a true 12 inches or 11 1/2?

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    1. Hi Ms. Leo,

      Her hairstyle and clothing give her a more mature look. Valencia and Kimani have more youthful hairstyles and clothing, so they will probably appear younger than Lena. Actually, I think Lena probably appears more mature than all.

      Tap or click any of the images in this post to enlarge them to get a better view of Lena's face. I think the head shot provides great detail.

      I used a measuring tape. She is exactly 12 inches tall -- you can see the height difference between the SIS Kara (11-1/2 inches) and Lena in the height comparison photo.

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  2. Hola, me gusta mucho, ojala las vendieran en Mexico.

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    1. Lindaivette,

      You may be able to order from the website and have them shipped to Mexico. There is a drop-down menu where you choose your country when ordering, so they probably do ship outside the US.

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  3. Excellent review, Debbie! She is very pretty. Thanks for doing such a thorough review.

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    1. Thank you, and you are welcome, Roxanne. I look forward to seeing a body comparison review from you. You are more thorough (and patient) in that regard. I want to know your overall assessment after your doll arrives.

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  4. Yay! I'm so happy to see her in your hands. Great review. I love her everything about her.

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  5. Congrats on getting her. She was one of the ones I am interested in, so thank you for posting a review. I almost love everything about her but I'm a little bummed about the no articulated wrist factor. She's a definite possibility.

    Great review!

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    1. Thanks, Tracy.

      The lack of wrist articulation does limit her pose-ability, but I am happy with her otherwise.

      Hopefully the company will add wrist articulation to future runs of the line.

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  6. Congratulations on getting her. She looks worth the wait - and prettier than expected, I agree. Thanks for the detailed review.

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    1. Thanks, D7ana! Yes... she is very "prettie," um... I mean pretty.

      :-)

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  7. Thanks for this great review! I'm glad you got her. So happy to see they are finally available.

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    1. You are welcome! Thank you for reading and for commenting.

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    2. Wow, she arrived quickly and looks fantastic. The only thing missing is wrist articulation. I love her face but not so much her makeup. Thanks foer the review!

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    3. Shipping was quite fast, Nikia. I think it helps that I am in the same state as the fulfillment center. You might like the makeup better on some of the other Prettie Girls. I just viewed some really great photos on Flickr taken by Angelic Dreamz, another distributor of the dolls. The same photos are also on the AD website.

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  8. Great review Debbie! I was waiting for your review to make a decision. Thanks! She is definitely a must have.

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  9. The Prettie Girls, Lena and Valenca, were $18.95 when I purchased Lena. They are now $21.95 each at the Prettie Girls website as well as at The Doll Genie, an authorized dealer. The Doll Genie is offering an introductory price of $39.95 if you purchased both dolls (Lena and Valencia). I am not sure how long this price lasts.

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  10. Thank you for the review. I really wanted to see "real" photos of this doll. She looks great. ;)

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  11. Thank you for the very informative review and great photos. This should really help anyone questioning purchasing one.

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  12. Doll Genie is giving away a LENA Prettie Girls Doll... Feeling Lucky?... Santa is going to be selecting one winner of the new Prettie Girls LENA Doll on Christmas Eve. No purchase required, the only requirement is that you must "LIKE" our facebook page! Here's the link https://www.facebook.com/ThePrettieGirls .. just click and LIKE that page and you are entered. Its that easy! Good Luck everyone! Ho-Ho-Ho....

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  13. Are you selling her? I have been looking through your sites and cannot figure out how to buy one of your dolls. Can you pls contact me ? @ xmiracles4todayx@aol.com, Thank you, Katee

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  14. Hi Katee,

    None of the dolls on this site are for sale.

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